Kev frowned as he recalled the scene at the river. He shook his head to get it out of his system. He went into the room reserved for the chess players. He loved the sport. He walked over to a table and fired up the laptop. His usual opponent since no one else has proved to be worthy.
"Hey," Kerry called sitting down in front of him.
"Hi," Kev greeted back.
She put the old fashioned chess board between them.
"You're going to play me?"
"Yeah, why not?" Kerry began setting up the pieces.
Kev shrugged.
Kerry hit the button on the clock and they began to play.

Rachel looked at the rest of the boys taking up soccer.
"Hi, Rache," Harry smiled at her.
She smiled back as she stretched for warm-up.
The coach blew his whistle. "Okay, everyone gather 'round." he looked at his clipboard. "Team captains for this afternoon. Harry Windsor and Rich Featherworth." the coach balanced a six-pence on his thumb and flipped it.
"Heads," Harry called.
"Tails," Rich opted for the alternative.
"Tails," the coach read the coin in his palm.
Darn! Harry thought. Now Rich was going to get Rachel for his team.
"Call your team Featherworth," the coach ordered.
Rich's gaze rested on Rachel. He knew she was the best player he could choose. "Joel," he called.
"Yes!" Harry yelled. He didn't need to think. "Rache!" he called her over.
"Harry, she's a girl!" Rich reminded everyone.
"You pick your team I pick mine," Harry told him.
Rich groaned as he picked someone else.
The teams were made. The ball was set into play. And the game was on.

Brad walked to the center of the gym and laughed. "Oh, isn't this just perfect?"
Bev gave him a look as friendly as a viper's.
"Brad, Bev. You're sparring partners." the coach told them.
They each took their fighting stance.
"I won't hurt you," Brad proimised with a grin.
When the couch gave the signal Bev immediately gave him a punch in the stomach.
"Owph!" Brad said as he doubled over.
"Too bad," Bev said. "Because I'll make sure I hurt you."

Mike took his bow and arrow. He almost dropped it when he saw her. "What are you doing here?"
"Taking archery," Meg informed.
"No, you can't," Mike told her.
"Why not?"
"Because you're a girl." Mike said. "Archery takes precision, strength and girls just-"
Without looking, Meg fired. The arrow hit the bull's eye. "You were saying?"

Kev looked at the chess board in disbelief. How could that have happened?
Kerry sat across from him and waited for his next move.
Reluctantly, Kev stood up and stuck out his hand. "Draw," he called.
Kerry shook it.
"This isn't going to happen next time," Kev told her.
"Of course," Kerry agreed. "Next time, I'll win."

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Harry Windsor and his teammates cheered as they won the practice game.
"Put a plug in it, Windsor," Rich grumbled.
Rache laughed. "Hey, you had first pick. You could've chosen me for your team. But you didn't."
"You're a girl," Rich told her.
"A girl who scored the winning goal." Rache told him.
The coach came up to her. "Miss Adams. How would you like to try out for varsity?"

Faith woke up. Where was she? The large poster of Christie Brinkley looked back at her. She read somewhere that- she looked around. What was she doing in Wills' room? How did she get here?
A memory stirred of being picked up, resting her head on a man's strong chest... "Put your arms around my neck, luv," a soft voice had urged. She had obliged him. Whoever he was.
She checked her watch. It was still in California time. What time was it in England? She checked the dresser clock. Shoot, swimming! She went out of the hall. Boys gave her curious looks as she stepped out of Wills's room. She ignored them. She took the key out of her blouse pocket. She had less than five minutes to change.

"What's going on?" Faith asked as she entered the gymnasium.
"Sparring," Kerry told her. "Between Brad and Bev."
"Who's winning?"
"Hard to say. Brad's the best in Eton. Bev's the best in St. Mary's."
Rache just got out of the showers (the visitors' shower's) "They're still at it?"
"I thought sparring was over half an hour ago." Faith assumed.
"Supposed to be." Kerry said.
"But I have swimming. And isn't the swimming pool under this floor?"
Rache shrugged.
"Call a draw!" Brad yelled as he aimed a high kick at her face (I did mention they were wearing protective gear, didn't I?)
Bev avoided the blow and gave him a kick to the stomach. "You call it!" Bev countered.
"Never!" Brad shouted.
The teacher stepped in and soon both students were lying on thier backs. "Very good. Only next time when I say stop: you stop!" A pointer finger was placed out. "To the showers both of you."
Bev threw her gloves and head gear at Brad's feet. "It ain't over yet, Shore."

