Author's Note: Here's what happened: out of boredom, I re-read The Perfect Puzzle Piece recently, realized that I still loved it, and decided to try updating it. However, I found that a lot of the content was outdated (*cringe*) and that my writing style has much changed, so a simple rewrite wasn't going to work. That said, consider this a updated/rewritten version of The Perfect Puzzle Piece. Hope you enjoy!
P.S. I'm REALLY hoping that FF doesn't flip and take this down, but no promises...
The Cheezaria was poppin'. No, not just poppin' - jalapeno cheddar CHEESE poppin'. It was the first Saturday of summer, and the youth of Gallagher Heights did not waste their time to congregate at the most popular food joint in town. Waiters darted in every direction carrying trays of cheesy goodness from table to table - cheese pizzas, cheese burgers, cheese fries, cheese sandwiches, cheesecake - you name it. And with every minute that went by, another hoard of teenagers poured in through the double doors to claim another table.
Luckily for Kuki and Abby, they had already managed to claim a spacious, circular booth by the corner windows. The only thing left to do now was wait for the rest of the gang to arrive.
"And that's why The Rainbow Monkeys Show is as relevant today as it was when we were ten!"
Kuki jabbed her index finger against the top of the table as she finished her sentence as if she were literally punctuating her point. She looked intently at Abby with her wide, bright eyes, expecting a wild, enthusiastic reception. Instead, she was met with a blank stare masking a repressed laugh.
"You weren't listening, were you?" Kuki accused.
"I was!" Abby broke into laughter.
"Stop lying!"
"No, really, I was!" Abby raised her hand in apology as she giggled. "It's just that... Dude. It's Rainbow Monkeys. You know I'm not a fan."
"I know, I know..." Kuki said sheepishly. "I still love you for pretending to care though."
"What can I say? I'm a good friend."
"Yes, you are."
They toasted their sodas in honor and were just about to take a sip when a tall-glass-of-water of a human being appeared. Nigel left a trail of sighing girls behind him, as usual.
"Sorry, I'm late," He said as he took his seat next to Abby.
"Nigel!" Kuki exclaimed.
"Glad you made it, Nige. Kuki was just telling me about the timeless relevance of Rainbow Monkeys."
"Ah, yes. I remember her telling me about this. Something about how Pretty-In-Punk Rainbow Monkey challenges viewers to question their own biases through her character complexity?"
There was a momentary pause in the entire table, which abruptly ended when Abby and Kuki snorted in unison.
"What's so funny?"
"Nigel, ARE YOU SERIOUS?" Abby burst, "Character complexity? In Rainbow Monkeys? REALLY?"
Nigel laughed as Kuki reached past Abby and squeezed his face with both hands. "You see this face, Abby? THIS is the face of a true friend! You're the best, Nige!"
Nigel's scrunched face smiled between Kuki's hands, prompting more laughter from his friends.
"Heeeey, who told you guys to get the party started without me?"
"HOAGIE!" Kuki exclaimed at the sight of Hoagie's wide, cheesy grin. She jumped up as her hands shot out and squeezed his cheeks playfully.
"Ow, ow, ow! Geez, Kuki!"
"I can't help it! These baby cheeks!"
"In case you all haven't noticed, I lost the baby weight long ago."
"Still some in your cheeks though," Nigel and Abby blurted together, and more laughter ensued.
"Alright, you buttheads. At least Kuki gets points for pointing out how cute I am."
Kuki giggled and scooted over to make space for Hoagie, but just as he was about to sit down, a hand appeared out of nowhere and grabbed him by the back of his collar. With minimal effort, Hoagie was hoisted up and flung to the other side of the booth, leaving Kuki sitting alone on her side.
"Ow! Geez, Wally!"
Kuki's smile faded as she turned and met a pair of green eyes beneath a scruffy set of blonde hair. Wally appeared into view like an eclipse looming over her in slow motion. He glanced at her only momentarily before walking past her, towards Hoagie.
"That was for the noogie you gave me earlier, baby cheeks," He said to Hoagie, punctuating it with a punch on the shoulder. "MOVE."
"Help, Nigel, he's abusing me!" Hoagie said dramatically as he pushed Nigel further into the booth.
