The Alternate World of Kid Nicole
Dressed in her favorite white sweater, emblazoned with pink sleeves and a bold number '1' in the middle, twelve year old Nicole Senicourt came down the stairs, adjusting her matching pink skirt and head bow as she came face to face with her mother. "Okay, I'm all finished with my homework, Mom. Do you need me for something?"
"Yes, come pull up a chair beside me." She told her, patting the seat beside her at the dinner table. Mary continued as soon as Nicole had sat herself down. "Your report card came in." She presented the yellow piece of paper in her hands to her daughter.
"That's wonderful!" Nicole beamed, well aware of how hard she had been working to achieve satisfactory grades that her mother desired of her. "So, what do you think?"
"Well….." Mary said flatly, beckoning her daughter to look at it with a finger. "Right now, you have a B in English, an A- in History, a B+ in Science, and a C in Literature." She put the report card down and stared at her daughter expectantly, assuming her to have understood the situation.
"So, is the C in Literature the issue here?" Nicole asked with a stumped frown. She didn't know what happened there...
Mary shook her head. "That's the worst offender, but it's not the only one."
"Wait, the A's and B's too?" Nicole asked, with an incredibly baffled expression. "Mom, you're not seriously bugged about this, are you?"
"Well, aren't you?" Mary turned the question back at her.
"What's wrong with having a B? Or an A-? They're perfectly fine grades!"
"I'm afraid 'perfect' and 'fine' don't fit together, Nicole. Your grades are fine but they're not perfect."
"You're not seriously wanting me to make-"
"All A+'s? Yes, that is precisely what I expect you to do." Mary stated, with a polite grin.
"You expect me to get A+ in every single class I have?!" She asked, her voice laden with disbelief.
"Yes, dear. The way I see it, if there's any room for improvement at all, it must be achieved. No matter what the case may be, if it can be done then it should be done…" She paused the lecture, getting up to pour a quick cup of coffee in the kitchen.
Nicole's eyes followed her mother, doing serious mental gymnastics about the situation. She knew her mother had unreasonably high expectations prior to this, and yes, it was probably getting out of hand at this point….
However, her mother Mary was the woman that had raised her all on her own since her father walked out during the middle of one frigid, rainy night within the weeks immediately following Nicole's birth. This fact served a sole, echoing reminder in Nicole's mind that she will never deny her mother's requests in any case, no matter what.
Even when she started pushing for Nicole to achieve bigger things, urging her daughter to be perfect at absolutely everything, she could not deny her then, so why would she start now?
"Okay, Mom." She said, resting her head on the table with an weary sigh. "If it's what you want then…" She slowly tilted her head up, her mother's figure coming into view. "Then I guess it's what I want… I'll make it happen." Nicole finished, with a faint smile.
"Good girl," Mary smiled, rubbing her head approvingly, before picking back up the report card to read off more details. "It also says here you got an F on a poem you did in Literature..." Nicole winced when she mentioned it, knowing it was going to come up. "That would explain the C, so what exactly happened? Did you even try?"
Nicole felt an immediate bout of anger at that; she knew exactly what happened. She poured her heart and soul into writing it, and Miss Simian, being the bitter, outdated ape that she is, spat all over it.
"Mom, I swear I stayed up all night writing it! It's Miss Simian's fault!" She sputtered out in desperation, hoping her mother may understand.
Mary rolled her eyes as if to say 'here we go again'. "We've been over this before, just how in the world is it Simian's fault?" She asked flatly.
"Uh, maybe because she's a bitter baboon?!" She clenched her fists, her teeth suddenly becoming sharp. "You were at the Parent-Teacher Conference just the other day, didn't you catch a glimpse of it?"
"Again, this sounds to me like you're spinning a different story." She said matter-of-factly, laying the card back down on the coffee table. "The way Simian presented herself during that meeting was nothing short of the word 'welcoming'."
"She's about as welcoming as a gorilla in a monkey house-"
"And from the way she went on about how she treats her classroom as a 'big, happy family', she wishes for nothing more than to see her students achie-"
"That was all an act! She's feeding you nothing but lies, Mom!" Her words boistered out in a frenzy, trying her hardest to get her mother to believe the truth about Simian. "And worst of all, she's always targeting me, calling me a loser and whatnot! She even said it after handing back the poem!"
