"What, you want me to apologize to the math teacher?" Regina tilted her head slightly, looking at Cady and Janis in front of her.
Behind her, the cheerleaders were all watching the show, subtly positioning themselves with Regina as the focal point.
Meanwhile, Cady had just explained to everyone how the math teacher had helped others.
However, Regina on the other side didn't seem to appreciate it; she showed no intention of clarifying for Sharon and didn't think there was anything wrong with her spreading rumors.
"You don't have to apologize, but you'd better control your people and tell them not to spread rumors. Otherwise, watch out, I won't be polite to you!" Janis, rolling up her sleeves, unleashed a broad threat, also warning Regina.
She knew the school cheerleading squad well; they were led by Regina.
As long as Regina willed it, the rumor about Sharon buying contraband would quickly spread widely throughout the school.
"Their mouths are their own, I can't control them." Regina showed a fake smile and continued, "Besides, just because Ms. Sharon didn't buy contraband this time doesn't mean she never bought it before. Cady told me this secret…"
Previously, Cady had indeed "betrayed" Ms. Sharon to deal with Regina.
Hearing Regina's words, Janis was a bit incredulous; she turned to Cady and asked, "Is what she said true?"
Janis hated backbiting the most, and in her impression, Cady was still a simple girl, just like her.
"Sorry Janis, I just said it casually at the time, I didn't expect her to believe it." Cady quickly explained to her friend.
"So that's how it is…" Janis understood that the problem had actually come from her side.
Looking at the mocking expressions of Regina's group, Janis still chose to believe her friend: "Forget it, let's go apologize to Ms. Sharon and help her clear up the misunderstanding."
With that, Janis pulled Cady, ready to leave; she didn't want to stay there for another second.
"Wait—" Regina called out to Cady, coercing her, "Our activity isn't over yet, are you sure you want to leave?"
Bestie Rules: Team members must unconditionally cooperate with Queen Bee's actions.
If Cady left now, she would definitely be expelled from The Plastics, and of course, her cheerleader status would probably not be maintained either.
"Bullshit activity—" Janis spat, completely disregarding Queen Bee's face, and tried to pull her friend away again.
But after only a few steps, Cady slowly pulled away from her friend's grasp and finally stopped.
During this time, Cady had experienced the wonderful feeling of being surrounded by people in The Plastics. She didn't want to go back to her old life as an insignificant person.
Perhaps even Cady herself didn't realize that she was becoming more and more like Regina.
"You…" Janis turned back to look at the stopped Cady, her eyes full of complexity.
For a moment, Cady felt guilty and wanted to go over and explain to her friend. But in the end, she still chose to shake her head slightly.
"Alright, she's not one of us. Let's just go by ourselves." Damian, the more sensitive effeminate boy beside them, had already noticed some changes in Cady.
He wasn't very surprised; he calmly stepped forward to help Janis out of the situation.
Janis was pulled back, and before leaving, she shouted loudly, "Cady, we're not friends anymore. Don't come looking for me again, it'll just make me sick—"
After Janis and Damian left.
Regina looked at Cady, who had stayed, and smiled with satisfaction: "Very good, Cady, you made the right choice, who cares about two losers?"
Cady still felt a bit guilty and could only give an awkward smile.
"Come on, Cady. Tell me more about Mike; I know your relationship is unusual." Regina enthusiastically put her arm around Cady's shoulder. This was the first time they had such an intimate gesture.
At school, Mike was handsome, strong, and good at studying, definitely a potential stock.
Initially, Regina had wanted to string him along for a while, so he would actively pursue her.
However, after a few interactions, Regina found that she couldn't quite control Mike.
Next, as the football season began, Mike, as a football player, if he performed well, might become the school's new "star."
Considering this situation, Regina felt a sense of urgency again. She desperately wanted to secure Mike, this potential stock.
…
Time flew by, and it was Monday, the start of the inter-school league.
The Summer League adopted a championship system, single-elimination mode: losers were eliminated in each round, ultimately producing one state champion team.
Based on school district locations, the Texas Cup was divided into four divisions, with games played simultaneously to determine the state's top eight.
Medford High's opponent today was their old rival from last year, St. Martin Academy.
Because of their first-round loss last year, Medford High had a home-field advantage this time.
"Today is the day we wash away our shame! We will let St. Martin Academy know our strength—"
"Medford! Must win—"
At the entrance, Aaron, holding back a surge of emotion, gave a pre-game pep talk to everyone.
He extended his hand into the center, and soon everyone's hands joined together.
"One, two, three, we must win!!!"
"Go!!!"
As Aaron led the charge onto the field, a wave of cheers erupted from the crowd.
It must be said that football is the most popular sport in America; even for just a small first-round game, two to three thousand people were present.
Among them, supporters of Medford High accounted for over seventy percent, all residents of the surrounding small towns.
Mike saw the Cooper family in the crowd; Connie was frantically waving her arms.
After the entrance, during the cheerleading warm-up, Coach George began assigning positions.
Ultimately, Mike was left out; after discussion between Coach George and Assistant Coach Wayne, they unanimously agreed that for the first game, it would be better to send the more experienced Sam to lead the charge.
Mike had no objection to this, but the look Sam gave him before going on the field, having gotten the starting position, was a bit piercing.
Medford High and St. Martin Academy, both being weaker teams, did not have a significant difference in strength.
Saint Martin's victory over Medford last year had a large element of luck.
As the game began, the two evenly matched teams soon entered a seesaw battle.
Both sides constantly stopped the ball, organizing secondary offenses.
However, what Mike considered a dull game did not dampen the enthusiasm of the spectators.
On the field, the cheers for Medford High continued to rise in waves.
Under the huge home-field advantage, by the end of the first half, the Medford Football Team did not disappoint the audience's enthusiasm; they scored with three field goals, locking the score at 9:6.
In school-level games, a team often only scores about ten points throughout the entire match.
Considering this, Medford High scoring nine points in the first half was already quite efficient.
With victory in sight, Medford's supporters on the sidelines continued to shout enthusiastically during halftime.
As if to pass on their passion to every player.
Even the cheerleaders seemed extra energetic during the subsequent warm-up.
The situation was excellent, and Coach George did not mention putting Mike on the field again; he was busy encouraging the eleven players who had come off.
However, the fiery state did not last long. The third quarter of the game seemed to play a joke on Medford High.
During halftime, the three coaches of St. Martin Academy changed their offensive strategy. They opted for a head-on tactic, letting strength speak for itself.
And in the head-on confrontation of raw strength, the Medford players seemed cursed, repeatedly pushed back by their opponents.
Sam, who had performed bravely in the first half, now became a pushover under the opponents' double-teaming.
In a secondary offense, Sam was even forced back to his own end zone by the opponent.
Seeing St. Martin Academy about to score a safety, the spectators on site began cursing loudly.