𝓕𝓮𝓮𝓵𝓼 𝓵𝓲𝓴𝓮
Qᵘᵃᶜᵏ qᵘᵃᶜᵏ qᵘᵃᶜᵏ

❆₊˚｡౨ৎ₊˚｡❆

The classroom buzzed with low chatter as Mr. Jenkins paced near the whiteboard, holding a molecular model in one hand.

Juliet sat in the middle row, faces. Charlie was right in front of her, his head bent as he doodled absentmindedly on his notebook.

On either side of Juliet sat Guy and Connie, both pretending to take notes but sneaking glances her way.

At the front of the room, Mr. Jenkins gestured to the molecular model, spinning it slightly in his hand. "The red is oxygen. Now, what are the blue balls?"

The question was immediately met with a ripple of giggles across the room.

Juliet rolled her eyes at their immaturity, her patience wearing thin.

Raising her hand confidently, she answered before anyone else could add another ridiculous comment. "Hydrogen."

"Correct," Mr. Jenkins said, nodding in approval. He pointed to the model again. "Now put them together... and you have a molecule that makes up 96% of your body. What is it?"

"Pizza?" Tommy asks innocently

Another wave of laughter erupted, and Juliet closed her eyes briefly, exhaling in frustration.

"Idiots," she muttered under her breath.

Mr. Jenkins frowned, clearly unimpressed. "It's the principal," he announced as a knock sounded at the door. "I'll be right back. Work on H₂CO₃—it's a goody." He left the classroom, closing the door softly behind him.

The moment he was gone, the classroom dissolved into chaos.

Students began whispering, laughing, and turning in their seats.

Karp turned in his seat, his smirk directed squarely at Charlie. "How'd the forfeit go, Spaz-way?" he sneered.

Peter joined in, his tone mocking. "Yeah, did you score?"

Charlie stiffened, his shoulders squaring as he kept his eyes on his desk. "Leave me alone, guys. I don't want to talk about the team," he said through gritted teeth.

Peter scoffed. "Oh, yeah, sure. Coach's pet. Everybody knows he likes you best."

Karp leaned in, his grin widening maliciously. "Likes his mom, you mean."

The words hit like a slap, and Charlie shot up from his seat, his fists clenched and his face red with anger. "Take it back, Karp! Take it back now!"

Before anyone could blink, Juliet stood up too, stepping in front of Charlie like a shield.

Her tone was low and even, but her eyes burned with warning. "Leave him alone."

Karp, unbothered, leaned back in his seat with a mocking laugh. "Aww, look. Spaz-way's girlfriend is here to save the day."

Juliet's hands balled into fists, but before she could retort, Connie was on her feet. Without hesitation, she shoved Karp hard, her voice sharp and cutting. "She's not his girlfriend, you fat fuck!"

The shove caught Karp off guard, and his chair wobbled precariously. Peter immediately sprang to his defense, stepping forward and shoving Connie back. "You have no right shoving Karp!"

Connie stumbled slightly but held her ground, her face set with fury. "Don't push me," she spat.

Guy stood up next, his voice stern as he addressed Peter. "Don't push her, she's a girl!"

The situation escalated quickly as more students stood up, voices overlapping in a chaotic mix of insults and threats.

"Lay off!"

"Don't shove her, Peter!"

"Stop acting like babies!"

The argument reached a fever pitch just as the door swung open.

Mr. Jenkins and Principal Celia stepped into the room, their eyes narrowing as they took in the scene.

Principal Celia pointed directly at Charlie. "You! Sit! Sit now!"

Her voice cut through the noise like a blade, and the room fell silent as students scrambled to return to their seats.

"I have never in my life—" Principal Celia began, glaring at the group. "What have you got to say for yourselves?"

For a moment, no one spoke. Then Guy, with a mischievous grin, muttered under his breath, "Quack."

Juliet's lips twitched, and before long, the chant began.

"Quack."

"Quack, quack."

"Quack, quack, quack, quack!"

The room erupted with the sound of Ducks pride, voices chanting in unison as Principal Celia threw her hands up in exasperation.

The chant of "Quack, quack, quack!" grew louder as the Ducks reveled in their rebellious unity. The noise reverberated through the classroom, but it was abruptly silenced when Principal Celia slammed her palm down on the teacher's desk with a loud BANG.

"Enough!" she roared, her face flushed with fury. The room instantly fell silent, the echoes of their chant dissipating like air from a popped balloon.

Her eyes darted from one student to the next, settling briefly on each of the instigators. "Get up all of you now !"

The Ducks exchanged uneasy glances but obeyed, scraping their chairs back as they stood in awkward silence.

Even Karp and Peter, who had been smirking moments before, now looked sheepish under her withering glare.

"You think this is funny? You think this is some kind of game?" Principal Celia snapped, her voice dripping with disdain. She pointed toward the door. "Out. Every single one of you. Follow me."

The students shuffled out of the room, the tension thick in the air.

Juliet and Charlie exchanged a look of solidarity, while Connie whispered a quiet "This is bad" to Guy, who nodded in agreement.

Principal Celia led them down the hallway, her heels clicking sharply against the polished floor. She stopped in front of a heavy wooden door with a tarnished brass plaque that read Room 223.

She opened the door with a flourish, revealing a classroom unlike any they'd ever seen.

It was completely empty except for rows of chalkboards lining every wall and a few desks .

