Identity Crisis
"Whoo! Aren't you so excited to meet your next love around the corner?" Yolei exclaimed.
"No. Not really," Sora winced.
"Come on. Don't be a scaredy cat! Alright, so we have these glow-in-the-dark sticks that you snap on your wrists. Blue if you're straight, green if you're bi or open for anything, and pink if you're gay," Yolei held up her wrist, which had a green band around it.
"Okay...So give it to us straight," TK sighed.
"Blue bracelets for everyone?" the bouncer asked.
"Yep," Sora stretched her hand out.
"Here you go," the bouncer started snapping wristbands on everyone.
"What if you're only here for moral support? I'm not looking for anything!" Mimi quipped.
"Oh, I see we have an ace. Not too many of those around. Don't worry, we got you covered. Here's a purple band for you," the bouncer snapped a purple wristband on her.
"You hear that? I'm an ace!" Mimi stuck her tongue out.
"Man, if I knew that was an option, I would have been purple too! I want to be an ace!" TK whined.
"That's not what you think it means...," Yolei muttered.
"Can we change-"
"No," the bouncer interrupted Sora.
"Stop being bad sports and let's get moving! You're blocking the entrance!" Yolei shoved everyone inside.
"I can't believe you convinced us to come here," Sora sighed.
"I can't believe there's a no-looky option. I wish I could be on the purple team with you Meems," TK sighed.
"Come on! I think this would be good for you guys! When was the last time you've seen anyone?" Mimi smiled.
"Really? Aren't you the pot calling the kettle black?" Sora grabbed Mimi's arm and wiggled it.
"Hey! We're all here for a good time! Why don't we grab some drinks first to get us in the mood?" Yolei suggested.
"I guess that's not a bad idea. Drinking sounds fun right now," TK said.
"Oh, that reminds me! Mimi, I need you to stay around me for a bit, but kinda hide. I'm supposed to meet 'Michelle' here soon. We're supposed to wear matching flower crowns," Yolei adjusted her crown.
"Is that her over there?" Sora pointed at a muscular blonde girl.
"Oh my Lanta...," Mimi gasped.
"Shhh, hang tight. I'll give you the signal to pounce," Yolei hissed.
"Hi, are you Yolei?" the girl smiled.
"Damn, that's not an Adam's apple. That's the whole orchard," TK remarked.
"TK!" Sora elbowed him.
"What? She's clearly a dude," TK whispered.
"Hi. You must be Michelle," Yolei smiled.
"Yes. Nice to finally meet you," the girl smiled.
"It's finally nice to meet you too. You look even nicer in person. So tell me a bit about yourself," Yolei smiled.
"Well, I'm a boring person. I was born and raised here, I went to school for marine biology, and I have a beta fish at home," the girl shrugged. "What's your story?"
"Uhh, youngest of four kids, hadda work at a convenience store like all my childhood, and now I'm a bartender cause screw my parents!" Yolei said.
"Oh. Which borough are you from?" Michelle asked.
"Huh?" Yolei asked.
"Wait, did you grow up here?" Michelle asked.
"No. Actually, I was born and raised in Tokyo! I only moved here not too long ago," Yolei said.
"Funny. My best friend from high school was from Japan too. It would be funny if you knew each other," Michelle nervously laughed.
"What if we did? Mimi, get your ass over here!" Yolei yelled.
"Mimi?!" Michelle gasped.
"Michael? Is that really you?" Mimi turned red.
"It's Michelle now...," Michelle turned her back to her.
"Wait, what?" Mimi made a face. "I don't understand. I don't understand any of this!"
"What is so hard to understand? You know what? I don't have to explain myself to you!" Michelle snapped. "And you! I can't believe you baited me!" she yelled at Yolei.
"No! You don't get to act like that just because you want to wear dresses now!" Mimi said.
"Mimi! Not cool!" Yolei gasped.
"No! You know what's not cool? Convincing me that I was the confused one, that I was gay, when you were the gay one! How could you? Why couldn't you just be honest? You know, you're a monster, and it has nothing to do with your...change. I would have supported you, you asshole. You should have just told me the truth," Mimi shoved Michelle out of the way and stormed off.
"I am soooo sorry. I did not expect that to happen," Yolei awkwardly said.
"Yeah, thanks a lot. This is why I don't go out to these type of events. It's humiliating enough that my family doesn't talk to me anymore, but I don't need this from what should be a safe space," Michelle stomped away.
