Hey guys, we're back. After a pretty lengthy hiatus, both of us are ready to continue the Pokemon Academy. Thanks SO much to anyone who voted for us for an award. It is a great honor and we have much gratitude. All right, the cliffhanger continues...let's get on with the story!


*Matthew*

       The month of October passed by in what seemed like no time. Although our teachers' continuous homework didn't cease, we did manage to have some fun. On Halloween, Peter and I dressed up as Ace and Brock. We both wore hats that proudly proclaimed the word "doofus." Ace wasn't too happy about that one, but he couldn't actually prove we were dressed as him, so no harm done. On a more serious note, Annie and I kept up our daily training, and our pokemon were improving hugely. FoxFire's phobia of water still remained, but, as Annie always said, "Rome wasn't built in a day." Finally, Annie, Peter, Brittany, and I often met up with Will to brainstorm on ideas. Nothing, however, had resulted from the meetings. Time flew by as we desperately searched for ideas. The month of November hit us before we knew it...   
                                         ~Matthew


      
I closed my journal and glanced at the alarm clock. With a groan, I stood, gently nudging Splash to wake him for today's training. He was as groggy as I was, the Halloween party having worn us out. I pulled on my T-shirt with the water-drop logo and then jumped into some jeans. Hastily, I grabbed a headband to hold the hair that covered my eyes. Quickly stepping into my shoes, I headed for the door. As I opened the door, I realized I was missing something. I turned my head towards my bed, spotting my Seel napping. "Splash!" I whispered. Splash reluctantly lifted his head and jumped to the ground. He stuck his tongue out at me as he exited the Boys' Quarters. I chuckled and followed him to the Commons.

       When Splash and I arrived, we spotted Annie napping at a table. FoxFire slept soundly on her head. Splash wore a silly smile as he saw them. I winked at him, sending him up to the table. He slunk down to Annie's face and released a small jet of water. Annie sprang up suddenly, releasing a shocked scream. FoxFire whizzed through the air and landed on the stage, wide-eyed. Splash chuckled loudly and clapped his flippers. Annie glared up at me, "Good morning, Matt. Or it would have been, but now I'm going to KILL YOU!" She broke into a run and chased me around the Commons. Jumping, she tackled me to the ground and punched my arm. We laughed hysterically, as Splash and FoxFire watched us, amused. <<Not very civil creatures, are they?>> FoxFire cocked an eyebrow.

       <<Nah, they're kind of vile,>> Splash giggled.

       "We ARE right here," Annie spoke up, then smiled, realizing that she was understanding FoxFire. I gave her a high-five and we headed outside to start our daily jog.

       "All right, guys, do you think we can circle Ecruteak Forest all the way today?" I asked. FoxFire and Splash nodded, ready to try a new jog. Annie smiled and stretched her legs. "Can YOU handle this, Annie?" I asked playfully.

       Annie glared and punched my arm, "Let's do this, Pierce." We sprinted out the doors and towards the forest. I took an early lead, running at a quick speed. Near the end, Annie and FoxFire both surpassed me, having saved their speed for the last moment. Even Splash managed to bound ahead. With a disappointing fourth place, I exited the forest. Annie didn't mind rubbing it in, "My, my, Pierce. Losing our speed?"

       "Nah, I thought I should let someone else have a chance," I joked, "Nice win, FoxFire." FoxFire smiled widely.

       "Whatever, let's train," Annie smiled and headed for our training spot. We all followed her and went to work on our Speed. Annie and I had worked out a variety of drills for speed. The relay race, of course, was Splash and FoxFire's favorite. When we had first started training, Annie and I could easily defeat our pokemon. As their skill progressed however, they gradually were able to beat us easily. Even Splash bounded across the forest area faster than I could run. After running the relay race SEVERAL times, we heard the familiar PA breakfast call. Annie and I stormed for the
Academy, our pokemon jetting ahead of us.

       Just as we reached the doors, however, we met our evil teacher. "Ah, the troublemakers have arrived." Mrs. Brinamm scowled as she surveyed Annie and myself.

