Highmauve: Family Day

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Noelle spots Winter's family too and sighs. She swore to herself she wouldn't tell anyone. Still, didn't make the goo-goo eyes her parents made any less nauseating. She follows Tobi's signing but doesn't respond to herself. She decides to ignore the looks and focus back on the story, in interest. The trip sounded much longer than the tight three hours that her mother traveled. And in a trunk? Karen steps in, with a breezy "Well, I am glad you made it regardless. Wish there was something I could do to help make the trip back easier."

And at that, a peppy college student with a sleek blonde ponytail stands at the front side of the building, gathering everyone's attention. She starts by welcoming everyone and then rattles off the activities. Events throughout the day included dodgeball, kickball, a three-legged race, capture the flag, and many others. She was laying out the rules for teams- maximum of 10 for the big games, age restrictions, the works, but Noelle found herself distracted. She saw him.

Across the hall, Evan Richardson was sitting with his parents and two younger brothers. They were all blonde haired and blue eyes, with similar all-American features. Except for Evan's newly crooked nose and the small scar on his lips. He sat next to his mother, who was rubbing her hand on his back, while the father was prepping the two other preteen boys in what looked like a football coach huddle. She couldn't help but stare- she hadn't seen him since Homecoming. And seeing his family, his mother, his brothers- it gave Evan a deeply human quality that Noelle had tried to erase. The mother was saying... something. Something between coddling and ego inflating.

Karen immediately catches her daughters gaze, and makes a sound akin to a very soft growl. She looks at the family- she knew the type. She dealt with them back home since Noelle was young, even before her mutation manifestation. Mothers who saw nothing wrong in their children, who never held them accountable and coddled the living hell out of them. Fathers who encouraged their children not to cry, to turn any hurt into aggression and violence. A dangerous combination. She also knew that they wouldn't be able to resist a competitive activity. Like the first one on the docket. She looks at Noelle "Huhney. Look at me."

Noelle turns, her eyebrow furrowed, but her mother responded "We're gonna show 'em. Okay? I thin' we gotta grea' team on our side, an' we ah gonna pu' this behin' ya by figh'in' it up fron'. But firs'-" She breaks off "I gotta go back ta my cah. Got t-shir's." She grins, looking at Tobi's family "Fuh all o' us. I'll be righ' bac. Gonna meet ya a' the fiel' in a shake o' a lambs tail." Karen gives Noelle's hand a quick squeeze.

Noelle seems to snap back to the present, and stands "I'm going to go with. Um.. Tobi? Make sure Joy doesn't get in too much trouble?" She's pale. She needs air.

Tobi follows Noelle's gaze as his mother does, his eyes immediately focusing on the smaller blond boy surrounded by similar looking people. Must be the family then. Karen gets up to leave with Noelle close behind. He nods when she tells him what she's doing. The moment she's outta sight, he turns back to his own family plus Joy.

They've all latched on to the sudden change in atmosphere. His Ma is looking where Karen had looked, smacking his Pa in the arm to get his attention when he can't seem to find the person they're all looking for. The two latch on to the blond boy with the crooked nose, and know without any words who that is. Tobi had explained the story to them in detail when he had gone back home, and his mother had been there the night he had been passed out, helping heal his own broken nose skillfully set back by Agnes.

"Tha' the boy?" His Pa asks with a hint a a low growl in his voice. Tobi and Agnes nod in response. Their Pa sizes Evan up, inspects the damage Tobi did to him from a distance. After a moment, he nods. "Good break. Feel that fer a long while." Their Ma chitters her own agreement.

Tobi knows what he did, knows it was a good hit. He's satisfied with the physical damage, but right now, he wants Evan's pride as well and knows that Karen's also out for blood. He saw it in her eyes before she left. He also saw the fear in Noelle's eyes before she followed, and hell if that don't bring him back round to awake faster than any cup of coffee. He regards his whole family with his own pale grey eyes, alert, serious, and sharp. Four pairs stare back at him, all thinking the same thing.

He thinks again of the first event and boy, if that doesn't sound promising. There's a heavy pause, then the command comes rolling forth.

"We gotta destroy 'em."

Joy grins wickedly at the group surrounding her. She didn't know a lot of the details that surrounded her sister's unfortunate evening. She had sat from their bedroom, listening to their quiet voices and her sister's sobs. Whatever that stupid looking boy did, it made Noelle feel awful which was a no-go for her. Even as an eight-year-old, she understood that the boy over there probably got away with whatever he did. Her cat-like hazel eyes meet Tobi's, alert and aware. Familiar too. "So, what's the plan? Dodgeball- I'll be front line. I'm really fast. And a smaller target. They throw at me, you catch from behind?"

She was scheming, ready to go. The excitement was riling her up, even more, allowing her legs to swing underneath her. She smiles, scrunching her nose ever so slightly "It's going to be an easy win. They don't look that tough!"

Joy glanced back at the family and her distaste for them grew even more. She didn't like them even if they didn't have a history with her sister- they were so plain, so ordinary, so unbelievably normal. It made Joy distrust them on principal- from her experience, the normal people were the ones who hid the most secrets. And not fun secrets, like birthday presents or secret trips to see Noelle. No, the bad kind of secrets. The ones that made her feel even worse when she found out about them.