"And why on earth would a certified teacher be doing that to her students?" She asked, monotonously.
Nicole opened her mouth for an answer, but she paused at the sudden realization.
She didn't have an answer for that.
As much as Nicole wanted an answer, she simply didn't have one. Why did Miss Simian, the rusty old decrepit ape that had lived for over many millennia, decide to target her? She had called her a 'loser' almost every day since Kindergarten, and it only got worse when she arrived at Elmore Junior High and became her student.
Maybe she targets a specific student every generation. And maybe there's some sort of complex thought process put into who that target is. Or maybe, she thought... it was just an unhappy accident brought about by pure rotten luck.
With nowhere else to go, she meekly gave the only answer she could offer. "Well… I don't know." She gave a nervous grin.
It was with those last words that Mary brushed her daughter off. She had raised Nicole better than to lie to her mother.
Besides, even if her tall tale was true, it would not matter. Mary believed that if her daughter was ever going to be a winner, she had to learn to grow thicker skin and rise above discouragement. If her mother started fighting her battles for her, others might see it as a weakness.
She didn't have time to dwell on such matters anyway, she was about to have an important meeting.
"I think this is a good reminder that for the next writing assignment, you should spend all day writing it rather than all night..."
Nicole rose a finger to speak up, but caught her tongue. There wasn't any point in pursuing the discussion further if her mother was done, it's a closed topic through-and-through. She lowered her head with a disappointed sigh. "Yes Mom..."
"Now go and make yourself presentable. We have some guests coming over very soon…"
"Wait… Guests? Who, exactly?"
"Mr. Daniel Watterson, the man I've been, well, 'talking to' for a while, as you know."
"Huh? What's he coming over for?"
"He and I have something very important to discuss. Originally we were just going to do it over the phone, but then the discussion shifted to something, well, different…"
"Different how?"
"Well, seeing as we're both single parents, we figured that it would be best if he came over with his child, so that you two could have a little playdate."
"What the- No! I never asked for any 'playdate'!" She cried out, crossly.
"Nicole, don't be upset, dear." She said, with a pout. "Honestly, this is for your own good. You haven't made a single friend since you fell out with Yuki."
"Don't remind me... please."
"It's true, honey. You can't let one bad experience get you down. You need to make friends to get ahead in life."
"You don't understand, Mom. Yuki was my best friend. I thought I knew her. I trusted her. And after everything we'd been through, she showed her true colors at the end!" She folded her arms tightly, glaring daggers at the floor as if she were looking at Yuki right now. "So of course I'm not gonna trust anyone after that! It doesn't help that the kids at school are all imbeciles that only think about themselves!"
"Come now, that's just a rash generalization you're making. I'm sure not every person at school is like that."
"Guess there's no way to be sure, but it's safer to assume so, after what Yuki…" She sighed, her fury vacating her mind. "I just don't want to be betrayed again, Mom. Our friendship meant the world to me, and the fact that she just let one loss get to her head like that-"
"It's my bad, sweetie." She soothed, rubbing her head. "I shouldn't have brought it back up. I can see why you feel that way." She took another swig of her coffee. "I promise you though, Daniel's son wouldn't wrong you. From what he told me, he's a very kind boy, very earnest. You'll see, it'll be a good thing to finally socialize with another person your age. He wouldn't wrong you, I'm sure of it."
Nicole remained silent.
"Perhaps one day, you and him might even become closer than with Yuki." Mary tried to appeal to her.
There was another pause.
"Just try to get along with him, okay?" She asked, with a comforting arm around her.
Nicole looked up at her mother. "I guess I'll try."
"Thank you, sweetie." She spoke, grateful at her daughters acceptance. Mary moved away from the table, heading for the stairs. "They'll be here in about an hour, so try to clean up your room as fast as possible." She called back.
Nicole simply dropped her head onto the table, groaning inwardly.
Meanwhile...
"Say Dad, can we stop for ice cream?"
"Later, Gumball, this is a matter of utmost importance." The rough Siamese cat replied, not taking his eyes off the road.
"...Then can we stop for candy?" "No." "Donuts?" "No." "French fries?" "No!" "Froyos?" "No!"
There was a pause.
"...Boba tea?"
"I just… I don't even know what that is!" Groaned Daniel. "Look, I'm sorry we had to skip breakfast today but we can eat later. Right now, we have business to attend to."