Faith took off her T-shirt.
The boys wolf-whistled.
Wills eyes popped out when he saw her in a bikini. "What are you doing? "
"What's it to you?"
"This isn't the swimsuit competition, Miss America. Cover up!" He stood in front of her with a towel to protect her from the eyes of the other boys. Selfish selfish male. Wanting the view all for himself.
Faith eyed him in his speedos. "So are you," she threw the towel back at him. "And forgive me if I'm wrong. But that suit is way skimpier than mine."
"You're a girl."
Faith looked at her curves. "I sure hope so."
"Okay team, warm-up. You know what that means. Forty laps. Move it." The coach blew his whistle.
"You swim well," Wills complimented after the session were done.
"Thanks," Faith said. Growing up by the beach in California she lived the cliche 'able to swim before she could walk.'
"I mean, for a girl," Wills added. He wiped the water droplets from his face.
"Is that so?" Faith asked. It was just the third day in Eton and she was sooooo sick of the phrase. "How about a race?" she challenged.
"When?"
"Now."
"I'm already across the finish line."
People who were about to leave changed thier minds and stayed.
Wills turned to Kev. "Time us."
Bev pushed Kerry forward. "Time for Faith. I don't trust these guys."
"Oh, you just wait prince," Faith muttered under her breath.
Wills gave her a side look.
"On your mark...." Brad called. "Get set..... Go!"
Faith and Wills jumped into the pool.

Faith got out of the water.
"Yes," Kerry screamed. "You won!"
Kev stopped the timer on the watch Brad gave him. Kerry was right. Faith beat Wills by just a margin of a second.
"Unfair," William panted, getting out. "She had me on disability!"
"Stop being such a sore loser, Your Highness." Faith laughed, wrapping a towel around her waist.
"You had me on disability. My arm muscles hurt from carrying a human body across Eton grounds."
"What do you mean?"
"I carried you all the way from the river to Manor House," Wills informed.
"No way." Faith said. Wills was the one who carried her? It was a nice gesture. And totally unlike him.
"How do you think you got into my room?" Wills demanded.
"A teacher brought me?" Faith guessed.
"Wrong!" Wills yelled.
The other four girls exchanged looks. They had seen Wills carrying her.
Faith looked at Wills. "So what do you want now? Gratitude?"
"Some of that would be nice," Wills said.
"Okay. Thank you. I'd also like to thank you for throwing me into the river," she said sarcastically. "But that still doesn't change the fact that I beat you!"
Wills was about to protest some more when Harry came running.
"You guys will never believe what happened to Mike."

"Oh," Mike groaned as he lay on the table of the clinic. "Will you guys stop staring at my bum!" he commanded his friends.
They all jumped away.
"Sorry, mate," Brad tried not to laugh. He stole another peek. "That arrow sure is stuck in there."
"I know Brad! I can feel the darn thing."
The doctor came with surgical gloves. "Tell me what happened."
"Those blasted girls are what happened," Mike charged. In a lower tone he explained, "Meg was grooming for a shot. She almost got it, then one of the twelve year old surprised her and she missed."
"And got you instead," Kevin concluded. "Convenient on her part, don't you think?"
"No one's going to get hurt if girls school at Eton," Mike mimicked Headmaster Lewis."Oh yeah?" Mike pointed to the back of him the best he could. "Eat your words right now!"
Rich couldn't disguise a laugh. "Calm down."
Mik glared at him. "When we get this arrow out of me, I'm gonna shove it up your bum and let's see if you can calm down."
William said. "I bet the girls are enjoying this."

Outside the girls were listening at the door.
They looked at each other and giggled.
"I wish I was in there right now so I could see what was going on," Bev expressed.
"It's not a pretty sight," Meg told them.
"Meg, you're always a sure shot. What went wrong?"
Meg sighed. She already told them.
"I wish William would get shot in the bum," Faith mused.
"Faith!" Kerry reprimanded.
"I do," Faith said.
"Brad," Bev named. "There's a guy who should get shot in the bum."
Rache called everyone back to the door. "They're going to take it out."

"Okay, the anesthesia's in. Now all we have to do is take it out." the doctor said.
"I'm ready doc," Mike said. "Go ahead. Yank it out. I'm a man. I can take it."
The doctor looked at the arrow worriedly. "Here goes nothing."
Even in far off Buckingham there was an echo of a scream.

