Some heavy footsteps and an eruption of cheers indicated the football players were stomping out onto the field, and also that at some point in their heated confrontation the bleachers had filled with spectators. Realizing the game was about to start and they hadn't even warmed up yet, Mary Rose backed off. “Ah ain't through with you, freckles,” she told Chase. “After the game is over, you an' mah fist are gonna have a heart-to-heart. Mark mah words.”

However, the game's interference could not completely put a pause to the conflict between the two squads, nor did being stranded on opposite sidelines. Around the end of the first quarter, the Sunnycrest squad realized that the Lawman Creek girls kept shooting gloating looks over at them after pulling a flashy stunt. They were intentionally trying to one-up them. This did not sit well with everyone on the Sunnycrest side.

“Pfff. We could do that in our sleep,” observed Lindsey, annoyed, while they were taking a water break. She looked at Alicia. “Wanna change things up a little? Throw in some stuff that'll really blow them out of the water? We've got stunts they've never even SEEN before.”

Alicia smiled. “I know what you mean, but don't let them get a rise out of you. That's what they want. Let's just keep cool heads and stick to what we practiced. If we start throwing in a bunch of difficult stunts right now we're only going to get ourselves hurt.”

Lindsey looked disappointed, but knew she was right. “Yeah, I guess that's true.”

Over on the other side of the field, separated from them by a fast-moving river of battling football players, Mary Rose did a short floor routine and then blew them a taunting kiss.

“Besides, we don't want to sink to their level,” reasoned Caitlin, shaking her head. “We're better than that. We're mature enough that we don't need to be taken in by such antics. It's better to just show a little class, be the bigger women and-”

“Why, that...that jumped-up little REDNECK!” spat Victoria. “She thinks she's better than me? Some dirty, rat-bitten swamp baby is better than Victoria C. H. Bassett?” She queued up for a stunt of her own. “We'll just see about that!”

Before they could even finish their exasperated sighs, Victoria took off. She did a very high-difficulty chain of flips and twists and did it perfectly on-point. While Mary Rose's routine was quite good, Victoria was on fire, twisting and leaping like her fragile ego depended on it. She upstaged Mary Rose thoroughly, and even upstaged her taunt, putting a hand on her hip, leaning forward and blowing a kiss that was too smug to be believed.

Mary Rose watched this in poorly-hidden disbelief. Judging from her reaction, Lindsey may have been right in assuming they had tricks she'd never seen before. For a second, she looked like she wanted to mount a counterattack, but she just scowled at Victoria, pointed at her ominously, then walked away to rejoin her squad and set up for their next routine.

“Hah!” celebrated Victoria, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “See that? I sure put HER in her place!”

“Yeah, we saw,” worried Caitlin.

“She didn't even TRY to top it,” Victoria continued. “Some would call that spineless, even cowardly. But I say: good for her. Good for her for recognizing her limitations.”

“She sure looked mad at you,” observed Lindsey.

Victoria tilted her chin up confidently. “Yes, well, jealousy is an ugly thing,” she said coyly.

The game did not go well for Lawman Creek, either. In fact, it was a complete blowout in Sunnycrest's favor. The game ended 42-6. Chase had never seen a more one-sided score. After the final whistle, Sunnycrest players flooded off the benches to celebrate and lift Kirk up onto their shoulders.

“Yay! Another away win!” sang Alicia, giving Chase a victory hug. “This is so good for us! We're going to state this year for sure, I can feel it!”

Chase hugged her back, but over Alicia's shoulder she spotted the Lawman Creek cheerleaders, cutting a path through the triumphant throng towards them as Mary Rose led the way. She did not look like she was coming over to shake their hands and say 'good game'. “Uh oh,” said Chase, breaking off the hug. Alicia looked, then shrank back. “Us got trouble.”

Mary Rose stopped in front of them and cleared her throat aggressively to get everyone's attention. It wasn't really necessary. Once she was sure she had it, she pointed at them. “Meet us in the parking lot. All of you. 'Less yer all a bunch of yellow-bellied wimps.” With this ultimatum delivered, they turned and left.

The Sunnycrest cheerleaders felt no desire or obligation to do what the Lawman Creek girls said, and were more than happy to have these thugs consider them wimps if it meant not getting beaten up. Unfortunately, though, going to the parking lot was a necessary step towards getting on the bus and leaving this shithole.

It took them a while to summon their courage and leave the field, long enough for most everyone else to leave ahead of them. When they did finally step out into the parking lot, Mary Rose and her posse were there waiting for them.

“Well, well, well. Didn't think you'd have the guts ta show,” commented Mary Rose. It was getting dark out now, and a scan of the surroundings revealed no witnesses to what was about to happen. A couple of Lawman Creek school buses with peeling yellow paint were parked nearby, but the Sunnycrest bus for the cheerleaders was nowhere to be seen. They'd been hoping to make a mad dash for it.

Mary Rose punched her palm. “Alright,” she said. “Who wants ta get beaten beyond recognition first?”

“N-n-not me! Do any of them, but not me!” shouted Victoria immediately. Recognition was very precious to her.

“Hey, ain't that the one what showed off to you, Mary Rose?” asked a girl.

Mary Rose squinted at Victoria. “Oh yeah, ah guess you're right.” She grinned eagerly and rubbed her hands together. “Looks like we have us a volunteer!”

The Lawman Creek cheerleaders let out a raucous cheer, and Victoria let out a scream. Louise grabbed her quickly. “Aaah! Alicia! Chase! Help me! Help me! Don't let them hit me!”