"Smooth," TK bit his thumb.
"Hey, why don't you go mingle or something?" Yolei huffed.
"Yeah...," TK groaned.
"So what brings you here?" Adelaide leaned against the gazebo.
"It's just been a tough night," Izzy stood his guitar up.
"Tell me about it. I tried to make my own coffee and it sucked," Adelaide sighed.
"Why don't you go to Duke's? He should be open for at least another hour. I thought you always get your coffee there," Izzy said.
"We're not talking right now. It's been like a week now," Adelaide sighed.
"Not that it's any of my business, but what happened?" Izzy asked.
"Well, I had to go to some dumb formal function at my parents' place and I asked Tori's father to be my plus one," Adelaide said.
"So you and Tori's dad-"
"Nope, not together. He ran away as soon as he found out I was pregnant. It was only until Tori became a teenager when he finally started getting involved in our lives. Duke's known and been a great help to me and Tori for a long time, so he definitely does not like Tristan. I don't blame the guy, but I didn't want to invite Duke. I just didn't think he would want to go. You've seen him, he's all dress down and grab a Bud kinda guy, and this is a black tie affair...I mean, I guess it didn't help that I said that to him. I guess he took it the wrong way," Adelaide sheepishly said.
"Clearly. You know, you remind me of one of my friends back in New York. You meant well, but it didn't come across so. Did you try to do anything to fix the problem?" Izzy asked.
"Every time I go to the diner to apologize, he just points at the door with this mean look on his face. And it's not like I can go to his house, cause he lives right above the damn place! I don't know what to do! I miss him, and more importantly, I miss his coffee. So, now that I spilled my guts, what's up with you, Troubled Troubadour, version 2?" Adelaide mischievously smiled.
"Nothing much," Izzy shrugged.
"While I appreciate that you're playing outside as to not disturb the other tenants, people don't normally hang out alone at night in the cold because they're feeling great about themselves. You've listened to my problems, now I'm gonna listen to yours," Adelaide leaned in towards Izzy.
"Uh...okay," Izzy felt uneasy. There was just something about this woman that was intense, that he couldn't hide anything from her, because she was gonna get it out of him anyways. It wasn't fair, but it was best to get it over with and then maybe that would shake her off so he could go back to moping in peace. "I miss her."
"Her? Who is this her?" Adelaide grinned.
"She was someone that was in front of me the whole time and I was too stupid to realize it. And even when we shared a kiss on New Year's, what did I do? I ran off. Sure, I used school as an excuse to move here, but there were plenty of schools in New York. I don't know... I could have just stayed, and who knew what could have happened. But here I am, and she's over there, moving on. And of course she would, because that's the kind of person she is anyways. She's so easily distracted, there's no way we would have worked out anyways. We're from two different worlds, we have complete opposite personalities, interests, hobbies, but yet when we're together, it was like time didn't even exist," Izzy sighed.
"I think I know what you mean," Adelaide looked forlornly in the diner's direction.
"And although you all have been very friendly and accommodating, I felt like I was missing something and now that I'm here, I realized what it was. Her touch," Izzy said.
"Aww, how nice!" Adelaide gushed.
"I don't know about that. I'm one of those people who likes his personal space, but she... I don't know how many times she's sat on my lap because there were no more seats, or held on to my hand so we wouldn't get lost in the crowd, or pinched my face when she said I was being too serious. And maybe I thought back then that she was a bit intrusive, but maybe I kind of didn't mind it the entire time and just didn't want to admit it. I just miss her touch all the same. Life just feels more hollow and colder, if that makes sense," Izzy said.
"Oh honey...," Adelaide pouted and put her hand on Izzy's shoulder.
"Let me guess. You want me to grab you a coffee from Duke's now, huh?" Izzy smirked.
"Would you?" Adelaide pulled a $5 bill out of her pocket and smiled.
"Sure. Any certain way?" Izzy asked.
"Black, no cream, no sugar. I like the taste of death," Adelaide said.
"That's how I like it too. I'll be back," Izzy walked to the diner.
"Hey, aren't you late," Duke wiped the counter.
"Yeah. Just got caught up with stuff," Izzy said.
"What can I get you?" Duke asked.
"Can I get a coffee to go? Black please," Izzy asked.
"Coming right up," Duke poured the coffee into a paper cup and popped a lid on it.
"Thank you," Izzy said.
"Nuh uh. Not so fast. Sit," Duke tapped on the counter.
