Author's Note
Okay, I know I promised to get back on track, but it's harder than you'd think. Nothing against you all, I just have more important things to be doing sometimes. But I still enjoy writing, and will continue to update when I can.

But enough of my senseless wining, you people came here for a show! And a show you shall receive!
The songs featured areLet's Hear it For the Boy by Denise Williams and There's a Fine Fine Line from Avenue Q

HTF; The Musical!

The next day was a relatively peaceful one at that. Only two deaths were reported, both instantaneous, Mole had crashed the ice cream truck into a tree after running down Cub. But that is neither here nor now. Instead, our scene opens on the Happy Tree Mall, on a breezy Wednesday afternoon.

Chunky had taken Petunia out shopping, although it wasn't quite what you would expect. Commonly, when a couple went out "Shopping" it often entailed the girlfriend buying pounds and pounds of clothing for the boyfriend to carry, but for some reason Petunia had only wanted to accompany him to pick up a game he had on reserve, and to let him treat her to a lunch at the food court. Over their cheese quesadillas, Petunia was oddly interested in Chunky, and kept asking questions, fluttering her eyelashes and listening intently to his responses.

"So, what was the game again?" She said, quietly ignoring her food.

"Uh, Disco Rising 2. It's the sequel to the famous Zombie-survival game from Phoenix Inc. They're just about the authority on Zombie games. I mean, if there was a zombie apocalypse I'd totally find these guys, they know what they're doing." He rambled on between messy bites of his food, as Petunia nodded and pretended to listen.

"Hmm, well," She glanced at her watch, "I think we'll have to get going. But, if you won't mind we just need to make one little stop." She stood without waiting for his answer.

"Where are we-" He stopped to take a gulp of soda and drop his garbage into a nearby trashcan, "Where are we going?" Despite not knowing where she was leading, he followed quite comfortably. Of course, it's easy to trust someone you've been dating for such a long time. They stopped in front of the False Alarm, a reasonably large arcade, considering it was inside of a mall.

"Right over here, I'm sure you're quite familiar with this little hangout, am I right?" She said, stepping into the dimly lit arcade.

"Sure! What are we playing, maybe KA-POW Fighters? I'll go easy on you!" Chunky laughed as he stepped up in front of a machine. But Petunia yanked him away, pulling him towards another area of the arcade.

"How about we play a different game, like over there!" Petunia pulled him by the shirt(He had always hated that) over to a different arcade machine, where a certain relative of his was dancing to a techno-beat. People crowded around to see Disco strut his stuff on the machine to a catchy J-pop remix of a disco hit.

"PPR?" Chunky read aloud, "Paw Party Revolution? I'm not very good at dancing Petunia, maybe I could just watch you play.

"Oh no Chunky, we're gonna teach you to dance!" Petunia pulled him back and pushed him onto the machine's large platform. It was a hefty metal platform, layered with arrows for the player to pound their feet on to the fast-paced beat of a song, prompted by an enormous screen, adorned with flashing lights and strobe effects to completely immerse the player.

"'We're gonna teach you.' What do you mean we?" Chunky said, nervously.

Disco bear, who had been waiting for quite some time for the two to arrive, chimed in "We as in me and your girlfriend. Nothing personal Chunks, but we're gonna teach you to dance, no relative of mine is gonna go around neglecting his dancing feet."

"But, but I Can't!" Chunky said, trying to scramble off the machine, but Petunia stood in his way. She stopped his escape without touching him; her saddened look was powerful enough.

"Chunky, please, just try. For me." She said, looking up at him with genuinely sad eyes. He groaned and crossed his arms, but couldn't stay angry at her.

"Well okay for you, and only for you." Chunky turned back to the screen, " What do you need me to do?" Disco gave him a cocky smile and plunked a quarter into the machine.

"Just follow along shorty, I'll show you how it's done." He said, as the machine kicks up a beat. Closing his eyes he steps from side to side, clapping his hands to the beat. Chunky catches on, and tries to follow him, but he steps awkwardly, clapping randomly. Disco stops and sighs, trying to get him back on track.

Meanwhile, Petunia is sitting, watching him happily, despite his difficulties. The other Friends in the arcade are watching as well, some laughing at Chunky's awkward attempt at dancing. Nutty, who had been in for his weekly "House of the Permanently Dead" fix, finally approached Petunia, stifling his laughter.

"Jeez, how can you even stand to be around such an embarrassment?" He said, leaning in a little close to her. Petunia pushed him away without turning from Chunky, still focused on him.

"Nutty, shut up! He's trying, that's all that matters. He's trying for me." She said. Sparky, another friend who was just there for the show, came up from behind and sat with Petunia to watch. Chunky was definitely trying, but he just nearly slipped, and had Disco not caught him, he'd be flat on his butt.

"I don't wanna be mean,Pet" Sparky finally piped in, "But, you're a smart, cleanly girl. What could you possibly see in a chubby nerd like him?" Petunia thought for a second, and stood , walking a little bit towards the PPR machine.

"Well…"

An electric bass sounds from the machine, as Chunky just begins to tap his foot in rhythm. Disco nods happily and does a quick few steps, striking a pose. Chunky attempts to walk off in frustration, but Disco catches him by the collar. Petunia begins to tap her own foot and sing, as Chunkybegins to move more and more in time to the music, almost keeping up with his uncle.

