Truth Revealed
The next day at school, the girls were busy discussing their love lives when Ralphie came in with his book report.
"This is my latest work! Read it and weep. A plus for sure, don't you think?"said Ralphie, waving his book report.
Dorothy Ann took it from his hands and skimmed it over. "Isn't this familiar?
From one of the Star Wars book trilogy?"
"I told you that you won't pass if you continue using movie books." pointed out Tim, walking in the classroom.
"Hey, I was in a rush! Honest!" protested Ralphie.
"In a rush? What for?" asked Keesha.
"Hey gang, I heard that it's so on with Tim and Phoebe!" said Janet, sauntering near the door frame. "I totally found out!"
The gang gasped. "How did you know?"
"Let's just say I have my ways of finding out!" Janet smirked. "But you're gonna have to watch it! I always get what I want."
"You can't threaten us. It's you who'll have to watch it." warned Dorothy Ann.
"Whatevs. Ta-ta!"
"It's alright Phoebe. We'll find a way." reassured Tim.
"Thanks Tim."
"Actually, the Christmas formal is coming up. It's the perfect way to debut as a couple!" said Carlos.
"Great idea. We'll just have to keep our eye out from Janet." said Wanda.
"That means we'll need to go shopping for suits and dresses after school." said Keesha.
"Oh boy, it is so on!" said Tim.
...
Days turned into weeks and before you knew it, it had gone from fall to
winter really fast. Phoebe and the girls had already bought some nice dresses from the mall, while Tim and the guys had a hard time with the suits. Along with the price tag was also what look to go for. All four of the guys decided to get tailor made suits as they had been saving up from their
summer jobs selling flyers to a Justin Bieber concert, Ralphie's least favorite singer.
"Hmmmm...I don't know, turn around and back." said Carlos unsure.
"Again? What am I, a ballerina?" asked Tim, frustratedly.
"I know, but your pants seem to be falling off without the belt."
"What difference is it going to make? No one's going to be looking at the
belt."
"Well it has to be the right look. You can't just spend the night pulling
up your pants when you're dancing with Pheebs." said Ralphie.
"I'd rather stay at home than look like a fool," admitted Arnold, struggling to button up his too-small vest.
"Come on Arn, do it for Tim. He and Pheebs are going to need all the help they can get," said Carlos.
"Yeah, Janet's really got some frustration with us and then some," said Ralphie.
"What do you mean by that?" asked Tim.
"Oh nothing," said Ralphie, turning away. He got up and stretched his arms, walking to the front desk. "I'll go get the tailor to help us."
"You think he's hiding something?" asked Arnold.
"If he is, it'd better not add up to the current situation now," said Tim.
"Just hope you're right about that," said Carlos.
...
December came along while it seemed like Fall flew right out the window in a big hurry. The Christmas formal was already on with a bang, however Tim and the gang could still sense something was about to go wrong. Namely with Janet on their tails. The gang went in with their dates in tow, except for Arnold who brought Tiffany just for the event. Ralphie was tagging far behind, with Janet suspiciously whispering in his ear.
"Wow! Look at all those beautiful decorations!" said Phoebe in awe.
"It's so festive to see all those red and green streamers wrapped all over the gymnasium," added Dorothy Ann.
"And just as nice to see Tim looking snazzy!" said Phoebe. She and Tim looked gazingly at each other.
"Wanna dance?" he asked, bringing her to the dance floor. Phoebe nodded as they put their hands on the shoulder and waist respectively. Big Time Rush's Boyfriend was blasting through the DJ's speakers.
"Let's hit the dance floor! I love Big Time Rush!" said Tiffany, grabbing Arnold by the hand.
Meanwhile, Ralphie was finished talking to Janet and decided to discreetly slip a wind up mouse on the dance floor. He wound it up and let it loose so it spun around Tim and Phoebe.
"Hey! What's going on?" asked Tim, losing his footing.
"It's a wind up mouse! But who would do such a thing?" asked Phoebe.
Out of nowhere, a cat who had spotted the wind up mouse decided to chase and pounce on it. When it reached Tim and Phoebe, it took off all over the gymnasium wreaking havoc until Principal Jane Andrews caught it and held it up.
"Whose cat is this?" she asked.
"This is my cat, but I don't know why it was..." began Phoebe. Ralphie immediately felt guilty for conspiring with Janet.
"You'll have to face detention after the holidays," said Principal Jane, handing the cat over to Phoebe. "That's one week of detention after school."
"But that's not fair Principal Andrews. I mean..." protested Tim.
"I did it Principal Andrews. That was Phoebe's cat but I unleashed the wind up mouse for it to catch. I'm sorry," explained Ralphie.
"Then you can join with Phoebe in detention," said Principal Andrews, walking away.
"Ralphie, why did you do that?" asked Tim.
"I was still in on it with Janet. I even took Phoebe's cat from its home when she wasn't looking and unleashed it. And while I'm at it, I also told Janet that Tim and Phoebe got together in the library. I'm such a wimp, I'm sorry to you," said Ralphie. "And I still like you, Keesh." He turned to Keesha.
"That still can't make me want you, Ralphie. I can't believe what you've done," said Keesha.
"I will not let Janet get away with stuff like this. I will make this work with you. I promise," said Tim. Phoebe nodded in agreement.
"How about we try to get our mind off it by dancing the night away? I heard the chicken cacciatore is good!" said Wanda.
The gang walked over to the buffet table and ate their dinner along with the other partygoers. It wasn't something to worry about, but at least they had the holidays to get over it. If only it wasn't just the beginning.