"Get off me, Hoagie!"
Everyone scooted further into the booth to make space as Wally claimed the last spot, directly opposite Kuki. His body had grown so lanky these days that he had to keep one of his legs out in the aisle just to be comfortable.
Kuki wanted to greet him as happily as she did Nigel and Hoagie, but something held her back, as it always did these last few years. All she could manage was a feeble, "Hi, Wally."
His green eyes landed on her and pierced through. His lips barely had the hint of a grin before he returned her greeting with a slight nod.
"Miss, here's your pizza," said the boy behind the counter as he slid a plate towards Kuki. "Sorry about that. There were a bunch of tables that ordered veggie pizzas. I didn't mean to mix yours up."
"It's not a problem at all! Thank you so much."
Kuki happily took a bite out of her pizza and was just about to turn around when an odd look on the boy's face stopped her. Tilting her head slightly, she asked, "Are you okay?"
The boy stumbled back slightly and blushed.
"Uh... Y-yeah..." He said. "It's just that uh... I'm sorry if this is out of line, but... You're really pretty."
Kuki clapped a hand over her smiling mouth to keep the pizza from spilling out. This kid must have been a few years younger than her, and to see him squirming so helplessly melted her to the core.
"Thank you so much!" She said sweetly. "You really made my day."
The boy's face colored into a deeper shade of red and scuttled away. Giggling once more, Kuki took another happy bite out of her pizza and turned around when -
She jumped back.
The cheery smile on her face faded at the unexpected sight of Wally towering over her, gazing down down at the pizza slice that was now dangling from her mouth. He was holding a slice of pepperoni pizza, chewing quietly as he stared.
"Wally...?" She said awkwardly through a mouthful.
Wally's eyes moved from her to the pizza in her hand. His face scrunched up at the sight of the spinach mingling with tomatoes and cheese.
"VEGGIE pizza?" He said in disgust.
Kuki swallowed her mouthful. "Yep. It's really good. Wanna try?"
"Heck no. You might as well eat feed me dirt."
"I'm sorry you feel that way, but some of us actually like to eat things that grow from the ground."
"I suppose it's better than some of the weird stuff you eat."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You eat tofu."
"What's wrong with tofu?"
"Tofu should be against the law."
"I like tofu!"
"Like I said. You're a weirdo."
"Nigel eats tofu too, you know. He says they're great."
"Nigel's also a weirdo. I tell that to his face all the time. Ask him yourself."
Kuki frowned and placed a hand on her hip. "Did you come all the way here just to insult my food preferences?"
"Nope."
Looking steadily into her eyes, he brought his pepperoni pizza to his mouth and shoved the rest of the slice in.
"I came to order more food. You know - normal food?"
Kuki scowled as Wally smirked through the pile of dough in his mouth. Convinced that words had no effect on him, she stuck her tongue out at him then walked away. On her way back to the table, she glanced momentarily at him. He was facing the other way, but she could tell that he was laughing from the way his shoulders were shaking.
Kuki was more than happy to spend the rest of lunch talking to Wally as little as possible. Their encounter earlier had left a bad taste in her mouth, and she now wanted nothing more than to invest the rest of her time with friends who didn't make fun of her. She was just starting to feel safe when the topic of Rainbow Monkeys came up again, and Wally seemed determined to seize the opportunity at hand.
"RAINBOW MONKEYS?"
Kuki shriveled up inside as the sound of Wally's voice floated across the table.
"Yes, Wally. Rainbow Monkeys."
"Isn't that the show you used to watch when we were ten?"
"Yeah. So?"
"And you still like them?"
"So what if I do?"
"How old are you again?"
"Oh, you're one to talk. Don't you still watch the same reruns of wrestling matches from a decade ago?"
"That's different. Those are iconic moments in sports history."
"You know it's not real wrestling, right?"
"It's more real than a bunch of colorful stuffed monkeys singing songs together."
"Mom, Dad," Hoagie said to Abby and Nigel while mimicking a childish voice, "Wally and Kuki are fighting again."
Nigel and Abby laughed. Kuki joined in too, but she did so half-heartedly as she secretly hoped for the conversation to end. Thankfully, Nigel came to her rescue.
