xix. scramble the orbs

——

Juliet was in gym class, doing her sit-ups easily unlike Leo who could barely do one. Freya was over there with him, making fun of him, as she does.

Adam, having a crush on Juliet, wanted to impress Juliet. He easily picked up two heavy weights and started curling them up and down.

Adam grinned at Juliet, who noticed him for a second and looked away, not really caring. Adam's smiled faded and he switched to heavier weights and continued.

Juliet rolled her eyes and sat up, taking a break and drinking her water.

Adam put down the weights and picked up the heaviest weights, curling them with smirk. Juliet finally stood up and turned to him with a smile.

"What are you doing?" She asked Adam, who was still lifting the weights with a smug smile.

"Just working out, ya know? Got to keep these muscles in tact," Adam exhaled as he put the weights down and flexed his giant muscle.

Juliet will admit he has nice muscles, but she isn't impressed by this.

"Mm, yes. Have fun," Juliet smiled and walked over to the pull up bar to do her pull-ups. Adam lowered his arms and his smirk faded, curious as to why she isn't impressed.

"Did you not see me lift that extremely heavy weight?" Adam asked, following her. "No one else can lift it but me."

"Yes, and?" Juliet asked, grabbing the bar and started doing pull ups easily. Adam started blushing watching her and he cleared his throat awkwardly.

Pretty and strong? My type. Adam thought to himself.

"Strongest guy and strongest girl. We would make a great couple- I mean team! Good team!" Adam awkwardly laughed, rubbing his neck feeling more heat rush to his cheeks.

Juliet stopped doing pull-ups and dropped to the floor, brushing her hands together.

"I agree we could make a good team. Attractive too." Juliet smirked, turning away to take a sip of her water and Adam silently cheered to himself. "But... I work alone."

Adam stopped celebrating and turned to her as she turned back. "Huh?"

"You see, I don't work with men who seem to have a need to impress me with their muscles." Juliet teased, rubbing Adam's arm. "But keep up the good work, handsome."

Adam stood there speechless as she walked away and he cheered to himself. "She called me handsome!"

"She calls every guy that." Freya walked by Adam.

"Still counts." Adam grinned happily.

——

Gym class has ended and Juliet was at her locker, leaning her head against it. Adam has been constantly trying to impress her almost everyday and it's starting to annoy Juliet. She finds Adam super cute and nice, but it's getting to the point where she is finding him less attractive.

Freya approached her sister and leaned against the locker next to hers with a grin.

"What's Adam done now?" Freya asked and Juliet lifted her head, rubbing her face.

"He keeps trying to impress me with his muscles and flirting with me every gym class. It's getting to the point where he is not attractive and just annoying," Juliet sighed, shaking her head. "Does he have any other redeeming qualities?"

Freya shook her head with a chuckle. "Mmm, nope. But he is incredibly sweet when he is not tormenting Chase. He is super protective of his siblings and friends. That's something. Doesn't have anything going on in his head, but he has a heart."

Juliet folded her arms, thinking about Adam. He has always been sweet to her, but she wants him to do something other than use his muscles to impress her.

"He's in a play tomorrow night. That dumb one about the history of Mission Creek. He's not using muscles there, so will probably end in disaster," Freya sheepishly grinned and Juliet rolled her eyes.

"He has to use his brain to remember his lines," Juliet remarked.

"One line. He will probably forget it. But he's pretty so it's okay," Freya shrugged.

"True," Juliet nodded. "But what about this play?"

"He has been asking me to help him practice his line. So, maybe you can help him?" Freya asked. "I'm more asking cause I am tired of hearing "Ma'am, you're standing it!' 500 times."

Juliet sighed, pondering the idea. She finally exhaled and reluctantly agreed. "Fine! But if he forgets his line on stage, I'm gonna smack him."

Juliet closed her locker and walked away as Freya chuckled, shaking her head.

"He's gonna forget his line."

——

~Davenport House~

"Ma'am, you're standing in it."

Juliet sat on the couch, forcefully smiling at Adam as he practiced his line. She's doing this for her sister and for Adam, she's being nice and allowing Adam to show her his other qualities.

