Fredi
…
I spend the rest of the night tearing my room apart trying to find my old dance team photo. I look in the boxes in the living room, in my dad's room while he sleeps along with the storage boxes in the guest room. The search goes cold so I decide my next move. Wearing nothing but my pajamas, which basically consistents of soffee shorts and old t-shirt; I slip into my keds and put on my dad's old Boston College sweatshirt. I fix my hair into a pony-tail. I take my phone and slip it into the pocket in the front. I creep my way out of the apartment making sure I don't wake up my father. I make my way out of the front door as I turn the corner I see Sam. I jump and gasp at his sight completely aghast.
" Sam!" I silently yell.
" Badass Benson." He says nonchalantly leaning against the Shay door.
" What are you doing here at two in the morning?!"
" What are you doing outside of your apartment in two in the morning?" I cross my arms. He crosses his arms in curiosity. Cocks an eyebrow to me and smiles an evil smile.
" You are trying to find the dirt on Carl's little Molly." He says.
" I know her from somewhere and I am not going to stop until I find out!" Pointing at him.
" So it's a Benson on a mission."
" Want to be my nifty sidekick?"
" I am a Puckett. I am always the hero. You Benson, you're the sidekick."
" You're so sweet." I say sarcastically. We walk down the hallway and down the stairs making our way to the basement. After some budget cuts because a few tenants of the apartment thought we needed a gym, the basement's tenants storage space room has lost lights. I pull out my phone and tap on my flashlight app. We walk down two rows of storage spaces until we come to mine. We both look and stare at the endless boxes labeled 'Collectables.'
" What does your dad collect?" Sam asks.
" My dad had a fascination with model cars when he was younger."
" So,"
" So, my grandmother tried to get rid of it and he just brought it all home."
" Don't your grandparents live in Wisconsin?"
" Yes. Why do you ask?"
" So how do you and your dad,"
" Father and daughter bonding car ride." I say in a monotone voice.
" You poor child." He says with sarcastic sympathy.
" Yeah, yeah. Help me with the boxes." I open the gate and manage my way into the area. Sam does the job of taking boxes down and putting them out on the space. Searching through the beginnings of boxes I start to come empty handed making me frustrated and annoyed.
Sam
…
I look through the boxes and try to look for this alleged dance team photo. I stand up from all the bending, look over to Fredi to see her perfectly toned legs and butt. Oh sweet Jesus. That is so damn sexy. She turns back around sighing.
" Find anything?" She asks.
" Just more baby clothing and photos of your mom." I reply. Fredi's mother used to be around when I first met Fredi in Kindergarten. Her mother left for South America in the second grade, way before Carl moved here. We comb through more and more boxes. I then hit her old toys including her Barbie hotel.
Literally, we search through everything. We continue to endlessly search. Soon we hit the wall. Fredi's back hits the wall and slides down moping. I walk over and stand before her.
" I think this mission will have to be un-accomplished." I say. Her head falls into her hand sulking.
" I just need that one photo." She says as I join her on the floor. I put my arm around her back, letting her head hall on my shoulder.
" Maybe she has done a commercial or had a modeling career before."
" I think your right." I watch Fredi's eyes stare aimlessly at the boxes. Slowly and surely her eyes start to close. My eyes soon follow as my internal sleep clock hits me again. Letting my eyes go of to dream land I start to wonder what the world might be like if food could talk.
-0-
" What the hell!" I hear someone scream. I open my eyes and look up to be Libby the disgusting door woman looking at us with her big creepy eyes. " Put it all away!" She screams before stomping off. Fredi rubs her eyes. I get up on my legs. I lend my hand out and pull Fredi up. I go to go for the first box when I notice a little wooden box in the back corner of the storage room, almost going into the next storage case. With the light coming in from the window above, I notice as I walk closer a firefly engraved on it. I pick it up and blow the dust off. My finger traces over the key hole. I try to open it, but it doesn't nudge.
" Hey Fredi." I say.
" Yes?" She asks back. Putting two boxes down on the ground.
" Did you ever own a firefly jewelry box?" I ask. Her eyes pop open. She pulls the box out of my hands.
" Why are you so excited?" Fredi then goes diving into one of the boxes. " Can you please tell me what is going on!"