PETUNIA
My baby he don't talk sweet
He ain't got much to say
But he loves me, loves me, loves me
I know that he loves me anyway

And maybe he dont dress fine
But i dont really mind
Because every time he pulls me near
I just want to cheer
(She begins dancing as well, as some other people get behind her and dance, except for Nutty, who's angrily eating a bag of gumdrops. Still upset that Petunia is more interested in Chunky. )

ALL
Let's hear it for the boy
Let's give the boy a hand
Let's hear it for my baby
You know you go to understand

PETUNIA
Whoa, maybe he's no romeo
But he's my lovin one-man show
(Petunia Blows a kiss to Chunky, who blushes, as he keeps dancing)
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Let's hear it for the boy

("Perfect! Incredible! MARRY ME!" The machine shouts between the music, as Chunky and Disco begin to land even harder and more complex steps. Incredibly, the student even begins to outdo the master)

PETUNIA
My baby may not be rich
He's wathcin every dime
But he loves me loves me loves
We always have a real good time

And maybe he sings off key
But thats alright by me
Because what he does he does so well
Makes me wanna yell

ALL
Lets hear it for the boy
Lets give the boy a hand
Lets hear it for my baby
You know you go to understand

(Chunky Leaps from the Machine and grabs Petunia, spinning her. She comes to a stop, and points to the sky as she sings)

PETUNIA
Maybe hes no romeo
But hes my lovin one man show
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Lets hear it for the boy

Maybe hes no casanova
Still his kisses knock me ov-ah

Hear it for the boy
Lets give the boy a hand
Lets hear it for my baby
You know you gotta understand
(As Chunky is dancing, Nutty sneaks behind him and tosses a gumdrop onto the machine)

Oh, he dont score at bowl-a-rama
Still you gotta thank his mama

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Let's hear it for the boy
Hear it for my man

LET'S-
(Chunky attempts to jump up onto the machine for a dramatic finish, but he slips on a conveniently placed gumdrop, landing with a thud.)

"Ha! I've seen better dancing at a funeral!" The machine laughs as the game over screen flashes. Chunky stares up at it disheartedly, as nearly everyone else in the room begins to laugh hysterically at his accident. Chunky blushes and runs off, as Petunia calls to him. But her yelling is stifled by the crowd's wild laughter. She ran after Chunky, but she lost sight of him in the crowded mall. Humiliated and out of breath, Petunia took a rest on a nearby guardrail. A hand on her shoulder, it was Disco.

"Petunia, it's fine. He probably just headed home."

"You're right, I suppose" Petunia turned and began on her way to the parking lot, Disco nearby. "He probably took the car. Can I get a ride?"

"Your place?"

"Chunky's"

Renamon was thrust to the bed, as Gardevoir stood above her,her tight maid's outfit bearly covering her explosive cleavage. She lowered herself down n a hard kiss onto the unexpecting digimon. Their lips locked in a hot, sticky embrace as Gardevoir's hand began to climb down her thigh until it-"

"Chunky? Are you in here?" a soft voice called, and Chunky quickly turned his computer off, to prevent her from seeing his 'fanfiction'. Petunia entered from the doorway where she had been standing, and sat on the bed near him, and picked up a small action figure laying on the ground during their awkward silence. She toyed with it's arms for a few seconds

"Chunky, about the mall today. Everyone was just caught up in the moment, they weren't-"

"Petunia," Chunky cut her off, "I know, I just shouldn't be up in public like that. I just make a fool out of myself."

"But this is more about us."

Chunky stood off the chair he was nestled in, his breath becoming cold at what she might be thinking. She put down the action figure and stood to face him, but instead found herself staring at the ground.

"When we first met, you were shy to practically everyone, except me. I thought maybe if we spent time together, I could change that. I could get you to dance."

"Petunia, I could learn for you, you know I'll keep trying."

"No, because then you'd just be changing yourself for me, and that's not what I want. I'm not a girlfriend, I'm someone trying to make you what I want to date."

"You're overreacting." He was nervous, "Think about what you're saying."

"I have Chunky, maybe it's time we went our separate ways. I can't change you, and it's time I stop trying. You may not be the boy for me, but I'm certainly not the girl you deserve."

He reached out to her, put his hand on her shoulder, but she brushed it away.

"Petunia…"

"Chunky? You just don't see…"

PETUNIA
(Sadly, slowly)
There's a fine, fine line between a lover and a friend;
There's a fine, fine line between reality and pretend;
And you never know 'til you reach the top if it was worth the uphill climb.

There's a fine, fine line between love
And a waste of time.

There's a fine, fine line between a fairy tale and a lie;
And there's a fine, fine line between "You're wonderful" and "Goodbye."
I guess if someone doesn't love you back it isn't such a crime,
But there's a fine, fine line between love
And a waste of your time.

And I don't have the time to waste on you anymore.
I don't think that you even know what you're looking for.
For my own sanity, I've got to close the door
And walk away...
Oh...

There's a fine, fine line between together and not
And there's a fine, fine line between what you wanted and what you got.
You gotta go after the things you want while you're still in your prime...

There's a fine, fine line between love
And a waste of time
.

She turned and walked out, the lights dimming on the room, Chunky sat down on the bed, facing the floor so no one could see his eyes. So no one could see him cry.


*Sniffle.* I sometimes bum myself out with these stories. Oh, and this is really lame I know, but I'm still Promoting my story One World for anyone still interested.

Phoenix Reece, wishing you a restful respite.