WARNING: This story contains graphic depictions of violence and other mature or controversial themes/topics that not all audiences will find suitable. Please continue reading at your own risk.
***
♪ Yes, I didn't talk to anyone. ♪11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡskG2XpY5o1
♪ I was made fun of by everyone. ♪11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYaq3sbJqkh
♪ It's something I wish could be undone. ♪11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE5nJcx308H
♪ She asked me. I wish I'd had respond. ♪11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCSfGHB4inH
♪ But hear me out: We're all worth being loved! ♪11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCCEhXr35Bg
♪ Please hear me out: We're all worth being loved! ♪11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8RxYRzWNqk
♪ I'm crying out: We're all worth being loved! ♪11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6lxEfHKgP8
♪ I have no doubt we're all worth being loved! ♪
♪ Please, I beg you all, let's become friends! ♪11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD9EqQ0Hg17
♪ Let's not judge each other by what's been! ♪11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmT59QkMTzl
♪ It was years ago! It came and went! ♪11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIERuxRDJVi
♪ That's a past chapter! New one begins! ♪
***
Something
***
In the previous chapter of Something... Marta's moping about not having a boyfriend continued, and Tiane coming along to steal Ram's lunch wasn't making things any better. Luckily, Penelope showed up to topple the bully, ensuring peace of mind for Marta and Ram, but also driving Tiane to beating Marta senseless in retaliation! From there, Marta was placed in the hospital, and Ram wasn't sure if she could handle the pressure of Marta winding-up in such a critical state. To make matters worse, the doctors discovered that Marta was in a coma, and this news made Ram greatly worried.
Tiane's tyranny continued at home, where she physically assaulted both of her parents, laying down the law that she was not one to be controlled. This drove Mr. and Mrs. Grey to one conclusion: They had to get away from Tiane while they could.
Meanwhile, back at the shack, Vicky's plan to remove Somer from the gang commenced, only for Julian to go with her. Angry at Mike who came up with the plan in the first place, Vicky sent him to go and set things right, with Derick who followed to retrieve Julian and would try to talk him into coming back... or so that's what Derick and Mike were supposed to do. Indeed... Vicky was little aware that getting rid of Julian was part of Mike's plan, thanks to Derick who secretly conspired with him to make Vicky his own. They returned to tell Vicky that Julian was nowhere to be found. But Vicky telling them that she'd go and find him herself forced Derick to physically stop her. He and Mike are now holding Vicky and Vanessa both in captivity from going outside, just so Derick can fulfill his goal of making Vicky his own. And he intends to use Somer's own gun, which she left behind, to do it.
As for Ikjot, he continued trying to make Xandra his and, so far, is getting closer to success. Xandra and her girls warned Ikjot not to befriend Rye or his groupies—because Rye is a jerk, according to them.
Herbertia almost got herself in trouble again by hurting Ilana's feelings. 1098 reminded her that the only way she wouldn't disappoint Ikjot was if she were on her best behavior, even if it meant apologizing to Ilana for what she had done. The two hugged and made-up, but Herbertia still didn't trust Ilana.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3dMEQmZ8FD
Somer and Julian, now kicked out of the shack, knew they couldn't walk the streets of Righteous Korrigan without disguises. They had to visit a good friend of theirs who they knew would be kind enough to loan them the money for not only clothing, but their own survival and the survival of... their daughter?! Who is that exactly?!
***
Something11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMrDGZwZ9Oq
611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI4VMua2rZn
Ikjot Goes to the Costume Store
***
Still holding the nine thousand dollars in her hand, Somer said, "Man... this is a lot."
"But of course," said Mr. Bourdon. "You'll need it not only for your disguises, but also to support your family."
"We are very grateful of this, Mr. Bourdon..." said Somer, stuffing the money in her shirt.
"We don't know where to begin on how to repay you..." said Julian.
"I've lived a full life, youngins," Mr. Bourdon replied. "I have all that I need, including money. You need not pay me back a cent of anything I've given you...." He clenched his fist. "All I want you to do for me is make Vicky and those other so-called friends of yours pay for kicking you out in the streets. You can't let that go."
"Right!" said Somer and Julian, nodding with determined smiles.
"Oh my gosh..." said Julian, looking at the wall clock behind Mr. Bourdon. "It's almost three o'clock. We'd better get a move on...."
"Right," Somer told Julian. She looked to Mr. Bourdon and said, "Thank you for this offering, Mr. Bourdon. We will forever cherish it."
"At least until it's gone," Mr. Bourdon said with a laugh. "Hey! Just don't stop coming by to ask me for money. I will always have it for you two."
"Will do, Mr. Bourdon!" said Somer, getting out of her chair to shake his hand. "I'm pretty sure we'll need your help again."
Smiling, Mr. Bourdon shook hands with Somer while he replied, "And I'll be ready to give it."
"Thank you, Mr. Bourdon. We appreciate your services as always," said Julian, also shaking his hand.
"And I appreciate your service of being a good boyfriend to Somer and father to your child," said Mr. Bourdon, shaking Julian's hand. "You two have a good day," he said, waving Somer and Julian goodbye as they walked out the door.
"Goodbye, Mr. Bourdon!" said Julian, walking out.
"Take care!" said Somer, following him and shutting the door behind her.
"Goodbye..." said Mr. Bourdon, waving a few seconds longer before putting down his hand. "Such good kids they are.... Herbertia, you're learning from the best."
***
Meanwhile, back at the hospital, Ram was stunned with shock after hearing the news of Marta. "A... coma...?" she puzzled. "No... No, it can't be...!"
The doctor could only respond with a nod... and soon said, "It's true, Ram...." And Ram's eyes trembled with fear as the doctor continued, "We will do our best to ensure Marta gets through this... but that is all we can do."
"You have to let me go in there and see her!" said Ram, standing up from her seat.
"We are hard at work, Ram..." said the doctor. "You have to understand that."
"Understand?! UNDERSTAND?! MY FRIEND COULD BE DYING IN THERE AND YOU EXPECT ME TO—!"
"DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU'RE HELPING MARTA BY BEHAVING THIS WAY?!" interrupted the doctor, also standing from her seat. Ram paused with widened eyes before the doctor continued, "Here we are doing all we can to save your friend, and all you can do is get excited, over and over again! Don't you think Marta would rather you to be calm instead of worrying about her?! What good will that do besides make you even more upset than you already are?!"
Ram remained silent... then sniffed as her eyes became filled with tears and soon, she was crying again.
The doctor calmed down and hugged Ram. She said, "I understand what you're going through.... I too was in your shoes once. My mother was beaten by a group of women gangsters back when I was a kid. I didn't think she would make it either." The doctor's eyes narrowed with determination. "But she did." Looking down to Ram, the doctor continued, "And I know Marta will too. You just have to hope.... You must have faith that everything will turn out alright, Ram."
Ram, still crying in the doctor's shirt, sniffed and nodded.
The doctor, now with a smile, said, "We will do everything we can to save Marta.... We will not rest until we do. All you need to do is get the authorities to make whoever did this pay for their crimes...."
