Harper walked into the Lab, practically glowing with excitement. Today was a big day- Adam, Bree and Chase's first official day of school. She was dressed casually in a green sweater, denim shorts and light brown boots, striking a perfect balance between comfort and style for the occasion.

As she entered, she immediately spotted the bionic siblings, Leo and Mr. Davenport gathered around the cyber desk in the middle of the lab, preparing for the new chapter ahead.

"Okay, guys..." Mr. Davenport began hesitantly. "You have been trained for all kinds of missions but you're about to enter a soul-bruising, confidence-crushing apocalyptical environment... high school."

Harper shrugged nonchalantly. "It's not that bad."

"Maybe not for you but for all of us it is." Leo remarked, rolling his eyes. "I still don't know how you got it so easily."

"Because I study. I study to do well in school and succeed in the future. You know, over 1.2 million students drop out of high school in the US every year. That's a student every twenty-six seconds or seven-thousand a day." She explained, crossing her arms.

Adam and Bree exchanged amused glances, while Chase's eyes narrowed in thought.

Mr. Davenport turned to the bionic siblings "Adam, Bree, your glitch test results are fairly stable."

"Yes! I'm going to school!" Bree cheered, raising her arms triumphantly.

"I'm fairly stable!" Adam yelled excitedly.

"But, Chase, I am still concerned about your commando app." Mr. Davenport said, his tone growing more serious.

Leo grimaced. "Commando app? Put on some underpants. We're going to school."

"No, see, in the face of an imminent threat, Chase's commando app kicks in and he becomes a fearless brute I like to call Spike." Mr. Davenport explained as he stood proudly beside Chase. "It's kinda like a fight-or-flight thing, except I took out the flight part, 'cause, useless, and I replaced it with a testosterone level of uh, like a Tasmanian devil-wolverine-shark-lion hybrid.... that's mad."

"Don't worry, Mr. Davenport. I promise that Spike won't rear his ugly head." Chase reassured.

Mr. Davenport raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Oh, yeah? You mean like last Christmas when I made the mistake of giving Adam boxing gloves?"

Adam frowned, rubbing his stomach. "Ugh, I'm still coughing up tinsel."

"You know, letting Chase go to school isn't such a good idea. I can't risk Spike coming out." Mr. Davenport declared, shaking his head as he headed towards his desk.

"Come on, Big D." Leo pleaded as he quickly moved to Mr. Davenport's side. "Chase has to come. With these guys, I'll get the prime spot in the cafeteria. That's right, y'all. Put on your coats, 'cause I'm about to ride your tail!"

"It wouldn't be fair to keep Chase home while Adam and Bree go to school." Harper added.

Adam nodded firmly, a grin spreading across his face. "Don't worry. We'll make sure he stays out of trouble, right guys?"

"Yeah." Bree agreed. "It's one for all and all for one. Unless, of course, you guys make me look bad, in which case, I am dropping you lame-os."

"Mr. Davenport, I can't miss school. This is the beginning of my academic achievements and career trajectory. I mean, the road to astronaut lawyer has to start somewhere." Chase begged.

Mr. Davenport sighed deeply, considering the situation."Okay." He declared, giving Chase a hard look. "But I better not get a call from the art teacher saying that Spike ripped out her larynx. Actually, she wouldn't be able to say anything, because Spike ripped out her lary-" He paused, correcting himself. "Anyways the point is, just keep him out of trouble."

"Hey, look what I found." Adam said as he slipped on a pair of boxing gloves. He started punching the air with exaggerated movements, clearly enjoying himself. However, in his enthusiasm, he accidentally punched Chase in the stomach, causing him to fall to the ground. Adam winced and quickly hid behind Bree. "Look, I'm sorry, but if he's that close to the gloves, it's gonna happen."

"Chase, are you okay?" Harper asked. Chase only groaned in response.

••••

As the five teenagers entered the school, the bustling morning energy filled the air. They walked together, heading to the gym for breakfast. The clatter of trays, the chatter of students and the occasional burst of laughter echoed in the hallway as they stepped inside.

Leo and Harper led the way, giving Adam, Bree and Chase their first tour of the cafeteria while offering valuable survival tips about high school.

