Thanks everyone for the positive reviews. I really appreciate it. Wish I had updated sooner.): But whatever the drama gonna begin so get ready lol.
"Tommy! I have been trying to find you all day!" Lil hugged the boy tightly in their accelerated English class.
"I missed you too Lil," Tommy said through squeezed lungs. "You're sort of crushing me."
"Oh sorry!" Lil hopped off she was smiling harder than she meant. Tommy felt the same excitement though, since they hadn't spent much time together lately.
"It's fine." Tommy smiled. "So how was summer vacay?"
"Full of softball." Lil sighed.
"Oh man, I just went fishing." Tommy laughed.
"Sounds fun. We all should have spent more time together."
"Well Phil kept inviting me to parties, but I've been out of town. Kimi was in Japan most of July and August, you had softball then there's Chuckie-"
"Yeah. What have you guys been talking about?" Lil asked.
"We hadn't really talked since June but we caught up at lunch. I think that girl Becka might be his girlfriend." The boy said.
"You think so?!" Lil said louder than she meant, her eyes got a little big too.
"Um Yeah. She was looking at me weird when I was talking to Chuckie. I guess she's one of those types." Tommy shrugged.
"You don't say?" Lil smiled. Her strangeness only made Tommy laugh.
"So we're all trying to meet up at the Java Lava after school. You coming?"
"Definitely." Lil said then grabbed Tommy again. "I missed you guys so much!" Tommy laughed as he was crushed.
"Hey, you smell good." Lil said after releasing her old friend.
"Wow that spray's still working at the end of the day?" The boy smirked.
"Body spray? Oh my Tommy Pickles. Who's the lucky girl?"
"No one, no one. I just wanted to look and smell good for my first day." The boy says and Lil giggles.
"Oh and have you seen Kimi? She's been texting me all day but I haven't seen her."
"She's been skipping. She was going on about how you two have a class together but whatever." Lil said.
"She's crazy huh?" Tommy smiled.
"Yes she is." Lil nodded and Tommy blushed a bit.
"Tommy what's with the smile?"
"Oh. Haha, nothing." Tommy sat near Lil and the two continued to catch up. The teacher came in and gave the kids a list of literary works they'd be covering during the year.
After, the first day of school was over. Lil and Tommy departed for their lockers.
Back with Chuckie, he was heading out of ceramics to his locker. The ceramics hall was far back in the school on the first floor and for the first time all day he wasn't being shoved back and forth. He received a text. It was from Kimi.
"come to the lockers naoooo"It read. He smiled and head there. His locker was on the second floor and the stairs were pretty far. He reached the main hall, and at it being the end of the day, it was teeming with students, some of which who didn't know where they were going.
The crowd of students overcame Chuckie and he stood in the hall stationary seeing as he really couldn't move through them. When he was finally ready to walk, he fell straight on his face. He was tripped.
"Sorry freshy. Watch where you're going." A tall guy with dark hair laughed. He had a little brown mole under his left eye and he was in a group of other equally tall and brooding figures. They all laughed at the red head.
Chuckie picked up his folder and papers and looked away.
"You're not gonna apologize? You scuffed my shoes chicken-shit." The jock looking guy said.
"Leave him alone Dakota, we gotta get to the gym." One of the jocks said. He was black and wore a blue Varsity jacket.
The bigger peach skinned guy, Dakota, continued to laugh, his friend didn't though. He looked at Chuckie and frowned as he and the other jocks walked away.
Chuckie sort of stayed there, being looked at by the passing eyes. He couldn't find it in himself to stand. He was bullied through most of middle school, and thought it would change, but he now saw it may not. Chuckie moved slowly and thought he'd tear up.
"Chuckie." The red head heard a familiar voice. He looked and saw his old friend, Susie.
"What happened?" She kneeled down next to him.
"Nothing." He sort of mumbled and wiped his face with his sleeve.
Susie picked up some of Chuckie's papers and rubbed his back. "Here stand up." She said gently.
"Thanks." The boy said, forcing a smile.
"So what happened? Did you fall?" The girl asked sweetly, but Chuckie stayed quiet.
"Were you tripped?" She asked. Chuckie then sighed.
"Was it a behemoth looking jerk that looked like he had been tackled one too many times?" She asked and Chuckie laughed.
"Dakota Ackman. He's just picking on freshmen because he doesn't feel good about himself." Susie told her friend. Chuckie nod, still feeling hurt.
"Come on." The girl helped him up and he stood and forced a smile.
"Thanks Susie." He said.
"Anything buddy. Don't let them see you cry." Susie told him seriously. She smiled and hugged him before she sauntered off, waving.
Chuckie sighed and head back toward his locker. Most the students were out, heading to their buses, luckily, Chuckie was riding with Kimi.
"The Java Lava?" Jake raised a brow to the light brown eyed girl.
"Yeah. My dad owns it. Pretty cool right?" Kimi boasted.
