Chapter Two:

Deny, Deny, Deny

(Lie, Lie, Lie)

(Psst! Listen for the words lie and vain)

The Narrator began to recap, "When we last saw WordGirl, Tobey had arrived to expose Becky as our favorite superheroine! He even tried using Angelface to get her to tell him what he wants! Oh, the horror of it all! The madness! The—"

"Oh, shut it," the boy genius snapped.

Tobey trudged down the stairs, embarrassed and furious that a monkey foiled his perfectly evil plan to expose Becky as WordGirl once and for all. He grumbled to himself all the way down, only to bump into Tim Botsford.

"Oh!" the older man exclaimed in surprise, glancing down. Tobey's glasses became askew from this unexpected occurrence, causing him to scowl. "Whoops! Sorry about that, Tobey!"

Tim scrunched his eyebrows then put a hand to his chin. "Wait, why are you here? What were you doing up there anyway?"

The boy genius didn't feel like answering his questions, but luckily, he didn't have to. Rushing downstairs like a madwoman, Becky shouted, "Hold it right there, Tobey! I'm not letting you go that easily!"

Tim smiled at his daughter and greeted, "Oh! Hi, Becky! What were you and Tobey doing?"

She glared at the boy genius as she slowly responded, "…Nothing. He just…came over for a little."

Tobey shook his head at this pathetic excuse and began, "Actually, I came over because I think Becky here is really—"

"Bored!" she yelled, startling both her father and Tobey. "Yeah, I got…um…super bored, and Violet and Scoops are busy doing…stuff, so I called him over to hang out!" She felt a twinge of disgust at this lie, not just because it was terrible, but also because she forced herself to pretend that Tobey was actually her friend. As if.

Tim Botsford stared at his daughter with a weirded-out expression and asked, "Becky, why are you shouting?"

"Yes, Becky. You're killing my eardrums," Tobey chimed in.

She paused to come up with an excuse then blurted out, "Because I'm happy! I'm really happy that he's here!" For emphasis, she grasped his hand and jumped up and down excitedly. The boy genius jerked his hand away, his eyes wide and face pink.

Her dad glanced from the taken aback Tobey to his hyperactive daughter, who seriously hated herself for acting happy about Tobey, with confusion. Suddenly, an understanding grin stretched across his face and he declared, "Oh…I get what's going on here…."

Becky stiffened, a sense of dread overcoming her. "You…do?"

He nodded. "Yup." He winked at the two eleven-year-olds. "You cute kids…. Why didn't you guys tell me sooner? Are you just being shy?"

They stared up at him, baffled. Becky decided to speak up, "Dad…what are you talking about?"

Her father merely chuckled. "Oh, don't pretend like you don't know…. You two like each other, right?"

"WHAT?!" Becky shrieked.

Tobey nervously pulled at his collar and stuttered, "M-Me? A-And B-Becky? I-I think you have the wrong idea, M-Mr. Botsford…." His face felt hot and his gaze dropped to the floor.

It took a moment before the plucky superheroine could find her voice. "Tobey…and I? No, no, no, no, no, NO! Dad, I'm not…in love with him! I can't stand him! He's a villain! One of my enemies! Not my boy—" She nearly choked on the word. "Boy…friend…." Her face became red and she looked away.

For some reason he couldn't place, Tobey felt hurt by her outburst. She can't stand me? I'm…I'm not that bad, am I? he wondered, furrowing his eyebrows.

Tim stared at his daughter, who was still freaking out over what he just said, and wondered aloud, "Wait, huh? If you can't stand Tobey, then why'd you call him over to hang out?"

Shoot, Becky cursed mentally. "Because…" she grumbled hesitantly, "Because…I think I want to…try…being friends…." She cleared her throat and added, "Or at least see if I can tolerate him for more than a few minutes."

Her father shrugged at this response. "Oh, okay. That's awful nice of you to do, Becky. I think Tobey here would like a friend." Then he strolled away to do the laundry, whistling a tune.

The boy genius's head shot up. He was about to retort that he didn't need friends, especially a friend like Becky Botsford, but the words seemed to stick in his throat. So, he remained silent, instead glancing over at his rival.

