So this idea for a one-shot has been floating in my head for a while, and I thought it's time I put it up. To those following The Unraveling, I'll update soon, I PROMISE (same goes for Retroville Chronicles, Pre-School, and Alice is Dead).
Disclaimer: I do not own Rugrats/All Grown Up.
The dark-haired, Asian thrill-seeker known as Kimi Finster slammed the front door of her home behind her. A few of the paintings on the wall shook from the soft but effective vibrations of the door being slammed. Kimi was not happy about today's events, and wasn't thrilled about her brother Chuckie's decision with that harlot. Not when they made the official announcement in school. Not when they sat together on the bus. And certainly not now where the two of them, having come home earlier than her, were undoubtedly in his room making out like there was no tomorrow. Kimi groaned as she made her way upstairs, mentally preparing herself for hearing God-knows-what. Instead, she stopped briefly when she saw Angelica walking out of Chuckie's room and into the bathroom across the hall. Probably applying more make-up or something. Kimi took this opportunity to knock on her brother's door while he was still alone.
"You know you don't have to knock," said Chuckie.
He showed a little surprise when Kimi opened the door, and Kimi showed it just the same. Not that she had never seen her brother without her shirt off when they went swimming or something, but with Angelica having just been in his room, Kimi could only imagine what he would be doing without his shirt. Actually, she would rather not.
"Oh, sorry, Kimi," said Chuckie, briefly putting his purple T-shirt back on his body, "I thought you were Angelica."
"So she doesn't have to knock, but I do?" asked Kimi.
"Well, yeah, at least when I'm…you know, almost half-naked," replied Chuckie.
"Super," groaned Kimi.
Chuckie could detect a slight hint of annoyance in her voice, but decided not to think much of it.
"So, were you at the gym when Angelica and I…you know," asked Chuckie.
"I didn't have to be," replied Kimi, a little calmer now, "Word spreads fast around school."
"I know, right?" Chuckie said while laughing, "You should have seen people's reactions. Who'd have thought Angelica and I would ever be dating?"
"I didn't," replied Kimi, returning back to her bitter demeanor.
"Apparently neither did Tommy," said Chuckie, "He practically fainted when he heard us say it. Phil and Lil kept pinching each other to see if they were dreaming. Even Savannah seemed happy for us, though I guess that might be because she won't have to worry about Angelica taking Sean anymore."
"Pity," scoffed Kimi.
Now Chuckie knew something was bugging Kimi.
"Something wrong, Kimi?" asked Chuckie.
"In all honesty?" asked Kimi, "This."
Chuckie could tell what Kimi meant by "this". He didn't like where the conversation was going.
"You mean me dating Angelica?" asked Chuckie.
"Yes," replied Kimi, "She's trouble, Chuckie. You of all people should know this. Even before our parents married, she was always bossing you and the others around."
"True, but we were babies back then," said Chuckie in Angelica's defense.
"It didn't even stop for years!" exclaimed Kimi, "This is the girl whose sole purpose in life is to make life suck for everyone else around her!"
"Okay, so she's definitely a tough nut," admitted Chuckie, unable to deny that Angelica frequently did so in the past, "but she's also playfully ragged on us without any animosity. Isn't that what friends do?"
"Friend?" asked Kimi, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow, "Angelica? Who made you think she was my friend?"
"She did," replied Chuckie, referring of course to Angelica.
"Angelica thinks I'm her friend?" asked Kimi mockingly, "I always knew she was too self-centered for her own good."
"It's not like that, Kimi," said Chuckie, "I don't know if you've noticed, but she's gotten nicer over time. Especially over the past few months."
"You're making it sound like I should be happy the two of you are in a relationship," said Kimi, "But I'm not."
Kimi paused and turned to face the wall as she spoke, not wanting her brother to see the pain in her eyes or the tears starting to form.
"I hate her, Chuckie," she said, "She's no good for you. People don't just change overnight."
"It wasn't an overnight thing," added Chuckie, "And neither was my feelings for her."