"I know, I know," said Gumball. "You've said like three times now but you still haven't told me where we're going…"
Gumball's father let out a huge sigh before speaking. "Alright, we're going to be visiting Ms. Senicourt for a while. So you need to be on your best behavior."
"Isn't that the lady you've been talking to for a while now? How come we're visiting her?" Gumball asked, his face donning a look of confusion. "And how come you brought me? Also, why did we spend all morning packing up luggage?" The small blue cat gestured to all of the boxes full of valuables, crowding every inch of the car that wasn't occupied by the cats. Suddenly he smiled, "Oh, I get it, are you two-"
"-We aren't dating!" He shouted angrily, earning a innocent giggle from Gumball. Daniel continued, steadily picking up speed on the car to try and make the upcoming green light. "And you're coming along because she has a child of her own for you to play with!"
The light switched red just as he pulled up to the intersection, which only enraged him further. "Augh, of course! God-damn red lights!" He shouted aloud, his voice being faintly heard to the many commuters and pedestrians around, some of which shared baffled expressions. His hands squeezed tightly onto the wheel, the grip so strong that it seemed like it was going to break from the pressure, as he hissed in and out with unbridled fury.
To anyone else, they probably would be horrified with such a sudden outburst, but having lived with him for the past eleven years of his life, Gumball only lightly chuckled at this. It was common for his dad to flip out over the smallest of grievances every day. "Dad, it's just a red light. We're gonna get there, anyway."
"But the other road is clear! What's the point of a red light when no one needs it!?" He yelled out, his tantrum giving out with a simple sigh. "I need to get there as soon as possible, I promised Mary that I'd get there at 2:30 on the dot!" He stressed, giving his watch a firm look. It read: 2:27. He could still make it if this red light would just... move... on...
"Dad relax, it's good to be on time but it won't matter if you're a few minutes-"
"FOR GOD'S SAKE, AT LAST, GREEN!" A loud cry of joy from Daniel interrupted Gumball, as he slammed down on the gas pedal and turned right. "And yes, it does matter in this case. With the kind of woman Mary is, being on time matters in any case, period!"
"What, is she like some sort of perfectionist or something?" Gumball pried, hoping that it wasn't a question that would offend his father. He seems to have strange taste in women, based on his last relationship… Though, Gumball refused to form a full opinion without even meeting the lady first. He didn't even know if his father was dating her. He only knew that they would regularly talk on the phone.
"No, she isn't." Daniel quickly spat out, before double-thinking, he should be at least a bit honest here. "Okay, maybe she sort of is…" Daniel admitted quietly. "...but that's what I like in a woman."
He continued under his breath. "She'll be a better mother to you than Joanna ever was…"
Gumball's eyes immediately darted towards him. "Uh, what did you say?" Gumball asked, perking up his ears. "Nothing, nothing. Don't worry about it." The chubby feline spoke flatly, trying to play it cool.
For a moment, Gumball continued to stare at him, Daniel avoiding his gaze out of growing worry. 'Just drop it, just drop it, just drop it…' repeated in his father's mind. He didn't want to tell him the truth now, he wanted to wait, and though he kept a cool exterior, mentally he was panicking. It was hard to not be bothered by Gumball's gaze though, it was almost like he was seeing right through him.
Finally, Gumball gave a meek shrug. "Okay then." He said, before facing back towards the road again. Daniel wiped the sweat off of his brow. "Thank God…"
"So, what's her kid like?" Gumball asked him, curious for any details. Daniel had nothing to offer though. "I don't know, Mary didn't go into detail. But they're about your age, so I'm sure you'll get along fine."
"Cool, I can't wait to meet him!"
"Her. You can't wait to meet her." Daniel corrected, causing Gumball to grow a little nervous.
"Huh? Oh... I've never tried to make friends with a girl before…" Gumball admitted quietly. "Well, there's a first time for every thing then. If in doubt, just be polite as possible." Daniel told him, turning the wheel and going left at a block.
"Ah, here it is… York Street." Daniel muttered to himself, though audible to Gumball, who raised an eyebrow. "1021, 1024, 1026, right here!" Daniel exclaimed, pulling up to the driveway. "Well, this is it.' He said with a smile, as they departed the vehicle.
