Scott Pilgrim
Kim's Shining Star
Chapter 1b - Don't Be Late!
Two Days Before Friday... Wednesday...
Kim was aggravated over her decision last night. Ever since she agreed to famed movie star Tyson Armstrong's invite to a date with him, she stayed in her room (which she was lucky to get at Scott's apartment), only leaving for food and to use the bathroom to take a shower or... you know, use it. Even when she's in the bathroom, she'd take long showers or baths, thinking about the date endlessly. Reason be said, all this took place all night since Tuesday night (which means Wednesday). Scott and Ramona personally didn't see the problem with her dating Tyson. He was a movie star and plus, he liked her. Not many guys would admit their feelings to a girl like that and Kim was pretty lucky to have a guy like Armstrong to date her. She didn't find herself lucky however. This was pretty odd for Kim considering she changed over the year from being a person who hates everyone on Earth to an average cheerful girl. It seemed that this one guy was probably going to revert her to her previous personality.
The day she finally left her room (Wednesday), she sat in the kitchen eating her toast. She had that same expression over her face: A look of irritation. Scott and Ramona finally confronted her about the situation, sitting on the opposite side of her. She shot a look at the two with the same expression on her face. Since New Year's Day, the couple had tried... okay, RAMONA, tried to talk to Kim about the date but Kim would always tell them, er, HER to leave her alone. Oh yeah, Ramona visited Scott's apartment from time to time. This was one of those times.
Ramona's green-ish hair color and hairstyle remained the same for a long time, personally feeling that she has no need to constantly do it almost every week of her life. She was simply wearing a black night-dress and black house-shoes. Scott himself was wearing a green T-Shirt, brown pants and black converse shoes. I'm pretty sure he wore that same outfit before in the past. Kim herself was wearing a purple night-dress and purple socks.
"What?" Kim simply spoke up. "Listen, Kim. We have to talk about this." Ramona began. "Why are you so upset about this upcoming date?"
"Yeah, I mean, I don't see the big deal." Scott added.
Kim rolled her eyes, dropping her toast on her plate. "You wouldn't see the big deal Scott."
"Do you mind telling us the 'big deal' Kim?" Ramona asked, annoyed at the situation.
"Fine, you wanna know? First off, I'm dating a guy who I haven't seen in years and when I do meet him again, he's a big super star. That and I don't even remember him very well..."
"And...?" Scott slowly asked, not following her.
"When you're a super star, you get tons of fans following you. Seriously Scott, Envy has fans following her nearly wherever she goes. Tyson is very similar to Envy in a way." Kim said, face palming.
"What are you getting at Kim? You know, so Scott can understand." Ramona asked.
Scott snapped his neck turning to his GF. "Hey! What are you saying!? I'm not smart or something!?"
Kim ignored Scott's stupidity and explained. "Dating a guy who has fans following you all the time is totally annoying. Seriously, I can already see how the date will turn out before it even begins."
Ramona rubbed her hair around. "I can see the problem but I'd at least give him a chance. I mean, judging from what you told us, he seemed to like you... A LOT."
Kim snorted, rolling her eyes. She did, admittedly, feel a little something over Tyson's hidden feelings for her since the day he met her in High School, but she still felt anger and frustration over the fact that he apparently hid his feelings from her and that he was now a movie star at this point.
Ramona sighed. "Listen, if it's cool with you, how about I go visit Tyson and, you know, check him out? I'll just come back here and tell you everything I learned from him."
Scott pouted over Ramona's idea. "How come you get to meet Armstrong?"
"Oh my god, Scott, shut up. Take a nap or something." Ramona demanded. Scott followed the command, muttering under his breath as he went to the bed. Truth be told, Scott was still drunk after last night. Out of them all, Scott had more to drink than anyone, save for Wallace. Unbeknownst to the girls, Scott had collapsed at the door leading to Ramona's bedroom.
"Okay, so where does Tyson stay at Kim?" Ramona asked, getting prepared to leave.
Kim finished the last bit of toast she had left on her plate. "He lives in that one penthouse... Uhh, I think it's Trillium Plaza."
Ramona's eyes widened. "He lives there?" She asked surprised.
"Well, he's staying there for a bit so he says. He recently got it like, last week. He didn't tell me anything else other than that." Kim explained.
Ramona nodded. "Wow, who would've thought... Anyway, I think I should probably call him to let him know I'll be there. You have his number?"
"Uh-huh. Dude gave it to me 'in case I needed him'." She said as she pointed at Scott's fridge. The number was on a piece of paper and attached the fridge door. Ramona snatched it and took a quick look at it. With a smile, she grabbed her cellphone and dialed the number. Kim lied on the kitchen table as she watched her pal speak to her upcoming date.
"Yello?" The voice greeted. He literally said 'yello' which sounds like the color 'yellow'. If it wasn't obvious enough, the word 'yello' was just 'hello' with a y instead of a h.
"Hi. Um..." Ramona felt pretty nervous talking to Armstrong again. Kim smiled and rolled her eyes at Ramona's stuttering speech and the way she trembled tensely. "This is Ramona, you know, the girl from Sneaky Dee's?"
"Oh, Ms. Flowers! I thought you sounded familiar! Hehe! So, what can I do for you?" Tyson asked, not even questioning the how Ramona got his phone number.
"I was, uh... Thinking that I..." Ramona shook her head and knocked away the surprisingly nervousness that she expressed. "Screw it... Listen, I was wondering if it'd be cool if I maybe visit you. You know, if it's cool with you."
"Sure, sure! No problem! I'm staying at the penthouse at Trillium!"
Ramona sighed in relief. She was questioning why he would allow her to visit so quickly. Especially considering he was a famous celebrity.
"Okay! I'll stop by soon!" Ramona said. "Later!"
"Bye!"
Ramona ended the call and threw the phone in her pocket. She gave Kim a bright grin.
"Awfully kind, isn't he?" Kim asked, clearly hearing the conversation.
"No kidding. I mean, he's a famous celebrity and he's allowing me to visit him like he's a normal person. Besides, he barely knows me." Ramona said with a shrug. "Anyway, I about to get dressed since I'll be leaving right away."
25 minutes later, Ramona was dressed and ready to go. She wore a white tank-top underneath her red hoodie. Over that hoodie was a black jacket (She wore something like this before I think? (Maybe on the original cover of Volume 5?)). She wore dark blue shorts, grey leggings and black boots.
"Alright Kim, I'll be back." Ramona told her as she grabbed her Subspace Bag (which she got again a little while after Gideon was defeated).
Kim was still in the kitchen, her head on the table. "M-Hm..." She muttered, possibly about to fall asleep.
Ramona was about to head out the door but Kim stopped her with a few words. "Ramona... Listen, I appreciate you doing this even though I didn't ask you to do this for me."
"Hey, what are friends for, right?" Ramona replied with a smile. "Alright, I'm out!"
Trillium Plaza
Area in Toronto where it's rich and pretty popular. It's like Yorkville Plaza in all honesty. While were on the whole honesty topic now, Trillium Plaza is completely fictional and is located nearby where our friends, Scott Pilgrim, Wallace Wells and others live at.
10 minutes later after taking a few Subspace doors to the Trillium Plaza, Ramona finally arrived at the penthouse.
At the main lobby of the building, Ramona met a guy who approached him. He was bald with a few white hair on the side of his face, identifying that he was pretty old. He had a mustache whiter than the snow outside right now. He wore a black and white tuxedo suit, including the white gloves and black shoes.
"Greetings. You must be Ramona Flowers." He spoke to her.
Ramona nodded with a smile. She was to be polite and respectful towards others. Especially with someone like him. "That's me. Ramona Flowers."
The man bowed respectfully towards her. "Beautiful name. I'm Walter Watterson."
He gestured Ramona to the elevator with a finger motion. "Please follow me. Master Armstrong is expecting you."
Ramona followed Watterson through the hallways and towards the elevator. Ramona easily noticed tons of security guards. A few of them politely nodded their head at her.
During the ride, Watterson and Ramona had a conversation.
"So, why are you visiting Armstrong today?" He asked.
"I'm friends with Kimberly Pine, the girl Mr. Armstrong will be dating this Friday. I wanted to to come over and tell him about Kim." She explained.
Watterson nodded. "I am Master Armstrong's butler/guardian. His parents died immediately after getting divorced. I'm unsure of what caused their death but it seemed very random. Ever since then, I kept a close eye on Master Watterson by the wishes of his mother."
"Oh... I never knew that... I'm so sorry..." Ramona said in sorrow. "Please, don't feel too bad. Oh, we've reached the top level." Watterson told her.
The elevator reached the top level like Watterson had said. Upon opening it, she was led into a room through two large doors. Upon entering, Ramona was amazed by how organized, pretty and rich the place looked. She wasn't surprised, considering the loot Tyson Armstrong holds. Ramona saw the huge windows which allowed people to see the city view from that high. Ramona quickly took out her phone and snapped a photo of the place for later use.
"Wow, expensive..." Ramona whispered.
The entire place was sorta golden. Seriously! The lights were bright and it filled the entire place with with it's light. It made the entire place looking bright and golden... EVEN though the structure was totally white. Again, the lights made it look this way. Like Ramona had described it, the place was expensive looking.
Watterson cleared his throat and stepped forward. "Master Armstrong, you have a guest." He called out.
"Guest? I'll be right there!" A voice called back out. Coming from the other room was famed movie star Tyson Armstrong. He was wearing a blue T-shirt with a Sonic the Hedgehog character on it. It was the hedgehog's best bud/bro, Miles "Tails" Prower on it. He wore brown shorts, long white socks, and black house-shoes. Ramona observed his shirt and she could clearly tell Tyson was a big-time Sonic the Hedgehog fan.
"Oh, if it isn't the lovely Ramona Flowers!" He greeted respectfully.
"Hi Mr. Armstrong!" Ramona greeted back, trying to sound normal towards the famed movie star. "So, what brings Scott Pilgrim's girl over to Tyson Armstrong's stronghold?" Tyson asked as he threw his hands on his hips.
"Well, you see, Kim asked me to check on you-" Before Ramona could continue, Tyson interrupted her. "Kim wanted you to check up on me?" He asked, trying his best to conceal his excitement.
"Yeah, but she also wanted me to get to know you a little more. After all, I am Kim's best friend."
Tyson scratched his chin. "If it's a little biography you want, then it's what you'll get. Please, come to my awesome kitchen and have a seat. I'll prepare some tasty cookies and lemon pie for ya."
