Author's Note:
Hello, I just wanted to spend some time to mention some reviewers. Broadly, I want to thank you all for your reviews. It's always a treat to receive and read them. I've replied to those I could. Now, to mentioned specific reviewers. I want to give a shoutout to Kunoichi69 for giving me an idea that will be revealed in this chapter. I honestly would have never considered it, so thank you! Also, I want to mention TankNut. You're asking great questions that I cannot respond to because you have a quest account or something. I will say that engineering vehicles will make an appearance in some shape or form, thanks to your suggestion.
Enjoy this chapter!
Sunday, April 14th 2013
Being a week away from home and spending hours at airports and in the air, Emma was glad to be home, lounging on her comfortably warm bed. It was the late afternoon, the rays of the setting sun streaked across the room, and on her body. Thankfully these strips on light didn't hit her eyes, which would've prevented her from being in a state of relaxation. Just next to her bed was her bags, still filled with her clothes, as she had procrastinated in unpacking. As she laid in her bed, her mind was active with thought. She was thinking about the upcoming Tuesday. The 16th of April. Valarie's birthday where she would turn seventeen years old, one year shy of adulthood. Emma had spent much thought on Valarie's gift, her best friend, and now, the love of her life. She had decided early on that it wouldn't be just one particular thing. As it was Valarie's day, Emma was determined to make it memorable. She had written it down on a notebook how it will down. After reviewing it a few more times, adding a detail here and there, she smiled as she closed the notebook. Ashley and Heather had texted her earlier in the day to inform her that they had got their own gifts. Almost everything was in their places. All that remained was Valarie's physical gift. Thankfully for this part of her plan, she didn't have to go to the store to get it. Nor did she have to spend any money. It was just outside. She rose from the bed, left her room, and headed outside. Grabbing a pair of gloves along the way.
Redwood was spending his Sunday with Buchanan at her apartment. The couple was sitting at the kitchen table, drinking freshly brewed cups of coffee. The mood in the room was tranquil as the two enjoyed the other's presence. They chatted about various things, a topic that inevitably came up was her meeting with the ATA officials. The most dramatic meeting Redwood has ever heard of.
"So, sometime in the next few days, we can expect new safety rules to be enacted by the ATA president herself. I can only imagine the conversation those officials I 'persuaded' will have with the president. Awkward is not even a suitable enough word. And then there's the case with the carbon linings. All the vehicles of every tankery team is to have their carbon linings replaced with the improved version over the course of the next several months. It's going to be a busy time for maintainers, for sure."
"Amazing! You've accomplished all of that in one meeting! That must've been the most productive meeting in history. How do you feel?"
Buchanan sipped on her coffee.
"I feel like this should've already been done ages ago. But other than that? Pretty damn good."
On her lap, and has been the entire time, was Soap. Happily purring as she napped. With a free hand, Buchanan petted her.
"Though, that's not all that happened."
"Oh?"
"There has been a change with my monthly settlement. That is, they aren't monthly anymore."
Redwood became concerned.
"Gabby, what have they done with your settlement?"
"Not they, it was me. I gave up my settlement to sweeten the deal."
"Woah…"
The selfless act undertaken by Buchanan made Redwood love her even her financial future now in jeopardy, he was determined to help her in any way he could.
"Did you save portions of your settlement in a savings account?" he asked.
"I did. I was always paranoid that they would cut me off for whatever reason. So I put large chunks of my monthly cheeks in a savings account."
"Smart. How much do you have?"
Buchanan leaned back in her chair to think for a moment.
"Ah, last I checked I believe it was half a million dollars."
Redwood let out a whistle.
"Five hundred thousand. Looks like you'll be fine for a good long while."
Buchanan started to play with her hair.
"Yeah, ah, that money I'm saving is for a specific thing. And, uh, I'd like to not spend any of it."
"And what would that be?"
Her cheeks become red, a mixture of nervousness and embarrassment filling her mind.
"Um…." she hesitated.
She took a breath.
"I'll tell you if and when the time is appropriate. I'd very much appreciate if you'll respect that."
