After a bit of some time walking through the darkness, Tim and Pinky eventually made it to the part of the mall where the food-court was; and after some more time spent shining her flashlight towards each and every restaurant in this section, Pinky was able to find her cousin's ice cream parlor. Now, as grand as that may be, there was still only one problem: the power was obviously still out; and without power, none of the machines inside any of the restaurants are going to work. Thankfully, this didn't seem to be much of an issue for them; because coincidentally enough, there was a maintenance-room just close by to their current location. The only thing that they're wondering now is whether or not they're able to get the generators up and running.
As the two approached the maintenance-room's door, a conversation sparked up between the two. "So, let me ask you something, Tim: do you know how to operate a building's generator?" Pinky asked her new friend.
"Well, uh...no." Tim answered honestly, before turning his attention back to the maintenance-room. "But I guess since I know how to fix and operate a car's engine, then something like the machinery that's in there shouldn't be too different."
"It's actually quite easy what you've got to do in there: you just have to go up to the lever that kickstarts all five generators in there, then all you have to do is activate the one that powers up this specific section of the mall." Pinky then turns her attention to the ice cream parlor off in the distance. "As for me, I'm going to be in my cousin's shop trying to figure out how the power-box in there works; and once I get it up and running, I'll be able to start making ourselves some ice cream."
"Seems simple enough." Tim said with a smile, before suddenly giving his new friend a confused look. "By the way, how do you know about some of the mechanics behind powering this entire building?"
"My cousin told me about it after he worked the late shift one night, in case I ever decide to come work here." The prep answered. "His manager tasked him to turn off the power to both the parlor and the food-court once the whole place was closed."
"Oh, that makes total sense."
"Indeed." Pinky began backing away from her new friend once again. "Anyways, why don't we save talking about our personal lives until after we get the power up and running, shall we? Come by the ice cream parlor once you've got everything set up in there."
"Alright." After that was said, the duo went off into two different directions and immediately got to work.
Once she got to her cousin's ice cream parlor, Pinky entered the shop and immediately went over to the front-counter, where she promptly goes through the small walkthrough that was to the very left side of it; and from there, she leaned against one of the ice cream machines behind her and waited for a sign that the power in the food-court was on. After about a minute or two, the lights on the ceiling outside of the shop began to flicker off and on, before ultimately remaining on the latter; and for a moment, Pinky thought her new friend had just completely and utterly failed...but thank God that didn't end up being the case. Once she saw that everything was going swell, the prep went off into the kitchen behind her so she can finally turn on the power to her cousin's parlor.
Upon entering the kitchen, Pinky immediately turned her head to the left, seeing that the power-box was literately next to the door she just came through; and once she approached it, she immediately opened it up and started flipping every single switch that was inside. One by one, everything inside the parlor began to turn on; from the lights on the ceiling, to the machines that made the ice cream located behind the counter; from the electric appliances that were in the kitchen, to the jukebox that was found at the right side of the dining area. Needless to say, this was a success.
It wasn't until Pinky exited the kitchen, now wearing her cousin's apron, that Tim finally returned to her. "Hello there, patron; and welcome to 'A Scoop or Two'! What will I be serving you tonight?" The former asked with a smile, causing her new friend to raise an eyebrow at her. "Sorry, I heard my cousin say that way too many times."
"It must be refreshing for you to say it for once, huh?" Tim asked as he sat onto one of the stools in front of the counter.
"It certainly is." Pinky replied before pulling out a coin out of her pocket. "Anyway, do you wanna listen to some music while we're here?"
"That sounds lovely."
"Awesome." After she says this, Pinky flips the coin over towards the jukebox, which lands directly into the coin-slot; and after it went in, the song 'Little Bitty Pretty One' by Thurston Harris began to play.
"Fifties music?" Tim asked intrigued. "This really is turning out to be like the diner that me and Chaz tend to go to."
"Eh, I blame the manager for the overall fifties-esthetic, the selection on that jukebox included." The prep snarks while putting two bowls under one of the ice cream dispensers, then pulling the lever on the side of the machine. "I always told my cousin's manager that there should be something like Maroon 5 or Ed Sheeran on that old hunk of junk, but he wouldn't allow it."
"To be fair, the diner I mentioned does play their songs on their radio; the only downside is that there isn't as clean, neat, or cool as...well, here."
"I don't think that should be much of an issue for me." Pinky stated as she went up to the counter.
"Oh, please...a girl like you wouldn't like a place like that." Tim said through a scoff. "You're from Simport Prep, where everything's all spick and span; and the diner that me and my friends hang out at tends to get messy sometimes. Besides, the food there probably isn't as good as...whatever you and your friends usually tend to go for."
"Well, Preston's usually the one who likes all the fancy meals at the fancy restaurants; BeeBee mostly goes for carrots, knowing her love for rabbits; and as for me...I usually end up getting myself Burger King whenever I don't feel like eating anything at home." The girl then shrugged before leaning against the countertop in front of her. "So, I guess you can say that, despite coming from a wealthy family and school, my interests aren't too different from anything you or your friends like." She then furrowed her eyebrows; but not in anger, just indifference. "Also, my parents are surgeons at the hospital; so, to me, their job is a lot more gross than anything that some diner has."
