First Date Jitters

by Shirley Ann Burton

Angie finally gets her first date with her boyfriend Victor Raven, but everything leading up to that special night and the night itself don't exactly turn out the way she wants...

1. Part 1

First Date Jitters
By: Shirley Ann Burton

This thing, as usual:
The Magician, and all other related material, are copyrighted by Gaumont Multimédia. Angela Jacobs, Victor Raven, Kendra Rayler, and any other names I could mention are my original characters. Nothing else needs to be said. Enjoy.

Part 1: Preplans with a Problem

As the sun was setting on another beautiful day in Electro City, a couple took a peaceful stroll around the path in Keaton Park.
Angela Jacobs and her boyfriend Victor Raven held hands as they walked through the park.
Victor finally broke the silence after almost five minutes. "Angie, are you doing okay?"
"Yeah, I am now…now that I understand about myself better after what happened in Washington. I let all that anger and pain build up for so long."
"Only because you were afraid you would lose everything," he reassured her. "You didn't, though. You still have all your friends, and me, too. I'll always be there for you."
Angie and Victor's relationship was a rather unique one, since Angie was busy being a magician and crimefighter while Victor was occupied with trying to start a horse-riding school and working part-time as security chief in his father's club and mall.
They had been through some unusual ordeals over the course of the past few months: Angie's sudden return to Mason City for an important parole hearing, Ace being poisoned by his identical double while having to fight Darlena Lowland, and of course, Angie herself being kidnapped and taken to Washington.
All these events did cause one little problem…the pair had not officially had their first date yet.
Angie then brought up the question. "Um, Victor, do you think we can finally have the first date we'd been planning for months?"
Victor looked at her and smiled. "I was hoping you would ask."
"Really?"
"Yes. I wanted to discuss that with you. How's your schedule?"
"Well, I have the performance with Ace on Thursday at the Ring, and then Mona's singing at the Croesus on Friday. After that, I'm wide open for about two weeks. Um, why?"
"Well, let's see…today's Monday. How would you like to have the first date a week from Saturday?"
"Are you serious?" Angie asked with a look of shock.
"Yes, I am. Where would you like to go?"
"Someplace I haven't tried."
"Ever eaten at the Planet Electric restaurant?"
"No, I haven't. In the time I've been here, I've never been there. I've only seen the exterior of it."
"Then, that'll be the perfect place to be on our first date."
Angie looked at him and smiled. "At last, we'll finally have our official 'first date.' But…this is all new to me. What do I do? How do I—"
"Hold it, Angie. Take it easy. It's apparent you need some help in how to get ready for the first date. Why not ask Mona? She could probably help prepare."
"Thanks, Victor. I really appreciate that. This is so different for me. I just hope I can do this right."
He held her chin to make her face him. "Angie, don't worry about doing anything right. Just be yourself. It's okay with me."
"I know, but I want to at least look beautiful."
"You already do," whispered Victor just before he kissed her on the lips.
Angie felt very warm by the kiss, as she understood how special her first true love really was. I hope this will work out between us. I love Victor…but I still wonder if we should be together.
Oh, come on, said her darker shadow in a joking manner, there's nothing more special than your first true love. You've got to give it…and yourself a chance. This is the first time in your life you've had something like this. I don't want you getting upset for no reason. Remember, you're healing right now.
Thanks. I'm glad you are part of my soul. At least I don't have to hide my feelings anymore.
Right. I hope nothing goes wrong on your first date, but I don't want to jinx it, either.
If something does go wrong, Angie thought jokingly, it won't be you I'll be mad at, believe me. I want to do this right, though.
Let Mona help with that. She's an expert in fashion. Just go for it, girl.
Count on it…and no more hiding my anger if something happens.
There you go. You're definitely on your way to healing.
The two let go, with Angie looking at him with a smile. "Victor, I really love you. I'm so grateful to you for opening my heart."
"Magic or no magic…you're still the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. Your true beauty comes from within, like your magic. Don't worry about anything. I'm gonna make sure our first date is an unforgettable one."