Redwood gently nodded.
"I will, I will. Now, since that half a million might is pretty much inaccessible, how's your financial state now?"
"I can deal with rent and other necessities till September. Maybe next year if I get really frugal. I don't know what to do after that."
Redwood set down his cup of coffee.
"No, no, no. A member of this team already had to endure a bout of homelessness and I'll be damned to let it happen to anyone else. Just move in with me and that'll take care of everything."
Buchanan was blindsided by his request.
"What? Are you being serious? You want me to live with you?"
"Completely obvious. Couples live together anyway, so this was inevitable anyway."
Buchanan's hand was trembling, which stopped when Redwood reached out to hold her held with a soothing gentleness.
"Move in with me, please?"
Buchanan glanced down at their hands. As a tear began to stream down her cheek, she squeezed her hand. It felt amazing to be loved.
"I will."
Monday
The first day back to school and there was a heavy excitement in the air. The tankery meeting for today will be a fun one and every member of the team was very much looking forward to the end of the school day. When the dismissal bell rang, they all made a beeline to the garage, a place they haven't been to in a week. The team congregated just outside the large entrance doors.
"It's in there, huh?" Emma asked.
"It should be." answered Valarie.
Mingling about the team were five new people, easily identifiable due to them not yet having their uniforms. The excitement among them was palpable. Everyone wanted to be inside the garage, not only to be reunited with their treasured vehicles, but to also acquaint themselves with a new one. The moment Buchanan made her arrival, the energy in the air increased. It was if the team were all crazed fans at a sports game. Buchanan was utterly amazed over the energy being displayed but can understand why. They all wanted to see their spoils.
"Just a sec guys. Mister Redwood is already inside and about to open the doors."
Several moments after she said that sentence, and the sound of machinery then filled the air. At a steady pace, the garage began to open. No one wanted to wait until the place was fully opened. Once the gap was big enough, they all flooded in. Dozens on heads looking in all directions to find the new arrival. One student then locked eyes on it, and pointed.
"There!" she yelled.
The team ran down the garage, near the end. There, all neatly parked, was the tank the team had won. It was perhaps the most modern tank any tankery team in the nation was allowed to have. A superb example of Patton Heavy Duty Engineering's craftsmanship. The Panzerkampfwagen Panther II.
"Good God. I can't believe that it's ours. Here, in this garage." Valarie uttered.
The team surrounded the vehicle and admired it. The most obvious thing about the machine was that it's turret and hull was painted differently. The turret simply had a red primer applied, giving off a 'rusted' look. The hull was more typical. Olive green and a yellowish-brown. The turret having only having a red primer was not an oversight, it was an intentional design choice. Patton Engineering wanted the Panther II to have that 'desperation' look. To make it look like it was rushed out of its factory and immediately sent combat. It was a look that everyone love, on top of the other aspects of the tank. An 88mm main cannon. A stereoscopic rangefinder, and of course, the nightvision equipment mounted on top of the turret and on the driver's position. Valarie, eager as all hell, climbed on the tank and opened the commander's hatch to take a peek inside. Its interior was immaculate. Never has she had seen the inside of a tank so free of wear and tear. Why it was so was an easy question. The Panther II was built in the previous year, to excruciating detail. The other vehicles of Mojave Rose were built decades before anyone on the team were even born. Many of them had actually seen combat in the Second World War. Being participants in such a devastating conflict, a conflict whose effects still linger to this day, it was impossible for them not to have any type wear and tear. With going through hell and back, it was frankly surprising that they looked as good as they did, and with the Axis vehicles, survived the war at all.
"Alright, on to business then. To the people crewing this thing, please step forward." Valarie instructed.
From the team stepped forward five people. The more vulgar members of the team referred to new members as FNGs. Others, like Valarie, refrained from such word usage as they saw it as 'rude'. Valarie hopped off the tank to greet the new crew.
"I gotta say, I'm a bit envious. Crewing a vehicle like that? Super cool!"