"Okay, that's Principal Perry." Leo informed in a low voice, gesturing discreetly toward a woman striding across the gym in a stiff, ill-fitting pantsuit. "She has the temperament of a junkyard dog stuffed into a really bad pantsuit."

"Yeah, she never uses names, just last names or name-calling with or without the first name." Harper added.

Just as they spoke, Principal Perry passed by with her usual scowl, stopping to glare at a student.

"Hey, you!" She barked, her voice cutting through the room. "No tongue rings in school! Don't try and hide it. I will take a metal detector to your face!"

The student quickly shuffled away. Harper pursed her lips, watching the principal storm off. Bree's gaze suddenly brightened, her eyes locking onto a boy approaching them with a backpack slung over his shoulder

"This is it. My chance for romance. On TV, the new girl always drops her books and the cute guy with the soulful eyes picks them up." Bree said dreamily. She dropped her books, fully expecting the classic romantic comedy moment. But instead of the cute guy she envisioned, a passing teacher slipped on the books, crashing to the floor in a flurry of papers. The teacher groaned as he scrambled to his feet, glaring at her. "Oops! Sorry, I'm new."

"Okay, your social life is determined by where you sit. We can't sit at the cool table, but we can be at the cool table adjacent." Leo informed.

Bree raised an eyebrow. "FYI, Adam just sat down at the cool table."

Leo and Harper eyes widened in shock and turned to look. Adam was already perched at a table surrounded by cheerleaders, holding two oranges up to his eyes like makeshift glasses, making the girls laugh.

"When did he even get over there?" Harper muttered, wide-eyed.

"He can't sit there! That's where the football players sit with the cheerleaders and they pride themselves on finding clever ways to stuff your pudding cups." Leo explained in a panicked tone.

"Those girls are actually talking to him and they can't talk about shapes and colors forever. See ya!" Chase said with a smile and darted off toward the cheerleaders.

Harper's eyes narrowed in frustration. "You know, we're supposed to be avoiding conflict."

"The football players are gonna turn them into the fifth food group. It's a rescue mission. Move-in. Move-in." Leo said, nodding towards Bree and Harper, signaling for them to follow him to the table.

As they approached, Adam greeted them with his usual wide smile. "Oh, hey, guys. These girls just told me when the football players get here, I'm getting a free pudding cup."

"Hi." Leo greeted awkwardly, giving a nervous wave at one of the cheerleaders. He leaned toward Chase. "Walk away." He muttered and refocused to the cheerleader. "How's it going?" He then leaned back down towards Chase once more. "You're in grave danger."

Harper's eyes widened in alarm as the football players entered, loud and boisterous, causing a ripple of tension to spread through the gym.

Trent, the biggest of them all, approached the table with a confident swagger. He sniffed the air, leaning toward Leo as if inspecting him. Leo instinctively backed away, mumbling a quick apology before standing closer to Harper.

Trent slammed his hand down on the table, causing the entire group to jump. "Hey." He growled at Chase. "That's my seat. Get lost before I use you like a napkin."

"Chase, we should probably go." Bree advised her brother before looking up at Trent. "He's not very absorbent."

Trent, clearly annoyed, grabbed the cap of someone's drink and spilled it across the circular table.

"Oh, look a spill!" Trent yelled, his voice mocking as he grabbed Chase's shirt and pulled him out of his seat. "I think I'm gonna wipe it up with your face."

Immediately Chase's face hardened in response. In a flash, he broke free from Trent's grip and slammed Trent against the table. Harper gasped in shock and took a step back, her mouth wide open.

"Think again, bubble neck. I'm gonna rip out your kneecaps and use them as hockey pucks." A deep voice rumbled through Chase's mouth. Spike had emerged, his frame casting a shadow over Trent.

Adam, wide-eyed, scrambled out of his seat to join Bree, Leo and Harper. "Okay, I don't mean to alarm anyone, but I think Spike's back."

"Thank you, Adam. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have known." Harper sarcastically remarked.

Spike shoved Trent roughly back toward the football players, who were watching with growing unease

"You have no idea who you're messing with. Okay? Pudding cups!" Trent yelled defiantly as the football players handed him the cups.

"Oh, I'll take those." Spike insisted with a grin, snatching the pudding cups from Trent's hands. He squeezed them, and in a moment, the pudding exploded, splattering all over the football players.

