"You two stop goofing off!" Reyna snapped, her foil pointed accusingly at the freshmen goofing off in the corner. "Championships are around the corner so this is no time to slack off." They nodded, looking like kicked puppied as they put their masks back on and began to duel again. Everyone around her looked at her with wide eyes, her bad mood keeping them at bay. Well, almost all of them.

"Wow chica, angry you is super, super hot." Reyna whirled around to face the only real competition she had on the team, Phillip, his warm chocolate eyes that made girls swoon boring into hers. As the resident hot guy of the fencing team, his presence was more of a headache as every year she had to purge girls who came for the sole purpose of ogling his 6'3" well-built frame, tanned Hispanic skin, and dimples.

"Why don't you put your energy to good use and practice with me?" she countered. Hardly waiting, Reyna whipped out her weapon and went into ready position. His answer was a self-assured smirk before he pulled on his mask and matched her stance. Reyna's bad mood from her disastrous Friday girl's night had persisted through the week. She usually found an escape through fencing but for some reason, perhaps the fact that it was Friday again, kept her just as frustrated. Eliza's worried face in the corner was the last thing she saw before she pulled her mask on and advanced on Phillip. 

Despite his haughty demeanor the minute any match began, Phillip became serious, which was the only reason why she kept him on the team. The two of them began to dance, with Reyna angry focused attacks on his razor quick defense. As he continued to defend her, she allowed her swings to become more forceful with less aim. Slowly but surely, his nimble hands were finding ways through them and almost hitting her until she pulled back. A quiet murmur came from other team members, who had paused their matches to watch. Was the captain going to be dethroned today?

If Reyna wasn't in the middle of the match she would have chuckled. As furious as she was with her mother, she wasn't stupid enough to let it out in the match and fight rashly. In fact, when she was angrier, her strategies tended to be better. Carefully pivoting herself into a corner, Reyna began to swing even more desperately as if she thought she was about to lose. Phillip took the bait, his male pride causing him to lean in even more until he was practically towering over her. 

Perfect. Reyna smiled inside her mask as her frantic motions suddenly became controlled and precise. Sending a sharp thrust toward his chest, Phillip suddenly backed up to avoid being hit and quickly parried with a hit. He took off his mask triumphantly.

"I did it! I won!" he yelled. He seemed to celebrate by himself for a moment until he realized that no one joined in and Reyna had a smug smile on her face as she shook out her mane of curls. 

"Look at your feet Phillip." Comedically, the boy looked down and realized that he had stepped out of bounds. He had lost before his "winning" blow.

"And everyone that is why you should never underestimate the fighting style of whoever you duel, no matter what their technique seems like," Reyna said, turning her win into a teachable moment. Team members were looking at her with rekindled respect and Eliza hadn't stopped clapping. 

"That was quite the move Captain!" Eliza drawled as she strolled up next to Reyna. Reyna just shrugged, her earlier anger now replaced with fatigue. Unfortunately, her battle wasn't over yet.

"Way to go Captain, playing dirty so that you win. Isn't honesty supposed to be the best policy?" said a haughty voice from behind Reyna. Reyna didn't even bother turning around, instead choosing to ignore the hag named Alice and her posse. But Alice wasn't finished running her mouth. 

"How much do you want to bet she won't even show up at the Fall Fest tonight?" Alice grinned at her friends. 

"$20!" screamed one.

"No how about $100!" They all giggled like it was the funniest joke in the history of mankind, and slowly Reyna turned around to face them despite the warning look Eliza was sending her. 

"Unlike you girls, I actually have goals in my life beyond marrying the head quarterback and being marooned in this hellish town forever. See you from the top!" With those parting words, she walked right through the group of sputtering girls, smirking at their expressions. 

"You.. you bitch! Both of you!", screamed Alice, her hands in claws as she reached for Reyna. Her sharp red nails glittered as they dove for Reyna's arm and dug in painfully. Wincing internally, Reyna leveled her best glare at Alice, allowing her eyes to show the festering fire inside of her. 

"Let me go, Alice." But Alice looked more than a little feral. Despite herself, Reyna felt a bit of worry inside. Roast a girl once and this was the reaction she would get? Eliza quickly tagged along, not wanting to get left behind. 

"Ya, Alice let her go!" Eliza was two seconds away from unleashing hell and she was beginning to square up with one of the two-dimensional followers whose name was Maddie or Tammie or something like that. 

