Izzy Or Isn't He?
BxB Version
"You're running for what?" Phil DeVille asked in confusion.
"Safety Commissioner," Chuckie Finster told him again.
"You've got my vote, Chuck," Shenzi Tuck smiled at Chuckie, twirling one of the loose strands of her black hair that fell out of her loose, high ponytail. She and the redhead were best, very close friends. They had even been mistaken for a couple by a lot of the students, and a few of the teachers; That's how close they are.
"Thanks Shen," Chuckie smiled back at her.
While they were just friends, and they were both a bit young for romance, he thought she looked beautiful, no not that, breathtaking, in her black and white dress that was inspired by The Haunted Mansion in the Disney parks. She also had black sneakers that almost reached her knees with white laces, small black hoop earrings in her pointy ears, a white extension in her long bangs, which covered her left eye, and a big, black bow in her hair, just above the black ponytail band. Heck, in his eyes, she was breathtaking in any outfit, even if it was just lounge pants, a t-shirt, and slipper boots with a messy bun or ponytail. She didn't even wear makeup, as she was too young for it, but he felt that she would never need it; She had natural beauty.
Everything about her was breathtaking; Her flawless, purplish-grey skin, her flowing, ebony hair that reached her lower shoulders, her cute kissable cheeks (on her face!), and how her thick, black eyeglasses framed her sparkling blue and green eyes, although the blue one was hidden. Her smile was beautiful too, even with her braces. He thought that until they came out, her braces made her smile all the more cute.
"And why are you doing this?" Lil DeVille asked Chuckie, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"Well, I think this school could use my safety skills," Chuckie said as he struggled to open his locker, "And I'm pretty sure I have a high chance of winning. The only other candidate is Amelia something, the quietest girl in school. Nobody here knows who she even is." His locker suddenly swung open, and Phil was hit by it, and he bumped into Lil as Shenzi jumped back. "S-sorry, guys. Hopefully I can prevent this kind of accident if I win." He took out his books, and shut his locker. Shenzi gasped a bit, and her eyes widened when it was unintentionally shut on Tommy's thumb. She went and tried to open the locker, not noticing that an equally oblivious Chuckie was walking away.
Later at lunch, the group were at one table together, with Shenzi and Chuckie sitting closer than the others. Although at the time, Chuckie was standing on the bench, showing posters. "Vote for Finster. A safe bet!" He quoted the first one, which showed him in a light blue dress shirt, a green tie, and bizarre square glasses, with an Ace of Hearts playing card in one hand.
"It's kinda creepy," Lil remarked.
"And this is me as Safety Boy!" Chuckie held up the next poster.
"You really want to advertise the fact that you own tights?" Phil asked him, his voice deprived of enthusiasm as Shenzi stifled giggles. The poster showed Chuckie in a super hero suit, with red sleeves and legs, a yellow belt, and a blue middle with "SB" on the front in yellow letters. Chuckie looked at them unamusedly, before he revealed the third. It showed him in a green army uniform, pointing straight ahead with a determined smile. "Chuckie Finster Wants To Protect You!" was under in all capital letters. His name was in green letters, while the rest were in orange.
Shenzi smiled upon seeing it. "I like it," Lil said after quoting the poster.
Chuckie looked surprised when Tommy gave him a thumbs-up, with a bandaged appendage. "What happened to you?"
Shenzi rolled her eyes while smiling. "Chuck, you shut your locker on his thumb."
"Really?" He looked even more surprised, "S-sorry, T."
"It's all good. Just an injury."
"Would I lie to you, Iz?" Dil walked up to them, looking up next to him as if he was walking with somebody, "This school is great! You'll love it here!"
"Tommy? Who's your brother talking to?" Lil asked Tommy cautiously, and he just shrugged in response.
"Hey!" Phil exclaimed when Dil shoved him aside.
"Makin' room for Izzy."
"Who?" Shenzi raised an eyebrow, although her hair concealed it, after she glanced at his left.
"My new friend," Dil told her.
"Oh, your imaginary friend?" Tommy asked him.
"Yep," The younger boy nodded.
"How're you doin', Iz?" Tommy held out his hand for "Izzy" to shake. "How's life?" Silence. "I'm right there with ya."
The twins then decided to play along. "Oh, thank you, Izzy," Lil smiled, "I didn't know I was having a good hair day." Shenzi watched in disbelief, along with Chuckie. "You want to hang out at the mall later?" Silence answered her.
"Oh, he can't," Phil chimed in, "He's shootin' hoops with us. Right Iz?" Shenzi and Chuckie glanced at each other; They were silently debating on changing tables. "What? Lil's breath smells like feet? Oh Izzy, that's just harsh." Lil playfully nudged his elbow with hers, before they and Tommy walked away, bidding "Izzy" goodbye.
"Uh..." Shenzi drew out.
"Little advice, Dil," Chuckie said to Dil, "Having an imaginary friend afer a certain age is something you'll want to keep to yourself."
"I'm down with that, Safety Boy," Dil assured them as Chuckie rolled up his poster, "I stopped the imaginary friend thing when I was like, 8." Shenzi's eyebrows raised up for a second in surprise. "Izzy is my imaginary alien friend."
Shenzi was tempted to ask what the difference was, but along with Chuckie, she stayed silent.
Later, Shenzi was helping Chuckie put up his posters around the school. They planned on handing out button pins too, that had "Vote for Chuckie" on them. "Hey Chuck?" She looked down at him from her sitting place on his shoulders.
"Yeah?" He held onto her legs, just under her knees as she taped the top corners of one poster on the wall.
"Am I the only one who was... weirded out by "Izzy", and our friends pretending "he's" real?" She wondered aloud, using air quotes.
"Well, I do admit that it was strange, but they were probably just playing along for Dil's sake," He theorized.
