Part 2
Tess walked along the street, right past the Crashdown. She turned to the side of the building and climbed up the ladder. Once she had reached the top and looked in front, she was greeted by Liz, Maria and Isabel. She figured Liz would be there, from the note that told her to come. But at the sight of Maria and Isabel, she became confused.
"What's going on?" she asked as she climbed the rest and stepped onto the balcony.
"Well we just wanted to talk to you," said Maria indicating for Tess to sit with them.
"About what?" she asked as she sat between Maria and Isabel, across from Liz.
"We're just a bit... confused, I guess," said Isabel, "All this time, you've been saying how we had a destiny and everything."
"And then all of a sudden you're trying get us back with Max, Michael and Alex," said Liz, pointing to herself and the others as she mentioned the guys.
"And you succeeded," continued Maria.
"What we would like to understand is... why?" said Isabel. Tess thought for a moment, trying to find the right words.
"I don't want... destiny. I never have," she finally said.
"But that doesn't make any sense," said Maria.
"Let me finish, please?" said Tess.
"Sorry." She smiled and continued.
"All my life... since I woke up... I've been told that I had 'a husband' and that I was supposed to be with him. And that just really frustrated me. I didn't say anything to Nasedo, I simply pretended I agreed with him. Even when we got here... But then..." She had to stop, a huge smile spreading across her face at the thought of Kyle...
"What!" said the other girls, knowing from the look on her face that she must like someone... some guy... but who?
"But then... I found a way... out of it..." she said with a shy grin.
"What!" asked the other girls, getting more and more anxious.
"A guy?" asked Maria. Tess grinned once more.
"Who?" they asked at once.
"Do we know him?" asked Liz.
"Yes."
"Does he know us?" asked Isabel.
"Oh yeah..."
"Kyle! It's Kyle, isn't it?" asked Maria excitedly. Tess looked away. Liz, Maria and Isabel spoke all at once.
"It makes perfect sense, now," said Liz.
"Did you kiss him?" asked Maria.
"Why didn't you tell us?" asked Isabel. Tess smiled.
"No, I haven't. And I haven't told you before for the very simple reason that I didn't know myself how I felt about him for sure until this morning when I spoke to him"
"What did you talk about?" asked Liz.
"Well, just stuff he wanted to know... about us," she explained, looking to Isabel, "That's about it. After that I had to leave to come here."
"Well... are you gonna ask him out?" asked Maria with a smile. Tess blinked once or twice, looking unsure of what she would say.
"I've tried... many times... I just sort of choke up every time I try to..." she explained slowly, looking down a bit.
"Do you know if... if he likes you too?" asked Liz. Tess looked up quickly.
"I... I'm not sure... I think so, but..." Maria looked at Tess and her eyes grew just a bit.
"Tess, I have an idea... Do you trust me?"
She seemed alarmed as she said, "Why do you want to know that?"
"Just tell me, yes or no."
"Yes, of course," she answered almost instantly.
"Wait here," she told Tess, signaling for the other two to follow her. They climbed through the window, into Liz's room. They stood together as Maria whispered something to them. Liz and Isabel whispered also at one point.
Tess had no idea what they were talking about, but as they kept on talking, they were getting more and more excited. She wasn't sure why so she just continued watching them. A few minutes later, they came back and returned to their seats.
"You're probably confused right now, aren't you?" Maria asked.
"Definitely," said Tess with a short smile.
"Okay, so here's what we were talking about... or at least part of it..." said Liz, "You know that we're very grateful for what you've done for us, right?"
"Right," said Tess.
"Well... we would like to help you now," said Isabel with a smile.
"I'm not sure I understand what you're saying... again."
"We're gonna help you with Kyle," said Maria.
"What?" Tess blurted out in shock, "No, you can't! What if he..."
"Breathe, okay?" said Liz with a smile. Tess obeyed.
"You're probably scared of what might happen, but you have to take risks sometimes. It's not easy, I'm not saying that... but trust me, you'll hate yourself if you don't go for it," said Liz. This seemed to make her feel a bit better.