"Hey, hey, hey ladies! Break it up or get written up for detention!" Coach Ryan's voice broke whatever crazy spell Alice was in, and she quickly backed away from Reyna as if she were on fire. Psycho, Reyna mouthed at Alice. For a moment, Reyna could've sworn she saw of a look of regret, but when Alice looked back up her irritating face was back as she glared daggers at... Eliza? Her best friend and Alice were locked in a showdown with just their eyes, waves of hate come from each other. There was clearly some bad blood between them. But she had no idea it had even existed and as someone who prided herself on knowing her best friend inside and out, their showdown piqued her interest. 

Without looking at Reyna, Eliza said, "Reyna your arm is bleeding. Go to the nurse's office. I'll handle Alice." She said the words with intense malice, as she slowly walked towards Alice. Gone was the spunky Eliza she dealt with 24/7, and in her place was a much more serious girl. Reyna looked down at the first drops of blood welling to the surface of her skin and sighed. She would have to get her arm checked to make sure she didn't get some crazy disease from Alice but later, she and Eliza would have a long chat about whatever was going on between her and Alice. 

"I'll walk you!", volunteered Phillip, who had finished packing up his backpack and was about to leave. 

Reyna sighed again. "If you really want to waste your time then be my guest." Phillip walked next to her and the two settled into a pregnant silence, neither sure what to say to the other. Reyna just kicked some of the leaves that had begun settling on the ground. Around them, the stage crew was finishing up the final preparations for the Fall Fest happening later that night. Bright carnival lights flickered on and circus music began to play from the loudspeakers.

"Sooo..." Phillip began awkwardly. Reyna looked at him expectantly. "Are you going to the Fall Fest tonight?" Reyna shrugged. Her mother had forbidden her from going anywhere, but using the excuse that she was going to study at the library and then going to the Fall Fest instead would be easy as pie. 

"I don't know. Are you?" A red color began to creep up his neck and he looked away shyly. Outside the gym away from prying eyes, he seemed to morph into a completely different person. Reyna was momentarily grateful that her skin couldn't turn red. "Oh I am but, uh, you see, I was wondering-", he stammered.

"Wondering what?" she interrupted, although she already knew what he was going to say and was dreading it. The even redder face and his next words confirmed her fears. "Well... do you maybe, um, want to go with me?" His voice got even higher at the end, which was perplexing and amusing for her. The Phillip Veras who held the heart of half the female population at Essex was asking for her to attend the Fall Fest with him? By this point, they had stopped walking and were near the forest that was next to the main building of the school. 

Reyna's mouth opened and closed a few times as she tried to figure out the easiest way to let him down without hurting feelings. Out of all the girls in the school, of course, he had to like her! Just as she was about to deliver the kindest rejection in her life, a rustling in the trees interrupted her. Phillip startled instantly, a guarded expression flying on his face as he suddenly looked alert. Reyna looked at the trees as well. There was nothing.

He scared more easily than anyone she had ever seen and she giggled at how he was reacting at what was probably a squirrel messing around in the trees.

"Relax Phillip it's probably a squirrel or something.", she teased, glad for the momentary distraction from her predicament. But Phillip wasn't so easily calmed. 

"You go on ahead Reyna, I'll check." He was acting incredibly serious as if a black bear was about to jump out at any moment and maul them both. But she knew an escape opportunity when she saw one and she wasn't about to let it slip by.

"Okay!" Reyna sang, quickly rushing up the steps and into the nurse's office before he could change his mind. Freedom!, she sang in her mind as the Nurse Willis started wrapping a bandage around the surprisingly deep cuts. Next time she saw Alice, she would tell the girl to seriously consider filing her nails down. 

"Hey!", yelled Eliza as she skipped into the office. "I locked up for you since you're here. You okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be? They were just some scratches." Eliza rolled her eyes, but Reyna could still see the worry in them. 

"Also, what was that between you and Alice?", Reyna said as she hopped off the examination table and thanked the nurse. The two of them began walking towards Eliza's car, and once again Reyna saw that flash of anger on Eliza's normally sweet and sassy face. "You guys were looking at each other like mortal enemies." 

Eliza sighed and unlocked the car doors. "It's a long story. Can I tell you later?" Her pleading eyes met Reyna's and despite her misgivings, Reyna nodded. 

"Great!" Eliza's mood flipped around instantly. "Now about our plan to get you to Fall Fest without the evil Witch of the West knowing." Eliza gave a lively chuckle as if it were the funniest joke ever. "And give me every single detail about what Phillip said!"

Ch. 2 is out, yayyy!!! I hope you enjoy and don't forget to vote. Also, don't worry Elias is coming next chapter hehehe.

xx Katreadsabook