Tyson took Ramona's hand and toured her to the kitchen. Ramona couldn't help but mention the fact that Tyson had so many Sonic the Hedgehog merchandise. Seriously, there was like two 10-Inch Sonic toys near his flatscreen TV, one modern and one classic figure.
Leading her to the kitchen, Tyson had reached into the oven and brought out the cookies and pie that he said he was going to make.
"Yeah... Hehe, I was already planning on making these. Now that I have a guest here, I think I'll share my cool snack with you." Tyson snickered as he placed the dishes on top of his oven with the delicious snacks smelling ever so nicely. Ramona nearly drooled at the sight and smell of the dessert Tyson had prepared.
"You can cook?" Ramona asked. "Why, of course! Watterson taught me all about cooking!" Tyson boasted.
The young man sliced a piece of pie and placed one on a paper plate along with the chocolate-chip cookie. A plastic fork was placed on the pie and he handed the plate to his guest. Ramona took a small bite of the pie and smiled brightly. The taste of the pie was delightful. His cooking skills might rival that of a five-star hotel's cooking or something bigger than that.
"Mmmmmmmmm... Tyson, this is amazing!" Ramona commented as she took another small bite, savoring every piece.
"Why thank you Ms. Flowers. I'm glad you appreciate my cooking. I owe my skills all to my guardian/butler Watterson." Tyson said clapping for his guardian.
Watterson happily rolled his eyes. "It was very easy to teach you Master Armstrong. You are a very quick and respectable learner." Watterson commented.
Tyson took his slice of pie and his peanut-butter cookie he was baking with chocolate chip and sat across Ramona. "Soooo, Ms. Flowers. What shall we talk about?" Tyson said, taking a bite off his peanut butter cookie.
"Well... I'd like to ask how you got this place."
"Alrighty then. You see, Watterson had called in from California to ask the people of this building to have everything set up for me. They had this building prepared exclusively to me since I was visiting Toronto for a while."
"Oh I see. I was wondering because this place is pretty hard to get, hehe. You know, considering how expensive it was." Ramona chuckled.
"You see Ramona. I can afford this easily." Tyson said with a cocky grin.
"Oh, so you're rich? Mind explaining that one?" Ramona said, smiling with one eyebrow raised.
"With pleasure... So my family has this thing..."
Scott's Apartment, like, 5 hours later?
Kim choose to read a book in the living room. It was The Giver by Lois Lowry. She wore a yellow hoodie, teal shirt underneath, brown shorts, and orange flip-flops.
Kim was enjoying herself getting near the end of the book. She suddenly heard keys through the door and Ramona came through the door, walking over to Kim with a smile on her face.
"So," Kim began, lowering her book. She didn't lose her page however, as her fingers kept the book open. "How was it?"
"Dude, Kim, Tyson is a GREAT guy once you get to know him." Ramona exclaimed.
"Why am I not surprised..." Kim replied going back to reading. Ramona snatched the book away from her and tossed it some place random. Scott, however, caught the book in his hands as he just left Ramona's bedroom. He looked at the title of the book and was surprised. "The Giver? Didn't we read this back in High School?" Scott asked. However, the girls ignored him.
"Listen Kim, he's a very nice guy, just looking forward to his upcoming date. He really likes you, you know." Ramona said.
"You don't say." Kim responded, leaning on her hand in boredom. "Okay Kim, if you don't like him..."
"I never said I didn't like him." Kim interrupted.
"Fine. If you're having mixed feelings about this date, then at least give the guy a chance! I mean, I gave Scott a chance and look how that turned out."
Kim smiled a little bit. She thought about Ramona and Scott's relationship and it's ups and downs. They were clearly made for each other. Perhaps it might work with her and Armstrong... Maybe. Ramona saw Kim's smile and used it to her advantage.
"Alright some things about Tyson Armstrong. He's a gentleman, he knows how to cook, and he's a massive video game fanatic, like Scott." Ramona explained. "In fact, Tyson is sorta like Scott in a way, the only massive difference is that Tyson's famous for being in movies and that Tyson's a little more mature than Scott."
"But I bet he can't beat me in a fight!" Scott yelled after tossing away the book he had in his hands. "This isn't a contest Scott." Ramona said, not daring to look at him. It was really odd for Scott to think he could outbest someone since he wouldn't think about beating someone. Maybe his fight with Gideon made him more cocky than ever. "Anyway, you should seriously consider going out with him. Besides, he REAAALY likes you."
Kim kept her smile. Perhaps, going out with a movie star wouldn't be so bad. She just had to get over the issue that a stampede of fanatics would be following them on Friday. She could probably get past that, it just wouldn't be easy.
"Okay, okay, fine! I'll go out with him!" Kim finally said, smiling still. "I think it might be fun anyway."
"Man, I'm a little jealous!" Ramona admitted. "However, I'm very happy with Scott Pilgrim!" Ramona said as she walked over to her boyfriend, giving him a big hug. The dork smiled brightly, having his GF hug him like that. "While your out Kim, maybe me and Scott could go out ourselves. Do you like that idea Scott?"
"Yeah, sure!" Scott cried, in happiness.
NOW, LET'S JUST SKIP TWO DAYS FORWARD ON FRIDAY. JUST TO SAVE YOU SOME TIME IN YOUR LIVES!
Friday, 6:09 PM
Trillium Penthouse
Tyson Armstrong grabbed the keys off the living-room table and made his way to the door. He was dressed in lots of black. He wore a black jacket, black T-Shirt with Silver the Hedgehog's silhouette head on the shirt, navy blue jeans, and black converse shoes.
As he made his way to the door, he pulled out his phone and saw that he had received a text message. It was Kim and it read: "I'm at Ramona's apartment. Pick me up there." And along with the text came Ramona's address. Tyson literally tossed the phone into his coat pocket and opened the door.
"Master Armstrong, are you leaving for your date?" Watterson asked from the kitchen.
"Yep! Duty calls!" Tyson called back, looking a little impatient.
"Shall I clean the penthouse?" Watterson called out again, just as Tyson was about to open the door.
"Yeah, sure, whatever! Later Watterson!" Tyson quickly said as he slammed the door behind him. Watterson had just finished making Tea for himself. He heard faint little steps coming towards him. Coming from the living-room was a little doggy. It was a small miniature-pinscher and she looked cute. Watterson smiled as the dog wagged her tail around. She jumped so high that she could probably reach the counter. She seemed to notice Watterson had something she wanted: Food. Watterson had no food, only a beverage.
"Sparkle. Eat your food." Watterson told the dog as he pointed at the tray of dog food near the fridge.
Leaving the elevator, Tyson made his way to the Garage where a few vehicles await him. He had a truck, regular car, a motorcycle, and... well, a crap load of vehicles that could drive. He took the Acura NSX 2015 vehicle as he wanted to impress his date. Tyson may be a gentleman but he was a well-known egomaniac when it came to his expensive owned stuff. He opened the garage door and sped off into the evening city of Toronto, heading to Ramona's apartment. Watterson came into the Garage and pressed the opening/closing button that closed the Garage. Tyson, too eager for his own good, had forgotten to close the darn thing.
"Cut to next scene." Watterson told the readers. (Wait, what?)
Ramona's Apartment, 6:26 PM
Yeah, Ramona's Apartment, not Scott's
Kim came out the bathroom dressed regularly. She had her cellphone in her hand as she left the bathroom. She did nothing major to her hair. She wore a brown leather jacket over her black and white sweater she usually wore and underneath that was a green shirt. She wore blue pants and grey boots (The same boots she wore in Volume 6 perhaps?).
Kim opened her phone and checked the time: 6:27 PM. She sighed as she tossed her phone back into her coat pocket. She walked out and sat on the living-room couch. Ramona and Scott came in, smiling at their friend. "Kim, you look nice!" Ramona complimented. "Thanks. Looking nice yourself." Kim replied, pointing at Ramona.
Ramona was dressed nicely tonight. She was wearing a dark blue vest with a attachable hood on it, a dark green T-Shirt with a red flame design which had a scowl look on it's face. She also had a green skirt and black leggings along with dark grey boots.
A odd knocking pattern came at the door. "Must be him." Kim said. Ramona made her way to the door and unlocked it. It was Tyson Armstrong standing with his hands in his jacket pockets. "Good evening Ms. Flowers." Tyson greeted.
"Well, would you look at that Kim. It IS him." Ramona said looking back at her friend.
"Nooo... I didn't know that was him at all." Kim sarcastically replied as she got up from the couch. "Heh, of course that's him. I could see him from the couch."
Tyson smiled at his date. "My, Kim, you look very beautiful."
Kim blushed at his words. As many may or may not know, Kim was rather insecure about her looks and it felt odd to her that someone would compliment her like that. For her, it's been quite awhile since someone has complimented her. Last time that happened was with Jason Kim. "Please, you're just saying that. I bet you say that to all the ladies in the world, don't you?" Kim asked, folding her arms with a huff.
"Not exactly. To all the other ladies, I tell them 'My, insert name here, you look very pretty/cute'. I switched out pretty with beautiful because that's what you are Kim. I could say cute if you'd like." Tyson said with a sly smile.
"No thanks."
Scott appeared, fluffing out his jacket. He was dressed proper as usual but this time, more professionally. He wore a short black jacket with short sleeves. It was like a vest really. He wore a purple T-Shirt with a large white ring on the shirt, blue leather jeans and black converse shoes. He noticed Tyson at the doorway and smile.
"Hey dude!" Scott ran over and shook Tyson's hand. The two had a real firm grip. "Scott Pilgrim! The main character!" Tyson said to Scott with a grin.
"Forever will be!" Scott said with pride.
"Are you and Ramona going out tonight too?" Tyson asked him.
"Yeah, we thought that it might be a good idea considering you and Kim are going out."
"Nice Scott! Well, Kim, shall we?" Tyson said with a smile.
Yeah, let's go already." Kim said grabbing his arm. "Take good care of her!" Ramona yelled as Scott waved. Kim simply waved to them without turning. Kim stopped at the vehicle she was going to be driving in.
"Nice car." Kim commented. "Oh, that's not the only nice thing you're going to see tonight Kim, 'wink wink'." Tyson said literally saying 'wink wink'. "Hop in."
Kim opened the door right when she heard the door unlock. She sat in the passenger seat while Tyson sat in the driver's seat (DUH!). Tyson sighed happily.