       "Troublemakers, Mrs. Brinamm?" Annie shrugged, confused. We always knew Mrs. Brinamm wasn't fond of us, but we never caused any trouble in her class.

       She smiled and winked at us, "Always the victim, aren't you Miss Edwards?" Before Annie could respond, she walked towards the teacher's lounge. Annie and I exchanged confused glances.

       Ace suddenly hustled up to us, "Ah, rich boy and elite girl! Principal Woodcox needs to see you in his office."

       "Well you would know, wouldn't you, Ace?" I smiled, "You're always there." Ace shrugged as Annie and I made our way for the office. When we were inside, Miss Gonzales and Mr. Woodcox immediately stopped what they were doing. The atmosphere was so solemn, it was as if we had walked into a funeral.

       "Take a seat," Mr. Woodcox said, barely maintaining his voice. He seemed so angry he could burst. Annie and I sat down nervously. Neither of us knew what it was we had done, but possibilites raced through our mind. Was our daily training this serious? Or perhaps they were angry that we were trying to deal with the debt by ourselves? I wasn't sure, but he seemed extremely serious. Without speaking, Woodcox opened a drawer and pulled out a yellow folder. After opening it, he took out photographs and handed them to Annie. Annie's expression changed as she looked through the pictures. She seemed almost indignant. She handed them to me. I gasped as I saw a picture of me taking money from Gengar. Annie stood with a smile on her face next to me.

       "We are under the intention," Woodcox broke the silence, "that you, Matthew Alan Pierce, and you, Annie Renee Edwards, have been letting a Gengar terrorize students for money. This is a terrorist action and will immediately result in expulsion." I felt my stomach tie itself in knots.
      
       "Should you be able to prove it," Annie stated calmly.

       Woodcox cocked an eyebrow, "Miss Edwards, perhaps you've heard the expression 'a picture is worth a thousand words.' These pictures are clearly portraying you accepting money from a ghost that has been haunting a boy at this school."

       I stood, "Those pictures clearly portray a Gengar handing me a letter from my mother. Inside were several twenty-dollar bills I received from my mother."

       "We HAVE a mailing system," Woodcox glared.

       I shrugged, "My mom was going to send it by Air Mail. Gengar didn't see the point, so he hand-delivered it to me."

       Woodcox frowned, "So you've had a ghost tampering with your mother's mail? This is a very serious offense."

       Annie stood, "Mr. Woodcox, I don't know what you've heard from Ace---"
      
       "We do NOT mention names, Miss Edwards," Woodcox pounded his fist on the table.

       "MR. WOODCOX!" I stood, standing over him, "ANNIE'S GRANDMOTHER HAS A GENGAR WHO BRINGS ANNIE'S MAIL. HE DECIDED ONE DAY TO HELP US OUT BY BRINGING ME A LETTER! HE DIDN'T READ THE MAIL! HE DIDN'T STEAL THE MONEY! THIS HAS NEVER BEEN AGAINST THE RULES!"
     
       Mr. Woodcox pulled open the drawer and pulled out a tiny cassette tape. "This," he raised his voice, "is an audio tape of your conversation with this Gengar. It clearly mentions a boy's name and how he was terrorized."
      
       Annie shook her head, "So Ace filled in Gengar's voice and twisted our words around. It proves nothing."

       "Without a good defense, you will both be expelled," he glared.

       Annie smirked, "I want my grandmother here."

       "I will notify her today. Our appointment is tomorrow. If she doesn't prove you two innocent, then you will both be expelled," he said angrily.

       "Until then," I rolled my eyes, "we are going to school."

       We met our pokemon outside the door. I frowned worriedly. Annie put a hand on my shoulder, "Matthew, if there's a way, my grandma will find it."