The first thing the two noticed was that the house was, well, nothing too spectacular. While it looked fairly sizeable, it was still one of the smallest houses on the entire street, especially compared to the green and purple houses it sat between. It had one window at the top, implying that there was a second storey, and the building was painted a rather saturated shade of light blue. There was also a nice little front patio with an awning on top. "I'm guessing this is the place…?" Gumball asked, appearing to be disappointed. Daniel chuckled and gave him a pat on the back. "Yes, this is her house. What'd you think?"
"I think it looks…" He began, seemingly about to dismiss it. Aware of this, Daniel pouted in disappointment; he had held out hope that he would like it for what it was. It definitely wasn't the best looking abode in the world, but it certainly looked cozy enough.
However, at the flip of a coin, he spoke in an almost mesmerized tone with big circles in his eyes. "Amazing…"
Daniel chuckled at the sudden mood change. "I was hoping you'd like it, now come on. I don't want to keep her waiting any longer before she chews my tail out." He said, making his way towards the front steps. Gumball began following him with a spring in his step, eager to meet his father's acquaintance and her child. He had to admit, he was rather hesitant about seeing someone else his age.
Gumball attended Richwood Junior High, which isn't a very a good school to make friends. Not unless you enjoy dressing like the 80's are still in style and being obsessed with sports like everybody else. He simply doesn't fit in, and is seen as a misfit and somewhat of a loser. To top it off, two students in particular, Carlton and Troy, always liked to target him. At least, that's how they saw it because frankly, Gumball felt sorry for them, given how petty their squabbles could be. Even worse, the principal seemed to encourage this bad behavior.
Lack of experience in making friends aside, he was only hoping that he could try to make a good first impression and not come off as some dopey loser within the first few minutes of socializing. Otherwise, he might as well quit while he was ahead and spare himself the discomfort.
Approaching the front door of the house, Daniel made sure to straighten his appearance before knocking three times.
"Now Gumball," He began with his attention set squarely on the door. "I want you to be on your best behavior. So that means there'll be no mischief of any kind or wandering off on your own. I have a very important matter to discuss and I-"
Daniel turned to face his son but suddenly he was nowhere to be seen. In a panic, Daniel whipped his head back and forth searching for him, only to spot him speaking to an elderly moose next to the Senicourt's mailbox.
"...so if you're the neighbourhood mailman, does that mean you deliver your own mail too? Or do you have like, your own mailperson? Or maybe-"
"-Gumball Watterson!" Daniel hollered. "Get your butt over here, right now!"
"Uh, nevermind, bye!" Gumball hastily said farewell to the mailman and rushed back to meet with his father, who was less than amused at his son's actions. "What's wrong, Dad?"
"Wrong!? I'll tell you what's wrong..." Daniel spoke in a loud whisper, only to be distracted by the sound of the door unlocking. "...after we've said 'Hello' and introduced ourselves."
The door finally opened as he came face-to-face with a tall, beautiful, blue feline. Though in all fairness, most adults would be tall compared to him because of his short stature, but still.
Although he greeted Mary happily, he was quickly silenced by the unimpressed look on her face. He gulped, anxiously waiting for her to speak.
"Well, you sure know how to keep a lady waiting." She spoke accusingly.
Daniel looked flabbergasted when she said this "I… I didn't make it on time then?" He put his hands together and took a pleading stance, hoping that she would forgive him "I'm terribly sorry for that Mary, I was in such a hurry, you have no idea-"
"Shhh, hold on to your whiskers, Daniel. It's only 2:31, I wasn't particularly expecting you to be on the dot or anything." He looked up at her, relieved but also astonished at the same time. "Huh? You… weren't?" Mary scoffed, "What do you think I am, some kind of perfectionist or something?"
"Well..." Daniel mumbled, scratching his chin. "To be honest, yeah, but that's what I like about you, Mary."
Mary laughed drily. "Please Daniel, compliments will get you everywhere." She gave him a reassuring arm on the shoulder. "I aim for perfection, that is true. But I also admire dedication. Really, I'm just glad we can discuss this further." She noticed the little one to his side, her interest heightening. "Ah, so this little one here must be your son… Gumball." Mary bent down, giving him a good, kind look.
"Yes ma'am, this is the little trooper right here!" Daniel said proudly, ruffling his head. Gumball huffed. "Dad, come on, don't do that."