Ram flashed a look of anger without the doctor noticing and thought, Forget the authorities.... I'm going to take you down personally, Tiane.... I promise.
Meanwhile, the doctors continued to monitor Marta who was still unconscious with a sad expression.
***
Back at the school, in my setting, it was now three o'clock, and all classes had been dismissed. We stood before an open gate in the courtyard. I failed to mention earlier that cars would drive by here, each with a family member or designated person to pick up a student, and a few buses would come to pick up students whose parents couldn't pick them up on time. In the event that a student was waiting on a parent to pick them up later, and they didn't want to catch the bus, they'd go to "aftercare," an after school chill zone held in the cafeteria. And of course the students would have cafeteria food to eat while waiting on their ride.
Since Xandra and I were in the same class, it was easy for us to talk with one another.
Herbertia, however, wasn't so pleased about seeing us hang around each other so much. "Just look at them... mingling again," said Herbertia with a pout and folded arms.
"Calm down..." said 1098, unamused. "I told you, they're just friends."
"Yeah..." said Herbertia. "But why is he befriending the chicks so much? I know he's in a predominately girl class, but there are three boys he could befriend too, y'know."
"Hey, what are you guys talking about?" asked Wyman Youmans, another boy I knew from the sixth grade class, to Herbertia and 1098.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmmKvijqaby
Wyman was a fairly tall boy, maybe around Azure's height. A beaver with short dark hair, he looked a bit... goofy in the face, even by beaver standards. But I never laughed from him helping other boys pick on me back at this school. I still remembered the time when he tossed my shoes over a restroom stall!
"NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS—" said Herbertia before seeing 1098 shake her head, letting her know this wasn't a wise move of hers. Herbertia blinked twice in puzzle and said, "I mean, uh.... How are you?"
"Uh..." said Wyman before walking away from her, "just fine...."
"Real smooth, Herbertia," said 1098.
"Oh, shut up!" said Herbertia, bonking 1098 on the head with an accompanying bell sound.
"Oof!" said 1098, cross-eyed.
Meanwhile, Xandra and I continued to talk. She was accompanied by Piper.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfwnAAZyiDT
"So, what do you wanna be when you grow up?" asked Xandra with a straight face, looking down at me.
I said, "I want to be a cartoonist!"
"Wow, sweet!" she said with a smile. "I'm sure you would make an excellent one!"
"Why, thank you, Xandra!" I replied, smiling shyly.
"Did you have any show in mind?" Piper asked me.
"I was thinking of producing a show about my life," I told them. "I've been working on it for quite some time now."
"Oh, cool! A show about you?" asked Xandra.
"Yup!" I said.
"High-five!" happily said Piper, giving me a high-five.
It felt nice to be bonding with Xandra—though she herself never gave me a high-five before. Regardless, to say this was my first day, I was already making progress! I wondered how far our friendship would go.... Oh, the possibilities!
Of course, I wasn't going to forget about Herbertia. I had to keep her around in the event that Xandra would turn on me. Not saying that'd happen since I was doing things right with Xandra this time, but... the fact I had a pattern of being betrayed by women nonstop is what conditioned me to have these precautions. Deep down, I knew what I was doing was kind of wrong; but the thought didn't seem to come across me that much.
Xandra asked me, "So, do you play any sports?"
I was always asked that question. The best answer I'd give was, I've played basketball during recess at my old elementary school a few times. But after playing basketball with Xandra that day, I decided to say, "Well, in addition to today, I've played basketball at my old elementary school a few times. But other than that, my only hobby is writing stories and drawing... and that's about it."
"Wow! Those are some pretty neat hobbies! You sure know how to have fun!"
"Thanks, Xandra!"
"No problem, Ikjot! You are the best, after all!"
To that, I blushed with a smile.
Just then, Herbertia saw Somer and Julian walking to the gate. Herbertia immediately grabbed me by the arm and told Xandra and Piper, "Oh, look! Our ride is here!" She dragged me away from them and continued, "Time to go, Ikjot!"
Man... I felt so embarrassed. Thanks a lot, Herbertia!
"Herbertia, what are you doing?!" I whispered while she dragged me over to Somer and Julian.
She looked to me and said, "Making sure that Xandra keeps her distance." Finally making it to Somer and Julian, she told them, "We're ready to go!"
1098 had apparently already made it over to Somer and Julian before we had.
"Awesome!" said Somer. "But, uh... why are you dragging Ikjot?"
Herbertia made a shy laugh. "It's just so cute.... He never knows how to walk himself with me around."
"Right..." I said, rolling my eyes. I waved to Xandra and said, "Bye, Xandra! See you tomorrow!"
Xandra said, "Bye, Ikjot! Take care!" before she continued to talk to Piper. I guess since Herbertia dragged me away, Xandra had to talk to someone, right? I was really gonna give Herbertia a good talking to when we got home....
"Well, kids, we'd... better head home," blankly said Somer before walking with Julian and 1098.
"Coming, Somer!" said Herbertia, following behind them while still dragging me.
"So, how was your day at school, guys?" Somer asked us.
"Oh, it was super!" said Herbertia. "Just some dumb girl got melodramatic about me insulting her...."
"Huh...?" I puzzled, hoping Herbertia didn't do anything to get herself in trouble.
"But we hugged and made-up," she said (much to my relief), "even though I wasn't wrong in the first place...."
"I'm glad to hear that!" said Somer with a bright smile. "And how about you, Ikjot?"
Wow... asking me before 1098? I guess I ranked a little higher with these guys since I was Herbertia's boyfriend and all. I said, "Oh, just great! I made lots of new friends!"
"All girls!" said Herbertia with a fake cough, much to my annoyance.
Somer said with a wink, "All girl friends are fine, but just remember that Herbertia is your number one gal pal."
"Now, Somer..." said Julian, knowing all too well of Somer's skepticisms about me.
I shyly laughed and told Somer, "Right!"
"What about you, 1098?" Somer finally asked her.
1098 nodded and said, "Everything was good. Just watched after Herbertia... and made friends, I suppose."
"Sounds fun..." said Julian, sarcastically.
"StoOOOp!" said Somer, playfully nudging Julian's shoulder as he laughed.
***
Later as we continued to walk, Julian had his head down and said, "Now, um... kids... we've gotta' tell you something...."
"Huh...?" puzzled Herbertia.
He continued, "Well... you see..."
Somer, seeing how reluctant Julian was to break the news, decided to take his place. She looked to us and said, "Guys...? We can't go back to the shack...."
All of our eyes widened in shock. "WHAT?!" exclaimed Herbertia. "CAN'T GO BACK?!" I exclaimed in unison.
"Vicky and the others turned on us this morning..." Somer continued while we intently listened. "They told us we plotted to poison their food... but Julian and I both know we're innocent!"
"Regardless..." said Julian, "we can't go back there; not anymore." Julian then showed us the nine thousand dollars and continued, "But... the good news is that we can afford to stay somewhere else."