"That is possible," She shrugged, before pressing a strip of tape to the wall, "Okay, this one's up."
"Can we take a break?" Chuckie requested, "I feel like I'm going to become a hunchback. It's not you, it's my minimal strength."
"Okay, we can start handing out buttons and smaller posters now." When he knelt down, she carefully jumped on the floor. Hand-in-hand, they started wandering the halls and overall school area, handing out the advertisements for him. And as you could expect, they were referred to as a couple, with some students even thinking that they were running together, despite the fact that she wasn't mentioned anywhere on the ads.
After a short amount of time, they headed for the basketball court, where they saw Sean's team had just scored against Tommy's. For some reason, Sean was high-fiving with the air. They stopped at a group of girls giggling at the teams.
"The name's Finster, and I'm running for..." Chuckie started introducing himself, but was cut off.
"Sean's team scored again! Thanks to Izzy!" One of the girls swooned.
"What?" Shenzi raised her eyebrows in confusion. She and Chuckie witnessed Sean's team chanting for the "alien", before they were pushed to the side.
"Move out of the way, geeks! We can't see Izzy!"
"Who can?!" Chuckie exclaimed. He then walked away with Shenzi while the popular girls joined the chanting.
"Okay now, it's getting just plain crazy," She remarked, "Seriously? "We can't see Izzy!"" She mocked, "He's not even real!"
"Yep," He agreed. He blushed when she laid on his shoulder as they walked.
The next day, Shenzi and Chuckie were sitting together in study hall, which was being watched over by Mr. Pangborn. Chuckie was in the seat to the left, and Shenzi was in the middle with the seat to her right being empty. Today, she was in a baggy Jack and Sally "True Love" Tsum Tsums raglan tee, a black cropped tank top under it, black punk shorts, black Converse low-tops with purple laces, a purple extension, and black bow earrings. Even though her shorts were actually meant for boys, Chuckie thought they looked like they were made for her. She seemed to make anything look perfect and beautiful.
"I like your shirt," He whispered to her with a smile.
"Thanks," She smiled back up at him, keeping her voice down as well, "It's from the Disney Store."
"Hey, you lovebirds! Keep it down!" Mr. Pangborn snapped at them, making them flinch and immediately shut up.
As they started writing notes, a girl they didn't know behind them tapped Chuckie's shoulder. When he looked back, and Shenzi looked up at him, the girl gave him a card. He looked, and saw that it was invitation for a birthday party. "Nice," Shenzi smiled at him, keeping her voice down, "You got an invite."
Chuckie turned to look behind his back at the other girl. "I'd love to go to your party. Can I bring a...?" He stopped when she shook her head, and pointed to the empty seat. "Let me guess," He said as Shenzi rolled her eyes, "It's for Izzy." He slid the card to the empty seat, but Mr. Pangborn was suddenly at their desk. Needless to say, they were busted for "passing notes" in study hall; Shenzi, Chuckie, and "Izzy" were all put in detention! Chuckie threw his hands to the side in exasperation as Shenzi face-planted on the desk, her hair concealing her face and some of her note paper.
At lunch later that day, the two friends were still stressed about their punishment. Tommy tried to calm them down, but his effort was in vain. "How can we?!" Shenzi exclaimed.
"The election's on Monday, and I'll be spending my last available campaign hours in detention!" Chuckie vented, "All because of Dil's dumb imaginary friend!" Shenzi crossed her arms.
"Imaginary "alien" friend?" Phil and Lil corrected them, and the emo girl shot a menacing glare at them.
"Who happens to have feelings. Hello!" Dil glared at Chuckie, wearing a green and yellow jester hat.
Just then, one of the girls from the basketball court walked up to their table. "Is Izzy free for lunch tomorrow?" Shenzi had to bite her lip to keep from saying something regrettable.
Dil checked a schedule in his notebook. "He's booked until 2 weeks from Friday." The girl frowned sadly, before she walked away. Shenzi let her head sink in her hands, smushing her cheeks up as another girl asked Tommy for his address, so she could invite Izzy to her bat mitzvah. She just couldn't believe it; Since when were figments of imagination the most popular in schools?
Chuckie looked and saw that the address was written on the back of a small poster by him, as if it was just scrap paper. "See what I mean? Ever since Izzy happened, no one's paying attention to the Safety Commissioner race." The emo girl crossed her arms again, while facing the twins.
"No Chuckie, ever since the dawn of time, no one's paid attention to that race," Lil corrected him.
"Why are you so freaked? You can still win!" Tommy assured him, "I don't even know who this Amelia is."
"If she walked up to me and loogied on my shoes, I wouldn't recognize her," Phil added.
And sure enough, Amelia came to their table. To their surprise, she looked a lot like Lil; They could've been cousins! She meekly introduced herself as Amelia Carnes, being the "only suitable choice" for Safety Commissioner, as she set a book on the table. She then started walking along the cafeteria, handing out copies. Tommy grabbed the book, and looked at the pages. "What? Is it about me?" Chuckie fearfully asked him, "Is it bad?"
"Looks like quiet little Amelia published your medical records, including x-rays, and the latest breaking stitch count: 123!"
Shenzi squirmed at the last one; The thought of getting stitched up like a rag doll, and needles in general, made her uneasy. "That's not bad," Chuckie shrugged. "That's real, REAL bad!" He yelled.
"Amelia doesn't look like the sabotaging type," Lil remarked.
"You know what they say about the quiet ones," Phil said, "Silent, but deadly."
Chuckie gulped nervously, with his hand on his neck for a second. "I say you sabotage her back," Shenzi suggested, "She can't, and won't get away with this."
"No," Chuckie shook his head, "No matter how bad it gets, I'm going to run a clean race!"
"Alright," Shenzi nodded, "But I still say she won't get away with exposing your medical records."