" This." She says holding up an old tiffany and company pouch. She pops the button and pulls out a key. She takes the jewelry box. " When I was little I didn't own as many photos as I wished, so I would keep photos I did have in this jewelry box that my mother gave me before she went off."
" You were really lonely as a child. Weren't you?"
" Not the point Sam!" She sticks the key into the key hole and turns it. The first photo is of her and her mother at the airport when her mother was sent off. The second photo is a family photo at her grandparent's place in Wisconsin. The third photo, our kindergarten class. The last one is the one we've been searching for all night, the infamous dance team photo. Fredi passes her finger over the young girls. I quickly find Fredi with her distinctive big smile and her younger infamous bangs. She flips over the photo to reveal all the girl's names. She definitely did not write down the names because the letters are written in perfect cursive. There we both see the name that we know, Molly Cavanaugh. She flips back over the photo. She points to the little girl with her red-headed color hair in a ballet bun. I notice Molly's face in the little girl.
" What did she do to you?" I ask. Fredi doesn't answer. She just bites her bottom lip hard.
-0-
Carl
…
I sit down in front of the television with Molly by my side. In her lap is the popcorn bowl. Molly smiles big.
" This is so much fun." She says.
" We haven't started watching the movie yet." I joke. She laughs. Awe man, I love her laugh. I lean in to kiss her when the front door slams open. I grind my teeth at the sight of Sam and Fredi. I've never wanted them so much not to be entering the apartment. This feeling never happens, but when a guy like me hasn't had that much loving for quite some time, I should feel those feelings. They both have smiles on their faces.
" Hey girl." Fredi says with enthusiasm.
" Hey." Molly says annoyed.
" Girl talk!" Fredi continues with the enthusiastic voice. She grabs Molly's hands, pulling her office the couch. I watch her be dragged as I know I can't enter this conversation. Unless I have a vagina. I hear the pop and crunching of popcorn. I turn my head around to see Sam eating the popcorn.
" Someone has to eat it!" He says in defense. I take hold of the bowl. Power eating seems like my only vice right now. Becoming flabbergasted that Fredi would do such a thing, also because Sam was beside her when she entered.
Fredi
….
I nudge Molly into the studio. I try to act decorum as I try to do this as politely as possible. She looks to me with her arms crossed and a cocked eyebrow to me. I take a deep breath and look at her.
" You know I almost didn't recognize you without your red hair." I say.
" What ever are you talking about Fredi?" She asks sweetly.
" Oh really? Molly Cavanaugh." Slowly she bites her bottom lip and lets her mouth turn into an evil smile.
" Miss Harris always did call you the clever one."
" I knew it! I never forget a face."
" Congratulations." She says very sarcastically.
" So when did you start dying your hair?" I ask.
" Never did like my hair. After years and years of being picked on my mother finally let me in the sixth grade."
" Everyone must have been surprised to figure out it was you." I say with my arms crossed.
" Actually, no one realize it was me so I got to start over."
" Well you don't get to start over with me. So tell me, what posses a seven-year old girl to push another seven-year old girl off a stage during her solo?" Molly starts to become enraged with her face turning red trying to hold the anger in.
" It should have been me as Cinderella!"
" You messed up for fourth position from your fifth position it's no wonder you got the mouse!"
" I should have been Cinderella!"
" Cinderella isn't a ginger!" She gasps.
" Take that back! Now!"
" Well you are soulless for ending my dancing career!"
" I did not!"
" Yes you did!" I scream. That's when the tears come rolling out. " You broke my ankle! In three different places! Five different surgeries later I was told by the doctor that I will never be able to dance again! You destroyed my dream!" Her eyes don't even say apologetic.
" You are just reminding me why my dancing dream sky rocketed." Memories of when I would sit in the hospital bed plotting my revenge come back to me. My urges to punch someone in the face all rise into one hand.
" I've wanted to do this to you since you pushed me off that damn stage." I close the space between us and punch her straight in the nose. She steps back on the blow, screaming. Her hand covers her nose so all I see are her demon eyes. In a split second she lungs for me, sending us both to the ground. Molly becomes very vituperative as she chokes me.
" I should have been Cinderella!" She screams.