Gumball felt himself go tense as Mary's eyes wandered over him, curiously inspecting him like a fine antique, as if trying to figure out his worth. He was able to relax a little when she eased off and gave him a smile.
"Well, it's nice to meet you, dearie. And what a surprise, you never told me he had blue fur like us!"
"Yeah, well, the gene pool dealt us a wild card. My great grandpappy was a Russian Blue, y'know?"
Mary snickered and walked back inside. "Well, come in and make yourself at home, Gumball." She said kindly, as father and son followed behind. Mary turned to her daughter, who stood atop the stairs. With a quick motion, he beckoned her to come down. "Nicole, come down and introduce yourself, dear!"
Hesitantly, Nicole walked downstairs, her hand lazily dragging along the railing, just as her tail did against the floor. As she finally reached the bottom, she simply stood there, head lowered, hands crossed and one foot before the other. Slowly she set her sights on the cats before her, focusing mostly on Gumball. She had to blink a few times just to make sure she wasn't seeing things.
'That's Gumball?' She thought to herself, taking note of the blue fur. 'He-He looks just like us!' She swallowed before regaining her composure.
Gumball's expression mirrored hers. 'What the what?!'He almost could not believe his eyes, Mary's daughter looked like his carbon copy, even wearing a sweater just like him. They could easily have been mistaken for twins. What were the odds of that?
Despite his initial shock, Gumball gave a warm smile and stepped forward. "Hi, my name is Gumball Watterson!" He greeted with a big dopey grin on his face as he extended his hand. Nicole responded with a very formal, somewhat forced "I'm Nicole, nice to meet you," as she shook his hand but the bored look in her eyes did not seem to agree with her.
Gumball was a bit dismayed at her response but shrugged it off as her being shy.
Mary folded her arms, giving her daughter a stern look. "I'm sorry about that dearie." She gazed apologetically to Gumball. "She's not much of a talker when it comes to other children."
"Hey, it's cool, I understand." He continued to smile warmly, a hint of concern evident. "It's nice to meet you too, Nicole."
Nicole was once again unresponsive, preferring to to look down at the floor. A void of silence filled the air, nobody saying anything for a good ten seconds. Gumball thought about saying more, but figured that it wasn't a good idea.
Daniel made a coughing noise into his fist, catching the attention of everyone else in the room, including Nicole's. "Well, now that the introductions are over. Mary, I suppose we should go ahead and start discussing... the thing, you know…"
"Oh! That's right, yes." She turned to face the pair. "Now why don't you kids go upstairs and play together whilst Daniel and I have our little talk, okay? Nicole, you should show him all the cool stuff you have in your room!" She said encouragingly. Gumball mimicked her words in interest. "Cool stuff?" Though he didn't catch it, Nicole looked petrified for a split moment. 'In my room? I've just met this boy and already I have to treat him all buddy-buddy!?'
Mary caught this, and simply gave a reassuring smile. Her mom wanted this, so she had to accept it.
"Yes, Mom." She replied quickly.
"Thank you, and remember, both of you are not to come down here until we say so, okay?"
Nicole simply nodded and went back up the stairs, while Gumball offered a cheery "Yes, ma'am!" As he was about to follow after Nicole, his father suddenly spoke up.
"Wait, Mary. I need to have my own little talk with Gumball, for a moment." Daniel said, resting an arm on his son's head. Gumball looked up at him innocently. "Huh?"
"Hm?" She pulled out a chair in the dining room that sat beside the living room. "Alright, I'll just be here."
The father and son spoke in hushed whispers, though they were still audible to the third party above them; Nicole had decided to peek down at them, curious about the conversation. 'I know it's bad to Gumdrop-err, I mean eavesdrop. But I have to know what this 'Gumball' is really like…'
Gumball had a strong feeling it was gonna be less of a 'talk' and more of a lecture. This was all but confirmed when Daniel gave his son a firm, angry scowl, telling Gumball that he wasn't proud. "Dad, what's this all about?"
"Why were you bothering that mailman, earlier?" He pointed outside. Gumball scratched his head, puzzled with his dad's harsh behavior. "What have I told you about talking to strangers?"
"Dad, relax. He's the next door neighbor. He was just asking for the time."
His grip on his son's shoulder tightened. "And for all we know he could be dangerous!"
