Hello readers of Just Another Girl! Before we get started I have some very exciting news: April was nominated for "Best Female OC" in "The Lab Rats Award Show." OH MY GOSH! Thank you guys SO much! I was so excited when I got the PM from Calladora telling me that April had been nominated. I'm so happy that you guys like her that much! Voting starts on Monday, so don't forget to check it out and vote if you like April!
Anyway, now that the exciting news is over, here's the story! I had loads of fun on this chapter. There are a total of . . . um, let me see . . . THREE big events! Lots of shocking moments, too. So enjoy!
April: Hey everyone! Thanks to those who nominated me! You guys are GREAT! As usual, daphrose does NOT own Lab Rats. She owns me and anything else that you haven't seen in the actual show. On with the story!
* * * Chapter 9: No More Secrets * * *
Leo walked quickly through the halls of Mission Creek High. "Dooley!" a raspy voice called from behind him. Leo froze.
"Oh, hey Principal Perry," Leo said nervously.
"Yeah, hi," she sneered. "Listen, you're friends with the new prison-I mean, student, right? April Henderson?"
"Well, I know her."
"Then do you happen to know why she's been avoiding bringing her dad in to meet me?"
"What?" Leo asked, furrowing his brow.
"I keep asking her to bring in her dad so I can meet him," Perry explained. "But she's keeps avoiding it. Always telling me that he's working."
"I don't know. I've never met her dad either, come to think of it."
"Yeah . . . I don't care. So you don't know why she won't bring him in?"
"Chase told me that April says he's always working, but that's all I know."
"Hmmph, well, alright then." Principal Perry began waving her fingers as if shooing a fly. "You're making me sick. Get going."
"Gladly," Leo muttered between gritted teeth as he scurried away. But what Principal Perry said had really gotten him. April's dad wouldn't come to school? Was he really that busy and cared so little about April? Unless . . .
No Leo, he thought desperately. She's not like Marcus. Marcus was an overdramatic, whiney sociopath. April was a sweet, intelligent girl with . . . secrets. But everyone has secrets, right? Leo's biggest secret was that his siblings were bionic.
Leo knew that Chase and April had trust issues in the past. Just a couple of days ago Chase had told Leo how weird April was acting. So she was hiding things. Big deal! But Leo was supposed to be the Enforcer. If anyone tried to hurt his siblings, he was supposed to stop them. Would April hurt them? Leo didn't have that same horrible, gut-wrenching feeling around April that he had had around Marcus. Nevertheless, Leo decided it was best to keep an eye on Chase's girlfriend.
That was going to be easier than he thought. Leo rounded the corner and saw April just a few feet away from him, talking to some of her friends. Quickly he scurried back around the wall. He wasn't sure why, but he decided to eavesdrop on her conversation. Maybe he would find out a few things.
"So you're really just going to dump him tonight?" someone said. Leo recognized the voice as one of April's friends, Kayla.
"Yeah," he heard April say sadly. "I just can't do this anymore."
"But why?" another one of April's friends, Jenna, asked.
"I can't put up with him anymore. And my dad's really upset. I need to end this before it's too late."
"Won't he be sad?"
"Oh, I'm sure. I just know I'll have to resist those puppy-dog eyes. But it's for the best. We never really clicked anyway."
"So when are you doing it?"
"Tonight," April sighed. "It'll be tough, I'm sure. But I'll just have to control myself. No giving in. I'll just have to do it and get it over with."
Leo remembered Chase telling him that April was coming over tonight. Oh no! Leo thought. April is going to break up with Chase tonight! Chase would be devastated. Leo couldn't let that happen to his brother. Should he confront April? No, he decided. He would tell Chase first.
"Hey, Leo!" Chase called as Leo entered the lab. "Look what I'm working on! It's a necklace for April."
"What's so special about that?" Leo asked.
"It's got a little screen on it. I programmed it to show pictures of us. See?" Chase held out the necklace. Sure enough, there was a small screen that was playing a slideshow of pictures of Chase and April.
"Yeah, that's great Chase," Leo said. "I think we need to have a talk."
Chase furrowed his brow. "Why?"
"It's about April."
"Leo, if you're just going to tease me . . ."
"No, I'm not going to tease you. Chase, I . . . I heard April talking earlier and . . ." Leo paused.
"And?" Chase prodded.
"And she said she was going to break up with you tonight."
The color drained out of Chase's face. He attempted to smile. "Y-you're joking, right?" Chase said nervously. "Leo, please tell me you're joking!"
"I'm . . . I'm not."
Chase sunk into a chair. "I thought things were going so well," he murmured.
"I guess April doesn't feel the same way," Leo said quietly. He bit his lip. It hurt him to see his older brother like this. "Chase, I think I know how you can flip the tables on her."
Chase glanced up with a blank look in his eye. "How?" he asked.
"When she comes over tonight, before she has a chance to say anything, you need to break up with her."
The doorbell rang and Chase leapt up off the couch. He opened it to see April standing there, twiddling her fingers nervously. "Hi Chase," she said before stepping inside.
"Hi April," Chase greeted her, closing the door behind her.
"Look," April said, turning to face her boyfriend. She looked extremely anxious. "I have to tell you something."
"I have to tell you something too."
"Oh. Well, why don't you go first?"
"Okay." Chase took a deep breath to calm himself. "I'm breaking up with you."
April's mouth fell open and she looked at him in shock. "What?" she cried. "You're joking! I thought things were going so well!"
"I thought so too!" Chase snapped. "But apparently you didn't think so!"
"Chase, please, do me a favor and tell me what the heck you're talking about!"