Winter sighed and decided that she was going to die of embarrassment before the night was through. It's fine. It's whatever. She started talking about her classes and hockey and thaf thankfully got her family away from the topic of boys and got them to stop staring at Tobi and his family. It also got her to stop staring at Agnes. She couldn't deal with that again. She just couldn't help herself.

Once they all had finished eating, she looked up as a blonde got up in front of everyone and explained the day's events. Henry got really excited about the events. This was why he came. To crush people in games. He grinned. Winter couldn't help but to grin as well. Besides her parents being total embarrassments, she did miss these family type events that always went on back home. She grinned at her brother. "We have to crush the competition!" She whispered fiercely, unaware of the fact that Evan Richardson and his family were present. She didn't tell her parents about that night. The less they knew, the better.

She turned in her chair to listen to the girl better when she saw Evan a few tables away. She squinted her purple eyes oh. He's here. She checked out his family a bit. And here she thought that her family was normal looking! His was even worse. He looked like an absolute prick. Though.... She did appreciate the crooked nose curtesy of Tobi. She vowed herself that Evan was going to pay. She never did beat him up with her hockey stick. Felt like it sometimes. They have a class together. It's a miracle that she hasn't yet.

She glanced over at Noelle's table.... Or where she had been just a few moments ago. Tobi's family seemed to be conspiring together. They must have spotted him too. Good. He and his family werent going to win today. He had no chance.

Her eyes met Agnes's once more and she quickly looked away. God damnit. Why was she like this? She couldn't stop herself. She looked around the room and found Sienna and her family. Maybe they could team up for the bigger events. That would be less embarassing. Plus, even more people to help take down Evan.

"Solid plan, little bean. Small and fast in front." He looks up at his Pa. "You're the biggest target. Least that's how they see ya." His pa shrugs his massive shoulders. Not like he can argue that. "Y'ain't as fast as Agnes or Ma, so just catch whate'er's thrown at ya, 'aight?" He pauses to think for a beat. This was a man who he had seen with an almost unnatural accuracy. He wondered if that translated into dodgeball. Suppose they'll find out.

"Ma, you jus' do what y'think best. Basics are y'either catch the ball or throw the ball." He's not about to try and give directions to his ma. She'll most likely stick by their Pa in any case. The two of them together felt like a devestating combo.

"We gon' ruin em." He finishes. "They hurt Noelle, we gon' ruin em today." He watches as his parents and sister nod back at him, each with something in their eyes that echos his own need for a little revenge. They adopted this family quick, and nobody hurts one of their own.

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Agnes feels someone staring hole in the back of her neck. With a sly smile, she turns to face Winter behind her and shoots her a positively sultry look, laughing when the girl turns back around with red in her cheeks. She was too easy to rile. With a smile still in her eyes and her family plotting a murder around her, she digs out her phone and finds that sparsely used number.

' hey again, why dont you just come by and say hi? promise I dont bite.'

She smiles to herself before tacking on an extra message a moment later. With that, she sets her phone down and looks over at the freshman to watch her reaction.

'unless youre into that. ;)'

Joy nods very quickly "Noelle and my mom are gonna play too. Noelle will be in front with me- she doesn't have a great throwing arm but she's fast and can dodge like crazy. Got a lot of practice in high school." She adds, knowingly. "And my mom- she can do anything. So she can play whatever you need."

She shovels the rest of the food into her mouth, and swallows, standing "Alright! Let's go!"

Without looking back to see if anyone had followed her, she marches towards the door. When she passes Evan's table, he flashes him the evil eye and blows a raspberry 'specially for him. The blonde boy looked back, confused, then smirked. When he does so, three false teeth can be seen- his front teeth and one of his bottom teeth. Joy doesn't notice, just continues flashing the look of pure mischievousness and alertness.

Standing at the door, she waits for her new family to catch up.

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Meanwhile

Noelle and her mother were sitting on a bench right next to the Quad. Karen has a massive tote bag and has changed into a dark indigo t-shirt that read "FAMILY DAY 2008" on the front, and "SCOTT" emblazoned on the back. Noelle had changed too- she no longer wore a black skirt- it was replaced with a pair of black running shorts. Her hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail, and she carefully tied her sneakers up. Her mother was talking about something Evan related. She was convinced that playing a game of dodgeball was all Noelle needed to get over the stress and trauma of homecoming. OR maybe just help the process.

Whatever it was, Noelle knew that it wouldn't fix everything. But it would be great to see Evan and his family fail miserably.

