Part 3
"This is crazy. He's gonna realize something's up," said Michael, as he and Max and Alex waited for Kyle outside the school.
"Well of course he will if you don't shut up," said Alex. They'd been given instructions by their girlfriends and had succeeded in 'phase one'. Kyle was on his way, thinking he was meeting the other guys to 'shoot some hoops'. Only he wasn't... but he didn't know that yet.
"I'm telling you this won't work," said Michael.
"You better hope it works if you want to stay with Maria," said Max. Michael didn't say a word.
"Here he comes," said Alex at that moment.
"Okay, here we go," said Max. Kyle walked up to them with a bag on his shoulder.
"Hey," he said.
"Hey. Let's go," said Max simply. The four set off down the halls, toward one of the two entrances to the gym.
"You go ahead," said Michael, "We'll join you in a minute." Kyle was confused, but he let it go.
"Alright." Michael closed the door with more force than he'd intended, making Kyle jump slightly. Even more so when he heard what sounded like a lock. "Guys? What's going on, here?" he asked.
*
"Are you sure you gave her the right time?" Maria asked, for the third time.
"Yes," answered Isabel once more, her tone annoyed.
"What did you say to her?" Maria asked.
"I told her I needed her help with something at school."
"That's it?"
"No... I told her what time to come," said Isabel, hoping Maria would stop her questioning.
After a short silence, Maria said, slowly, "Okay, but how do we know she'll come?" Isabel snapped her head back to reply, when Liz spoke up.
"Stop it, she's coming." They looked up and saw her drive into the parking lot. They got out of the Jeep and headed across the lot to go meet her. "Hi, Tess," said Liz.
"Hi," she said with a smile, "So what are we doing here exactly?"
"We'll tell you inside. Come on," said Isabel. The four girls walked into the school. Tess had no idea where they were going, so she just followed. They arrived in front of one of the gym entrances.
"You go in, we just need to pick up some stuff," said Maria.
"Alright." She walked in before Isabel closed the door. There was a click... a lock. "What's going on?" she asked, before realizing someone else had spoken when she had. Even before turning, she knew who it was and she felt her heart beat faster. "Kyle..."
"Tess... what's going on?" he asked. Before she could say anything, Alex spoke up from outside.
"What's going on is you two need to have a little chat."
"And you're not leaving until you do," said Maria from the hall as well.
"What are you talking about?" Kyle asked to the door he'd come through.
"That's your big plan?" Tess whispered through the door, a hint of panic in her voice.
"We're waiting," called Isabel, "And Tess, please don't use your powers to try to get out of here. You have to do this. Remember our talk from yesterday?"
"What is she talking about?" asked Kyle. Tess took in a few deep breaths and finally started walking to Kyle.
"Come on," she said, indicating the benches. He hesitated a few seconds, then finally obeyed.
"Can you please tell me what's happening since you seem to know... some part of it..." Tess felt very nervous at that moment. She'd been waiting for this instant to come for so long... she hoped she wouldn't screw it up... This would possibly be the only chance she'd get.
"It's... my fault," she started.
"What do you mean?" Kyle asked.
"I told something to Liz, Maria and Isabel... they sort of decided they wanted to help."
"Now I think I'm even more confused."
"Okay... remember when I asked you to help me get Max and Liz, Michael and Maria, and Alex and Isabel back together?"
"Yeah..." he said slowly.
"Well, part of the reason I needed to do this was because I don't want to marry Max, like my... destiny... says. I don't even like him like that."
"Oh... is there?" he started hesitantly.
"Is there what?"
"Someone you 'like like that'?" he asked slowly, his heart beating fast.
"Yes," she said shortly, feeling her breath becoming hard to achieve.
"Do... do I know him?" he asked nervously. She closed her eyes and forced a few deep breaths out. She opened her eyes and looked up at him. After a few seconds, she decided herself to speak the words that would possibly change her life forever.
"You are him." There was silence once more, their eyes locked to each other.
"I... I was hoping you'd say that..." he managed to say eventually.
"Really?" she said as a few relief-filled tears ran down her face. He brought his hands up to her face to brush them away. An understanding seemed to come across both of them as he drew her closer and they kissed slowly.
A few seconds later, they parted, their foreheads still together as they looked down smiling.
"Tess?"
"Yeah?"
"You okay?"
"Yeah."