"Wooooooow," said Herbertia, 1098 and I from seeing the money—obviously, I wasn't the only one who got excited at the sight of dollar bills.
Somer said, "You see, Ikjot and 1098... how we're managing to pay for your tuition at Our Lord's Catholic Church and School in the first place is through way of a nice lender we know: Mr. Bourdon." She didn't need to tell Herbertia who already knew.
Julian said, "He's very rich. He could buy ten mansions if he wanted! But he resides in a small office to hide his wealthy identity."
"Smart move!" I said. "He wouldn't want anyone to know how much money he really has with all the thieves in the world."
"I agree," said 1098, nodding.
Little did we know that once again, in the distance, those two agents were following us—though it was me they were really after.
Herbertia said with a nod to me and 1098, "That's right! And he gives us money whenever we need it." She looked to Somer and asked, "But wait, he'll still give money to Vicky and the others too, won't he?"
Somer said, shaking her head, "Not at all! After telling him what they did to us, he's leaving them on their own!"
"I hear ya!" said Herbertia, giving Somer a fist bump. "Do you guys need to know a good hotel to stay at?"
I said, "I was thinking we could find something else if we only have nine thousand dollars; something we'd only have to pay for once."
Somer said with a smile, "Well, first we have to get some disguises for me and Julian. Though we're safe on the route we take back and forth to your school, a cop could easily pull up and recognize us."
"I wonder why none of the staff recognized you guys when you filled in for our parents..." puzzled Herbertia.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMcVoF69Db6
"I guess they just weren't aware of who we were," said Julian. "Maybe our crime isn't that popular...."
"Regardless, we still need new identities—just so a policeman doesn't spot us," said Somer.
I said, "Oh, that's right! You guys are running from the law—"
Herbertia covered my mouth, shushing me and said in warning, "Do you want the cops to hear?!"
"No..." I said in a muffled voice, meekly.
Somer and Julian, but not 1098, laughed.
***
Later that evening, we were in a costume store, hoping for Julian and Somer to find a disguise that would protect their identity.
"Look at me, Somer!" said Julian in a T. rex costume.
We all laughed, as did Somer who said, "Julian, put that down!"
"Are you sure...?" asked Julian, coming towards Somer with a fake dinosaur roar. We all laughed as he stood before her, pretending to be ready for an attack.
"Ah, leave me alone, you big monster!" pled Somer, playing along.
"Uh..." puzzled the goose store merchant who had short brown hair and a big beard, "are you all going to buy something or what?"
Later, Somer was looking at some sunglasses. "Hmmm..." she puzzled before picking up a pair. "What do you think of these, Julian?"
"I don't know, young lady!" he said in a fake old man's voice from behind her. "Don't you know back in my day we didn't have those things?!"
"Come on, Julian!" laughed Somer before turning around. "Help me pick out a pair—" and her eyes widened, seeing Julian wearing a blue suit and pants, blue shoes, a gray mustache, sunglasses, gray wig and blue fedora. "Wooooow!" she said before laughing. "Hey, guys! You've gotta come see this!"
Me, Herbertia and 1098 came to see Julian.
I said, "Wooooow!"
As for Herbertia, she giggled.
And 1098 just kept a blank expression.
"Good call, Julian!" said Somer. "You're way beyond your years!"
"Hey! Don't make fun of your elders, girlie! Have you no shame!" said Julian, still playfully pretending to be an old man.
We laughed before the merchant came and said, "Fine choice!" He looked to Somer and asked, "Have you found anything yet?"
"Nope..." said Somer, shaking her head. "Just these sunglasses."
"Hey, Somer!" said Julian, holding a poofy orange wig. "Look!"
Somer saw the wig and said, "Wow, nice!" She then looked at her sunglasses and puzzled... and then, it hit her!
***
Moments later, after putting on a sparkling black coat, sunglasses and the poofy orange wig, Somer came out of a dressing room and posed for us.
We all said, "Wooooooow!"
"Somer, you look terrific!" happily said Julian.
Somer, holding out her hand, said in a hip way, "The name's not Somer; it's Judie Barnes!"
Julian, still wearing his old guy outfit, replied in his old man voice, "And I'm Clarence F!" Holding up a cane, he said, "Mess with me, and I'll bust you right in the noggin!"
Somer laughingly asked Julian, "What's the 'F' stand for?"
Julian shrugged with telling her, "I leave that to the imagination."
"Judie Barnes and Clarence F...?" puzzled Herbertia. "Nice!"
"Know what else would be nice...?" said the merchant, pointing to his cash register.
"Oh!" said Somer, reaching into her pocket. "Right!"
***
After paying for the merchandise, we headed out of the store and traveled down the street, thinking about where we'd go next. Somer and Julian were wearing their new disguises, just to be safe.
"So, about where we're going to stay..." I said to them.
Julian said with a nod, "Right... we'll go to a hotel."
"That costs so much a week though," I replied. "Why not go for something that's a one-time expense? Like a cheap house, apartment or something?"
"For either of those, we'd have to pay for lights, water, furniture..." said Somer.
"Plus, the less expensive a house is, the more repairs we may need to pay for on it," said Julian.
"Why not just forget about making repairs to the house?" I asked.
"Uh... because the city could condemn it?" said Herbertia, unamused.
I gave her an annoyed expression in return.
"Plus," said Julian, "being in a hotel means it would be a lot harder for any police to look us up on the web and find our address. Being in a house would make that search all too easy and, the next thing you know, Somer and I would be in prison."
Somer nodded to me, agreeing with Julian.
"Well, that's true..." I said.
"How about that hotel over there?" asked Herbertia, pointing to it in the distance.
"Seems nice..." said Julian. "Though, it's a bit expensive: Forty dollars a night."
I said, "Well, I've done some research on hotels in Righteous Korrigan, and this may be the cheapest you'll get down here...."
"Have you considered a motel, Julian?" asked Somer.
Julian puzzled with saying, "True... except some don't offer free breakfast, unlike hotels that do."
1098 said, "Well, actually... if Mr. Bourdon is as rich as you say, and he's always willing to help out, should it really be a necessity to worry about price that much?"
We all paused, seeing through 1098's logic....
"True," said Herbertia.
"Yuh-huh!" I said.
"Totally!" said Somer.
"Yup!" said Julian.
"Looks like you can speak at times, 1098," said Somer, smiling down at her.
"Yes," said 1098, looking up Somer's way and nodding. "I only speak when my knowledge is needed. I recalled you saying how lenient Mr. Bourdon was with his money. Then I applied that factor to your current dilemma."
"Wow, you talk like a robot..." said Herbertia.
Unamused, 1098 told Herbertia, "My knowledge is beyond that of the simple robot you know of...."
Herbertia rolled her eyes in response.
"Well, are we all in favor of going to this forty dollar hotel?" I asked them.
"Sure!" said Somer.
"Yeah, if Mr. Bourdon's paying for it, sure!" said Julian.
Five minutes later, we walked through the doors of the hotel and met a young brunette doe at the desk.