Harper bit her lip to suppress a laugh as the pudding splattered across the room, covering the football players in a sticky mess.

"You're dead!" Trent shouted, wiping pudding off his face, his anger rising. Spike roared at the football players, causing them to flinch back, stumbling over their own feet as they backed away. "You, okay, okay. You're lucky that we have to go to the reading center right now."

With that, Trent turned and rushed out of the cafeteria.

For a brief moment, the room was silent. Then, like a wave breaking on the shore, the cafeteria erupted in applause and cheers, many of the students standing and clapping for Spike's victory. He flashed a smug smile as he stood tall, basking in the moment.

"Take a seat, compadres." Spike said, gesturing to the vacated cool table. He winked at Harper. "Doll face." He plopped down into a chair and propped his feet up on the table, clearly claiming the space for himself. "This is our table now."

Harper cringed slightly at the nickname, but she couldn't help but smile as she sat down beside him. The table, once dominated by football players and cheerleaders, was now theirs.

"Hello, ladies." Leo greeted, a nervous grin spreading across his face as he leaned forward on the table. "You may remember me from health class when I passed out during the miracle of birth video. It's good to see you again."

The cheerleaders giggled and with that, the group had secured their place at the cool table.

••••

After the events in the cafeteria, the five teenagers walked down the hallway, basking in the aftermath of their unexpected victory. Students cheered and clapped, some even high-fiving them as they passed.

Harper felt a little out of place in the attention, especially with Spike's arm draped over her shoulders. She wanted to shrug it off, but Spike's intimidating presence made it impossible to push him away, so she chose to ignore it as best as she could.

"All right, make room for the alpha dogs! Woof! Woof! Woof!" Leo cheered, throwing his arms in the air.

Adam quickly stepped in, placing a hand on Leo's shoulder to calm him down. "Don't do that."

"Okay."

"Wait, if we're the alpha dogs, then..." Bree trailed off with a mischievous grin spread across her face as she deliberately dropped her books. Two guys nearby quickly rushed to pick them up, much to her delight. She beamed as she watched them hand her books back to her. "Oh, I love this!"

Just then, a student passed by and handed Spike a slip of paper.

Spike glanced at it, raising an eyebrow. "What's this?"

"That's an all-access hall pass. You can go anywhere you want with that." Leo explained, his voice full of enthusiasm.

"I can go anywhere I want already." Spike boasted confidently, strolling forward and flexing his biceps. "These are my hall passes."

"Okay, if he starts oiling up, I'm out." Leo said bluntly.

"Commando app disengaged?" Chase's voice returned to normal, sounding confused. He glanced around at Adam, Bree, Leo and Harper. "Guys! Why was I in commando mode?"

Bree shot him a confused look. "Were you in commando mode?"

"I didn't see a commando mode." Leo said.

Harper shrugged. "I don't even know what commando mode is."

"Oh, that's good. Everyone keep lying." Adam said to Harper, Bree and Leo with a wide smile.

Chase ran a hand through his hair, exhaling deeply. "You guys were supposed to watch out for me."

"Oh, we watched the whole thing. You manhandled the quarterback and pudding popped the whole offensive line!" Leo explained excitedly.

"What?" Chase asked in disbelief. "Aw great. This is so gonna come back to haunt my Supreme Court nomination."

"You know what Spike would say to that? Nothing. He'd rip out your rib cage and play it like a xylophone." Bree told her brother.

"Yeah, I like him. He's like a big fun monster, and you're a sad little boy." Adam added, raising his voice higher.

"Adam." Harper hissed, slapping his arm

"I'll get Spike back." Leo said suddenly, tossing his backpack aside with a flourish. He squared off with Chase, determination written on his face. "Get lost before I use you like a napkin." He tried to lift Chase, but his attempts were all in vain. After a few awkward tries, Leo grunted in frustration. "Yeah, this isn't gonna work."

••••

The group of five sat at the cool table in the cafeteria for lunch, an odd but comfortable mix of personalities. Harper sat between Leo and Bree, her back straight as she quietly munched on her sandwich.