Mary Rose caressed Victoria's pale cheek gently. “Purty face on this'un. Ah'm gonna have a jim dandy of a time uglifyin' it.”

“Noo! Noooooooo!” Victoria struggled, thrashing about.

“Louise, hold her still, durn it,” Mary Rose requested.

“Ah'm tryin'. She's wigglin' around like a hog takin' a mud bath,” said Louise, fighting to get her under control.

Victoria stopped, disgusted. “I am NOT!” she said indignantly.

At this point, Chase had had enough. She stepped forward, fists clenched, and informed them: “You not hit Vic.”

It wasn't a threat, exactly. It was more of an edification. They thought they were going to hit Victoria, and Chase decided to correct them of that misconception.

“Oh yeah?” asked Mary Rose. “An' who's gonna stop us, freckles? You?”

“Yes,” said Chase. “Vic good friend, much nice to me. Not want hit cheer, but will do to save Vic.”

“Yeah? G'wan an' try it,” said Mary Rose. With a glance over her shoulder at her squadmates, she shouted, “Get her!”

The other Swallered Opossum girls looked reluctant to dive in. “Ah dunno, Mary Rose,” said one of them. “Ah ain't never fought somebody what could fight back before.”

“Me either,” said another. “Whar's the fun in that?”

“Sometimes you don't beat people merciless cuz it's fun,” said Mary Rose. “Sometimes you beat people merciless cuz it's the right thing to do.”

“Ch-Chase isn't scared of you!” rallied Caitlin, in a way that suggested she wanted to add, “Or at least, not as scared as I am.”

“Yeah! She'd un-purty you in a heartbeat, but it looks like somebody beat her to it!” shouted Lindsey.

“Th' hell'd you just say?!” one of the thugs demanded. “I'm beatin' her half to death right this second, and then you're getting the other half, one-eye!”

“Look,” Alicia intervened. Her voice was soft and reasoning, but her eyes met Mary Rose's with a sincerity that commanded the whole squad's attention and would not let her words be taken lightly. “Why don't you just let Victoria go and call this whole thing off? Your team lost, fair and square. Picking on us isn't going to change history. And maybe she is a showoff, but she got that good through a lot of hard work and practice. If you focus your energy on improving yourself instead of tearing down people who are better than you, I think you'd really be great.”

Mary Rose stared at her for a while. Both sides held their breath in nervous anticipation. Alicia stood her ground, but Mary Rose didn't back off. Alicia started to tremble, anxiety mounting. She realized with a sinking sensation that she was actually very close to getting in a fight. As close as she'd ever been. It terrified her.

Alicia warily curled up her fingers to form small, fragile fists. When she did, it felt weird. She wasn't sure if she'd ever done it before. She wasn't sure where her thumbs were supposed to go. Good lord, she was about to get her ass kicked.

Then, Mary Rose gave Louise a nod. The tall girl looked surprised for a second, then reluctantly let Victoria go. The Sunnycrest cheerleaders breathed a sigh of relief.

Mary Rose looked at Alicia, and asked, “Which one's yer boyfriend?”

This came out of nowhere. “My, my what?” Alicia faltered.

“Yer boyfriend. Ah can tell just by lookin' at you yer datin' someone on the team. You straight-laced, white bread types always do,” said Mary Rose gruffly.

“Why do you ask?” asked Alicia.

“Oh, ah'm just makin' idle conversation, light gossip, the way us cheerleaders're wont to do,” said Mary Rose casually.

Naïve, trusting Alicia rolled with this excuse far more readily than she should have. She gave a bashful giggle. “Well, I don't know if I'd say he's my BOYFRIEND...” she blabbed, idly playing with her red hair, “We have gone out a couple times and I do like him a lot...and I think he likes me too...but gee, we still haven't gone very far or anything-”

Mary Rose rolled her eyes. “Spit it out, already.”

Alicia looked away in a shy and flighty way. “I-It's Kirk. The quarterback.”

With a smile, Mary Rose said, “Well ain't that cute. The captain an' the QB. What a fairytale romance. Ah wish you both all the luck in the world.” She turned and walked away.

“What in the sam hill was that about, Mary Rose?” asked one of her cheerleaders. “You coulda walloped her silly!”

“That's true, but y'see, it really got to me, what she said,” Mary Rose replied. “How she was talkin' all high an' mighty to me, actin' like she's better'n me. Ah got real annoyed, listenin' t'that. Beatin' the purty outta her would have been fun, but ah ain't in the mood for fun and reckernation right now. Ah want to prove her wrong.”

She looked back at Alicia, and smiled and waved at her. Despite her sweet expression, the voice she used to speak to her subordinates was as cold and hard as the metal that made up her school. “Ah don't need ta tear her down, OR work hard, ta be better'n her. Ah already am. An' it won't be me that proves it! It'll be her man!”

“You aim ta steal her man?” asked Louise.

“Ah don't aim ta, ah intend ta,” said Mary Rose confidently. “Ah could tell her ah'm better than her 'til ah'm blue in the face, or punch her in the face until SHE'S blue in the face, but that wouldn't make her believe me. Stealin' her man, though, that pervides hard, concrete evidence even she should be able ta unnerstand.”

The Sunnycrest bus pulled up, and its brakes hissed as the door opened. The girls started climbing aboard as the driver took roll call. Alcott, Alicia was first. “Shouldn't be too hard,” mused Mary Rose, watching Alicia ascend the steps, looking relieved they'd avoided a fight. “I stole that Veronica gal's man and she was a good deal hotter than that Alicia. Note, if you will, the use o' past tense.”