Secret Crush

“Joey… it’s so good to see you again, and you brought your friend Scootaloo, please sit down, sit down” Mario said in his hilarious Italian accent and rushed them to a free table by the window. As Mario sat them down he took out a little check book “What’ll you have Joey?” Mario asked and Joe thought to himself quickly. “I’ll have… eggs and toast… with a glass of milk” Joe replied and looked to Scootaloo, “Get whatever you want kid, I’m paying” Joe chuckled.

“And for the Mrs.?” Mario asked, Scootaloo blushed and brought her hoof up to her face quickly as she made it look like she was trying to think about her choice, but really she was trying to cover up her blush. “Uhm… I’ll have, just some fried potatoes and eggs please… oh and a glass of milk” Scootaloo ordered. Mario gave her a wink “I won’t use the spoon” Mario chuckled, Joe gave him a weird look. “Why would you need a spoon to fry potatoes?” Joe asked curiously. Scootaloo gave Joe a wink “Inside joke, you wouldn’t get it” Scootaloo told him and Joe shrugged.

Mario left to get their orders and Joe looked to her, “A spoon?” Joe asked, “Like I said… you wouldn’t get it” she said and blushed a little as she said it. Joe shrugged in curiosity and simply leaned back in his seat.

Mario came back quickly with a tray, filled with their food. “Here, I make it extra special just for you two” Mario said with a wink and Joe gave him a pouch of bits. “Joe, you always tip so generously… why is that?” Mario asked and Joe shrugged, “Good things are supposed to be shared or something like that” Joe snickered and Mario nodded and trotted away. “I think the phrase is good things come to those who have earned it” Scootaloo informed Joe, Joe took a bite out his toast. Swallowing quickly he looked to her “I thought it was good things come to those who wait… oh hold on no it’s… oh fuck it I can’t remember” Joe muttered and ate the rest of his food.

* * *

Joe and Scootaloo weren’t late for class and entered the classroom. “Damn, I wanted to try out that excuse… oh well maybe next time” Joe muttered as they sat down. “Okay every-pony, I’ll give you another whole work period to finish the history assignment, remember it’s due on Monday” Mr. Cotton, Joe leaned over “Guess we should get started” Joe whispered. At this point Scootaloo remembered that they hadn’t even started the assignment. “So Star Swirl… okay” Joe said as he pulled out a history book, “We’ll have to go to the library at some point during the weekend” Joe told Scootaloo and she nodded.

* * *

Lunch had started and Joe strolled down the hallways of the school when the speakers blurted out an announcement, “All senior football player please report to the room 122” the speaker ordered and Joe rolled his eyes. “This ought to be good” Joe chuckled to himself, knowing full well that the coach was going to rip them a new asshole.

Joe strolled down to the room where he knew the coach would be waiting for everyone. He was the first one in the room, the others were probably already on their way, or leaving the school knowing what the coach was going to do. “Joe… it’s nice to see you” the coach said in a calm voice. “Sorry sir… there is no excuse for my actions last night” Joe said honestly, “What… are you crazy, you were the only one who wasn’t at the bar last night” the coach replied but Joe shook his head. “No sir, I was at the bar” Joe told him and the coach’s face turned to an angry frown.

“I didn’t take you for the type to drink” the coach told Joe but Joe once again shook his head. “No sir, I showed up right before the fight to drive some of the team members home” Joe told the coach, whose face turned back into a small smile. “Yes… well then, I’m glad you were honest with me… even if you were involved” the coach said and Joe took a seat at the back of the classroom where the coach had decided to have the meeting.

After a few minutes most of the team showed up, the coach didn’t say a thing as the football players sat down, shamefully and quietly. The coach closed the door and went back to the desk and let out a disappointed sigh. “What the… fuck were you all thinking?” the coach scolded rather calmly. No-pony said a word, the coach looked up to the team “Well… WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT ABOUT, I have the fucking school board breathing down my neck because my entire fucking team decided it would be fun to smash a local bar” the coach screamed, several of the football players flinched. “The only one to not get caught drunk in the town was Joe, because he came over to get some of your sorry asses and drive them home” the coach continued to scream.