On the quad, there was already a game going. Noelle recognized a couple of the kids from the program- Jake, the tall, gangly journalism major with what looked like arcane symbols branded into his neck and foreheads, and Trevor, the half man, half grasshopper kid. They were playing on the same team, but the opposing team was being extremely rude to both of them about it. Noelle felt her mother's eyes burn with frustration and fire- she was about to march into the game and give the opposing team a stern talking too, but Noelle talked her down

Tobi and his family get up and follow the small kid on her way out the cafeteria. He watches Joy give Evan a raspberry, the sight causes him to huff out a laugh. Noelle's little sister's got all sort of spunk, and she's definitely not afraid to speak her mind and let her opinions known. In any other situation, he would've done much the same, but he's got a lot of money riding on him behaving, at least up until the advisory board meeting. So he walks past Evan's table, head held high and looking forward.

His family has nothing riding on behaving though, and he knows this. Each of them stride past the plain looking family with a glare or a sharp smile. Agnes brings up the end of the line, and Tobi knows, blesses the Lord for his twin, that she's going to say exactly what he had wanted to. Agnes bares her sharp teeth in a sly grin and leans in a little closer to the boy.

"Nice look." she says, her eyes flicking towards his new teeth. "Couldn' find the ones y' left in the grass?" she asks with false innocence. Before he can sputter an answer, she turns and follows her family out the doors and onto the quad. Her laugh barely echos in the loud, wide open space.

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It's a beautiful day for these sorts of events. The sky is clear overhead, it's just warm enough that there's no need for a jacket, and a cool breeze blows across the campus to cool down those working up a sweat playing the games. Tobi's Ma turns her face towards the breeze to feel it run through her hair and listen to the rustle of the leaves. As she walks, new grass and flowers bloom and wilt; as she stands in this one spot, enjoying the day, a mass of sunflowers rises slowly from the ground. Tobi's Pa picks one of the smaller ones and tucks it behind her ear, just a small gesture, but it earns him a fond smile when she turns her eyes towards him.

Agnes, meanwhile, catches up to Tobi. The two high five before both their eyes catch sight of Joy running towards the Scott family. Karen looks ready for battle, it seems. So did Noelle, Tobi thinks, looking her over. The twins grab their parents to lead them over to the other two.

"Y'all look fit t'go t'war, Ms. Scott." Agnes yells once they get close enough.

"T-shirts?" Tobi asks, much softer than his twin. "Di'nt know they got e'erbody t-shirts."

He settles next to Noelle, giving her a little look that asks if she's alright. He know's this has gotta be hard on her, what with seeing Evan and his family, being in the same room as them, having to probably interact with him at some point. He knows it's a very small consolation to beat the everloving shit out of his family in competitive sport.

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Behind them, the two mutant kids and their families play against the more normal kids and their families. It seems to be going well, but they can't hear the sharper than usual comments made towards the mutants and the accusations of using their powers to cheat. Tensions had been running a little higher between those in the program and those not in it ever since homecoming. While most agreed that Evan was in fact, a dick, many of those same people were now a little less trusting of their peers with crazy powers after seeing the damage caused by just one of them. Jake and Trevor were just easy targets for their distrust in this moment.

A ball is thrown a little too hard and smacks against Trevor's face. He reels from the impact as his family runs toward him to check and see if he's okay. He assures him he is, but he tilts his head back and heads towards the sidelines to grab a towel to stop his nose from bleeding. The game goes on, but Trevor sits to the side, holding a towel to his nose and silently glaring at the other team.

Noelle flashes the smallest smile as if to tell Tobi that she was alright, that this situation wasn't ideal but she was ready to make the most of it. And, she knew that she had a killer team surrounding her. After a moment, she reaches down to her mother's tote and grabs a black bandana and fashions it into a headband, keeping her bangs back and revealing her forehead. It made her face look even thinner and longer.

Karen laughed and hugged Joy tightly, before rooting around in her bag. "They might've made t'shir's, bu' I made some fuh us. Personalized. Gotta buddy who helped me make um."

One by one, she pulls out the t-shirts. First, a small one for Joy, who puts it on over her other shirt. Next to Tobi, then Agnes, then their mother. Lastly, she pulls out a t-shirt the size of a twin bed sheet and hand's it to Thomas. It was big enough for his broad shoulders and chest, and Karen had extended the torso so it was long enough. She had guessed the exact measurements, but she had an eye for these things. The shirts that Tobi's family received were near identical, except they read "MAYNARD" on the back. She smiles at all of them "Hope yuh like 'em."

Her attention is shifted to the smacking sound of a ball connecting to a face. She looks at the grasshopper boy and frowns, deeply. Noelle had told her all about the rising tensions- how her daughter and Tobi were being accused about the start of it, but were also passable as normal college students, so they weren't harassed as much as the strange-looking kids. Like this poor kid, holding a towel to his nose. She purses her lips, and roots around in her bag again. After a moment, she grabbed a ziplock bag of orange slices and an ice pack. Without another word, she strides over to the bug boy, handing them over, sitting with him for a couple minutes, watching the game. She waved to his parents, cheering them on. The boy still glared at the opposing team, but he wasn't alone, and that was all that mattered to Karen.

Noelle watches. She knew this was the person she wished she could be, the all-loving and accepting friend to the world. She looked back at Tobi and her smile grows just a little bit more. Joy jumps back onto her back, climbing up to her shoulders. "So, what's the plan? I think we are the next game."

