For one hour now, Katy have been hiding just outside of Lammy's apartment and keeping a close eye on it until Lammy walks out. Due to her being so focus on the apartment, she didn't realize her two friends, Parappa and PJ, is standing right behind her.
. "Hey Katy? What are you doing?" Said the familiar male voice. Spooked, Katy quickly looked behind her and saw Parappa and PJ, looking at her, confused.
"P-parappa?!" Katy shout in anger. "What are you doing sneaking up on people like that?!" Parappa and PJ was taken back by Katy's sudden anger, but Parappa decides to answer anyway. "Sorry, we just saw you and thought we could say what's up? What are you doing anyway?"
After a few moments of calming down, Katy explain herself. "...Have you guys noticed anything weird going on with Lammy? Like she's starting to hang out with us less and less?"
"Well...Yeah, now that you mention it. What about you PJ?" Parappa ask. PJ thought about it for a moment before responding. "Uhh...yeah, I think so. Did she show up for band practice?"
"No, it's been two weeks since our last practice session! Whenever I try to talk to her about it in school, she either change topics or say she's busy and run off. Ma-San said I shouldn't worry about it too much, but..." Katy pause for a moment as she looks back at the apartment complex. "What if she's in trouble and can't say anything to protect us? Or maybe she have a gambling problem and is too ashamed to tell us what she's doing to earn back that money? Or..."
"Or maybe you're making a big deal over nothing?" PJ interrupted. Katy looked at PJ, looking as if she heard something insulting coming from him. "Or maybe I'm not! Look, if you guys don't believe me, then fine, I'll look after Lammy by myself, but don't think of me like some nutjob for trying to look after my friends."
The three remained silent. Parappa and PJ looked at each other, wondering what to say to Katy. After a while, Parappa finally spoke up. "Nobody is making you out to be some nutjub...even though staring at one building waiting for one person for an unknown period of time is kind of weird, but you should know that if she needed help, she'll come to you."
"Then why come she haven't came to me for the last two weeks?" Ask Katy, still looking at the apartment.
"Maybe this is more of an personal issue. You know, something that can only be handled by her."
"That's still no excuse on why she have to give us the silent treatment. I think there's something up with-" Katy stopped herself the moment she saw Lammy walking out of the apartment complex. In a complete panic, Katy turn to Parappa and PJ. "You two hide somewhere before she sees you!" In almost an instant, the two boys hid on the side of the building beside Katy, making it three people looking at Lammy.
"I still say we shouldn't do this..." Grumbled Parappa. Moments later, a short blond hair human male walked out of the building as well, wearing an open black suit, revealing a button up shirt, a black tie and rolled up sleeves. "Hey, who's that guy?" Asked PJ quietly.
"I don't know, just keep your eyes on-" Katy has once again stop herself the moment she say Lammy and the blond-haired man walking away together, which stun the group into a temporary silence. "So like I said..." PJ ask once again. "Who was that guy?"
Parappa couldn't help but laugh to himself. "Yo, you don't think Lammy and that guy is..."
"No..." Katy interrupted, sounding like she's in denial. It was very obvious to Parappa that Katy looked freaked out by what she saw. "...Maybe you're right. For all we know, he could be just a friend or something."
"Yes! That's right!" Katy shouted, in full on panic mode. "I mean...come on! This is Lammy we're talking about, the shyest person we know! There's no way she would...I mean...Yeah!"
Parappa just looked at Katy, somewhat afraid of her reaction. "Okay... are you trying to convince us or yourself?"
Katy pause and soon groan as she lay her back against the wall and slowly slid down, all while an ice cream truck drove right pass them, distracting PJ. All Katy could think about is maybe Lammy and the mystery guy really are going out. Without anybody noticing him, PJ walked away to the ice cream truck as Parappa continues to speak to Katy. "Come on Katy, you shouldn't be acting this way until you know for sure what's going on. Even if Lammy is going out with that guy, so what? That just mean she broke out of her shyness."
"But we don't even know who this guy is, or how he convinced Lammy to even go out with him! "Katy shouted to Parappa. "Does anybody but me find this odd?!" Parappa pause for a while before responding with a simple "Yes."
Katy continues to groan as if she's in pain. It was obvious that Parappa wasn't as affected to the news as Katy, and he soon took notice of PJ standing next to the ice cream truck with the other children. "Look at PJ, just like you, he found out about Lammy and that guy shes hanging out with, and he's getting ice cream!"
"No offense to PJ, but are you seriously telling me to follow his advice and eat ice cream?"
"I'm just saying that you shouldn't make a big deal out of this! Look, me and PJ was going to the movies before we ran into you, maybe you should come with us and clear your head for a moment."
Katy shift her eyes to the right, planning to do something that her friends wouldn't agree with. "Uhh, no thanks. I think I need to think this through by myself. I meet up with you guys later."
"If you say so. See ya." Parappa turned and walk towards PJ, giving Katy just enough time to sneak off towards the direction where Lammy and the mystery guy went.
Moments later, Katy manage to catch up with the two casually walking toward a store. Looking for evidence to look through, Katy took out her cellphone and took her first picture of them talking without a care in the world. "I hate to do this, but I have to find out more about this." Katy said to herself as she continues to follow the two.
Later that evening, Ma-San, after a busy day helping her parents run the drug store, made it to her room and landed face first on her bed. A few seconds later, her cell phone began to ring right beside her. Frustrated, Ma-San mumbled under her breath before she answered the phone. "!#!#!(Yeah, what?)"
"It'sKatyIjustsawLammyearliertodaywithanotherguyso Ifollowedthemaroundtooksomepicturesanditwasweirdan dIdontknowwhatto-" Ma-San ended the call and laid the phone down next to her. Moments later, her phone began to ring again, and Ma-San answered it. "D-did you just hung up on me?!"