Valarie took a good look at the new crew. One of them made her raise an eyebrow in subdued surprise. The Panther II crew was coed. Four girls and one guy.
"Head to your tank to get familiar with it. While doing that, assign roles and create a call sign. I'll give you a couple minutes."
The five new members eagerly went to their tank and began to explore it. The rest of the team tended to their vehicles as Valarie walked around to oversee. As she was walking about, she happened to go near the Jagdpanzer IV. Curious, and a little apprehensive, about Natalie's opinion on the new crew, she went over to her to ask.
"So. A coed crew. Watcha think about that?"
"Not angry. Not overjoyed. It's just a crew. I only hope they do their best." Natalie answered.
"So, you're not at all concerned that a guy will be in a confined space with four other girls, for hours on end?" Valarie mentioned.
Natalie thought about Valarie's question for several silent moments. She turned to look at the IS-3 and then back at her.
"No, I'm not. I don't think that way anymore."
Valarie gave her a huge smile and a pat on the back, which made Natalie feel a tinge of embarrassment. She then returned to the Panther II. There the crew were off the tank and back on the ground, chatting.
"All set? Valarie asked upon arriving.
They nodded.
"Nice. Who's the commander?"
One of them raised their hand and stepped forward. A girl of similar height to her, with black hair set in a pony tail. She was of Asian descent, but where exactly in Asia she descended from is a question that Valarie will have to delicately craft and ask. The last thing she wanted to do is to rub the new commander the wrong way.
"Hi! I'm Paige and I'm the commander. Oh, and to answer the inevitable question, I'm half-Japanese."
Well, that was easy.
Valarie reached out to shake her hand.
"Welcome to the team Paige. Mind introducing me to the rest of your crew?"
"Gladly."
Paige turned to present her crew.
"Esther controls the beast, Eli mans the gun, Melody gives him the means to spit fire, and Lily rides the radio waves."
"Ooh, I like you. Already getting creative with things. Now, what's your callsign?"
"Considering that our tank has night vision, I'd like to think our callsign is perfect. Call us Owl.
Valarie nodded approvingly.
"Lovely."
She then handed Paige the team's playbook. Read this to get up to speed. You've got a lot of material to catch up on."
"Wow, did you write all of this?"
"Ha, no. Everyone on this team has contributed to it in some way."
"That's cool." Paige commented as she began to flip through the playbook.
Valarie remained standing where she was as Paige was busy reading. She wanted to ask her a potentially odd question.
"Say Paige, you ever been to Japan?"
Paige looked up from her reading.
"MmmHmm. Twice to visit my mom's family."
"Neat. Have you even been to, uh, Ooarai?"
Paige gave her a puzzled look.
"No, I haven't heard about that place. Is there anything special about it?"
"Ah, it was just a random question. Carry on getting familiar with your tank. Practice is on Saturdays."
Valarie walked off and went to be finally reunited with her T-44. There, her crew had already finished what little maintenance they had to do today. Sat in the driver's seat was Heather, visibly happy to be in the place she loved to be. Ashley was laying on top of the turret, doing what she does best, dozing off. Valarie climbed on top of the tank and entered through the commander's hatch. There within was Emma, in her gunner's seat checking the calibration of the gun sight. When the two were together, they clasped hands. The privacy provided by the T-44's fighting compartment made it so the young couple could do couple things even during the team's meeting. They were anxious about being more public with their relationship. Mainly because by going public, they would invariably be the center of attention and get bombarded with teasing and jokes. Not only the general banter of them being in a relationship but a lesbian relationship at that. They already had to deal with Ashley's teasing and occasionally with Heather. Earlier in the day, in her chemistry class, Ashley and Valarie and partners on an assignment. As they worked, it reached a point where some cutting was involved and Ashley went to fetch some scissors. When she returned, Ashley looked at the scissors and then at Valarie. She did this multiple times, laughing, to a point where she had to go out of the room to catch her breath. Valarie asked incessantly what she found funny but Ashley refused to explain. Later during lunch, Valarie would ask Emma if she could figure out why Ashley was laughing. It took a moment but then Emma blushed and laughed herself. She too wouldn't tell Valarie what was funny. Valarie was so annoyed, but now, with them just together in the turret, they were at peace. Especially since tomorrow was a special day for a special someone.
