"Shooting Stars" – Chapter Two
The time came for the Davis family and Andy's toys to leave for the racetrack, slowly, but surely. While Mrs. Davis drove the truck, Andy and Molly sat in the backseats. In his hands, Andy held a backpack that contained the three toys he chose to tag along for fireworks.
"Mom," Andy whined. "Are we there yet?"
"Not yet, Andy," Mrs. Davis replied for what seemed like the hundredth time. "Trust me; you'll know when we get there."
"Okay, how?" Andy asked in anticipation. Molly looked at her brother's enthusiasm and bounced in her car seat. She was too young to understand much, but she could sense the excitement floating around in the vehicle.
The kids' mom pondered for a moment. Then she looked out her right window and the corners of her mouth turned upward. "First," she pointed to the window, "you'll see people of all ages dressed in the same three colors that I'm sure you can figure out."
The zipper of Andy's backpack was pulled back just a bit to show the joyful face of Jessie looking out the window. "Wow," she breathed. "This is so…so…"
"Exciting, fun, pleasing, crazy…"
"Yes, yes. Thanks, Space Boy." Jessie whispered, giggling. Her eyes were still glued to the window.
Mrs. Davis turned around just in time to see her son look out the window and beam at her. "Next, you'll hear loud cheering and old American music blasting."
The sounds mentioned became clearer as the car approached. The look on Andy's face was almost identical to Jessie's; a pleased, excited expression that looked forward to a potentially fun time.
"And, finally," Mrs. Davis finished. "We'll pull into a terrible parking spot." She struggled fitting the truck in the small place next to another large vehicle.
"Yes!" Andy exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. Jessie ran back to her place in the backpack, spun around, and sat back down, eager for the Davis family to exit the car.
"Are you ever calm?" Woody asked, shaking his head in amusement. Jessie just crossed her arms, the smile on her face fading.
"And why should she be?" Buzz chimed in playfully. "This is an extremely important time for her, you see, Woody." He chuckled as he said it.
"Oh, gosh! You're absolutely right, Buzz." Woody put a hand on the space toy's shoulder. "Please forgive me, Jess." This was directed toward a now pouting cowgirl.
"You're mockin' me, aren't cha?"
"Who? Us?" Woody asked, gasping. "Oh, no. That would not be very nice, wouldn't it?" This comment made Jessie roll her eyes. Buzz then looked accusingly at Woody.
"Aww, look what you did, Sheriff. Now you have to get her in a good mood again before the fireworks."
Jessie glanced at Buzz through the corner of her eye, biting her lip to keep from bursting out in laughter.
"What, you think this was my fault, Buzz? It was all you!" Woody shouted at his best friend. "So you fix her."
Buzz snorted. "Fine, I will." He got up and made his way toward the redhead who was quietly watching the scene next to her. She raised an eyebrow at him.
"Uhh, what're ya—" Before Jessie could finish her sentence, Buzz had tackled her to the ground, attempting to pin her down. She willingly fought back, doing her best to keep a straight face.
After a few seconds of protest, Jessie pinned Buzz down. She yelled a victorious, "ha!"
"Oh, you asked for it!" Buzz warned and started to tickle her. She yelped as he ran his fingers up and down her sides. After a few seconds, she finally let out a laugh, admitting her defeat. Buzz allowed a wide smile to stretch across his features, watching the beautiful girl before him catch her breath. They both rolled onto their backs, laughing once again.
Woody watched the two with a smile, thinking about how natural they seemed together. He knew how crazy they were for each other. He silently wondered if his advice he gave to Buzz earlier would convince him to make a move that night.
There was a moment when Woody and Buzz locked eyes, and Woody jerked his chin to Jessie. Buzz anxiously glanced at the girl, who was closing her eyes in a peaceful way. Buzz turned back to his longtime pal and gave him a look that signaled a confirmation to Woody's previous thoughts.
Woody gave him a thumbs up sign. Before Buzz could give one back, Jessie had opened her eyes and began to crawl towards the place where the backpack was slightly opened. She cautiously peered outside and found that they were being brought to the place Mrs. Davis said would keep them safe. The time they took to fool around, she realized, must've passed the time it took getting from the car to the building.
Jessie rolled to the middle of the backpack where her friends were, letting out a soft yodel. When they felt the backpack being put down, she whispered, "We're here, boys."
A/N: Thought I'd add a fluffy filler. Thanks for reading. Next chapter soon. :)