Winter's eyes widened as Agnes shot her a sultry look. Oh God... She caught her staring again. She quickly looked away blushing much to the delight of her brother who teased her non stop. What was she doing??! She can't be staring at her in front of her family!

Then her phone buzzed. She looked down and saw that it was a message from Agnes. Oh no. She opened it up and read it once... Twice.... Three times. She wanted her to say hi?! Then her phone buzzed again. She whipped her head around right after she read it. Her face was beet red and she looked clearly flustered. She stared at Agnes with wide eyes. The girl was flirting with her! She couldn't believe it. She just couldn't believe it.

She quickly sent a text back. Granted, it wasn't her proudest moment. But at least it was something. "Are you flirting with me???" She waited a moment before sending another text. "I can say hi once I ditch my family.." she paused again before sending one last text. "I am into that...." She put her phone down. She couldn't bring herself to look at her again.

Winter glanced up as Tobi's family walked out. Probably to play dodgeball. She waited a few minutes before leading hey family outside. She couldn't get too close. Not to Agnes just yet. Once outside, they sat down and watched the games. Winter looked annoyed as the normal kids were purposely targeting the mutants, being extra brutal. Her mother watch the same scene and made some comment about it being a shame that people were so competitive. Winter didn't correct her. She didn't want to get into all of that now.

When Trevor got nailed in the face, Winter shot out of her seat. "Hey! That wasn't fair!" She yelled. "Face shots are against the rules!" Her father grabbed her arm and tugged her back down as nothing could be done for the boy and no one did anything to the kid who nailed him in the face. She grumbled as she sat down.

Tobi holds the t shirt in his hands, looking it over. It’s soft, comfy, and sized just for each of them. She had made them with his family in mind, he thinks as he looks over at his dad slipping off his cardigan and t shirt and throwing the large t shirt over his bulky frame. His Pa undoes the thick rope holding his hair back and it cascades out of its hold down his back and over his shoulders. His ma had slipped off her sweater and slid the shirt over the tank top she had underneath. She motions for her husband to sit and when he does, sets to work braiding his hair back into something with a little more hold than a ponytail and a rope.

Agnes had all but thrown her own t shirt off to reveal only a sports bra underneath before putting on her own shirt. She moves in it, loving the color and the fit before she notices her phone buzzing in her pocket. Two fingers pull the phone out of her pocket and she swipes the screen open to look at the texts. Her toothy grin only widens at the response.

‘hell yeah’ she texts back as answer to the question. Winter’s sudden outrage has her looking up towards where the girl was sitting. She looks at the girl, meets her eyes with a sly smile that shows a little hint of teeth, and purposefully hits send on her next message.

‘you an me, babe, lets arrange it.’

“Thank ye kindly, ma’am.” She shouts towards Karen after sending her message and putting the phone away. Tobi nods along with her in thanks. Karen was incredible, and her gifts were so thoughtful. He shakes his head with a smile before tugging off his own shirt and replacing it with the new shirt. He balls up the old shirt and throws it where his family has thrown the rest of their discarded clothes and shoes.

Barefoot and in matching shirts, they stand tall and proud, their family looking close to a force of nature. Tobi looks towards Noelle, his eyes bright and alert. “We gon’ ruin em.” He says with a sharp smile. “Y’ sister’ll tell y’the plan. Stick wit’ her.” He nods at the young girl, who nods back from her spot next to Agnes.

The match is called, the nonmutant team won, and Tobi and Noelle’s families are called forward to take their place on the field.

Noelle can't help but stare for a moment when Tobi changes. Her face turns bright red as she turns her head to her sister, who animatedly tells her what they need to. Noelle nods, realizing that she was probably going to be a huge target for Evan's family. She almost smiled at the fact that nobody had hit her in dodgeball unless she allowed it. The slightest twitch of the wrist, the flick of the eyes. Noelle could track with ease.

Once the game was called, Noelle stood and followed Joy into the front line of their side of the green. Evan's family slowly filtered on, and Noelle forced herself to look at everyone. The had teamed up with another family, giving a team full of people with death glares. Evan's two brothers made up the front line, with Evan, his mom, and two college-aged boys making the middle, and four men make the back line, two dads and two students. Noelle looks at the man who was the referee and listens to the rules. No hits to the face, a catch can bring someone back in, the game goes until the last man standing. She knew this. She got into a stance, ready to grab one of the balls on the center line. Her eyes flick to Joy, communicating to go right while she goes left. Then her eyes meet the other side again- she saw Mr. Richardson's fingers twitch. She saw Evan's brother's eyes fly to the ball that she was aiming for. Both of them.

Before the game started, Karen gave one more kind word to Trevor before power walking to the grass. She stands in the middle row, her eyes meeting Evan's for a moment. Her own eyes glow with anger, resentment, and a monumental fire.

"Ready. set."