"What are you gonna do?" she asked.
"Oh, that's a secret," said Maria, 'mysteriously'.
"Come on!" pleaded Tess.
"Nope," said Maria.
"But if I know nothing... If I know SOMEthing, at least I can TRY prepare myself." They stood their ground.
"You'll have to wait. We're not sure ourselves, and I think it will be better if it's a surprise..." said Isabel.
"This better not involve anything that could result in my never being able to talk to him again..." said Tess.
"If it all goes well, it will be quite the opposite, I assure you," said Isabel.
"What's with the 'if'? You're not even sure it'll work!" She was interrupted with Maria's insurance that it WOULD work. Tess still had some doubts, but she put them aside quickly enough. There was a very short silence. "I should probably get home. There's a bit of a mess and Nasedo will be home in a few days. And with what we have to tell him, I think I should get started," said Tess.
"Well, we have to discuss some stuff right now," started Liz, "But how about we come to help you out later on?"
"That'd be great," said Tess with a smile. She said goodbye to her friends and climbed down the ladder. The walk home was filled with questions. What were those three up to? She was very grateful about what they wanted to do for Kyle and her, but she just hoped it WOULD work.
No matter how hopeful they were, the possibility of failure still existed. Many scenarios ran through her mind, filled by disasters, one after the other... She knew the only reason she was imagining it that way was because she wanted nothing more than for it to succeed. So she imagined the worst-case scenario.
She tried to think of something else, but it always came back to that. It was the reason she'd chosen to house instead of remaining with her friends... at least THAT would keep her busy enough to take her mind out of its paranoia.
She always ended up on some urgent mission to keep herself occupied whenever she felt panic or anger... she had started doing it when she was very young, over frustration about Nasedo pushing her to practice her powers so much everyday, and all that talk about destiny had her looking even harder for an activity...
She never had anyone to talk to in these moments. But she did now... She stopped walking. A few seconds later, she turned and broke into a small jog, back to her friends on the balcony.
Tess walked along the street, right past the Crashdown. She turned to the side of the building and climbed up the ladder. Once she had reached the top and looked in front, she was greeted by Liz, Maria and Isabel. She figured Liz would be there, from the note that told her to come. But at the sight of Maria and Isabel, she became confused.
"What's going on?" she asked as she climbed the rest and stepped onto the balcony.
"Well we just wanted to talk to you," said Maria indicating for Tess to sit with them.
"About what?" she asked as she sat between Maria and Isabel, across from Liz.
"We're just a bit... confused, I guess," said Isabel, "All this time, you've been saying how we had a destiny and everything."
"And then all of a sudden you're trying get us back with Max, Michael and Alex," said Liz, pointing to herself and the others as she mentioned the guys.
"And you succeeded," continued Maria.
"What we would like to understand is... why?" said Isabel. Tess thought for a moment, trying to find the right words.
"I don't want... destiny. I never have," she finally said.
"But that doesn't make any sense," said Maria.
"Let me finish, please?" said Tess.
"Sorry." She smiled and continued.
"All my life... since I woke up... I've been told that I had 'a husband' and that I was supposed to be with him. And that just really frustrated me. I didn't say anything to Nasedo, I simply pretended I agreed with him. Even when we got here... But then..." She had to stop, a huge smile spreading across her face at the thought of Kyle...
"What!" said the other girls, knowing from the look on her face that she must like someone... some guy... but who?
"But then... I found a way... out of it..." she said with a shy grin.
"What!" asked the other girls, getting more and more anxious.
"A guy?" asked Maria. Tess grinned once more.
"Who?" they asked at once.
"Do we know him?" asked Liz.
"Yes."
"Does he know us?" asked Isabel.
"Oh yeah..."
"Kyle! It's Kyle, isn't it?" asked Maria excitedly. Tess looked away. Liz, Maria and Isabel spoke all at once.
"It makes perfect sense, now," said Liz.
"Did you kiss him?" asked Maria.
