November 3, 2014
Walkerville High Hallway
8:01 A.M.
"I don't know if I can do this," Keesha murmured upon entering the familiar school hallway.
"It's not a big deal," Ralphie assured. "People start dating each other all the time. No one will care." Even as he said it, Ralphie knew it was a lie. The rumor mill never ceased at Walkerville High, and sure enough, people were already eyeing the new couple and whispering to their friends. It didn't help that Ralphie was one of the schools most well-known jocks; of course news that he had a girlfriend would travel fast. It wasn't the other students Keesha was worried about though. She couldn't care about their stares.
The weekend following Halloween had been amazing. Keesha and Ralphie had spent the whole two days together at the boy's house, wrapped up in a blanket on the sofa, watching bad TV with their phones turned off. It had been just the kind of escape they had needed after the craziness of Janet's party. Now, however, Keesha knew they had to face the backlash for their decision to ignore the group.
"Phoebe will care," Keesha insisted. The pair slowly made their way down the hallway as they continued to whisper to each other. "She'll be hurt that I blew her off for two days."
"She'll understand that we needed some time together."
"She'll wonder why I didn't tell her we were going to kiss."
"It's not like we planned it!" Ralphie whispered harshly.
"It doesn't matter!" Keesha muttered back. "We're best friends; we're supposed to tell each other everything. She'll ask why I didn't mention that I liked you!"
Ralphie stopped walking and put a comforting hand on Keesha's shoulder. "Keesh, it's Phoebe. Can you really imagine her being angry at anyone?"
Keesha took a deep breath. "I guess not. I just don't want her to be upset…"
November 3, 2014
Walkerville High Cafeteria
11:37 A.M.
"Upset?" Phoebe asked, aghast. "Why would I be upset? My best friend is dating the man of her dreams! I'm so happy for you!"
"Man?" Tim wondered aloud. Fortunately, Ralphie seemed not to hear the comment, and Keesha just shot the boy a stern glare.
Phoebe pulled Keesha into a tight hug, making Keesha gasp for air. "So you're not mad that I didn't tell you-"
"That you had a crush on him?" Phoebe finished, practically reading her friend's mind. "Keesha, I love you, but it was pretty obvious. I mean, you've like him since forever." Keesha blushed at the comment, something that Ralphie took note of. "Oh, you know what? You guys should join us for dinner!" Phoebe glanced to Arnold, seeking approval.
Arnold grinned at the suggestion. "That'd be great!"
"Oh, I don't know-" Keesha started, but was soon cut off by Phoebe's excited squeals.
"Please, Keesha? It'd be so much fun!" Phoebe enthused, bouncing slightly. "Arnold and I have been dying to have a couple's night out since ninth grade!"
Tim raised a brow at Phoebe. "How come you never asked me and Janet out to couple's night?"
"Well… Uh…" Phoebe fumbled, trying to think of a nice way to say that Janet was a complete bitch.
Arnold, sensing Phoebe's discomfort, came to her rescue. "We didn't think Janet would be interested," he explained, a partial truth. Janet tended to avoid all contact with her cousin's girlfriend if she could help it, after all. There was no way she would have spent a couple's night with the girl. Tim seemed to accept this answer, as he dropped the conversation.
"So, will you come to dinner?" Phoebe asked Keesha hopefully.
Keesha, not wanting to crush her friend's spirit, gave a small, forced smile. "Of course we'll come."
"It'll be fun!" Ralphie agreed, wrapping his arm around Keesha. Keesha relaxed at Ralphie's confidence; after all, it would just be dinner with their friends. It probably would be fun.
As everyone returned to their seats, Tim gave a confused glance around the table, noticing an empty space across from Carlos. "Where's DA?" It was a reasonable question. DA was never known to miss school; her parents had had to force her to stay in bed when she got strep throat in sixth grade.
Wanda shrugged. "Probably at home."
Tim suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. "I figured that much. I meant, why isn't she here?"
"Could be that I put hair dye in her shampoo," Wanda suggested. "Or that I changed all her clocks back three hours and seventeen minutes. Or that I told her that I knew how to cut bangs." Wanda giggled at the last idea. "Turns out, I did not."