Later, Chuckie marched down the halls, on his way to science class with confidence. Shenzi was in math, so she wasn't with him. His posters were on all the lockers, but a new one made him stop dead in his tracks. "Eh?" He looked, and saw the poster, which was covering one of his. To his confusion, it read "Izzy for Safety Comish" in all capitals.
"Izzy for Safety Comish!" A girl cheered, "Vote for Izzy!"
Chuckie looked in his left hand, and strangely, he was suddenly holding a red "Vote for Izzy" button pin. "NO-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O!" He screamed in terror.
"He's what?!" Shenzi exclaimed, after Chuckie told her what happened on their way to the bus.
"Somebody entered Izzy in the race for Safety Commissioner!" Chuckie hid his face in his hands. "I'm toast."
"You'll be alright. And... this probably won't mean much, but you still have my vote," She assured him, "Nothing, not even some dumb nonexistent alien, can change that." She kissed his cheek, effectively surprising him.
"Thanks Shen," He smiled timidly.
After doing their homework, the group went to hang out at the Java Lava, where Kimi was working. "Would somebody please explain how this Izzy thing got so out of control?!" Chuckie exclaimed after finishing a smoothie. Kimi had tried to put a second straw in it after giving it to him, but he and Shenzi stopped her.
"Stop stressing," Kimi gently told him, "Sooner or later, the kids will come to their senses, and not vote for someone who doesn't exist."
"I'm almost afraid to ask, but who are you guys voting for?" Chuckie asked them, "And if it's Izzy, do me a favor: Lie."
"You," Tommy and Kimi said simultaneously. Shenzi didn't have to say anything, however.
"Including me, that's three votes," He said, "And with Shen's vote, that's four. Not too shabby."
"Oh, and don't forget Phil and Lil," Tommy pointed out. Chuckie walked up to the DeVille twins, as they were playing a computer game together. Shenzi watched him from the counter, wishing him luck. "Guys? Just checking to make sure I got your votes."
"Can't talk! Kind of in the middle of a game here!" Lil exclaimed. But seconds later, the screen said "Game Over" and repeated the phrase, so the twins turned around in their seats with nervous grins.
"Ohh," Chuckie moaned when he saw the "Vote for Izzy" pins on their jackets. A baffled Shenzi jumped down on the floor, and joined her best friend for support.
"Sorry Chuckie," Lil apologized, as the emo girl crossed her arms, "I just don't think you'd make a very good Safety Comish."
"Why not?"
"Remember when you forgot to install brakes in your go-kart, and caused a 13-car pileup?"
"Or the time you freed my leech collection? Into the town pool?" Phil chimed in. Shenzi looked surprised, but held her ground.
"Or the time you wheelbarrowed me into an open sewer?"
"Those were all accidents!" Chuckie exclaimed, as his best friend nodded in agreement. "So, you'd rather have an imaginary Safety Commissioner than a real one?" He paused for a second. "If that real one is me?!"
The twins stayed silent, before Phil spoke up. "Let me put it this way: If I wanted to pursue a career in ice dancing, I'd hope you'd be a good enough friend to stop me."
Chuckie didn't say anything; He went to sit on an empty stool, but stopped himself. "Izzy's not sitting there, is he?" He mockingly asked, as Shenzi put her hands on her hips.
"Don't be ridiculous," Lil laughed; Chuckie sat in the stool, as Shenzi glared at the twins.
"Izzy's at a baseball game," Phil added.
Chuckie groaned and face-planted on the keyboard in front of them. Shenzi laid on his shoulder as the computer started saying "Game Over" repeatedly.
Shenzi came back home, feeling more disbelief than she ever felt. At least in her house, there was no "Izzy" to ruin it. Even thinking of the name itself made her angry. She hoped that Kimi was right, that the kids would come to their senses before the race; If not, then they're going to deeply regret voting for someone who didn't even exist. She vowed to stay out of that nonsense, and stick with her best friend throughout it all, no matter what. He would be a much better Safety Commissioner than you-know-who in her opinion. For one thing, Chuckie was real! And even though he wasn't perfect, he was still a very good choice for the job. She would support him through thick and thin until the next race.
She slumped on a chair in the kitchen, her hands on her cheeks. "You okay?" She looked up, and saw Friar Tuck sitting in front of her.
"Y-yeah," She pushed her glasses up, "It's just been an... annoying day at school, and the Java Lava."
"What happened?" She then explained about the Safety Commissioner race, and the whole "Izzy" situation, getting a bad taste in her mouth from saying the name. "The kids are voting for someone who doesn't even exist?"
"Yep," She nodded, "It's gotten way out of control, but I'm staying out of that stupid bandwagon. I'm sticking with my best friend."
"Good for you," Friar Tuck smiled at her, and she timidly smiled back.
"Hey sis," Frankie greeted her from the walkway, "Why so glum?"
"Oh, just the Safety Commissioner race."
"You're running?"
"No," She shook her head, "But Chuckie is; He's the best one for the job, in my opinion, and I'm afraid he'll lose because of this I..." She stopped when she saw the dreaded "Vote For Izzy" pin on Frankie's shirt. "You too?!" She stood up angrily, slamming her hands on the table, "Are you kidding me?! What is wrong with everybody in school?! Have they lost their minds?!"
She ran upstairs in a fit of rage, and slammed her bedroom door shut. As she sat against the door with her knees to her chest, she had her hands in her hair and breathed deeply, trying to let her anger out. She felt like she didn't know her school anymore; It was as if the students were brainwashed. Were they in Wonderland? Why was the whole school playing along with all this nonsense? She just hoped it would stop before the Safety Commissioner race; If you-know-who wins the position, she just might kill somebody.
