Life

Seven thirty in the morning-- seven thirty. What was I doing there? No matter how much I enjoyed Certamen, nothing was worth getting up at six on a Saturday and being here at Leon High School at seven thirty in the morning. Nothing.
"I'm sleeping on the bus," I shamelessly announced.
"No, you're not," Mr. Bebergal said, resolute. Besides, Dallas, I was the only one who could challenge him when he wore that look.
"Yes. I am. I studied a grand total of five hours, yesteray; have attended every lunch practice since the beginning of January, and have practiced every afternoon this week."
"So?" He asked.
"So... I shall sleep."
"What is the collective term for Menalaus and Agamemnon?"
"The Atriade."
"Who was Eos' lover?"
"Tithonus."
"Name the Muses and their feild."
"Clio of History, Urania of Astronomy, Erato of Love-poetry, Euterpe of Lyric-poetry, Melpomene of Tragedy, Terpsichore of Dance, Thalia of Comedy, Calliope of Epic-poetry, and Polyhymnia of Songs to the Gods."
"Name the Sirens."
"Leucosia, Ligeia, and Parthenope."
"Name the seven hills of Rome."
"Aventine, Esquiline, Capitoline, Quirinal, Viminal, Palatine, and Caelian."
"List the Julio-Claudian Emperors in order."
"Agustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero."
"List, in order, the emperors in the year of four emperors."
"Galba, Otho, Vitellius, and Vespasian."
"Give the motto of Maryland, and its translation."
"Scuto bonae voluntatis tuae coronasti nos; with the sheild of your good will, you have covered us."
"What herb was Odysseus given to protect him from--"
"protect him from Circe, it was moly and Hermes offered it."
"What hero recieved a golden bridle--"
"Bellerophon, to tame Pegasus, given by Athena, to kill the Chimeara. Are we finished?"
"Not yet. Who were the winged brothers who sailed on the Argo?"
"Zetes and Calias."
"Who was Caligula's third wife?"
I paused, "I don't know."
"Then you'll have to study." I sighed as the bus pulled up, and I boarded.
I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that the charter bus was actually a party bus; complete with leather seats, sattelite TV, and mini bar (no alchohol included). By the end of all the students boarding, I was not as pleased, being crammed into a corner, and sitting my Mr. B. He set me to learning out of my Certamen binder. When he saw the family trees I made, and the Mythology mini packet, I was volunteered for making a full Mythology packet the next summer, despite whining. When Mr. B was distracted, I stripped to my undershirt, got out my blanket, and attempted sleep. Unfortuneatly, that went absolutely nowhere when we reached the rest stop. After I got out, I turned a cartwheel in the mid-morning dew.
When we got back on the bus, we abandoned the binder because reading was making us motion sick. Mr. B. quizzed everybody-- question after question in horrible reptiton. And after a while, we were there.
We Certamened our way to the finals, and I was seated on the end of my team, next to the Leon High students. It was still a couple minutes before the competition, and so I was talking to Kara.
"You know who has the gall to e-mail me this week?" She shook her head.
"Erik."
"Who's that?" A voice from my left asked. A Leon kid.
"My ex, who was trying to cheat on me."
"Ooh." They both responded.
"Did you kill him?" Kara asked.
"I decided to read it before I got angry."
"What did he say?" The Leon kid asked.
I looked at him, incredulous for a moment, before continuing. "That he was sorry. Verbatim 'I'm sorry for being a pompous ***.'"
"Woah." the Leon kid said.
"I know. It was disarmingly humble. Then he went on to deny that he was trying to cheat."
"When did you break up with him?
"Late January." he laughed.
"Someone's a little late."
"Yeah, I know. I thought I was done with this three months ago."
"Tyler, by the way. I should have introduced myself."
"Amber."
"You nervous?" he asked.
"More than." I said, "People actually watch this one."
"You'll do fine."
"Are you?" I asked.
"Hell yes."
"But the Leon team always makes it to the finals. You're always watched."
"And that makes it any less unraveling?" he asked.
At the end of the round, the Leon team was second. Florida High was third, and Saint John's Catholic School was champion. All in all, not a bad match.
"Is it just me, or did it seem like the Florida High and Leon kids segregated on the bus?" I asked Tyler.
"They did."
"Well you know what I shall do?-- I'll go sit right in the middle of all the Leon kids! The match is over, we're only enemies after we get off the bus back in Tallahassee."
He agreed, and so we sat together on the ride back. We even flirted a little, and it didn't go unnoticed.
"Now, here's the strategy for Certamen. Flirt with all the guys so that when you play them, they're totally distracted, and don't play their best."
A Leon kid, who I could later identify as Tyler's friend, Casey piped up, "Looks like she's already got one down." He winked at Tyler. I recognized hm from earlier that day-- he was wearing the most ridiculous cowboy hat, and spoke in a fabricated western accent; 'you're very lovely.' he said 'might I ask your name?' I could already tell his wit, and knew he would prove to be a challenge.
"Yes, perhaps Dallas should handle you." I said.
"So neither of you deny it?" he asked.
"If we deny anything, you'll accuse us of being defensive."
"But it's even more conspicous when you say nothing at all."
"And you don't deny or confirm that you'd enjoy Dallas handling you."
"Id est bene, I'll take that."
"He's just jealous because he can't get a girl." Tyler interjected.
"Right. So, as I said-- Dallas, who is not just a guy, but a redneck hero." I invoked Dallas' nickname.
Tyler and I listened to his ipod during some of the ride, while Dallas and Casey spoke heatedly. "Do ya'll need to take your flirting elsewhere?" I asked, a taunt dancing in my voice.
"Go back to your boyfriend." Casey challenged.
"Go and sit next to yours."
"You two lovebirds are in the way."
"Someone's defensive."
"Someone's aggressive."