"so you're telling me y'all stopped a runaway train?"
"yeah, leo joined us, which was kinda dumb."
"kinda dumb?" valerie joked, raising an eyebrow. "that boy does not think sometimes."
"hey, bree, can i talk to you?" chris asked, walking up to the two girls.
"go away hobo," valerie scoffed.
"please," he pleaded, surprising his sister.
"im busy, sorry," bree mumbled, grabbing val's hand and dragging her away.
chris noticed that bree was wearing his twin sister's jacket, and a ton of questions suddenly appeared in his mind.
"hey guys, what's that?" bree asked, walking up to her brothers, valerie by her side.
"my progress report. i can't believe my science teacher says im always late to class."
"you are always late to class," valerie and adam said at the same time.
"i know that, but i don't need it publicized."
"look at this!"
"calm down haircut," valerie teased chase, who had just ran up to them.
"an a-minus! i knew my home ec teacher had it out for me. always criticizing my muffins."
"ha-ha! i beat you! i got an d-plus! plus because im better!"
"adam, the plus is-you know what? it's just not even worth it anymore," bree spoke, standing next to leo.
"d is not a good grade, but we don't really expect you to get good grades. im engineered for be the smartest person in the planet, and i just got an a-minus."
"maybe you shouldn't be such a suck-up," valerie muttered, earning a nudge from bree.
"i've been relegated to the huddled, unwashed masses of minuses, like you!"
valerie pretended to be offended as chase walked passed her to sit down.
"chase, i know this must be hard for you, but, i mean, look at the bright side-seeing your fall flat on your face is really fun for us! "
"i have got to find a way to reclaim my superiority."
"well, you could sign up for the student of the semester competition."
"what's that?" chase asked, becoming interested.
the two girls made eye contact, and smiled at each other for a couple moments, which didn't go unnoticed by another two who were at their lockers.
"every semester, kids compete to see who can best improve the school. whoever gets the most votes wins free pencils, a bumper sticker, and a cheesy picture of themself on the wall!"
"and that cheesy picture will show everyone that my brilliance reigns supreme! i am so gonna win!"
"i call your free pencils! no, wait, i'll take the cheesy picture. they both sound so good!" valerie sighed at the overly excited boy.
"race ya!" the two bionic boys exclaimed after they heard the bell ring.
"oh, no. science class is all the way at the other side of the school. if im late again, im gonna get detention. unless..."
"unless what?" valerie realized where this was going.
"i don't want to sound crazy-"
"you always do," the hispanic girl interrupted, checking her nails.
"but can you use your bionic speed to rocket me over to science class while i ride on your back like a fighter pilot?"
"what? no way."
"please?" leo begged, dragging out the word. "it's the only way i'll make it on time."
"leo, im a girl, not a method of public transportation. besides, no one can see me using my bionics."
"but-but there's no one around. come on!"
"kid's got a point," valerie said, receiving a glare from bree. "not helping, sorry."
"if i don't make it, im gonna be in big trouble! do you really want that on your conscience?"
"i can live with it," bree shrugged.
"im perfectly fine," valerie said, thinking back to all the times she's gotten the boy in trouble.
"fine. i guess i just expected more from my...sister."
valerie snorted at leo's actions to change bree's mind. the puppy dog eyes. everything.
bree looked around the halls. "okay, fine," she said, taking off the other girl's leather jacket and handing it to it's owner. "but just this once. hold on."
leo excitedly jumped on bree's back, but fell off once the girl ran, making valerie break out into a fit of laughter.
"ow," the boy complained when bree came back.
"what part of hold on did you not understand?"
"im sorry, this is my first time going bree-back riding!"
"don't be late to your class," bree mumbled to valerie before zooming away.
"don't worry sonic, i have a free period!" val chuckled, knowing bree heard the nickname somehow.
and with that, the girl headed to the music room, where she basically spent all her free time as school.
ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ
valerie was walking to the cafeteria, in hopes to find jenna, who she hadn't seen all day.
when she walked in, she saw everyone in there dancing, adam yelling 'go gravy'.
"not today," she muttered, turning around and accidentally crashing into someone.
"oh, sorry, my bad."
"oh, no, that was my fault. i should pay attention to where im going," valerie said, picking up the books she had caused the other person to drop. when she looked up, she noticed green eyes. like, really pretty green eyes.
"you're staring," the girl whispered, smirking.
"u-uh sorry," valerie looked down in attempt to hide her blush.
"did i just make the valerie balderas blush?"