"Uh...okay," Izzy nervously obeyed and took a seat at one of the stools.
"Here's your coffee," Duke poured the coffee from the paper cup into a mug and slid it towards Izzy. "Enjoy."
"No, you don't understand. I want this to go," Izzy said.
"And maybe you don't understand, but that woman in the square is shameless! I swear to God, if I see you or anyone else giving her my coffee, you're banned. And no, it's not an empty threat. I banned three people so far. Now drink up," Duke crossed his arms.
"Okay. This is irrational-"
"And you can tell Adelaide that I'm keeping the change for a tip! Shameless!" Duke shook his head.
"I just want to know what did she do to have you ban her from your coffee. You know, she misses you...but she probably didn't want me to tell you that," Izzy looked down at his coffee mug.
"Sometimes, don't you ever feel underappreciated? Like you're there for everyone, the least someone could do is instead of coming to you for a problem, they just want to do something nice or at least have good news? Do you know what it's like to be the fix-it guy and then when everything is good, you're left in the dust until the next crisis hits?" Duke asked.
"Trust me, I completely understand you 100 percent on that. 200 percent, if that were possible. Bites you in the ass and next thing you know, you have to move over a hundred miles away because of it. All because you try to stop things from happening, but then you're the bad guy. Or maybe you're the first guy come to when they have a problem, but hey, what about when there's an extra concert ticket? Or just a night out? Nope, goes to some dumb schmuck, and it's even worse if it's the one who creates the problems, right?" Izzy nodded.
"So I see you know what I deal with," Duke took the coffee mug away and gave Izzy his money back. "Here. Just tell Adelaide she can come back in the morning. I'm closing up though. Doesn't look like anyone else will be coming through."
"Thanks Duke," Izzy said.
"Uh huh. Goodnight," Duke walked out from behind the counter and started drawing the blinds.
"Goodnight," Izzy said and walked back to the gazebo.
"Soooo, where's my coffee?" Adelaide asked.
"Duke says you can have it in the morning. Here's your money back," Izzy said.
"Oh my gosh. He actually gave me my money back this time...what did you do?" Adelaide gasped.
"I told him you'd let Tess stay in the Air BnB for free whenever there's a vacancy," Izzy said.
"No you didn't!" Adelaide smacked him on the arm. "Did you?!"
"No! And ow...," Izzy frowned.
"Sorry...but what did you do?" Adelaide asked.
"We just talked. But just so you know, maybe you should do something to show you appreciate him once in a while. From what I picked up, it sounds like he does a lot for you. And speaking from experience, it's nice to be acknowledged. You don't have to do anything big either. Small actions are nice," Izzy said.
"Okay. Well thank you for helping me out! I just wish I could do something for you too," Adelaide pouted.
"It's fine. She's clearly moved on, I have to too," Izzy shrugged.
"Alright then," Adelaide mischievously grinned. "I'll see you around! Have a good night!" she pinched him on the cheek and went on her way.
"Hey, wanna trade bands with me? The bouncer won't let me change colors," Sora walked up to someone.
"Uh...sure. Doesn't matter to me," a guy shrugged and slipped a pink band off his wrist.
"Thank you," Sora handed him her blue band and put the pink one on her wrist.
"No probs. You be you," the guy said and winked.
"Thanks," Sora smiled. She headed to the bar and ordered a beer. There were so many people here, and yet no one that caught her eye.
"Long Island iced tea, please," a lean, tall, dark-skinned guy leaned against the counter. Sora couldn't help but notice how well his jeans fit him, especially around his butt. She also liked how nice and toned his arms looked, not too muscly, just a nice, subtle tone. She was a bit iffy about the hair. It was spiky and green, but it looked like he spent a lot of money and time on it. She wasn't into pretty boys, but he was different.
"Soooo... I see you're wearing one of these colors too, huh?" Sora held up her wrist. She immediately wanted to crawl up and die at how cringeworthy her pickup line was.
"Hah hah, I am," the guy flashed her a smile with his light blue eyes. "Why?"
"Nothing. Just a little surprised. I mean, look at you. You could get anyone in the room!" Sora nervously said.
"I could say the same about you," the guy smiled again.
"You're too sweet," Sora grinned.
"No, I'm not sweet. I'm Mark, and I'm delighted to meet you. What's your name?" the guy held out his hand.
"I'm Sora," Sora giggled and took his hand. "Nice to meet you."