"Thanks, Victor. I'd better get home. Ace and I have a big practice tomorrow."
"May I escort you home, Miss Jacobs?"
"I would be honored, Mr. Raven."
The pair walked out of the park and took Victor's car back to the Magic Express without a problem.
As they came to the door, Victor gave Angie a good-night kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you later."
"Okay. Good night, Victor." She blew a kiss to him as he went to his car and drove away for the evening.
She then entered Ace Cooper's home, but it was also a home to her for the past 3 ½ years.
Ace himself waited patiently in the living room. "Hi, Angie. How did your walk go?"
"It went very well. In fact, we've finally decided that our first date will a week from this Saturday at the Planet Electric."
"That's wonderful!" he exclaimed happily. "I'm so glad you're going to have it. And, the timing is as perfect as it could be, since it's going to be between acts."
"Yeah…perfect," Angie said slowly.
Because of their shared power of the Magic Force, Ace could sense her anxiety. "Angie, what's the matter?"
"I…well, I'm new to this. I've never had a real date before, and I don't quite know what to do."
"I understand." He then stood up and patted her shoulder. "You want to make a good first impression, but then, you already did that when you first met Victor."
"Still, I'm a little nervous. How should I go about doing this?"
"Well, Mona and I are having a date this Saturday night."
Angie looked at him with shock. "No! I'm not going to create a problem between you and Mona! Last thing you need is for me to interfere!"
"Whoa, hold it, Angie. Take it easy. Let me finish what I was going to say…although, I'm glad you reacted the way you did."
"You are?"
"Yes. You didn't try to hide your anger this time."
She realized he was right. "Yeah, I didn't. And…for the first time, I admit I was feeling angry when you mentioned about your date with Mona because I thought you wanted me to come and ruin it."
"No, Angie. What I meant was that each date you have should be different, individualized. Each time you go out with him should be special. You shouldn't have two dates be the same like doing the same magic trick twice in a row."
"Oh, okay. I think I understand. Besides, I've never been in the Planet Electric."
"I have, and it wasn't fun the first time out. I was wrongly arrested."
Her eyes widened. "You!? You were arrested? For what?"
"Friedrichs thought I was trying to sabotage the place, so he had me arrested, jailed, and drugged every two hours to keep me from using any magic to escape."
"But, how did you clear yourself?"
"With help from Cosmo and DJ Mickus. They were able to find the evidence to prove my innocence. Needless to say, Friedrichs wasn't too happy when I was cleared. It meant I could still give him headaches."
"Which you have. Anyway, I'd better get some sleep, we have a long day tomorrow, and it all starts with you showing me how to control my powers when I get emotional."
"Right. Immediately after breakfast."
"Okay. Good night, Ace, and…thanks."
"No thanks are needed. Sleep well."
As soon as Angie went to bed, Ace went to the kitchen to make an important telephone call to his girlfriend Mona Malone.
There, Mona was ready to go to bed when she heard her phone ring. "Who could be calling at this hour?" She then answered the phone. "Hello?"
"Hi, Mona, it's me."
"Ace? It's not like you to call so late. Is something wrong?"
"Not really. You see, Angie and Victor are going to have their first date a week from Saturday. This is a whole new experience for her, and she needs some help in getting ready."
Mona was very delighted by this sudden situation. "The real first date? That's great! After my show on Friday night, is our date on Saturday night."
"Then, we'll assist Angie in getting ready for her first date."
"Sounds good. We'll rest on Sunday and get ready for it starting on Monday morning."
"Can it be after breakfast? I'm going to start teaching her some techniques on how to control her powers when she gets emotional, and that will certainly take a while. I'm starting that first thing in the morning, followed by about two hours of practice for our show on Thursday."
"No problem, Ace. I can't wait for next Monday. I'll be glad to help her get ready for this special night."
"Thanks, Mona. I owe you one."
"Oh?" she said sarcastically. "Okay, we'll discuss what you do owe me later."
Ace chuckled. "Okay, Mona, okay. I'd better let you go so we can all get some sleep."