"No, wait." Adam paused and said the line differently. "Ma'am, you're standing in it." He repeated the line even more differently. "You're standing in it. You're standing in it! What do you think? Did you feel like you were standing in it?"

Juliet chuckled awkwardly and stood up. "All 76 times. Adam, you're gonna be fine. It's just one line."

Adam gasped. "The most important one line of the whole play. Without me, she never finds Mission Creek. It's the entire emotional thrust of the second act, Juliet."

Juliet raised her eyebrow at him. "I could leave right now."

"No, no, I'm sorry." Adam begged and she grinned with amusement. Tasha walked down the stairs and smiled at Juliet.

"Nice to see you, Juliet." Tasha smiled and Juliet smiled back warmly.

"You too, Tasha."

"You want to help me practice my line?" Adam asked her.

"I have dinner to make, so I really shouldn't." Tasha remarked, making up an excuse.

Davenport walks in and greets everyone. "Hello."

"Donald, don't forget the school play is tomorrow night." Tasha reminded her husband.

Davenport turned to leave. "Goodbye."

"You're going!" Tasha ordered as Juliet watched Adam practice his line on his own. She watched him with confusion, wondering how he even got into the drama club.

Davenport sighed. "Ah, come on. Shouldn't we be discouraging his acting career?"

The three watched Adam and Juliet walked up to Davenport. "He's lucky he's pretty. Because we all know he will forget the line."

Chase walks in. "Okay, guys, prepared to be wowed!" Juliet went to leave, but Tasha stopped her. "My new app: Dirt Alert! It tells you the precise type of rock or soil that's beneath you and how long it's been there. You want to try?"

Donald, Juliet, and Tasha overlapped talking, trying to make up excuses

"Oh, I can't. I got to go pretend to care about his play." Davenport said.

"Oh, uh, dinner needs to be made." Tasha walked to the kitchen and Chase's smiled fell, walking away.

"I have to go home and do nothing." Juliet smiled before leave the house.

Adam turned to Davenport. "Would you help me practice my line? Juliet left and I want to impress her."

Davenport smiled brightly. "And miss the thrill of seeing it live? Not a chance!"

Donald starts to walk out the door with Adam following him.

"Ma'am, you're standing in it. Ma'am...the door was standing in it." Adam shut the door and Juliet moved to the side when she saw Davenport running away with Adam following him, saying his lines.

"Better him than me." Juliet laughed.

——

~The Next Day~

Juliet sat on the couch, waiting for her sister to go to the play together.

Freya walked out and Juliet stood up.

"Ready for a disaster?" Freya asked with chuckle.

"Yes, I am." Juliet agreed.

"Hi, girls, where you going?" Cassandra walked in with Cinnamon in her arms.

"Going to see a play with Adam in it." Freya told her.

"Oh. Good luck. Sorry, break a leg as theater people call it." Cassandra smiled at them.

"With Adam in this play, someone might actually break something," Juliet remarked, before the sisters walked out the door together.

——

~Mission Creek High~

Freya and Juliet were sitting next to Leo and Tasha, watching the play. It was overall a boring play to watch, despite Janelle being a good actor. It's just bad writing and it had put Leo to sleep and Freya was about to fall asleep too.

Janelle entered the stage, saying her line. "My goodness, this harrowing journey has cost us dearly, but we have to keep searching. We shall dump our dead relatives at the next trading post."

Leo starts snoring and Freya had passed out. Tasha nudges them awake and Leo jumps up, yelling as Freya rubbed her eyes.

"Go smallpox!" Everyone looks at Leo weirdly and he started waving his arms. "Come on, people, got to get your hips into it."

"Sit down." Juliet snarled and pulled him down.

Just then, Adam comes on stage riding a hobby horse around the stage.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" Adam pretended to tie the horse up and get off it.

"Ooh, this it is. Adam's big line." Tasha smiled and the four of them smiled, watching Adam.

"Don't forget it." Juliet murmured, pleading.

"Excuse me, good sir, I'm on a mission to find a creek. Pray tell, have you seen one?" Janelle asked Adam

Adam went to deliver his line, but then stops trying to remember it. Freya sighed, dropping her head and Juliet internally wanted to smack him.