"Mimi, come on! Don't be a stick in the mud, you should go talk to people!" Yolei shook her.
"I'm really not in the mingling mood. I found out my ex-friend is a tranny and I'm still-uh," Mimi paused.
"Still what?" Yolei raised an eyebrow.
"Still...freaked out about Jonesy. I know he's really Jonesy, but he looks like Michael, who is pretending to be a girl now," Mimi slowly said.
"Alright Mimi, I understand you had to take in a lot today, but I have to seriously educate you on transgendered people when we get home," Yolei shook her head.
"Psh, okay. And if that weren't enough, I dunno if I should be concerned about the amount of girls buying me drinks. It's nice, but I don't roll that way," Mimi frowned.
"Hmm, maybe it has to do with your bracelet. They probably think it's pink, and I guess it kinda does look pink," Yolei nodded.
"What?! What does that mean?!" Mimi gasped.
"Pink is gay, remember?" Yolei laughed.
"Great. I have to find TK or Sora and see if one of them will trade with me," Mimi groaned.
"Yeah. Just don't tell them about the mix-up. Otherwise, I think they'd be glad to switch," Yolei laughed.
"Got it," Mimi nodded and walked into the crowd.
"Ugh, I have to find some friends who are more fun," Yolei huffed. She made her way to the bar and smiled at what she saw so she walked over. "So... I see someone's made a new friend."
"Oh, hey Yolei!" Sora blushed. "This is Mark. Mark, this is my friend, Yolei."
"Nice to meet you," Mark smiled at her.
"Same, same. I'll let you guys get back to your convo, I just came to get a drink," Yolei winked.
"I'll have a mojito."
"Make that two," Yolei said.
"Coming right up," the bartender said.
"Hey there, pretty lady. What's a girl like you doing at a place like this?" Yolei grinned.
"Sorry," the girl held up her wrist to show off a blue bracelet.
"Oh, that's okay. I know who you are. Still won't stop me from telling you how gorgeous you are. You're the chick from that Spanish channel, right?" Yolei said.
"Why yes, yes I am," the girl smiled. "The name's Clara."
"Ah yes, Clara. It's nice to actually meet you in person. My friends like watching you on TV, and I do too as a matter of fact," Yolei said.
"Oh, you're too kind," Clara smiled.
"Seriously. None of us know Spanish, but it doesn't matter. I guess they met you at some singles event at a coffee shop and they were hooked. Especially this one guy. He's here right now," Yolei said.
"Is that so?" Clara raised an eyebrow.
"Well, there's Sora talking to some guy there, so I don't know if you'd remember anyone else she was with," Yolei pointed across the bar.
"Oh. Like Tai," Clara perked up.
"So you remember Tai!" Yolei grinned.
"Where is he?" Clara asked.
"He couldn't make it tonight. But there's Mimi and TK over there if you want to say hi. I think TK would like that very much," Yolei grinned.
"You think?" Clara asked.
"Yeah!" Yolei nodded.
"Watch me turn this guy into a babbling idiot. He won't even know how to hold himself together," Clara smirked.
"Huh?" Yolei raised an eyebrow.
"Come on. Don't you like to flirt with people for kicks? Besides, isn't it funny to see how silly they get with just a simple touch of the arm like this?" Clara touched Yolei's arm. "Or maybe a 'wow, that's so amazing!' It's hilarious what a small ego stroke can do to even the self-proclaimed smartest bastard out there. Turns their brains to mush. Shows you how smart guys really are, right?" Clara smirked.
"I don't think that's right. TK's a nice guy," Yolei frowned.
"Ah, maybe you don't understand. You're a lesbiana. It's okay," Clara shrugged.
"Hey! I go both ways. See, green?" Yolei held up her wrist.
"Sounds like you like to have your fun, but I have a different kind of fun. Ciao," Clara winked at her.
"Crap...," Yolei whispered.
"I don't mean to kick you out, but we close at 11 o'clock," Celia said.
"Oh... I forgot about that," Tai said. "This place definitely changed a lot."
"For one thing, we're more of a restaurant than a bar now. I think you're the only person who comes here to exclusively drink, and I just want to know why. We charge more for beer than other places, and we copy our cocktail recipes from Crapplebee's, so you know they're not that great. If you ask me, there are better places to go," Celia said.
"Well, it's right below my apartment," Tai said.
"I guess convenience is a plus," Celia shrugged.