"Thanks, Ace. And don't worry about Angie. We'll get her all set for her big night. Good night."
"Good night, Mona. I really appreciate this."
"No problem. Bye." She hung up the phone and calmly said, "Angie's going on her first date. She deserves something good after all the nightmares she's been through in the last seven to eight months."
Soon, everyone went to bed, with high expectations to come for the next day.

When the sun broke into Angie's room in the Express, she wanted to cover herself back up but knew right away there was work to do most of the day.
She got herself into her meditative position and spiritually communicated with her deceased parents.
In the mindscape, she found herself in the living room, looking at the dress she was to wear to the prom…the dress her parents had bought her. "It's really going to happen."
Her parents appeared soon enough, her mother on her left, her father on the other side of her.
"You seem excited about something," said her smiling father.
"I am, Dad. I'm going to have my…first date at last."
Nancy became elated by the news. "Honey, that's great news! You're going out with that nice gentleman Victor Raven?"
"That's right. The official first date will happen a week from Saturday at the Planet Electric restaurant. He's a really wonderful man, but I wonder if I really am right for him."
Robert cuddled her closely. "Angie, Victor is judging you for who you are, not by your celebrity status or your powers. He cares about the person you are: kindhearted, caring, and compassionate. You never like to see yourself as a superstar, and you don't like to use your powers everywhere."
"Speaking of powers," Nancy interjected, "What are you going to do about your powers when you get very emotional?"
"Ace said he's going to teach me some techniques about how to maintain control of my magic when my emotions aren't."
"I'm glad. We were so worried about you for a long time."
"I'm sorry about that, Mom. I was just scared I would lose everything if I got angry."
"Sweetie," said Robert, "anger really is a normal emotion. I've done it, Nancy's done it. Being angry about something is okay, but it's not okay when that anger turns violent."
"I know. That's why Ace is going to help me starting this morning."
Her father nodded in happiness. "Good. He has a better understanding of this situation than anyone else. He's the right person to help you out."
"I'm just glad I do have friends who care enough to help me in all this."
Nancy hugged her daughter with tears of joy in her eyes. "Angie, you'll always have friends. You don't have to face all your fears and problems alone. I'm just glad you finally understand that darkness is a part of all of us, no matter how people appear."
"I know. I've finally accepted my own darkness, which I hope can help me become a better person overall."
"Well, we know you have a long day coming up, so we'll let you wake up."
"Thanks, Mom." She then let her father join in the family hug. "I love you…both of you."
"We know, honey," said her father sincerely. "We love you, too, forever and always."
With that loving thought safely in her heart, she awakened from her meditation. "I'd better get started on breakfast. After all, we're gonna need a lot of energy to get through today."
She cooked eggs, French toast, lean bacon, and pancakes for herself and her friends. For Zina Angie made a special omelette filled with pieces of meat. She then called out to the supercomputer system known as Angel. "Please inform everyone breakfast is ready."
Angel then made an announcement over the intercom system. "All residents of the Magic Express please report to the kitchen. Breakfast is ready."
It only took the others 30 seconds to reach the kitchen, all quickly attracted by the wonderful smell of her food.
Everyone completed breakfast in 30 minutes and left nothing on any of the plates.
After completing the cleaning of the dishes, Cosmo went to his room to work on the technical aspects of the show on Thursday night while Ace, Angie, and Zina went to the practice room, where Angie would begin learning how to control her powers when she was angry or upset.
Ace and Angie sat across from each other in the room while Zina made her way to the side to lie down and watch them, being the caring panther she was.
"Okay, Angie," Ace said calmly. "You have finally allowed your own darkness to be a part of you. Now, I'm going to teach you some techniques on how to properly channel your anger into your magic to keep your powers under control. It's not going to be an easy process."
She nodded. "I understand, Ace. I want to take my time so I can learn how to control my magic at those emotional times."
"Good. Now, the first thing I want you to do is close your eyes and relax. Just breathe deeply."
Angie calmed herself further and started controlling her breathing to a point of stillness.