"I wonder who's day it is tomorrow…" Emma playfully mused.
"Hmm, I wonder indeed." Valarie echoed.
They gazed into each other's eyes.
"It's my day, isn't it?" Valarie asked.
"Your day." Emma said, stroking Valarie's hair.
"What do you have in store for me?"
"A fun day, I can guarantee that. It will end with a night at the movies, if the meeting tomorrow doesn't drag on for too long."
"The movies? I love it already! It's classic."
"A classic move and they are playing classic movies. Nineties monster movies to be exact."
"Monster movies? My birthday keeps getting better! What else do you have planned?"
"I'm not spoiling anything. Other than, don't pack a lunch."
"Oooh, will you be feeding me like the queen that I am?" Valarie teased.
"I will if you are being serious." said Emma.
Valarie's face then put on a tint of red
"I,uh…um…I wasn't serious…for now anyway. I-I'll keep it in mind, though."
Emma laughed softly and brought Valarie's face closer to hers.
"You're so cute when you're all flustered. And you are my queen."
She kissed her with passion, which Valarie returned fully. What at first was just a brief and loving kiss soon turned into making-out. Their kissing intensified and they were cuddling. They spent several minutes in their own romantic bubble. They became so oblivious that they had totally forgotten that Heather was in the driver's seat, whose pale face was red as hell, quietly climbed out of her position and gingerly closed the hatch. Ashley looked down at her.
"Hey, Heather, we got enough ammo in the racks yeah? You know what, I'll just check…"
Ashley moved to open the loader's hatch when Heather frantically motioned her arms to stop.
"Ah, ah…no need to check! We're all lock in loaded here. Ha…ha…"
Puzzled over Heather's behavior, she rested her ear against the roof of the turret. A huge smile erupted on her face.
"Yeah. I think we're good with ammo. No need to…interrupt."
The Next Day
Boston
Molly Pitcher
Across the continent, Molly Pitcher was in a similar situation with their tankery team receiving a new crew. Penelope being the dutiful captain she was, gave the new commander a tour of the team's massive garage. As the school was extraordinarily wealthy, it could afford a mini-army's worth of tanks. So much so that had the ATA not have a rule that limits the number of vehicles a school can field in a match, schools like Molly Pitcher would've been allowed to take a page from the Soviet Union's playbook and utterly overwhelm their opponents with armor. Penelope actually liked that rule as it forced her to be creative and strategic when creating plans for matches. With the new commander walking beside her, Penelope concluded the tour with them stopping in front of a Luchs, a variant of the Panzer II.
"And now, here's your machine. The speedy little Luchs with a cute 20mm autocannon. It will serve you, and the team, well."
With hands held behind her back, the new commanded approached her tank to inspect it. Se liked her machine, though she had a question that had been on her mind since the tour started.
"I'm curious Penelope. I hope, maybe, you can help me understand something."
"Sure."
"We're in Boston. A city where important events of the American Revolution took place. The name of our school, Molly Pitcher, refers to the women who fired guns and cannons when their husbands dropped them during the war. Our uniforms are heavily inspired by the ones worn by American Revolutionary soldiers. I'm just curious as to why this school doesn't operate exclusively American tanks."
Penelope smiled. It was a question she had heard many times before and always enjoyed answering.
"Yes, It would be highly appropriate for this school to just drive and shoot American tanks. But believe me, all the foreign tanks we have weren't chosen arbitrarily. They represent the nations involved in the conflict."
Penelope then pointed to a tank.
"Churchill. British tank. They were our main adversary."
She then pointed to another.
"ARL 44. French tank. Without the help of the French, this country wouldn't exist today."
The new commander nodded in understanding. All the pieces fit together. Well, almost all of them.