       "Right," I said, trying to sound sure. I, however, could only be hopeful. The school day dragged on endlessly, and then that night I couldn't sleep. All my thought were directed on Annie's grandmother.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
*Annie*

       "Come on, Annie, keep up," Matthew encouraged me. I was lagging behind him as we jogged around the woods again. My side had a major stitch in it, my legs were like Jello, and I could barely keep my eyes open. I guess missing a night's sleep took a major toll on me. Matthew slackened his pace and joined me. Our feet fell into rhythm and soon Splash and FoxFire slowed down for us. We jogged for about another five minutes when we reached our Battling spot. Today was a Saturday, so Accuracy was the basis for today's training. We walked into our spot, panting heavily, and gathered up sticks and stones.

       "Want me to start?" asked Matthew. I nodded as I walked around to cool off. FoxFire walked with me for a while, only stopping to watch Splash. Matthew grabbed a rock and hurled it into the air. Splash used a Water Gun, hitting the rock dead-on, earning applause from Matt. They continued on for awhile. The rocks that Splash  missed were complete misses, but he made up for them by hitting the others into oblivion. After a while, Matt stopped to give FoxFire and myself a try. I picked up a stick and threw it with all my might. FoxFire let out an Ember and only managed to singe the top of the stick.

       "Nice, but aim lower next time," I suggested and FoxFire merely nodded. We tried again and she hit it again with more accuracy. We continued on, FoxFire's accuracy improving steadily. After a half an hour we called it quits and headed back for breakfast. Brittany and Peter had saved us a seat in the Commons.

       "Okay, we'll be right there after we get some good," Matthew said hungrily. Splash's stomach rumbled in agreement, sparking laughter. Matthew and I got into the short line and hurriedly piled mountains of food onto our trays. I put some bread in the toaster, then got an assortment of fruit and some strips of bacon for FoxFire. With that done, I headed back with Matthew not far behind.

       "Enough food there? Only Kangaskhan could match that," Brittany giggled. I rolled my eyes as I watched her giant pokemon inhale his good. Lately, he had become fiercely protective of her. He stared at me while he ate, watching my every move. I looked away and went to my food.

       "You guys try training every morning, then see how little you eat," Matthew managed to say in between bites. Splash mumbled in agreement, his mouth too full to say anything.

       "Amen to that," I smiled, causing Peter to chuckle.

       "I still prefer the pillow to exercise anyday," Brittany added. We finished our food, then headed to the great outdoors to do our daily grooming homework. We didn't need to go outside, but it was more fun, so we did. We picked a spot and I collapsed on the grass next to FoxFire. She greeted me, rubbing against my head. We pulled out our grooming kits and got to work. I trimmed FoxFire's nails while my friends did various other things. I then checked her ears, eyes nose, teeth and mouth, then took a brush to her. This was our daily checklist of things that we had to do for Grooming.

       "You know, Ms. Dennis said that all good pokemon trainers do this with their pokemon at least once a week," Matthew shook his head. "Can you believe doing this with over one hundred pokemon?"

       "How about a herd of Kangaskhan?" asked Brittany, peering hesitantly into Kangaskhan's mouth.

       "Who would be insane enough to have that many Kangaskhan?" Peter said, massaging Shadow.

       "Me," Brittany said in a matter-of-factly way. We all looked up at her. "I found that very few male Kangaskhan live in captivity because they are so aggressive. I asked Ms. Gonzales why I got him. . .why any student would have potentially received him when more experienced trainers have failed." She looked down at the grass, Kangaskhan moving closer. "I got him because males bond easier with female trainers. She also thought I was qualified to work with Kangaskhans," she blushed. Staring at her, I realized Matthew and Peter were also staring.

       "That's what you want to do, isn't it? Study Kangaskhan when you become a scientist?" I asked, standing. She nodded.

       "That's, um, great," said Peter, forcing a smile.

       "Well, males are not well-known because so few are captive. I want to study them. Because I have a male, I could get a bunch of females, and some land. . ." Brittany faded off.

       "Sounds like you have it all figured it out," I breathed heavily.

       Matthew laughed, "Uh, Annie? We're ten, remember?"