"Question?"
"Yes?"
"If I asked you out, you'd say?"
"Yes." They were silent for a few minutes. Their foreheads remained together, as did their hands. "What do we do now?" asked Tess, "I don't feel like having to convince them to let us out of here..."
"Well... can you do that thing you told me about?"
"The mind warp?"
"Yeah... Does it work on them?"
"I think so... but how am I supposed to walk away while I'm doing it?" He thought for a few seconds before getting up.
"Hop on," he said, indicating his back.
"What?" she asked with a short laugh.
"You do your thing and I'll carry you out." She nodded and got up. He helped her 'climb on'. Both felt completely comfortable as he walked them up to the door Tess had come through. He looked to the side and saw she'd already started.
As she'd told him, he waited a few seconds and heard the lock. He pushed the door opened and saw the girls standing there, their faces showing they didn't see them. He didn't wait and hurried out into the parking lot, up to her car.
Once there he nudged her and seconds later, she opened her eyes. She smiled and he put her down. They kissed and she circled to the passenger seat, throwing Kyle the keys.
"Where to?" he asked.
"Doesn't matter," she said with a smile.
"Whatever you say," he replied as they pulled out of the parking lot.
"I have an idea," said Tess.
*
At the gym
The guys came up to the girls. "They've been in there for a while, maybe we should check on them," said Max. Isabel walked up to the door and pressed her ear to it.
"Hey Tess... Kyle..." No response came. She was fiddling with the handle when she realized it wasn't locked anymore. "What the..." she said, looking to the others. The six of them walked in. The gym was empty... no Kyle... no Tess.
"Where are they?" asked Liz. Just then, Maria's cell phone rang. They became silent as she took it out of her pocket.
"Hello?"
"Hello!" came a cheery voice.
"Tess?"
"That's me!" she said in the same tone, which had Kyle smiling at her side.
"Where are you?" Maria asked.
"Well... Kyle and I decided we wanted to leave, so... we did!"
"Yes, and thanks again. Bye now!" came Kyle's voice before the call was disconnected. Maria looked at the phone, puzzled.
"What'd she say?" asked Isabel.
"She said thanks..." said Maria with a grin.
"This is crazy. He's gonna realize something's up," said Michael, as he and Max and Alex waited for Kyle outside the school.
"Well of course he will if you don't shut up," said Alex. They'd been given instructions by their girlfriends and had succeeded in 'phase one'. Kyle was on his way, thinking he was meeting the other guys to 'shoot some hoops'. Only he wasn't... but he didn't know that yet.
"I'm telling you this won't work," said Michael.
"You better hope it works if you want to stay with Maria," said Max. Michael didn't say a word.
"Here he comes," said Alex at that moment.
"Okay, here we go," said Max. Kyle walked up to them with a bag on his shoulder.
"Hey," he said.
"Hey. Let's go," said Max simply. The four set off down the halls, toward one of the two entrances to the gym.
"You go ahead," said Michael, "We'll join you in a minute." Kyle was confused, but he let it go.
"Alright." Michael closed the door with more force than he'd intended, making Kyle jump slightly. Even more so when he heard what sounded like a lock. "Guys? What's going on, here?" he asked.
*
"Are you sure you gave her the right time?" Maria asked, for the third time.
"Yes," answered Isabel once more, her tone annoyed.
"What did you say to her?" Maria asked.
"I told her I needed her help with something at school."
"That's it?"
"No... I told her what time to come," said Isabel, hoping Maria would stop her questioning.
After a short silence, Maria said, slowly, "Okay, but how do we know she'll come?" Isabel snapped her head back to reply, when Liz spoke up.
"Stop it, she's coming." They looked up and saw her drive into the parking lot. They got out of the Jeep and headed across the lot to go meet her. "Hi, Tess," said Liz.
"Hi," she said with a smile, "So what are we doing here exactly?"
"We'll tell you inside. Come on," said Isabel. The four girls walked into the school. Tess had no idea where they were going, so she just followed. They arrived in front of one of the gym entrances.
"You go in, we just need to pick up some stuff," said Maria.
"Alright." She walked in before Isabel closed the door. There was a click... a lock. "What's going on?" she asked, before realizing someone else had spoken when she had. Even before turning, she knew who it was and she felt her heart beat faster. "Kyle..."