"!#!#! (Either make sense or don't speak to me at all.)"
"...Fine! Look, I saw Lammy a few hours ago walking around with some guy, so I decided to take few pictures of them together at the store and I really need your opinion on this."
"!#!#!(Wait, you stalked them?)"
"I didn't stalk them, I was looking after Lammy just in case she needed help!"
"!#!#! (Whatever you say, Jamie Calloway.)"
"...Who?"
"!#!#!(Jamie Calloway, the person who was stalking a police woman. It happened just last year.)" Katy remained silent and confused. Knowing that this conversation is going nowhere, Ma-San moved on. "!#!#!(Just...send me the stupid photos.)"
"Whatever." Katy simply said as she begins to send Ma-San photos of Lammy and the guy. As Ma-San looks through the photos, she took a closer look at the man. "!#!#!(I have to say, Lammy does have some taste. I've always thought she was the 'It what's on the inside that count' type. I'm kind of glad she proved me wrong!)"
"That's it? That's your reaction? 'I'm glad that she have good taste in men?' What about the fact that she kept this hidden from us for half a month?"
"!#!#!(What do want me to say? That I'm ashamed that she's breaking out of her shell finally? Lammy isn't some teenage girl who gonna be swoon by every guy she sees, she's in college, just like you and me. We just gonna have to trust that she knows what she's doing. Besides, that guy gotta be something special to get Lammy to speak to him.)"
"What about the fact that we don't know who this guy is? Are we just going to say nothing and have her go out with anybody without telling us anything?"
"!#!#!(I'm not sure that you got the news, but you're not her mother. She doesn't have to tell you everything that goes on in her life.)" Katy said nothing on her end of the phone line, and for Ma-San, that's all it took to let her know that Katy was very upset at the situation.
!#!#!(If you're this upset about what going on with Lammy, why not ask her yourself? You know where she lives and we go to the same college. Talking about this behind her back won't solve anything.)"
"...Yeah, maybe you're right. I don't know how she's going to react to me telling her that I've followed her throughout the day."
"!#!#!(To be fair, not a lot of people react too well from being stalked.)"
"...I'm gonna hang up now."
"!#!#!(If I see you through my window in the middle of the night, I'm not above calling the cops.)" Katy immediately hung up, and Ma-San only responds is a devilish smile. The next day, Katy is in Rodney University, a community college not too far off from her apartment. Today, Katy arrived earlier than usual in hopes of talking to Lammy before class. Luckily, Katy ran into Lammy going through her locker, unaware of her feline friend just a few feet away.
Determined to find some answers to questions she believes she already know, Katy walks up to Lammy with a serious look on her face. "Hey Lammy." Katy said with an annoyed tone in her voice. Lammy popped her head out of the locker to greet Katy properly.
"Oh, hey Katy!" Lammy said with a smile, oblivious to what Katy already knows. "Sorry that I haven't been to practice in a while. You know, life and all."
"Yeah, Life." Katy replied, completely unconvinced. Lammy quickly picked up on Katy's attitude and soon reverted back to her old self. "Katy...? Is there something wrong?"
Before Katy could answer, Ma-San walked right passed them casually and revealed everything. "!#!#!(Katy stalked you and your boyfriend yesterday and took photos.)" Lammy, with her mouth wide open, looked at Ma-San and back at Katy, who has her eyes open as if she saw something revealing. Katy could only mutter under her breath. "I am going to kill you for this Ma-San."
"How could you?!" Lammy shouted, becoming a nervous wreck with each passing second. "I'm not allowed to have some time to myself without my friends stalking me?!"
"!#!#!(Told you it's considered stalking)" Ma-San whispered to Katy, who decided to ignore her and explain herself to Lammy. "Don't get upset at me because I was worried about you! If you wanted some time to yourself, then you should have told us something instead of avoiding us for the past two weeks! "
Deep down, Lammy knows that Katy have a point and begins to feel bad about her decision to avoid everybody. Ma-San decided to ask the one question that was on her mind. "!#!#!(So, who's the lucky guy who manage to grab your attention?)"
No words came out of Lammy's mouth as she begins to blush wildly. "His name is...Berry Cider, and...he...he's a...guy I hang out with...he's not my...boyfriend..." With Lammy's voice sounding quieter with each word, her face turning red, and her slight smile just from the thought of him, it was easy for her two friends to figure out what was going on for themselves. "D-do you have a crush on that guy?" Katy asked, trying to confirm what she already figured out.
Lammy's silence already answered Katy's question. "!#!#!(Aww, our little Lammy is all grown up!)" Ma-San teased Lammy, happy at the fact that her quiet friend is finally branching out. Lammy looked away from her friends, embarrassed about her secret crush. "Ma-San...shut up..."
"!#!#!(Hey Katy, you think we should give Lammy some tips about guys?)" Katy didn't respond, she instead looked at Lammy as if she was looking at a completely different person. "!#!#!(Katy! Are you listening?!)" Katy snapped out of her daydream and looked at Ma-San.
"Huh?"
"!#!#!(I said we should give Lammy some tips to make her more appealing to that guy.)"
"Oh...really?" Katy responded, not even sure herself if she wants to get involved in Lammy's relationship life. "I...don't think Lammy wants us to invade her private life. I'm sure she can handle herself."
Suddenly, Lammy cut in. "Actually, I was going to come to you guys sooner, but I thought I could handle it myself, like you said. It wasn't until we got home from shopping the other day when he said that I was a good friend. I want more than that from him, but I don't know how I can get him to notice me as... you know...more than a friend..."