       "Yeah, at this rate, Brittany will have the Nobel Prize at sixteen," Peter rolled his eyes.

       "Well I do have to be someone's aide for a few years, then high school and a university," Brittany added.

       "You really are serious about this, aren't you?" Matthew asked. Brittany nodded.

       "Well the future is a long way off. Let's head to the Leisure Center and go swimming," I said, getting up.

       "Last one there is a---" Peter didn't have to finish as we all tore off at a run. Matthew sprinted next to me, way ahead of the other two.

       "This running thing pays off!" he laughed.

       After supper, I took my tray back up, only to hear my grandma's voice shouting.

       "This is absolutely ridiculous! My granddaughter would never use pokemon to terrorize other students. Let alone MINE!" I crept up behind my grandma, Agatha. Mr. Woodcox looked quite nervous about all this.

       "Annie doesn't have a ghost pokemon! It's MINE! Are you THAT ignorant about your own students? Do you know who I am? Or has my residence at the Indigo Plateau gone unnoticed by you? I have the ghost pokemon! My Pokemon was only delivering a letter! Someone probably just SAW HIM and FREAKED OUT!" I giggled softly as I heard my grandma's voice become louder and louder.

       "Well, it's just---" Mr. Woodcox began.

       "Speak LOUDER, I can't hear you!" Grandma demanded.
      
       "Well the evidence that was submitted by Ace Furlong---" He was cut off again.

       "Another family gone bad! Jeez, why is he even at this school?" she huged. I saw Principal Woodcox cowering in front of grandma who, ironically, was at least a foot shorter than he.

       "Well, you heard the tape---" Again he could not finish.

       "Are you DEAF? Half of that tape is copied over by that boy or are you really just stupid?" I took a look at Grandma from the side. Her stern face was etched with wrinkles, giving her an aged look. Her silver gray hair was in perfect order, not a strand out of place. Why? I don't think a strand would dare to be out of place.

       "Yes, ma'am, I'm sure you're right. I will drop any charges against your granddaughter---"

       "And the Pierce boy," she added sternly.

       "Yes, of course, how silly of me to forget," he said, sounding surprised to finish a sentence.

       "Good day to you," she said, flashing a sour-sweet smile and came to the door. When she noticed me, her smile was just as sweet.

       "Grandma, I would ask what you're doing, but I think I know," I smiled, leaning down to give her a little hug. I looked up at her face, an expression of hatred taking over. I looked behind myself, but nothing was there. She snapped out of it and looked up at me.

       "Oh my, you have grown! How tall are you?" she asked, acting like the Agatha I knew.
      
       "About 5'3," I smiled. I was taller than her and Matthew, who had just joined us. "This is my friend, Matthew Pierce. Matt? This is my grandma---"

       "Agatha of the Elite Four, you're great!" Matthew said, almost freaking out. He stared at Grandma's hand as he shook it.

       "Well I think I should be go. . .OH MY, who is this?" Grandma smiled, picking up FoxFire.

       <<FoxFire, nice to meet you, >> FoxFire winked. Grandma kissed her forehead and headed out the door.

       <<Hello, does no one see me here?>> Splash clapped his flippers demandingly. Agatha patted his head, "So sorry."

       Matt laughed, "Well, Agatha, I suppose we'll see you around?"

       "No doubt, Mr. Pierce, no doubt at all," she smiled. She left the building, leaving me with a wave of homesickness.

       "All right, Annie, fill me in," Matt demanded.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
*Matthew*

       Annie gave me a quirky expression, "Matthew, I thought you knew Agatha was my grandma. Didn't I tell you that some time?"

       I tried to remember a time when she had told me. If she had, it hadn't really registered with me. I shrugged and put a hand on Annie's shoulder, "Probably, I'm just feeling so lightheaded right now. We're STAYING!"

       A smile spread across Annie's face, "Let's go tell Ace!" With smiles on our              faces, we made our way to a table, consisting of Brock Demont and Ace.
      