"But I like seeing you too," Tai blurted.
"What?" Celia said.
"I... I mean, uh...," Tai paused.
"For what it's worth, you're my favorite regular too. And how about this, why don't we hang out after I close tonight? I'll text you when I'm done. We can grab some decent food or coffee, whatever. And Tai?" Celia said.
"Yeah?" Tai looked at her.
"Please don't come here anymore unless you're actually in the mood for some mediocre artichoke dip or flavorless buffalo bites. Literally everything here is from the frozen food section at Costco. We can hang out on our free time, okay? I feel bad that you're wasting your money at this ripoff place," Celia said.
"Uh...okay," Tai turned red.
"Text me at 11:30?" Celia said.
"Yeah. Definitely," Tai said.
"TK, trade bracelets with me!" Mimi said.
"Gladly," TK struggled to take his off.
"Hello, haven't I seen you around before?" Clara approached them.
"Oh my God, you're...," TK stammered.
"Come on, TK! Gimme," Mimi whined.
"No, go away," TK slapped her hand away.
"You said you'd trade," Mimi said.
"That was before I became interested. Now am-scray," TK frantically whispered.
"Hmph," Mimi pouted.
"You're...," TK gasped.
"Interested in you," Clara got closer to him and brushed the hair out of his eyes. "Oh, it's so soft."
"Yeah...uh, thanks," TK could barely muster.
"I never got your name from last time. I'm Clara," Clara said.
"I know-ahem, I mean, I'm TK," TK stupidly said.
"Unbelievable," Mimi muttered to herself.
"Oh, you're the coffee girl, right? Are you his girlfriend?" Clara asked.
"Psh, her? No way!" TK scoffed.
"Oh my God, are you serious?!" Mimi gasped.
"Good. Let's dance," Clara smiled and pulled him onto the dance floor.
"It's a good thing you're not my boyfriend cause you're an idiot! A dorky idiot!" Mimi yelled.
"Men, am I right?"
"Ahh! Who said that? I'm straight, swear to God! I'm wearing purple! The bracelet is purple!" Mimi gasped.
"Chillax, it's just me," Yolei laughed.
"Oh my God, don't scare me!" Mimi gasped. "Can you believe it? That girl from the Spanish channel is here, so TK didn't want to trade bracelets with me!"
"Yeah. I know. I ran into her at the bar and she doesn't seem that nice of a person," Yolei frowned.
"What do you mean?" Mimi asked.
"We were talking, and she basically said that she liked flirting with guys just to make fun of them," Yolei crossed her arms.
"That's mean. I guess no wonder Tai didn't want a second date with her," Mimi shook her head.
"Poor TK...he's like a marshmallow peep too. There's no way he can handle someone like Clara. If Tai can't do it, TK is a goner. Look at him, he looks like a total doofus out there. Someone should rescue him," Yolei frowned.
"No remorse here. He wouldn't trade bracelets with me," Mimi crossed her arms.
"Come on...I'd do it, but I'm actually trying to go home with someone tonight. If you go rescue him and act like you're gonna go to Pound Town with him, you won't have any more broads hitting you up," Yolei said.
"Ugh...fine," Mimi grabbed Yolei's drink and chugged it. "Here I go. Wish me luck and hopefully Clara doesn't kill me."
"Just mention Tai before you go. She seems to like him. She'll forget all about the dweeb," Yolei said.
"Got it," Mimi nodded and stomped over to TK and Clara. "Looks like you guys are having super fun!" she danced next to them.
"We are," Clara simply said.
"Clara! You have to swing by the coffee shop more! We hang around there, and Tai's there a lot too. You guys really seemed to connect if you ask me," Mimi smiled.
"Mimi, what the hell are you doing?" TK whispered.
"Oh, that would be nice. I haven't seen Tai in a while," Clara said.
"Mimi!" TK hissed.
"Aww, isn't TK soooo adorable?" Mimi cut in between TK and Clara.
"What are you doing? This isn't the time," TK stammered.
"Yes, he is charming," Clara smiled.
"He's so cute, you could just kiss him," Mimi grabbed his face and gave him a sloppy kiss.
"Aww, que linda. You look cute together. I just knew there was some energy between the two of you and I wouldn't want to mess that up. Have fun!" Clara smiled and walked off.
"Mimi, what the hell was that about?" TK moved his head to the side.