The next day, she and Chuckie were sitting next to each other, with Dil to Chuckie's right, in the cafeteria. Shenzi blushed at Chuckie's outfit; In her eyes, he looked so handsome in his green floral button-up t-shirt, yellow undershirt, brown belt, blue jeans, and lighter blue sneakers. She felt kind of plain in her black plaid-trimmed tutu skirt, grey cropped t-shirt with a light pink v-neckline and white cactus, classic Converse high-tops, a pastel pink extension, and black bow earrings.
"Where's Izzy?" Tommy asked Dil, as he sat in front of him. Shenzi's blood boiled at the name.
"Izzy's so busy, even I have to book him in advance," Dil replied.
"Dil, you're cool if Izzy hangs with me and my friends in Boca this summer, right?" A girl asked him, "He's afraid to ask you." Dil, Chuckie, and Shenzi all groaned simultaneously, for different reasons. Although Shenzi's was the same as Chuckie's.
Chuckie then stood up with lunch tray. "I am relocating to Izzy-free territory," He announced with a dignified tone.
"Me too," Shenzi said. And with that, they walked to another table, and sat next to each other.
Chuckie was surprised to see Amelia a short distance away, to his right. Shenzi secretly squinted her eyes after seeing her. "Oh, I didn't even see you."
"Happens all the time," She assured him.
"When you think about it, we're in the same boat, with a hole in it," Chuckie said to Amelia, "That's filling up with water, and likely to sink."
"Mm, not quite."
The redhead looked at her in surprise. "Even though you're resorting to dirty politics, I run a clean race," Chuckie continued, "We're both up against the same all-powerful, and nonexistent, 800-pound gorilla named Izzy."
"I may be quiet, but I'm not dumb," Amelia said, "I saw the writing on the wall; There's no way I can win. So I dropped out." She then stood up, and grabbed her books. "But I am giving my endorsement to Izzy." Chuckie gasped in shock when there was a red "Vote for Izzy" sticker on one of the books.
He then snapped. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE?!" He screamed, before face-planting on the table, his hands bunched into fists. A now nervous Amelia walked away from the table. Chuckie looked up, and saw everyone in the cafeteria staring at him, including his and Shenzi's friends. His best friend was hiding her face as well.
He then decided to do what he should have done a long time ago; He stood up on the bench and made his move. "As long as I have your attention, I'd like to bring something to your... attention. Now that the race for Safety Commissioner is down to the wire, it's time someone tells it like it is. Or isn't." Shenzi smiled as she watched and listened to him. "Did you know, the one called Izzy isn't listed in our school roster? Shocking! I know. But there's more!" Shenzi nodded in agreement. "This Izzy person isn't listed in the phone book, doesn't live in town, and for the record... DOESN'T EVEN EXIST!" He finished with a scream that practically echoed off the walls. He and his best friend watched for their reactions, but they weren't what they were hoping for.
"Boo!" The students yelled. Shenzi gasped and watched in horror, as Chuckie was unfairly pelted with food. She stood up, leapt on the other bench, and smacked and kicked the food away from him, not caring a bit about panty shots, but since she was only one person, there was only so much that she could prevent. A boy threw a hamburger, but it was too high and fast for her to reach, so it splattered on Chuckie's face. While shielding himself, he ran out of the cafeteria.
"Chuckie!" A deeply concerned Shenzi ran after him, but stopped at the doors when he ran in the hall. Now she really wanted to kill somebody. She slowly turned around, and gave all of the cafeteria occupants a very menacing glare, making the weaker students cower a bit. "Okay, that's it; I've had enough of this." She stomped back up to the table, passing by the others.
"Shenzi, what're you doing?" Tommy asked her.
"I'm doing what you guys should be doing!" She retorted angrily.
"Shen..." Dil started, but was cut off.
"You be quiet!" She snarled, getting in his face, "Your stupid "alien" is the cause of this whole mess!" She then made it to the table, and stood up on it. "Okay, everyone!" Nobody listened to her. "Everyone!" Nothing. "Hey! I...!" She then took a deep breath. "SHUT UP!" She screamed as loud as she could, finally getting their attention as her voice echoed off the walls. "You all have lost your minds!" She began a speech, now more angry than she ever had been, "For a Safety Commissioner, you're picking an imaginary alien over a real, human being?! What has possessed your minds into doing such a thing?! Have you ever seen Izzy?! If not, how do you know he's there?! Oh that's right, he's NOT THERE! You can't SEE him! You can't FEEL him! You can't HEAR him! HE DOESN'T EVEN EXIST!" She screamed to finish at the top of her lungs.
After a few seconds of silence, she received the same reaction as Chuckie: She was booed at, and pelted by food. When a carton of milk hit her face, she wiped the milk off and avoided letting it run into her mouth, since she's lactose entolerant. After she was hit with the top half of a hamburger, so the condiments were in her hair, she finally jumped on the floor, and ran out of the cafeteria. "Chuckie!" She worriedly called out for her best friend; The condiments started dripping on her left arm and shoulder. A splatter of mustard was on her pink extension. A big spot of ketchup was on her shirt; She hoped it wouldn't stain. There was ketchup on her left cheek as well, under her bangs and glasses. Appropriately, she was seeing red; Now, she was more angry than she ever had been in her entire life. "Chuckie! Where are you?"
When she came by her locker, she heard breathing from the one at the left end of the row. She looked, and saw Chuckie sitting with his knees to his chest. He looked worse than she did; He had milk in his hair, effectively drenching it, and on his forehead, ketchup in his bangs, and a splatter of mixed ketchup and mustard on his right cheek. Milk and all sorts of condiments were on his arms. His shirt and pants were covered in ketchup, mustard, pickles, milk, and who knows what else. "You okay, Chuck?" She softly asked him, while standing in front of him.
"Y-yeah, I guess," He looked up, and was shocked to see her. "What happened to you?"
"I, I openly defended you, so I was booed at and bombed with food," She explained, sitting next to him.