"Welcome to 'The $40 a Night Hotel!'" happily said the doe. "How may I help you?"
"We'd like to rent a room!" said Somer.
"I see..." said the doe, looking through the guestbook. "Do you have a reservation?"
"Uh... no," said Somer.
"Doesn't matter," said the doe. "If you've got forty bucks on you, we can spot you a room right here and now."
"Oh!" said Somer, reaching in her pocket for some money. "Well, in that case..." she said before taking out forty dollars and handing it to the doe, "here you go!"
"Eh-eh! Not so fast!" said the doe. "First, I need your names."
Somer, exercising her disguise, said, "I'm Judie Barnes!"
"And I'm her boyfriend, Clarence F!" said Julian, doing the same. "And might I say, this hotel sure is lovelier than the kind of hotels we had back in my days. We'd stay at barnyards overnight! Ha-hahahaha!"
Me, Somer and Herbertia awkwardly laughed with him, feeling what he said was weird... and 1098 simply rolled her eyes.
"Okay..." said the doe, also feeling awkward from his statement. She wrote down the names in her guestbook before taking the money from Somer's hand and saying, "Thank you!" Then she put the money in her register. "Here you go!" she said, handing Somer the receipt. "You're in room 104."
"First floor? Nice!" said Somer.
"Eh..." said Julian, "I was kinda hoping to have a better view of the city—"
Somer nudged Julian's arm, interrupting his statement.
"Ow!" said Julian, rubbing his arm.
A minute later, the doe took us to our room, opening the door and said, "Here you go!"
To our surprise... it was a dump. But hey! Why be greedy, right?
"Enjoy your room!" said the doe while we saw a rat walk across the floor, making 1098 turn green in the face and feel sick.
***
Later that night, Somer and Julian were taking off their costumes. Piece by piece, they hung them on a coat rack in the corner.
As for me, Herbertia and 1098, we sat on one of the two beds in the room, watching TV.
"Man, is there nothing good on these days...?" puzzled Herbertia, watching a supposedly pointless cartoon. Trust me, I agreed with her. This thing was awful!
"I know, right?" I told Herbertia. Just then, I remembered something.... "Oh, uh... Herbertia?"
"Hm...?" puzzled Herbertia, looking to me.
1098, Julian and Somer were also curious.
"Could we... step outside for a moment?" I continued.
"Sure, if you wanna watch the moonlight with me..." said Herbertia, smiling flirtatiously and rubbing my chest. She picked me up and said, "Let's go!" before running out the door and closing it behind her.
Somer and Julian looked to each other in curiosity, wondering what this was all about....
***
Herbertia and I, now standing outside, were sitting on the ground and holding hands, watching the stars together.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJozsiuAplT
"Isn't it lovely, Ikjot...?" said Herbertia with glistening eyes, admiring the night sky.
"It is, isn't it...?" I said before feeling her lay down on me.
She snuggled my chest and said, "Not as lovely as you... or nice. You're the nicest guy I've ever known, Ikjot...."
I blushed with curiosity. "I... am...?"
"Well, yeah!" She looked me in the eyes. "Out of all the guys who rejected me... you were the first to accept me as your girlfriend. Ikjot... I love you for that. I will never stop loving you for that. I can't stop loving you for that! You're... just amazing...." She continued to snuggle. "And you're mine...."
While I enjoyed feeling her body to mine, I also enjoyed the feeling that a girl like her even existed in the first place. Yet here I was... deep down inside plotting to go behind her back and try to have a relationship with Xandra. And then, it hit me how wrong I was to think this way. Why would I risk a perfectly good relationship like that? Instead of trying to flee from one girl to the other, I should've been embracing the bird I had in my hand rather than the one in the bush. But being around Xandra again... it's like my conscience was stored away somewhere I couldn't find it. Xandra's beauty, it just... had this effect on me that would make me do things I'd regret just to be with her—such as trying to cheat on Herbertia. Why did Xandra have so much power over me...? Did I value the looks of one girl compared to the other... more than I valued her integrity; her morals? Did I value the angelic voice of one girl compared to the other more than I valued the fact that... Herbertia hopped into my arms and confessed her love for me? An action that no other woman I'd ever known... would have done for me?
Regardless, the thoughts of how beautiful I found Xandra to be all went through my mind at this very moment... making me carry out my reason for bringing Herbertia out here in the first place. "You're mine too, Herbertia..." I said, holding my arm around her. "But...."
"Ah...?" puzzled Herbertia, looking up to me. "But... what...?"
I said, "Well... it's just that..." and scratched the back of my head, "when you dragged me away from Xandra today...."
"Well, I had to..." said Herbertia. "I thought she was getting too close to you...."
"That's just it: You 'thought' she was getting too close to me... but she wasn't. She was just being friendly, that's all."
"Well... Ikjot... you told me that you and I would be best not to get too close to each other, because with the students being immature as they are, they wouldn't understand love when they'd see it and... possibly mock us for it. I was just thinking if... you could... hang around Xandra so much, couldn't... you... hang around... me...? I mean... we don't have to let anyone know that we're girlfriend or boyfriend; maybe we're just good friends like you and Xandra, but no one makes fun of you guys."
But if I did that, it would probably make Xandra think I were interested in someone besides her. I had to think of a good excuse and I had to think of it right then.... And then, it hit me. I said, "I understand what you're saying, Herbertia.... But, the only reason you'd want you and I to get that close is because you fear there's something going on between me and Xandra in the first place, correct?"
Herbertia's eyes widened, realizing she couldn't argue with that logic—at least in terms of me pointing out her trust issues. She looked down with guilt and said, "Well... yeah... I guess so...." Then she looked back to me. "But what about the fact that we should be able to innocently hangout when being at school?"
"Can't we just hang out after school?"
She flirtatiously rubbed her finger on my chin. "Can't we just hang out all the time...?"
"Well... yeah...." Then... I thought of something else. "But... in the event that people wanted to laugh at me hanging out with a girl, it would at least be me and Xandra instead of me and you; that way you wouldn't be the one getting embarrassed."
"If Xandra cares about what people think of her relationship with someone, that's on her... but I don't."
I ran my fingers through Herbertia's hair, smiling as I did and said, "Not even for me...?"
Herbertia smiled with a blush... and said, "Well...." Then she wrapped her arms around me and said, "Okay, I would!"
I chuckled and said, "There, you see?! When you love someone, you do anything you can to keep them happy...."
"True..." Herbertia said with a nod. "But you also keep them safe from someone else trying to take them from you."
I paused, quickly thinking of a comeback.... I said, "Well, yeah... but you also trust that the person you love would never let that happen. You see, Herbertia, it's you I love. Even if some chick was trying to take me from you, she couldn't if I weren't consensual to it."
"Well... that's true," said Herbertia, looking down and touching her chin.
I said, "Plus, remember when we hooked up yesterday?"
"Yes..." said Herbertia with a nod. "I remember that...."
"Well... when I said that I'd always love you, no matter what, you said that you knew I would because you trusted me. Remember that?"
