Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter fifty-two of "Not Here." I'm glad it took just a week to get out. This chapter has some Tommy/Kat and Jason/Emily. It's just a few more chapters until Zack, Trini, Kim, Ashley's grandparents, and TJ's grandfather make their first appearances. Stay tuned for chapter fifty-three.
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Chapter 52: Much Ado About Nothing
McDonald's was busy ten minutes after noon. Jason and Emily were waiting for their food at the third of five cash registers. They heard yelling and gazed at a middle-aged man arguing with a cashier at the fourth register. They turned away, their bodies tensing somewhat. A frustrated groan diverted their attention, and they looked over their shoulders at a young woman.
"This line needs to get moving! I'm tired of waiting!" the woman complained and stomped her foot.
"Ma'am, the workers are doing all they can to speed things up," Jason responded in a calm voice.
"They'll make a mess if they go into a rush," Emily added.
The woman sighed very impatiently. "I don't give a fuck about that! I want to eat right now!"
Emily showed some anger. "Watch your mouth, young lady."
"There are children present," Jason said, gesturing toward a girl standing next to her father at the second register.
"Oh, shut up. I can curse as much as I want to. I am within my rights because I am an adult. I don't care if there are children around," the woman sneered.
"It's our right to call you out," Emily retorted firmly.
The woman mouthed 'Fuck off' and looked away. Jason and Emily shifted their attention to the counter while sighing heavily. They had a feeling the woman was a spoiled brat who was allowed to do whatever she wanted by her parents. Though they cursed occasionally, they tried their best to not do it in front of children. They didn't want to influence them. Of course, it wasn't always possible, especially in fits of frustration. They saw two cashiers walk up to them with trays.
"Here is your food," the first cashier commented as she handed the first tray to Jason.
"We didn't mean to take so long," the second cashier said guiltily and gave the second tray to Emily.
"It's fine," Jason replied with much sympathy
"We weren't in any rush unlike some people," Emily said, peering at the woman in the corner of her eye.
"I see," the second cashier said, a somewhat nervous chuckle coming out of his mouth. "Enjoy your meal."
"Thanks," Jason said and winked at the cashiers. "I hope the rest of your day goes well."
"We do too," the first cashier answered.
Jason and Emily grabbed napkins at the end of the counter. They headed to the ketchup dispenser behind the lines. They grabbed two small paper cups each and squirted ketchup into them. They went toward the middle of the restaurant, where Tommy and Kat sat a booth. They sat across from them, setting their trays on the table.
"We didn't mean to take so long, guys," Jason said regretfully.
"Don't sweat it, bro," Tommy answered warmly. "We don't have to rush to eat since none of us have another class for two hours." He gave his best friend a wink.
Emily opened her straw to put it in her small diet sprite. "Unfortunately, an impatient woman cursed in the presence of a little girl." She scoffed in some anger.
Jason opened his straw and got it into his large diet coke. "What is with people cursing in front of children? Don't they realize they are setting a bad example for them?"
"They probably do. They just don't care. They believe they can do whatever they please and don't care who they step on to get what they want," Kat said, popping a fry into her mouth. She chewed quickly and swallowed with a quiet gulp.
"Everyone encounters people like that throughout their lives. There's nothing anyone can do about it," Tommy said bluntly and picked up his large diet sprite to take a sip. He laid it down.
"You're so right about that, Tommy," Kat answered. She grabbed her fish sandwich to take a bite out of it. She chewed slowly but surely before swallowing with a loud gulp. "You are so right."
Tommy chuckled. "Of course. I'm always right."
"Not always," Kat responded, placing her sandwich down as she looked at him.
"Uh-huh," Tommy said while nodding.
Kat shook her head. "Unh-unh."
Tommy tweaked Kat's nose. She waved her hand in front of his face. She raised it high and jerked it downward. He slapped her lightly on the cheek. She rushed two fingers forward, and he put his hand sideways between his eyes to block her. He pushed it down. Jason and Emily laughed, causing the couple to look at them.
"You two need to become the new Stooges," Jason suggested.
"Why don't you and Emily join us?" Tommy asked.
"You two would make just as great Stooges," Kat said, a giggle leaving her mouth.
"No, thanks," Emily said, shaking her head.
"Me neither. Emily and I would rather be Stooges in our own group," Jason commented, tapping his fingers on the table.
"What's wrong, bro? Are you chicken?" Tommy teased and made clucking sounds.
"It's ironic you called me chicken because you have that," Jason answered as he motioned toward Tommy's chicken sandwich.
"So does your dear Emily," Tommy said, gazing at Emily's box of chicken nuggets.