The whistle blew. Noelle and Joy dash for their balls. Joy grabs hers no problem and throws it back to Tobi. Noelle slides to grab hers, while the two brothers run into each other, bumping their heads together. She tosses it back to Agnes, her eyes following Evan, who picked up one of the remaining balls and checked it at Noelle. Without skipping a beat, Noelle leaps up into the air and out of the way, Karen catching it and throwing it at one of the brothers. It hits a shoulder. There's a groan, and a kid walking off the grass. Evan's family buckles down.

Tobi catches the ball Joy tosses to him with ease and sees Agnes catch the one Noelle had thrown her across the way. Together, in a way that only comes from years of living tandem lives, they aim for the same person: Evan’s other brother closest to the line. The two balls smack into the kid’s shoulder and torso and the kid throws down the ball he had been holding in anger. He stalks off towards his sibling, grumbling the whole while.

Two down, the rest to go. Tobi’s eyes rest on Evan as he jogs back to his place in the middle of the field near Noelle with an easy grace, so he doesn’t see the ball careening overhead towards his Pa’s head. One of the college aged kids had thrown at the massive mutant in the back row. His Pa was still a little overwhelmed, and a little slower than his kids, so it took a beat too long for him to notice the ball coming towards him. Kid must have been in sports, that throw had some power behind it.

Fortunately though, Tobi’s Ma had seen. She ran from where she was standing next to Karen towards the ball and her husband. With a leap that would put most basketball players to shame, she snagged the ball out of the air and clutched it to her chest as she hit the ground in a roll. The kid was out, but she tossed the ball to her husband with a dark fluttering word. His head inclined in a nod as he pulled back his arm to launch that ball in the direction of the other team.

Tobi and Agnes each hear a whistle as the ball flies past them. A second later, it hits a tree behind the court hard enough to splinter wood and leave a dodgeball sized crater in the trunk.

Tobi knew his parents. They hadn’t missed. That had been a warning shot, and their own very effective warning. Looking back at them, their dark glares combined with the broken dodgeball and tree, the message was clear.

‘no headshots’.

Karen was about to jump up and grab the ball aimed for Thomas, but it looked like Tobi's mother had other plans. Nice catch, she thought to herself just as a ball whizzed past her. She turned, seeing Evan's mom give a smug smile, and Karen locked eyes. "No, nex' one's mine."

"Got it!" Noelle yelled, running in front of her mother. She saw Evan's father gaining, the eyes flicking between her and the twins. He was picking a target and chose Noelle. From what his son told him, she wasn't that much of a fighter. He took aim, right at Noelle's chest. Noelle stood incredibly still until the last moment, jumping out of the way, allowing the ball to bounce. Karen catches it with her stomach, takes aim, and hits Evan's mother in the thigh. Anger and asking the referee to give a penalty ensue. Evan turned bright pink, grabbing the ball and throwing it at Tobi with an unfocused pitch.

The ball bounced, high, and Joy jumped int the ball, catching it, and throwing it back before she hit the ground. She tosses it back to Agnes and yells "Gotta do better than that! You guys suck eggs!"

Evan's father grew angrier, his face pulsating red as he throws a ball directly at Joy, with enough force to knock the wind out of her. She yelps and side steps, it nearly missing her. "You're gonna hit an eight-year-old!? Cheap shot carrot top!"

Another ball is thrown at Joy and she jumps out of the way, running out of the way. Noelle takes the ball and throws it back to Tobi's mother before leaping out the way for another ball.

Winter couldn't help herself. She watched Tobi's and Noelle's family prepare for their match. The matching t shirts were adorable. As Agnes took off her t shirt though, Winter couldn't tear her gaze away from her fit body. It was much better than her own... she thought to herself. But damn, that girl was hot. She watched as she put on her shirt and moved around in it. Then Agnes picked up her phone and read Winter's text. Winter realized what was happening too late as she watched Agnes give her a grin before sending her a message. Winter read it with another blush and looked back up.

Agnes had a strange look on her face... she wasn't sure what it... Her phone buzzed in her hand. She looked down at it. "babe". Agnes had called her "babe"!? She was sure that she was only teasing her on purpose at this point but it didn't stop her heart from skipping a beat. She stared at the message. Was she really going to be meeting up with her? Was she really going to go through with this!?

Before she knew it, she typed up a response to Agnes's text. "My parents leave at 7. Meet me in the quad by Tobi's favorite tree at 7:30." She hit send before she chickened out. She put her phone down. Agnes wouldn't see it until after the match. Thank god. She had a little bit of time without her teasing... even though she did kinda like it. She figured the tree was a good place because they both would know where it was at. Plus, they could go elsewhere if people started coming around. She took a deep breath. She was living a lie in front of her parents... flirting with a girl?! She chewed on her lip as the match started.

Noelle's and Tobi's families verses Evan's. Revenge time.

As the match started, Winter watched intently. Granted.... most of her watch consisted of staring at Agnes as she moved effortlessly. But she watched the main action. She growled again as one of the normal students chucked a ball at Tobi's father's head. Cheap shot. Fortunately, they probably wouldn't do it again after a warning like the one he gave them. She smirked a bit as Noelle's sister shouted her taunts. Young people insults were honestly the best in her opinion. She couldn't help but to giggle. THen Evan's team started to purposely aim at the little eight year old. Cheap shots indeed. She watched. Typical.

