After learning of her suspension, Ash trudged back home, the house empty with both of her parents working, her mind full processing Dr. Randall's recommendations.
What a week it's been, she sighed. Now she had all the time in the world to think about that whirlwind and maybe clean up a bit. The weirdest basketball game of her life, a fight that was then erased from reality, a cute cheerleader boy he lost because he couldn't control his temper, a key missed shot in a close game, and then last night's eruption.
Missing Senior Night stung quite a bit, but it was an appropriate punishment for her actions. Ash had not given herself any chance to actually process things. Now she had five days to do so—three school days and a weekend—before heading back to school.
She checked her emails and saw one from Dr. Randall, which contained referrals to the anger management programs that she had mentioned in their meeting. With minimal immediate interest, she sat on her bed and thought for a minute about the situation. It was obvious that if she went on like this, it was going to affect her. Imagine if that happened to me in college! Ash put her hands over her face, embarrassed just thinking about what an outburst like that could do to her life.
Putting away her phone, Ash looked around at her room—the posters of the Seattle Kraken, Chrissie and Lianna Hemsworth, and Dragon Ball Crystal. She wasn't going to have any school things to do until the end of the day when she got emails from her teachers, so she decided to go to her big gaming PC and fire up Overwatch.
If I can't take it out at school, I can be the cowgirl taking it out on fools.
At the cheerleaders' table, every mouth was wide open, not least Jonatha's. After seemingly having a secure (and hot) girlfriend, Nicole was now with someone else and went as far as kissing him in the most theatrical manner possible. It couldn't have been more conspicuous if there was a big neon arrow over the two of them. Rose Flowers was now Nic's boyfriend.
"What just happened?"
"You just got knocked off your perch by... I think Rose is a broken boy," Buffie admitted.
"A what?" Jonatha tilted his head.
"A pant-chaser boy who's all about sex and fun," he grumbled.
"Are you saying I was traded for a slut?"
"Pretty much, that's—"
"Can you stop the BB-bashing, Buffie?" Jaymee Vargas suddenly spoke up. "You're not a broken boy, but I am. Leave this to me."
"There's no going back for her, and take it from a pair of broken boys," Jaymee's twin brother Jordina chimed in. Buffie made an unusual face at the two.
"Broken boys aren't just sex and fun, Buffie," Jordina added. He was visibly angry over how Buffie had characterized them. "We're not just lollipops where it's one and done. It's more than that. It's feeling yourself being hooked by the girl, doing what they want, and then when you're a couple, you can do anything to them. Sex included."
"Yet—"
"We're not puritans like you are. It's not 1952 around here. We give ourselves over wholly—heart and body—to the relationship."
"So what you're saying is I don't have a chance?" Jordina and Jaymee shook their heads no in unison.
"I think you might still have a chance, honestly," Jade replied. "It'll take some work on your part, though."
"Let it go, focus on yourself," Nessa encouraged. Jonatha's head was already whirling, and now he was just plain confused. He'd just gotten three different opinions from three different cheerleaders in less than a minute. How am I gonna sift through this?
Rose Flowers was blushing all over by the time Nic put him down and ran off to join her teammates.
"I can't believe it!" He sat down next to Aarona and his bandmates in 6X2Y—two boys and two girls.
"Girls move fast and broken boys move faster. Congrats, bro!" Aarona was all smiles too, seeing his best friend score.
"I didn't move that fast", Rose said, feigning humility. "She just realized that I'm the right boy"
"Sure, keep lying to yourself!" Aarona chuckled. "Are you predicting another Shan?"
"No! Shan is too ego-driven, and I don't feel that with Nic."
"How? She looks just like another alpha girl wanting to string you along."
"I think...she's a virgin," Rose hesitated. "She froze the first time we met and she was just about to freeze again right before kissing me. She is a different kind of alpha." He blushed again and looked at the table. "Boyfriend, I am so in love!"
"And here we go again..." Aarona sighed. "Love is your vice, isn't it..."