"Oh man, Kim, you don't know how long I've waited for this day. The day I finally get to go out with you!" He cried.
Kim just smiled. "Just don't bore me on this date, got it?"
"Pssh, when you're with me, the term boredom doesn't exist. Buckle up."
Kim did as she was told and played with her hair. "Soooo..." Kim began. "Where are we going tonight?"
"I dunno... There's a lot of places I'd like to take you. Like that fancy restaurant down at 88 Harbord Street or maybe see a movie." Tyson said nervously.
"Well, let's see where the night takes us, yeah?" Kim suggested. "Try them all it is!" Tyson said as he began to pull off. Ramona and Scott watched them leave, overjoyed that Kim finally had a date after so long (which hasn't been that long, only like 3-5 months?)
"There she goes..." Scott says happily. "Now then, where are WE going to go, Ramona?"
"Dunno... How about Splendido? I got us reservations two days ago and they got everything prepared for us." Ramona suggested.
"Splendido it is!" Scott exclaimed as he grabbed Ramona's arm and ran out the apartment. They were heading to the nearest Subspace Door which just happened to be a block or two away from Ramona's apartment.
"You know that we're only going out because you owe me, right?" Scott looked at Ramona, questionably. "What? I owe you? What'd I do?" He asked.
"You do realize my Birthday was yesterday, right?" Ramona asked her boyfriend. Scott nodded. "Yeah, that's why we took you out to Sneaky Dee's Oh Wait."
Scott had suddenly remembered that he had a big surprise for her at Sneaky Dee's but the whole thing was all forgotten when Tyson Armstrong came in and interrupted the party. The fight between Pilgrim and Armstrong made everyone, including Ramona herself, forget about the birthday. To make matters worse, they went drinking after the fight, which further made others forget. Ramona had remembered her birthday like a few hours after she came back from Tyson's penthouse.
"Yeah, we had this big thing planned for you but as you know, it didn't happen. Haha..." Scott nervously chuckled. Ramona was not amused however. They stood in front of the Subspace Door they were about to enter soon and Ramona tapped her foot as she stared at Scott annoyingly. Scott chuckled again, sweating a bit. "I-I'll tell you what! I'll pay for the big dinner we'll have as a late birthday present. Oh crap! My OTHER Birthday Present! I must have left it at work! Oh man! I can't lose that! Okay, I'll somehow get it before Stephen Stills closes up the place! Besides, I can more likely afford this thing tonight!" Scott said proudly.
Ramona smiled. "Fine, I'll accept that. Let's go, I'm starving!"
Holding hands, Scott and Ramona had jumped into the door, falling through the empty vastness of space.
Gideon (the cat, not the dick-wad with the last name Graves) strolled at the door of Ramona's apartment, and stared out the doorway. Apparently, the two lovebirds forgot to close the door behind them. In retrospect, it was Scott's fault for being hyper about the night.
"Meow." It said before closing the door with it's tiny paws. I think we can all assume the cat said "Cut to next scene."
Nine Years Ago
St. Joel's Catholic High School
"Okay, okay, settle down. It's a new year which means a new start."
The speaker was a teacher. He was pretty old, white hair replacing his previously brown hair. Some students seem to dislike him for his strict policy on grading. Even the smallest slip-ups on projects will bring down a grade significantly.
This class was Media, Period 2. About 25 students were in there and of course more than 25 empty seats with more than 25 blank computer screens awaited the juniors. All were in uniform for this was a Catholic school. The teacher had asked a select few to chose their own seats while the remaining were to be assigned seats. Why? Well, the remaining students had trouble focusing the previous year and so they are placed in different seats so they can focus more on classwork and less on goofing off with their pals or BFs/GFs. Everyone had found their seats and booted up their computers. Suddenly, the sound of the door opening alerted the teacher himself.
"Ah Mr. Armstrong... Late on the first day? I'm actually surprised."
A redhead girl with freckles looked over from behind. She saw the guy enter the room. He was dressed differently from the majority of the guys who attended this school. He had a black leather jacket, white T-Shirt, blue pants, and black converse shoes. He did, however, have the letter "J" on the front of his jacket. He had black hair that was sharp, spiky, and pretty messy. One of the students yelled through their hands as if it was a megaphone.
"Armstrong's such a loser! HAHA!" One yelled.
"Late for school on the first day? What a douche!" Another yelled.
"Dude, that's frickin' hilarious!" One more yelled out.
However, this young man wasn't a loser nor a wimp. He didn't look like a loser nor wimp. He did, however, look like he was trying to look cool. Armstrong simply stared at his 'fellow' classmates as they openly (and stupidly) mocked him.
"Zip it." The teacher yelled out to the out-bursting students. He then turned to Armstrong. "I don't want to hear your excuse. I do, however, want you to sit in your new assigned seat, right next to Kimberly, okay?"
Kimberly, was the redhead with freckles. Her hair was tied into a ponytail, wore a grey hoodie with a "J" icon on it, a skirt, average-length socks and shoes. All apart of uniform. The majority of the people who knew her called her Kim. She had a open seat right next to her and it (not literally) had Armstrong's name on it. Armstrong moaned as he made his way to Kim. He dropped his backpack on the ground and sighed heavily, covering his face with his hand.
Armstrong was one of the few students not to own a locker and it's because he hates putting his stuff in his lockers. Ever since all of his stuff from his locker got stolen back in the 5th grade in his previous school, Altar Mobius Elementary School, he would always keep all of his possessions with him at all times and he would openly ignore staff's orders on keeping winter coats in lockers. He was clearly a 'bad boy' but he everyone knew that Armstrong was the second smartest kid in the school. Despite his rare tardies, he get's straight A's all the time, every time.
"Hey." Armstrong removed his hand as he stared at the girl who greeted him. He didn't respond with words but rather with a small wave. Her voice was monotone-like but she sounded a little cheerful with her greeting.
"I guess we'll be partners, huh?" She said to him, trying to start a decent conversation.
A girl from the other side of her (pretty much across from her but the computer screen blocks their view), Lauren, popped from her seat and loudly whispered to her friend. "Don't bother trying to communicate with him. Don't you know he's known as the EMO guy?" She told Kim as she chuckled. Armstrong growled viciously at Lauren as her smile disappeared. Kim looked at Armstrong as she logged into the computer.
45 minutes into class, the juniors was already given a project to begin. It was just a simple project about technology and how it impacted the world today. Kim and Armstrong were partners since the teacher had assigned him to her. There was a good reason for that. Kim was also the second smartest student in school, just in the Female category. Armstrong was clearly second in the Male Category. The teacher had put Tyson with her so Kim could literally "mentor" him.
Armstrong, also known by his first name, Tyson, was also a little troublemaker. He intentionally would disobey rules because he disapproves of them and the only reason he's still in school because the school wanted Tyson to continue learning in their school so he could indirectly inspire others. Besides, Tyson was very smart and his IQ would always beat rival schools in competitions they held. However, the number 1 smartest kid, Simon Lee, would take the spot light all the time. The girls were all over him. He, however, didn't seem to care about them as all they wanted was for him to do their homework.
Unfortunately for Tyson, he didn't get the positive recognition he deserved. Despite his IQ aiding the school, nearly everyone treated him like a joke. Even the third smartest kid, Jeremy, got more attention than Tyson and that was just as upsetting.
Kim and Tyson were given a topic about the Evolution of Video Gaming. Ironically, Tyson knew nearly everything about this topic because he spent the majority of his life playing them and studying them. He thought about becoming a programmer in the future but he has other plans if that doesn't work out.
When the bell rang signifying the end of second period, everyone was leaving. A few jocks purposely shoved into Tyson on the way out, openly mocking him. All the girls laughed at him as they walked by the jocks. Tyson growled again as he walked out the class slowly. His face was hidden to many but a perceptive one could easily notice that his face displayed sadness, frustration and absolute anger. Kim and Lauren were the last to leave. Kim stared at Tyson leave to his next class and she could easily notice the other jocks intimidating him again. Deep down inside, she felt pretty sorry for him.
Lunch Time
Today's lunch was Pizza, cowabunga...
Tyson went to the only table he could sit in peace without others annoying him... most of the time. The jocks and girls mocked him endlessly as they passed by him. He felt like crying right now, but for some reason, he simply couldn't. He looked down at his tray, stuffing a slice of pizza down his throat. He stopped chewing the moment a shadow stood before him. It was Kimberly.
"Hey. Mind if I sit here?"
Tyson looked at her for a bit, seeming like he was under a spell of hypnotism. Her voice was still monotone-like and pretty sarcastic for some reason. He simply nodded after snapping out of his random trance. He finished his pizza and wiped his face with a napkin. "I don't think I've introduced myself. I'm Kim."
"Tyson." He responded to her. It was his first word today. Kim smiled a bit as she took a sip of her carton of milk. "Nice to meet you. So, I've been wondering... Why's everyone a dick towards you?" She asked.
He looked at her again. He sighed. "It surprises me that someone is trying to start a conversation with me..." He spoke. Kim had a questionable look on her face. "Huh?"
"Kimberly, people know me as a 'social-outcast'. I don't make friends without getting teased or laughed at. Those assholes over there would slug me any chance they get outside of school." He said pointing at the jocks over at the opposite side of his table.
"So you don't have many friends, huh?" She asked, finishing her milk.
"I don't have ANY friends..." He replied, crushing his empty milk carton. She stared at the crushed milk carton, becoming so small just by his one hand. Tyson didn't look very muscular, let alone strong, but the size of the milk carton now impressed her.
"I see." She said, giving Tyson her full attention again. "Why are you here anyway?" Tyson asked, not trying to sound rude. Kim coughed a bit. "Well, I just thought that, since you and me will be partners for the rest of the year, I thought maybe we'd get to know each other instead of trying to kill each other."
Tyson snickered. "Trying to kill each other, huh? I wouldn't kill you even if I got permission Kim." He said to her.
"Heh." Kim cracked a smile. Tyson seemed pretty nice for a "social-outcast". Why would everyone piss him off every now and then still confused her but she'd probably find out soon anyway. "Well, I'll see you later Tyson." Kim said as she got up. Tyson waved. "Sayonara."
Kim met up with her friend Lauren and were about to leave. The lunch room started getting loud for some reason and that halted the girls. They stared over at the source of the noise. Tyson was standing before a jock, Raphael, football star at this school. "So, Armstrong," Raphael began. "You think it's pretty cool to be late on the first day, huh?" The other students started to chuckle. They recalled that event earlier this morning. "Damn Armstrong! You did some stupid crap in the past but this? Oh man, what a idiot!"