"You didn't have to defend me," He told her.
"But I did," She quietly retorted, "You're my best friend. If I can't defend you, what can I do?"
"You didn't do anything wrong."
"Neither did you!" She suddenly exclaimed, surprising him, "You were putting some sense in those morons' heads! And yet, you're covered in more food than I am!" She then calmed down. "But... I'm staying out of that loony bandwagon. I'm still voting for you." She gently pulled him into a comforting embrace. "And I always will."
Chuckie returned the hug, with his arms around her neck and shoulders. "Thanks, Shen." She absentmindedly laid her head on his chest and shoulder, so his face was very close to her hair. He didn't mind, though; He loved the green apple scent of the shampoo and conditioner she always used. But now, it smelled a bit more like... something else. "Your hair smells like burgers," He mumbled.
"Oh," She muttered timidly.
"It's okay, it's not your fault," He assured her, "And besides, I like the smell of burgers," He smiled.
"Oh, okay," She giggled. "Why don't we go clean up, and hang out at the library until lunch is over? I'm not that hungry anymore, anyway. We can have lunch at the mall after school, where hopefully there's no... you-know-who."
"Okay," He nodded. He smirked when she grabbed the pickles from herself, and ate them without hesitation. She reached for him, but looked reluctant. "Go ahead, I don't mind."
"Thanks," She giggled as she took the pickles off of him, and ate them up. And with that, they headed for the bathroom; Shenzi hesitated when they were heading for the boys' bathroom, but Chuckie assured her that she would be fine. She trusted him, so she followed him in. She was a bit intrigued, yet weirded out by the urinals. Using water from the sink, and toilet paper from the stalls, they cleaned themselves up. She pouted sadly when her shirt was left with a big, vague, red stain on the front. She had scrubbed it as hard as she could, but it wasn't changing.
"Sorry about your shirt." Chuckie said.
"No, don't be," She shook her head, "It wasn't your fault. I'm sure it'll come out with one run in the washer. I'm more worried about your shirt, though; It's worse than mine." After grabbing a bundle of TP, she got it wet, and started scrubbing Chuckie's green shirt with it. He stiffened up a bit, but let her work. Before long, a vague stain was left on it.
"Ah," He groaned upon seeing it, "Hopefully Mom and Dad won't ask me about this. I'll just have it washed in the machine tonight. I'll change before we go to the mall today."
"Sounds like a plan," She agreed, trying to scrub the mustard out of her pink extension, "Boy, I hope this comes out. I only have one in this color."
"It looks like it is," Chuckie remarked, and before long, he was proven correct.
"Oh, thank goodness," She sighed in relief. With that done, they were all cleaned up, more or less. "So, off to the library?"
"Yeah," Chuckie nodded. And with that, they headed for their destination.
Soon, after a while of avoiding their friends, courtesy of Shenzi, and riots, it was time to go home. In the bus, the two friends sat near the back by themselves. Shenzi gave any of their offenders a death glare if they passed by. As the bus drove along the roads, she laid on his shoulder. They decided to do their homework together before they got home, so they'd have more time to hang out. They were teased by a bigger boy for it, but Lou saw it from the rearview mirror, and made him knock it off.
By the time the bus stopped at Chuckie's house, they had barely finished their science work. "We can finish these at home," Chuckie said.
"Yeah," Shenzi agreed.
At home, she finished her science homework, and told her dad and sister that she and Chuckie were going to the mall to hang out together, and that Chaz would pick her up. With privacy, she stripped out of her tarnished shirt, and dropped it in her hamper. She then settled on a black and red Harajuku cat hoodie; It looked like it had layered sleeves, with the short ones being black, and the long being red. The long, skirt-like hem was red as well, and on the front was a white cat skull/crossbones with a black eye patch and a red diamond distressed print. "Okay Dad, Frankie, I'll be at the mall if you need me!" She called out when the Finster family car drove up.
"Have fun, sis!"
The emo girl walked out on the porch, and down the sidewalk to where the car was. She opened the door, and sat in the back seat next to Chuckie. "Hey Chuck," She smiled at him, "How'd it go with your science homework?"
"Okay," He shrugged, "Why is that stuff so dang hard?"
"I wish I knew," She replied, "Um, d-do you still have Kimi's vote in the race?"
"As far as I know."
"Good," She nodded, "At least your sister's supportive of you. Frankie apparently joined the cuckoo crowd."
"Figures," He frowned.
"Well, it's their loss," She smiled, "I'm sticking with you, Finster." She kissed his cheek.
"Th-thanks Shen," He timidly smiled back.
"I heard about this Izzy character from Kimi, and I think it's a bunch of nonsense, a figment of imagination in an official election race," Chaz remarked from the driver's seat, "Shenzi, I'm glad you're supporting my son in the election."
"Well, it's my pleasure, Mr. Finster," Shenzi shrugged timidly, "Uh, I mean, Chaz." He and Kira had insisted that she called them by their first names; They thought it was the "least they could do for their future daughter-in-law." "I'm voting for my best friend for life." She leaned on Chuckie's shoulder, laying her right hand on his chest as well. He blushed when her hair's apple scent entered his nose again.
"You kids look very nice together," Chaz smiled when he saw them from the rearview window, "I can see you getting married to each other in the future." The two friends blushed at the last statement. Shenzi did have dreams and fantasies about dating Chuckie, but she never thought they would come true. Plus they had such an amazing friendship, and they didn't want it ruined in any way. "Here's your stop." Shenzi snapped out if her thoughts when Chaz spoke up again. "You kids have fun. But not too much fun," He winked teasingly at them.
"Dad," Chuckie groaned in embarrassment, as Shenzi's blush deepened. The two friends exited the vehicle, and headed for the Big Mall entrance hand-in-hand as Chaz drove away. "What should we do first?"