As soon as her father was out of earshot, Becky turned to him and growled, "Don't you get any weird ideas, Tobey. I definitely don't want to be friends with you. I was just telling my dad that because—"

"That wasn't merely telling him. That was lying," he cut in with irritation. "Do you lie to your parents often?"

Her eyes widened at this question. After a few hesitant seconds, she stuttered, "N-No…."

He narrowed his eyes and let a small smile play on his lips. "Oh, I see…. Well, I imagine, what with you being WordGirl, you would have to. It must be tough."

Becky sighed. "Oh yeah. You have no idea…." She gasped when she realized what she just revealed and hastily added, "You have no idea…how wrong you are about that! Yup! I'm not WordGirl, and I don't lie to my family on a daily basis whenever there's a crime in the city! Ha ha! Why would I do that? Lying's bad!"

He made a face at her rambling. He thought he caught her…until she kept denying it in a falsetto voice. Were these more lies, or was Becky just a strange girl? If so, that would be very disappointing. He could've spent his afternoon in a more productive manner rather than wasting his time hanging out with her.

However, he still had this feeling somewhere inside him that there was more to Becky than she let on. He had to know if it was because she was really WordGirl or not.

Tobey cleared his throat. "Hm…well, if that was so, then there's no need for you to yell at me about it, or defend yourself so much either. Your words act as reverse psychology and make me believe that you are WordGirl even more." He didn't really think that, but if his statement unnerved her, he would.

"Reverse psychology? I don't know what that could possibly mean! You're really smart, Tobey!" she exclaimed, her eyes darting around the room.

That did it. Becky Botsford, complimenting him? This was absolute proof that either the world was ending or she was WordGirl. The latter seemed the more likely option. He decided to play along, humor her a little before he asked more questions.

He ran a hand through his hair with an arrogant smirk. "Oh, yes, I know. Smarter than even you, perhaps?" the boy genius asked, only to see how she'd react.

The superheroine wrinkled her nose, finally focusing on him. "What? Of course not. I never implied that. I'm way smarter than you."

His smirk faded. Oh, how a girl could wound a boy's pride with her words…. "Ever the vain one, hm, Becky?" he grumbled angrily.

She was taken aback by this. "What? I'm not vain! I'm not exactly modest either, but—"

"Shall I define the word for you?" he cut in. He almost laughed at her enraged expression. Before she could say anything, Tobey recited, folding his hands behind his back, "To be vain means to be extremely proud of something about yourself, such as your appearance, qualities, or in your case, your intelligence."

"I know what vain means! And I'm not—"

"Oh, I beg to differ." He reached in his pocket and took out the tape recorder, rewinding the tape a little to the part he wanted to hear.

"Ha! You really think you can outsmart me this time, Tobey? Good luck," her voice taunted, making her scowl.

As soon as he stopped the tape, she proclaimed, "It's not like you're the most humble boy on the planet either, Mr. 'World's-Most-Formidable-Boy-Genius'." She mimicked the way he talked, which he found to be very insulting.

He blinked. "Was that supposed to be me? Your accent is terrible."

"And yours is fake."

Ouch. He blushed, but whether it was in embarrassment or rage, he couldn't tell. Tobey frowned and hunched over slightly. "I-I never said that I wasn't vain…."

He furrowed his eyebrows at this. "Oops. That was a double negative. I meant to say—"

"I could follow. I'm not dumb," Becky snapped.

He shut his mouth, unsure of what else to say. He glanced down at his hands and tapped his forefingers together in a fit of nerves.

"I thought you were gonna leave," she said, confused as to why he was just standing there.

The boy genius looked up, startled. His eyes then flickered away and he muttered, "Ah, yes…I was…." He straightened his back and affirmed, "Be warned, Becky! I will be back tomorrow and prove that you are indeed WordGirl!"

"Just go…" the superheroine ordered wearily, gesturing towards the front door.

Tobey's smug attitude faltered. He blinked rapidly but moved past her to leave.

He paused in the doorway and yelled, just to be dramatic, "Remember, Botsford! Tomorrow—"

"Yeah, yeah. Tomorrow. I get it," she said flatly.

He scowled at her indifference and slammed the door behind him. Becky winced a little and looked back, watching him stomp away through her window. She turned around and stared at the floor, still feeling infuriated at being insulted so much and yet…empty at the same time.