Adam cringed. "Line!"

Juliet whispered from the audience. "Ma'am, you're standing in it!"

"Quiet, Juliet, I'm trying to do a play!" Adam yelled and Juliet rolled her eyes, throwing her arms up.

"I told you." Freya nudged her sister, who rubbed her forehead.

——

Intermission had passed and Leo hadn't returned. Freya was confused at this and got up quietly and went to the doors to see Trent holding the doors closed, hearing Leo on the other side.

"Trent. What are you doing?" Freya asked, folding her arms.

"Sit down, Thumbelina, this doesn't concern you." Trent waved her off and Freya raised her eyebrow at him.

"If it involves Leo, it does concern me. Open that door and let him in." Freya glared at him.

Trent chuckled. "No."

Leo spoke from outside the door. "All right, Trent, you leave me with no choice. I am breaking the doors down."

Trent mocked Leo. "Oh, no, please don't."

"Trent, I don't care if you are a teacher, I will break you." Freya gritted her teeth angrily and Trent stuck his tongue out at her in a teasing way.

Leo yelled. "Here I come. Ahhhhh!"

Trent steps away from the doors at the last second and Leo comes barreling through, tackling Freya to the floor. Freya yelped as she landed on her back and she groaned.

"Aahh! Totally fell for it!" Trent laughed. "You even crushed Little Monroe!"

Leo quickly got off Freya, helping her for the floor. She immediately gasped when she saw Leo's attack orbs showed up behind him.

"Trent did it!" She pointed at Trent, backing up.

Trent's face filled with horror. "Oh, no. Oh, the flying balls of doom!"

"How'd they get out?" Leo asked with shock.

The attack orbs go into attack mode, threatening Trent and he runs through the audience. Juliet rushes to her sister moving her away from the danger.

"No! Out of my way! You're all losers! Oh, save me! Take that! Yeah!" Trent knocks down a prop as everyone starts to yell and flee. The attack orbs fire at him. "Whoa! My shoes, these are my good shoes! Leave me alone!" Trent hides behind the curtain as the orbs fire again. He climbs up on the stage , stumbling around and passes by Adam, who was still thinking of his line. "Oh! Okay. Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Save me! Save me! Save me! Oh, no! Whoa! Whoa! Dooley! Make it stop!" The attack orbs had flown up to Trent, who was shaking in fear.

Freya runs up to Adam, who is on stage. Juliet and Tasha hid behind the chairs.

"Adam, help!" She cried.

"No, you help. Go ask someone what my line is." Adam remarked and Freya stared at him in shock and disbelief.

"Leo, Freya, do something!" Tasha yelled.

"Working on it, Mom." Leo replied before he jumps to grab one the attack orbs, and starts flying around the room.

"Leo!" Freya called.

"I got it!" Leo said and started flying through the audience. "Excuse me. Pardon me. Sorry. Get out the way."

Leo flew over to Janelle and she glared at him. "You are ruining my play!"

"I am flying around on a metal ball. Can we please not turn on each other right now?" Leo asked.

Freya gasped, getting an idea. "That's it. We can make them turn on each other!"

"Yes that's it! Freya, grab the other one." Leo said and Freya found the second orb, jumping off the stage to grab it. Juliet gasped at this, wanting to help, but Tasha stopped her.

"She's okay." Tasha assured her.

Leo and Freya hoist their bodies to adjust the orbs to face each other. Right before the orbs fired, Leo and Freya dropped to the ground and the two orbs destroyed each other. Davenport, Bree, and Chase ran in and looked at the mess around them.

"What'd we miss?" Davenport asked.

"Nothing." Freya shook her head, sitting up.

Adam gasped in realization. "Oh!!! Ma'am, you're standing in it!"

Everyone started to clap reluctantly and Juliet sighed, smacking her forehead.

——

Up Next: Principal From Another Planet

Decided to focus on Adam and Juliet today. They are not the main focus, but I didn't know where to put Freya for some of this. So I added Juliet since there was some focus on Adam this chapter. Another slow burn relationship haha.