"Well, I'm getting kind of hungry, so how about lunch first?" She suggested.
"Okay," He nodded; After getting their hamburgers, Chuckie's simply having no onions or tomatoes, and Shenzi's having no onions or tomatoes, and extra pickles, they sat at a small table with two chairs across from each other. "So, do you think this whole... you-know-what will come to a stop before the election?"
"I hope so," She replied, eating the pickles separately, one by one. "Those pinheads are going to regret voting for a figment of imagination for an important job such as Safety Commissioner. And no matter what happens, even if I get pressured by the other students to vote for you-know-who, I'm sticking with you, for life."
"Thanks Shen," He smiled timidly.
"Here's your Oreo shake, kids," One of the employees at the burger stand placed a tall cup between them, "Sorry for your wait."
"It's fine," Chuckie said as the employee walked back to his post. He then turned to Shenzi. "Aren't you lactose intolerant? As in, dairy is a no-no?"
"Yeah," She shrugged, "But I brought these." She took a portable box of Lactaids out of her purse. Just before taking one with a sip of Coke, she stuck a spoon in the shake. "After you." The two friends took turns scooping spoonfuls out of the cold, but tasty treat, and it was gone before long. After they were finished with all of their food, they sat in a waiting area outside one of the mall anchors to let their meals digest properly. Instead of talking about you-know-who, they just chatted about their lives, and what they saw on TV recently. They had almost forgotten about he-who-shall-not-be-mentioned as they hung out together.
Later, they met up with their friends at Chuckie's house. Shenzi felt sourness at Tommy, Dil, and the DeVille twins, but kept it to herself. The Goofs and Zimmeruskis were too intimidated by her menacing glares to be with her, but she didn't care. They weren't supportive of her best friend like she was anyway.
"It's not like we can take Izzy down," Kimi pointed out.
"Surprise, surprise; You can't even touch him," Shenzi grumbled, but was unnoticed.
"So we'll leave my speech as is, and I won't even mention the imaginary jerk," Chuckie decided, so Shenzi, Kimi, and Tommy nodded in agreement. Then, Phil and Lil walked up to the group. "You guys are voting for me now?" Chuckie smiled with hope, as Shenzi put her hands on her hips.
"No," Lil replied, "We're just here for moral support."
Chuckie and Shenzi stayed silent, the former from disappointment and the latter from disbelief, before Chaz spoke up from the front door. "Chuckie Finster! I think we all know these chores don't do themselves!"
"Back in a few, guys." Chuckie walked up to the lawn mower.
"You sure you know how to work that thing?" Tommy cautiously asked him.
"It's just like a bike with a steering wheel," Chuckie assured him and the others, "And an engine..." He started feeling uneasy. "And hundreds of sharp rotating blades." Suddenly, the mower started, and although he was nervous, he was under control. "If I'm elected, then I promise that after the hallways have been mopped, they will be inclined!" He yelled over the noise with confidence. "What's my next line?!"
"Chuckie! Look out!" Shenzi yelled to him, along with the others' shouts of warning, when he started going too close to the edge of the lawn. She ran after him when he lost control, and was driving the mower in random directions. Before long, he was driving through other peoples' lawns, but she was still close on his trail.
At the Pickles residence, Dil was laying on a towel in the grass under an umbrella, with another towel to his left. He looked up, and saw the redhead driving towards him. "Chuckie! Watch out!" Dil shouted when he stood up. Chuckie swerved, and accidentally ran over the vacant towel, before he finally stopped in a small rose bush.
"Are you okay, Chuckie?" Shenzi finally caught up with her best friend, and laid her small hands on his shoulders.
"I'm fine, just still a little shaky," Chuckie replied; They turned to Tommy, Kimi, and the twins, and were confused at their expressions. "Why does everyone look so freaked?" He asked them, "The roses aren't wrecked; Just a little bent."
"Yeah, they're alright," Shenzi chimed in, but the others stayed silent, as Dil now had tears in his eyes.
"Chuckie," He wiped his eyes, "You just ran over Izzy!"
"Why didn't you watch where you were going?!" Lil exclaimed with tears falling.
"I knew you couldn't be trusted with heavy machinery!" Phil glared.
"Hey, I'd like to see you drive that thing!" Shenzi glared back at him, but Chuckie held her back to prevent anymore kills.
"Come on, you guys, don't you think you're being a little hard on Chuckie?" Tommy asked them.
"A little?" Shenzi crossed her arms.
"Chuckie?! What about Izzy?!" Dil cried with the torn-up towel in his hands. "Goodbye, Iz; We hardly knew ye." He then ran in the house with the towel held to his chest, with Phil and Lil going after him.
Tommy looked, and saw Chuckie looking guilty, while Shenzi looked neutral; Almost annoyed. "I'd better check on Dil." He walked in the house after his brother and the twins.
The redhead and the emo turned to Kimi, who looked sad. "I just want to be alone right now." She then walked away, leaving the two friends alone.
"Why's everyone mad at me?" Chuckie wondered aloud, "All I did was ruin a stupid towel!"
"Don't worry Chuck, I could never be mad at you," Shenzi assured him.
"Thanks Shen," He smiled, "At least one of my friends is still sticking with me. Let's head to my place."
"Okay." And they did just that; When they arrived, Chaz was assembling a puzzle, although all the pieces were in the wrong places, in a frame.
"Everyone's mad at me over something that's not even real," Chuckie vented, as he and Shenzi sat on the couch, "I don't get it."
"Well, that's odd. If memory serves, you once had an imaginary friend too, and he seemed real to you, just like Izzy seemed real to Dil, your friends, and every kid within the tri-state area," Chaz remarked.
"I was a baby," Chuckie pointed out.
"There's no age limit on imagination, son." The young redhead sat straight up, with his best friend next to him. "Oh, this one's going on the wall."