"Yes... I do."
"Don't you think that by having fear for what could happen between me and Xandra, you're not trusting our love? And don't you think by not trusting my love for you, something you promised that you would, you've automatically lied to me?"
"What?!" exclaimed Herbertia. "Oh, no-no! I would never do that!"
"Then... you have to trust that my friendship with Xandra is only a friendship, nothing more.... Can you promise me that?"
Herbertia nodded with a determined expression. "I promise!"
"And... can you promise me that whenever you see me hanging around Xandra, you'll trust that I'm only being her friend and nothing more?"
Herbertia held her hand to her chest and firmly said, "Cross my heart." Just then, her eyes widened.... She looked down with guilt and said, "Um... Ikjot...?"
"Hm...?" I puzzled.
She looked me in the eyes and continued, "Um... since we're on the topic of me not lying to you, I wanted to tell you something...."
I nodded and said, "Sure...." Little did I know that Somer was watching from the window.
Herbertia continued, "Well... about Somer...."
I paused... and said, "Uh-huh?"
"Well... she's... She's not my real mom, but... she took me in as her own."
"Wooow," I said, calmly stunned.
"PLEASE DON'T LAUGH!" Herbertia immediately pled with worry before holding on to me and covering her face in my shirt. "Please don't think I'm a freak!"
"A freak...? Now hold on there, Herbertia...." I held my arm around her again. "Hold on there, why would I think that?"
"Uh...?" she puzzled, looking to me with slight relief. "You... don't think I'm a freak...?"
I nonchalantly shrugged. "What's so wrong about being an adopted child...?"
"Well... being adopted by someone only four years older than you... it's just something that everyone's laughed at when I told them. They'd make fun of me all the time back in school for that news... so I eventually decided to keep it a secret." Tears showed in her eyes as she said, "Ikjot... you're the very first friend I've had who never laughed at me for telling you that."
"Hey... that girl Wynfred I hang around, she had a dad who... well... he did something that lots of people would laugh at, and it caused him to get a divorce from her mother." I looked up at the sky. "Yet, even though I was possibly one of the few people... maybe even the only one who didn't laugh at what Wynfred told me, she still stopped being my friend at some point. She just kind of... dumped me."
"Wow..." said Herbertia, wiping the tears from her face. "Well, if she's mean like that, then why do you wanna be her friend?"
I sighed and looked down.... "To tell you the truth, Herbertia, I don't know...." But then, it hit me: I did know. It was because, like my reasons for liking Xandra, Wynfred was attractive to me too. What a pig I was. But I could never admit this fact to Herbertia. She'd never look at me the same way again.... I knew she wanted us to be honest with each other at this time, but... could I really tell her that of all things?
"Is there something that makes you attracted to her, Ikjot...?" asked Herbertia—man, how did she know?!
"Well..." I sighed with saying. "Herbertia...?"
"Hm...?" she puzzled.
"Are we still at a moment where we're being one hundred percent honest with each other?"
"Mhm..." hummed Herbertia, nodding.
"Well..." I sighed again with saying, "I like Wynfred, because... like my reasons for liking lots of wrong girls... her looks attract me."
Herbertia giggled.
"See...?" I said. "I knew you'd find it pathetic—"
"Oh, not at all!" interrupted Herbertia. "It's just so funny that you'd think that's something to be embarrassed about! Ha! Do you know how many guys think just like you out there?!"
"Uh...?" I puzzled.
She said, "Ikjot, it's just in a man's nature to be a pig. You guys can't help that. You let your hormones control your judgment all the time, which is why we women are around to help you think straight!"
I laughed. "Wow, really?!"
Herbertia, with a bright smile, said, "Absolutely!"
"Gee..." I said. "Thanks, Herbertia!"
"No problem!" Then Herbertia shyly curled a lock of her hair while saying, "So... on a scale from one to ten, how pretty would you say I am...?"
"Hm?" I puzzled. "Well..."
Let me just be honest; she was pretty in her own respect. But when comparing her to Xandra, she and every other girl I knew would pale in comparison. I was told, however, never to tell a woman she's ugly or even tell her that she's not all that attractive! But this was a time for us to honest with each other.... Regardless, I didn't want to risk making her say, We're done! or something like that.
So I instead said, "On a scale from one to ten, I'd say you go beyond ten!"
Herbertia's eyes lit up with hearts as her hair blew in the wind. "WOW! REALLY?! YOU REALLY THINK THAT?!"
I said, "GIRL, I KNOW THAT!"
She whooped, "WOOOO!" Then held up her hand and said, "HIGH-FIVE!"
And I gave her a high-five. Wow, what a déjà vu! I gave Piper a high-five earlier too! Oh dear... I just couldn't stop thinking of other girls while talking to Herbertia, could I?
"Now... about my biological parents, since you've heard the first part of my story," Herbertia continued, reluctantly.
"Yuh-huh..." I said, paying attention.
"Well... I was part of a family known as the Jeffs; I'm Herbertia Naomi Jeff, by birth, and I go by that name just so people won't find out I was adopted—again, lots of them make fun of me when they do. My original mom and dad left me in a dark alley because they didn't want to support a baby.... But that's when Somer McDaniel came along and took me in as her own. She later met Julian who helped her to raise me, and they later met Vicky and the others. Somer and the others were delinquents though, always going about town to terrorize its people. It wasn't until they went around town, shooting out people's windows, that they finally got arrested and I had to break them out of prison, using my strength."
"I heard about that strength of yours..." I said—though I was very skeptic of its truthfulness. I couldn't imagine Herbertia, a simple human, having the strength to break through the brick walls of a jailhouse. "It sounds like you're pretty strong."
"Pretty strong...?" questioned Herbertia with a smirk. "Nah... I'm super strong!" She teased, "Probably stronger than you...."
I laughed and said, "I'll admit, you probably are!"
"Wanna find out...?" said Herbertia, smiling and punching the palm of her hand.
I looked to her curiously. "Huh...? Well... I wouldn't wanna risk hurting you or anything."
"Pfft! Please.... You won't hurt me."
"Are you sure...?" I puzzled, scratching my head.
Herbertia playfully teased, "Oooooh, look at me! I'm Ikjot! I'm too scared to fight a girl because I know I'll get beat!"
"Sounds like you're challenging me..." I said with a confident smirk.
"Yeah, so why don't you accept...?"
I was wondering if I was making her angry enough to wanna break up with me—I hoped I wasn't doing that!
But instead, Herbertia said, "Fine.... If you don't wanna fight me, then I guess I'll fight you!" and swung a punch at me, proving she wasn't that mad at me—probably not mad at all.
I dodged her fist and jumped to the side. "Impressive!" I said before whispering in her ear, "But maybe we should go somewhere quiet to do this.... We wouldn't want the hotel manager to catch us fighting or anything."
"Gotcha!" said Herbertia with a wink. She picked me up and ran towards a wooded area behind the hotel. "LET'S GO!" she yelled with excitement.