       "Hey losers, here to say goodbye?" Ace smirked. He and Brock did a cheesy "secret handshake."

       Annie stooped over the table, putting her head only inches from Ace, "Why, Ace, were you planning on leaving?"

       Brock stood up, "No, he's talking about his plan to get you guys---OOF!" Ace elbowed Brock in the side. Brock sat down and tried to be as intimidating as possible.

       "Expelled? We know," I nodded, "but, you see, it backfired, and unless Ace personally announces to the entire class, Woodcox is going to expel HIM!"

       Ace was confused, "W. . .what, Pierce? You guys aren't leaving? But, you guys brought a frickin' ghost in here! That HAS to be against the rules!"

       "No," Annie smiled, having picked up on my plan, "but framing students for terrorism is quite the big deal, and Mr. Woodcox seems to think you should address the whole Commons area and apologize personally before the lunch period is over."

       "No way, Pierce, what you guys did was---" Ace stammered.

       "THAT IS," I interrupted, "unless you want to go pack your bags and leave." Ace glared, aggravated. He was trapped, or he thought he was. His face beet-red, he stomped up to the stage and grabbed the microphone. He switched it on.

       "Hi-everybody-I'm-sorry-I-tried-to-get-the-Teacher's-Pets-out-of-here," he said, barely translatable.

       Woodcox walked out of his office and glared at Ace. Ace sighed, "Hey guys, I'm really sorry that I framed Matthew and Annie so that they would be expelled. I shouldn't have done it." Peter and Brittany gasped loudly, having not heard about it.

       Woodcox walked up onstage, "THE MICROPHONE IS NOT A TOY! DETENTION TOMORROW!"

       Ace seemed completely confused, "No, but, you were going to. . ."

       Woodcox, moody from Agatha's visit, rolled his eyes and stomped away. Ace looked over at Annie and myself, his eyes watery. He tossed the microphone and ran to the Boys' Quarters. It was my moment of triumph, but Annie was looking down at her feet, almost ashamed. "Annie!" I waved a hand in front of her face, "He tried to get us kicked out. I don't think a day's detention is going to kill him."

       Annie nodded, "Yeah, you're right, Matt." A smile spread across her face, "I forgot he isn't human."

       "It's a good thing I'm here for you," I winked and we walked back to Peter and Brittany to celebrate the news.

       *~MONDAY~*


       "Today, guys, just happens to be the start of our pokemon battling competition," Mr. Smith smiled at the large group of students, "I know these first few months have involved a lot of hard work and effort from all of you. Now is your time to prove to me that your battling skills have peaked. Each day, three battles will take place in front of the class."

       I glanced over to see Ace and Brock snickering as they eyed Brittany's Kangaskhan. "Hey, Brittany," Ace whispered, "I think you might win if that gigas of yours decides to sit on the competition."

       "Hey, Ace," Annie said back, "The only way you're gonna win is if you wind up in an idiot convention."

        "Miss Edwards, perhaps you'd rather sit in detention than battle with the rest of us?" Smith said, looming over Annie.

       "No, sir, I'd much rather be out here with you," Annie smiled, almost sarcastically. Smith grunted and continued.

       "Remember, the battlers will be random. Cheering is allowed, but I don't want to hear any booing or teasing, got it?" Smith stated seriously. Everyone nodded, but I noticed Ace crossing his lanky fingers behind his back.

       "Right then, let's get started. "My computer has randomly paired six of you for today. The first battle will be between...Matthew and Peter," Smith nodded.

       I exchanged glances with Peter. "All right," Ace laughed, "Let's see Beavis and Butthead duke it out!"

       I rolled my eyes and stood on the blue side of the field. Peter took his place on the red side. "All right, Splash, let's do this."

       Peter cheered for his pokemon, "Come on, Shadow, let's really kick butt."

       Both of our pokemon landed on a side, letting out a quick battle cry. Mr. Smith grinned, "The battle will begin...now!"