"Nice..." Chuckie smiled, before he saw the box, "... horse." On the box, it showed that the puzzle pieces were supposed to assemble into a picture of a boat. He then decided to change the subject. "So, what should I do about this Izzy thing?"
"Well, I think you should apologize to Dil," Chaz replied after making sure the frame was perfectly set.
"I think that's a good idea," Shenzi chimed in timidly, "I mean, although Izzy stole your chances of winning the election, Dil should at least know that you feel bad for what happened." She ignored the disgust in her mouth from saying the figment's name.
"Y-yeah, I agree; Come on Shen, let's go." Hand-in-hand, the two headed back to the Pickles house. When they arrived at the front door, Chuckie rang the doorbell. Shenzi pushed her anger aside for until they were done.
"Oh, you know you don't have to ring the bell," Didi Pickles kindly greeted them after opening the door.
"In light of recent circumstances, it's best to be cautious," Chuckie said as he and Shenzi walked in the house. But then, Justin Rogers and Sean walked up to the door.
"I had my mom make this mac n' cheese casserole," Sean told Didi, as Shenzi and Chuckie hid behind the door, "Izzy's favorite." He held out a plate, while Justin held out a bowl, and Didi took them in the house. "Izzy and we were tight." They left as Didi set the bowl and plate on a table by the door.
"And even though I don't believe the hype, I know you do," Chuckie said to Dil, as Shenzi stayed quiet. She didn't want to say anything regrettable when Dil was hurt. The two looked to the door when the bell rang. "And I'm really..." He was cut off by ringing again. "Really...really... sorry," He finally finished, and the bell rang yet again. "Truth is, I had an imaginary friend when I was younger. A lot younger than you are, but some kids mature faster than others. I hope you can forgive me."
"I'm not mad at you, Chuckie," Dil assured him.
"You're not?" Chuckie was surprised at this.
"You're not?" Shenzi smiled.
"No. It was an accident, after all. And kids are starting to get over it." Dil was cut off by the bell ringing for what seemed like the twentieth time that day.
He opened the door, and a girl gave him a plate of mac n' cheese casserole while choking up. "I miss him so much!" She cried, before running off after Dil took the plate. After closing the door with his foot, he set the plate on the table, which was now almost full of bowls or plates of the casserole.
Soon enough, it was the day when the election would take place. As Shenzi changed into a black and grey jersey raglan shirt, blue tie-dye skinny jeans, black knee-high, lace-up canvas boots, black cross stud earrings, and a navy blue extension, she prayed for a miracle; That Chuckie wouldn't get harrassments or glares at school. At the outdoor lunch area, she walked along the sidewalk with Chuckie and Tommy, and just as she feared, students were glaring at poor Chuckie. "Nice going, Finster," One girl spit at him.
"Thanks for ruining our fun," Another girl said angrily.
Shenzi gave death glares to them, before the trio were stopped by an angry Amelia. "You did it on purpose, so you can win!"
"It was an accident!" Chuckie retorted.
"In that case, you lost all credibility as potential Safety Commissioner!"
"You watch it, Carnes!" Shenzi glared menacingly.
"I liked you better when you were quiet," Tommy glared, before he guided Chuckie and a furious Shenzi away.
"She does have a point," Chuckie remarked.
"She's got no point!" Shenzi exclaimed.
"I'd like us all to take a moment of silence," Pangborn announced with a megaphone in the area, as the trio sat in the grass. "To honor our beloved Izzy. May he rest... in pieces." He then entered one of the buildings.
"I think I'll take my moment inside my locker," Chuckie decided. When they walked along the halls, the redhead was horrified to see that one of his posters was torn down, in what looked to be in a harsh way.
"Oh man!" Tommy exclaimed.
"D-don't worry Chuck, we'll have new posters up by lunch," Shenzi tried to cheer up her best friend, "And this time, you'll be on my shoulders."
"I'm dropping out of the race," Chuckie headed for his locker despondently.
"What?!" Shenzi exclaimed, as he sat in his locker, "You can't! You're the only candidate! You can't lose!"
"Sure I can," Chuckie glared at her and Tommy with a slight mocking tone in his words, "Izzy's still on the ballot! And how pathetic would it be if I got beat by an imaginary alien friend, who really, really doesn't exist?" Before Shenzi and Tommy could respond, he closed his locker door.
"Chuckie," She tried to open it, but the redhead held it shut; She pulled even harder, but Tommy caught her when her hands slipped and she fell back. "What'll we do for him? We can't let him drop out of the race."
"Hmm... I think I have an idea."
"Is this gonna work?" Phil wondered aloud as he kicked a white ball to Tommy.
"We've gotta do something to help Chuckie," The purple-haired boy replied, "Heads up, Poncho!"
"Over here, Izzy's cousin Poncho!" Kimi, Lil, and two popular girls watched from a table, before the two girls walked away from Kimi and Lil angrily.
"Dudes, you should be ashamed," Sean picked up the ball, "It's like when my dad bought me a new goldfish... the day after the other one ran away. Uncool."
"This was your idea?" Shenzi crossed her arms at Tommy, "To create a whole new imaginary problem?"
"Now what'll we do?" Phil wondered aloud before her question was answered.
"There's only one person who can help." After giving Phil the ball, Tommy exited the area.
"I'm going to... check on Chuckie," Shenzi said awkwardly, before she headed for the building that contained the main hallway. When she arrived at his locker, she went to knock on its door, but stopped herself; It would've assaulted his ears, and he didn't exactly need that. "Um, Ch-Chuckie? You still in there?"
"Where else would I go?" She heard his sarcastic response, "If I come out, I might get bombed with food again. Or worse."
"It's just me; I'd never throw anything at you like that. And... I won't let that happen again. Why don't we go to um, the service in the auditorium?" The funeral was going to start just before the selecting of safety commissioner would be chosen.