"Oh sure," Gumball rolled his eyes with sarcasm. "I think I saw him carrying a letter opener, clearly that makes him the most dangerous man in town..."
"Son, this is no laughing matter!"
"Well, excuse me, I didn't realize that being polite was such a crime!"
"And that's just the problem son, you're too nice! And one of these days your carelessness is going to get you in big trouble!" He snarled at him, his voice containing anger sharp enough to kill a shark bear-igator.
Gumball crossed his arms in defense. "Oh come on, I know it's important not to trust strangers but you're being a little ridiculous, Dad! Are we gonna start treating everyone we don't know with scorn? You can't assume everyone's the same!" That particular statement certainly caught Nicole's attention, as she continued listening from upstairs.
Daniel's glower softened, shaking it off with a huff. His son made a fair point, he'll admit that much, but he still didn't want him to get lured in by some psychotic person someday and have who-knows-what happen to him.
He wouldn't dare dream of such a horrible thing.
"Gumball, by all means follow your heart, but do not wander off without telling me first." He warned, poking his forehead. "I haven't forgotten the time you got into that hassle with the crazy thumbprint guy at the gas station a few months back, and I've had it on the backburner to make sure you never go anywhere without some sort of chaperone there because of that incident alone!"
Gumball spoke hastily in defense. "I told you, that only happened because he convinced me that he was a charity man!"
"Are you kidding me?" He asked. "That makes about as much sense as a goldfish walking on legs!" He said. "Apparently, you also need to be taught to not be so gullible!"
Gumball simply rolled his eyes. "Fine..."
Daniel nodded. "Good, I'm glad that we had this talk. Now, go upstairs and make friends with Nicole."
Gumball gave a lone glance to the top of the stairs. "I don't know, Dad. She seems pretty shy."
Daniel huffed, pinching the bridge of his nose in impatience. "Gumball, that's a thing when it comes to making friends. Sometimes, it isn't as easy as saying 'Hi, my name is Gumball Watterson' and then instant friendship. Some people have, like a uh…" He paused, trying to conjure some words. "A big shell around them that they won't open until they feel ready. There's times where you've gotta get them to open up to you."
"Hmm, I get it." Gumball said, with a hand on his chin. "Alright, I'll go get a hammer or maybe a big mallet and then-"
"What, are you insane?! I didn't mean literally!" Daniel hissed at him, silencing Gumball. "It's a figure of speech!"
"Relax, I was just messing with ya, Dad." He said between giggles, lightly punching him in the arm. "I get the gist of what you mean, I need to take things nice and easy and show understanding. It sounds simple enough!" He said cheerily, giving his father a hug. "Thanks for the awesome advice, Dad!"
"Alright, alright." He fidgeted, gently shoving him off. "Just play safely, and remember; do not come back down here until we call for you two, do I make myself clear?"
Gumball gave a reassuring nod, ascended the stairs. He looked onward, hopeful of a new friendship to blossom. Despite how reluctant she seemed, Gumball realized that he wanted to make her acquaintance at any cost.
As Gumball made it to the top of the staircase, he met back with Nicole, standing a good distance to his right at the end of the corridor. She felt awkward as she forced herself into a 'natural' position with her arms folded, which only made it more obvious that she had just been eavesdropping.
The two cats gazed at each other, Nicole giving him a rather unapproachable look. He hesitated on saying anything at first, though the silence between them began to feel a bit suffocating after a good minute or so.
They did not know how long their parents would be down there talking for, not even having a clue as to what it is they're even talking about, but Nicole hoped that they would not take too long.
Gumball stepped forward, about to make his first impression. "So, how are you doin-"
Unfortunately, the second step was where it fell apart, as he had tripped out of nowhere with a yelp, soon eating carpet as he fell face first into the ground with a grunt. "Ow."
'Welp, so much for a good first impression….' He thought to himself.
Nicole's mouth briefly gaped, before transitioning to one of pure deadpan. 'Really? This is who mom wants me to make friends with?'
At first she didn't respond to him, only continuing to stare him down with her unimpressed expression. From the floor, Gumball raised his head to make eye contact, offering her a nervous grin.
Following a heavy sigh, Nicole surprisingly extended her hand out towards him and helped him stand back on his feet, before looking away. Even though she helped him in a rather standoffish manner, her gesture of kindness helped Gumball feel a little more at ease.