Boxes of chalk sat stacked on a small table near the entrance, their vibrant colors mocking the grim atmosphere.

"Inside," Principal Celia commanded, gesturing for them to enter.

The students hesitated, unsure of what awaited them.

Once everyone was inside, she stepped in after them, her gaze sweeping the room like a hawk surveying its prey. "Since you Ducks clearly can't control yourselves in a classroom setting, let's see how well you do here." She grabbed a box of chalk and slammed it down on the nearest desk.

"I want these walls covered," she declared, her voice cold and unwavering. "Every single square inch. You will write the following sentence over and over until there isn't a spot left to write on."

She turned to the chalkboard and scrawled in large, bold letters:
I will not quack at the principal.

The room was silent except for the faint screech of the chalk as she underlined the sentence twice for emphasis.

"Start writing," she said, crossing her arms. "And don't even think about stopping until I say so."

The Ducks hesitated, exchanging wary glances.

Juliet picked up a piece of chalk, glaring at the board as she muttered, "This is ridiculous."

"Did you say something, miss Andrew's ?" Principal Celia asked, her tone saccharine but her eyes sharp.

"No, ma'am," Juliet replied, biting back her frustration.

Charlie grabbed a piece of chalk and started writing on the far wall. "This is gonna take forever," he whispered to Juliet.

"Better than suspension," Guy whispered back as he began scrawling the sentence on another wall.

Connie groaned. "I think I'd prefer suspension," she muttered, grabbing a piece of chalk with a sigh.

As they started writing, Karp leaned toward Peter. "I bet this is her way of getting back at us for the quacking," he said under his breath.

"Shut up, Karp," Juliet snapped, overhearing him.

"Quiet!" Principal Celia commanded, silencing any further commentary.

"Remember," she said coldly, "every single inch of these walls better be covered. If I see even a speck of empty space, you'll stay here after school until it's done. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Principal Celia," the group mumbled half-heartedly.

Satisfied, she gave one last sharp nod. "Good. I'll be back to check your progress later. And remember, no talking. This is a punishment, not social hour."

With that, she turned on her heel and marched toward the door.

The room fell silent, except for the sound of her heels clicking on the tiled floor.

When the door finally closed behind her, the tension in the room snapped like a broken string.

Charlie let out a low groan, leaning his forehead against the chalkboard. "This is the dumbest thing I've ever done in school."

The door swung open, and the Ducks froze mid-sentence, their chalk poised awkwardly against the boards. Bombay stepped in, his expression neutral but determined.

Peter scowled immediately. "What do you want?"

Bombay held up his hands in a placating gesture. "I want to talk to you guys."

Tammy crossed her arms. "People," she corrected.

Bombay nodded, attempting a small smile. "People, right." He looked around the room, taking in the endless chalkboards filled with I will not quack at the principal.

"Sit down, please," he said, motioning toward the desks. "All of you."

No one moved. The Ducks remained frozen, skepticism etched across their faces.

Bombay sighed. "Okay, don't sit down. Look, what's done is done. I want to be your coach again."

Averman snorted. "You're gonna coach a bunch of losers?"

Bombay stepped forward, meeting his eyes. "No, I want to coach the Ducks."

Karp crossed his arms defiantly. "What about the things you said? You said we didn't deserve to live."

Bombay winced, then glanced at Karp. "Karp, I was being sarcastic."

From the middle of the group, Juliet jumped up, pointing a finger in the air. "I KNEW IT!"

Everyone turned to look at her, startled by the outburst. Even Bombay cracked a small smile.

"Sorry," Juliet mumbled, shrinking back a little. "Proceed."

Bombay refocused on the team. "You guys know what it's like to be misunderstood, right?"

Peter shrugged. "Yeah, of course. We're kids. That's our whole thing."

Bombay nodded. "Exactly. So... can you forgive me? Can I be your coach again?"

Guy spoke up hesitantly. "What about Banks?"

Bombay took a breath. "He can be on the team if he wants to be. He should have been with us all year. It's you guys who were cheated." His voice softened. "Let's forget all that crap. We're a team, right?"

The Ducks exchanged uncertain glances before nodding. "Yeah," they muttered.

Bombay's tone grew firmer. "I made you guys, and I'm sticking with you. So, what's it gonna be? We can play tomorrow night and still have a shot at the playoffs... or we can forfeit again, and the season's over."

The room was silent for a beat. Finally, Bombay looked directly at Peter. "Peter, what do you say?"

Peter shifted uncomfortably before finally shrugging. "Well... I guess it would help if we practiced first." He gave a wry grin. "All right. Let me see if I can get you out of detention."

Bombay smirked. "You really quacked at the principal?"

The Ducks all grinned and replied in unison, "Yeah."

Juliet raised her hand like she was in class. "Bombay, can you also get my brother out of his class?"

Bombay frowned. "Why isn't he here?"

Juliet sighed. "He's a year older than us. He's in geography right now."

Bombay chuckled, shaking his head. "I'll see what I can do. But first, let's make sure you're all ready to hit the ice tomorrow. Deal?"

"Deal," the Ducks replied, this time with more energy.

Juliet gave a playful nudge to Charlie. "Told you he was a good coach."

"Yeah," Charlie said, grinning. "I always knew Jules "

With Bombay leading them, the Ducks' spirits began to lift as they prepared for what came next.