A/N: Whoo, second story! I really felt the need to make someone for Twister, and someone as high energy as he is seemed like the obvious fit. But, my other OC is definitely not as high energy (and she's already paired off, sooo...). Enjoy, and please review! 3
"Hey, there, Rocket Girl! How's my best mate been?" A girl shouted, waving to Reggie. Our small group turned and saw a girl with long brown hair in two braids walking towards us, a big suitcase in tow.
"Janey! It's so good to see you again! How was the trip?" Reggie Rocket asked as she pulled her friend into a big hug that was reciprocated with enthusiasm.
"Ugh, you know how those long plane rides are. Total torture. I'm gonna be feeling the jet lag for a few days," Janey replied, flipping her two braids back over her shoulders. I couldn't help but stare. She had a set of brown goggles around her neck, which I thought was pretty interesting. She was wearing black skinny jeans that were torn up, a black tank top under a red plaid button up shirt and red high top converse. Man, she was pretty.
"And this is Twister. Twist, this is Janey. Remember two years ago when I went to Australia for a few months? I was staying with her family. Now she's come to Ocean Shores, how cool is that?" Reggie gushed. The girl turned to me and grinned. Her smile was so dazzling, I could have sworn I saw my own reflection in her teeth. She extended her right hand.
"Put 'er there, mate. It's nice to be on solid ground again," she laughed suddenly, retracting her hand after we shook. "But I guess we won't be standing on it for long, huh? Gotta drive back to the ol' homestead, right?" She looked at Reggie and smiled, tugging on her suitcase.
"Yeah, we better not waste any more time. Raymundo will freak if we keep the Jeep out any longer. So, how does Australia compare to New Zealand?" Otto asked, twirling the car keys in his hand and heading towards the door.
On the drive back to Ocean Shores, Janey told us a lot of stories about Australia and a few stories of the trouble she and Reggie got in there.
"Oh, there was one time I thought it'd be hilarious to steal an ostrich egg!" Janey howled, smacking her palm against her knee. "Oh, god, I'm glad you stuck close to the gate because there was no way I was getting us both out. And all those trees were a god send! They usually don't have that many, but those people are crazy about trees. Remember, Reg? I don't think I ever heard you scream as loud as when that ostrich charged around!"
Reggie laughed and then sighed. "Yeah, I remember. Thankfully you can't get into that kind of trouble in Ocean Shores, though. I don't know if Ray could handle it!"
"So, do you do stuff like that often?" I inquired, leaning back in my seat. Janey was situated between Squid and I and our knees kept touching. I hoped no one noticed that I was blushing.
She turned her head to look at me and grinned. "As often as I can. I'm a thrill seeker. I've got that high octane crazy blood pumping through my veins," she howled as she stretched her arms out, her forearms facing up to the sky and her palms and fingers as open as she could get them. I put a hand on my hat to keep it from flying away and watched how Janey's hair flew around in the wind in sharp wisps.
"Okay, crazy girl," Reggie snorted from the front seat, turning around to face us. "Skating and surfing is great here, and you can parkour, but tone it down a bit. If you question a jump, just don't do it, okay? I'm really worried about you ending up in the hospital. This isn't like Sydney."
"Yeah, I can see that. It's a cute town, though. And, ooh, cute boys," She turned in her seat to stare down a couple of boys on the side walk, waving. I felt a spike of jealousy run into my stomach. She turned back around and looked at the Squid with concern. "Squid, you've been awfully quiet. Car sick, mate?"
"Ugh, yeah. Otto's driving always makes me a bit queasy, but I'll be fine in a bit," Squid replied, putting a hand on his stomach.
"You're questioning my driving? Well, we'll see about that…" Otto challenged, speeding up.
"OTTO! If you do anything to Dad's new car, he's going to destroy you!" Reggie shrieked, holding onto the brake bar for dear life. I glanced at Janey and saw fear flash in her eyes before exhilaration took over. She threw her fist in the air and started laughing again. It was contagious and I started laughing just as hard.
"Guys, this isn't funny! It's so far from safe, and you're only encouraging him to make me sicker," Squid cried, bringing his feet up onto the seat to curl up.
"Aww, poor Squid. Alright, Otto, that's enough, mate," Janey giggled, putting a hand on Squid's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. I wondered briefly how it felt.
"Seriously, Otto, Sam's right. Slow down! You're going to hit someone, and a car does more damage than a skate board!" Reggie shouted at my best friend. Otto grumbled and took his foot off the gas, slowing the Jeep down. A few minutes later, we pulled up to the Rocket house. Janey jumped out of the back of the Jeep and helped Squid out of the vehicle.
"You alright, mate?" She asked, holding onto his elbows to balance him.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Queasy, but that's nothing sitting down for a while won't fix," he replied, moving his hands to his stomach before dropping them to his sides. He smiled down at Janey and thanked her for checking on him. She nodded and stepped behind the vehicle to gather her bag, but I'd already grabbed it for her.
"Oy, you don't have to do that. I mean, the sentiment is sweet, but I coulda gotten it just fine," she said as she stepped closer, smiling up at me.
I smiled back, feeling butterflies rise up in my stomach. What was this girl doing to me? "It was no problem. I mean, you were just helping the Squid out, so I figured I'd help you out. Besides, you had a long flight. Just trying to be useful." She looked down and swiped her tongue over her lips.
"Thanks, mate. I do appreciate it," she looked up again, still smiling and went to grab her bag from me, our hands touching slightly. My skin felt tingly where her hands were and I cracked my fingers, looking for a distraction from the feeling.
"There's the gang! Hi, Janey. Welcome to Ocean Shores," Ray bellowed from the front door of the Rocket house hold, stepping outside.
"Hey, Mr. Rocket! It's great to finally be here! Beautiful city you've got here, even more spectacular than the photos Reggie has been sending me," Janey said as she followed Reggie to the house. Once they were out of ear shot, Otto nudged me in the rib with his elbow.
"Hey! What was that for?" I exclaimed, nudging him back.
"You know what it's for. You're practically drooling over Janey," Otto replied, crossing his arms. I grumbled something about not doing that and then sighed.
"Alright, I think she's cute, okay? And not just in a physical way. She's got so much energy. She reminds me of-"
"Yourself?" Squid interrupted, cleaning his glasses on his yellow button down shirt. He raised an eyebrow as I glared at him. "Don't look at me like that. You know I'm right."
"Geez, when did the Squid get so sassy? Anyway, it doesn't matter. It couldn't possibly last, so why bother?" I whined, kicking at the ground.
"You're one to complain about Squid being sassy, when'd you get so whiny? Man, this girl has you wound up in a new way. Don't sweat it, bro, she's just a girl," Otto scoffed, starting to head to the house.
Sam put a hand on my shoulder and I heard him exhale through his nose. "I may not know a lot about girls, but I do know human psychology and subtle reactions. I wouldn't totally give up on her, Twist. C'mon, I think Reg said Raymundo is making salmon for dinner, and we're definitely invited." He smiled at me and gave me a soft push towards the house. I smiled a little and followed suit, feeling the butterflies come back.