"AH!" I yelled, hoping she wouldn't drop me on the way.
"Look at them..." said Somer, still watching us from the window. "They're having so much fun together...."
"Yeah..." said Julian, laying on the bed behind her. "It's nice to know that our daughter finally has a boyfriend." He smiled. "I'm sure they'll turn out to be the best of friends."
As for 1098, sitting on the other bed, all she could do was intently face the wall, thinking to herself, Ikjot... don't let go of Herbertia if you feel it's the wrong thing to do. You know that feeling has always been right in the past....
***
Herbertia, after much running, finally made it into the deep woods with me. She set me down on the soil and hopped up and down with clenched fists before saying, "So, Ikjot, ready to fight?!"
"You bet!" I said, standing up with clenched fists as well. "But remember, I don't want to hurt you."
Herbertia paused with a confused face before smacking her forehead. "Oh, brother..." she said before throwing a punch at me again.
I couldn't dodge it and wound up getting hit right in the face, flying through ten trees. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" I screamed.
"Uh... oops," said Herbertia, realizing she overdid it. Looking at her hands, she said, "I guess I hit him a little too hard." She yelled, "Sorry, Ikjot!"
"It's... okay..." I said from the distance; who knows HOW far away I was after that?!
***
Later that night, Somer was putting many bandages on me. "OW!" I said, feeling a sting as she put one on my arm.
"Sorry..." said Somer.
Herbertia looked down with guilt and said, "I'm sorry, Mom.... I guess I don't know my own strength."
I laughed and said, "It's okay, Herbertia! You didn't mean it—OW!" I screamed, feeling the sting of Somer putting a bandage on the side of my neck.
"Next time, I'll go easy on you!" said Herbertia with a determined look and clenched fist.
"Let's hope so!" said Julian with a laugh, and we all laughed too.
Meanwhile, the two agents stood outside our door. The second agent watched us through the peephole while the other stood behind her and asked, "What do you see?"
"Nothing..." said the second agent. "Just them having fun...." She poked out her tongue and said, "Bleh!" with disgust.
The first agent said, "After what we've seen tonight, I'd say that Ikjot may be too weak for our competition."
"Not necessarily," replied the second agent. "It's more than the factor of strength alone. Remember what your mother said? He matches our criteria of the chosen warrior more than any other person out here.... And I don't know why that chosen one couldn't have been Herbertia; I mean she's much stronger than Ikjot."
The first agent nodded and said, "Even so, prophecy is prophecy. If our search all along has pointed to some... beta all this time... then there has to be something about him that we've been missing. Something... groundbreaking."
The second agent smirked and said, "Well... the only thing he seems good at breaking are trees."
***
Meanwhile, back at the shack, Derick and Mike had already laid down the law for Vicky and Vanessa. By now at midnight, the two guys were sound asleep. Derick kept the gun in his arms, possibly to ensure that Vicky or Vanessa couldn't grab it so easily while he snoozed. Because it was a handgun, however, it would have probably been easy for one of them to slide it out of his grip. The two girls, making a plan, watched them from the distance....
"So, Vicky... how's your nose...?" whispered Vanessa.
"It's... fine..." whispered Vicky, still holding it in pain from earlier. "But we need to somehow get that rifle away from Derick.... Then we can escape without worry."
"Right..." whispered Vanessa. She intently looked to Derick and continued, "I don't want you to risk getting hurt again; you've taken the most hits today. I'll sneak over there and try to steal the gun...."
"Be careful, Vanessa..." whispered Vicky.
Vanessa nodded and whispered, "I will...." She started creeping her way through the floor, walking on her toes, hoping not to make any sudden noises. Luckily, it appeared to be that Derick and Mike were too sound asleep to be so easily disturbed, so Vanessa's job was probably much easier than she thought it would be. She almost stepped on one of Mike's cans along the way, but quickly noticed from hearing the slightest sound of it.
Derick also apparently heard this as he briefly snorted and turned around, but fortunately didn't wake up.
"Watch out for Mike's cans..." whispered Vicky.
Vanessa nodded, wiping her forehead in relief and guided her step to avoid the can. She continued to creep across the floor until she finally made it over to Derick and reached for the gun.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK2TNumxWRZ
Clenching her hand to its end, she was quickly interrupted by Vicky who whispered, "Wait! Remember to move it out of his grip as slowly as possible...."
Vanessa nodded and tried moving it slowly as she could, only for Derick to snort again and tighten his arm around it. Vanessa smacked her forehead, realizing her job would be much harder now. She had to think of another way to get that pistol, but how...?
"Vanessa..." whispered Vicky, making Vanessa turn around. "Try sliding it from under his arm. It's so small that it would be easy."
"What do you think I just tried to do?" whispered Vanessa, causing Derick to wake up since she was so close to him now. "All he did was tighten his grip on it...."
"Looking for this...?" asked Derick, aiming his gun at Vanessa from behind.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0gq5zSgikz
Vanessa and Vicky both trembled in fear, with Vanessa slowly turning her head to find the worst had happened: Derick was awake.
"Hey, Mike!" said Derick, waking him up as well.
"Huh...?" puzzled Mike, turning around with one eye opened.
Vanessa continued trembling in fear as Derick continued, "Our ladies still don't seem to wanna cooperate with us...."
"Trying to steal Derick's gun, ey...?" puzzled Mike, making Vanessa look to him with fear as well. "Tsk-tsk-tsk.... The smart thing to do would've been to head for the door and try to escape; not steal Derick's gun from him."
"Yeah..." said Derick before making a laugh. "You should've tried that...." He looked to Vicky and said, "Hey, Vicky!" And Vicky further hid behind the wall while Derick continued, "Why don't you come over here for a second...?"
Derick paused with disappointment.... "Come on, Vicky. Come over here...." He got up and slowly walked towards her, still holding his gun. "Come on, Vicky...."
"Leave her alone!" said Vanessa, grabbing Derick from behind.
"VANESSA!" screamed Vicky before Derick slammed his gun across Vanessa's face, knocking her to the floor with a bloody mouth.
While Vanessa, trembling, tightly held her mouth in fear and cried, Derick began approaching her and said, "What's wrong...?"
At the same time, Vanessa started backing away.
Derick went on to tell Vanessa, "You try to take my gun and now you don't even want me to be near Vicky?"
"VANESSA, NO!" cried Vicky, running towards Derick.
Mike grabbed Vicky from behind, keeping her from interfering.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzrOTw064nv
"LET ME GO!" begged Vicky, struggling to break free while Mike giggled. "PLEASE!"
Derick, knowing Vicky would hate him doing it, grabbed Vanessa by the collar of her shirt and started slapping her face back and forth with his gun.
"AH!" Vanessa screamed in pain.
"NOOOOOOOO!" cried Vicky while Mike laughed.
"HUH?!" said Derick, continuing to slap Vanessa bloody with his gun. "You don't want me to be near Vicky?! HUH?!" Seconds later, he let her fall to the floor.
Vanessa cried in great pain as her mouth, nose and one of her eyes were bleeding.