Chapter Four
The four girls waited outside the principal's office for Megan who was recieving her verdict from Headmaster Lewis.
"And I thought Mike could yell," Faith murmured. Without leaning to the door, they could hear the disjointed lecture of the dean.
"What happened?" Rachel asked once Meg stepped outside.
"I'm not allowed to enter archery ever again as long as I'm in Eton."
"I'm sorry Meg. I know how much you love archery," Kerry said.
Meg continued. "It's going to be put on my permanent record. And I have to submit a paper about paying attention for the safety of others." she sighed. "That's basically it. I'm being let off easy because I'm -"
"Just a girl!'" the group chorused.
"These heartless men!" Rachel consoled her friend.
"Oh, don't compliment them by calling them men!" Bev scoffed. "They're boys."
"They are so immature," Faith said.
Rache put in. "Well, Harry's not so closed-minded." she thought about soccer practice.
Bev raised an eyebrow. "Harry Windsor? Part of the junior Brat Pack? He's young. Give him time."
"You know what we need?" Bev addressed all of them. "We need a little pick me up." She paced the halls thinking of something. Her eyes lit up. "Shopping! That always makes me feel better."
"Where would we go?" Meg asked, liking the idea.
"High Street," Bev said matter-of-factly.
Kerry looked uncomfortable. "Um, male clothing stores? I don't think they have our sizes."
"A little altering here; a little tuck there. Nothing to it." Bev smiled.
The girls went to their room and got their purses.
Bev looked at her friends uncertain faces and smiled. "C'mon, it's going to be fun!"

"OH NO!" Brad let out his horrified announcement and the boys behind him stopped in their tracks when they saw Faith modeling in front of the full length mirror.
"Hello, Bradley," Bev smiled at his reaction.
"What are you doing here?" Brad demanded. They already trespassed on thier classrooms, thier sports, and now High Street? Oh, when will the cruelty end?
"Shopping," Bev said matter-of-factly. "What about you? Getting new X-tra large pants for Mike? To accomodate those bandages?"
"Where is Mike anyway?" Megan noticed.
At the concerned note in her Meg's voice Bev looked at her.
Megan shrugged. "I'm just asking."
"He's resting," Kevin answered bluntly.
"On his stomach," Kerry grinned.
"Get this one Faith," Rachel urged, looking at the slacks.
Faith wasn't looking at the mirror. She was looking at the window where boys were gaping. She felt like the female version of the mannequin set on the window diplay.
"Faith what do you think?" Kerry asked her opinion.
"Ummm," she looked at the price tag. Boy, and I thought the uniforms were expensive!
"Are you going to get it?"
Faith batoned her father's credit card between her fingers. Hmmm, if she maxed out her father's credit cards. He wouldn't be able to afford to send her to Eton. Then she could go home...Ha! To make her father broke she had to buy the entire school. Her eyes met William's. "Fine, I'll take it," she told the salesperson (who was, duh, male). Just as an act of rebelliousness to what his face conveyed she shouldn't do.
"And you'll bring the special orders in next week?" Bev asked the (male) manager.
"If not sooner," he smiled.
Brad and the boys exchanged looks. Special orders?
"See you later, Bradley," Bev cooed as the girls strolled out carrying their bags with the store's logo on them.
Brad watched them leave.
"Can you imagine if this becomes permanent? What it's going to do to High Street?" Kevin voiced out.
The boys glanced up and down the street. In thier minds... cosmetics counters, places that sell skirts... a wedding boutique??? They shuddered just thinking about it.
Rich took another mental view. Hmmm, there was Victoria's Secret.
"We better get those pants Mike ordered," Wills sighed.

Brad bounced a tennis ball on the ceiling.
Thud. Pause.
Thud. Pause.
Thud. Pause.
William tried to ignore it by reading his Science text but couldn't. "Do that one more time Shore and I sic my bodyguard on you."
Thud!
A ruffle of pages was heard as William got out of the bed with full intent to harm Brad. He was sure Rich wouldn't mind. As long as there were no blood prints in his room. And Rich's roommate would be none the wiser.
Brad dropped the ball. "Okay, I'll stop. Jeez! Whats the matter with you? You've been uptight since High Street."
Richard chortled. "It's just that a part of him's thinking about Faith in tight pants. And it's not his brain!"
William growled.
"Has the prince fallen in love?" Brad questioned.
"You should talk Brad," William retorted. "You fell in love with Beverly."
"A grave mistake I care not to repeat again." he turned to Rich. "Where's Kev and Mike?"
"Kev's studying," Rich answered. "And Mike is, uh, recovering from his wound..." He euphamized the situation. Rich looked up at the ceiling.
"What are you doing?" William asked, snappishly. The remark about Faith had put him in a bad mood.
"Trying to figure out what the girls are up to," Rich said.
"Who cares?" Brad snorted. He picked up the ball again, resumed his earlier activity.
Thud!
"Ow!" Rich exclaimed as the ball bouced from the cieling and dropped on his forehead.
Brad picked the ball up from the floor.
Thud. Pause.
Thud. Pause.
Thud...