"I guess that makes se-" Right before Tim could finish his sentence, something behind his friend caught his eye. "Oh my..."
Pinky immediately turned around and saw that the bowl she had placed down was beginning to overfill, some of which was ending up on the floor below her. "Shit!" She exclaimed as she quickly grabbed the lever to deactivate the machine, causing it to turn off. "Thanks, Tim."
"No problem." The mechanic then looks down to the floor, seeing the mess that was below the prep's feet, cringing upon sight of it. "Um, I should probably clean that up for you."
"No, there's really no need for you to-"
Both of them immediately reached for the set of paper-towels that were next to the cash register, only to feel something else when they got a hold of it; and that was the other one's hand. When they took notice of this, the two then turned to look at the towels, seeing that their hands were now touching each other; and when they saw this, they blushed before turning their attention to the other's face. Neither of them could muster a single word out of their mouths upon this realization.
It wasn't until they removed their hands from the towels that one of them eventually spoke up. "Um...sorry about that..." Tim said, trying to hide the blush on his face.
"N-No, it's totally fine." Pinky said through embarrassed chuckles, also trying to hide her blush from her new friend. She then slightly glanced behind herself to see that her friend's hand was away from the paper-towels now, allowing her to swiftly grab them without another problem occurring. "Um...I should probably start wiping the floor now."
"Are you sure you don't want me to do it?"
"Don't worry about it; okay?" Pinky insisted as she knelt down to the floor. "I totally got this handled."
"Alright, if you say so." Tim ultimately agreed, before turning around on his stool and stared out to the food-court area in the distance behind him, his already weak smile turning into an awkward cringe.
"So, let me see if I can get this straight: you tried to get back at Summer Baxter by freeing someone's pet rabbit out of their purse, which was somehow able to cause a mass panic to happen, and almost burn the restaurant down?" Katie asked on the phone with her best friend, all while the former was laying in her bed, now wearing her pajamas. "I'm gonna be honest with you, Crystal; I can totally understand the logic behind you taking Gertrude Spackle's red ant-farm and taking it out to the football field to disrupt cheerleading practice; but I can't wrap my head around how anything that you've just described to me was even remotely logical."
"I know it sounds like it's bullshit; but trust me, dude, it truly happened." Crystal said, honestly. "If you still don't believe me, then feel free to ask either Ray, Raven, or Derek tomorrow; because all three of them will tell you the exact same thing I've said, detail to tiny detail."
"I don't think that would be necessary, since this is approximately the fourth time you've used an animal to get your way." The dentist reminded while rolling her eyes. "First, there was the red ants, like I've previously mentioned seconds ago; then, there was the time you've placed that snake in Summer's locker, which backfired when Liberty heard it in there; and I don't even want to talk, let alone remember, what that badger you found did that one time." She shuttered to herself just thinking about the incident that was mentioned last. "Anyway, speaking of your friends, are any of them alright? You're lucky none of them died during your inane act of revenge."
"Don't worry about it, because they're fine; and Raven was able to take out the fire before it spread even more." Crystal's attempt at trying to reassure her best friend only made the latter roll her eyes again; but this time, with disgust due to her friend's lack of remorse.
With a sigh, Katie spoke up again. "So, where do we go from here then, Crystal?" She asked, sound as if she's completely out of it.
"As of right now: wait until morning; because I can't exactly do anything else thanks to this storm outside." Crystal reasonably answered. "Hopefully, when Summer and Stacy finally decide to leave me and Yuki alone for good, then I'll be able to ask Chaz out and have him all to myself."
"That prick again..." The dentist muttered to herself. "No offense, dude; but don't you think-"
"Hey, Crystal, are you done in there yet or not?!" Sapphire's voice rang out somewhere from Crystal's side of the phone-line, much to her friend's confusion. "You've been in there for, like, thirty minutes now; and I, like, totally have to use the bathroom!"
"Oh, for fuck's sake..." Crystal muttered, as the sound of a door opening was heard. "Here; the bathroom's all yours now."
"You know, if it really took you that long to get out of a simple dress and back in your regular clothes, then remind me to never wait for you if we share the same changing-booth."
"I doubt we'll ever, but okay..." It was after this was muttered that the rebel finally returned to the phone-call. "Sorry about that, Kate..."
"Uh...was that just Sapphire Byers talking to you?" The dentist then asked her best friend.
"Obviously."
"You decided to take shelter at her house?"
"Well, actually, I'm taking shelter at Club Candy, not her house; but since both her and her girlfriend call this place their 'home outside of home', then I guess you could say 'close enough'." The rebel then sighed. "Too bad that it's not exactly all fun and games over there though, since those two want the power to remain off all night; but on the bright side, at least I'm somewhere with people who I deem trustworthy, and aren't...well, assholes."
"What about Derek?" Katie then asked with an eyebrow raised. "Isn't he with you guys right now?"
"Thankfully, no; and I doubt I would've been allowed in here if that prick was still with me." Crystal answered. "Anyway, when we both left the restaurant, me and Derek ran off into two different directions; obviously, I ended up here; and as for him...well, God only knows where he is right now, that's all I can tell you..."