Chuckie was silent for a second. "Okay." Shenzi stood back when he opened his locker door and stepped out, bending his back and legs a bit. "Jeez, lockers sure are hard on your joints."
"Yea," She nodded, before taking his hand. "Come on, let's go."
"Wait, before we go, I really need to use the bathroom."
"Okay," She stifled giggles, "We'll make a quick pit stop." After around a minute, he was refreshed and they headed for the packed auditorium, where they sat in the back row together.
"I, for one, miss Izzy something awful," Mr. Pangborn said in the microphone, "And I'd like to express it in poem." As he took out a small notebook, Shenzi blew her long bangs up in exasperation with an eye roll. "Never saw you, never will. Still I miss you, friend of Dil. I've had one regret to mention: Sorry I gave you detention!" He sobbed after finishing.
After he walked off stage, Dil took over. "Fellow students, we are here to honor our beloved amigo, and confidant, Izzy. Who is more to me than just..." He paused when he saw Chuckie looking guilty in his seat, with Shenzi's assuring hand on his shoulder. "A friend. Izzy was the best imaginary alien friend a kid could ask for. But that's just it; He wasn't real." His speech was being heard from intercoms all around the school, as students and teachers listened. "He was merely a figment of my imagination. The cold, hard facts, people, I faked it. There never was, never will be, an Izzy," He admitted.
"Well, duh," A preppy girl remarked from the audience.
"The truth!" A boy named Tyler cried out as he stood up, "It hurts! It hurts like nails!" He ran out of the auditorium as students, including Amelia and Fridge, watched him go.
"But if Izzy did exist, I think he'd want Chuckie Finster as our new Safety Commissioner." Chuckie was shocked, but let a happy smile grow, while Shenzi smiled with joy for him as well. She then hugged him from the side. "And with that, I leave you." He then walked away from the podium.
"We all know Izzy wasn't real," The prep said to her friend as the students remained in their seats, "But I liked having him around."
"And now I have to find a real date for the fall formal."
"Would it be uncool if to admit that I'm going to miss that imaginary freak?" Sean asked Justin.
"Way uncool," Justin replied.
"Good thing I didn't say it, then."
Chuckie walked up on the stage to make a speech, and a very special announcement. "Thanks for saving my butt, D," He smiled at Dil, before stopping at the podium. "Um, everyone, I uh, for my first act as Safety Commissioner, I just want to say that... I won't be able to protect this whole school by myself. So... I'll need a partner. Someone reliable, trustworthy; Someone who stuck by me through the whole race, despite everything that happened. Shenzi Tuck?" The said girl looked surprised at hearing her name. "Can you come up here, please?" She shyly did so, stopping next to the podium. "Shenzi Callie-Belle Tuck, will you be my partner?" He held the mic to her face for her response to be heard.
"Y-yes!" She smiled widely, "I will!" She jumped on him in a tight embrace, as the audience cheered. "And while I'm up here... I have an important question myself." She grabbed the mic again. "Chuckie Finster, will you be my date for the fall formal?" She gave him the mic.
"I will," He replied into it, resulting in more cheers as they shared another hug.
On Saturday evening, Chuckie patiently waited outside the gymnasium for his date. He was wearing a white dress shirt, dull brown jeans, brown loafers, a brown belt with a yellow buckle, and had his hair smoothed down. "Sorry I'm late, Chuckie!" Shenzi rushed up to him, wearing a black strapless dress with a pink satin leopard skirt, a black satin shrug, black Keds with pink laces, black rose earrings, a matching rose ring on her right hand, a pink extension, and a pink leopard heart necklace with a banner saying "Rock" in black and pink letters.
"It's okay, Shen," He assured her, "You look so pretty."
"Thanks," She blushed, "And you look very handsome. Although..." She reached up and ruffled his hair until it was wild again. "There; Perfect," She laughed with him.
"Let's get in there." As they danced to "Two Is Better Than One" playing on the stereo, Chuckie looked down at his date. "Hey Shenzi?"
"Yeah?" She smiled up at him.
"Thanks for sticking with me." Her smile grew.
"It was my pleasure," She kissed his cheek, "I would've been put at gunpoint, and I would've still supported you. And I'll be the best partner any safety commissioner's ever had."
"Thanks," He blushed shyly, "Um, this might be kind of sudden, but... do you want to get a taco or something at the mall tomorrow?"
"You mean like, on a date?"
"It can be if you want that."
"I'd love to." Just then, the song "Just The Way You Are" started playing. "This is a good song," She remarked, laying on his shoulder absentmindedly.
"It is," He agreed, his blush deepening. He became lost in his thoughts as he listened to the lyrics; It actually suited him and Shenzi. She had severe confidence issues, especially about her physical appearance, but he saw her as the prettiest girl in school. "When I see your face..." He absentmindedly started singing along to the slow part quietly, getting her attention, "There's not a thing that I would change. 'Cause you're amazing... just the way you are."
She blushed timidly at his wonderful singing talent. She straightened up, and to their surprise, their faces were only inches apart. They didn't know if it was the heat of the moment, but they were leaning towards each other; Before long, his lips were on hers in a sweet, but innocent kiss. They separated after a few seconds, oblivious to the fact that most, of not all, of the students had witnessed the romantic scene before them. "So um," He stammered, "Taco tomorrow, at uh, 2?"
"It's a date," She smiled, before planting her lips back on his.
(A/N: I hope you enjoyed this super-long oneshot fic! I had writers' block for this for who knows how long, but since I'm currently having writers' block for High School Daze, I thought I'd finish this. You know the disclaimer; The original episode and its characters don't belong to me. Neither do the songs, which are by Boys Like Girls ft. Taylor Swift, and Bruno Mars, respectively.)