"Can we kill them now!" Rachel looked down on the floor as the annoying thud thud thud resounded in their room.
Kerry slammed the large book on her desk. "Bev, tell your ex some of us came to Eton to study."
"And some of us are busy thinking on ways how to get expelled," Faith added, searching industriously through the rulebook for rules she could break.
"Hurt Brad!" Bev cried. "It's almost certain they'll kick you out."
Thud. Thud. Thud....
"Augh!" Kerry screamed. "I can't take it anymore." She got her books and left.
"Where are you going?" Bev demanded.
"Some place quiet!" Kerry tossed over her shoulder.
Meg followed in suit.
"And you?" Rache asked.
"Nowhere." Meg mumbled walking slowly out, closing the door behind her.

Mike looked at the reflection of his rear in the mirror. There was a huge bump where the arrow was taken out. He hoped the swelling would go down before William had to appear in public. No doubt he would have to go with the prince. "Why?" he moaned. My beautiful behind. Deformed! Oh the pain.... He tried to sit down. Hell yeah! THE PAIN!
The door opened.
Darn Eton for having no locks! Mike cursed. He lept for the bed, lying on his stomach. He pretended to be flipping through a magazine.
Meg entered. "Mike?" she almost laughed. "Were you checking out your butt?"
Mike looked at her darkly. "People have been staring at it through dinner. I thought I might enjoy a look. And when you asked me to sit down next to you..." his look became darker. "I'm sorry I had to decline."
"Bev made me say it," Meg apologized. She sat on the edge of the bed. "How does it feel?"
"It hurts," he told her plainly. He winked. "Want to kiss it and make it all better?"
Meg was quiet.
Mike wasn't too pleased with himself. There was always a part of him that felt he should be extra gentle with Meg. She was such the lady.
"I'm trying to be nice," she informed him in a soft voice. She added with a smile. "You were courageous earlier."
Me? Courageous? Mike thought. Girls never applied the adjective to him before. Handsome, yes. Hot, yes. But courageous?
"Yeah," Meg went on. "All those guys staring at you but you continued to stand your ground, acting all cool and composed." Stand, being the keyword.
Well, it was either that or being branded a sissy till the day he died. It was more of common sense than bravery. He looked at her. But Meg didn't need to know that. He shrugged. "I guess I was."
Meg smiled.
Mike thought she was cute.

Kerry knocked on Kevin's door.
"Come in," the boy called from inside.
Kerry took a spare chair and placed it next to Kev who was by his desk.
"Ker..." he looked up.
"Can I study here?" she asked him.
"Uh... sure," Kev allowed.
"Thanks," she sat down. "Brad is driving the the girls crazy."
"Brad's a cool guy once you know him," Kev defended, sticking up for his friend. "So are they planning their revenge?"
Kerry laughed. "Probably." She opened her book.
Kev went back to his.
They concentrated on studying from then on. Except for the smiles they gave each other once in a while.

Thud! Thud! Thud!
"That does it!" Bev declared. "I'm going down there and complain."
"Which is exactly what Brad wants you to do," Rache said.
Faith glanced at the shopping bag which contained the pants she bought that day. "If I hurt Brad can I hurt William later? Or do I only get one? If that's the case I want to hurt William."
Bev laughed. "Aw, c'mon, Faith. Give him a chance. I think he likes you. He was checking you out in the store."
"He wasn't checking me out," Faith groaned, returning to the rulebook.
"Oh, yes he was, girl," Bev insisted. "I've known the guy since we were two and he was definitely doing that."
"He was just mad that I had the nerve to buy something," Faith disagreed.
Rache smiled a little. "Maybe he has a thing for girls who beat him in swimming."
Faith sighed. If that were true she vowed to make William win everytime. Who said there were going to be other times?
Thud! Thud! Thud! The sound continued to plague them.
Faith's finger ran down the page. "...No boy is allowed any electronic device in Eton..." She got out of her chair to search her suitcase. She pulled out the portable CD deck she brought with her. A product of her father's company. She looked at the rulebook. Back to the CD player.
Bev watched her. "You have anything of the Spice Girls?" reading her mind.
Faith handed her the smal collection of CD's.
Bev found it and scanned the back. "Say You'll be There. That was Brad's and my song!" she gushed in a moment of nostalgia.
Faith leaned towards Rache. "They couldn't have chosen something like 2 Become 1?"
Rache whispered back, "Brad and Bev are not normal."
Bev stared down at the floor.. Below was Brad's room. She popped the CD in. "Faith. Let's see how high the volume on this thing goes."

Girls: Chapters 4-6