From the corner of her eye, she watched as the cheerleaders cut up Adam's turkey burger into tiny pieces, treating him like he was too young to eat it on his own. Adam didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, he looked pleased, slurping his food through a straw with exaggerated delight.

She glanced over at Chase, who was sitting across from her. His elbow was resting on the table and he seemed lost in thought, staring down at his sandwich without touching it. His eyes had a faraway look, like his mind was somewhere else entirely.

"Hey, there's Trent" Chase suddenly said, snapping out of his trance. He pointed toward the other side of the gym, where Trent was seated with a group of friends. "I better go apologize."

"Whoa!" Bree exclaimed, reaching out to grab her brother's arm before he could get up. She pulled him back down into his seat. "Slow it up, buttercup."

"Chase, you don't need to apologize. Trent had it coming." Harper reassured, taking another bite of her sandwich.

"Mail him a greeting card. It's so much more personal." Leo suggested.

"Guys, look!" Adam called out, holding up his sandwich, which was barely recognizable. "The cheerleaders cut up my food into tiny pieces. I'm eating a turkey burger through a straw." He grinned like it was the best thing ever, slurping his food. "Mmm. Gibblet-y."

"Hey! New Kid! Come here!" Perry's loud, commanding voice was heard as she entered the cafeteria and was heading straight for Chase.

The entire table went quiet as they watched Chase stood up, clearly unsure of what was coming, and slowly walked toward Perry.

"Uh-oh." Harper muttered under her breath.

"Do you know what happens when my football players get humiliated? No! You don't because my football players don't get humiliated." Perry snapped sharply. Her eyes never left Chase's face and the entire cafeteria seemed to hold its breath in anticipation.

Adam glanced over at the football team in the corner of the cafeteria where the bins were. "They look humiliated to me."

Perry shot him a brief, withering glance before returning her focus to Chase. "I know what team spirit is about because I was the jammer on the North Pacific Roller Derby Championship team."

"Quite an accomplishment." Chase said nervously. He shifted uncomfortably under her gaze.

"Don't mock me, squash face." Perry warned, her eyes narrowing as she moved closer to him. "My career ended when a trash talker like you got inside my head and I wiped. One zebra called it the worse single-bodied collision she'd ever seen."

"I'd crash too if I saw a talking zebra." Chase responded awkwardly, trying to lighten the mood with a half-hearted joke.

"It's a referee, you desk donkey." Perry snapped back. "They told me what you did this morning at breakfast. You will not undermine the morale of my team." Then, turning to face the other four teenagers, she continued. "Evacuate this table. Now!"

Without hesitation, Adam, Bree, Leo and Harper stood up, instinctively aligning themselves behind Chase, ready to have his back.

Chase, though still feeling the weight of the confrontation, took a deep breath.

"Watch who you're talking to, sports bra." Spike threatened. "I bet you panicked, threw yourself off the track, and blamed the other team for your weakness."

Harper couldn't help but let out a frustrated sigh, pursing her lips. "We really have to do a better job of looking after Chase."

"Do you think this Spike thing's gotten a bit out of hand?" Leo asked quietly, leaning in towards Harper and Bree.

Bree nodded in agreement, her expression tense. "He might have crossed the line at sports bra."

"I had to quit because of that accident." Perry clarified.

"Quit? Or move out of the state in shame?" Spike taunted, his words dripping with spite.

"He doesn't know. He wasn't there." Perry said, looking around the cafeteria.

Spike wasn't done, though. "Why don't you hop in your economy car and tootle on home to your six cats and your online bingo tournament."

"Jokes on you. I have five cats. Ha!" Perry shot back. She turned on her heel and walked over to Trent, who had been watching the exchange with increasing irritation.

"You didn't get our table back. Bumming us out. Even more, bummed out when we lose. Do something." Trent complained. His tone was demanding, like he expected Perry to wave a magic wand and fix everything.

Perry turned back to Spike with Trent following, a new glint of determination in her eyes. "All right, kid. I'll make you a deal. Let's be civilized and settle this the old-fashioned way. With a bone-crushing grudge match on the football field!"

"We're in. Me, him, her...." Spike said, pointing first at Adam, then Bree, before pausing and nodding toward Leo and Harper. "And them."

"You and your band of nobodies versus my fighting dingoes." Perry declared, her voice full of challenge.

