525,600 Minutes

No Good Deed

Lucy is talking...again and Riley has a headache that won't go away. It's a bad combination leaving her so ready to snap. She chooses to just ignore, tuning her out and walking out of the room without a warning and leaves the Jameson girl talking to no one. The idea of it makes her chuckle. Not two steps away and Garrett meets her with a smile. Riley gives him one back, greeting him and asking about the competition when she's cut short by asking her where to find Lucy.

Riley bites her tongue and points up the staircase without a word. The way he charges up the stairs and heads straight for the new girl makes her stomach churn. She forces the emotions down even further and heads for the courtyard to practice her own game.

Clint has a two part challenge with a program he's initiated. With a goal of finding a kid he can mentor and coach properly, it's all based on how well they shoot and work as a team. A top contender gets an article in the paper the next morning which usually leads to getting the public interested in the center which in turn means more adoptions.

This year, with the adoptions on hold, Clint's motives of finding his protegeé is somewhat selfish. And his money is on the Jameson girl- a kid that can finally shoot and master complex strategies with little coaching. He adores his adopted son more than anything else in the world, but he's also realistic and knows when the children should ever find themselves out on the field, sadly, Clint knows Garrett is always going to be the cheerleader left on the bench.

Riley isn't a terrible shot, which is why Clint was chosen as her first mentor. Her mind reading abilities give her an edge over most opponents and she can plan her next shot accordingly and fast. Riley's problem is her focus and lack of effort, and while it's fun to learn a few things from the masters and learn to build up her self defense strategies and harness her abilities, Riley is far more interested in getting a family than in being a hero. Even so, getting back on Clint's radar wouldn't be bad for her popularity in and out of the center what with Natasha so flaky and Thor never around.

Michael and Amelia hit the courtyard next, suiting up and taking a few practice shots beside Riley. Brody arrives and quickly takes up a bow that's not being used;

"Where's our team? Why aren't they practicing?! Lucy could one hundred percent be going home-!"

Riley mumbles only after taking another shot, "They're coming. If Lucy would shut up for ten minutes."

Amelia laughs after overhearing Riley, "She's screwed! And you're still supporting her."

"You know what, Amelia?,' Riley drops her bow finally having enough, 'I'm here to win. And it's not for Brody, it's not for Lucy, it's for me. So you should sit your butt down and focus on your own game."

The other girl nods and humbles up. Whatever Riley says goes in Amelia's brain. When Riley's in a mood, the center straightens up fast unless they want their thoughts breached and their true feelings revealed in front of the other kids and mentors.

Lucy and Garrett arrive together, giggling and talking. Riley is ready to spit nails when she sees Jameson's hand playfully push on Garrett's shoulder. She rolls her eyes and tucks her head with a jealous blush, taking up another arrow.

Lucy skips over to Riley, tugging at her black crop top, "What up, what up, Sister! Mind if I-."

Riley snaps, flicking her hand to the side, "I don't care what you do, but you need to shut up because you've given me a headache that I can't seem to shake since 8:00 last night!"

"Oh! Sorry, like, sorry. Wait, was it my singing?! I can totally try to sing less tonight if my vocal practice- I don't want to make you mad because we're like totally gonna get to know each other now and like be best friends and stuff and-!"