"!#!#!(Holy crap, this guy must mean a lot to get you talking like this.)"
"Well...yeah." Lammy said quietly. "!#!#!(Well, me and Katy will be more than happy to help you out. Just follow our advice and he'll start drooling all over you...unless he bat for the other team.)"
Katy looked at Ma-San with a look of disbelief while Lammy just looked confused. "...What? I don't get it."
"Don't worry about it, it's nothing." Katy said, trying to quickly change the subject. Students around the hallway began to walk to their classrooms, which Katy quickly took notice of. "We should be heading to class. We can talk about this later, alright?"
Lammy took notice of Katy's change of tone, but paid it no mind as she smiles. "S-sure thing. We'll talk later, during lunch." The three girls walked together to their class. During the walk, Lammy and Ma-San talked about what they have to do in class.
"!#!#!(So, ready for that test today?)"
"I don't know, I tried to study for it last night, but I fell asleep." Katy remained silent as the two girls talk. Later on in class, Katy hardly said anything, she just looked at Lammy sitting in the next row in front of her, wondering what type of guy Lammy has a crush on. Slowly, Katy drifted off as she begins to daydream of Lammy and her crush.
Katy walked to the front door of Lammy and her boyfriend's new house,in a neighborhood where the crime rates are through the roof. Despite being a bit nervous, Katy knocked on the door and suddenly began to hear yelling from inside the house.
"...And I'm telling you that I'll do it when I get to it! You just focus on cooking and shut your mouth!" Said a male voice.
"Screw you!" Responded a female voice. The door opened to show Lammy's boyfriend, Berry, but now dressed like a hobo, and wearing a shirt too small to cover his beer gut. "Screw you too!" He shouted back at his girlfriend. Berry then faced Katy and without a simple hello, he said "What do you want?"
"I'm here to see Lammy!" Katy said, expecting an argument between her and Berry, but he instead moved to the side. "Hey, what's her face is here!" Berry shouted as he sits back down on the couch and watch TV. The house itself looks like a cyclone hit it and nobody bothered to clean up the mess.
"Has anyone bothered to pick up around here?" Asked Katy as she looks around. Berry paid it no mind as he continues doing nothing. "Ask Lammy, that's her job."
"Did somebody called me?" Said Lammy as she walks in the room, looking not much better from Berry and holding two beers. Katy also noticed something shockingly different in Lammy; her stomach is huge. "Lammy, are you pregnant?! When did this happen?!"
Lammy looked at her stomach and shrugged it off like it was nothing. "Meh, I don't know" Lammy threw one of the beers to Berry, who caught it perfectly. Katy looked on in horror as she feels as though there was nothing she could do to stop this. "Katy? Katy?" Said a voice that sounds distant.
Everything became blurry as Katy is slowly coming back to reality and notice to real Lammy calling her name a few seats away. "Hey Katy, do you have a pencil I can borrow?" Katy looked through her bag and took out a pencil. Overhearing Lammy's question , a friendly student with a computer for a head offered to help pass the pencil along to Lammy. Katy gave the pencil to the student, who in turn passed it to Lammy.
"Thanks." Lammy responded. Despite Katy being relieved that what she imagine everything in her head, she felt as though it could still happen,even though she have no evidence to prove it. Katy opened her notebook and began to go on a writing frantic.
After a bit over 3 hours and 3 classes, lunch period has arrived, and Katy is sitting in a lunch table by herself with five sheets of paper in front of her. Lammy and Ma-San showed up and sat together in front of Katy, both carrying their own bags of lunch. "Hey, thanks again for that pencil. I'll pay you back later." Lammy said, feeling awfully good about herself today.
Katy prepares the stack of papers as she responds. "Don't worry about it. Now, before we get started on giving you tips about making yourself more...noticeable to that guy, me and Ma-San need to know more about him."
"Oh...I think I get it." Lammy said, ready to take on any advice. "Based on my answers, you guys will give me tips that helps increase my chances of him liking me as more than a friend!"
"Yeah...that." Katy said as she slide the pages over to Lammy. "This is the list of questions that I want you to answer. Please answer each question truthfully as any bit of information helps."
Lammy and Ma-San both looked through the papers and both thought it was too much. "!#!#!(Are you insane? There's like 30 questions on each page, front and back too! Are we giving her tips or helping her apply for a job?)"
"We barely know anything about the guy besides his name. I just want to know what we're dealing with before we start giving Lammy anything."
"!#!#!(Yeah, because it's really important that we know the guy's blood type, right?)"
Lammy finally stepped in to resolve the situation. "Can I...just tell you two what I do know about him and we can figure out what to do from there."
"!#!#!(I agree! In fact, you can start by telling us how you two met.)" Katy knew she lost this battle as she sits back with her arms folded and her legs crossed. "Fine, you win. Go ahead and tell your story."
"Oh...okay..." Lammy said hesitantly. "Well, he moved to the apartment building about a month ago. He actually live right above me. Anyway, It wasn't until a week later when I worked up the courage to introduce myself to him. He told me his name and said he was going to law school to become a lawyer."
"(So he's learning how to become a professional liar...)" Katy thought to herself. Lammy continued her story. "The second week, we talked a bit more. I mentioned that I was part of a band, and he said that he have a sister who happens to be a huge fan of rock music. He wanted me to ask you guys if we could do a private show for her."
"!#!#!(That can't be too much of a problem, since all of our shows are private.)" Ma-San joked, knowing how hardly anyone know they even exist. Katy stepped in to ask one question. "Did he mention anything about his past relationship with other girls?"
Lammy stopped to think about it before responding. "I...no, not really. I never asked him about it."