"Who is she calling a nobody? Harper and I got a BFF necklace." Bree said, proudly displaying her necklace alongside Harper's, treating the jewelry as if it were a badge of honor.

Leo gasped and turned his attention to the girls.

Harper smiled, raising her own necklace. "We're officially Best Friend Forever."

Perry smirked. "Winner takes the table and all the glory."

Leo stepped forward. "Oh, ma'am, as much as I want to flex my football fanciness. Um, the girls soccer has the field tonight."

"Ah, just as well. I can't condone such a violent game on school grounds. So let's take it to the dog park across the street!" Perry declared. With that, she turned, her voice ringing out as she rallied the football team to follow her.

The cafeteria buzzed with excitement as Perry and the football team exited.

Leo turned back to the group, his expression one of mock concern. "Am I the only one who needs a fresh change of pants before we start?"

Adam shyly raised his hand.

••••

At the dog park, the Alpha Dogs were suited up and ready for action. Adam, Bree, Spike, Leo and Harper were all decked out in padding, helmets and football cleats, standing on the field facing the towering football players of the Dingoes.

Harper looked up at them, feeling dwarfed by their size and strength and knew deep down that this was going to be a tough game.

Leo hesitated for a moment, eyeing the football players nervously. He turned to Perry, who was standing off to the side in a referee outfit, holding a whistle. "This doesn't seem fair."

"Seems fair to me." Perry replied nonchalantly before blowing her whistle "Let's get it right!"

Leo stepped back, eyeing his teammates. "Let's huddle."

"Huh?"

"Pardon me?"

"I huddled before I got here."

"Huddle means the team gathers." Harper explained to the bionic siblings.

"Oh, man. You guys don't know how to play football." Leo groaned in exasperation, clearly frustrated. He straightened up, trying to rally the group. "Okay, we need to stop that team from getting into our end zone and scoring a-"

He was cut off as Trent hiked the ball, and a player on the Dingoes caught it and ran straight into the Alpha Dogs' end zone, scoring a touchdown.

"Damn it." Harper muttered under her breath.

Leo screamed when he was immediately tackled by another player. "....touchdown."

"That's gotta hurt." Harper said, watching as the Dingoes' sideline erupted in cheers.

The Dingoes were up by seven points, and it was now the Alpha Dogs' turn to hike the ball. Spike, Adam, Bree, Leo and Harper huddled together again.

"All right, Adam...." Leo began, motioning for him to squat down in the middle of the field. "You squat down right here, and when I say 'hike' you're gonna pass the ball between your legs to my hands. Which will be right here."

"Whoa." Adam gasped, eyes wide. "It's football, not handsball."

"Hey, nugget head. Quit sucking air and hike him the ball like this." Spike said impatiently, demonstrating with a squat as he passed the ball to Leo.

Harper scanned the field, trying to find an open spot for Leo to throw the ball. But before they could move, two of the football players grabbed Leo and carried him to the Alpha Dogs' end zone, plowing through the small team like they were nothing.

"Yes, safety two points!" Trent cheered, laughing at their misfortune.

The group of five huddled again, their frustration mounting.

"Losing makes me wanna rip out my own intestines and wear them as a sweatband." Spike grumbled under his breath.

"Okay." Leo began, trying to stay positive. "The only way we're gonna win is if we use your super speed, your super strength, and your super-nutty split personality."

Bree nodded with determination. "I'll do whatever it takes to win. I already smell like a sweaty ape. I don't want this to be for nothing."

"Okay, here's what we're gonna do." Harper said and outlined their new plan with a fierce glint in her eyes.

The team dispersed to their positions, adrenaline beginning to pump.

"Yeah! Go, team!" Bree cheered, throwing a high kick into the air. "I'm a football player and a cheerleader. I'm that good."

The whistle blew, signaling the start of the game.

"Hey. Is that a Biggie Burger truck pulling up?" Leo wondered, squinting towards the horizon, pointing across the field. The momentary distraction worked. As the Dingoes turned to look, Bree shot forward, using her super speed to quickly tie their shoelaces together, leaving them completely unprepared for the play. "Guess not. Hike!"