"So true," Emily agreed. She opened the box and grabbed a nugget. She dipped it in the ketchup and took a bite out of it. She chewed quickly and swallowed with a quiet gulp. "It's good too." She ate the rest of it.
The others started laughing aloud. People began staring at them, causing them to quiet down. Tommy emitted a long whistle. Jason removed the wrapper from his cheeseburger.
"I'll be right back, guys," Emily said as she stood up with a light grunt.
"Please, don't take too long. I don't want to be finished before you get back," Jason teased.
She giggled and gave him a loving smile. "Don't worry. I won't."
Tommy, Kat, and Jason watched Emily walk off. They turned back to their food. Jason picked up his cheeseburger and bit into it. He chewed and swallowed. He nodded in approval before putting it down.
"If you ask me, this place's cheeseburgers get better every time I come here," Jason commented honestly.
"The best part of the cheeseburger is the cheese," Kat commented thoughtfully. "There is never too much on the burger. The beef-n-cheddar sandwiches at Arby's have a little bit too much cheese on them occasionally."
Tommy gazed at his girlfriend. "You'd look cute with cheese all over your mouth."
Kat turned to her boyfriend with a delighted squeak. "So would you, little boy." She flicked his chin. "I love you."
"I love you too," Tommy replied and pushed her hand away. "Just don't throw the cheese from your sandwich in my face."
"I will if I want to," Kat retorted playfully.
Just then, Emily returned to her seat with two small mayo-filled cups. She put them down. She grabbed a nugget as she gazed at the others.
"I was getting a craving for mayo and wanted to try dipping my nuggets and fries in it," Emily said, dipping the nugget in the mayo.
"I hope this isn't a sign you're pregnant. You aren't very fond of mayo," Jason commented, raising his eyebrows.
"It's not, Jason. Besides, it's nearly impossible for me to get pregnant since we are using protection in the form of condoms and birth control. The same goes for Kat since she and Tommy are using both," Emily pointed out.
Jason gave her a serious look. "We've been lucky so far, but our luck may run out."
"I can see that," Emily said and bit into the nugget. She swallowed after chewing it up. She smacked her lips. "That was good."
Kat picked up her sandwich. "At least that tastes good to you." She bit into it, chewing quickly and swallowing with a loud gulp. "I could never eat fish with mayo, mustard, or ketchup on it. None of that stuff goes well with it in my view. I prefer tartar sauce on it."
Kat laid her sandwich down. Emily grabbed three fries to dip them in the mayo. She put them in her mouth and chewed slowly but surely. She swallowed with a loud gulp. Kat moved her straw in her large diet coke up and down five times.
"Andros and Ashley are courageous for giving up college to focus on raising their children," Tommy said honestly.
"I don't think I've ever seen anyone work as hard as Andros did when we learned about the babies at the Surf Spot," Jason said.
"He is very lucky that Adelle pays him eight bucks an hour. Most employers start paying employees at minimum wage. In some states, they can pay teen employees less than that," Kat whispered in seriousness.
"That doesn't seem fair at all," Emily commented in sadness mixed with irritation. "Then again, the teens can't do anything about it."
Tommy dipped a fry into his ketchup. "I hope Andros and Ashley find well-paying jobs after they graduate." He placed it in his mouth to chew it. He swallowed before gulping quietly. "Children cost so much money now."
"They sure do. Moreover, it takes a lot to care about someone else more than you care about yourself, especially when you are still a kid," Emily said, sighing heavily.
Jason put his arm around her. "You got that from Fifteen and Pregnant, didn't you?"
Emily giggled. "Yes, I did."
Jason kissed his girlfriend's temple and released his hold on her. Kat moved her straw in her coke up and down four times.
"What's crazy is some young parents think taking care of a baby is like a Huggies commercial," Kat mumbled, rolling her eyes. "They really have no idea what it takes to raise a kid."
"I've read that having students take care of dolls that behave like real babies will only encourage them to want to have children," Jason grumbled frustratingly.
"I know," Tommy agreed. "If a doll cries, it can be stuffed in a locker. That can't be done to a real crying baby. It's child abuse." He huffed to himself.
"Unfortunately, some parents have no problem leaving their babies to cry themselves to sleep in their cribs while they get wasted," Emily said, hints of anger showing in her voice.
"What's worse is the courts will actually grant custody of children to drug-addicted parents, even when it is proven they can't care for them. If the children die, the courts act like it's no big deal," Jason growled in great disgust.
"That is really messed up," Kat said, shuddering badly.
Tommy, Jason, and Emily voiced their agreement. They and Kat heard giggling. Tommy and Kat peered over their shoulders to see Veronica talking to Joanna on her cellphone while sitting at a booth behind them.