"You did all that this weekend?" Keesha wondered, though in retrospect, she wasn't sure why she was surprised.
"I was bored. Which reminds me, I need her help…"
Tim shook his head at the Asian girl. "I wouldn't count on her helping you right now…"
"Maybe one of us could help you," Carlos offered, putting his fork down. "Tim and I are free this afternoon." Tim shot Carlos a look, as if asking why the boy would involve him in the task, but Carlos ignored him.
"I guess you guys could work…" Wanda considered. "Fine, meet me in the gym after school. Don't be late."
Carlos nodded, and both turned to look at Tim. Tim sighed. "I guess I'll help…" he agreed reluctantly. "But I better not regret it."
November 3, 2014
Walkerville High Gymnasium
3:00 P.M.
Unsurely, Tim walked into the gymnasium where Carlos and Wanda already stood, presumably waiting for him. Behind the two stood the Walkerville High cheerleading team, already in uniforms and looking ready to begin practice. Wanda grinned as Tim joined the group. "Glad you could make it!"
"Now will you tell us why we're here?" Tim asked, crossing his arms uncomfortably. He hated being in the dark when it came to Wanda's schemes. For now, though, the girl seemed innocent enough.
"As you guys know," Wanda explained, "I'm the captain of the cheerleading squad."
Carlos looked surprised by the statement. "You're captain now?"
"Duh. Christie graduated, remember?"
"Oh. Well, uh… Yeah, I guess that makes sense."
"Anyway… Now that I'm in charge, I'm supposed to come up with a kick-ass routine for the homecoming game next weekend," Wanda continued, pausing in case of another interruption. To her pleasure, Tim and Carlos remained quiet. "Only, I can't come up with anything cool and original. So, I need your help coming up with a routine."
"Cheerleading?" Tim questioned cautiously. "Aren't we a little… Macho, for that?"
"Not really." Carlos and Tim frowned at the comment, but neither said anything about it. "Besides, I was going to ask DA for help, remember? It's not like you were my first choice. So, will you help?"
Tim and Carlos exchanged a look, both trying to decide what to do.
November 3, 2014
La Bella Luna
5:56 P.M.
"I'm so glad you guys decided to come," Phoebe enthused as Keesha and Ralphie took their seats at the table, across from Arnold and Phoebe.
"So are we," Keesha replied. And she was genuine; she was actually looking forward to spending the evening with her friends. "Have you been waiting for us long?"
Arnold and Phoebe glanced at each other, having a silent conversation. "Not too long…" Arnold replied vaguely.
Keesha grimaced, knowing that the two had been waiting here a while. "Sorry, we thought you said six."
"We did," Phoebe explained quickly. "We were just so excited that we got here early. So, tell us about how you guys ended up together!" Having been absent from the Halloween party, Arnold and Phoebe had only heard snippets about the night. She couldn't help but wonder what had pushed Keesha and Ralphie together after years of hidden feelings.
Ralphie and Keesha recounted the events of the evening, as well as the weekend following. Phoebe and Arnold listened intently, nodding along at the details that sounded familiar. Once they were completely caught up, Phoebe clapped with delight. "I'm so happy for you guys!"
"We're happy for us, too," Ralphie replied, putting his hand on Keesha's. This only made Phoebe squeal once more.
"You guys are so cute!"
Keesha's cheeks grew red from the attention. She hadn't expected Phoebe to be so excited about… Well, about everything. Even Arnold seemed to be enthusiastic about her and Ralphie, though he managed to remain composed. Keesha brushed a hair behind her ear. "Well, how are you guys?" she asked, hoping to divert the focus of the conversation.
Arnold shook her head. "Oh, you don't want to hear about us," he insisted. "Tell us about you."
"What do you want to know?" Keesha responded nervously, not sure what Arnold was trying to ask.
"Are you guys officially dating, then? Are you serious?"
Keesha looked to Ralphie for help, not sure what to say herself. The two hadn't discussed labels over the weekend. Thankfully, Ralphie responded easily. "Yeah, I guess we're dating."
"I wouldn't say we're serious or anything," Keesha joined in hurriedly. "I mean, we just started dating."
"But you've known each other for so long!" Phoebe commented, taking a sip of her water. "When Arnold and I started dating, it was like staring on the fifth date."