"No! Clara is bad news! You don't need that, okay?" Mimi said. "Tai wouldn't go on a second date with her, and she was talking to Yolei about how she was gonna mess with your head. You don't want that!"
"Yes I do...," TK pouted.
"Come on, don't you want a nice girl?" Mimi said.
"What good are they? They're not good at all. Might as well go for the bad girls, cause at least they're easy. You can have your fun, forget them, and move on. That's what I'm gonna do from now on," TK said.
"Great. So you're gonna try to be like your brother? How well did that work out for him?" Mimi put her hands on her hips.
"I guess when you say it like that...," TK sheepishly said.
"I like Aster. I think she's helped improve Matt. Ever since she's gotten in the picture, he's become a more bearable person, don't you think?" Mimi said.
"I guess that's true," TK said.
"TK, just know you're better than falling for cheap games. Don't start acting like a sleazeball, because you might end up scaring away the right girl," Mimi said. "I want to go home now. Let's go find everyone else."
"Sounds good," TK nodded.
"Oooh, looks like Sora hit it off with someone," Mimi smiled.
"Yeah. I kinda want to take a picture," TK smirked.
"Let's go see what she's up to," Mimi nodded.
"Hey guys, how are you doing?" Sora smiled.
"Good. Kinda wanna go home though. Crazy night," Mimi sighed.
"Mimi, TK, this is Mark," Sora said.
"Nice to meet you," TK said.
"I feel like we've met before," Mark approached TK.
"Uh... not that I can recall. Sorry," TK shrugged.
"Huh. You just look familiar then. I don't know from where," Mark said.
"Anyways, my friends want to go home. But, we should definitely trade numbers!" Sora said.
"I'd love to. Here, let's do it now," Mark pulled out his phone.
"Oh, and we should meet up at Central Perk. The Brooklyn location. We're there all the time," Sora said.
"I will," Mark grinned and looked at TK.
"Alright, good night," Sora smiled.
"Goodnight to you as well," Mark waved at them.
"Oooh, Sora...," Mimi shook her shoulders.
"I know! How crazy is that? We were both wearing purple bracelets and I think we hit it off pretty well. Isn't that funny though? Like I don't think either of us were planning on meeting anyone, and we just clicked!" Sora held up her bracelet.
"Uh, Sora? Your bracelet looks pink to me," TK frowned.
"What? What's that mean?" Sora gasped.
"That means he probably thought you were gay," Mimi sighed.
"No! That can't be! He was wearing the same color too!" Sora gasped.
"I mean, if anything, my bracelet looks about the same color, see?" Mimi held up her wrist. "And TK didn't want to change with me!"
"Wait, is that why you wanted to change bracelet colors with me?" TK gasped.
"I'm not really comfortable with being hit on by other girls, okay?" Mimi said.
"Okay, maybe I had nothing to worry about then! Because we both had a good time! So we probably both thought we were wearing purple bracelets. They looked purple to me, so he probably thought they were purple too, right?" Sora gulped.
"Sure...," Mimi and TK said.
"What a relief. Alright, let's find Yolei and head out," Sora sighed.
"That is totally pink," Mimi whispered.
"Most definitely," TK whispered back.
"Oh my God, can I say this feels delicious?" Madeleine heaved.
"I guess you can say whatever you'd like as long as it's not an 'oh my God, I don't think I can move'," Joe nervously said as he moved his hands up and down Madeleine's back.
"Oh yeah...give it to me real good. I like it when you do that thing with your hands like that," Madeleine said.
"Whoa whoa whoa! I could hear you guys all the way from the first floor and I was seriously hoping you were getting some. Nope, just your dumb chiropractor appointment," Jax walked into the apartment.
"Uh...," Joe paused.
"Ignore her. Keep going," Madeleine commanded.
"Wow, if this is how she sounds over a massage, I can't wait to see how she gets when she finally gets some booty," Jax said.
"Jax!" Madeleine yelled.
*beep beep* *beep beep*
"Uh, time's up?" Joe sighed.
"Aww man... Jax, why did you have to come now? Now I'm all tense again," Madeleine huffed.
"I can give you a quick shoulder massage before I leave," Joe bit his lip.
"Oooh, you hear that? He wants to massage you some more," Jax heckled and walked over to the fridge.
"Could you?" Madeleine asked.
"A couple minutes shouldn't hurt," Joe gulped. He pressed his hands down on Madeleine's shoulders and moved them around.
"Ahh, that feels great," Madeleine sighed.