Adam quickly tossed the ball to Leo. The football players, struggling with their newly tied laces, didn't react in time. Leo passed the ball to Spike, who bolted down the field, weaving between the distracted players. He plowed through the last defender and dove into the end zone, scoring a touchdown for the Alpha Dogs.

The team erupted in celebration. Adam and Bree danced on the sidelines, cheering like their own personal cheerleaders. The Alpha Dogs had scored their first touchdown, and for the first time that day, they felt like they might actually have a chance to win.

••••

The Dingoes were ahead with 23 points, while the Alpha Dogs had 17. The clock was ticking down and there were only seven seconds left in the game. The Alpha Dogs needed one more touchdown to secure the win.

"Seven seconds left. Now, remember kids, there's no shame in losing. Oh, wait, yes there is!" Principal Perry taunted from the sidelines as she strutted away from the Alpha Dogs. "Game on!"

"All right, we have time for one more play." Leo said, gathering his teammates in the huddle. "Spike, you scored every touchdown today. You score one more and we win."

Spike's eyes gleamed. "Give me the ball. If I don't come back with their spleens, you'll know I failed." But then, suddenly, his voice changed. "Wait! Where am I?" Chase asked, blinking and looking around, touching his helmet in confusion. "Am I wearing a jockstrap?"

Harper's eyes widened in horror. "Oh, no. It's Chase."

Bree grabbed Chase's helmet and shook his head urgently. "We need Spike back! Where is he? Where is Spike?"

"Hey, let's go! We don't have all day!" Trent yelled from the other side of the field.

"Time out!" Leo shouted, signaling to the referee.

Perry blew the whistle sharply, and everyone stopped.

"I told you. I don't wanna be Spike. Look, I've been waiting for my first day of school for fifteen years and now I don't even remember it." Chase said, his voice filled with frustration.

Leo frowned, feeling a wave of guilt. "When you put it that way, I just feel selfish."

"Yeah." Bree sighed, agreeing with him.

Harper nodded. "Me too."

Adam placed a hand on Chase's shoulder. "Oh, come on! Snap out of it! I wanna win!"

"Adam, he's right." Harper said, dragging him away from Chase.

"Come on, guys, we can still win this thing, and even if we don't, what do we have to lose?" Chase asked, trying to sound hopeful.

"Our table."

"Popularity."

"Everything."

"Come on, we playing football or putt-putt?" Trent taunted from across the field.

"Here's what we're gonna do." Leo began, gathering the group together for a final play. "I'll do a flea-flicker toss to you."

"And I'll use my mathematical analysis to throw the perfect pass." Chase said, sounding a bit more confident as the gears in his head started turning.

"Adam, assume the position." Harper instructed.

"All right, this is the last time I'm doing this." Adam grumbled as he squatted down. The tension was palpable as he hiked the ball to Leo.

Leo caught it and passed it to Chase as the Alpha Dogs spread out across the field to get into position.

Each teammate called for the ball as Chase dodged tackles from the Dingoes. He held the ball, calculating, trying to figure out the perfect pass. But the noise of his teammates calling for him overloaded his system. His mind scrambled as he tried to process the math.

Harper stopped shouting and winced as two of the Dingoes tackled Chase to the ground. The rest of the Dingoes took advantage and piled on top of him.

"Game over! Dingoes win!" Perry declared.

The Dingoes stood victorious and the football players got off of Chase, leaving him in a heap on the ground. Harper rushed to his side, followed by Adam, Bree and Leo. Together, they helped him to his feet, though everyone looked deflated by the loss.

"See ya in the cafeteria Alpha Duds! Oh, and the pudding's on you!" Trent taunted as he and his team left the field.

Chase turned to his teammates, giving them a small, defeated smile. "Well, we may not be the Alpha Dogs anymore, but at least we still have each other. We're not total nobodies."

"No, we are total nobodies." Harper confirmed.

"At least I have you three to carry my broken butt home." Leo added, collapsing onto his back dramatically.

Adam and Harper grabbed Leo's arms, while Bree and Chase took his legs. They all headed home together, the weight of the loss still heavy, but the comfort of friendship and teamwork pulling them through.

________________
PUBLISHED: 21.04.22
DEDICATIONS :omgthatssocrazy WerecoyoteWitch97 Peters_suit_lady