But then she finally faced him and spoke, straight and to the point.
"So, what exactly is your deal?" She asked, somewhat accusingly as her tail twitched.
"Sorry, I guess I'm a little bit clumsy." Gumball sheepishly giggled as he brushed the dust off himself.
"No, what I mean is, how come you look so much like us? You look like me, only wimpier. I swear if it turns out that you're my long lost brother or something-"
"Woah, hey, calm down!" Gumball said with his hands up, flustered at her sudden aggression "I'm not related to you, at least… I don't think so. My blue fur comes from my dad's side."
"Alright, then…" Nicole folded her arms with a huff, closing her eyes. While she took his answer with a grain of salt, it satisfied her enough. She did not want to have a sibling all of a sudden, if such a thing were to ever happen, it would freak her out.
The only thing Gumball were taken aback by was the comment about being wimpy. That… hurt. Not too badly, but it didn't do any favors for his motivation to try and befriend her. Though some people are just naturally blunt. It was best not to let it get to him.
Her stiff attitude, however, only made the atmosphere of the room even worse than it had been prior. Gumball's ears flattened against his head, glancing around the hallway awkwardly. 'This is bad...' He thought, feeling responsible for the tension.
"Look, I'm not very good at hellos." He finally began. "Or goodbyes. Or a lot of stuff in general. But I really do want to be friends with you, Nicole. Just give me that chance. Whatever you wanna do, I'm down for it!"
Nicole groaned inwardly, knowing that she wasn't going to be able to avoid this. Any conflict would inevitably bring her mother into the mix, she can smell trouble, so it should definitely be avoided in this case.
She thought about what he said, about not treating every stranger with scorn. As her words played out in her mind, she began to feel a pang of regret for insulting him just prior… isn't that what she just did? By calling him 'wimpy'? Since he didn't call her out on it, did that mean his self-esteem was so low that he agreed with her? Regarding this, she found herself wishing that she had left that part out.
It was hard not to judge a book by it's cover and her mother's influence had forced Nicole to have the highest of standards. For that matter, Mary had always taught Nicole that there's really no time for 'friends' when you achieve for perfection, aside from ones that would truly be beneficial to your lifestyle like Yuki, so what is this about 'getting ahead in life' all of a sudden?
Regardless, she didn't feel right to insult him when he hadn't even done anything inherently wrong.
'"It's not like you know anything about him, Nicole…' Her conscience reprimanded. 'Maybe just give him a chance? He seems... approachable enough….'
While she did not want to interact with him, she felt obligated to just for the regret alone. With a mindset like that, he obviously did not mean any harm, so maybe just a little chance with him would do? A chance to see if he's different from the others?
"Fine…" She got out, rolling her eyes. "If we must, I guess we can do something. I can't really think of anything though, so what do you have in mind?" She put her hands on her hips, waiting for him. 'If he truly wants to be friends, he'd think of something for us to do…'
"Okay, uh..." Gumball pondered, what exactly could they do? He could plug up his game console so that they could play it, but that's with the rest of the junk… outside.
He looked downstairs at the door, then back at Nicole. 'Ugh, even if it is just a quick run outside and back in, Dad's going to make a big fuss about it.' Gumball thought. 'Well, chances are she probably isn't even into video games…'
Actually, didn't her mom say something about her room earlier? That definitely sounded like the most viable way of getting to know her, and the least forceful. He wouldn't be practically hounding to get her to open up, would he? He then remembered that Mary had mentioned Nicole's 'cool stuff' and immediately found himself curious as to what it may be.
"Hey, your mom mentioned your room, right?" He asked, curiously moving towards her door. "She mentioned that you had some 'cool things' in here." Nicole began to stare at him with sudden horror, as he inched closer and closer to her door. "Why don't we do that? That sounds like the best way for us to know each ot-" He reached out to open it, and simultaneously, in a flash, Nicole sprung forward from her feet.
"NO!" It was no sooner than the door slightly cracked open that she slammed it shut in a panic, causing Gumball to flinch back in fear.
Gumball stared at her, mouth agape, as she stood flat against the door. She did not even speak afterwards, only frantically breathing in and out like she had just ran a marathon. She seemed scared beyond belief.
"Nicole!" Mary suddenly yelled from downstairs, giving her a fright. "What on earth is going on up there, young lady?!"
End of Chapter 1