"So you're going to completely forget how she treated us like crap over the years?" asked Kimi, on the verge of yelling, "You're just gonna let her off scot free?"
"It's not just me, Kimi," said Chuckie, "She's been talking to her cousins more often without hitting them. And she hasn't said anything about Phil's hygiene problems."
Kimi forced herself a smile, saying, "Well Lil does enough complaining about that."
"I dunno," Chuckie sighed, "With Angelica being nicer to everybody…I guess I'm just disappointed you still hate her. I was really hoping the three of us could be one big happy family."
Chuckie wasn't the only one who was disappointed. Angelica had only been washing her face due to lipstick being smeared on her cheek and had only spent about a minute in the bathroom. When she was approaching Chuckie's door, she saw it was closed and heard Chuckie talking to his sister on the inside. Leaning her back against the wall, she heard the entire conversation, from Chuckie's explanation of how they publicly announced their relationship to Kimi stating her bitter resentment towards her. The old Angelica would have been a bitch and gotten in Kimi's face about it. But she wasn't the old Angelica anymore. She couldn't be. Not if she wanted to keep the person she loved most.
It wasn't just for Chuckie, either. Angelica genuinely liked Kimi as an individual, not just as her new boyfriend's sister. She liked how Kimi was never afraid of expressing herself. No one else would dare wear knee-socks with plaid skirts and still have the guts to not care what others thought. She was also naturally adventurous and very creative. Part of that charm must have rubbed off on Chuckie. Yet to hear Kimi openly express her hatred of her broke her heart. She thought she was finally winning back the respect and natural friendship of those she had mistreated in years past. Apparently, Kimi didn't share those sentiments.
"Can I just say something else, Kimi?" asked Chuckie.
Kimi looked at her brother and nodded.
"You remember that school trip we all took to the Grand Canyon a year back?" asked Chuckie, "And how when we split up by grade, you had slipped on the trail and everyone thought you fell down to the bottom? Well, I had known you just scraped your knee from falling on a rock only a few feet down. But when everyone else heard about it, they all started getting worried…but especially Angelica. You should have seen how she panicked after hearing that news and running over to where it happened to make sure you were still alive."
"Of course I remember that," said Kimi, lifting up her skirt to show her brother where she had been scraped, "That scar is still fading, remember? But why are you bringing that up?"
"She likes you, Kimi," said Chuckie, "And I could tell she did after she fell to the ground in shock. When I asked her what was wrong, she said she was worried sick that you might have been taken from us before your time. She said she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she couldn't make amends with all of us. Especially the two of us."
"She didn't act that way when I came back up alive and well," remarked Kimi.
"She was still trying to adjust to being the nice, normal Angelica I love today," said Chuckie.
Kimi didn't say much. She wasn't entirely sure she'd be as concerned for Angelica if their places had been switched. She had done too much to her brother to feel anything positive for her.
"Look, Kimi, I know it's weird for you, not to mention unpleasant," said Chuckie, "But I really think whatever you're holding against Angelica…you should let it go. Believe me, Angelica knows how it feels to hold grudges. If there's any truth to what she told me about it, it's that not letting go of that kind of animosity can really damage a person on the inside…and the people that love them."
"I just…" said Kimi, taking a deep breath, "I just don't want to see you getting hurt by her again."
"I trust her not to," said Chuckie.
Angelica smiled at Chuckie's faith in her. At least he had forgiven her. As did her cousins and the others. She just wished Kimi's forgiveness was easier to win.
"She's trouble, Chuckie."
"This is the girl whose sole purpose in life is to make life suck for everyone else around her!"
"Angelica thinks I'm her friend? I always knew she was too self-centered for her own good, Chuckie."
"People don't just change overnight."
"I hate her, Chuckie."
"I hate her."
"I hate her."
Angelica shut her eyes in thought and reflected on the hurtful words she had just heard through the walls of the Finster home. Maybe one day, she thought, Kimi could see me as a friend as well.
So I'm used to having several characters in one scenario in order to create better dialogue. Having it limited to two characters was a little tough, so hopefully I did all right.