Tobi and Agnes move across the court with Noelle and Joy, dodging hits and throwing balls effortlessly. They've always existed in each other's space and even now, in competitive sport, it was so easy to read what the other was doing, where they were going. Like now, as Agnes scoops a ball from near the center line and tosses it back to Tobi who easily turns the catch into a focused throw. Agnes moves her way past her brother, about to run towards another ball when she sees them.

Three of the older boys, led by Evan, all aiming for the small girl in front. Joy doesn't see them, her back is turned in that moment to throw a ball back towards their Pa. Their Pa sees them too, bit he's too slow, Tobi's too slow, their Ma might not make it and Agnes just can't take that chance.

Pride be damned, they were going to hurt that girl.

She sprints across the line, faster than she's moved in a while. Her bare feet pound against the grass before she digs in her heels for a sudden stop, grabs Joy in her arms and pivots so that her back is to the other team and she's covering Joy. She feels the dodgeballs hit, knows that they're going to leave some serious welts and bruises, but Joy's alright, albeit a bit confused. Agnes sets her down, still in front of her in case those idiots try again.

"Give 'em hell, squirt." She smiles down at the girl before moving to the side of the court. With her eyes, she motions between her twin and Joy.

He nods, moves a little closer to the girl and continues his own attack. He's down one half though, so its a bit slower going.

Joy gives a short and strangled yelp as Agnes grabs her. When the balls hit, she feels them through the barrier of the sturdy woman holding her. Once she lets go, she gives Agnes a salute, turning her attention to the other team. She scoops up and throws the balls to her mother, Tobi, and Tobi's father respectively, now down on her haunches. She glares at the older boys and spits on the ground. She keeps her eyes on the action.

Karen launches the ball at Evan's father, but he deflects, easily. The ball that was thrown rolls over to one of the older boys, who pick it up, eyes on Joy. But Noelle knew better. His eyes were on Joy, but his direction was aimed towards her. She got ready- steadied herself. Decided to make this one count. When it's thrown, Noelle catches it, grunting a little. The boy walks off, but she wasn't done yet. Evan was gaining on her sister, who was retrieving a newly thrown ball. Noelle takes another shot. She throws the ball, hitting Evan squarely in the chest. It hits with an oh-so-satisfying pop, and he steps back, groaning. He glares at Noelle, then Tobi, and finally trudges off the green. Noelle let out a soft "Ha!"

She couldn't believe that she hit him! An invigorating feeling of self-satisfaction overwhelmed her. She realized too late that she should have stayed on guard. Three balls flew through the air, aimed right for her. Under any normal circumstances, she could have dodged all of them. She ducked for the first, sidestepped the second, but the third, the one was thrown by Evan's dad, hit her in the shoulder. It was hard, and Noelle groaned, rolling her shoulder carefully. She decides that she isn't upset; small victories were won. And Evan got the wind knocked out of him. So she shrugged at Tobi, and went and sat next to Agnes.

Karen squinted at who was left. The two brothers, Evan, his mom, one of the older boys, and the sucker that threw the ball at Tobi's dad. Four to Five. They had the numbers now. But she knew these boys were going to get ruthless. And they did. Concentrated hits towards Joy, who dodged and threw everything she could. But she was becoming ragged, slower. Karen was keeping an eye on her, making a triangle between her daughter, herself, and Tobi.

Winter watched the match and then watched in horror and it seems that everyone on Evan's team was aiming at Joy. She stood up quickly and yelled. "LOOK OUT!" She couldn't believe how low these people would sink to! It was one think to aim one or two balls at a person... but all of them! That was insane and not to mention unsportsmanlike! Her lavender eyes widened as Agnes reacted quickly and used her body as a human shield. Her admiration for the girl only grew with that selfless action. That said... the sound of the impact did not sound pleasant. Even Winter's younger brother Henry flinched a bit. Winter's eyes followed Agnes off of the playing field and she gave her a thumbs up and a smile before looking back at Joy.

That girl was fiery. Much different that Noelle... well... maybe not so much. Joy just wasn't shy about showing her spitfire nature. She watched intently. IT was getting down to the wire now. Then sweet sweet revenge happened! Noelle nailed Evan in the chest! Winter laughed and cheered for her friend. "THat's it Noelle!" She yelled, still standing. THen the victory was cut short as Noelle was nailed in the shoulder. Winter groaned. But it didn't matter in the end. Noelle hit Evan and that was all that mattered.

As Joy and the parents squared up their competition. Winter watched what was left of Evan's team. This wasn't good. They weren't going to play nice. She knew that. She chewed on her lip. She wasn't sure who was going to win. Tobi's dad was a huge target and he was slow. Joy was fast but she was young and her youthful energy was quick to disappear. The two mother's were fast and Tobi was just plain athletic. Then Evan's team was all strong and had good aim. They were decently quick too... not to mention numbers were on their side. She sat back down and watched the match, no longer staring at Agnes.