"Okay, okay, I can see what you mean with the British and French tanks. But where does Germany fall into all of this? They weren't a full country back then."
"Ah, our German tanks represent the Hessians!" Penelope exclaimed.
"Hessians?"
"Auxiliary units used by the British Army that hailed from Hesse-Cassel and Hesse-Hanau. But hey, if you traveled back in time to say they aren't German, they'd viciously disagree."
"Aaah, I see. Pretty cool to represent players of that war." the new commander remarked.
"There is another reason why we use foreign tanks." spoke a new voice.
Turning toward the source of the voice, it was revealed to be Caroline heading their way. Penelope laid a hand on the new commander.
"Mavis, this is Caroline. She's the co-captain."
"Oh, hello. So, what's the other reason?"
"Different countries have different tank doctrines. For example, a medium tank in one country will have different characteristics and roles compared to a medium tank in another. Just look at the American Sherman and the German Panther. Both are medium tanks but excel in different things. If I wanted to snipe targets from afar, I'd be in a Panther. But for more close quarters, I'd love to be in a Sherman with a 105mm howitzer. You see, having tanks from different nations gives us variety which is an excellent advantage."
Caroline walked a bit away, approaching a tank and tapping on its hull repeatedly.
"All the nations in the world have built impressive machines, but personally, none had made more impressive tanks than Germany."
The tank that Caroline was proudly tapping was one that descended from royalty. A German heavy tank that instilled the fear of God in Allied tank crews in both fronts of the Second World War. A true favorite for fans of armored vehicles, topped only by the original. A King Tiger.
"You're in love with that thing." Penelope teased.
"That, I will admit. Then again, why wouldn't I? It is my tank."
"True, true."
"How much do you love you tank?" Mavis inquired.
"Enough to replace the gasoline engine with a diesel one." Penelope answered on Caroline's behalf.
"A diesel Tiger II? Those exist?"
"Of course it does! It's right in front of you! Want more proof? Come 'round the rear and you'll learn what diesel smells like real quick!" Caroline exclaimed, indignant.
"I'll, uh, take your word for it."
"Caroline really went above and beyond getting that diesel engine. It had to come from Germany, which meant hours on the phone calling the right people to get the thing shipped. The process was painfully slow, so much so that Caroline came real close to going to Germany herself to, in her words, 'restart the war'. Eventually, it did get shipped but guess what happened next? When it got to the U.S., it got stuck in customs! My God, she was so furious that she sent a letter to the German consulate in the city to see if they could do anything. They couldn't, so she just had to wait. Impatiently, I might add."
Caroline felt embarrassed. Not too embarrassed though.
"It was a headache and a half but it was all oh so worth it! The moment my crew got the engine, we spent all night installing it. When we turned on the ignition and the thing roared to life, it was the most satisfying moment in my life. Now, we got the fastest King Tiger this side of the Atlantic!"
Barstow
On the school bus, Valarie was sat at her preferred, usual seat. Right in the rear. She was gazing out the window, watching the familiar trees and houses fly by. Ones that she had seen countless times before. During its journey, the bus then made a stop, its doors opened and boarded some students. Among them was the special person in her life. Emma made her way back to the bus and sat down next to her. Her backpack placed down by her legs.
"You look older." Emma joked, getting a chuckle out of Valarie.
"Oh, I do, do I?" Valarie asked all innocently.
Emma moved in to give her girlfriend a hug. She then whispered into her ear,
"Happy birthday, babe."
Being called 'babe' sent Valarie over the moon. This is exactly how she envisioned her relationship with Emma to be. Emma then leaned down to open her backpack and dug through it.
"Now, for the first part of your gift."
"Ooh, first part? How interesting."
Out from her bag, Emma took out a warm paper bag and handed it to Valarie. Once she opened the bag, she was greeted with the wholesome aroma of fresh baked goods.
"Homemade chocolate chip peanut butter cookies. I woke up early to bake them."
Valarie reached into the bag and grabbed a cookie, still hot to the touch. She took a heavenly bite and softly moaned with satisfaction. They were simply exquisite.