All the other students burst out laughing, save for Kim, Lauren and a few others. To think, an argument like this breaks out so quickly. "Kinda ironic Raph, considering that an idiot is standing before me." Tyson replied with a cocky smirk.
Raphael stopped laughing and formed a pissed expression. "You think you're funny don't you?" He said, pushing Tyson back a couple steps. He clutched his fists together in frustration. "You're nothing Armstrong. NOTH-ING! You're just a guy who'll probably commit suicide tonight because you didn't have a single friend all your life. Kill yourself man! Nobody would care anyway! Seriously, you'd be doing yourself a favor!"
Tyson's eyes were filled with a vicious flame. His fists were ready to be thrown. "Why don't you XXXX off!" Tyson yelled as he sucker punched Raphael towards a table where the students sitting there scattered. The food fell on Raph's face and clothes. Everyone gasped in shock. No one had ever seen Tyson fight because he never got into one. Raphael growled in anger as the blood began sliding down his lips, originating from his nose. He cracked his knuckles and stood before Tyson. "You're a dead man Armstrong..."
Raph threw a punch at Tyson, but he moved to the side and kicked Raph's face. More blood came spilling from his face. Raphael roared viciously as he charged into Tyson, ramming him against the wall. Tyson headbutt Raph's face and kneed him where it hurts. Tyson elbowed Raphael's forehead and he collapsed on the ground. Everyone stared at Tyson as he took down Raphael without a sweat broken. Soon, other jocks came rushing at Tyson and it became a huge brawl. Other students evacuated to get other teachers or just to hide in fear. Lauren tried to drag Kim out but she continued staring at Tyson taking care of each jock that came to him. She finally followed Lauren out when Lauren told her to leave. The fight was getting brutal and every jock who came at Tyson met an unfortunate fate. Before Kim departed, she could've swore she saw Tyson smile sadistically as he threw one jock at another. The staff came in and broke up the fight. It took two staff members to hold down Tyson and twice that many to hold down Raphael and his jock pals.
"ENOUGH!" The principal yelled. He was previously strolling the hallways as he normally would do every once and a while and he found out that this gigantic fight broke out.
"OFFICE! NOW!" The principal yelled as Tyson and Raphael were dragged out of the lunch room. The others looked at the two fighters, gossiping about the entire fight and the thing that caused it. Nobody ever thought Tyson Armstrong would fight head on with the ENTIRE football team. Kim and Lauren stared at Tyson primarily as he was literally dragged to the office.
Principal's Office
To shorten up the constant yelling coming from the office, one student in particular singled out Kim as one of the prime witnesses. With the information given, Kim was called into the office to tell her side of the story behind the raucous fight. Kim was nervous to be in there, considering she felt like she had done something wrong but the principal was dependent on Kim since she had no bad history in school and was always a nice student of the school. Kim told her side and with her story, Tyson was left with a mere suspension for a day, just so he could clear his mind. Odd considering Tyson did the most damage during the fight. Raphael, however, was given detention for the next month and was not allowed to participate in this years Football Games. It was him who started the fight anyway with that shove.
Kim stood outside the office, staring at her chemistry book she recently got from the school library. Chemistry was her next class and she needed this book. Tyson walked out of the principal's office with his hands in his jacket pockets. He looked over to see Kim standing there, staring at her book. She looked up upon seeing Tyson leaving the room.
The two students stood there for a while, 2 minutes to be exact. Finally, Tyson spoke up, breaking the silence.
"You didn't rat me out..." Tyson said in awe.
"Was there any reason to rat you out? I only told the principal the truth, that's all." Kim told him.
"..." Tyson said nothing after Kim's words. He didn't know what to say. Why was this girl defending him especially when he's just a social outcast? It confused him greatly. "Um..."
Kim looked over at the clock beside the lockers in the hallway. She grabbed her backpack that was on the ground and began to move. "Well, 5th period is starting soon, so I better get going." She said, holding onto her chemistry book.
Tyson didn't want her to go so soon though. He looked away from her as he called out to her. "Um... K-Kim...!"
Kim looked behind her back as she slowly walked forward. "Thanks... I owe you one..." Tyson said as he looked away from her. His face was bright pink...
"I'll remember that, Armstrong. See you later." She said with a small smile before proceeding to next hour. Tyson's face was still pink. He readjusted his backpack on his back as he went to his own next period, Geometry.
At the end of the day, it was raining. Everyone was heading for buses or walking home. Tyson Armstrong walked through the rain heading towards his bus but stopped when his shoulder was tapped. He looked behind him with his frustrated, blank expression. To his surprise, it was Kim.
"Hey Armstrong."
"Hi..."
Tyson turned fully towards her, moving away from the bus entrance so others could enter. "What's up?" He asked.
"I was wondering that maybe you'd like to come to my house." Kim told him with that deadpan voice of hers.
"Inviting me to your house after meeting me the same day...?"
Kim rolled her eyes. "Pfft... Don't take this the wrong way Armstrong. Considering you got suspended today, I was hoping we could still work on our project at my place."
Tyson nodded his head. "Yeah, that does make since I suppose. Especially considering I have no freakin' internet at my place right now. Besides, I don't want to go home after what happened today. My parents are gonna flip."
"I totally see what you're getting at. Come on, let's get going." Kim entered the bus Tyson was about to enter before. It didn't take a 10 year old to realize that Kim took the same bus he did. Tyson followed her inside.
On the ride, Kim sat with Lauren on the right side of the bus while Tyson sat alone on the left side. He was, fortunately, next to Kim anyway. As the bus rode through the rain, Tyson and Kim talked about various topics. Kim had eventually asked Tyson about his knowledge of video game evolution. Kim was glad that Tyson knew tons of info on this topic right away, as this would make the completion of the project go by faster and be done easily.
6:14 PM Kim's House
Getting pretty dark outside...
At Kim's House, both her and Tyson were in her room on the computer. They had their presentation slides prepared and everything. Tyson was telling Kim his knowledge of Video Game Evolution. Kim sat on her cozy chair wearing a yellow T-Shirt and pink Pajama pants. She was sitting on her chair with her legs crossed. Tyson, on the other hand, sat at the computer typing away at high speeds... Okay not that fast but it was pretty fast.
"Yeah, so in short, it started in 2D then transferred to 3D and eventually, new genres were created like platformers, beat em' ups, run and guns, all that." Tyson explained with absolute pride.
Kim chuckled a bit. "For the first time in High School, I wouldn't be the one doing all the work here."
Tyson kept typing on the slide, not keeping his eyes off the screen. He was, however, paying attention to Kim at the same time. "What? Are the one who usually does all the work while your partner slacks off?"
"Yep. That's me." Kim told him.
Tyson pressed the ENTER key and created another line. He was pasting the URL of the sites he got his information from.
"I have to say, Tyson. You aren't what people say you are." Kim said.
Tyson stopped typing and looked at Kim. "What do people say about me?" He asked questionably.
"Um, that you're a know-it-all, solo, rude, total creep, all that. But you aren't any of those things... Well, you might be a bit of a know-it-all..."
"Yeah, I can see that." Tyson chuckled awkwardly. "...However, I see you as a pretty chill guy. You can be real kind if given the chance and it's unfortunate that others treat you with disrespect."
"Ah, don't worry about it. I've been going through this all my life. I'm totally use to crap like that." He said as he continued typing.
"Your fight today kinda scared me, haha." Kim admitted out of nowhere. "Oh... Sorry." Tyson said, slowing down his typing speed.
"Dude, don't apologize to me. It's cool." She said to him. "I mean, it's not like I was the one getting my ass kicked. I kinda feel bad for football team you wrecked. Seriously, where'd you learn to fight like that?"
"Honestly, I never fought in my life. I have played tons of fighting video games and I've watched tons of movies, so... yeah. I guess I was just tired of being harassed by that guy. He wouldn't lay off."
"I see. Well, let's just stop talking about that event." Kim got up and walked over to Tyson. "Let me help out, okay? I mean, you spent an entire hour working on it by yourself."
"It's okay Kim. I'm used to this. Like you, I'd always do all the work for my slacker partners." Tyson said with a smile.
"I'm no slacker Tyson." Kim told him with a small smile. "Let me help man. Besides, it doesn't feel right with me not working."
Tyson hopped off the chair with his hands spread open. "Okay, if you insist. I put reference URLs in the slides so look at them if you want."
Kim sat on the chair and looked at the slides. She was very impress at her partner's progress. "Geez, Armstrong! You pretty much did the whole thing!"
"Sorry, I'm just crazy when it comes to school work. I get so focused and intrigued that I have to keep going until I can't go on!" He laughed. Kim laughed with him.
"Well, I guess I could, like check it out." Kim told him.
"Be my guest."
Kim looked at the 12 slides. She could easily notice iconic video game characters such as Mario, Luigi, Sonic, Rayman, Sly Cooper, etc. The majority of the slides were filled with cartoony stuff. She thought that was fine considering they were part of the evolution but maybe adding in realistic stuff like the Call of Duty series would've helped too. Regardless, Kim was fine with the presentation.
"No spelling mistakes, no grammar issues and no plagiarism. I give up! Armstrong, you're too good!"
"Again, sorry!"
Just then, Kim's mother came in with bowls of cookies-n-cream ice cream and root beer in cups.
"Hi kids! Hope you want these!" She said with cheer.
"Oh man! Cookies-n-cream! Root beer! Awesome!" Tyson yelled as he took the two. "Thanks mom." Kim told her mother as she took the bowl and cup.
"No problem you two. Have fun!" She said as she left the room.
The two Junior students ate and drank as they had a good conversation. In one day exactly, the two had quickly became good friends.
"Hey, Kim."
"Hmm?"
"Does this mean we're friends now?"
"Sure."
"Awesome..."
"Hey kids!" Kim's father came in with a greeting. "Are you guys done with your project?"
Kim was lying on her bed staring at the ceiling while Tyson lied on the floor on his belly, playing his Nintendo DS. It seemed to be a run and gun type of game with shirtless army dudes and aliens. You can hear someone yell "Take em' out!" in the game.
"Dad, we were done like hours ago!" She said with an emotionless tone.
"Really now?" He said.
"Hey, Mr. Pine? Is it cool if I stay here tonight?" Tyson asked, pausing his game. Kim and Mr. Pine looked at him with confusion.