Tobi and his mother moved from side to side of the court, grabbing and stockpiling the balls that Joy threw to them. It was only a matter of time before the other team would notice that they weren’t returning fire, but by then it would be too late. Tobi and his Ma finally gathered the last of the dodgeballs, ignoring the way Joy and her mother were looking around, curious as to where the balls went.

Tobi’s Pa really was a force of nature, Tobi thought as he handed the man the first of many dodgeballs. He had taught Tobi to shoot when he was still knee high, about Joy’s age. The man was a crack shot with a rifle and as the first ball screamed across the open court into the chest of one of the college boys, Tobi supposes his question from earlier really was answered.

Yeah, that skill really did translate to dodgeball.

The boy was knocked back with the force of the blow, the wind leaving him in a short rush. Tobi thought they deserved it as he handed his Pa another ball. This one knocked the legs out from underneath the kid who had tried to go for a headshot earlier. It was all the other family could do now to dodge as ball after ball was thrown with a terrifying strength and accuracy from Tobi’s Pa. Their Ma cackled with glee as the two went down and the others were left scrambling for cover. Agnes shouted her cheers from the sidelines with Noelle, yelling loud taunts and obscenities at the other team.

Evan’s dad must have just pure dumb luck though. As Tobi’s Pa winds back to take out another one of the boys, his dad throws one towards the large mutant. They strike their targets at the same time. Tobi’s dad hardly even flinches when the ball hits his stomach, but the boy he hits with his own in knocked back and onto the ground. Tobi has to remind him that he’s out with a small smile, to which his dad shrugs and walks off the field.

He’s managed to throw the odds in their favor. Tobi, Karen, Tobi’s Ma, and Joy stand on one side, Evan’s team on the other, down three players in the short span of time. The field is a mess now. Holes and divots have been kicked up from where some of the dodgeballs Tobi’s Pa threw landed and bits of bark from impacted trees litter the ground. A few of the dodgeballs lay popped or broken on the grass. Overall, the whole thing looks like a minefield.

Tobi’s bare feet hit the ground in a fast rhythm as he makes for one of the dodgeballs near the center line, quickly on the offensive after his Pa's removal from the game. In one smooth movement, he grabs it, jumps to dodge a ball thrown at him by Evan’s dad, and throws his own towards Evan’s mom. The impact hits her solid on her hip, and she retreats off the court with a huff.

The whole move would’ve been more impressive if he hadn’t have ended up across the center line as a result. The ref calls his foul, but he knows and is already on his way to the side of the court. Tobi smiles at Noelle, a silent ‘so proud of you’, and he really is. She stood up to a boy that attacked her, that takes guts. But, that’s who she is; confident deep down, with a fire in her soul and quiet in her words.

Tobi settles heavy in his spot next to his Pa and leans into the man to watch the game. The two moms were still out there, he had all the faith in the world they’d win.

Noelle is cheering along with Agnes, albeit without any offensive language. She watches with childlike glee as their team collects ammunition and rains down on the other team. Watching the teamwork was amazing. Everyone, including her own family, was on the same wavelength. Joy kept to her job with unparalleled focus, Tobi's parent's were a team on their own, Tobi himself took any shots he could, and her mother was playing defense like a champ.

When Tobi's father got out, Noelle lets out a sigh but realizes that the damage he had done really turned the tables. And she couldn't be too upset with Tobi- the maneuver he pulled was really something. She flashes a smile back to him. This had been fun, and very therapeutic. She leaned forward, cheering on the remaining members.

Karen was keeping a close eye on her daughter, but it wasn't enough. Joy leaped between shots, wiping the sweat off of her brow, but the craziness was getting to her. She was getting unfocused and tired. She kept pushing herself, though. The young girl saw a lot riding on this so she didn't back down. So when Evan's dad threw a particular fastball, Joy decided she would try to catch it. It hit her in the stomach with a loud PANG, making her skid back in the grass. She groans and falls, the ball falling out of her grasp. She clutches her stomach, but gets up, looking angrily at the square-shaped man who hit her. In an act of defiance and revolt, she yells "EAT SHIT, JERKWAD!" And stomps off the grass.

Karen furrows her eyebrows. She didn't approve of the smack talk, but this guy just threw a ball that was way too hard. Still, she flashed a look at Joy, who is now sitting next to Tobi, fuming. Joy sighs, angrily, and adds, grumbling just loud enough for everyone to hear "Sorry. Eat poop, jerkwad."

While Karen looks away, a ball careens, but she catches it easily. She looks at Tobi's mother, tossing it to her. "Ready?"

Tobi smiles at the girl sitting next to him and extends a hand to rest on top her head. He's still leaning on his Pa and just a step away from closing his eyes and taking a little nap, but he finds the energy to ruffle the small girl's hair.

"Good job, lil' bean." he rumbles fondly. His Pa looks over at Joy sitting next to his son. Very subtly, one of his hands comes up to offer her a thumbs up. Tobi laughs, a small quiet sound.

"Get's on us fer' language, but when the eight yer ol' do it..." he trails off. The game's kicked up again with both their moms against Evan's team.