Ace then closed his own eyes to see inside her mind and her heart. "Angie, please tell me if there is anything else you have been angry about in your life."
"To tell you the truth…there's plenty for me to say."
"It's all right, Angie. Tell me everything. It will help you and your shadow get along."
"All right. Remember that boy Bobby Riggins?"
"The one who always picked on you and beaten you," Ace recalled. "Why? Is there anything else?"
"Yes, there is. He was always…jealous because I had a love of learning. What drove him to continue targeting me was my long-time friendship with Ashley."
"Because Ashley was wealthy and popular…you weren't supposed to be a part of it, were you?"
"No, I wasn't. Bobby was so determined that at one point he gave an ultimatum to Ashley: Dump me as a friend or lose her social standing."
Ace shook his head in subdued anger. "I can't believe he would go to such a low level."
"Ashley did tell him off, though. She said we were best friends for far too long, and nothing or nobody would ever break that. Then, he tried something in my senior year. He dared me to show up on prom night or be beaten up the following Monday."
"But…you couldn't go to prom night because your parents' funeral was that morning."
"That's right. When I showed up Monday morning, he was ready to beat me to a pulp, until Ashley and the principal showed up to protect me in the nick of time. Bobby was in so much trouble he wasn't allowed to come to graduation. I am still angry with him for all that trouble he caused." Her voice simmered with anger. "I want to get back at him so badly!"
Ace then looked at her. "Okay, Angie. Listen, you're doing fine. You're taking out your anger. Yell at me if you want. I don't want you to hold back. I want you to tell me how you're really feeling."
The moment her eyes opened, they glowed brightly in blue. "I am so angry right now! I must use my magic on something to take my anger out!"
"Okay, okay. Aim for the old trunk over there. I've been meaning to get rid of that thing anyway."
As soon as a hot blue light formed in her right hand, she literally threw that light at the trunk, disintegrating it in a matter of seconds.
When Ace saw what she did, he knew this was going to be a long process. "Angie, I can sense you're still a little angry, but you took most of it out on the trunk. It's definitely a good start for you."
Breathing heavily, she looked at Ace as her eyes reverted back to normal. "This is a good start?"
"Yes. The first step was to acknowledge how angry you were feeling and not try to bury it away like you did in the past. The first step is always the hardest."
"You're right. I don't feel I should be putting myself down because I did get angry. But, how will it help me control my powers?"
"It'll take time, but time and patience are allies, and you're not alone. We'll start by dealing with your anger first."
Angie smiled at her friend. "Thanks, Ace. I have to learn before understanding how darkness can be an ally."
"Yes, you do. However, you have that thirst for knowledge, which does make the task slightly easier for me. It's just having to control your emotions before your powers get out of control again."
"So, what's next?"
"I know Brad Fallon is someone you're still very much angry with because of his lack of remorse for his actions which resulted in your parents' fatal accident. Am I right?"
"Yes, you are. It's time I acknowledged that anger, too. I'm very angry with him, too. What should I do now?"
"Communicate with your darker self. Let it know you want to express your anger."
Closing her eyes once more, she made contact with her shadow. Shadow-self, can you hear me?
Yes, Angela, it replied. I can sense your anger, and the fact you want to recognize it instead of burying it away.
Is there a way I can channel my anger into my magic without losing control?
Yes…but this won't be easy. You're admitting you're angry right now, correct?
You bet I am. Please tell me what to do.
Slowly channel the anger into your power, and let the power flow slowly to your hands.
Angie could feel her power slowly growing with her directed resentment moving away from her heart. Soon, she was able to focus the angry energy into her hands, and they started glowing in blue light.
"I am angry," she whispered. "I admit that I am angry."
Ace nodded in support. "You're doing it, Angie. Concentrate your rage energy into a ball of light."
She got her hands closer together to create a blue light ball, one which started small but grew to basketball size.
"That's good, Angie. You're already getting the hang of it. Now, use that ball of light to—"
Suddenly, the ball flew away from her hands and exploded on impact against the wall.
Angie noticed it and said, "Oops. Looks like I'm still not anywhere close to being in control yet."