"Absolutely amazing. And it's so soft too."
"The best cookies are."
Valarie ate one more, then two, then five. Before getting too carried away, she offered Emma a cookie, who happily accepted. After a pleasant bus ride, they arrived at the school and disembarked. They headed onto campus when from behind a pair of girls sneaked up on them. A tap on her back spooked Valarie, who turned around to see Ashley and Heather.
"Happy birthday!" they said in perfect unison.
In Ashley's hand was a pair of envelopes, which she gave to Valarie.
"We got you gift cards. Original, huh?"
"Gift cards are always great." Valarie said as she tore open her gift.
The first envelope was opened and the card within was a gift card for a hair salon.
"That's one mine. The ladies at that salon are savants when it comes to hair." Heather said.
The other envelope was then opened. The contents within a card for a local ice cream parlor.
"Everyone loves ice cream! So much so we scream for it! Don't actually scream though, I'm like right in front of you." Ashley said.
Valarie pocketed the gift cards.
"Thank you both kindly, I will enjoy the hell outta them."
The first bell of the day rang so the four girls bid their goodbyes and departed for their respective classes.
Lunchtime
Ashley decided to yet again take a break day from the weight room and took a stroll around campus to spend her lunch period. This time around, she kept a vigilant eye for Heather so that she doesn't just suddenly materialize just out of view to spook her. Her head was on a swivel, and yet despite being on constant alert, Heather somehow managed to sneak up on her. She didn't touch her, just stood right outside her peripheral vision. When Ashley, at last, saw her she jumped.
"God! That's just creepy, Heather!"
"It's funny to see your reaction."
Heather then turned her gaze to Ashley's arms, exposed as she was wearing her usual tank top. She seemed to be entranced by them.
"No, uh, weight room today?" she asked.
"No. Skipping today. It won't hurt my progress too much anyway."
"Can I…feel your progress?" Heather meekly asked.
"Touch? Um…okay."
Ashley flexed one of her arms to produce a muscle. Enthralled, Heather touched it. They were much firmer than she had expected. It made her happier than Ashley thought it was typical but didn't really mind it too much. It was about time someone appreciated all the hours at the gym other than herself.
"So, you going for an all buff look or what?"
"Oh God no, not anything like those bodybuilders. I like my body how it is right now. Toned."
From the corner behind them rounded Redwood, who upon seeing the girls, approached them eagerly.
"Excuse me ladies, but do I have some news to share!"
"Is it about the shelter?" Heather questioned
"It is! The city loves the idea so much that they are fast-tracking its progress. On May 5th, they'll start busting the shelter open. It's on a Sunday so you guys can come watch."
Ashley and Heather exchanged high-fives.
"Awesome! I can't wait to see the inside of a nuke shelter!" Ashley exclaimed.
In another part of the campus, in the courtyard, Emma and Valarie were underneath the palm tree. Both looking lovingly in each other's eye. Emma reached into her bag and grabbed a paper plate with tin foil wrapped on top of it. When she handed it to Valarie, she peeled it back and was presented with her lunch.
"New York-style pizza? Well alright!" she exclaimed as she took a bite.
"How is it?" Emma asked.
"Ice cold. So, perfect."
There was something about cold pizza that made it taste a thousand times better. It's how Valarie prefers her pizza. A little odd habit that Emma was more than happy to help her indulge in. After finishing her lunch, Emma wasn't finished with her gifts.
"I got one more thing for you. Something special. Real special. Close your hands."
With a giggle, Valarie complied. She soon felt her hand being manipulated and a moment later felt something placed in them. Something thin yet firm. She couldn't tell what exactly it was.
"Open your eyes."
Doing so, Valarie look down and was stunned. In her hand was a rose, its peddles a wonderfully vibrant crimson. It looked freshly plucked, supremely healthy, and trimmed. It was clear to her that the flower was tended to and cared for. The rose couldn't be any more perfect.
"Oh my God. This is the most divine rose I have ever seen."
