Bookstore
Everyone said their goodbyes, and Chelsea explained to Rikku the details of the trip. She got into her mother's red van, and watched the side-mirror closely.
"Why are you spending so much time outside?" asked her mom, while driving.
"Bored," said Chelsea in her most bored voice possible.
"What happened to your computer?" teased her mother.
"The weather's really nice," said Chelsea, a bit off topic. Rikku was walking very quickly after them.
"What's the speed limit here?" she asked suddenly.
"Are you okay?" asked her mother, sounding worried.
"Just wondering"
Rikku was having a little trouble keeping up, and once the car parked. Chelsea got out, stretching and yawning obscenely loudly as a signal to Rikku to stay put. Her mother gave her an odd look.
"Pick me up when I call you?" asked Chelsea.
"Mm hmm," said her mother, and drove away, having a very odd feeling.
"Ri-uh, Kate!" shouted Chelsea, using Rikku's 'code-name'.
"Coming!" said Rikku, running over from another spot in the parking lot.
She didn't look at any of the cars, and one almost ran her over. She gave a shriek, then shouting at the driver, half in Al-Bhed, half in english. Chelsea ran over, and yanked Rikku's arm to drag her into the bookstore.
"Look where you're going!" snapped Chelsea.
"Not my fault! He's crazy!" argued Rikku.
"Oh shut up!"
Chelsea went into the children section, all the way at the back of the store. Sarah was sitting at one of the kiddie tables with a thick chapter book open. Her glasses were almost at the tip of her nose, and they slid off onto the table as Chelsea tapped her on the shoulder.
"Sarah dear, your tea and honey's ready!" she mimicked a british lady quite awfully, and Sarah put her glasses back on to look at her friend severely.
"Che-you're kidding"
The glasses were sliding off her nose this time, due to her tipping downwards. Chelsea smiled genuinly and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Pretend she's Kate while we're here...now let's get into the Photography section"
Sarah kept looking at Rikku on the way to the abandoned area of Barnes and Noble. Chelsea made a quick lookout, and got back to the group. Rikku cocked her head for a moment, attempting to study Sarah.
"Believe?" asked Chelsea.
"How the hell did this happen?" asked Sarah, regaining her wits.
"Classic fell-into-my-room story. Look, the rest of them are in a park near my house. Billy's got a problem with his PS2 and all his memory cards as well as the-"
Sarah waved her hands, "Wait wait wait...who's Billy?"
"Oh, I forgot. He used to be a friend of mine at elementary. But the important thing is that all FFX related items have gone blank!"
"Did you check the internet?"
"Like I had time! Honestly, with your brains, I might think that you'd know what I'd be under with all seven characters trashing my room from midnight to the morning!"
Sarah sighed and looked at Rikku.
"What do we do now?"
"...I dunno"
"Then what's the point of this?!" asked Sarah, looking very frustrated.
"That I'm a poor and desperate girl?" offered Chelsea pathetically.
"..." Sarah looked like she might break down, and Chelsea sighed.
"Ri-umm, Kate. What were you guys doing before you met me?"
Rikku scratched her face, and tilted her head.
"Seymour got Yunie and was going to marry her!" Rikku looked very mad at this.
"No need to get emotional, want a frap?" asked Sarah, digging into her pocket.
"Frap?" asked Rikku confused, and looked around.
"I'll treat," said Chelsea, sounding tired, and Sarah ceased her searching.
They brought Rikku to the Starbucks section of Barnes and Noble. While Chelsea took the money to buy the frap, Sarah was entrusted with Rikku's care. She wisely chose a table away from the window, and they sat, waiting.
"This is crazy you know," said Sarah.
Rikku nodded, "I know, I also know that we're game characters"
Sarah's jaw almost clattered away.
"She told you what?"
"That we're game characters!"
"Shh!" said Sarah snappily.
"What's the fuss?" asked Rikku, nonplussed.
"Hey," said Chelsea, she had come back with a brownie frappucino and presented it to Rikku.
The Al-Bhed poked it cautiously, and the cup bounced back, the straw shifting a little. The two girls looked at her.
"What is it?" asked Rikku, regarding the frap.
"You drink it," said Sarah, in a condescending manner, and Rikku gave her a look, but did so anyway.
"Mm, yummy!"
"Now hopefully she won't become a starbucks-druggie, like come people-" Chelsea went into a fit of coughing where Sarah smacked her on the back.
Rikku was finished with half of the frappucino while the two friends fought good-naturedly. She looked at them with large green eyes and Sarah nearly flipped.
"Your eyes are swirly!"
Rikku blinked, "All Al-Bhed eyes are"
"If anyone else asks, just say you got contacts," advised Chelsea, and Sarah shook her head, although smiling.
"I want to be Al-Bhed"
"Do you think you could come over to the park today? For a couple of hours?" asked Chelsea.
Sarah looked unsure as Chelsea slid the cell phone over. She picked it up, dialed, and waited on the rings before speaking.
"Mom? Hi...can I go over to Chelsea's house until-" she looked at her watch "-five? But it's summer mom! ...okay, thank you so much! I'll call you, bye"
She hung up, and handed the phone back to her friend who grinned slightly.
"Do I sense a compromise?"
"I have to be home by five. So that means we have until four-thirty"
"Then let's hurry up-holy sh-" said Chelsea, and she wrapped her arms over Rikku's head.
"Hey! What are you doing! Lemme go-!"
"Shht! Seymour!" hissed Chelsea, and Rikku immediatly calmed down.
"Where?" whispered Sarah, leaning down.
"Travel section, next to the London," said Chelsea, and slowly let go of Rikku.
"Let's get out of here," said Sarah, and they all got up, leaving, and Rikku dutifully throwing out the empty frap bottle into the trash.