Derick stepped on Vanessa's head, moving it to the side with his shoe and said, "Let this be a lesson to both of you.... Never mess with me nor Mike."
"YOU MONSTER!" cried Vicky before Derick pitched his gun at her face, making her scream in pain.
Derick stormed towards Vicky and said, "Hold her, Mike!" Mike nodded as Derick slapped Vicky, who now had a bloody nose from the gun hitting her. "HUH?!" said Derick. "WHAT WAS THAT?!"
Vicky, crying deeply, said, "Stop, Derick! Please, stop!"
"Yeah!" laughed Derick. "Right!" He then punched her in the nose, making her scream and cry.
Those poor girls.... Ugh, and those... two guys; I hated men like them. If only me, Herbertia, Somer, Julian and 1098 had known what was going on back at that shack.
***
Back at the hotel by six-thirty a.m., the morning sun had risen and it was time for us to awake for school. Luckily, it was closer to the school than our original shack, meaning no one had to get up as early to make it on time.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe2edBsYXtI
Apparently, I was the only one who believed in taking showers and brushing my teeth before going outside—the rest of them didn't. I could understand why 1098 wouldn't be familiar with Earth customs since she was a mutant or something—wait... she was born from earthly people! Why wouldn't she want to do the same thing I was doing? I guess all of these people had problems... but I still liked them!
"Just so you'll know, Ikjot..." 1098 told me, unamused, "I have no need for hygiene. My only reason to exist is to provide knowledge to you and Herbertia about yourselves, as well as the time machine—"
"Yeah-yeah, I know," I said before continuing her statement while putting on my school uniform, "and, uh... two chicks you mentioned."
"Denise and Fiona," said 1098.
"Right." I thought, Gee, I wonder who those two are....
By seven o'five a.m., we were all dressed and ready to go. I walked to the door and opened it for Herbertia and 1098 so we could leave.
"Bye, Mom!" said Herbertia, no longer afraid of properly addressing Somer in front of me, since I now knew the truth.
"Bye, Herbertia!" said Somer, waving to her daughter.
"Take care!" said Julian, also waving goodbye to us.
Fortunately, the hotel wasn't that far away from the school, so it only took us twenty minutes to make it there.
Herbertia and I held hands while 1098 followed us walking down the street. Herbertia kissed me on the cheek, much to my liking. I kissed her nose, making her giggle, but also making 1098 roll her eyes.
"I love you..." said Herbertia with a smile.
I said, also with a smile, "I love you too, Herbertia...."
***
Back in Sanne, Mr. and Mrs. Grey also walked the streets, hoping to find out where their daughter was.
"Martaaaaaaaa!" called out Mr. Grey.
"Martaaaaaaaaa?!" called out Mrs. Grey.
They continued to do this as they walked, hoping she would respond. Unfortunately, they never heard a response, no matter their number of tries... leaving them to still worry about their youngest daughter.
"It's hopeless..." said Mr. Grey, looking down with sadness.
"Don't say that, Chad..." said Mrs. Grey, holding his shoulder. "We'll find our daughter soon, I promise."
Mr. Grey sighed... and said, "I hope you're right, Miriam." Seconds later, regaining his confidence, he once again called out, "Martaaaaaaaa?!"
"Martaaaaaaa!" called out Mrs. Grey after him, and the two kept doing this in hope of having some luck with finding their daughter.
***
Back at the hospital, Ram still sat outside the emergency room, looking down with worry and twiddling her thumbs, waiting for more information on Marta's condition and hoping for the best. She hadn't eaten since yesterday, but was too worried to care about her hunger. All she cared about was the well-being of her friend. Ram, you're probably the best friend Marta could have....
Just then, her eyes widened as she heard the door open. "Hey, Ram!" greeted an all-too familiar voice to her. Ram turned her head to find Marta who, from bottom to top, was patched up in bandages and all better, carrying a pleasant smile.
Ram's eyes glistened as she slowly smiled and said, "Marta...?"
"Well?" said Marta, still holding her smile. "Aren't you going to hug me?"11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSXc4saRCuN
Ram's mouth quivered with joy as she jumped out of her seat and ran to Marta, giving her a big hug. "MARTA!" she said, shedding tears of joy. Ram continued as Marta held her arm around her, "YOU'RE ALIVE! YOU'RE REALLY ALIVE! IT'S A MIRACLE!" Marta could only keep a smile as Ram continued, "I'm so glad you're okay! I thought I was going to lose you!"
"Hey..." Marta told her in a comforting tone, "Don't worry. I'll never leave you behind." Marta then looked to her side with curiosity, seeing the doctor that Ram talked to come out of the room.
"How are you feeling, Marta?" the doctor asked.
"Oh, I'm feeling great!" said Marta before rubbing her head and looking down awkwardly. "My head still kinda hurts...." She looked back to the doctor with a smile. "But I feel just fine!"
"I'm glad to hear that..." said the doctor with a pleasant smile before looking to Ram. "Your friend Marta will be alright now, Ram." Looking back to Marta, she continued, "All she has to do is fill out her paperwork to leave."
"Man! I just got out of a coma and I already have work to do!" playfully joked Marta, making herself and them laugh.
A little while later, after Marta filled out all of her paperwork, a brown bear nurse with short black hair at the front desk placed them in some folders. With a pleasant smile, that nurse said, "Thank you, Marta! And have a great day!"
"Thanks! You too!" said Marta, leaving with Ram and waving goodbye to the nurse before they would walk through the door, exiting the hospital.
"I'm glad you're alright, Marta!" said Ram.
"Oh, yeah! Me too!" Marta replied. She grew a determined look and continued, "But we've still got some unfinished business!"
"Really?" puzzled Ram. "What's that?"
Marta remained momentarily silent before growing a displeased expression. "We're going to make Tiane pay!"
***
As for Mr. and Mrs. Grey, they continued their search around the city, still calling out Marta's name.
Mr. Grey eventually looked down with depression and said, "Oh, let's face it... we'll never find her."
"I wouldn't say that!" said an all-too familiar voice to their ears.
"That voice..." puzzled Mr. Grey with widened eyes.
"It couldn't be..." puzzled Mrs. Grey, also with widened eyes.
The two turned around with shock to find... "MARTA!" exclaimed Mr. Grey with joy. "I don't believe it...!"
"It's you!" exclaimed Mrs. Grey, running with Mr. Grey over to their daughter and Ram. "It's really you!"
Looking to them both, Marta happily said, "Yup! It's me!"
"Oh, Marta!" said Mr. Grey with relief, hugging Marta while Mrs. Grey laughed with joy. "I thought we'd never find you!"
Marta patted his back and said, "Well, looks like you thought wrong because... here I am!"
"Uh...?" puzzled Mrs. Grey. "Marta, why are you covered in bandages?"
With a stern look, Marta told her mother, "Well, that's... kind of what I wanted to tell you about."
"That jerk, Tiane!" said Ram. "She beat up Marta on the way home from school and left her in an alley!"