"Well, why didn't you?!" Katy shouted, assuming that Lammy's crush is hiding something. Of course, Katy's shouting isn't helping Lammy none as she begins to panic. "I-I-I don't know. I just...thought that the less I know...the easier it'll be for me to...ask him out."
Seeing how Nervous Lammy was, Ma-San stepped in to defend her. "!#!#!(Lay off mama Katy, it's not everyday that we get to see Lammy fall head over heels for some guy. Cut her some slack.)"
"I just want to make sure she isn't jumping into a relationship without knowing single thing about the guy first."
"!#!#!(Lammy just met the guy less than a month ago. Why would she ask the guy about his past relationship? Why would ANYONE do that? It would only make things awkward for both people!)"
"Who would want to go out on a date with a person they hardly know for less than a month? We don't know what this guy is like, what his family is like, there's just too many unknowns at the moment for Lammy to just throw caution to the wind and go out with this guy!"
"...!#!#!(...I see how it is.)" Ma-San said, finally understanding why Katy wasn't as supportive as she usually is. "!#!#!(You don't want Lammy to go out with Berry, do you?)"
Katy couldn't find the words to refute Ma-San's claims. She looked at Lammy to see a saddened look on her face, like she's been betrayed. Katy, been figured out, decided to come clean. "Lammy...I think you're moving way too fast into this relationship. Maybe you should keep how you feel about him to yourself at least until a few more months. Get to know him a bit more before you commit to him."
Without even looking at Katy, Lammy responded. "I guess you won't help me then."
"...I take it that you didn't listen to me." It was obvious that Katy was upset at Lammy for ignoring her. "!#!#!(Come on Katy, you and I both saw the pictures of this guy, and Lammy isn't exactly the most assertive person in the world. If she doesn't act now, some other girl is gonna snatch him away.)"
Katy knows that Ma-San was right, but she still stand by what she said. "Sorry Lammy...I can't help you out on this." The two girls didn't even look at each other, and Ma-San noticed of that right away.
"Hahaha! !#!#!(Wow, this is freaking depressing!)" Ma-San laughed, destroying the serious atmosphere between the two. "!#!#!(So Lammy, you wanna talk about how you can attract this guy now or...)"
"Yeah." Lammy quickly responded. "But can we do this...privately?" Obviously referring to Katy being near them. Knowing this, Katy didn't respond; she just looked the other way, which nobody took notice as Ma-San answered Lammy's question. "!#!#!(If you want. There's an empty table at that corner. We can eat there.)"
Not even saying goodbye to Katy, Lammy got up and moved to the corner. Before she moved as well, Ma-San had one more thing to say. "!#!#!(Well, thanks for making this day awkward for everybody. Appreciate that.)"
"Ma-San, not now..." Katy said, broken up about the situation. "!#!#!(Fine...I'll try to update you with whatever I know. I'm pretty sure the rest of this day is gonna be a blast...") Ma-San said as she walked away to leave Katy to her lunch by herself.
Days has passed since Katy and Lammy had any form of conversation with each other that goes beyond the words hi. Even on band practice, Katy noticed how Lammy and Ma-San stopped talking when she show up. The fact that she doesn't know what they're talking about was driving her insane.
Five days later, Katy found herself knocking on the door where Sunny Funny lives. "Just a minute!" shouted Sunny. Exactly one minute later, Sunny opened the door and was surprise to see her blue feline friend. "Oh, Katy! I didn't know you was coming!"
"Hey Sunny, can I come in?" Katy said, sounding depressed. Never the one to say no to her friends, Sunny step to the side. "Oh course you can. I was just picking up a few things around the house while my dad is out." Katy walked inside and made her way to a chair in the living room. Sunny sat next to her in a couch.
"You seem pretty mopey, things aren't working out in college?"
"Not exactly. It mainly has something to do with Lammy and Ma-San."
"Oh, I see. Lammy told me what happened between you two over the phone a couple of nights ago. I'm kind of surprised you're not supporting her in this."
"It's not what you think!" Katy said, feeling worse by the second. "I didn't want to send Lammy off to a road of heartbreak because some jerk is after one thing! Is it bad that I'm trying to protect her from guys like that? Besides, Lammy is moving way too fast to get that guy to like her."
Sunny put some serious thoughts to Katy's words and gave her answer "I think I see where you're coming from. I'm not sure how much this means, but I'm on your side in this." Katy was overly happy to hear someone say that for once and hugged Sunny. "Yes! Thank you! Finally I'm not alone in this!"
Sunny didn't know how to respond to Katy's sudden burst of excitement, so she just responded. "Y-your welcome!" A few seconds later, Katy calmed down. "Sorry about that, it's just that I've been by myself this whole time, I'm just glad I have somebody by my side in this mess."
"That's okay. Besides, there's not much we can do now, since those two might be going out tonight." Katy's happiness quickly faded away as soon as she heard those words and right back into panicking. "Wait, tonight?! Why didn't you say anything to me about tonight?!"
"That was a few days ago! Lammy only told me what she plan on doing if she worked up the courage to tell him. I thought maybe she'll back out at the last-minute!"
"Anything can happen in a few days!" Katy tries to come up with a plan to find out if Lammy is truly going out with Berry, but Sunny thought of a plan herself. "How about if I call her? We'll chat for a bit, and I'll bring up her plan to ask him out. After we're done, I'll tell you what she said. She won't suspect a thing!"
Katy was somewhat surprised at Sunny's suggestion to trick Lammy. "Come on Sunny, do you really think this is a good idea?"
After a moment, Sunny realized what she said and felt terrible of even bringing up her plan. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't know what came over me! We shouldn't trick Lammy like this, what was I-"
"Woah, woah, woah!" Katy interrupted. "I didn't say no, I just asked you if you think it'll work?"