"you know my name?"
"who doesn't? i may be new to this school but im not new to mission creek. the balderas family, the most attractive family in this town. im lauren," the girl said, extending her hand for valerie to shake. "are you busy tonight?"
"yeah, actually. sorry. i have band rehearsals," valerie shrugged.
"how about tomorrow after school?"
"yeah, im pretty sure im free."
"great! i'll see you here then?" valerie nodded and headed towards her next class, deciding to just get there early. she walked by a very jealous looking ariana, which made her feel bad.
"hey sonic," valerie waved, jumping into the seat next to bree, who playfully rolled her eyes. "whatcha doin?" the hispanic smiled, making bree's tummy do a little twist, which she ignored.
"homework. now go away, you're a distraction," bree joked, slightly shoving the older girl.
"i take that as a compliment, babe," valerie teased, the nickname making bree blush. "are you-are you blushing? awh bree," the hispanic kept going.
"oh shut up. im not blushing. the room is just hot, and leo has me running him to classes," right when bree finished, lauren passed by, waving at valerie. bree raised an eyebrow while val waved back. "who's that?"
"jealous? she's lauren, i ran into her, literally, when i escaped your brother's gravy party."
bree was going to respond, but was stopped by leo.
"bree! you have to help me! i left my geometry homework at home."
"you do homework? oh who am i kidding, of course you do. y'all ain't cool like me and adam," val said, scooting her chair farther from the table to she could put her feet up. bree noticed and pushed her feet off, almost making the poor girl fall.
"can you run and get it, you know, hop on the old bree way?"
"i told you, im done running you around. im starting to get a leo-sized dent in my back."
"but if i don't turn in my homework, im gonna get an f."
valerie tuned out the conversation when she saw applesauce. she took it, knowing it was bree's. she was bored so she decided to annoy the speedy girl. bree grabbed the applesauce out of val's hands when she noticed, which made the latina pout. bree caved in and gave it back. this whole interaction didn't go unnoticed by the dooley boy, or the balderas boy, who had just walked in with the football team.
"val!"
"oh we're on nickname basis now? actually, i called you sonic earlier so i guess we've been on it."
"bree can we finally talk?" chris walked up to the table.
"fine," bree agreed, looking at valerie.
"i have to go anyways, see ya!" the balderas girl walked out of the gym, that serves as many things, and crashed into leo.
damn she has got to stop crashing into people.
ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ
"valerie!" chris exclaimed, barging into her room.
"can i help you with something?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"yes, you can actually. you can back off my girl."
"your girl?"
"yeah, bree. we talked everything out and so we're trying things out."
valerie would be lying if she said that didn't hurt. which she would. but, she doesn't like bree, so she doesn't understand why it hurt.
"i don't like her."
"don't lie."
"im not," she shrugged, going back to reading. surprise! the girl actually reads. i mean she's smart and secretly a dork, she just doesn't show it.
"back off."
"dude i literally just told you that i don't like her."
"but still, back off, she's mine," valerie shut her book and set it down to the side, making her way off her bed.
"listen, i don't like her. how many times do i have to say it? and she's not yours. she's not your property. she's not something you can just claim. she's a person. she belongs to no one."
"you sure you don't like her? i mean she's hot, i wouldn't blame you, just as long as you back off everything is fine."
"how many times do i have to tell you calling a girl hot is kinda disrespectful?"
"it's not. it's a compliment. it means someone would hit that. and looking at bree, i would-"
valerie cut him off by slapping him. her brother is stupid and gets on her nerves all the time, so this isn't something new.
he was stunned, but reacted by shoving her, causing her to crash into the bathroom door. that door actually connected their rooms, but they never use it to enter each other's rooms, just in case, because it can't lock.
martin heard the commotion, so he ran upstairs.
"chris!go to your room! valerie, why'd you hit him now?" he asked his daughter, who was rubbing her left eye because of the pain.
"he was being disrespectful towards girls again. im sorry."
"he needs to understand some things aren't okay to say, but violence is never the answer, okay princesa?" valerie nodded. "what happened to your eye?"
"he shoved me into the door," val mumbled.
"i'll go get you an ice pack."
yes, they have ice packs. this happens often. tough love?
valerie moved to the mirror once her dad left, and noticed the area around her eye was beginning to turn reddish.
she hates going to school with a black eye. chris never had one from their disagreements. she never hit him that hard, well, neither of them have hit each other too hard. most of the girl's black eyes were from crashing into things.