"Alright, Wally. That's enough," He said. "Leave her alone."
"Well I have to now, don't I?" Wally said, seemingly encouraged by the reprimand. "I just found out that she still has a fetish for brightly-colored fictional animals. I'm not sure if we could be friends after this."
"Hey, Wally, come on, man..." Hoagie said, his smile fading.
"Yeah, Wally, stop," Abby added.
"Then again, maybe I should ask you out on a date," Wally continued, turning his attention back to Kuki. "I have a thing for weirdos. We can go out and eat tofu while watching freaky cartoon monkeys together."
Kuki felt her face redden as Wally's mouth spread into a wide, mocking grin. By now, she was fuming so hard that she had to grip the edge her seat out of anger. She muttered under her breath, just loudly enough for everyone to hear.
"Like you have a chance. Who would date a jerk like you...?"
The table grew quiet as the grin on Wally's face faded.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Kuki felt the fire inside her rising to its peak. Glaring directly at Wally, she spoke slowly.
"You are such a jerk."
"You know I was joking, right? I don't care if you like the stupid Rainbow Monkey show."
"It's not just the Rainbow Monkeys, it's everything! You are such a jerk. ALL THE TIME. You were a jerk when we were kids, you're a jerk in school, and you're a jerk now."
"Would you RELAX? I said I was joking."
"How do you expect me to relax when I'm forced to be around you all the time?"
"You think I like being around you?"
"Obviously not, from the way you act around me!"
"You're such a baby."
"And you're a jerk! Jerk! Jerk! JERK!"
"Stop calling me that!"
"Fine then, you're a BULLY!"
"You're so annoying."
"AND YOU'RE SUCH A BULLY."
"I HAVE TO BE A BULLY BECAUSE YOU'RE SO ANNOYING."
"ALRIGHT, THAT'S ENOUGH!"
Wally and Kuki both coiled into their seats as Nigel's voice - normally calm and collected - boomed over both of theirs.
"You two are making a scene. Shut it down NOW before we get kicked out!"
"Yeah, and BOTH of you need to calm down!" Abby added firmly. "Wally, she's right. Grow up, and cut it out. Kuki, stop letting him get to you!"
Kuki crossed her arms and leaned back against her seat, fuming. Her insides were burning with a violent desire to scream at Wally, but the thought of involving Nigel, Abby, and Hoagie stopped her.
"So uh... You guys wanna go to the beach some time this summer?" Hoagie said clumsily, faililng to disguise his blatantly obvious attempt to change the subject.
Following his suit, Nigel and Abby filled the silence in with their own tedius comments, and the three carried on the conversation until the tension eased. After some time, Kuki stole a glance at Wally only to find that he too was looking back at her. Deep beneath her steely glare, her heart sank. For a moment, she thought foolishly that she might find him repentant - that there would be regret in his eyes, maybe even followed by an apology. But that's not what she found. What she saw instead were his usual eyes - indifferent, insensitive. Cold.
She turned away from him and from the rest of the group, deseprately hoping that they don't notice her eyes watering slightly.
Kuki made it home later that day in a surprisingly lighter mood, much thanks to Hoagie and Nigel offering to walk her home.
"Sorry about Wally, Kuki," Hoagie said as he balanced himself along a stone fence. "He and I were rough-housing before we came to the Cheezaria. Sometimes, when he's been with me for a long time, he starts thinking it's okay to act like that with everyone else too."
"And you know how Wally is," Nigel added. "He's not a bad guy, he just tends to make rash decisions."
"I know, I know..." Kuki sighed. "I still don't think it was okay for him to say those things to me though."
"Oh, trust me. Abby will make sure he knows that."
Kuki smiled at the thought. She could picture it now - Wally shoving his hands in his pockets, shrugging his shoulders, and pouting while Abby gave him an earful. These days, the only time anyone ever found Wally pouting like a child was when Abby reprimanded him.
"It's just that..." Kuki continued, "I feel like over the last few years, he and I have been fighting so much. Sometimes I wonder if we're even actually friends."
"Of course you are," Nigel put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.
"But he's so mean to me!"
"He's mean because he's dumb!" Hoagie called from behind them, having been left behind as he balanced his last few steps along the fence. He hopped off and jogged up towards them. "Don't worry, Kuki, we'll knock some sense into him."