Sunny is now the one surprised that Katy wants to go through with the plan. "...It should, as long as you don't say anything while I talk to her."
"Great! I'll stay here while you speak to Lammy in the other room. Be sure to get as much info as you can,we need to know what Lammy is getting herself into." Katy pushed Sunny away to the kitchen and sat herself to the couch, confident that the plan will work out.
A few moments later, Katy can hear Sunny's voice from the kitchen. "Hey, it's Sunny, I just wanted to see how you was doing." Said Sunny, talking to Lammy. Seconds later, Sunny smiled as soon as she heard the news. "...Oh really, well congratulations!" Katy good feeling once again went away as she heard those words.
"Where at?...Ohhh! That's where my parents went to when they started dating years ago!" A chill went down Katy's spine as she quickly became uneasy. "I hope you tell me all about it tomorrow! Good luck!" Sunny hung up the phone and walked back to Katy to see her with her holding her head, looking at the ground while shaking. "I take it you've overheard me."
"Just...tell me when and where." Katy voice sounds like she just saw a ghost. Ignoring that, Sunny answered her question. "They're going out to the Red River, around seven tonight." Katy looked at the clock on the wall, it was now 5:41. she knows that what she's planning will have Sunny's disapproval, so Katy would have to find an excuse to leave Sunny's house immediately.
Sunny sat next to Katy in hopes of comforting her. "So...you wanna talk about it? I know we're stepping into unknown territory, with Lammy going out with this guy, but-" Almost immediately, Katy stood up and shouted. "Oh my goodness, Look at the time! I...have this huge project due next week and I don't have the materials I need to get started!" Katy made her way to the door. "I better get the stuff I need to get started...you know, for my project."
Thinking she was home free, Katy opened the door, but before she walked out, Sunny spoke up to Katy obvious lie. "You're going to spy on her, are you?"
In an almost horror movie fashion, Katy slowly turned to Sunny, with her eyes completely wide open and a smile so wide that anybody can see her sharp teeth. "N-no! No!...No...N-maybe."
Not believing a word Katy says, Sunny went ahead and asked. "Can I join?" Quickly losing her smile in exchange for complete confusion, Katy responded. "I'm sorry, what?"
"I want to join you. My dad has some rain coat and hats in his room, we can wear them and sit where she won't notice us, and we can keep an eye on her."
"Sunny, do you even realize what you're saying? If Lammy catches the both of us, she'll never want to speak with me again, and she'll never be able to trust you with anything!"
Sunny paused for a moment as she looks like she was giving it some serious thought, but instead, she was getting ready to tell Katy a secret. "Listen, if I tell you a secret, will you keep it between you and me?"
Naturally, Katy became suspicious to where this conversation is going. "Okay...What is it?" Hesitant at first, Sunny quickly smiled by the thought of what she's going to say. "Ever since I was a little girl...I've always dreamed of being a spy!"
The look on Katy's face was that of a very confused person as she tries to comprehend what she just heard. No matter how hard she tries, Katy could only utter one word from her mouth. "...What?"
It was unsurprising to Sunny to get this kind of reaction, but she continued the conversation.
"I know it sounds weird coming from me, which is why I decided to keep it to myself. I sometimes think about what exotic locations I would go to, what kind of codename I would have...I always thought Codename Sunshine was a good fit for me."
At this point, Katy was mentally confused of what she's hearing from Sunny. Trying to piece everything together, Katy asked her friend one question. "I'm sorry, but what does any of this have to do with what's going on now?"
"Well...look at me, if I were to go to some secret government spy training, I wouldn't last 30 minutes, but with this, I can at least make part of my childhood dreams come true. Plus, I'm worried about Lammy too, and I want to be there for her if something goes wrong. You never know, you might need my help on this."
Katy seriously didn't want Sunny to get involved in this mess, but she did need the disguise. It also didn't help that Katy is currently seeing Sunny's sad puppy dog eyes. "...Fine, you can come, but don't blame me if something goes wrong!"
Due to Sunny's excitement, she wasn't able to hear her friends last eight words. "Oh, thank you so much! Operation: Flaming Lamb is in full effect! Wait here while I get the customs!" Sunny walked away smiling as Katy stood in that same spot, thinking to herself. "Flaming Lamb...?"
Katy kept her thoughts to herself as she waits for Sunny to come back with the disguise. Later that evening, Katy and Sunny made it to the restaurant, both wearing a trench coat, a hat, and shades. Katy looked around the restaurant to find people wearing fairly normal clothing, she even saw a few people looking right back at her. With each passing second, Katy felt more embarrassed being here wearing the cloths that was given to her.
"I should've known this would be a bad idea."
"What do you mean, Perfect Blue?" Said Sunny as she read the menu. "I mean this Disguise! It...wait, what did you call me?"
"Perfect Blue, that's your codename! You can call me Sunshine."
"Okay, Sunny? I seriously think you're-"
"Nuh uh!" Interrupted Sunny. "Sunshine! Call me Sunshine!"
At this point, Katy was getting more annoyed by Sunny's fantasy of being a spy, but she bit her tongue and responded to Sunny by her codename. "Sunshine...I think you're forgetting why we're here in the first place."
"Of course not. Our mission is to watch over the target, Flaming Lamb, and make sure the target makes it home safely." Katy was a bit relived that Sunny at least know what's going on, but it still irks her. "You're enjoying every moment of this, are you?"
"I'm not gonna lie to you...I am!"