Arnold nodded along. "Mm-hmm. Things got serious pretty quickly."
"For you, anyway," Phoebe giggled, and now Arnold's face grew blush.
"That's true…" Keesha mused, remembering Arnold and Phoebe's early days. "I guess there's no period of getting to know each other…"
"Exactly!" Arnold exclaimed. "And when Phoebe and I first went out, she had to get used to the idea of dating me, but you guys have both been thinking about dating for years! There's no need for hesitation!" Arnold seemed to be growing excited as he continued his thought. "So realistically, you guys are pretty serious right from the beginning!"
Keesha grew pale at the suggestion. "I suppose…" She looked to Ralphie again, and this time, the boy seemed just as unsure. The two hadn't considered that they'd be a serious couple from the get-go. Still, maybe Arnold and Phoebe were right; she had been pretty cozy cuddled up to Ralphie over the weekend, as far as she could tell, Ralphie felt the same way.
"Have you guys talked about what happens after graduation?" Phoebe asked, oblivious to Keesha and Ralphie's discomfort.
"What do you mean?" Ralphie answered, confused. What did graduation have to do with anything?
"What if you go to different colleges?" Phoebe's face grew tense as she spoke. "Could you handle a long-distance relationship? Or would you break up and hope that fate would bring you back together?"
"Shit…" Ralphie pondered the questions. He hadn't actually thought that far in advance; he'd just been enjoying his time with his new girlfriend. "I don't know…"
"We haven't gotten there yet," Keesha explained, sensing that Ralphie's answer wouldn't be satisfactory. "We're just taking things one day at a time."
Arnold grimaced at the words. "So you haven't thought about adulthood at all? Would you get married? How many kids would you have? That kind of thing."
"Should we?" Keesha asked weakly.
Phoebe and Arnold nodded in unison. "Why date if you don't see a future together?" Phoebe countered.
Keesha leaned back in her chair, feeling overwhelmed with the direction the conversation had taken. She'd been looking forward to a fun dinner with friends, not an interrogation about the future. This was going to be a long night…
November 3, 2014
Walkerville High Gymnasium
6:24 P.M.
After several hours of choreography, Carlos and Tim watched as the cheer team presented their new routine to Wanda, who sat in the bleachers. An elaborate series of jumps, throws, and somersaults made up the performance, and once the girls had finished, Wanda's expression was unreadable. The room was silent for several long seconds. Then, Wanda began to slowly applaud.
"That was genius!" Wanda grinned, jumping up from her seat.
"Really?" Tim didn't know why he was so happy. Since when did cheerleading routines matter to him?
Wanda ran over to Carlos and Tim and pulled the boys into a big hug. "Yes, really! That's exactly what I was looking for!"
Carlos pulled away from Wanda's embrace. "Glad we could help," he murmured sheepishly. Like Tim, he was glad he could help, though unsure why Wanda's approval meant so much to him.
Looking back and forth between her friends, Wanda smirked. Maybe the boys were good for something after all.
November 3, 2014
Street
7:31 P.M.
"Thanks for coming out to dinner with us!" Phoebe gushed, pulling Keesha into a tight hug. "I had so much fun!"
Keesha gave Phoebe an awkward pat on the back. "Uh… Anytime, Pheebs…"
Arnold tapped Phoebe on the shoulder, cueing to the girl that it was time to leave. Obligingly, Phoebe let go of Keesha. The group shared a quick goodbye, and with a wave, Arnold and Phoebe turned and walked together down the street, leaving Ralphie and Keesha in front of the restaurant.
Now alone, Keesha breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God that's over."
"That was the most stressful meal I've ever had," Ralphie agreed. The two began to stroll along the sidewalk, heading towards their homes.
"Right? Who knew a couple's date would be so intense?"
"At least it's over," Ralphie mused. "From now on, we'll just avoid couple's nights."
Keesha remained unconvinced. "You think that'll work?"
"Sure! If Arnold and Phoebe suggest another night out, we just say we're busy!" Ralphie seemed sure of his plan, so Keesha decided to drop the topic. He had a point; the two would just say no if asked out again. Content, Keesha put her hand in Ralphie's, and the two enjoyed each other's company in silence.