"I seriously can't wait to hear how she sounds when she gets laid, am I right, Joey?" Jax pulled a beer out from the fridge and popped it open. "I got home later than I expected to, so the only thing that'll be baking in this house tonight is me. I'll worry about completing the cookie order in the morning."
"Jax, seriously? Is everything always about sex and drugs to you?" Madeleine huffed.
"Hullo? How long have you known me for?" Jax said.
"You guys sell cookies?" Joe asked.
"She does, on the side. They're pretty good too. Wanna try some?" Madeleine asked.
"Uh...," Joe said.
"Come on, Joey pal! I've got chocolate chip, chocolate chocolate chip, red velvet, rainbow, snickerdoodle, and I bet what'll be your favorite, chocolate-less chocolate chip," Jax pulled a box out from the cabinet.
"It's a chocolate chip cookie without the chocolate chip. It's my favorite," Madeleine said.
"Uh, okay," Joe said.
"Oh, we can pair it up with wine!" Madeleine said.
"That sounds nice," Joe slowly nodded.
"Not really. Madeleine likes her wine just like she likes her men. White and dry," Jax stuck her tongue out.
"Jax!" Madeleine gasped. "I have Sauvignon Blanc, is that alright with you?"
"No. That's a good one," Joe said.
"Excellent. I'll get us two glasses then," Madeleine got up from her chair and grabbed the wine and cookies. "Here you go!" she poured him some wine and set the cookies down at the table.
"Thank you," Joe took a cookie and bit into it. "These are good."
"Hah, if you think the plain cookie is good, you should try the ones that actually have flavors! I knew you'd pick the plain cookie. I just knew it!" Jax said.
"Jax!" Madeleine said.
"What? The two of you are just so vanilla, that vanilla is too intense of a flavor for you! If there was a plain milk flavor ice cream, you guys would go buy that, because you're freaks! That's how plain you are!" Jax said.
"Actually, there is a frozen yogurt shop that has plain yogurt. No flavor," Joe said.
"Oh my God, seriously?" Madeleine gasped. "You have to take me!"
"Freaks...," Jax shook her head.
"Sure, we should go sometime," Joe nodded.
"How about we schedule my next appointment a little earlier next week, so that we can go to the froyo place afterwards?" Madeleine asked.
"Uh...sure. We can do that," Joe nervously smiled.
"Great! It's a date then! More wine?" Madeleine smiled.
"No thank you. I'm fine," Joe shook his head.
"They were right when they said /We were breathing underwater/Out of place, all the time/In a world that wasn't mine to take/I'll wait-"
*knock knock*
"Uh, come in," Izzy put his guitar down.
"Hey, it's just me," Tori said.
"What's up?" Izzy asked.
"You sound good," Tori nodded.
"Thanks. I'm thinking of finding a new place to play though. I just feel a bit claustrophobic here and then someone knocks on my door at least twice a day. It's not too bad, but sometimes I want to focus, if that makes sense," Izzy said.
"I think I understand. I like to read by myself in a quiet place where I can be comfortable. Like a personal, private nook where no one can disturb you. Then you're free to be in your own little world for as long as you need," Tori said.
"Yeah. Like that," Izzy nodded.
"Anyways, my mom just wanted to thank you for convincing Duke to let her come back to eat at the diner. You know, she can't cook for herself," Tori said.
"What? But she runs a boarding house with a meal plan," Izzy said.
"Yeah. She runs the housing part, and Cookie runs the food part. They're co-owners," Tori said.
"Makes sense," Izzy nodded.
"So thank you. You saved us. Duke never banned me, but it was kind of awkward grabbing breakfast there, cause I felt like I was betraying my mom, but at the same time, I felt like I was betraying Duke if I broke routine and I'd just rather not pick sides, you know? It's not any of my business. This town is small enough already. I'm just so happy they made up before the townspeople started making up 'Team Adelaide' and 'Team Duke' buttons. They've done it before and it's super embarrassing," Tori said.
"Are you serious?" Izzy asked.
"Back in high school, I was talking to both Tess and my high school boyfriend, Bean-"
"Your boyfriend's name was Bean?" Izzy asked.
"No... It was Ben, but he was from Boston, Beantown...get it?" Tori said.
"Yeah...," Izzy sighed.
