I really do enjoy writing banter for the hell of it. Enjoy!

A pair of plastic flip flops thwacked against the wet marble walkway, making their way towards him.
Dread and butterflies simultaneously made their way into his throat at the sound.

He looked up to see Cindy standing above him in a pair of black shorts and a green tank top, mouth curved into a scowl, hands on her hips. Her blonde hair caught the sunlight and swished about in its usual pony tail.

"Why are you here?"

He shrugged. "It was hot in the lab and I was bored."

"Remind me to kill Libby later for inviting you. Where is she anyways?"

He gestured towards the far end of the pool, where Libby was splashing water at Sheen and Britney while Carl stood gingerly at the edge, dipping his toes in.

"Oh joy, thing one and thing two are here." She rolled her eyes, sitting Indian style beside him. "What she sees in thing two, I'll never understand."

"What you saw in Turner, I'll never understand." He mumbled, smirking to himself.

"At least he knows how to talk to a girl. That's a skill you may never learn." She chuckled to herself.

He frowned. "Laugh all you want, Vortex, but I'm not the one who goes gaga over buck toothed idiots."

"Speak for yourself Neutron. You've been gaga over Betty Quinlan since the third grade and she's more cotton headed than Turner and Strych combined." She looked positively gleeful at the chance to insult Betty.

"She's not what I would consider an idiot, per se." He granted.

"Well, she's certainly no paragon of intellect. She'll probably end up at a state school." Cindy sniggered. "But don't worry Neutron, I'm sure you two will have a grand old time together there."

He shook his head. "Ha! A state school. As if. If anyone should be worried about a state school, it should be you, Vortex."

"For your information, I have a 3.93. And actual extracurriculars." Cindy crossed her hands over her chest indignantly.

"Yeah, good luck touching the Ivies with that when I have a perfect 4.0 and a working time box." He threw her a smug smile.

Cindy was about to raise her voice in retort when Britney walked by them, now wrapped in a towel. "Are you two still arguing about grades? It's literally like the summer."

"If I hear the word valedictorian one more time..." Libby threatened from behind her.

"It's almost junior year!" Cindy protested. "I only have two more years to humiliate Neutron academically!"

Libby and Britney walked towards the soda reserve laughing. "Why don't those two just get a lab already?"

Both of them caught the comment and blushed. Jimmy ran a hand through his hair uncomfortably as Cindy looked down at her bronze nail polish, embarrassed.

After a moment of silence, a devious smile began to occupy Cindy's features. "I wonder if your dense head actually floats, Neutron."

"Don't go getting any ideas Vortex, your poor little head may not be able to handle the sudden neural activity."

"Yeah well, it's a wonder your head doesn't tip to one side given how your right-brain facilities are beyond dismal."

With that, Jimmy pushed her into the water, but didn't anticipate her dragging him in with her. He was hit with a cold wave of chlorine.

They gazed at each other sternly for a moment, blue eyes meeting green in a fiery match to the death...before bursting out into laughter.

"Race you to the deep end Vortex!"

Cindy paddled ahead of him.
"Loser has to proclaim the other's mental superiority. Publicly."

"Hey, no fair, you had a head start!"

"Swim or lose, Geektron!"

Libby and Britney watched in awe. "Oh my god, they are such children."

Carl and Sheen walked over to the girls. "And Cindy calls US thing one and thing two."