November 4, 2014
Walkerville High Hallway
7:55 A.M.
Keesha and Ralphie stood at Keesha's locker, discussing their plans for the evening, when a familiar set of light footsteps approached. Keesha took a deep breath before turning to the source. "Hey, Phoebe."
Ralphie looked up, not having heard the girl approach. "Hi!"
Phoebe smiled at the couple. "Sorry to interrupt, but Arnold and I were talking about last night. The thing is, we had such a good time with you guys…"
"It was… certainly interesting," Keesha conceded, wondering where Phoebe was going with this train of thought.
"Wasn't it?" Clearly, she didn't pick up on the dark tone to Keesha's voice. "So, Arnold and I are having a movie night after school, and we thought we'd invite you guys!"
"Oh…"
"Oh?" Ralphie and Keesha could almost hear Phoebe's heart drop. "Is something wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong!" Ralphie assured, not wanting to hurt his friend's feelings. "What Keesha meant, was… Um…" Phoebe peered up at Ralphie with wide, hopeful eyes. "We'd love to come."
Keesha looked at Ralphie, confused. "We would?" Seeing Phoebe cock her head at her, Keesha quickly revised her statement. "We would!"
Phoebe perked up at the response. "Great, I'll go tell Arnold! See you guys later!"
Phoebe skipped away down the hall, while Keesha smacked Ralphie on the back of the head. "Ow! What?"
"What happened to, 'we'll just avoid couple's nights'?"
"It's Phoebe!" Ralphie argued, rubbing the back of his now-sore head. "You can't say no to her!"
Keesha picked up her books and slammed her locker shut. Wordlessly, she walked away to her first class of the day.
November 4, 2014
Walkerville High Hallway
2:56 P.M.
Tim and Carlos were making their way down Walkerville High's main hallway when a stranger's arms wrapped around the boys' shoulders. Alarmed, they looked to find Wanda now walking between them casually. Tim pushed the arm off of his shoulder, making Wanda stumble slightly. "What was that for?" She accused, eyes narrowed.
"What do you want, Wanda?"
"I just wanted to spend some time with my beloved friends, Tim and Carlos," Wanda replied innocently. "Is that so wrong?"
Tim smirked knowingly. "What do you really want, Wanda?"
Wanda shoved Tim lightly. "I just want to go out for smoothies, jeez."
"With us?" Carlos's surprise wasn't unwarranted; Wanda rarely chose to hang out with the guys unless she was pranking one of them. "Why?"
"Because smoothies are tasty!" Wanda shouted, annoyed with the questioning. "And no one else will go with me! Something about 'couple's night' or 'are you kidding, you ruined my hair!' or whatever."
The boys nodded, understanding. Wanda hated to be left on her own. "Fine, we'll go with you," Carlos agreed. The group headed out the doors of Walkerville High and wandered down the sidewalk to Sure, Bert!, the best place to get smoothies in Walkerville.
After placing their orders and sitting down at a table, Carlos rested his head on his hand. "What now?" he asked, bored.
"Now, we gossip," Wanda replied, an evil glint in her eye. There was little she enjoyed more than talking about other people behind their backs.
"About what?"
"About anything!" Wanda answered shortly. "Have you guys never gossiped before?" Carlos and Tim shrugged their shoulders. Disappointed, Wanda rubbed her temples. "Fine, I'll start. Did you guys see what Molly was wearing today?"
Tim scratched his head. "Who's Molly?"
"From cheerleading! Ugh, you guys are hopeless," Wanda grunted.
"No, we can do it," Carlos encouraged, not pleased about being called hopeless. "You just have to talk about people we know."
Wanda thought for a moment. "Well… Did you see that headband DA was wearing today? Talk about a bad hair day, am I right?"
Carlos frowned. "Weren't you the one that messed up her hair?"
"Shh. Don't think, just gossip."
Soon, the boys got the hang of gossiping, much to Wanda's enjoyment. The three stayed put at the smoothie shop for hours, talking and laughing about their friends and acquaintances from school. Wanda was content.
November 4, 2014
Arnold's Basement
4:42 P.M.