" Die you soulless ginger!" I scream as I flip us over.
Freddie
…..
" Man, you can swing a wicked punch." Samantha says.
" So much rage in such a small body." Carly comments. I just choose to stand still in amazement in what my female self can do. Along with the fact that I am personally witnessing a cat-fight of my female self. I have some in my day but, damn! This is one for my books.
" I've been holding that in for quite some time." I say to myself. I watch the girls continue to wrestle and claw at one another. I'm actually very surprised the boys haven't shown up yet.
Sam
…..
I go to sit on the stairs to check my phone as Carl has decided to watch his movie without his date. I go to check my emails when I hear the distinctive sound of two girls, fighting. My eyes open wide and my mouth drops to the ground.
" Oh my god!" I exclaim.
" What?!" Carl asks, whipping his head around to me. I feel unsteady saying the words out loud, but finally I can say after a minute,
" Cat fight." I say simply. Carl jumps on to his feet and helps me up at a fast pace. Practically running up the stairs, we come to the studio to find Fredi putting Molly in a head lock. Molly kicks and screams. The words 'Cinderella' and 'Soulless ginger' being screamed. Carl takes a moment to soak in the fact that Fredi is in a cat-fight with no one either then the girl he is currently in love with. I just take my time to snap pictures and take a good thirty second video. Carl's mind wraps around the scene in front of him and waits for the chance when Fredi is no longer pinning Molly down, but the time doesn't come. So I do what any guy has to do in this situation, I must end the cat-fight. As endearing it is. I get up behind Fredi, trying to wrap my arms around the bottom of her chest. I do it successfully without getting scratched. I practically pry her off of Molly, but as I pick her up she continues to kick her legs in the air as Carl helps Molly up from the floor. I notice Molly's nose is bruised.
" Holy shit! Fredi punched Molly in the nose." I say with a smile. They all look at me in disbelief. " What?!" Fredi just continues to squirm under my hold.
-0-
Carl
…..
After Sam pried Fredi off Molly, she told me everything to the last detail. Soon I learn about her dour trait. My heart didn't break, but it was torn. I just couldn't wrap my head around the whole thing. She choose to leave after we have confab.
I walk down the stairs to the living room. Fredi sits on the couch with a ice bag on her cheek. I see Sam hanging around in the kitchen. He backs up away from the kitchen island and through the back door. I come up to the couch, sitting down next to Fredi. She grabs the remote and mutes the television.
" I am so, so, so, sorry. I didn't mean to…" She starts.
" It's alright."
" No, it's not alright. I ruined a chance for you to feel love. I feel so,"
" Fredi, Molly told me everything. You don't have to apologize for anything." I sigh and look into her eyes. " You saved me from a horrible relationship. You were a good friend. Honestly, I would have done the same if you started dating a guy who I knew was a scum."
" You and Sam always look out for me. It was nice for once to be the one looking out for you guys."
" Can you do me a favor Fredi?" I ask.
" Sure." She replies.
" Never get into a cat-fight again, please."
" Oh trust me, I won't be getting into a cat-fight anytime soon." She says with relief. We both laugh and her head falls on to my shoulder.
" Why have you hated her for all those years?" I suddenly ask.
" Well, if you have remembered anything she just told you," She looks into my eyes. " She ended my dancing dreams." Fredi tugs up her jeans to show five stitches on her ankle.
" I thought those were from Sam throwing you down those steps in the sixth grade." She giggles.
" Nope. I tore a muscle in my ankle that won't let me dance again. I've cursed out to Molly ever since."
" Have you tried to dance since then?"
" Nope." She says bluntly.
" Well I think you should try again, because it's clear it is something you want back in your life." A single tear escapes the corner of her left eye.
" I've been wanting to hear that for quite some time." She says with a smile. I wrap my arms around her and kiss her on the forehead. That's when we hear the door slam open. Sam stands in the frame of the door.
" I want some love." He says with a frown. I open my arm out to let him know he can embrace. Sam runs and jumps in middle of the love fest; wrapping his arms around our waists.
" This is probably the most un-sexiest threesome." Sam comments.
" Only to you." Fredi says patting his back. Sam flips over to his back. Fredi and I lock eyes only for a moment to know what we have to do next, tickle Sam.