"Oh, don't give me that!"
"Give you what? Chase, I have no idea what you're talking about!"
Chase lowered his voice a little before responding, "Leo heard you planning to break up with me earlier.
"What?" April said, her face twisted in confusion.
"Earlier in school. He overheard you tell your friends that you were going to break up with me tonight. You said that you couldn't handle me anymore."
April squinted. Then a smile passed over her face and she began to laugh. Chase looked on in confusion. Finally April stopped laughing and coughed a couple of times.
"Okay, Chase," she said, still giggling a little bit. "First off, remind me to have a, ahem, 'talk' with your brother about eavesdropping. And second, I was talking about my dog."
"You . . . wait, what?" Chase asked.
"My dog. Benny. I got him a few days ago. But I couldn't handle him. My dad wasn't able to take care of him when I was at school and he destroyed the furniture. I had to take him back to the shelter. In fact, that's where I just came from. Right before I came here."
"Your . . . dog . . ." Chase repeated slowly. April nodded.
"Yeah. My dog," she repeated with a smile. She started laughing again at Chase's expression.
"So," she continued when she got a hold of herself again, "my guess is that you tried to break up with me because you thought that's what I was going to do. So now that I'm not breaking up with you, are we good?"
"Can you forgive me for jumping to conclusions?" Chase asked.
"Sure, boyfriend," she said. Before he knew what was happening, April put her hand behind his neck and pulled him closer. They pressed their lips together in a passionate kiss. The two of them pulled back, both with smiles on their faces.
"So, wait," Chase asked. "If you weren't coming to break up with me, then what was it you wanted to tell me?"
"Oh," April said. She ran a hand through her hair and that same nervous look passed over her face. "Chase, this is really important. I probably should've told you before, but I was scared. I don't want this to change anything between us. But I can't hide it anymore. I absolutely have to tell you. I'm . . ." April trailed off as she stared over Chase's shoulder with an incredulous look on her face.
Chase turned around and his heart skipped a beat. Adam was walking into the kitchen, holding a dresser. An obviously very heavy wooden oak dresser. He was carrying it like it was no big deal because, well, for him it wasn't. But April saw him. She let out a small gasp.
Then, to Chase's shock and horror, Bree super-sped into the room. "Hey guys!" she said. "What's up?"
Chase turned his body so his siblings could see April. Their mouths dropped open in alarm. Adam let go of the dresser and it crashed to the ground. Chase turned back to his girlfriend to see a terrified look on her face. Her mouth moved as if to say something, but she quickly turned and ran out of the house. Chase charged after her.
"Wait, April!" he called out the door. He turned back to his siblings and glared at them.
"Well, go after her!" Bree said.
"Why me?" Chase asked.
"You're her boyfriend! Go!"
"Wait!" Adam called as Chase started to run out. Chase paused for a second. "Make sure she's not blind without her glasses."
"What?" Chase asked.
"Long story," Bree said with a sigh. "Just go!"
Chase obeyed, running out the door at a speed to rival Bree's. He knew exactly where to go to find April.
The crickets chirped softly as Chase rushed through the park. The moon shone brightly overhead and Chase couldn't help but remember his first date with April only a few weeks ago. But that all might come crashing down right now.
Chase walked slowly down the path under the bridge. Sure enough, he saw April crouched on the edge of the walkway on the side of the river. She was right in front of the bench where the two of them had shared their first kiss. She was drawing her fingers slowly through the water. April didn't look up as he approached, but she glanced at his reflection and quietly said, "Hi Chase." Well, at least she wasn't running away and screaming in terror.
Chase sat down next to her, licking his lips nervously. He had been trying to think of what to say the entire way there, and he still didn't how to put it. "Look," he attempted. "About what you saw . . ."
April held up her hand and looked at him. "Chase, as much as I would love to hear you attempt to explain what happened, I don't need you to."
"But I . . ."
"No Chase," April said stubbornly. Chase studied her lightly freckled face. She still looked a little nervous.
"Why not?" he asked. April closed her periwinkle blue eyes and gulped.
"Look," she said slowly. "Remember when I said that everything would make sense someday? You asked me when 'someday' would come. I had finally decided that 'someday' would be today.
"I told you before that I have something I really need to tell you. It's very important. I had finally worked up the courage to tell you, and then your siblings walked into the room doing that. I got scared and ran out. Maybe not the best thing to do, but I was so terrified."
Chase put a gentle hand on his girlfriend's cheek. "Why were you so scared?" he asked softly.
"Because I just know that this will change things. Chase, if I tell you, I need you to promise me that you won't run away, you need to promise that you'll give me a chance to explain, you need to promise that you won't . . ."
"Hey," Chase said softly, interrupting her. "I promise."
April sighed. "Good," she said. "Then here it goes." April took a deep breath before continuing slowly, "Chase, the reason I'm not freaking out right now is because I know you're bionic. And the reason I know you're bionic is because . . . I'm bionic too."
Oh come ON! You ALL knew it! But don't go assuming things about her until you know the whole story. You might be surprised. Now let's play a game called "Who Can Figure Out April's Abilities?" I've made allusions to most of her abilities in previous chapters (specifically 3, 4, and 8), so feel free to read them over again and see if you can figure them out. Remember, they may be abilities the Lab Rats have, or they might be completely original abilities. If you think you know, tell me in the reviews.
Did you guys really think that April was going to break up with Chase? What was your reaction when April saw them using their bionics? Tell me in the reviews! Please? I'll see you guys on Wednesday for Chapter 10: Explain Yourself!