       "Splash, let's see your Aurora Beam!" I commanded immediately. Splash nodded and quickly emitted a gorgeous beam of color. 

       "Sh...shadow, get outta the--!!" Peter stammered.

       Shadow hesitated, waiting for his trainer to continue. Boom! An explosion of ice collided with the spider pokemon, sending him flying in the air. Cheers exploded from the crowd. "Great job, Splash!"

       Peter glared at me as Shadow recovered. "Shadow, use a Spider Web to keep it from dodging your moves!" Shadow quickly shot a web of silk at Splash, who was immediately stuck.

       "Splash, come on, let's see your Bubblebeam!" I commanded, trying to stay in control. Splash sent a flurry of bubbles jetting Shadow's way.

       Peter immediately retorded, "Come on, Psybeam!"
       
       A strange beam of energy and the flurry of bubbles collided, causing an explosion mid-field. "Now, Night Shade!" Peter commanded before I could react. A dark force suddenly swept over Splash, causing him to shake violently in the Spider Web.

       "Interesting combo!" Mr. Smith's eyes widened, "It appears the web is conducting the attack and causing it to be tripled!"

       Splash glared, his rage letting him tear out of the web. "Splash, Bubblebeam that bug!" I commanded. A flurry of bubbles jetted into the spider pokemon, who took the attack, but looked tired.

       Peter's face reddened, "Come on, Shadow, use your Psybeam attack. That Seel can't handle it!"

       The same beam of energy I'd seen before emerged from the spider, slamming directly into Splash. Splash seemed dazed, but immediately shook it off.

       "Splash! Use your Aurora Beam technique!" I ordered, trying to find a way back into the battle. A beam with the colors of the Northern Lights once again hurled Shadow back, this time into Peter. Peter stood, egging his pokemon on.

       "Come ON, Shadow, Night Shade QUICK!" he yelled, his face a deep maroon.

       "Splash, one Headbutt and this battle's over!" I ordered to my Seel. Splash hurled himself at the Spinarak before he could respond. Shadow fell back, unconscious. The crowd, excluding Ace and Brock, cheered wildly.

       Mr. Smith applauded, "GREAT battle, boys. I like seeing that kind of enthusiasm! Now shake hands."

       I met Peter in the center of the field, "Hey man, no hard feelings, right?" I asked, extending my hand. Peter shoved my hand back down.

       "Right, Pierce, the rich boy got exactly what he wanted and THEN he's my friend. Maybe Ace was right," Peter scoffed and picked up his fainted pokemon. He took off for the nurse, leaving me with the most bittersweet victory I'd ever experienced.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
*Annie*

       I watched as Peter left the battle arena fuming. I shook my head slightly, realizing that he was just angry about the close loss. For the past month, he had been on a winning streak, and Matthew had ended it. Matt walked over to me, his head ina  cloud. He didn't say anything as he flopped down next to me in his chair. Splash came over, looking equally as put out. He sighed heavily and his eyelids fluttered.

       "Oh, sorrry man, I almost forgot," he muttered as he reached down into his backpack and pulled out a potion. He gave it to Splash, who took it eaferly. I looked at Matthew uncertainly.

       "Are you okay?" I asked him out of concern.

       "Yeah, it's just something Peter said after our match," he whispered, staring at Caleb's match with Brock. He then relayed what Peter had said to him. I gasped, completely astonished.

       "What's his problem?" I muttered, still quite out of breath. Matthew shrugged and patted Splash's head.

       "This is kind of out of the blue," he replied as he gazed at Caleb's Sunkern. The poor seedling was tossed across the arena, as if he weighed nothing.

       <<His eyes looked troubled,>> Splash remarked from under the chair.

       <<I didn't see him,>> FoxFire replied from my shoulder. She stirred slightly, then decided that the best place to take a nap would be on my lap. She jumped down onto my lap, circled, and then laid down contently. Matthew smiled slightly, but it faded quickly.

       "I'm going to find him," I said decisively, picking up FoxFire.