"The owner's Asian? He has red hair and stuff." One of Jake's friends said.
"He's my stepdad." Kimi answered.
"Oh. Well we were heading to Astro." Jake pointed to his two friends, one male the other a dark-haired girl.
"That douchey fro-yo place by the shopping center? Kimi frowned.
Jake giggled and Kimi blushed. "Yeah."
"Cool. We'll take my car." She said and the four of them head down the stairs and out the school.
Lil received a text from Chuckie, asking where his sister was. Lil said she thought she was with him. Lil met back up with Tommy and they found Chuckie at his locker. He was hyperventilating.
"She hasn't text me back! I have no idea where she is! Why would she leave me?!"
"Chuckie!" Lil smacked him and knocked his glasses sideways. He straightened them.
"I needed that." Chuckie exhaled. "So do you guys know where she is?"
"I haven't seen her all day." Tommy shrugged.
"I guess she ditched us." Lil said calmly.
"Why would she do that?" Tommy looked at Lil.
"She's likely impressing this sophomore guy." Lil sighed and the blue eyed boy frowned. "What's wrong Tommy?"
"Nothing." Tommy scratched his head. "Just bummed she'd ditch her brother like that." Tommy lied and Lil made a less than believing face.
"So where's Phil?" Chuckie asked.
"That jackass is probably heading to the skate park." Lil said.
"Well then, I guess we're going to the Java Lava?" Tommy said.
"Oh yeah, dad wanted us to check in." Chuckie then sighed and messed up his half-slicked back hair. "I hope Kimi's not doing anything stupid."
"Are we talking about the same Kimi? Y'know, the one that broke her own leg to play a handicapped character in a musical?" Lil cocked a brow.
"She didn't even have a big role." Tommy said and they all laughed together.
"She's fine Chuckie. Just chill. Chances are she's at the café anyway." Lil said. Chuckie nodded. He grabbed his messenger bag out his locker and the teens finally left the school.
Out on the side walk, the teens were by the road. "Hey there's Angelica driving up Tommy." Lil said as they saw their old nemesis in the front seat of a car with Susie and some other girls go past them.
"Yuuup." Tommy said nonchalantly.
As they head down the sidewalk, Lil looked at Chuckie.
"So Finster, what's up with you and that girl? What's her name, Becky?"
"Oh Becka? She's just my bestie." Chuckie smiled.
"Ahaha. She's cute Chuckie."
"Yeah I guess." Chuckie said casually.
They reached the café now but it was pretty desolate. The Java Lava use to be one of the most popular hang outs in town. For the past few years though, the business has been dwindling. A few older people were in their, looking to be in their sixties or seventies.
"Geez, it's pretty dead in here." Lil frowned.
"Dad!" Chuckie yelled and head behind the counter, hearing muffled yelling.
"I help you build this damn coffee shop up from the ground Chaz!"They heard the voice of a virile woman.
"Don't act like I don't know that. We have been friends for years!" They heard an adenoidal wail.
"Then you're out of your red, little mind if you think I'm gonna keep with this!" They heard Betty stomp out from the backroom door and around the corner. "Hey kids." She said before throwing off her apron and leaving the café.
"Mom?!" Lil ran out after her mother.
Chuckie and Tommy looked at each other and then head behind the counter.
"Dad?" They stepped into the back room to see Chaz sitting in a chair next to the corner holding his head.
"What's going on Mr. Finster?" Tommy asked.
Chaz sighed and didn't look up. "Tommy, I don't think you should be in here right now."
"Oh, okay." Tommy stepped back outside the room. He head out the door to see if he could catch up with Lil and Betty while Chuckie remained in the room with his father.
"Dad? What just happened?" Chuckie asked.
"Well I'm pretty sure I lost my only other employee." Chaz said.
"What? Why?"
"That new coffee shop, Astro. It's taking all the business. It's got crazy menu items, more curb appeal. And we just don't have the expenses to modernize the shop." Chaz said. Chuckie frowned. "And I'm pretty sure we're going to have to close the shop up soon."
"No way dad. This place is your baby. What about me, Kimi and mom? Can't we help?"
"No, no Chuckie. You and you sister just need to worry about school. Kira's trying to go back to school and I don't want to stress her."
"But dad." Chuckie started.
"Chuckie." Chaz stood now. "I'm sorry." He shook his head and walked pass his son. Chuckie stayed there feeling crestfallen. He had no idea what to do.
Tommy caught up to Lil, who was sitting on the sidewalk near the parking lot down from the Java Lava. He saw her looking at her feet and took a seat next to her.
"Where's Betty?" Tommy asked the brunette.
"She drove off in the van all pissed." Lil answered. She leaned back. "What could Chaz have done to make mom so mad?"
"Geez, I don't know. Wanna head back to the café?" Tommy asked.
"I guess." They stood and head back down the street.