"It's okay, Angie," said Ace, patting her shoulder. "Remember, I had the same type of problems, too. It just takes time, patience, and practice. Speaking of which, we've got a show to rehearse for."
"You got it, pal," she responded with a smile. "I'm looking forward to the show on Thursday."
The practices for the days leading up to the show went very smoothly, as Angie herself felt so relieved about her own feelings, not concealing the darker feelings she had done in the past.

The big night came, and it was time for Ace and Angie to go on stage.
"Good luck, guys," said an enthusiastic Cosmo. "Knock 'em dead."
"Count on it, Cos," Angie said with a laugh. "Just not literally."
Ace and Angie came out from behind the curtain and heard the roars of the audience.
You ready, Angie?
Yes, I am. Let's give them a show to remember!
It started with some complex card tricks they had practiced doing for the last few weeks.
Then, it was time for something fun: another of Angie's very popular recipe tricks. The dish this time was not a dessert, but a main dish. "Tonight, I'm going to magically put together chicken con pollo, a dish my mother taught me to make."
Along came a chef-style counter with all her ingredients. She would make this from scratch, using the rice in the bowl, the chicken on the cutting board, and her own magic to heat the food. "I should tell you it took a really long time to get this thing right. My biggest concern was how it would taste at the end. I went through probably 15 test runs until it finally tasted just right. You see, my mother taught me one very important thing about cooking…a dish that looks good doesn't necessarily mean it's going to taste good."
Everyone in the audience shared a good laugh because it was true. Angie tested it with Ace and Cosmo over and over again until the chicken was tender and the rice sticky. After about 10 weeks, she had finally mastered the art of making the dish with her magic.
"Now, if you think I do this at home, I don't. I'm so used to two hands holding utensils, ingredients, the works. Believe me, I'm no Emeril Lagasse, so don't expect me to have a cooking show anytime soon."
As she quickly chopped the chicken and rinsed out the rice in a special bowl, she made sure she did everything the way she had practiced, intensely concentrating on mixing the ingredients. Magically, she made the blender work on the peppers. "Neat thing, this blender, isn't it?"
Again, a chuckle of laughter came from the audience.
"All right, this is it! Time to heat up all the ingredients together in one very special fireball!"
Cupping her hands together, Angie created a small but very intense fireball. "Now, I'm going to levitate all the made ingredients into the air and then throw the fireball right at it. Watch yourselves…this could be blinding."
Everyone, including Ace, braced themselves for what could be something a bit dangerous.
Angie focused on the chicken-and-rice combination, which soon started floating into the air. After a good twenty feet up, she quickly threw the fireball like a baseball pitcher throwing high heat.
When the fireball hit the mixture, it exploded in a spectacular display. Then, the completed dish fell down…right onto the plate.
"Now, if someone from the audience will come up here and taste the chicken con pollo…"
A woman in her mid-30s volunteered to walk onto the stage and try out the dish.
"Tell me what you think, and be completely honest."
One bite told the whole story. "Wow! This is fantastic! You're much better than a restaurant."
"Well, if you think this is good, just watch me do it at home."
Everyone laughed and applauded as another one of Angie's recipe tricks turned out very successful.
Then, Ace and Angie together performed their long-delayed grand finale trick, one which involved juggling fireballs to each other while levitating with a closing ring of fire around them.
The audience watched anxiously as they went higher while the ring of fire grew smaller around them.
When the ring literally touched them, they were both surrounded by the flames. However, they floated down safely to the ground with the fire dissipating into nothingness.
The audience roared with excitement and applause for the two magicians. They wished the audience good night and went behind the curtain again.
"That was so great!" Angie exclaimed.
Cosmo unquestionably agreed. "Yeah! Everything went perfect tonight, including the recipe trick! Man, this act just gets better and better all the time!"
"We're just like fine wine," she said. "We're getting better with age."
Ace rolled his eyes. "Angie…that was awful."
"Well, I never said I was good at puns and jokes."
"I know, I know. Now come on, let's go home. After all, we have to be at Mona's show tomorrow night at the Croesus."