Keesha and Ralphie sat, staring intently at the television screen, trying to ignore Arnold and Phoebe kissing on the sofa beside them. Unfortunately, the movie playing was some cheesy romantic comedy, nothing that Ralphie nor Keesha had much interest in. Still, focusing on the movie was better than paying attention to the show Arnold and Phoebe were putting on.
Eventually, Keesha stood up from the couch. Alarmed, Phoebe pulled away from Arnold. "Are you leaving?"
"Just stretching," Keesha muttered, resuming her seat. She'd been hoping she could sneak away from the basement unnoticed, but evidently that wouldn't happen any time soon. "I've never seen you guys act so… Romantic," she commented delicately.
Phoebe blushed. "Sorry, we get caught up in the movie sometimes."
"Better not watch Psycho next then, huh?"
"Would you rather do something else?" Arnold asked, pausing the film.
"Well…"
"Oh, I know!" Phoebe jumped up from her seat and ran to a shelf in the back of the basement. She picked up some pieces of paper as well as a couple of pens and rushed back to the sofas. "We could play a game!"
Ralphie seemed to lighten up at the idea. "That could be fun! What game?"
"The Newlywed Game!" Arnold and Phoebe announced at the same time. Keesha groaned internally; she knew she shouldn't have said anything.
November 4, 2014
Wanda's Bedroom
4:49 P.M.
After their gab-fest at Sure, Bert!, Wanda had insisted that the guys come back to her house. After arriving, Wanda had scavenged through the bathroom and found some face masks and make-up, and soon the trio was seated in Wanda's bedroom having a spa day.
"This is actually pretty nice," Carlos admitted. He lay out on Wanda's bed, wearing one of the face masks and eating cookie dough from a bowl.
"I told you it would be," Wanda boasted from the floor.
Tim grabbed Wanda's hand, trying to steady it. "Hold still!" He commanded as he continued brushing paint onto Wanda's nails.
"I'm trying!" Wanda moaned. "But it tickles!"
"How does this tickle?"
"I don't know! It just does!" With her free hand, Wanda grabbed a scoop of cookie dough from Carlos's bowl. "Man, you guys are the best gal pals ever."
Tim and Carlos both froze at the remark. "What?"
Carlos quickly ripped the mask off of his face. "We're not you're 'gal pals', Wanda!"
Wanda chuckled at the argument. "You kind of are. You helped me out with the cheerleaders, you gossiped with me, you agreed to a spa day—based on every rom-com I've ever seen, you're gal pals."
"We're men, Wanda! Tough, macho… smooth-skinned men!" Tim argued, standing up. Carlos wiped the remnants of his mask off and followed suit, and the two marched out of Wanda's bedroom together.
Still seated on the floor, Wanda frowned at her half-finished nails. "Poop…"
November 4, 2014
Arnold's Basement
5:03 P.M.
"What is your girlfriend's favorite flavor of ice cream?"
Arnold and Ralphie scribbled their answers onto a blank sheet of paper. Phoebe pointed to Arnold first. "What's your answer?
"Cookies and cream?"
Phoebe clapped with delight. "Yes!" She leapt over to her boyfriend and gave him a peck on the cheek. Keesha cleared her throat, regaining Phoebe's attention. "Sorry about that. Ralphie, what's your answer?"
"Uh… Vanilla?"
Keesha moaned at the, once again, wrong answer. This had been the basic layout of the afternoon thus far—Phoebe and Arnold would prove that they were a perfect match, while Ralphie and Keesha struggled to play along. "No!"
Phoebe pat Ralphie on the knee. "It was a good guess," she consoled.
Keesha rolled her eyes. "No, it really wasn't! When do I ever get vanilla?"
"I don't know!" Ralphie fought back, trying to maintain his pride. "We've never gotten ice cream together!"
"Yes we have! Plenty of times!"
"Never as a couple, though!"
Arnold put his hands up defensively. "Guys, maybe we should just calm down-"
"No, you know what? I'm done with this stupid game!" Pissed off, Keesha stormed up the stairs out of the basement, Ralphie, Arnold, and Phoebe close behind.
Once outside, Phoebe placed a hand on Keesha's shoulder. "Keesha, what's wrong?"
"This whole couple's night thing!" Keesha exploded, pulling away from Phoebe's touch. "I can't do it anymore!"