Two more familiar people walked inside the restaurant, Lammy and Berry. Lammy was surprising dressed up tonight, wearing a tighter red shirt without the logo and a blue skirt. She is also wearing more make up than usual. Katy and Sunny took immediate notice of her. "Wow, Lammy must be serious about getting that guy to like her." Sunny said, looking as though she's seeing a completely different person.
Due to her amazement, Katy was too stun to say anything, she just looked on as Lammy and Berry took their seat not too far off from the two would be spies. Oblivious to her two friends sitting a few tables behind her, Lammy started the conversation. "So...glad you can make it."
"It'll be hard for me not to show up, since we live so close together." Berry said with a smile.
"Yeah, that's true..." Lammy is so nervous that she's hardly making eye contact with her crush. An owl waiter came to Lammy's table with pencil and notepad ready. "Are you ready to order yet?"
"Yeah, I am." Berry said without even looking at the menu. "I'd like to try that lambcho-" Berry stopped himself after realizing who he's with and changed his mind. "I'll...have a stake. Well done."
"One stake, well done. And what about you ma'am?" Lammy looked through the menu and saw nothing that she really likes. "I'll have the same thing that he's having."
"Alright, that's two stakes, well done. Do you two want anything else?"
"No, I'm good. What about you Lammy?" Berry asked. Lammy put some serious thoughts about what food she should at least try first as she scans through the menu again. After realizing that she's holding everybody up, she slams the menu down and said in a panic. "No, nothing else!"
The waiter thought to himself. "(Great, once again, I get the weird ones.)" The owl clears his throat. "Alright, your food will be with you momentarily." With that, the owl walked away. Berry looked at Lammy who's a nervous wreck.
"Calm down Lammy, you acting like this is the first time you've been to a restaurant before." Lammy smiled back at him, not letting him know this is the first time she's ever been to a place where people serve food that isn't a fast food place.
Not too far off from them, Katy and Sunny are trying to listen in by leaning closer to them, but they could hardly hear Lammy. A familiar voice suddenly spoke up from behind their table. "!#!#!(Keep leaning like that and they'll see you, Perfect dork.)"
Katy and Sunny stopped immediately and looked behind them to see Ma-San looking at them, smiling at a mocking way. "Ma-San?! What are you doing here?!" Asked Katy, feeling more embarrassed than surprised seeing Ma-San here.
"!#!#!(I'm just here to see my work pay off...and to help her out when she inevitably screws something up.)" Sunny slowly turned to Ma-San as well, dreading that Ma-san heard everything that she said. "Hey Ma-San...How long have you been sitting there?"
"!#!#!(Not too long, just enough to know that love can bloom on the battlefield, Solid Flower.)" Sunny's face turned red as she turn back around and sulk on her chair. Back at Lammy and Berry's table, Berry is telling a story to pass the time until their food arrives.
"...And after that, me and my dad had to take her to the hospital. Luckily, we managed to get there in time to get her finger reattached. From that point on, we banned her from using anything sharper than a pencil."
Lammy only looked at him with both a shocked and disgust, which Berry took noticed quickly. "Yeah...sorry about that. I know that's the last story you want to hear before you eat." In less than a second, Lammy quickly changed her face to look more amused.
"N-no! I enjoyed that story! I thought it was funny! HAHAHAHAHA!" Her laughter could be heard throughout the restaurant and quickly became the center of attention. After realizing how crazy she's sounding, Lammy placed her hand over her head while trying to smile at Berry. "I am so sorry about that!"
"It's cool. It was nice to see somebody laugh that hard over my sister's screw ups." Despite Berry trying to reassure Lammy, she began sweating like crazy. Feeling that she might need help, she took out her cell phone and hid it under the table to text somebody for advice.
Of course, the three girls saw everything and can't help but feel embarrassed about seeing the event take place. "!#!#!(So...this is going great so far.)"
"I should have helped her when I had the chance." Katy said to herself. Sunny caught wind of what Katy said and thought back to how she was against the idea. "But isn't this what you wanted? Why the sudden change of heart now?"
"I don't know...just seeing her embarrassing herself like this in public is heartbreaking. It doesn't feel right just sitting here watching her fail like this."
"I know what you mean, but we're not even suppose to be here. What can we do?" The sound of shaking could be heard close by. It was Ma-san's phone vibrating, indicating that she received a text message. "!#!#! (I just got a text message from Lammy. You totally fake spies can read it if you want.)"
Ignoring the insult, Katy and Sunny turned to look at Ma-San's phone. The message read 'I think im messing up need help.'
"!#!#!(You think? You were laughing like a clown smelling laughing gas! Whatever, I need to think of something to say...)" At that moment, Katy decided to give her friend the support she needs. "...Hey Ma-San, give me the phone. I think I know what to say to help her out."
"!#!#!(Whatever, have fun.)" Ma-San just hand over the phone to Katy, not really caring what she has to say. For the next few seconds, Katy was focus on giving Lammy the best advice she can think of in such short notice.
Not too far off, Lammy is smiling nervously at Berry while glancing at her phone sitting on her lap, which her date quickly took notice. "Lammy? Are you sure everything's okay? You look like somebody is after you."
"I-I'm fine! I'm just...just...I wonder when that food gonna get here?" Lammy tries to change the subject, but Berry have a hard time believing her. Lammy felt her phone vibrate and looked down to read the text message.
"Lammy, I know youre going through a lot trying to impress this guy but I think weve been going at this all wrong. You're talented, beautiful, and you can be smart if you actually study. If that guy cant see that behind that make-up you have on, then hes not good enough for you. Just be your sweet self and you don't have to work up some plan to get the perfect guy. No matter what happens, I'm with you a 100%."