       "I'll go with you," Matthew stood automatically, but I shook my head.

       "He's a little steamed at you, Matt, I don't think your presence is gonna help. Mr. Smith might get suspicious if we went to the fountain together, anyway," I said, a smile creeping onto my face. He nodded, then sank back down into his chair. I set FoxFire down adn walked quickly to the door. FoxFire sat behind me as I quickly wrote my name down on the sign-out sheet. With that done and out of the way, I headed out the door. I turned to the left, down the corridor, where Nurse Joy's station was set up. I glanced inside, noting that Peter wasn't there, and left before Joy spotted me.

       <<Maybe he went to the boy's dorm,>> FoxFire shrugged.

       "Hmm, good idea, let's go check it out," I nodded. We doubled back and headed towards the boy's dormitory. It took us a short time to get there. Peter was there, surely enough, doing something I couldn't see. I knocked on the door and waited until he looked up. I knocked again, taking my face away from the window. I leaned against the wall and folded my arms. Peter opened the door, confused until he spotted me.

       "Annie, I'm not in the mood to talk to you right now," he sighed.

       "What did I do? And, for that matter, what did Matthew do?" I demanded, sticking my foot in the door before he could shut it. He glared back at me.

       "I don't have anything to say to you, Annie," he said shortly, his voice filled with anger.

       "Well I have something to say," I shot at him. "Your friendship with Matt is worth more than some stupid battle. What if you had beaten him? What would you do then, huh? Answer me!" I started shouting. Peter's eyes looked fierce and I gasped, realizing how mad he really was.

       "It has nothign to do with you, Annie, so don't get involved," he said coldly, his eyes still deadly. I removed my foot and silently backed up. He shut the door curtly behind him. I shook my head in wonder, not knowing what to say.

       Much to my relief, Peter wasn't at supper. I wanted to avoid confronting him for a while. Matthew kept telling me that Peter would come to his senses, but he didn't seem convinced himself.

       <<You should've been there,>> FoxFire told Splash for the millionth time. He nodded again, looking worriedly up at Matthew. I chewed my food silently. In my head, I kept wondering different things that had been sparked by my conversation with Peter.

       "Where's Brittany?" Matthew finally asked aloud. I noticed that he had been looking around for the last 5 minutes. "Probably thinks I'm just a rich kid, too," he added, gloomily.

       "Quit drowning in self-pity, Matt," I rolled my eyes. He didn't pay much attention to me, though. Brittany showed up for lunch when we were almost finished. She ran over, clutching her pokeball, which I could only assumed contained Kangaskhan. She whipped out a piece of paper.

       "Look what I found on the notice board!" she squealed. I got up from the table and took it out of her hand. I quickly scanned it and gasped.

       "We're going on a camping trip in January!" I shrieked. Matthew came over, just as excited as I was.

       "Oh my gosh," Matthew was stunned, "we are! Hey, look! There are four people to each. . ." he trailed off. Brittany shot Matthew a confused glance but he was distracted by his thoughts. I sighed and explained the situation. After five minutes, her face was expression pure disbelief.

       "What is UP with him?" she looked from me to Matthew.

       "I'm not sure, I haven't seen him since this morning," Matt shrugged. The PA rang unexpectedly, calling us to our afternoon classes. We all scurried off and there was no more talk of Peter. . .even when he sat with Ace during class. He insulted us when he walked by our group of desks and Matthew quickly came up with a comeback. Brittany also came out of her shell, purely angry with Peter. Several times she mentioned him as a "sore loser who'll never hack it." Peter glared at me.

       "Annie, so quiet," Peter smirked, "so. . .unusual." He said, going to sharpen his pencil.

       I turned away from him when he came back. I wasn't sure if I'd ever again speak to Peter Carlton.

*~*

      
       All right, everyone, how's that for a cliffhanger? You know we put it in there for you. Thanks for feedback, we appreciate it bigtime. If you want feedback yourself, you gotta send it around. Thanks a bunch~! '_~