 GRAPPLEby Neil Jones Alex and Sammy discuss their plans for the end of term prom. Sammy doesn't have a date, and is hoping Alex will ask her out just as Tigger enters with a stack of wrestling videos. Alex becomes jealous of the playfulness between Sammy and Ed. He presses Ed for details but he suggests Sammy is more who Alex should be looking to. In the playground, Alex floors Ed when he goads him about spending the evening with a girl and Ed twigs Alex is keen on Sammy. In Science, Andrea impresses Rawlinson by correctly spelling two difficult scientific words. Rawlinson asks Andrea if she'd be interested in taking part in the Spelling Grapple - an inter-school spelling competition. She seems interested and goes off with Martine, a girl who'll also be taking part, for more details. Andrea is excited by the possibility of travelling to nation-wide tournaments and possibly winning holidays - but Chloe is jealous and challenges Andrea to spell the longest word in the English language. She almost gets it right - Chloe is pleased by her wrong answer. Tigger, irritated by the earlier scuffle between Ed and Alex, challenges the pair to a wrestling match over the radio. A crowd soon gathers and, egged on by a gathering crowd they agree. In the playground, Tigger organises a "question and answer" session with the two contenders - McDonnell arrives and warns them no fight is to take place - much to the pleasure of Sammy who's incensed the boys are fighting over her. Tigger decides to press on with an underground fight - broadcast over the internet to a paying audience in the CLC under the cover of "maths club". Tigger assigns Laxo as the cashier and asks Theo to referee. Enter XS in his yellow wrestling costume who's hoping to take part, but fails to impress. Andrea tells Rawlinson she won't be doing the Spelling Grapple but Rawlinson realises Chloe is pulling her strings and manages to change Andrea's mind when she explains Martine has suffered a "mysterious accident" which has forced her to pull out. Andrea realises Chloe is responsible for whatever happened to Martine. The crowd gathers in the CLC to watch the fight. Alison and Sammy pin Laxo to the wall and force him to admit the boys are in the hall - and fighting over a girl which Alison realises is Sammy. Meanwhile Rawlinson introduces Andrea to the defending Spelling Grapple competition - a certain Olive Oliver, a stony-faced bespectacled girl who leaves Andrea with a chilling message when she tries to exchange pleasantries. Sammy and Alison burst into the hall with cries of "Stop the fight!" - only to find they have walked into the spelling contest. Tigger, Ed and Alex are playing out the pre-recorded wrestling moves from a laptop, they run after Sammy and explain that the "fight" was pre-recorded. Incensed the boys have conned their paying audience, Sammy warns them to get down to the CLC and tell everyone it's a hoax or she'll never speak to them again. As the wrestling "action" starts, Laxo wonders why Theo is still around, oblivious to the deception. Back in the hall, Alison tells Alex he and Sammy are perfect for each other and should stop messing around and just ask her out. In the spelling contest it's Andrea's big moment. Alex stop the wrestling action, causing crowd uproar as the big screen goes blank. Tigger and Ed try to get it back, but only succeeds in broadcasting the spelling contest. Chloe is mesmerised by the sight of Andrea doing her bit. The final two contestants are Olive, smug-faced as ever, and Andrea, in a head-to head. Olive manages to misspell her sudden death word and it's left to Andrea - but worse luck, her final word is the one Chloe asked her to spell earlier on. This time, however, she gets it right after much baited breath and unseats Olive to be the new Spelling Grapple champion. There's a standing ovation in the CLC and Chloe is ecstatic for her friend. Sammy arrives in the CLC and Alex just about to ask her to the prom when XS, still in his yellow Spandex, floors Alex with a wrestling move. Both boys are injured and McDonnell calls an ambulance. XS spills the beans about Chloe's betting funds, which McDonnell confiscates for school fund. Sammy is upset as she watches Alex being loaded into the ambulance - Ed is left to comfort her, which irks Alex. |