"Alright then." Katie paused for a second to look at her window, seeing a flash of lightning appear outside of it, before proceeding to ask the rebel another question. "So, what are you doing now?"
"Since the upstairs television is the only thing that we can use, me and the other two are gonna be watching some 'Gossip Girl' together; Sapphire's pick, not mine. What about you?"
"I think I'm going to get to bed." Katie simply answered as she adjusted her blanket. "Nobody's giving us any calls for any appointments at the moment; so, I might as well just get some shut-eye. No use in trying to wait out something this awake, am I right?"
"Yeah."
"Well, I'll see you in the morning, Crystal."
Now, one would obviously expect the phone-call to just end there; but right before Katie could even press 'Hang-Up' on her phone's touchscreen, her friend spoke up one last time. "Hey, can I ask you one more question?"
Katie's eyes fluttered a few times, her causal expression turning into that of confusion once again. "Uh...sure, what is it?" She asked as she sat up.
"It's about...well, Chaz..."
Hearing the biker's name being mentioned again causes the studious tomboy to groan in disgust. "What about him now?"
"Well, um...okay, it's not exactly about him; it's actually about his cousin, Renee, and your encounter with her on your first day at work." Crystal took a bit of a pause for a second, before continuing to explain what she was wanting to talk about. "I was...just checking up on you to see...how you were doing, specifically after...you know what was accidentally brought up by her."
Katie didn't respond right away; she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then faked a smile as if what had happened was no big deal. "I'm fine, Crystal." She reassured, yet it's clear from her tone of voice that she was somewhat bitter. "Also, as much as of brat Renee appears to be, she didn't know about my mother's passing, so...I'll just let it slide, for now."
"Are you sure you're okay, dude?" Crystal proceeded to ask, sounding very concerned for her best friend. "It has already been months since your mother had passed away; and if anything's on your mind about it, feel free to tell me or Annie about, because we're here for you, Kate."
"I-It's totally fine, honest." Katie tried to assure, while a sad smile formed on her face. "Besides, I've already moved on from her passing...I mean, I'm still hurt that she's gone; but, overall, I'm totally good."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm positive." The dentist then turned her head towards her bedroom door, her smile now fading away and becoming a depressed frown. "Although, I can tell that my dad hasn't completely moved on yet, since he told me last night that he wished she was here when he saw me in my uniform."
"To be fair, you do have her eyes and her hair...and her freckles, oddly enough..." Her best friend's comment made the young dentist chuckle softly, while holding one side of her face. "But, in all seriousness, your dad's been married for, like, twenty years now, probably longer; and then suddenly, she just...dies. Something like that can really break a dude, even if months passed; hell, even if years pass, it'll still hurt."
"I just wish there was something that I could do to make him feel better after what happened that day."
Crystal sighed, before responding to what her best friend had said. "Well, I don't exactly what to actually say other than to just...be there for him; and, maybe, whenever you guys have some free time outside of work, you can...I-I don't know, spend time together, just like how you guys used to before you even considered going off to college." It was clear, from the tone of her voice, that Crystal was uncertain about her own advice; but knowing how close her best friend was with her father, the rebel knew she had to make more of an effort in order to try and make things a little better.
"I...guess I do miss doing some things with my dad, outside of anything that involves cleaning and fixing teeth." Katie softly said to herself, before speaking a little louder so she can say something to the rebel now. "Thanks Crystal, you're a real friend."
"Always willing to lend you a hand whenever you're down, Kate."
"Dude, what are you still doing in the stairwell? Me and Saph are waiting for you in here." Candy was heard saying on Crystal's side of the line.
"Oh, sorry, I was just finishing up here. I'll be with you guys in a couple seconds." The rebel immediately turned her attention back to her best friend one last time. "Sorry, Kate; but I gotta go." Once that was said, the phone-call immediately ended there.
After her phone-call had ended there, Katie places her phone aside and laid back down onto her bed, now staring up at the ceiling in order to get tired. It took a bit before she found herself falling asleep, as many things were coming to the tomboy's head as she tossed and turned; from the advice that Crystal had gave her to everything that happened earlier this year. Needless to say, it was difficult; but after awhile, Katie found herself drifting off within minutes. She wasn't so sure if she had anything planned for tomorrow like she always does; but whatever's the case, she hopes she can somehow get her dad involved, like her best friend had said.
Note: A little bit of some romance and humor with Tim and Pinky, and then a little bit of some somber drama with Katie; what a beautiful mix we got here, my fellow readers. I don't really have much to say regarding this chapter, since I feel like I'd be giving away too much if I say anything; but all I can say is that I already have an idea what to do next, and let's just say that it involves Tim and Pinky's subplot.
Anyways, let's see what reviews we have here...
lordgemini: Chaz and Katie still hate each other, even if Crystal ends up losing the former as a friend; but I believe that they'll somehow manage to come across each other and maybe a bond between the two'll spark, somehow. I won't say how, but they'll get there.
We're going back to the mall in the next chapter, my fellow readers; where the storm has it closed, but on the inside, two people are having the time of their lives. See you all next time.