"Why do you want to stay here?" Kim asked. "I just thought that'd be cool. I mean, my parents said it'd be cool if your parents were cool with it." Tyson said, winking at Kim. She didn't truly catch on to it though as her confused expression remained on her face.
"Uh... Sure! If you parents are fine with it, then we are! I'll be downstairs if you need me or Mrs. Pine." He said as he closed the door.
"Thanks Mr. Pine!" Tyson said with a wave.
"Uh, what do you think your doing?" Kim asked questionably.
"Kim, I can't go back home, not now! I'll go home tomorrow morning right after my parents leave for work! I swear!"
"Fine, whatever. But your not sleeping in here." Kim told him. "Then... Where?" He asked.
"Ever heard of the couch?" She asked with a smile.
Oh man... I think I like her... Is this what it feels like to have a crush on a girl?
Tyson slept on the couch, tossing and turning. He couldn't get Kim's image out of his head. He could see her smiling, being friendly and occasionally having that emotionless expression everywhere she goes. Kim was a very smart girl and she wanted to be nice to Tyson with all he went through all his life. Tyson does think Kim's pretty... Redhead plus freckles? Considered cute in his book. The only problem is that she's dating that guy, Simon Lee. Personally, however, that clear fact didn't seem to affect Tyson negatively. In fact, he was kinda ignoring that fact. He never did express his feelings beyond his trusted friendship/partnership with Kim. She seemed to have no romantic feelings for him at for obvious reasons.
Damn... What am I going to do...?
Present Day, Splendido, 6:43 PM
A Contemporary, Fine Dining Restaurant in Toronto
"So just so were clear..."
Tyson and Kim sat at a table with their food in front of them. Also on the table was candles, napkins, sauces like Ketchup, Taco Sauce and whatever else. Tyson had Egg Yolk Raviolo and Smoked Oyster. His beverage was Champagne. Kim had Hamachi and surprisingly coffee.
"...How exactly did you get us in so quickly?" Kim asked, sipping her coffee.
"Oh, Kim... I made a reservation on Wednesday and they got everything prepared for tonight. I wanted to make this night special for the both of us..." Tyson said as he reached his hand and touched Kim's. She blushed slightly as he felt his hand touch hers. She suddenly withdrew her hand and looked away from Tyson.
"Listen, Armstrong..." Kim said sighing. "I didn't remember you completely until today... and honestly, now that I know you harbored feelings for me over the years, I'm... Feeling a little uncomfortable."
"I'm confused. What's the problem?" Tyson asked as he withdrew his hand.
"You seem like a nice guy... A really nice guy compared to how you acted back in High School. You were nice when given the chance back then but now you seem to be nice to everyone."
Tyson smiled proudly. It was true. Back then, Tyson has been nice to others if he was given the chance. Nowadays, he seems to be a total gentleman towards anyone he meets. The videos that showcased him in special events one WeTube display perfect evidence.
"But even then, you had that issue back then..."
Tyson's smile slowly shrunk a little smaller, forming a small smile. "Issue? What issue?" He asked.
"I remember it clearly. Whenever something was bothering you, I always asked you what the problem was. You would always tell me that you're fine when that's not true."
"Kim, what are trying to say?" Tyson asked as his smile slowly disappeared.
Kim sighed heavily, closing her eyes. She opened again and her mouth did too.
"I just don't fully trust you right now..."
Shock-waves filled Tyson's mind. "Wh-What?" He exclaimed, as he sat up straight. "What do you mean you don't trust me?"
Kim gave him a rather irritated look. "Are you serious?!" Kim nearly yelled out. She kept her voice low so other people wouldn't look over at her direction. She continued on with a more calmer tone. "You didn't tell me about the problems you were having! You didn't tell me you were transferring schools! You didn't tell me about your hidden feelings about me!"
Kim calmed down further and looked away from Tyson completely. "Back then, I thought... You were a cool guy to hang out with. I stayed by your side and protected you against that one guy... I don't know Ralf?... I protected you against others since they would never hurt me and I helped you gain further academic skills and all... I thought you were one of my most trusted friends..."
Tyson looked away too. He suddenly remembered that time nine years ago. When he was heading home, Raphael and his teammates were intending on purposely injuring him because of their humiliating defeat in the Lunch Room two weeks ago. Although Tyson was going to fight back once again, Kim stood between them, asking that Raphael left Tyson alone. Raphael and his teammates did so because they would never hurt Kim and hurting her would further hurt themselves when they get to the Principal.
He also remembered that one time that Tyson was at the risk of getting an F in Chemistry for not completing his 1st Quarter Test. Kim was willing to help him study and bring his grade back to an A. Because of this, Kim prevented Tyson from getting an F on his 1st Quarter report card. If memory served correctly, this was Kim's last act of courtesy to Tyson since he moved after 1st Quarter ended.
More memories flooded Tyson's mind and how he possibly had hurt Kim upon not telling her of his departure and his harbored feelings for her which, even if it was a mere crush, was very important.
"You had so many secrets you hid from me and I just hate when people do that to me!" Kim said, her voice getting loud again.
Tyson looked at her again. His eyes went around the place: To the waitresses, the floor, table, Kim, everywhere. He was guilty and he knew it.
"Did other people do that to you Kim?" Tyson asked.
Kim looked at him and sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Yeah, two prime examples being Simon Lee and Scott Pilgrim."
"Simon Lee? That Chinese guy? Weren't you..."
"Dating him? Yeah, but our relationship didn't go anywhere. We only were together because of our shared fondness of academics. Seriously, people thought of us being together so we went for it."
Tyson stared back at the table, thinking about Simon. He was a cocky jerk to him despite being in the same league. Tyson was just as smart as Simon yet he got the attention. All the attention Tyson ever received was always negative. Simon and Kim were together because of their fondness of academics? He thought to himself. If Kim and Simon were together because of that, then would she have went for him if Simon never existed? Thinking about this, Kim wouldn't go for Tyson because he was the silent type. But then again, who knows what Kim might have done.
"Anyway, Simon went to the Benvie Tech School without telling me. He sent me a letter apologizing for not telling me of his departure so I guess I'll give him that. Scott, however, didn't even tell me he was leaving, he told his friend instead which shoved me the wrong way. It took him eight years for him to officially give me the closure I desired but nevertheless I got my apology. You just mysteriously disappeared after 1st Quarter without telling anyone, not even the staff at the school who are supposed to be told this type of information!"
Tyson flinched at Kim's sudden speech volume. He slouched down a little to make him seem smaller. Guilty... Guilty... Guilty...
"What were you thinking?" Kim asked, trying to calm herself. She couldn't help but get loud towards her "date".
"Were thinking no one would question your sudden disappearance? Were you thinking no one would care? Tell me what was going on in your head 9 years ago!"
Tyson stopped her by grabbing her hand. He gave her a warming smile while she stared into his eyes. Tyson and Kim's hearts were pounding rapidly all for different reasons. Kim's for expressing her personal thoughts about the guy sitting before her and Tyson for feeling 99% guilty over the clear facts Kim was giving him. She deserved some type of closure since he was part of the reason Kim hated nearly everyone back then before becoming less angry by the time Scott defeated Gideon in Volume 6.
"Kimberly..." He began, saying her full name, which only a brave guy or idiot would say. Tyson was no idiot or probably brave. He was just being serious with her right now. "If you wanted an apology from me then... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry for being secretive towards you back in High School. You were my first friend and I didn't know what I was doing... I mean, it took me until a near adult age to make a friend. I was inexperienced with this type of stuff. Can you forgive me?"
A small smile crept on Kim's face as she gripped Tyson's hand. There you go, Armstrong. Kim said in her mind. Kim was aware of Tyson's lack of social skills and the fact that he finally got what Kim was talking about made Kim smile inside and out. Every time she got the closure she needed from the people she knew, she always felt warm, happy and relived inside for getting what she wanted... No, NEEDED. Tyson was probably the last person who gave her that closure.
"I forgive you." She told him softly before withdrawing her hand again. Tyson nodded his head as he continued to gaze into her eyes.
"Okay, that's enough Armstrong." Kim said, getting creeped out by Tyson's endless stare.
"when are you going to refer to my first name Kim?" He asked as he stopped gazing.
"Fine, Tyson. That better?" Kim asked as she went for her plate to eat again.
"Meh, I think I can go with either my first or last name after hearing you call me 'Tyson'."
Kim smiled as she rolled her eyes. She was sure she called him 'Tyson' plenty of times in her life. Either Tyson has short-term memory loss or he was simply deaf at some points of his life.
The two happily continued eating their food. Kim suddenly felt happy being with Tyson after nine years as it felt like a new version of how they met back in a high school. She felt like she could trust him now, if not completely. Unfortunately, there were more secrets Tyson has kept from Kim.
Meanwhile two lovebirds sat in the booth eating their own food. That couple was Scott Pilgrim and Ramona Flowers.
"There's a lot of sea food here..." Scott pointed out as he looked at his Blue Fin Tuna.
"Yeah but it sure does taste good, right?" Ramona asked. "Yeah, it's delicious!" Scott said.
Ramona took a taste of her Yogurt. "So, Scott... When do you think we should get married?"
Scott nearly choked on his food as he forcefully swallowed it. He stuck out his tongue as he gasped for air. "Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Scott asked as he pouted.
"You gotta start thinking about the future, Scott." Ramona reminded him with a disappointed frown.
"I'm gonna marry you Ramona... I just don't know when." Scott said. Hearing that, Ramona smiled. "Let's stop talking about marriage and let's eat!" Scott yelled as he continued feasting.
Ramona's smile was kept on her face as she picked up her fork. "Alright." She said as she took a bite off her sushi.
"But do you want kids, Scott?" Ramona asked with a sly grin.
Scott's eyes widened upon hearing Ramona's question. His mouth was stuffed with food so he couldn't open it even if he wanted to. He dropped his fork and spoon on his plate and slammed his head on the table.
"Kan wue haeve a decent canvarsation?" Scott asked with his mouth filled with food. The only word Scott was able to say correctly was 'decent' unfortunately.
Ramona snickered as she watched her boyfriend suffer. She was partly serious about her questions though. Was Scott intending on having children and were they seriously going to get married? Only time will tell.
After having a 'decent' conversation, Ramona needed to use the bathroom so:
"I need to go to the bathroom. Don't choke to death while I'm out baby." She told him as she went to the little girls' room.