Angie then became slightly worried. "Um, won't Jack throw us out?"
"Nah, he can't," answered Cosmo. "He knows Mona would eat him alive if he threw us out of her show."
"Ooooh, I see. All right, then, tomorrow night is set."

When they got home, Angel notified them of a message left for Angie from Victor.
She went to her room to call her boyfriend. "Hi, Victor. I got your message to call. What's up?"
"Nothing much. I saw your performance tonight on TV. I really loved that chicken con pollo recipe trick you pulled. That was absolutely amazing and very funny."
"Well, I think magic needs to be more than just the typical tricks. Add a little…spice into it in my own way."
"Still, it was a wonderful show you and Ace put on. Now, on to the details of our first date. I already called the Planet Electric, and our reservations are set for next Saturday night. I tell you, the longer I have to wait until next Saturday, the more insane I feel."
"I understand," Angie noted. "You should have seen me in my senior year of high school. I was so ecstatic about graduating, until my parents died."
"Angie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you bring this up."
"No, it's all right. I'm coming to terms with all my feelings, including my darker ones. I'm having trouble trying to keep my powers in check when I do get upset, though."
"Don't worry. You've got the best teacher you could possibly get. Just have patience, that's all."
"Yeah, you're right," she sighed. "It's going to take a lot of time and practice to control the magic when I am angry. I'm just worried I could accidentally hurt someone, maybe…you."
"Angie, I know you're facing some tough obstacles ahead of you, but nothing will stop me from loving you. If you mistakenly hurt me, I'll know it's not your fault. You're doing all you can to handle your emotions. I think it's better when you have friends helping you instead of trying to deal with it all by yourself."
The female magician smiled with a small tear coming down her face. "Victor…I don't know what to say, except I love you."
"I love you, too, Angela. No matter what happens, we'll see any problem through together."
"Yeah, I guess. Well, I've got to attend Mona's show tomorrow night."
"Me, I have class tomorrow night. I just need a few more weeks, and I can finally open up that school…with you as my first student."
"You'd do that for me?" she asked in surprise. "Thank you. Well, I need to get some sleep. Good night, Victor."
"Good night, Angie."
She then hung up the telephone and soon went to sleep peacefully.
Ace sat in the living room as he was able to sense her feelings but did not want to invade her private conversation by reading her thoughts. "Some things I don't need to know…she has a right to privacy. After all, she won't do that to me when I'm with Mona."
"Whatcha talkin' about, dude?" asked Cosmo.
"Angie and I can tell each other's thoughts and feelings, but we have this, I guess, inner agreement never to read each other's thoughts in our most intimate moments. She doesn't do it when Mona and I are together while I'll never do it with her and Victor. We'll only make telepathic contact with each other in emergency situations."
"I gotcha. The separate relationships get a little tougher with the strong bond you and Angie share. Speaking of Angie, how's she doing with trying to control her magic?"
"Cosmo, it's only been a few days since she started learning. She knows this won't be solved overnight. It's going to take a lot of patience, time, and practice. She's going to need all the help she can get. Now, we need to get some sleep ourselves, since Mona's expecting all of us tomorrow night."

The next evening at the Croesus Palace casino, Ace, Cosmo, and Angie went in, surprisingly with no incident by Spade or Diamond, Black Jack's two bodyguards.
"You and your friends can go in, Cooper," said a sarcastic Spade. "The special table in the front's waiting for you."
"Why, thank you, Spade," added Ace wryly. "Come on, everyone."
The three entered the nightclub area where Mona would perform and found their table.
"I can't wait to see what Mona's going to sing tonight," said Angie.
When Mona came out on stage, she said, "I'd like to dedicate my newest song to my friend Angela Jacobs. She's about to undertake something very special in her life for the first time…her first date."
Angie blushed in cherry red. Oh, boy, how embarrassing. I'd like to have my first date first. Now I'll have to face a media blitz, and I've never had one of those situations before. Reporters are gonna follow me everywhere! How am I going to get prepared for—
Relax, Angie, thought Ace, easily sensing her high anxiety. I've been through all this before. We'll make sure your first date is a peaceful one. No questions, no nothing.