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Tobi's ma grabs the offered dodgeball and looks Karen over with her sharp dark eyes. The look in them is positively predatory and when she opens her mouth, the sound that comes out is the far off cry of a red tailed hawk. It's easily translatable. She's ready.

She moves in smooth tandem with the other woman, dipping and dodging the thrown balls. Tobi's Ma's feet pound against the ground as she runs in tandem towards the man on the other side of the center line. There's a fire in her eyes knwoing that this is the man that raised the nightmare boy that pushed her own son so far as to hurt himself. She's got blood intheis fight, and she's gonna draw some in return.

Her husband taught her early in their marriage how to shoot and though she seldom does anymore, the basic principles hold true. Pick your target, aim, and fire.

The target in this case? The space between Evan's dad's legs.

Aimed? Yes.

Fired? Yes. Her shot flies true and the sound of the impact draws a wince from the surrounding crowd. Even her own boys twitch as the man sinks to the ground.

Joy sits and grumbles for a moment, but looks at Tobi as soon as his hand touches her hair. She sighs and offers a slight smirk "I hope your mom kicks his butt."

She then leans against Tobi, catching her breath and energy. She watches the game, a new and angry look making her eyes even more alert.

__________

Just before the ball hits, Evan's dad chucked a ball at Karen, who dodges it easily. She picks it up but drops it when she sees it happen. She stops and watches Tobi's mother land the hit. It's loud and Karen watches as the man sinks to the ground, satisfied. She then turns to the other woman and grins wildly. They had won!

The student running the game swallows and steps forward.

"Uh. The winners are the Scott and Maynard family...."

It's less than confident, but it doesn't matter. While the two mothers make their way over, Joy leaps up and clings to her mom like a koala bear, her energy back in full force. Noelle stands and hugs her mom, then turns to Tobi's mom, signing quickly "Great shot! He's gonna feel that one for a while." She grins at her, then turns to the rest of her family. Honestly, she could not have surrounded herself with better people. She hugs her mother a second time and looks at the others.

Evan's family was not as happy. Once the father was able to bring himself to stand, he marched his way over and started to angrily chastise his younger sons. How they hadn't tried hard enough, how they made stupid and easy mistakes, how he needed them to use their heads. Their mother was rubbing Evan's back, who was trying to bat her away unsuccessfully. Noelle watched them with a slight smirk. Game one was a win on their side, but she had a feeling that they were still out for blood. 'Didn't matter though- so are we'

Winter watched the end of the match nervously. She chewed on her lip as she tried to guess what would happen next. It seemed that everyone was watching the match. She grinned when she realized what the Scott/Mayard plan was and cheered during it's execution. It was wonderfully done! The destruction of the playing field only added to the whole awesomeness of it. She grinned and squeezed her mother's hand as one by one Evan's team got knocked out.she flinched as one by one the Scott's and the Mayards were knocked out. She could sit still anymore so she settled on standing and jumping from foot to foot.

As Joy was knocked out, she flinched and swore at Evan's family. Joy put it quite nicely.

Then the final blow of the game led to a group winch of pain by all the on Lookers. Winter only cheered a d jumped up and down. "That's right! That's my friends! Kicking ass at Dodge ball!" She yelled. "In your face, Evan!" She grinned and placed her hands on her hips as she laughed. She glanced at her parents. "I'll be right back!" She yelled before running over to Tobi and Noelle. "Dude! You guys kicked some major ass!" She exclaimed before hugging them both tightly. "Man! That was amazing to watch! I don't think anyone wants to follow that!"

Her usual confidence had returned now that Agnes wasn't teasing her. She actually, forgot about Agnes briefly as she congratulated bee friends

The hug caught Noelle by surprise.

She stood there, limp for a moment, her arms trapped in the much shorter girls grasp. Then she relaxed and returned her smile "Thanks. It's really easy when you've dodged pencils and wads of paper throughout high school."

Once Winter let go, she suddenly feels a little awkward. She hadn't really interacted with the girl since seeing her in the Library with that other girl. Sienna. Talking about the obvious. She tries to brush it away with more conversation. Ina quick movement, she nods to Winter's family "They came? All the way from Alaska?"

Without another word, Karen Scott comes over, smiling at Winter "Hi theruh! You Wintah? No's tol' me such grea' thin's about ya! It's nice ta finally meet ya!"

Tobi feels arms wrap around him and oh, this is a hug. He's in a hug now. Lookign down, he can see that it's Winter that's mushing him and Noelle together. The short girl is congratulating them on their win agaisnt Evan. He's gotta say,he didn't think that he would get this much satisfaction from some stupid game.

"Ah, thanks, Winter." he says once she releases them. "Wish I could'a beaned tha' little fu..." a look from his Pa. "sucker, but I 'spose I already did tha' once." he nods his head. Behind Winter, he can see his twin take notice and approach. A small smile plays on his lips. Man, once Agnes had her mind set on someone....

"Well, howdy," Agnes drawls low as she passes behind Winter to stand next to Tobi. She leans on her twin, who lets her perch on his shoulder without much protest. That dodgeball game took a lot out of him, he might just sit out of the next one.