"I've been growing that rose for months. I followed a rose care guide religiously and I'm so happy that it paid off. I removed the thorns too so you can hold it safely and then dipped it in wax."
"How long will it last being preserved?"
"It will last as long as we love each other." Emma softly said, gently caressing Valarie's cheek.
"So, forever." Valarie said.
"Forever." Emma echoed.
Emma then gestured toward Valarie's ear.
"I want you to wear it on your ear."
Valarie placed the flower carefully on her ear, its peddles proudly shown to the world.
"How do I look?"
"You've never looked more beautiful."
The two inched closer to each other, where they were now leaning against each other. For the remainder of the lunch period, they enjoyed the tranquility of the scene.
Later
The meeting for that day went as Emma hoped it would. It ended earlier than usual. As people were heading home, she spoke with Valarie.
"We're meeting up at the theater, yeah? At seven?"
"Seven" Valarie confirmed.
"Great! Wear something nice, okay? After all…"
She leaned in closer to whisper.
"…it is a date."
All bubbly, Valarie said goodbye and raced home to prepare for the first date of her life. In her room, she scoured her closet for the perfect outfit. What she took picked out were black jeans and a black-and-red plaid flannel. She laid them on her bed and took a quick shower. Once she got dried herself and got dressed, she spent an hour in front of the mirror to get her hair in pristine condition and to apply a little make-up to make her face pop. All the while, her mother watched with great amusement. She had seen her daughter go hang out with Emma more times than she could count. But for today, she had never seen her put so much effort in her appearance before going out. In her mind, she had a pretty good idea of what was going on, a thought that made her smile. As her daughter finished putting one some perfume, she looked at the time.
"Oh! It's almost seven! Time to go!"
The two got in the car and drove toward the movie theater. During their drive, they chatted.
"So, when will I pick you up?
"Let's say eleven o'clock."
"Eleven? But Valarie, it's a school night."
"Please mom!" Valarie pleaded.
"Oh alright, but only because it's your birthday."
'Thank you!"
Soon, they arrived at the theater. Valarie got out of the car.
"Alright, see you later!"
"Bye sweetheart, have fun on your date."
Valarie froze upon hearing her mom say that.
"How…how do you know it's a date?"
"I didn't. I do now though." her mother answered with a smirk.
"Oh…are you…surprised?"
"That you're gay? Not really. Your dad and I suspected that you were for a while now. What sealed it in for me was when I saw you two sleeping in each other's arm when you two spent that Saturday studying."
"You saw that?!"
"I did. And it was so adorable! Now, honey, don't keep your date waiting."
Valarie rushed off with the biggest smile in the world as her mother watching was overwhelmed with the adorableness of the situation. Valarie raced to the theater's entrance and found Emma, wearing a yellow-striped blouse and a black denim skirt.
"You look lovely." Valarie complimented.
"As do you."
Blushed appeared on them both. They were admitted into the theater and walked across the lobby.
"You want anything from the concessions stand?" Emma asked.
"Let's just share a soda."
Grabbing their drink, they went off where an usher directed them to their auditorium. As they walked, they locked arms and shared their fizzy drink. As they approached their theater, the auditorium before theirs opened and a group of people walked out. The movie in there had just finished. The girls walked through the crowd when they were suddenly facing two people that had not expected to see together. They all just stared at each other, silently, before one of them spoke.
"Uhh…hello…Mister Redwood…Miss Buchanan…on a…date I'm guessing?" Valarie asked, somewhat embarrassed.
The faces of both Redwood and Buchanan were red. They both spoke over each other trying to form a response. Then, Redwood managed to speak.
"Yeah…we were just finishing. I'm, uh, guessing you're just starting yours?"
"Yep." Emma answered.
"Well, uh, we won't keep ya. Have fun ladies."
They left, leaving Emma and Valarie bewildered.
"Did you see that coming?" Valarie asked.
"Them being together? No. Aren't they cute as a couple?"
"So cute!"
They continued walked and made it in time for their movie.
"So, what movie are we watching?"
Emma sported a grin.
"You ever heard of Tremors?"