"Tess... what's going on?" he asked. Before she could say anything, Alex spoke up from outside.
"What's going on is you two need to have a little chat."
"And you're not leaving until you do," said Maria from the hall as well.
"What are you talking about?" Kyle asked to the door he'd come through.
"That's your big plan?" Tess whispered through the door, a hint of panic in her voice.
"We're waiting," called Isabel, "And Tess, please don't use your powers to try to get out of here. You have to do this. Remember our talk from yesterday?"
"What is she talking about?" asked Kyle. Tess took in a few deep breaths and finally started walking to Kyle.
"Come on," she said, indicating the benches. He hesitated a few seconds, then finally obeyed.
"Can you please tell me what's happening since you seem to know... some part of it..." Tess felt very nervous at that moment. She'd been waiting for this instant to come for so long... she hoped she wouldn't screw it up... This would possibly be the only chance she'd get.
"It's... my fault," she started.
"What do you mean?" Kyle asked.
"I told something to Liz, Maria and Isabel... they sort of decided they wanted to help."
"Now I think I'm even more confused."
"Okay... remember when I asked you to help me get Max and Liz, Michael and Maria, and Alex and Isabel back together?"
"Yeah..." he said slowly.
"Well, part of the reason I needed to do this was because I don't want to marry Max, like my... destiny... says. I don't even like him like that."
"Oh... is there?" he started hesitantly.
"Is there what?"
"Someone you 'like like that'?" he asked slowly, his heart beating fast.
"Yes," she said shortly, feeling her breath becoming hard to achieve.
"Do... do I know him?" he asked nervously. She closed her eyes and forced a few deep breaths out. She opened her eyes and looked up at him. After a few seconds, she decided herself to speak the words that would possibly change her life forever.
"You are him." There was silence once more, their eyes locked to each other.
"I... I was hoping you'd say that..." he managed to say eventually.
"Really?" she said as a few relief-filled tears ran down her face. He brought his hands up to her face to brush them away. An understanding seemed to come across both of them as he drew her closer and they kissed slowly.
A few seconds later, they parted, their foreheads still together as they looked down smiling.
"Tess?"
"Yeah?"
"You okay?"
"Yeah."
"Question?"
"Yes?"
"If I asked you out, you'd say?"
"Yes." They were silent for a few minutes. Their foreheads remained together, as did their hands. "What do we do now?" asked Tess, "I don't feel like having to convince them to let us out of here..."
"Well... can you do that thing you told me about?"
"The mind warp?"
"Yeah... Does it work on them?"
"I think so... but how am I supposed to walk away while I'm doing it?" He thought for a few seconds before getting up.
"Hop on," he said, indicating his back.
"What?" she asked with a short laugh.
"You do your thing and I'll carry you out." She nodded and got up. He helped her 'climb on'. Both felt completely comfortable as he walked them up to the door Tess had come through. He looked to the side and saw she'd already started.
As she'd told him, he waited a few seconds and heard the lock. He pushed the door opened and saw the girls standing there, their faces showing they didn't see them. He didn't wait and hurried out into the parking lot, up to her car.
Once there he nudged her and seconds later, she opened her eyes. She smiled and he put her down. They kissed and she circled to the passenger seat, throwing Kyle the keys.
"Where to?" he asked.
"Doesn't matter," she said with a smile.
"Whatever you say," he replied as they pulled out of the parking lot.
"I have an idea," said Tess.
*
At the gym
The guys came up to the girls. "They've been in there for a while, maybe we should check on them," said Max. Isabel walked up to the door and pressed her ear to it.
"Hey Tess... Kyle..." No response came. She was fiddling with the handle when she realized it wasn't locked anymore. "What the..." she said, looking to the others. The six of them walked in. The gym was empty... no Kyle... no Tess.
"Where are they?" asked Liz. Just then, Maria's cell phone rang. They became silent as she took it out of her pocket.
"Hello?"
"Hello!" came a cheery voice.
"Tess?"
"That's me!" she said in the same tone, which had Kyle smiling at her side.
"Where are you?" Maria asked.
"Well... Kyle and I decided we wanted to leave, so... we did!"
"Yes, and thanks again. Bye now!" came Kyle's voice before the call was disconnected. Maria looked at the phone, puzzled.
"What'd she say?" asked Isabel.
"She said thanks..." said Maria with a grin.