Welcome to Gaia! ::

It's great. A nice night...good game...it was all cool.

((gotta go also...night))

Hartley

In the Hero High infirmary, Hartley groaned as he tried to sit up on the bed he had been laid in. Next to him, Len was already sitting up, looking grimly out the window.

"OH. MY. GOD. LEN!"

Bright and early, Lisa, Len's sister dashed in, and hugged him.

"You would NOT believe what I had to go through last night in Ms. Frost's office, Len. That b***h wanted to blame me for everything that happened last night! So I told her, use your stupid mind powers and scan THEIR minds, b***h, it was totally those bleach-bottle blonde bimbette triplets using their mind-powers to hurt my brother! What was I supposed to do, just let them kill you?"

Lisa briefly turned and looked at Hartley.

"Oh yeah. That my attacking you thing, that was all them, too. NOT my fault."

Hartley tried to sniff like it was no big deal, but his nose was packed with gauze, so it came off like more of a snort.

"Yeah, apology accepted, Lisa."

"ANYWAYS. So she looks at the triplets with this like, creepy look, and she says okay, I can go. So I'm free and clear. And outside of the room, I see Ms. Darkholme, and she's with Julian and that creepy dyke from the football team. And I dunno, they look sorta dazed. Ms. Darkholme, she puts a hand on my shoulder and says that everything is going to be okay, and that you're in safe hands, and that I should just relax."

Len stands up.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Got robbed of my chance to show Coach Cage why I belong on the first string. That's all."

Len jerks a thumb towards Hartley.

"Hartley took the bullet for us on this one. If he hadn't noticed that the Cuckoos were doing their mojo on me, it could have been worse. I knew you were one of us, Hart."

Len almost cracked a smile. Lisa DID smile at him.

"I am going to make SURE we get elected Homecoming King and Queen, that's for sure. OH. I didn't tell you the BEST part."

Len started putting his coat on.

"What's that?"

"The two football players, Julian and the dyke, when they went into Ms. Frost's office, they confessed the WHOLE thing. Achilles and his sister Cassandra told them to have the Cuckoos attack you. She didn't even have to scan their minds, they confessed the whole thing practically before she asked them to sit down. It's spreading ALL over the school. Thanks to me, of course. OH. MY. GOD. No matter what punishment the school thinks of, those two are SOCIALLY DEAD from this moment on!"

Len actually DID smile, this time.

"Really. Is that what they told Ms. Frost. Hm."

Lisa frowned.

"What, you don't believe me?"

"No, it's not that. It's just...I'd better go thanks Ms. Darkholme for looking out for you. I've got a clean bill of health. Lisa, you stay here until they let Hartley get discharged. Clean him up for the dance.

It's going to be a crazy night."

"Because it isn't true Miss Frost!"

"Girls, I do believe I have had enough..."

"Will you please just listen to us?"

"I have been doing that since your freshhmen year Mindee, Phoebe, Celeste. I have taken you under my personal wing and given you my trust and this is how you..."

"MISS FROST!"

The Three-In-One psychic hive mind screamed out, surprising even such a skilled telepath as Principal Frost and caused her to give pause as the triplets, known as the Stepford Cuckoos, try to stress their point before the homecoming dance.

Principal Frost taps her nails on the top of her desk and she stares at the girls with cold eyes.

"Very well. Speak your piece but do make it fast."

"We are trying to tell you that Julian and Joanne lied to you!"

"Indeed. And what about?"

"It was not the doing of Achilles and Cassandra behind what happened at the game. It was Julian's idea and Joanna convinced us to go along."

"Oh really? And pray tell girls, why would they do that?"

"Because Len has been acting like a complete jackass ever since he set foot in this school. He and all of his little clique. He wanted to be on first string and when Achilles was given it, it about made him blow his lid. He set them up!"

"Mind control is not one of Len's talents girls."

"We know. But think about it. It's all been too perfect of a set up to make Cassandra and Achilles take the fall. Even Coach Cage admitted something was funny with that vanishing bag of powder."

"Yes, he did discuss that with Mister Wayne and myself."

"You see?"

"I admit it is suspicious girls...yet you played your part in this as well."

"Yes and we admit it was a mistake, but we are trying to tell you that Julian and Joanne are lying about everything! We just don't understand why!"

"Well, if they are, I will find out about it."

"But Miss Frost..."

"I will handle this girls. If Cassandra and her brother are innocent, then their names will be cleared within the school and the culprits will be punished severely. Otherwise, we will see our first expulsions in Hero High history."

All around the campus, the buzz traveled fast, the rumor that Achilles and Cassie had talked Julian and Joanne into getting the Cuckoos to attack , Leonard, and then spellbound his sister into attacking Hartley.

Well, most people didn't care about the second part, since barely any of them knew who Hartley Rathaway was, but Leonard had been last year's Captain of the football team and it was well-known that he had been busted down to second string this year, in favor of Achilles.

Popular opinion in high school is a very fluid thing, and people were beginning to create their own little scenarios. The common one was that Cassie and Achilles were making a play to be the most popular kids in school. Achilles already had accusations of favoritism against him; HIS elephant was the new school mascot and HE was the one being invited to give talks in classes. And everyone knew that Cassie was the captain of the Cheerleading squad.

How quickly was the great victory of the Homecoming game forgotten when there was gossip to chew on?

Blissfully unaware of all of this, however, was one Wally West. Unable to wake up his roommate, he went out in a panic in search of someone, ANYONE to give him some advice about what to do for this dance - his very first one ever.

::Wally looked relieved::

Cassie! Oh man, I am so glad to find you! I lost my tie, and I don't know where to find a new one, and my roomie must've partied hardy last night because he's like out COLD and I haven't coordinated with Dani about colors and the peeps are all volunteers on the party committee so they're busy getting the gym ready and I AM IN PANIC MODE I HAVE NEVER BEEN TO A DANCE BEFORE-

::Wally realizes he's shaking Cassie by the shoulders and stops::

Sorry. I'm really nervous.

A tie from my uncle?!

::Wally's face looks strained in pain::

Oh no! Bow ties! He only owns bow ties!

::instantly, Wally shifts gears::

Rumors? What kind of rumors? You guys are the coolest people I know! Achilles threw me the winning pass last night! You led the cheerleading squad to a throwdown victory! Why would anything say anything bad after that?

"Well they're saying that we had talked Julian and Joanne into getting the Cuckoos to attack , Leonard, and then spellbound his sister into attacking Hartley... But I've never talked to Julian and Joanne about anything.. and quite frankly the sisters are little creepy. I just wanted to warn Achilles..
"

Cassie sighs..

" I guess I should warn you to.. as much as I like hanging out with you I would hate for anyone to say something bad about you for being friends with Achilles and I."