"No way!" Rhea and Shandra exclaimed after recapping them of the dinner party and the proposition that Jorge (Green Wave) and Drake (Blue Crush) made last night.

"Yes way," I remarked as we made our way to our lockers. "What the hell am I going to do? If I spurn them, I'll be signing my death warrant and will end up a pariah all around. But if I say yes, there's no telling what can and will happen."

"Don't forget that you have Sammons the Scorned," Shandra reminded me, waving hi to some of the band members who waved back. "The Lewis duo said that she's been off the team and her parents have her on lockdown, not to mention the restraining order made on your behalf."

"Yeah, but it won't be enough because Greenlee's not somebody to mess with," Rhea remarked. To me, "I heard that she went full blitzkreig on this transfer student last year when the guys invited him to lunch. In one week, he was falsely accused of being gay and his parents had him shipped off to conversion camp in Lubbock. I heard he died of suicide."

"Don't get me started on one of the AV Club members," I commented. "Ashley Newman was assigned to be the guys' partner for AP Physics and Greenlee went bonkers. She had her transferred to Newcastle not far from here, but Greenlee's still causing hell for Ashley there."

Speak of the devil herself, I saw a glimpse of the glaring brunette femme-fatale coming my way...before she completely walked past me as if I didn't exist. I let out a sigh of relief.

"Looks like the restraining order that her dad made for her is catching on," Shandra commented as we got our books from our lockers. "But if I know anything about her, she's not going to let this go, not without a fight."

"I just hope that I can finish school while being a hero," I said. "Bad enough that I have powers and I'm dressed in spandex, but with my godbrothers and mentors setting their sights on me? Child, I can't even think to begin what's going to-"

My wrist communicator went off, interrupting my train of thought. "Skylar, I need you with me at a drug bust in Richardson," I heard Velocity's voice. "Lewis will cover for you. Shake a leg."

I groaned, giving my books to Rhea. "Tell Mr. Saltzer that I have my assignments in my notebook," I instructed her before getting into my Ebony Artic persona. "Looks like it's time to get serious about my new life."

"I'll bet," Shandra said as all my classmates watched with stars in their eyes as I headed to fulfill my heroic role for the day.

****************

One week later...

"You got a package, Skylar," Dad said after I came home from the first swim practice of the school year. "How's school and hero life for you?"

"Long and tiring," I remarked. "Two drug raids, two armed robberies, and another interview for Dallas Morning News- and that was before lunch. Thank the heavens that I'm ahead in all my classes. And I'm set for another sparring session with the team tomorrow."

Dad hummed, gesturing towards the package that was on the coffee table in the living room. "Take a look at what was sent to you before getting your homework done."

I nodded, sitting down on the sofa before reaching for the package. On top of the box was a small card. I took the card first, knowing that I had to read it first. I hope that this gift I picked for you proves that I can be the better match for you, I read. Enjoy it, Corazon. From Jorge." Setting the card outside, I made my way towards the package and opened the box.

Inside was a coffee-table book of photos. The Met Gala Diaries, A Look of the Best Fashions at the Biggest Ball of the Year by Annette Langhe. My eyes went wide, surprised that Jorge remembered that I wanted a copy of this for the longest time. "Wow," I breathed as I gingerly opened the book and glanced at the colorful photographs of the celebrities wearing their finest as fans watched them walked the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

"What do you think, Skylar?" I heard Dad ask eagerly.

I gulped, a cold wave of goose flesh racing up and down my skin. "I think that the games to win my heart are on," I said.

************

And the gifts didn't stop there, folks. The next day, it was Drake's turn to show how much he wanted me when I came from a PR stunt with Memphis to find my parents oohing and cooing over a new collection of old books from the Library of America.

One week later, Jorge had dropped off several arrangements of red and yellow roses that adorned my bedroom when I came home bone-tired from Gold Titan and Memphis's hand-to-hand combat session. That was followed by Drake gifting me and my parents with a giant assortment of gourmet Godiva chocolates (which I promptly gave to Shandra and her family, much to my parents' dismay).

It looked like these guys were dead-ass serious with their plan to have me date them and then choose whether or not I would be one (or both) of their boyfriends. But I wasn't the one to be that easy, folks. I at least had some rights to make them play hard-to-get.

They owe me that much, after all.

Cumulative word-count: 8087 words (Broke the 8k word-count mark! Yes!)

Don't even think about getting comfortable yet, folks, because a letter of evil intent from Greenlee herself leads to a lunchtime summitt between him and the Sammons family and more courting games in play! That's coming up next, so don't miss a beat!

Dedicating this out to peachpseudonym and chronicimmunity.

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