“Sorry” the entire team chorused. “You’re damn right you’re sorry, when I have you running 1000 suicides” the coach yelled then took a deep breath. “Coach?” Joe asked and the coach looked to Joe, “Yes Joe, what is it?” the coach asked and Joe sighed. “I started the fight” Joe informed the coach. “What, why, how?” the coach asked, stuttering at why Joe would start a fight. “Well, Pipsqueak was drunk and a stallion slammed him into a wall, so I stepped in to save Pip” Joe told the coach. “Well… there’s no excuse but… thank you for being honest” the coach said then stood up and opened the door for the team, “You’re excused… I expect to see you all after school” the coach said as the entire team left.

As Joe left the classroom and started strolling down the hallways Thunder Shot trotted up beside Joe. “Hey Joe… thanks for telling the coach how it was… it means a lot to us guys” Thunder Shot said, thanking Joe for taking one for the team but really Joe was just being straight honest. “Yeah don’t mention it… I have this feeling that the coach isn’t as pissed as he should be though” Joe muttered.

* * *

The bell finally rang for the end of school and Joe got up and left but Scootaloo ran up to him in the hallway. “Hey Joe, so do you want to get together tonight… for the assignment I mean” Scootaloo said, quickly adding the second part in. “Well I gotta work tonight but maybe I can take some time off tomorrow or on Sunday, then we could go to the library and get some books about that Star Swirl guy” Joe said and Scootaloo nodded. “Well… I’ll see you later” Scootaloo replied and Joe nodded as he approached his locker. “Well see yah later kid” Joe said and Scootaloo began to trot away.

Joe spun the combination on his lock but it wouldn’t open. “Scootaloo wait!” Joe called out to Scootaloo and she stopped. “Hey kid I need you” Joe called out and she quickly trotted back to him. She was giving him that odd look again and Joe looked to his lock, “Don’t suppose you could open my lock before you go?” Joe asked and Scootaloo shook her head to shake something off her mind. “Yeah sure Joe… no problem” Scootaloo said and spun his combination quickly and popped open his lock for him.

“Thanks kid… guess I’ll have to buy you another dinner sometime or something” Joe chuckled and Scootaloo blushed as she trotted away.

* * *

The team had gotten suited up and the coach had ordered everyone to wait under the goal posts, probably to take another chip off their shoulders before he made them run laps. “I say two thousand” Dandelion moaned, “Really, I was thinking a thousand and a half” Thunder Shot told Dandelion. “Either way we’re going to be gassed by the end of practice” Tanner said and the team groaned.

Soon the coach approached with: Spitfire, Fleetwood and Soarin approached. All of the Wonderbolt members had bruises from the night before. “Oh shit… we’re really fucked now” Pipsqueak muttered as the Wonderbolt members stepped in front of the team along with the coach. “So… as you all know, we were in a bar fight with the most of you last night” Spitfire said in a rather pissed off tone. “And due to that fight, a lot of us Wonderbolts cannot perform at our next performance” Spitfire told the team.

“Sorry ma’am” Joe said and Spitfire looked at the team with angered eyes. “Who said that?” Spitfire asked and Joe stepped forward, “Damn… too bad you aren’t a Pegasus” Spitfire muttered. “Why’s that?” Joe asked and she let a small smile creep across her face.

“Coach… would you like to do the honour?” Spitfire asked the coach and he nodded. “Well team… today Spitfire came into my office and asked to see you all during practice… it would seem that you all somehow impressed her while at the same time bruising up a lot of the Wonderbolts” the coach replied and several of the team members looked at each other. “Yes, actually I was really interested in the human, I’ve never seen anyone take on Snowflake for more than a minute and actually take him on properly without getting hospitalized” Spitfire said but then let out a depressed sigh.

“Unfortunately we’re a Pegasus group and you don’t have any wings but the rest of you showed exceptional performance while impaired and I realized that most of you had some real potential… so we asked if we could come to practice to recruit some of you for the academy, we even opened some spots as trainers for non-Pegasus” Spitfire said and some of the team members whispered to each other. The coach stepped forward “500 SUICIDES, NOW!” the coach yelled out and the team members quickly raced forward, even the non-Pegasus wanted to impress the Wonderbolts.