As she walked off, her eyes averted over to the sides staring at other people sitting at tables. As she had thought of positive opinions on them she saw one couple in particular that stopped her dead in her tracks. Redhead girl... Guy with purposely messy yet spiky hair... F...F-Freckles...
Shit
Scott continued to chau-down on his food (See what I did there?) but he stopped when Ramona came rushing at the table slamming it.
"SCOTT!"
He looked at Ramona looking legitimately scared right now. "What?" He asked concerned over Ramona's surprisingly scared look right now.
"KIM'S HERE! WITH TYSON!"
"Oh shi-"
BAACK to Tyson and Kim, the guy had taken at least two glass of Champagne and even the girl took a couple sits from his glass.
"Kiiiim... Let's get out of here." Tyson said trying to brush off his sudden case of being drunk.
"Okay. Where are we going?" Kim asked, sounding more sober.
"Let's go to my place Kim, 'kay?" He said, continuing to get rid of his drunken state.
"Cool..." Kim said as she got up and brushed herself off. Tyson got up too and was taken by Kim as she guided him to the car. Wait, is she really going to let him drive? I mean he's not that drunk but still... Well, I can't say nothing. Better hope for the best!
Nine Years Ago...Again
St. Joel's Catholic High School
The intelligent student, Tyson Armstrong, walked through the hallways, holding his pack on his back. It was 3:01 PM, and the majority of the students in the school were heading out. Surprisingly, as Tyson walked through the hallways, he was given a wave or two from other students as signs of respect. They would say 'Hey Armstrong' or 'Yo dude'. Lately, Tyson has been getting a little bit of respect now. What caused this? Well, ever since his fight with Raphael and the other Football players, they started to respect him for standing his own against 15+ players. If Raphael respected him (despite trying to kill him the other day outside of school...However, Kim prevented that) then you know that a few others will too. Tyson felt a little happy knowing that he was noticed positively since he's spent his life in solitude.
Tyson went straight for the boy's bathroom up ahead. He pressed his hand on the door but didn't press forward. He instead looked over to his left to see a guy with orange-brown hair next to a redhead girl and orange haired girl. It was Kim and her friend Lauren.
"Hey, Scott." She greeted the guy known as Scott. He seemed like he was preparing to leave school since it was the end of the day.
"Oh, Hi." Scott replied back as he held onto the locker door. "Um, yeah, so presentation on Monday, right?"
"Yeah. Don't worry, we'll be fine." Kim said, assuring Scott that things would go their way.
Scott grinned like the geek he was. "Cool. Yeah. Cool!" He responded.
"Oh, this is Lauren. Lauren, Scott." She said, moving her hand introducing them to each other. "We have geography together." Kim added.
"Hello." Lauren greeted. She seemed to have a irritated look despite not being irritated. Tyson couldn't tell since he could only see her backside.
Kim and Lauren began walking off to catch their bus. "So, I'll see you on Monday, okay? First Period!" Kim told Scott as she departed from her partner.
"Yeah! For sure!" Scott yelled back as he accidentally closed his locker doors. He didn't seem to notice though.
Tyson snorted at the scene and forcefully pushed his way into the bathroom. He didn't seem to like someone over there and that someone was Scott Pilgrim. He felt that he was just another guy who takes the spotlight. He got beat up two days ago by that gang who's name is always forgotten. He ignored his feelings towards Scott at the moment as he took a leak in the bathroom stall.
On Tuesday, Tyson returned to school since he was unable to attend school on Monday for medical reasons. When he returned to school, he clearly heard tons of chatter about what happened yesterday. He was curious. All this chatter seemed to be very intriguing to him. However, he didn't find out until third period: English.
He sat at his table reading the assigned book, He Who Challenges the Mighty. You'd probably think that the might was God. Nah, the Mighty is just some skilled fighter in this school and now the geek had to fight this champion in order to gain his respect. While action was one of the focuses in this book, another focus was life lessons and drama. Why the teacher assigned this book was anyone's guess.
The teacher had assigned the students to pair up with the randomly selected. Tyson was paired with a girl named Lisa Miller. The students were assigned to find answers for Chapters 1-5 and, for extra credit, write down any definitions that they may not have heard of.
"You must be the infamous Tyson Armstrong, am I right?" Lisa asked as she finished writing Answer #10 for Chapter 3.
"Infamous?" Tyson asked as he finished the whole worksheet in three minutes.
"Yeah, you are the guy who beat up the entire football team right? Two weeks ago on the first day?" Lisa asked as she stopped writing.
Tyson nodded his head confirming the facts. "Wow, I'm impressed. Surprised you aren't expelled considering what you did to them."
"Whatever. Listen, Lisa, right?" Tyson asked trying to get off subject. "You were one of the witnesses of what happened on Monday. What happened?"
Lisa looked at him rather quickly, the expression of surprise all over her face. "What? You don't know?"
"Know what?"
"Dude, the Benvie Tech Boys came in and beat up nearly every guy in our school on Monday. That guy, Scott Pilgrim, he went over and beat the crap out of everyone at the Benvie Tech School because they kidnapped Kim Pine."
Tyson's eyes shot open. "W-What?"
"I said they kidnapped Kim. You know, Kimberly?"
"Yeah, yeah, I know who you're talking about. But... Why would they kidnap her?"
"Something about wanting to find Scott and beat him up. Simon Lee seemed to be the leader of the whole assault and all. They kidnapped Kim to lure Scott over to their school. Big mistake if you ask me."
Great. Just great. Scott Pilgrim gets recognized after only three days and now he's seen as some incredible bad ass. Tyson took the assumption that Kim must have dumped Simon at some point considering that he kidnapped her and all but he can't say for sure. It's a very high probability though.
Later on during the day, Tyson discovered that Kim and Scott were dating. How'd he feel? Pretty darn sad... yet confused. When did they hook up and how? Anyway, ever since the two became a thing, Tyson has felt a little ignored when he's with Kim. She and Scott along with their other two friends would go out together and have a blast while he sits in his room staring at the ceiling. That, however, is his own problem since he's not exactly the most social student in school. But he has come to a conclusion: He hates Scott yet he doesn't and Kim seems to have almost forgotten about her Media partner. One day, Kim has introduced Scott to him and they hung out at one point and it was alright so Tyson describes it. However, jealousy continues to consume him the more he sees Scott with Kim or just seeing Scott period.
Tyson begins to grow to become more angry and frustrated as time grew on (fortunately his grades remained the same for the most point... You know, getting A's all day, every day?).
Tyson decided to actually hang out with Kim, Scott, Lisa and Lauren at Lisa's place but not to do whatever they were doing. He was actually working on their Media Project that was due the next day on Lisa's computer. Apparently, Lisa had sign up for that lunchapalooza thing or whatever and they decided to work on a poster to promote the band. Oh yeah, Scott, Kim and Lisa formed a band. Forgot about that, sorry.
Anywho, they've been working on that poster for a good hour or so. Tyson was working on that project and it involved bits and bytes. Unfortunately, he always had trouble when it came to bits and bytes since he never fully understood. The only reason he didn't fail assignments related to Bits and Bytes was because of mere luck. His luck ran out today.
"Pass the glitter." Tyson heard Lisa say.
"I still need it!" Tyson heard Scott reply.
From the looks of it, they weren't even 25% complete even after all that time. What the hell were they doing? All that time couldn't POSSIBLY be spent on that cruddy poster!
Tyson continued to work on his paper as he was irritated that Kim wasn't helping at all. Seriously, ever since Kim became Scott's girlfriend that day, she has slowly started to ignore her work for Scott and the new band they had going on. This got Tyson pretty concerned since academics were important too and neglecting them is no good.
Unfortunately, Tyson has been met with a dead end. He didn't know how to do this problem! Tyson turned his head to Kim and pleaded with her with pleading eyes.
"Kim?" He called out with anxiety in his tone.
"Yeah?" She replied back as she was writing text with blue permanent marker.
"Um, I was wondering that maybe you could help me out with this problem over here? It's about Bytes and Bits?" He told her.
"Pretty busy right now Armstrong." Kim told him as she continued writing.
Tyson gave a purposely loud sigh as he slouched on the chair and clicked on the document again. He was about to type but he instead sat there for 10 long minutes. In his mind, he thought about how Kim seemed to ignore him and how he felt like the third wheel between her and Scott.
Scott... That guy gets on my nerves. This is all his fault that this is happening! If he never showed up then me and Kim would've been focused on our academics like were supposed to and maybe... I could've...
No.
Tyson finally moved his body. He motioned his hand on the mouse and clicked the red X button on the upper right screen, saved his progress, ejected his flashdrive and logged off Lisa's computer. He grabbed his book bag and made his way to the door.
"I'm out of here." He said as he closed the door behind him.
Everyone looked over to the door as Tyson slammed it shut.
"What's his problem?" Lauren asked Kim.
Kim simply shrugged. "Who knows what's going on in that guy's head. Probably tired or something." Kim told Lauren as she just finished using the red permanent marker.
Monday
The next day, Tyson sat down at his seat in Media, being one of the first students in the room. Later on Kim showed up and sat on the seat next to him.
"Hey." Kim greeted.
Tyson merely waved at her, not giving her any greeting with words. Kim sighed as she logged into her computer.
"Listen, I'm sorry I didn't help you when you needed me yesterday. I was just focused on..."
"Forget it. I'm over it Kim." He said, cutting her off. "Lucky for you, I spent all night working on our worksheet that's due today."
Kim smiled a little. "Oh man, I completely forgot about that. I guess you saved our asses. Thanks." Kim told him, punching his arm lightly.
"Yeah, yeah." Tyson said, unintentionally forming a smile.
Tuesday
"This sucks!" Tyson yelled. He was sitting with Kim, Lisa and Lauren at lunch. He had a half eaten hot dog in front of him and it looked pretty tasty. Tyson's head was on the table, hiding his own face.
"What's up dude?" Lisa asked.
"I'm at the risk of getting a freaking F in Chemistry!" Tyson yelled, sounding muffled.
"How's that?" Kim asked, surprised.
"I was gone yesterday because of a family emergency and it just so happens that the day I'm gone is also the 1st Quarter Test! I didn't even study or anything and I have only until tomorrow to make up for it! I'm so screwed!"
Kim crushed her milk carton and threw it in the garbage that was a few meters away from her.
"No you're not!" Kim yelled as she lifted Tyson's head off the table. "If you stick with me, then you won't fail!"