"Why didn't you tell us?" asked Isabel. Tess smiled.
"No, I haven't. And I haven't told you before for the very simple reason that I didn't know myself how I felt about him for sure until this morning when I spoke to him"
"What did you talk about?" asked Liz.
"Well, just stuff he wanted to know... about us," she explained, looking to Isabel, "That's about it. After that I had to leave to come here."
"Well... are you gonna ask him out?" asked Maria with a smile. Tess blinked once or twice, looking unsure of what she would say.
"I've tried... many times... I just sort of choke up every time I try to..." she explained slowly, looking down a bit.
"Do you know if... if he likes you too?" asked Liz. Tess looked up quickly.
"I... I'm not sure... I think so, but..." Maria looked at Tess and her eyes grew just a bit.
"Tess, I have an idea... Do you trust me?"
She seemed alarmed as she said, "Why do you want to know that?"
"Just tell me, yes or no."
"Yes, of course," she answered almost instantly.
"Wait here," she told Tess, signaling for the other two to follow her. They climbed through the window, into Liz's room. They stood together as Maria whispered something to them. Liz and Isabel whispered also at one point.
Tess had no idea what they were talking about, but as they kept on talking, they were getting more and more excited. She wasn't sure why so she just continued watching them. A few minutes later, they came back and returned to their seats.
"You're probably confused right now, aren't you?" Maria asked.
"Definitely," said Tess with a short smile.
"Okay, so here's what we were talking about... or at least part of it..." said Liz, "You know that we're very grateful for what you've done for us, right?"
"Right," said Tess.
"Well... we would like to help you now," said Isabel with a smile.
"I'm not sure I understand what you're saying... again."
"We're gonna help you with Kyle," said Maria.
"What?" Tess blurted out in shock, "No, you can't! What if he..."
"Breathe, okay?" said Liz with a smile. Tess obeyed.
"You're probably scared of what might happen, but you have to take risks sometimes. It's not easy, I'm not saying that... but trust me, you'll hate yourself if you don't go for it," said Liz. This seemed to make her feel a bit better.
"What are you gonna do?" she asked.
"Oh, that's a secret," said Maria, 'mysteriously'.
"Come on!" pleaded Tess.
"Nope," said Maria.
"But if I know nothing... If I know SOMEthing, at least I can TRY prepare myself." They stood their ground.
"You'll have to wait. We're not sure ourselves, and I think it will be better if it's a surprise..." said Isabel.
"This better not involve anything that could result in my never being able to talk to him again..." said Tess.
"If it all goes well, it will be quite the opposite, I assure you," said Isabel.
"What's with the 'if'? You're not even sure it'll work!" She was interrupted with Maria's insurance that it WOULD work. Tess still had some doubts, but she put them aside quickly enough. There was a very short silence. "I should probably get home. There's a bit of a mess and Nasedo will be home in a few days. And with what we have to tell him, I think I should get started," said Tess.
"Well, we have to discuss some stuff right now," started Liz, "But how about we come to help you out later on?"
"That'd be great," said Tess with a smile. She said goodbye to her friends and climbed down the ladder. The walk home was filled with questions. What were those three up to? She was very grateful about what they wanted to do for Kyle and her, but she just hoped it WOULD work.
No matter how hopeful they were, the possibility of failure still existed. Many scenarios ran through her mind, filled by disasters, one after the other... She knew the only reason she was imagining it that way was because she wanted nothing more than for it to succeed. So she imagined the worst-case scenario.
She tried to think of something else, but it always came back to that. It was the reason she'd chosen to house instead of remaining with her friends... at least THAT would keep her busy enough to take her mind out of its paranoia.
She always ended up on some urgent mission to keep herself occupied whenever she felt panic or anger... she had started doing it when she was very young, over frustration about Nasedo pushing her to practice her powers so much everyday, and all that talk about destiny had her looking even harder for an activity...
She never had anyone to talk to in these moments. But she did now... She stopped walking. A few seconds later, she turned and broke into a small jog, back to her friends on the balcony.