Chapter 6

Lola threw kicks and punches that would have shattered bone, had they connected, but with every missed punch Liz threw two or three blows of her own that all found their mark. Lola delivered her strikes with such force that you could hear them more than see them. She had the strength advantage, but she had unfortunately wildly underestimated Liz’s speed. "You know chica, for someone the same age as me, you move like an old lady, and you fight like one too!" With that, Liz delivered a double-kick to Lola’s face, then roundhouse kicked her and finished with an uppercut kick, planting her hands on the ground and kicking perfectly vertical with her left leg. Lola flew straight up into the air, and Liz jumped and followed her. In mid air Liz continued her assault, punching and kicking Lola in the midsection, finally knocking her down to Earth with a back-flipping roundhouse kick. Liz’s hands began to glow brightly with white prismatic colors as she yelled “FLASHING-LIGHTS!” With each word she threw a slicing beam of constantly shifting light at the cloud of dust where Lola landed, forming a Giant X on the ground with Lola’s prone form at the center.

“You think we should help her? She isn’t doing so well…”

“Uh-uh”, Lewis answered, “the last time I tried to help Lola out of a fight she was losing she nearly killed me and the boy she was fighting. No it’s better to stay out of her way, for better or worse. Though I have to admit, I’ve never seen her take such a one-sided thrashing before.”
Lewis immediately realized that he misspoke as everyone present suddenly felt Lola’s anger shake the ground. A Black explosion emanated from where she lay, and when it dissipated she stood there in her normal clothing. She did not look like she was having a good day; her clothes where torn and battered, and she was seething with anger. “I didn’t know it was gonna be that kinda party. I would have brought better presents.”

As she said that Lola’s hands burst brightly with black energy of her own. “Uh oh”, Marty said, “this is about to get way out of hand.” “Lola, can you finish your life or death struggle with your sworn arch-enemy later? Our dinner is getting cold.” Lola let this thought sink into her head; she surely wanted to settle this fight, but she did not know how much power Liz had, and it was neither the time nor the place for this kid of battle; dinner from Mart’s family did take precedence. His mother’s pecan pie above all else was worth more than finishing this battle. But she would remember this girl from now on for sure. She had made her impression on Lola, she had to admit that. She let her guard down and glared at brand new sworn arch-enemy. “This isn’t over between us Liz, not by a longshot.

“Whatever Chica, I’ll see you in school, so we can do this anytime, anywhere. Kisses!” Liz blew Lola a kiss and winked at her, a move which served its purpose of driving Lola up a wall and across the ceiling. Liz returned to her cheerleader pack, noticeably with Sarah in tow. Lola, Marty and Lewis turned and walked in the opposite direction.

“I could have taken her you know.
“I know L.”
“She just caught me off guard.”
“We Know Lola.”
“Next time, her ass is mine.”
“We know L. Liz is pretty hot though isn’t she Lewis”
“Oh, I’d do her in a second. And I don’t even know what doing her entails yet. But whatever IT is, I would do IT to her. Definitely. In triplicate.”

Lola cracked her knuckles, “You two are idiots, number one, and number two, she would be pretty if she wasn’t such a jerk. Or have you forgotten it is because of her that Sarah isn’t with us tonight?”

“Lola”, Lewis said, “Sarah has a right to find her own activities. I mean, we all have found stuff to do that does not necessarily involve each other. I have my computer and D&D stuff, Marty has football, and you have… well, you have being you, which I assume is a full time job in and of itself.”

Lola walked on a bit before she found some subtle meaning in Lewis’s remarks. “Hey, what’s that supposed to mean? Are you saying I have no life? I have a life? I play video games, I have hell of an imagination, and I’ve whipped both of your asses…. Its tough living up to the high level of Awesome I have set for myself, but dammit, I do it day in and day out!"

“Yes”, Lewis answered, “All of that is true, but you haven’t really done an activity, you know, a group activity. In high school everyone is going to want to know what you do, what group you belong to, what “scene” you’re into. And let’s be honest, you never where much of a team player.”

“I GET ALONG FINE WITH OTHERS!” Lola’s aura started to glow black as she said this, and Marty and Lewis backed off a little. “Yeah, you’re really exuding team spirit right now” Marty commented.

Lola seethed even more, but deep down inside she had to concede their point; she was not exactly a people person. The problem was she didn’t care to be one. She had her friends, and everyone else could go screw themselves for all she cared, especially that girl Liz. Lola wasn’t much for sports, but she did like tennis. She figured that was a residual effect of her being Asian more than anything else.

“Ok, maybe I see your point. I guess when school starts I could try out for the tennis team.”
“Really L? Tennis? How…stereotypical.”
“Shutup Marty. You went for football, which is only slightly less stereotypical for your people than basketball, so you don’ have a leg to stand on in this argument.”
“So if I understand you two correctly, as a Jew I should join the accounting club?”
“Yes”, they said in unison.”
“Ok, as long as we’ve all gotten our stereotypes straight. Look we’re almost at Marty’s house, I hope we didn’t miss diner.”

***

“So are you gonna come down or stay in that tree like the nut you are?”

Liz hadn’t headed directly to the Baking Workshop, which was allegedly the entire point of her skirmish with Lola. Instead she hung back from the other girls until they were out of sight, and walked up to a tall Oak tree, the same one the leaf had fallen from earlier. There in the higher branches was nothing; well, nothing anyone could see unless they knew beforehand that someone was there.

“Hold on Lissita, I’ll be down in a second.” Jumping down from a height that was much higher than any sane person would consider safe, landing in a mass of jet black hair and even darker eyes, was Gabriel. He landed with more grace than humanly possibly, gently ruffling Liz’s hair as he did so. “You did well, I am proud.”

Liz’s eyes beamed with pride, “I told you! I told you I could take her! Lola’s nothing special. People are just afraid of her, that’s why she always wins, well, I ain’t scared a her.” Liz bounced around Gabrielle like a hyperactive puppy, completely unable to hide her desire for Gabriel’s approval. “I did everything just like you told me to right? I told you I was a fast learner. You have to teach me everything. You promised you would teach me everything when I was older, and now I am, right? Come on, I have to have proved myself by now! Are you going to show me your angels now, please?”

Gabrielle regarded her coldly for a second, and then his eyes softened. “Yes Lissita, maybe it is time. I think it’s time I show you everything. And yes, you did prove yourself. Lola is amazing, and you held your own very well.” He put his arm around her, as much to stop her bouncing as much to comfort her. “I think it is time you started acting like the woman you are. My Lissita deserves nothing less.”