Kuki let out another sigh before slipping each of her arms into theirs and pulling them close. She nuzzled a cheek into Hoagie's shoulder, then Nigel's.
"Why couldn't Wally be like you guys?" She said sadly.
"Trust us, you don't need him to change," Nigel said to her, his eyes soft and comforting. "Just give him time."
"Yep," Hoagie added. "He'll come around. We promise."
Kuki smiled sweetly even though she didn't believe them.
Kuki let out a long exasperated sigh as she stared at the ceiling. For the last fifteen minutes, she'd been lying in bed, replaying the argument over and over in her head.
What's his problem? She thought.
She turned to her side and looked at a photograph on her bedside table. It was a picture of her and her friends from seven years ago, when they were all just ten years old. To the very left was her - smiling brightly as she stood arm-to-arm with a young Abby. Right in the middle was Nigel who, even back then, already had the same charming smile he has now. After him was Hoagie, almost unrecognizable from his former plumpness if not for the same cheesy grin.
And then there was Wally.
Wally stood all the way to the right of the frame with his arms crossed, scowling beneath Hoagie's arm. Even back then, he was already grumpy and hot-tempered.
Kuki used to think that it was a way to overcompensate for his lack of height, but given that he towered over everyone nowadays, she couldn't fathom another excuse. There was no conceivable reason as to why he was so gruff and unfriendly, and even less for the way he treated her specifically. Kuki noticed long ago that he had developed a special aversion to the things she liked and was especially keen on pointing out their stupidity. He always had something rude to say, and he did it so often that sometimes she felt as if he derived a certain pleasure in pushing her buttons. It was almost as if he enjoyed being...
"…A jerk," Kuki said out loud.
She gave out another exasperated sigh.
Looking at the picture once more, she now noticed how everything about her and Wally was opposite. She stood to the very left, while he stood to the very right. She was happily arm-in-arm with Abby, while he scowled beneath Hoagie's unwanted arm around his shoulders. She had a big bright smile on her face, while he had nothing but a childish pout.
Kuki wondered now if that detail had been more significant all along. She and Wally had been opposites for as long as she could remember. It's been that way since the beginning of their so-called friendship. Even now, she could see how they fit into the group. They were like bookends holding a set together while standing on completely opposite sides. Everyone else was in between. Nigel, being the natural leader of the group, was like a brother to both of them. Likewise, Abby was like a sister. And Hoagie? He toggled back and forth between being Kuki's favorite joker to Wally's partner-in-crime. All in all, it seemed like they had an actual friendship with everyone except each other, and all that was left was just...awkward.
Kuki scowled as the image of Wally came to mind - his insensitive eyes, he mocking grin, his mischievous laugh... Her brows knotted with irritation as she thought of the way he cracked his knuckles habitually and the way he ran his fingers through his hair, constantly leaving it in a perpetually tousled state. She hated it. She hated it all...
Except she didn't really hate it. And she didn't really hate him.
Kuki dug her fingers into her head and grunted as she tried to stop certain impending thoughts. But it was too late.
Wally's eyes flashed to the front of her mind again, but instead of scowling at the thought of it, she melted. His eyes... They were the most piercing green she had ever seen, and though they were often distant and insensitive, they sometimes looked at her with such sincerity that it made her weak. His smile... Devilish and mischievious, as he often was, sometimes had a playful sweetness to it. His laugh... It was a perfect song of everything that he was - boyishly charming, mischievious yet playful, gruff yet oddly smooth.
Even his habits weren't truly a source of irritation. She liked the way he cracked his knuckles, especially when he was about to dive into a sport or play the drums. As for the way he ran his hand through his hair, it was honestly a source of weakness for her. She loved watching him do it until each strand of hair landed in different directions. Unkempt his hair may be, but he pulled it off well. Really well.
Kuki groaned and buried her face in her pillow. What would everyone say if they found out that she actually liked him? Even worse, what would he say?
He'd probably laugh in my face...
The thought stung. They could barely get along as friends. Could she really expect anything more?
Her eyes landed back on the picture next to her bed.
"That's exactly what it is," she told herself, "We're meant to be on different sides…"