"Kim, are you trying to help me?" He asked with depression in his voice.
"Uh, duh! I'm not going to let you fail because of some unexpected absence. We'll study together tonight and you'll be ready!"
"Fine... But I don't think it'll help much..." Tyson told her with his very own deadpan tone.
"With that attitude, it won't help you. Keep your head up man!" Lisa told Tyson.
"Lisa, my head is up." Tyson reminded her.
Lisa slapped her forehead. "Yeah, you're right Tyson. You're doomed."
Wednesday
"Hey Tyson?" Kim asked Tyson as they stood outside the school. It was the end of the day and everyone was leaving for home either by walking, taking a bike or taking a bus. Kim was waiting for Scott to show up and decided to chat with Tyson since he was alone.
"Yeah?" He replied as he fixed his backpack into place.
"So that lunchapalooza thing is happening tomorrow..." She said.
"Uh-huh." Tyson said, confirming Kim that he was following her.
"...And I was wondering if you might be able to see me, Scott and Lisa play."
Tyson thought about that whole lunchapalooza Event tomorrow. He remembered what was on that poster like the back of his hand. Strange, considering he took like, a five-second look at the thing.
SONIC & KNUCKLES
LUNCHAPALOOZA
THURSDAY NOON
"Aren't you guys Sonic & Knuckles?" Tyson asked.
"Uh, yeah? I thought I told you that." Kim confirmed, feeling annoyed by his question.
"Huh, naming your band after my favorite Sonic game on the Sega Genesis? Cool beans." Tyson replied with a cocky smile.
"Ha ha ha... Listen, will you be able to come tomorrow. I could use some support from my trusty partner." Kim asked.
"Yeah... Sure... I'll be there." Tyson responding.
"Thanks man." Kim said, punching his arm again. This was like her 10th time this week which was freakin' odd since she never did this before towards him.
"Hey, Kim?" Tyson said. Kim looked over to him, waiting for him to continue.
"Yeah?"
"I need to... Um..."
Just then, Scott appeared from the main doors and approached Kim.
"Oh, hey Scott." Kim greeted. She lightly kissed him on the lips as Scott returned the kiss. She was unfortunately unaware that Tyson was STANDING RIGHT THERE. Tyson had something important to say to her but forget it.
"See ya Kim..." Tyson said as he walked off. His expression says it all: Anger. Frustration. Annoyance. Irritation. You name it. He was most certainly pissed. But, it also expressed regret, sadness, and well, something else related to melancholy.
I'll miss you Kim...
Back Home
Tyson had zipped up his suitcase and tossed it on top of his other suitcase on the ground. He sighed as he sat on top of his box filled with his Nintendo 64, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, PlayStation 2, SEGA Genesis, Neo Geo CD, Nintendo GameCube, and SEGA CD. His other boxes were filled with tons of games that won't be listed but let's just say it had tons of Sonic the Hedgehog games, Mega Man games, Mario games, etc.
He sighed as he placed his hands on his cheeks. Today was moving day. Tyson knew that today was the day he was going to move. They planned this move for days now and today was the day.
His father poked his head inside. "Hey buddy! You all packed?"
"Uh-huh..." Tyson replied, depressed.
"Hey, kiddo what's the matter? Aren't you glad you going to the States?" He asked with cheer.
"Yes, but..."
"But what?"
"Never mind Dad. It's just, I didn't want to say goodbye to my friend."
"Trust me son. You'll see him or her again in the future. I guarantee it! It just takes time and patience...!"
Just then, a guy who looked a little like Tyson walked by carrying boxes of his own.
"Is Tyson sad because he was too much of a pussy to tell his little friend goodbye?"
"Oh screw you Marco!" He yelled at his brother.
"What's new pussycat? Whoa, whoa! What's new pussycat? Whoa, whoa!" Marco sung as he walked downstairs with boxes in his hands.
"Marco, stop teasing your brother!" Their mother yelled out. Soon, their one year younger sister, Star, came in with a warming smile.
"Don't worry big bro! Like dad said, you'll probably see her soon!" She said with a confident smile.
"Oh so it IS a she!" Their dad said with awe.
"Whatever... It's probably a good thing I didn't say goodbye to her anyway..." Tyson said as he picked up his boxes and left his now-sold room.
"Why's that son?" Dad called out.
"...Because." He said without finishing his sentence.
Truth be told, he regrets not telling her of his departure. He especially regrets making a promise to her that he can't keep. He wouldn't be able to attend that lunchapalooza thing tomorrow. It was probably for the best anyway. Kim seemed to have slowly forgotten that Tyson was her friend too. This is what happens when you're the third wheel of a relationship...
Relationship... He didn't even tell Kim how he felt about her... He had sweet feelings for her...
It wasn't going to happen anyway. For all he knew, Scott and Kim probably had sex at some point... Maybe in a car or something. Point is, it was probably for the best that he never told Kim.
California, here I come...
Present Day
The Penthouse
Kimberly Pine lied on the couch with her jacket and boots off. She seemed pretty comfortable where she was at, lying down on this cozy couch of Tyson's. Speaking of which, that superstar was in the kitchen, preparing dessert for the both of them. She was watching a horror film on the huge 110-inch HD Flat-Screen TV. The film was called, So It Begins..., and Tyson was one of the main characters in this film. It was your typical horror movie. 14 young adults, ages 18-20, are sent to some recently abandoned industry to get real evidence of what was being made. It seemed that two characters so far have mysteriously disappeared and the culprit seems to be some supernatural wraith that haunts the kids for reasons currently unknown.
Kim is currently watching a scene where someone is about to die.
"Jamie! JAMIE!" The guy yelled.
"Gerald!" She screamed back. This mysterious wraith was slowly tearing her to pieces. Gerald watched in horror as his girlfriend was being ripped apart by the Wraith's supernatural strength. Tons of the organs fell on the ground but were cut open by the Wraith for it's own disgusting pleasure. Jamie's eyeball was torn out of her head and flung at Gerald who backed away. He puked as he saw the eyeball roll near his bare feet. As the Wraith continued to further shred this already dead girl, Gerald made a run for it.
"GUYS! GUYS!" Gerald yelled as he ran as fast as he could.
He turned at every corner, not even caring where he was going. All he knew not to do was not to look back or GO back.
"JASON!" Gerald yelled. Jason was Tyson's character.
"MARY!" Gerald yelled again. Mary was Elizabeth's character.
"DAMON!" Gerald yelled once more. Damon was... Daemon's character.
"ANY XXXXING ONE! WHERE ARE YOU!"
Suddenly, Gerald was lifted off his feet. He screamed and struggled to break free. Suddenly, he was thrown towards a non-functioning crushing machine. The machine had tons of sharp dangerous parts that would be dangerous to touch. Unfortunate for this young man for his entire body was impaled by these sharp objects.
"Guys..." Gerald whispered in his final moments. Out of nowhere, his entire head exploded, blood splattering everywhere in the room. The Wraith laughed villainously as it went through the ceiling up above.
Kim flinched in disgust watching this incredibly gore-filled movie. She could see why people loved this movie.
Tyson came in with two bowls of cookies-n-cream ice cream with a slice of vanilla cake on top. He gave on to Kim and sat next to her. Kim placed her legs on Tyson's lap as she continued to watch the film.
"How the hell did you get in this movie Tyson?" Kim asked as she watched the group come in to find Gerald's dead body impaled onto the machine.
"Uh, my guy, Brandon, he thought I should be in it since I was sorta into this type of thing. I honestly wasn't but who was I to turn down an offer. Besides, this is the same director who made Down the Styx! Can't refuse an offer like that!"
"I see." Kim said eating her cake. "Mmmmmm... Tyson, did you make this cake?"
"Uh-huh." Tyson admitted.
"Man, tastes real good! Who taught you to cook like this?" Kim asked as she took another bite.
"Watterson. My guardian/butler." Tyson said with a grin.
As they continued to eat, the gang was slowly decreasing in size. This scene right here explains why.
"What the hell Leonardo!?" Jason yelled at Leo. "You think splitting up is a good idea? What the XXXX is your problem?!"
"MY problem? What's YOURS?!" Leo yelled back.
"Splitting up is what got Gerald and Jamie killed! Splitting up will make things worse you ass!" A guy named Mikey argued.
As they continued to argue, Kim and Tyson continued to eat their dessert. Tyson motions Kim to get her feet off him as he gets up.
"I'll be back Kim." He tells her as he takes his bowl with him.
"Are you getting seconds? Mind giving me seconds too?" Kim asked with a smile.
"Sure thing." He gave her a responding smile as he took her bowl and left to the kitchen.
Kim sighed as she got more comfortable on the couch. A bright smile formed on her face as she relaxed.
"Who would've thought that Tyson would have this kind of life style... It's a pretty damn nice life style honestly..."
Kim looked over at Tyson's direction and sighed once again.
"He was right when he said he was a changed man... He acts like a gentleman and even dress like one. More importantly, he's stupid rich. He has what, a trillion dollars? There's just no way he got that from his movies... But still, it's amazing he has that much and doesn't use it for his own greed..."
While Kim was in the living room enjoying her date, Tyson sat on the kitchen table looking unusually depressed. He sighed sadly as he stared at the table's artistic design. In his hand was a bottle of beer. Tears began to drop from his face as he took a big swig of the bottle. Spying on him was his guardian/butler, Watterson. Somehow, he knew something like this would happen... But why is Tyson suddenly acting like this? What was the cause? Was it Kim? It couldn't be! They were having fun! But what is it then? Even Watterson didn't know what was wrong with Tyson.
Watterson knew what to do fortunately.
He approached Kim who looked at him.
"Oh, hi... Um, Watterson was it?"
He nodded his head but he had no time for greetings. "We need to talk Miss Kimberly."
"How did that happen?!" Kim silently yelled. Watterson placed a finger in front of his mouth, signifying that she needed to be more silent.
"Nobody knows, Kimberly. Officers reported to me about Tyson's parents mysterious death. They just collapsed on the floor departing from their local divorce attorney. They reported that their hearts just stopped. It was like Death had just took their souls away on the fly..."
Kim tried to bare this information in. This event was totally random. How could this have happened?
"...How did Tyson feel about this?" Kim finally asked after a minute of silence.
Watterson looked over at the kitchen before looking at Kim again. "He... He didn't seem to be affected much... He went to their funeral and all but he didn't seem to express anything beyond a sad face. He didn't cry or anything..."