Just finished reading the text message, Lammy look up and put some serious thought to the text message. In fact, an idea came to her head about who sent the text message and she decides to look around the restaurant, without telling Berry much of anything. "Okay, you have to tell me something! Is somebody after you? Is there something that I need to know?"
"No, everything's fine..." Lammy responded, without even looking at Berry. She then saw two girls trying to hide their faces behind the menus, but their special features were still shown, such as blue pointy cat ears, and flower petals. Immediately growing suspicious, Lammy got up and walked up to them without saying a word to a confused Berry.
She stopped in front of the table, waiting for a response from her two friends until Sunny poked her head from the menu and looked at Lammy. "Um...hello, person that I've never seen before." Katy knew both her and Sunny were caught and decided to come clean. "Sunny, she already knows its us."
"NOW she does!" Shouted Sunny.
"I seriously can't believe you two!" Lammy said, slightly upset about the situation. "Did you really think you could fool me into thinking that Ma-San send me that text?"
"!#!#!(Yeah, that text was too sappy for my taste.)" Ma-San felt like she had to add her two cents in. "I wasn't trying to trick you!" Katy explained. "I thought it might help you relax and make it through the night."
"Help? Where were you when I needed help the first time?"
"I admit, I wasn't there for you, and I was wrong. I'm still not sure if this is a good idea, but if you still want to be with this guy, then I have your back." Lammy didn't say anything, she just looked at the ground while rubbing her right arm and looking sad. "Is everything all right Lammy?" Sunny asked, having concern for her friend.
Lammy's voice sounded like it was breaking up. "Y-yeah, it's just a lot to deal with, you know? Even before I came here, I thought I was in over my head. I mean, what if he doesn't like me in the same way I like him?"
"I'm sorry, but what?" Said a male voice. The girls noticed Berry standing behind Lammy, very confused about what Lammy said. Knowing there's no getting out of this situation smoothly, Katy decided to simply introduce herself. "Hi, I'm Katy, Lammy's friend. The sunflower next to me is Sunny, and the mouse sitting next to us is Ma-San."
"!#!#!(Sup.)"
Berry didn't know what to make of what's happening, so he just waved his hand. "Uhh...hi."
"So yeah..."Katy felt like a complete fool in front of everybody, which Ma-San enjoy openly with a smile on her face. "We don't want to keep you two lovebirds on your date, so we'll be on our way!"
"Wait, date?!" Berry panicked, which the girls took noticed quickly. "Well, yeah, this is a date, is it?" Sunny said. Berry tried to think back to the previous conversation he had with Lammy, but nothing came up that mentioned a date.
"Look, I think you made a mistake. We're not on a date, we was just hanging out...right Lammy?" With no response, Lammy only looked at him with her teary eyes. "Oh dear...I think there's been a huge misunderstanding."
"W-what do you mean?!" Panic Lammy, causing some of the people to look her way. "I asked you if you wanted to go on a date with me and you said yes!"
"That not how I remembered it! You asked me if I wanted to go out with you, and you kept muttering something under your breath. I didn't hear the word 'date' anywhere during our last conversation!"
The three girls looked at Lammy, not that surprised that Lammy would leave out such a crucial word. "Lammy... don't tell me you didn't say the word date because you was too shy to say it." Katy said, knowing what the answer will be. Lammy looked at Katy without saying a word, confirming that Katy was right."
"!#!#!(That's our Lammy!)" Ma-San said loud enough that most of the people in the restaurant could hear, and they responded with laughter and a few comments.
"This is pretty funny!"
"I didn't know this place have live actors performed here."
"That mouse is kinda cute..."
Katy felt as though she helped caused this by getting involved too late, so she tries her best to change Berry's mind. "I know this isn't what you planned, but can't you give her a chance? She's a really nice girl and you've been one of the few people who really got her talking since she moved here."
"I know she's a nice girl, heck, she's been awesome to me since I moved to my apartment, but trust me when I say this, she's not my type."
"What do you mean she's not your type?" Asked Sunny. "Did she do something wrong to make you think that way?"
Berry didn't want to say anything to them, but miscommunication got him and everybody in this mess, so he decided to come clean. "No, any guy would be lucky to have her...I'm just not that guy that would do well with her, or any girls for that matter."
Sunny thought about what Berry said, and slowly, she started to get the idea. "Oh...OH! You mean you're..."
"Yes I am." Berry replied before Sunny could say it. "The funny thing is that this isn't the first time this happened. My little sis always give me crap for being clueless when girls start coming on to me. I'm sorry that any of this had to happen."
The girls didn't know how to respond to Berry's secret, but Ma-San had an idea. "...!#!#!(...Called it.)
"Ma-San, shut up!" Katy whispered to Ma-San. Berry started going through his pockets and took out his wallet. "I'll pay for everything and take you home. It's the least I can do after what happened."
Lammy didn't respond, she was too shocked to even move her face. Just looking at her had Berry worried. "Come on, you gotta give me an answer."
Seeing how Lammy was too stunned to respond, Katy stepped in. "You have to excuse her, she's just...understandably surprised about the situation. We'll walk her home and maybe she'll start talking again tomorrow."
"Yeah, I hope..." Berry quietly said as he watches Katy and Sunny trying to pull Lammy out of the restaurant by her arm. Ma-San did nothing but grab a dinner roll before leaving. After the girls left, applause was heard from the customers, still thinking it was a small show set up by the owners. Even a beautiful woman walked towards Berry and slipped a piece of paper in his pocket.
"Call me..." She whispered as she walks away. Berry could only sigh in frustration. Outside, Katy, Ma-San, and Sunny all stared at Lammy as she walks home without saying a word. Feeling bad for her friend, Katy was the first one to speak up.
"Hey...you want to talk about what happened?"