How are you going to do that?
Don't worry, leave everything about your first date to Mona and me.
What about Victor, though?
I think his father Bob will make sure there's nothing to worry about on his end. Now relax…don't worry. We'll see to it your first date will be an unforgettable moment in your entire life.
Mona sang her song about the special moments involved in the first date, and Angie eventually calmed down, getting the scary thoughts of media pressure out of her mind temporarily.
After the performance, Mona joined Ace and the others at the table. "So, what did you all think?"
"I thought it was wonderful," Ace answered.
Angie shrugged and said, "It was nice, but…why did you have to tell the whole world I was going on my first date?"
"Well, I thought…you'd like that idea."
"I do like what you sang, but now I'm gonna have a media blitz all over me. How am I supposed to deal with this?"
Mona shook her head. "I guess I got so caught up writing this song, I forgot to ask you how you would feel about it. I wouldn't be surprised if you're a little angry with me."
"Yeah, I am a little angry. I figured my first date was going to be a peaceful one, but now that's all over thanks to this." Angie stood up and walked away from the table.
Mona was surprised by Angie's reaction. "I thought she would like the song."
"She would have liked it if you had just told her first. However, this is a good exercise."
"Good exercise? What do you mean by that?"
"I mean she's not hiding her anger. She's accepting the fact something has made her upset. She's not burying it this time."
Angie stepped outside and sat on a nearby staircase. "I can't believe she'd do that in front of everyone."
I can tell, said her darker self, you're really upset over this song.
"Yes, I am," she whispered angrily. "Now the whole world's going to know about my social life, my love life, my life period."
I know what you're talking about. With that announcement she made, you're going to end up in one thing you despise so much…the trashy tabloid papers.
"Right. Then, I'll have to sue them over and over again, and this stupid cycle's not gonna end!"
Angie looked at the full moon with anger still in her eyes. "Why? Why did she do this to me?"
"She thought she wrote a good song but didn't ask you about your own feelings," said an approaching Ace. "I don't blame you for being upset about it."
"I had to get out of there," she said. "If I didn't, I'd lose control of my magic again, just like earlier today with that picture frame."
"Hey, I have an idea…why not aim for the moon?"
"Aim for the moon? I don't get it."
"Channel the anger into your power and then blast it towards the moon. It won't get that far, but it'll help you release the anger."
"I guess. Okay, I'll try it." She stood up, clenched her right hand into a fist, and started focusing her anger into her power, which soon flowed to her right hand. The hand glowing in blue light, she flung her arm upward, releasing the anger in the form of a beam of light which flew harmlessly through the sky. "How's that?"
"Very good, Angie. You'll be able to get the magic under control soon enough."
"That's some good news. I only wish I wouldn't have to worry about all the scrutiny around my first date."
"Like I said to you telepathically, we'll figure things out."
Just then, Mona joined them. "Angie, listen…I'm really sorry about what happened. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."
"I know. I guess I was just shocked and surprised when you mentioned my first date. I forgot I'm no ordinary person anymore. I'm a celebrity and subjected to media scrutiny. I'm sorry for getting angry with you earlier."
"No, Angie. You were right to be angry. I should've talked to you first about the song before I did anything with it. Still friends?"
Angie gave Mona a comforting hug. "Of course we're still friends. Even the best of friends won't agree on everything."
"I know, but what will we do now? I've made problems for you."
Ace then said, "Maybe not. There may be a way to get Angie's first date to be the unforgettable experience without the tabloids finding out."
"I sure hope you're right, Ace," Angie noted in slight worry.
"Just trust me. Now, after everyone gets some rest over the weekend, we'll start working on getting you ready for next Saturday night."
"Thanks, Ace. You, too, Mona. I really appreciate what you're all doing to help me."
Everyone went home for the evening, all planning to relax for the entire weekend.
Of course, Angie had no idea what she would have to face in the next week leading up to her first date with her boyfriend…