Normally, she didn't let Tobey get to her, but today felt different. He was persistent, as always, but he had also managed to hit a nerve by mocking both her intelligence and integrity.

Becky headed up the stairs, her expression solemn as she thought. Tobey is alarmingly observant when he wants to be…. Did he really try empathizing with me about the fact that I have to lie a lot, or was it just a ruse for me to slip up and reveal something I shouldn't? She grimaced. I almost did back there. It's a good thing he believed me…or didn't he? I don't know anymore….

The superheroine jolted when she realized exactly how much she had had to lie just in that one instance. Her first impulse whenever someone mentioned something even remotely related to WordGirl was to lie, and to keep building on that lie until whoever she was fooling believed her. It usually didn't take too much, but, as much as she hated to admit it, Tobey was a very smart boy, and thus, harder to lie to. He picked up details many others in the city would overlook, even if it was something minute. A change in mood, the words she used, he used anything, and everything, to use as evidence that she was WordGirl. Was it because he liked her?

This brought a rush of heat to her face. The very notion in itself was strange. Tobey, evil boy genius, was head-over-heels for a superheroine, of all people, yet despised her secret identity? It sounded comical, even to her, but it also made no sense. So, what was his true intention now in trying to get Becky to admit that she held a secret double-life?

The young girl was beginning to get a headache from all of this and shuffled into her room. Bob was lying in his hammock, but he sat up when she came in.

He squeaked, asking her how it went. She merely shook her head and face-planted onto her bed with a groan. All this wondering about one of her enemies couldn't be good for her. She might start sympathizing with them, and where would that lead? Nowhere good, as far as she could see.

She turned to lie on her side and started, "Bob? I have a question for you."

The monkey squeaked once, which she understood as "Shoot."

"Do you think I lie a lot?" She had been hesitant to ask, but knew she wanted the answer all the same.

Bob tilted his head and chirped a few times, which she interpreted as "No. You're not a lazy person, Becky." He seemed confused.

She smiled at this and shook her head again, sitting up. "No, not 'lie' as in 'to lie down or rest', but as in 'to knowingly not tell the truth'. For example, every time I have to leave my family to go save the city, I have to lie about where I'm going so they don't suspect that I'm WordGirl."

Bob had sensed that she was sad when she came in, but he hadn't expected this. He scratched his head, puzzled on how to answer without hurting his friend's feelings. He then jumped out of his hammock to sit next to her and patted her back.

The monkey spoke in a combination of squeaks, chirps, and gestures, all of which Becky understood. He had told her yes, but also that it was necessary for her to do it. She had a city to protect, so her lying was done with good intentions, even if her excuses were a little weak at times. He also said that she shouldn't worry about it too much, but, if it does become hard on her, then she should tell her family and friends who she really is. They'd understand, and love her no matter what.

Becky smiled at her good friend and gave him a hug, which he returned promptly. "Thanks, Bob. I feel so much better now. It's just…Tobey brought it up while we were downstairs, and I guess I got upset because he's so…perceptive. He figured out that I lie a lot, and even sort of pointed it out. I usually don't give lying much thought, but if even a villain has to scold me about it, then hasn't it turned into a bad habit?"

He frowned at this and shook his head. Bob placed his hand on her shoulder and chirped a couple of times, which she recognized as "Becky, like I said, if the lie comes with good intentions, then it's not a bad thing. I know you're a good person."

Her smile grew wider. She shouldn't have let that prick of a boy genius get to her.

She stood up and exclaimed, "Bob, I forgot to get the snack I promised you! Let's go downstairs and I'll whip up something nice."

Bob rubbed his stomach in appreciation, licking his lips as he thought of all the possible foods she could make for him. The two headed down, and Becky felt lighter than she had for a while.

A/N: In case any of you are wondering, I got the name for the chapter title from the movie Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules.

There's this scene where Rodrick (the main character Greg's older brother) insists that Greg "deny, deny, deny" no matter how hard their parents push them on whether or not they had a party at their house.

The scene then transitions to Greg and his friend Rowley at school, where the more innocent boy grumbles, "Sounds to me like 'lie, lie, lie'".

So, yeah…. That's how I got the idea of what to call this chapter.

I wanted to fit the Narrator into this chapter more, but then again, I wanted this chapter to have a sort of serious note that the show doesn't have (no offense), so….