"No." Lammy responded, sounding like she's not in the mood for anything at the moment, but Katy continued to talk to her. "Don't be like that, I'm only trying to help you get through this."
"I don't feel like talking." Lammy sounded more angry, but that didn't stop Sunny from talking as well. "You don't have to deal with this by yourself. We're here for you."
Lammy was seriously getting irritated. "Seriously, I'm not in the mood!"
"!#!#!(If she doesn't want to talk about it, then leave her alone! Don't try to force an answer out of her.)"
"Thank you!" Lammy responding to Ma-San's comment. The girls just made it to Lammy's apartment complex, but Katy still wouldn't simply let this go. "Well, when will it be a good time to talk about this? When some other guy comes out of nowhere and you decide to rush into yet another relationship?"
"Will you-!" Lammy caught herself screaming at Katy and calmed down just a tad bit. "Listen...I'll talk about it when I get ready. Right now, I want to go inside, take a bath, and just think things through in my bed. Is that alright with you?"
Katy saw no point in trying to drag this through with Lammy tonight, so she reluctantly agreed to end it for now. "Yeah...We'll talk about it some other time."
"Thanks. I'll...see you guys some other time." Lammy left the girls to themselves, and Ma-San was quick to change the mood. "!#!#!(Well, that was fun while it lasted. Once again, I would like to thank Katy for making this awkward for everybody.)"
"It's nice to see that you haven't lost your sense of humor from this mess..." Sunny said, responding to what Ma-San said. "!#!#!(I'm just trying to lighten the mood from this small problem. Me and Katy will be able to talk to Lammy tomorrow. I'm sure she would have calm down by then and we can talk about what happened like adults.)"
"You really think so?" Asked Katy as she and her friends begin to walk away. "!#!#!(Who would stay mad over a small problem like this? Just leave Lammy alone for now and she'll come around eventually.)"
"I hope you're right." Katy was still worried about Lammy, but there's nothing she could do for now but wait. The next day, Katy arrived in school early to get the books she needs for the classes she has today from her locker. As she was going through her stuff, she kept telling herself that she will let Lammy come to her when she's ready, though she still doesn't know how to respond if she's still in a bad mood. Just as she closes her locker, she notice Lammy standing right next to her with a friendly smile.
"Oh, Lammy! I didn't see you there!"
"Sup Katy. I just got here. I'd thought I come find you before class so we can talk."
"Well, you sound like you're happier." Katy said, relieved that Lammy seem to have gotten over what happened last night. "I guess you thought things through then?"
"Yeah, I've even talked to Berry this morning and we both laughed about what happened, though it was a bit weird at first." Katy was a bit surprised how well her friend is taking the experience. "Well, I'm proud of you! Did you learn something from this experience?" Lammy paused for a moment, and responded. "I did learn one thing..."
"And that is...?"
"...Relationships are needlessly complicated."
"I can't argue with that! At least you walked away without any regrets. Not a lot of women can say that." Ma-San walked towards them after seeing her two friends talking. !#!#!(I see you two are talking again.)"
"Hey Ma-San." Greeted Katy. "Lammy just learned something about relationships."
"!#!#!(Really? So what did you learn? Will you follow 1950's Katy and take it slow, or will you take my advice and be more assertive when it comes to guys?)"
"I don't know..." Lammy responded. "In a way, I can see where both of you are coming from. With Katy, I can see how important it is to just take your time with people you like by getting to know them first, but I also agree with Ma-San when she said I should be more confident and act as soon as I can before somebody else takes that guy away."
"Two different ways to pursue a relationship with the one you like. There's even more ways you can approach them." Katy added. Lammy sighed as she thought about what she said. "Things were simpler back in elementary school when we thought boys have cooties."
"Well, nobody said that being in love will be easy." Katy said, laughing a bit at what Lammy said. "Yeah, maybe you're right. For now on, I'll just let things flow naturally instead of forcing myself into a relationship because I happen to like a guy."
"!#!#!(And if a guy walks up to you and admit that he likes you?)" Lammy thought about what Ma-San said. "Well...I don't know. Maybe I'll accept, maybe I won't. I can't really say for sure what I'll do until it happens."
A male student walked towards Lammy, and Katy immediately took noticed. "Hi, do you need something?" Lammy turned around and saw a boy with a computer for a head, looking nervous.
"Hey, you're that guy that help katy passed her pencil to me!" Lammy said, not really remembering his name. "!#!#!(Not exactly how I want to be remembered, but sure, let's go with that.)"
"L-Lammy..." The boy said nervously. "I kinda...had a crush on you for a while, and...I think you're the most beautiful girl in the world. I'm telling you this because...I was wondering if you...want to hang out sometime next weekend so I can know you a bit better?"
The girls paused as Katy and Ma-San looked at Lammy, waiting for a response. Lammy herself figured the best way out of a situation is to be honest with her crush. "L-listen, you sound like a n-nice guy, but I'm not looking for a relationship now. Maybe some other time?"
The boy looked saddened by Lammy's response. "Sure...okay..." He turned and walked away with his head held down while sad music played from his ear speakers. Katy and Ma-San looked at Lammy, surprised that she would turn him down without giving him a chance.
"Lammy, why did you turn him down like that? He seemed like a nice guy." Asked Katy. Without really thinking about it, Lammy responded. "He seemed alright, but he was too nervous for my taste. I guess I like guys with a bit more confidence."
Lammy begins to walk away to her classroom. "I'll see you guys later!" Katy and Ma-San looked at each other, wondering if they both heard what Lammy of all people said.
"!#!#!(The phase of the day is 'The pot calling the kettle black.')"
"She learning...it just takes her a little while longer than others apparently."
