The Parade
By angellwings
"Ooh! The parade!" Chip exclaimed excitedly as he plopped himself down in front of the Rocca's television.
"Parade?" Clare asked as she tilted her head to the right.
Chip patted the floor next to him, "Come watch with me! You'll love it!"
"What is it?" The blonde asked as she sat down next to Chip.
"This massive chain of stores sponsors a parade every year. It's basically a bunch of bands, celebrities, and these massive balloons," he told her with a giddy smile.
"The Parade hasn't started yet has it?" Madison asked as she sat down on the couch with a mug of hot cocoa.
"They're getting ready to cut the ribbon," Chip informed her.
"Sweet, I haven't missed anything then," Madison said excitedly.
This was a tradition for Chip, Vida, and Madison. Ever since they were little Chip would come over on Thanksgiving morning and enjoy the parade with the Rocca girls. None of them had any family obligations until later that afternoon. Xander had been added to the mix when he moved to Briarwood, and now it was Clare's turn. Nick could be joining them if he wasn't still out on the road getting to know Udonna and Leanbow. Unlike Nick though, Clare had never celebrated Thanksgiving, and had no clue why her friends seemed so excited about it. But as they all gathered to watch the parade she began to get excited herself.
Vida and Xander joined them in the living room with a small bowl of extra marshmallows to go in their hot cocoa.
"And here we go," Vida said from her end of the couch as Al Roker lead the opening stretch of the parade route.
"Wouldn't you love to be in New York for that just once?" Madison asked wistfully.
"No," Xander disagreed. "They're all packed in like a can of sardines. I don't think it would be that much fun. I prefer to watch from the comfort of your living room."
As the broadcast waited for the parade to reach Herald Square they showed various performances from Broadway shows and kids choir groups, and while they watched Clare squinted at the screen.
"Their lips aren't matching the sound," she said in confusion.
"They have to layer the music overtop of the actual performance," Vida told her with a smile. "There's too much noise for us to hear them without that."
"Is there a reason a big purple dinosaur is singing about fruit?" she asked again.
"The little kids love it. His name is Barney," Chip told her as he bounced along with the music.
"The little kids love it? Until a year ago you were his biggest fan," Vida smirked.
"Hey! I learned a lot from him!" Chip yelled defensively.
"Like how to eat Opples and Bononos?" Clare asked cluelessly. "Is that some kind of mortal fruit? I've never heard of them before."
"It's actually supposed to be Apples and Bananas. They just change the vowel sound when they repeat the words," Madison told the girl with a kind smile.
"I like to Ite, Ite, Ite Ipples and Bininis," Chip sang happily to himself. Clare chuckled at him as he sang and laughed even harder when a marshmallow wacked him in the head.
"Cut that out, mate. You're scaring Mrs. Rocca's cat," Xander told him with an amused grin and a shake of his head. Finally the performances ended and the Marching bands began to appear.
Xander laughed loudly at one of the groups as they passed. Madison gave him a curious glance.
"Somebody drop their baton again?"
"Red head on the end. I mean why come all across the bloody nation to do that?" He asked as he continued to laugh.
"I'm wondering how they stand to wear those cheesy uniforms," Vida said with a disgusted face. "This is why I will never be in a marching band."
"I don't know…I kind of like their capes. I mean they're not as cool as mine, but they are pretty awesome," Chip gushed.
"You'd join the band just for the cape, wouldn't you?" Madison asked him knowingly.
"Oh yeah," he nodded vigorously. "As a matter of fact I tried to. Mr. Fordham wouldn't let me, though. Good thing I have my own cape."
"Good thing," Vida said sarcastically with a shake of her head.
As the balloons began to float by, Clare was filled with questions once more.
"What kind of magic do they use for those balloons to be so big? And what significance does a giant yellow mouse hold to this holiday? And why is his tail deformed?"
"He's not a giant yellow mouse! He's Pikachu! And his tail is not deformed! It's in the shape of a lightning bolt! Cause he's awesome!" Chip yelled as he sat up on his knees and faced Clare.
"Pikachu? Is that an animal?"
"He's a character from this card game turned kid show called Pokemon. It's got all these cool creatures that do different awesome things, and Pikachu is full of electricity!" Chip rattled off in excitement.
"And thus none of us question why you have a stuffed animal of him on your bed," Madison said with a teasing grin.
"He's a kindred spirit," Chip said haughtily.
"And, Clare, they actually blow the balloon up with helium not magic," Xander told her.
"They must use a lot of helium," she said in wonder. She really didn't know what helium was, but she didn't think they did either. She would just assume Xander was right.
"Is that a giant sponge wearing pants?" Clare asked in shock and horror.
Her four friends laughed at the terrified sound of her voice.
"What? What's so funny? I don't see what's funny about a cleaning supply wearing clothes. Honestly I find it kind of disturbing," she told them. She glanced at Chip pleadingly, but he only laughed harder. She looked back at the screen hoping to find something she missed. But she only found herself further disgusted with the boxy balloon. She shuddered and then glared at the others.
"Can you please tell me what's so funny?"