Mr. and Mrs. Grey both became shocked.
"SHE DID WHAT?!" exclaimed Mrs. Grey.
"THAT MONSTER!" said Mr. Grey. "WHO WOULD EVEN THINK OF TREATING THEIR OWN FAMILY THAT WAY?!"
"It looks like I wasn't the only one who got hurt..." said Marta, noticing Mr. Grey. "What happened to your nose? It seems a bit sore...."
"It was that no good Tiane!" said Mr. Grey, clenching his fists. "She kicked me in the face and slapped your mother!"
"SHE DID WHAT?!" exclaimed Marta before clenching her fists with a long groan. "Man... that tears it! We're going to take her down!"
Ram and Mr. and Mrs. Grey all grew shocked.
"WHAT?!" exclaimed Mr. Grey. "ALL OF US?!"
"But she's too strong!" exclaimed Mrs. Grey.
Ram, losing her shock, said sternly, "I don't care..." much to Marta and her parents looking at her with puzzle. "I personally have a bone to pick with that bully. She made me stand by and watch my best friend get nearly beaten to death! I don't care how strong she is; she's going down!"
Marta nodded with a determined expression and added, "And we're going to make sure of it; all of us." She looked to her mother and said, "Right, Mom...?"
Mrs. Grey, though still seemingly doubtful, nodded in reply.
"Right, Dad?" said Marta, looking to her father who nodded in reply as well. Marta looked to Ram and said, "Well, alright then! Let's go beat up that bully!"
"Right!" said Ram and Mr. and Mrs. Grey, all with determined faces.
***
Back at Marta's home, Tiane was in the bathroom. She picked up a plastic cup, drew some water from the faucet and drank some before looking in the mirror with a mean smile. She laughed and said, "Man! My parents are so weak! I can do whatever I want! Ha!"
***
As for me, back in Righteous Korrigan, we made it to school by around seven forty a.m. I stood in my fifth grade line, talking to Xandra and her groupies again. Herbertia, after our conversation last night, knew that I was her faithful boyfriend who would only treat Xandra as a friend and nothing more.
"Wow... you seem pleasant," said 1098 to Herbertia, noticing she wasn't bothered by me and Xandra anymore.
Herbertia nodded with a smile and said, "Mhm! I know Ikjot loves me too much to let that Xandra take him away from me. I have nothing to worry about anymore so long as I trust my boyfriend!"
"I'm glad to hear that..." said 1098, also with a smile; but deep down, she still had worry. She knew that what I was doing to Herbertia was... wrong. And she looked my way with furrowed brows.
"Hi, there!" said Ilana, approaching Herbertia with her groupies.
"Oh, hi Ilana!" said Herbertia with a pleasant smile.
"Wow..." happily said Ilana.
"You seem rather happy today," said Xiomara to Herbertia.
Herbertia said, "Let's just say..." before looking at me in the distance, "that I couldn't be happier...."
As for me, Xandra and some of her groupies, we continued to talk. I said, "So, anyway, I came across this guy on the internet before who was just going around being a troll! I mean, I couldn't even reason with this guy about his actions. The only thing he knew how to do was throw insults at people!"
"Wow, what a loser!" laughed Xandra, as did her groupies. "Oh!" said Xandra. "I forgot to introduce you to my bestie!" She pulled Helena by the arm and said, "Meet Helena!"
I knew who this was. I also knew that this was Xandra's younger sister—but I wasn't going to reveal that knowledge I had. I simply acted as though I wasn't some dude from the future who already knew her and said, "Nice to meet you, Helena!"
We shook hands as Helena replied, "Nice to meet you, Ikjot!"
"She's my little sis!" said Xandra.
I said, "Oh! Well then..." and I was shaking Helena's hand again, "nice to meet you, little sis of Xandra!" And I laughed, as did all of us. But I wondered about something.... I asked Xandra, "Wait! Is she really your younger sister, or is that just a metaphor for her being your bestie?"
Xandra said, "Nah! It's just a metaphor.... OF COURSE SHE'S REALLY MY YOUNGER SISTER!"
"Oh!" I said in shock, thinking she was angry. I scratched the back of my head and said, "Uh... sorry...."
Xandra laughed and said, "I'm just messing around! I'm not mad at you! You're cool!"
"Wow, thanks!" I said. "You're cool too! But hey! Let's face it, you're probably even cooler than me!" Truthfully, she was. I remembered from the past that Wynfred told me Xandra was the highest of the cool in their fifth grade class.
"Oh, stop!" said Xandra with a shy smile.
And then... it hit me! To score points with Xandra, I had to start complimenting her! I had to be flirtatious! I said, "No, really! I mean, you're just the kind of person that I look up to." I playfully warned, "You're influencing me...."
Indeed... but maybe influencing him a little 'too' well. Ikjot, you'd better be careful....
Meanwhile, Marta, her mother and father, and Ram, are headed back to their home to put Tiane in her place. Can they do it?
And what about Vicky and Vanessa? Is there any refuge for them under the tyranny of Derick and Mike?
As for the two agents, they stand across the street of Ikjot's school, still waiting for the right time to make their move....
"He still has a way with the ladies I see," teased the second agent. "Let's see how he fares with what's really in store for him."
"Right," said the first agent, nodding with a smirk.
What do they have planned for Ikjot? Will his friends be able to save him? Stay tuned for more Something....
***
In the next chapter of Something... Marta, along with her family and Ram, have challenged Tiane to a full-on throw down! And Tiane's so ruthless that she's even willing to hit her own parents!
Tiane snickered and kicked her mother in the stomach before grabbing her by the hair and preparing to punch her. "Take this, mom!" said Tiane.
And back in Righteous Korrigan, Orabel has a bone of her own to pick with Xandra! Hey, Ikjot! Do ya think you could play mediator here and stop all this squabbling?!
Herbertia sat on the bed, doing her homework. She said, "Man, school bites...!"
You could say that again, Herbertia! Don't miss the drama... next Something!
***
Something11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0of63XV6Zu
711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy0rkfs2Fvh
Ikjot Stops a Fight
***
♪ Yes, I didn't talk to anyone. ♪11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡliPEHSxguK
♪ I was made fun of by everyone. ♪11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡccxAcWaKAv
♪ It's something I wish could be undone. ♪11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbzPH1uYU3G
♪ She asked me. I wish I'd had respond. ♪11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPidarHO6VW
♪ But hear me out: We're all worth being loved! ♪11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6s6hMkACGh
♪ Please hear me out: We're all worth being loved! ♪11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgsCC0TW39g
♪ I'm crying out: We're all worth being loved! ♪11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO7LfJQwjRf
♪ I have no doubt we're all worth being loved! ♪
♪ Please, I beg you all, let's become friends! ♪11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr07SuGEt7v
♪ Let's not judge each other by what's been! ♪11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVckYEOD87X
♪ It was years ago! It came and went! ♪11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgOoOlBujpL
♪ That's a past chapter! New one begins! ♪
***
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All Rights Reserved.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9PXwIE4jGp