Kim looked at her feet before looking back at Watterson.
"Tyson hasn't had a better life ever since he moved to California. I became his guardian ever since his brother and sister moved to a new apartment for themselves, leaving Tyson alone. They had their reasons since Tyson wanted to be alone and away from his brother and sister." Watterson continued on.
"He was picked on frequently and he would get in trouble because of the fights he got involved in." Watterson said to Kim, remembering all those harmful times. "Tyson had no friends there so his social skills were still lacking. However, I did my best to maybe improve Tyson, by teaching him how to cook and everything."
Kim looked away, looking at the television screen. Jason was just fleeing from the Wraith with his friend who was a girl, Mary. They somehow escaped the Wraith's clutches but they didn't know how long they could run without being blown to bits.
Kim paused the film as she missed a few parts of the film during this conversation.
"I want you know something." Watterson spoke up as Kim looked at him. "Tyson has been alone for a long time... I tried to help him by finding matching girls for him but he would turn them down..."
"How come?" Kim asked raising an eyebrow.
"All the girls he 'dated' were only with him because he was rich and wanted to use him to get some of the cash too. He would always yell at the girls because of their intentions and wouldn't feel bad about it either. One day, Tyson came to me and he said, 'Watterson, please stop finding girls for me. I appreciate what your doing for me, but all these girls are just gold-diggers.' He told me that 'I wanted a girl who would like me for me and wouldn't use me for my wealth.'"
Kim thought about the quotes she was given. Tyson hated being used. She could understand that completely. If she had his wealth and guys would only come to her because of the wealth, she'd be pissed too. Kim nodded her head as she followed on.
"Tyson came to Toronto to find you Kimberly. He thought that maybe he could find a girl this time and went to find you. He told me you were in Toronto because of a facebook account you had."
"Sorry for interrupting but I came to realization that I don't even have a facebook account. That account was a fan page of me created by a girl known as Knives Chau. I don't why she did it but I don't care either."
"I thought that was the case." Watterson said as sweat dropped from his forehead. "But in all seriousness, Tyson wanted to see you because he still had feelings for you after nine years. He wouldn't be able to get over unless he could see you again. He rented this penthouse for a month in case you ever turned him down."
Kim looked at the penthouse itself. Expensive. Wealthy. Rich. All those words. To think Tyson still had feelings for me...
"Kimberly... Please, I am asking that you give Tyson a chance... That's all I'm asking. If you are going to turn him down, please turn him down gently."
Kim smiled as she looked over at the kitchen. Although barely, Kim could see him sitting on a chair with something in his hand, possibly a bottle.
"I like him Mr. Watterson..." Kim finally spoke up.
"You do?"
Kim nodded. "I'm willing to give him a chance. Besides, we could probably make up for lost times."
"Thank you Kimberly." Watterson said with a smile, bowing to her.
"I do have a question." Kim said lifting her finger.
"Please, ask away."
"How is Tyson so rich?"
Watterson smiled happily at the question. "Tyson's rich because of the family business."
"Family business?" Kim questioned.
"Yes. We have been working on numerous companies for generations and gained tons of cash from it. We developed a multitude of computers and phones and military weaponry. We even have a toy company and car company and everything. We got billions from our progress over the past two hundred years. With our money, we split the money into our family units. We have over a trillion dollars because of our family business."
"Wow..." Kim muttered as she slouched on the couch.
"To top it off, Tyson's success in film acting has added up to our amount. Everyday we receive about... ummm... $1500. $1500 each day."
"Jesus..." Kim muttered as she stared mindlessly at the ceiling.
"Yes, I know. Our family has too much money... Fortunately, I heard recently from Tyson's brother, Marco, that his sister, Star, donated 10 million dollars to create large orphanage buildings around the United States. She's actually on the news for this deed."
"That's... That's good to hear..." Kim said with a smile. Using their money to help people. That's a good way to spend part of your cash.
"What has Tyson ever done with his money?" Kim asked.
"He did donate some of his money to the disabled last year. About 1 million dollars I believe."
"That's good." Kim smiled as she nodded her head.
"Well, I must be leaving now." Watterson said as he got up and walked away. Suddenly, a small dog came from the shadows and hopped on Kim's lap. She smiled, softly stroking the dog's fur.
Tyson came in the room carrying two bowls of ice cream and cake and beer in his hand.
"Hey Kim..." Tyson said with a deadpan voice. "...Sorry I took so long..."
Kim took her bowl but sat it on the table instead of eating it. She stared at Tyson as he took another swig of his bottle which Kim noticed to be beer.
"Tyson, I think we need to talk." Kim said. She tapped his shoulder to get his attention as he kept drinking his beer. He stopped and looked over at her.
"Then talk." Tyson said almost with a rude tone. Kim had noticed his tone but neglected it to begin her conversation.
"What were your feelings towards me back in High School? Was it a simple crush?" Kim asked. She quickly looked away as she blushed a little.
"It was a crush Kim. As time grew on, I started thinking about you and my feelings grew bigger for some reason. I don't know, I just... Something about you made me happy inside... But you did hurt me back then..."
Kim perked up. "Excuse me?"
"You hurt me..."
"I'm sorry if I'm sounding disrespectful but how did I hurt you?!" She exclaimed.
"I don't expect you to remember everything but... Back in High School, you began dating Scott Pilgrim. And when I found out about that, I hated Scott."
"You hated Scott just because he was dating me?" She asked, having tiny thoughts about punching Tyson right now. She had to be nice at the moment.
"That and he seemed like that super-cool nerd who can kick ass. I mean he did fight his way through that Beaver Tech School or whatever it was called just to find you. I guess you can say I envied him because of his growing popularity."
Tyson looked back at Kim. "I felt ignored and left out ever since you started dating Pilgrim. You didn't help me with my issues when I needed you most... I felt like the third wheel between you guys... The broken, awkward third wheel..."
Kim remembered it clearly. Kim had ignored him back then. The one she remembered the most was the time he needed help with the bits and bytes worksheet she was SUPPOSED to help out with. He was furious with her because of her constantly neglecting her work and him. She could see why Tyson wouldn't show up to her lunchapalooza event with Scott and Lisa even if Tyson didn't move that day. Who would want a friend or partner who acts like that?
"You're... You're right... I owe you an apology."
"Forget it Kim. I forgive you..." Tyson said as he snuck a smile. "...You wouldn't believe me if I said I was mad at you for nine long years would you?"
"I'd believe it." Kim responded.
"Well, I wasn't mad for that long. Only for like a week. How could I stay mad at a cute face like yours."
"C-Cute?" Kim said, flushing pink.
"Yeah." Tyson admitted.
"I always thought you looked cute in my eyes... Your red-hair and freckles made me blush because it made you look even cuter... Besides, you're a badass with the drums. You were a very smart girl... Hell, you still are, heh. But, even though you were practically looking out for me, I was looking out for you in some way..."
Kim interrupted him giving him a passionate kiss on the lips. Tyson was taken aback by Kim's sudden move. Kim placed her hand on his chest as she kept giving him soft kisses. Tyson finally returned the kiss, holding onto Kim's hips. He didn't know why Kim kissed him but he had a guess or two. At the moment, however, he didn't care. Instead, he was rockin' on his electric guitar within his mind as he continued to kiss Kim. His cheeks felt warm and it felt good.
Kim herself was just as surprised as Tyson was. She just felt so joyful inside hearing her be complimented like that. It's been so long since a man has paid so much attention to her. Tyson Armstrong deserved this from her.
The two finally broke apart and stared at each other. Tyson was still playing electric guitar in his mind as he reminisced that beautiful kiss.
"I like you Tyson and I appreciate that you feel that way about me..." Kim tells him as her cheeks were still red.
"...But, I feel that I should take it slow with you Tyson..."
Tyson was confused. "Take it slow?"
Kim rolled her eyes. "I just don't want to jump into anything serious like moving in or having sex."
"Ah, gotcha..."
Tyson pulls her into a hug and squeezes tight. Kim returns the hug as she feels his soft embrace.
"Kim, I care about you a lot. I'd be willing to do anything for you if you ever asked."
Kim smiled. Right now, at this very instant, she only wanted one thing. So she tells him this:
"Just keep hugging me..."
References
Sonic the Hedgehog: As you can tell, Tyson Armstrong is a huge Sonic fanatic. He has the 10 inch Classic and Modern Sonic figures and plushes by Jazwares and rare mini-statues by other companies. He owns a SEGA Genesis too.
The purple shirt with a white ring for design: That is Rayman's signature look. He has a purple jacket, red hoodie and large white ring on the jacket.
Shirtless army dudes and aliens: Tyson was playing Contra 4. Bill Rizer/Lance Bean/Mad Dog/Scorpion yell "Take em' out!" as one of their comeback lines when respawning after dying.
Trillium Plaza: It's a fictional location, yes, but it was based on real-life location Yorkville Plaza in Toronto, Canada.
WeTube: It's Youtube. Nothing else to say.
XXXX: Censorship words. This censorship here will only appear when a character yells the X-Word... I mean F-Word. This will be rare though, seriously. You know how Julie would have that weird censor thing in the movie. Well it's here. I'm pretty sure someone else did this same thing here on FanFiction. I can't recall who though.
Cowabunga: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Need I say more? Which reminds me...
Raphael, Leonardo, Mikey: Three out of four of the turtles with the TMNT Gang! Names based on them.
Author's Note
I've spent a long time working on this one. I did some edits, some cuts, and all that. I had made some mistakes with the timeline a bit so I fixed it while making this. I had to do a bit of research on the series to make sure it works out with my story. I also had to remember that the movie, Scott Pilgrim vs the World, is different from the book series. Since I had recently watched the movie, I was using the movie as reference even though it's not in the original continuity. Seriously, the Lucas Lee doubles never happened (but that was still cool regardless).
Anyway, in this chapter, you learn more about Kim and Tyson's past in High School. More drama, less action, but tons of revelation. I thought through the past like this: Tyson wasn't much of a important character in the books. If my character was in the books, he probably would've had a small yet sorta important role in the past. Let's just say he was a background character. Boy, having trouble trying to get my point across here, hehe.
Anyway, Chapter 1b is done and I'm going to work on Chapter 1c. Chapter 1 is pretty much your "Volume 1". Expect Chapter 1c to be the final part of "Volume 1" so expect some action going on now! The chapter might be a little shorter than this one but meh.
Review, Criticize, all that! Ciao!