"Thanks to me, Mom, all of Angel Grove University knows about Ashley's pregnancy. I'll never forget how much fun it was listening to Mike, Maya, Leo, and Kendrix talk about it. Even better is I learned Ashley is carrying twins from Tommy, Kat, Jason, and Emily. They were talking about them at the booth in front of me. Andros and Ashley will be even bigger jokes on the college campus once everyone knows about their children," Veronica said, laughing raucously.
Tommy and Kat looked toward Jason and Emily as the snob became quiet and resumed talking to her mother. They were angry that Veronica had been the one to learn about Andros and Ashley's situation and spread it around their college campus. Tommy and Kat rose to their feet and went over to her. Veronica hung up and slipped the cellphone inside her purse.
"Veronica, you little bitch!" Kat yelled angrily.
"How dare you spread the news of Ashley's pregnancy around campus!" Tommy growled.
Veronica looked up at the couple with a smirk. "Well, well, if it isn't the kitty-cat and her white knight in shining armor."
Tommy clenched his teeth. "You had no right to do what you did. You've caused grief for Andros and Ashley."
"You're going to make everything worse for them!" Kat hissed.
"They deserve to have their little situation get worse. Don't you know that fraternal twins can have two fathers?" Veronica sneered as she stood up.
"Andros is the father of both babies. Ashley isn't the kind of woman who would cheat on her man!" Emily yelled, getting up along with Jason. They joined Tommy and Kat's side.
"On the other hand, you have cheated on every guy you have dated at college! It's no wonder you are seen as easy," Jason added in fierceness.
"You're just jealous because I have way more sexual experience than you four have," Veronica commented.
Emily rolled her eyes. "Who would want to be jealous of a real slut like you?"
"Emily is right. You've had too many sexual partners in a short amount of time. If you get pregnant, you may not even be sure who the real father is," Jason said seriously.
"So what if I don't know? My child won't need a father. I will raise it to be independent," Veronica leered.
"A child needs to have a father-figure in its life, especially if it is a girl. It is well known that girls raised by single mothers are more likely to have issues with men," Tommy pointed out.
Kat gave a sharp nod. "Boys raised by single mothers are more likely to end up in jail."
"Neither of those things will happen to my kids," Veronica declared as she grabbed her purse. "As for Andros and Ashley, they might as well never attend college. In fact, they should just drop out of school and start working at McDonald's. They'll flip hamburgers for the rest of their lives." She chuckled with malice. "Moreover, he'll dump her once he tires of her brats. The only way she will be able to make ends meet is to go on welfare."
"None of what you said will happen to Andros and Ashley. They are determined to finish high school and get well-paying jobs, so they can provide for their twins," Tommy said in determination.
Jason shook his finger at Veronica. "On the other hand, I can see you dumping your kids on your parents, so you can go out and have fun."
"A woman should have fun, even if she is a mother," Veronica responded with a smirk. "I deserve fun. Now, I need to go. I have class in less than an hour."
Veronica walked around Tommy, Kat, Jason, and Emily with her nose turned upward. The quartet turned around. Suddenly, she bumped into a middle-aged woman carrying a large coke, causing her to spill it all over her white blouse and on the floor. She yelled in anger and glared at the woman.
"You clumsy bitch!" Veronica snarled.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" the woman cried in guilt and put what remained of her coke on a nearby table. She grabbed a napkin and tried to wipe it off, but Veronica pushed her away.
"Get away from me!" Veronica yelled. She watched her grab her coke and walk away quickly. She heard laughter and glared at Tommy, Kat, Jason, and Trini. "Stop laughing! It isn't funny!"
"It may not be funny to you, but it is to us. Karma just got you," Tommy said bluntly.
"And you deserved every single bit of it!" Jason said, giving a sharp nod.
Kat giggled. "You should go to your dorm room and change. You don't want to go to class with a huge stain on your blouse, do you?" She smirked.
Veronica hissed in anger. "Oh, fuck off!"
Tommy, Kat, Jason, and Emily observed their rival storming out of the restaurant. They went back to their booth to sit down.
"That was so entertaining to watch," Tommy said with pride. "Unfortunately, it's likely Veronica will tell everyone at college about the twins."
"Mm-hmm. I do hope Veronica gets more karma in the future," Kat commented.
"Me too," Jason agreed.
"Me three. I hope her next dose of karma is even bigger than that one was," Emily said, a big smile forming on her face.
"Yep," Jason said, patting her shoulder. "Until then, we should enjoy the rest of our lunch."
Tommy, Kat, and Emily voiced their agreement. They and Jason proceeded to finish their lunch. A cashier took a mop to the spill. He placed a yellow sign saying 'Caution. Wet Floor' in big red letters on the floor. He started running the mop over the spill.