"Anyways, I was just talking to them. No relationship, no flirting because I was broken up with Bean for a couple of months and I wasn't sure if I wanted to get back together with him. And then Tess moves to town. Within the next couple of weeks, I see people wearing these pins on their shirt. Some have the letter B on them, some of them have T. So I assume it's some political election, but I'm Tori Filmore! I know my politics! What political election could that be? Then my mom clues me in that it's about the guys that the townspeople want me to be with. That was just their little 'secret' way to go about it," Tori huffed.
"Oh brother...remind me not to get involved with anything or anyone here," Izzy said.
"It's already enough people think you're strange," Tori said.
"What?" Izzy asked.
"I don't know if I should tell you, but some people have said you might be more of an outsider than Duke is. And Duke really tries hard to keep away from people," Tori said.
"It's less trouble that way," Izzy said.
"You sound just like him," Tori smiled.
"If I have to deal with people pinning initials of potential lovers and gossiping, I think I'd rather stay indoors. You can't get in any trouble when the only company you have is yourself. I'm really starting to wonder if small-town life is really for me after all," Izzy said.
"Oh, it's not that bad. It's quieter here at least," Tori said.
"Maybe it's because everyone stops talking once you enter the room. But guaranteed, once you leave, it's loud again," Izzy smirked.
"Aww, you and Duke are really alike. You sure you're not his son separated at birth or something?" Tori said.
"Highly doubtful," Izzy smirked.
"I'm gonna grab a coffee before I head out. Wanna come?" Tori said.
"Sure," Izzy grabbed his jacket and a pink glove fell out. "What the heck?"
"Hello Kitty?" Tori raised an eyebrow.
"It's not mine, I swear!" Izzy turned red.
"Yeah, I know. It's my mom's," Tori said.
"Wait, are you serious?" Izzy asked.
"Yeah, she was looking for this everywhere and she was upset cause she had to wear the boring gloves," Tori picked up the glove.
"Oh. I thought that belonged to my friend. She loves pink and girly stuff," Izzy took the glove.
"Sounds like my mother. She's literally forty-years-old and still goes to the teeny-bopper stores. I think I dress...and act older than her. But that's for another day," Tori said.
"I guess so," Izzy fingered the glove. "This is seriously your mom's?"
"So how was last night, guys?" Matt smirked.
"A lot of things happened," Mimi grabbed the top of her hair.
"Like what?" Matt smirked.
"For one thing, Michael is now a Michelle," Yolei said.
"Oh my, get the hell out of town!" Matt slammed his hands on the counter.
"Yep. He's a woman now," Mimi nodded.
"Wow...," Tai gasped.
"And Clara was there," TK said.
"Ooh, little bro! Did you make your moves?" Matt winked.
"No! Please don't. She's bad news!" Tai said.
"It's okay, you didn't have to worry at all. Right, Mimi?" TK raised an eyebrow at her.
"Hey, I was only trying to help!" Mimi said.
"What did you do?" Matt leaned in towards her.
"Uh...well, I went home with a married couple hoping to have some fun and then they ended up fighting with each other before we got to the apartment so I bounced. I hope Kari and Davis are doing a lot better. You know what, I'd be open to having a threesome with them, but just so you know, I'd be paying more attention to Kar-" Yolei said.
"Cut it out! That's my sister you're talking about!" Tai yelled.
"Funny. First time you had to tell that to another girl," Matt smirked.
"On the bright side, Sora seemed to hit it off with someone. He was kinda cute too," Mimi winked.
"Mimi!" Sora gasped.
"What? They're bound to find out anyways, especially if he comes to meet you here," Mimi said.
"Yeah. Those two were talking the whole night," Yolei grinned.
"You were?" Tai raised an eyebrow.
"It was just talking! We had a nice conversation," Sora said.
"Puh-lease! You guys were going on all night!" Yolei said. "Hey, is that him?"
"Oh my God, that is him! I didn't think he was gonna show up," Sora gasped.
"Wait, that guy?" Matt gasped.
"Why? What?" Sora asked.
"I have to go...," Matt said.
"What?" Sora panicked.
"Hey! It's Matt! I knew I remembered you from somewhere!" Mark grinned.
"Oh...hey buddy," Matt nervously laughed.
"Please, we were more than buddies, remember?" Mark smiled.
"What the hell is going on?" TK asked.
"I dunno," Mimi shrugged.
"Oh, that's right! Best buddy," Matt awkwardly tapped Mark on the arm.
"More like butt buddies," Mark grinned. "Remember?"
"What?!" everyone gasped.