"Can't do what?" Arnold asked curiously. To him, the evening had been going along just fine; he couldn't imagine what Keesha was upset about.
Ralphie wrapped his arms around Keesha, and for a second they just stood, gathering their thoughts. Finally, Ralphie explained, "We aren't enjoying these couple's nights out as much as you guys seem to."
"Really?" Arnold was caught off-guard by the comment. "Why not?"
Keesha groaned. "You guys are such a cute couple, and it puts so much pressure on us to be the perfect couple. We just started dating! You can't expect us to know everything about each other and our future!"
Phoebe stared down at the ground, guilt rushing through her. "We didn't mean to put any pressure on you guys. We were just excited to have another couple to hang out with."
"Why?"
"We never get to act like a couple around the group," Arnold replied softly. "We can't ever act cute without being teased, because they don't understand what it's like to be in a relationship. We just thought you guys would get it."
"Besides, we had so much fun with you guys," Phoebe added on sadly. "We didn't realize you weren't enjoying yourselves."
Keesha bit her lip, trying to gather her thoughts. "I get that you guys need a couple friend, but we need some space, okay?"
Phoebe nodded, trying to hold back tears. She hated to think that she'd been tormenting her friends. Keesha grabbed Ralphie by the arm and dragged him away, leaving Arnold and Phoebe alone, standing in the cool November air.
November 3, 2014
Walkerville High Cafeteria
11:36 A.M.
When Wanda sat down at the lunch table the following day, Carlos and Tim avoided making eye contact, still feeling awkward about the previous day's argument. Wanda rolled her eyes at the display. "Guys, it's just me. Chill out." When the two remained on edge, Wanda ran her hands through her hair. "Look, I'm sorry I called you my gal pals. I didn't realize you would start treating me like I have the plague."
"You turned us into girls!" Tim yelled back. "I was painting your nails! Carlos had a face mask on!"
"News flash—it's 2014, guys! Boys can have spa days! Masculinity is a toxic, fictional concept!" Phoebe and Arnold glanced over at the argument with interest, but soon figured it was best to not get involved in whatever the others were fighting about.
Carlos tried to fight back, but no words came. He leaned over to Tim. "She has a point," he whispered. "Besides, I can't really complain about the mask—my face is soft and hydrated now."
Tim's brow furrowed as he thought. "Maybe you're right… It was fun getting smoothies and talking trash about our friends."
Wanda extended a hand towards Carlos and Tim. "So, are we cool?"
"We're cool," Tim accepted, shaking Wanda's hand. "Just, no more spa days, okay?"
"Fine… We'll do something more neutral from now on," Wanda conceded. "Like pranking DA!"
"Yeah!" Carlos and Wanda exchanged a high five.
Carlos cleared his throat. "And, I mean… I wouldn't say no to another face mask… And I really want to find out what a mani-pedi is."
Wanda smirked. "Sure, Carlos."
On the other end of the table, Phoebe and Arnold sat tensely, waiting for the rest of the group to arrive. Upon spotting Ralphie and Keesha entering the cafeteria, the two sat up straight, trying to read their friends' expressions. However, Keesha and Ralphie were unreadable.
Once they reached the table, Ralphie and Keesha sat down next to each other, across from Arnold and Phoebe. Phoebe offered a weak smile to the couple. "Are we still fighting?"
To Phoebe's relief, Keesha smiled back at her. "No, we're fine."
"Good! We're so sorry we forced you to hang out with us," Phoebe apologized again. "We really didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."
"I know. Anyway, Ralphie and I have been talking, and we decided that maybe we could handle a couple's night every once in a while."
Arnold's expression changed to one of surprise. "Really? You don't have to-"
"We want to, dude!" Ralphie chimed in. "It'll be fun!"
"Just… No more interviewing us about the future." Keesha added.
Ralphie nodded. "And no more Newlywed Game."
"And definitely no Charades."
Phoebe laughed. "Alright, we'll think of something else to do," she agreed. "Maybe we could paint some pottery!"
"Where do you come up with these suggestions?" Keesha wondered sarcastically.
Phoebe winced. "We can do something else-"
"Nope, pottery it is!" Ralphie declared.
"You sure?"
Keesha gave Phoebe a warm smile. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."