Chapter 8
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The weather had cleared up by Tuesday. The four friends were at Madtown, to make up for the skating they missed on the weekend. Reggie wasn't in the mood for skating. Twister kept asking her about the shots for the film, Sam was still acting like the supportive friend, which meant that Reggie felt her plan failed. She looked down at her the hotpants and halter neck which had become her regular outfit and decided just to give up. She skated over to the Shack, ordering a shake at the counter.
"Woah, Reggie. I haven't seen you dress like that before. Special occasion lil cuz?" Tito asked.
"No, I just felt like a change." Reggie muttered.
"Oh I see, but Reggie, the ancient Hawaiians have a saying: Though the pineapple on the outside looks rough and harsh, its whats inside thats sweet." He gave her the shake and raised his eyebrows at the three boys coming up to the counter.
"Hey Reg! Why aren't you skating?" Twister asked.
"I'm just not in the mood. Hard day at school. Speaking of which, I have to go now. Thanks for the advice, Tito." Reggie walked off. Sam wanting to follow her and figure out why she left in such a hurry.
"Twister, stop checking her out!" Otto cried as she was out of earshot.
"Dude, either some alien replaced Reggie, or girls are just too hard to understand." Twister said. "One minute she's all into me then the next she's not."
"She wasn't into you, she was just interested in your films! She got some footage after all."
"Twister has a point. If girls were a subject in school, I'd be failing. Big time!" Sam said.
"You? Fail something? This is an alternate universe!" Twister exclaimed.
"Dude, girls are not that complicated. Take it from the master." Otto said, smiling at the other two.
"Then why are you so confused about Reggie's behaviour, Mr expert?" Twister asked him.
"He's got you there, dude." Sam stated.
In unison, the three of them sighed and looked at each other shaking their heads, "Girls."
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Reggie tapped her pencil on the page of her homework, she sighed in frustration and boredom and looked at herself in the mirror. She stripped and threw her hotpants and halter neck back into her closet. She slammed the door, putting on her old ensemble and looking in the mirror. "If he likes me, he should accept me for who I am and not what I wear." She looked over to her bed, where Sam's jumper sat, and decided it was about time to return it.
She walked over to the Dullards. Sam was out on his front steps and seeing him turned Reggie into a nervous wreck. The promise she made herself to forget about him had been broken in that moment of eye contact.
I can't fool myself, Reggie thought, I love him too much to just forget. She sighed and walked up to him.
"Here, sorry I forgot to give it back earlier." Reggie handed it to him.
"Why did you get changed?" Sam asked, wishing that he hadn't brought it up. Idiot idiot idiot, he thought.
"Well, it's not me. Plus, this feels so much more comfortable." Reggie explained.
"Fine by me." Sam said. "Ummm...Do you want to stay for dinner?" Sam was surprised by what he said, but still meant it. He wanted to show Reggie his appreciation, even if she did like Twister.
Reggie felt happy inside. Things were already starting to look up. Maybe all this stuff was pointless after all. Reggie accepted his offer and walked inside full of hope.
-----
After dinner, Sam walked Reggie to the door. She was about to say goodbye when he asked her to sit on the steps with him. He decided to ask Reggie about what was on his mind. He felt nervous and wasn't sure he was ready for the answer, but when she kissed his cheek it had confused him and he had to know. "Do you like Twister?"
Reggie looked at him, stunned. "Where did you get that idea?" Then remembered what she had been doing. She put her hand gently on his. "Don't answer that. I understand. I don't like him though..... Wait a minute, were you jealous?"
Sam's nervousness doubled when she asked him that. He didn't want to tell her how it made him cringe to see her with another guy, especially one of his best friends. Sam realised that he hadn't said anything, or even looked at Reggie. He felt her squeeze his hand.
"Sam, it's okay if you were. I have to tell you, that was the whole point." Reggie said quietly, before looking at the ground. "The thing is, I like you Sammy. I really do and I wasn't sure if you liked me or not, so I acted really stupid."
Sam hesitated before pulling his hand away. Finally he sighed and told her everything. "I liked you Reggie, I really liked you I even told you that, but you just brushed me off like I didn't matter and purposely tried to make me jealous. You obviously felt like you couldn't tell me." Sam paused, wondering if he was throwing away his chance. He loved Reggie, he knew that, but he was just too confused about everything.
"Why are you saying like in past tense, Sam?" Reggie asked with tears in her eyes.
"Im confused. One minute you ignore me, the next you tell me that you like me. I don't know Reg, I don't want to be with you to have you change your mind." Sam turned his back to her. "I think you better go." He pretended not to hear her crying as she walked away. Sam didn't want to be responsible for that, but he didn't know what to think.
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Reggie lay face down on her bed and cried, screaming into her pillow. Unfortunetly for her Otto overheard and opened her bedroom door. He walked over to his sister, patting her on the back.
"Reggie, what's wrong? Did something happen at Sam's house?" Otto asked.
"Why do you care, you never care about anyone but yourself. Nothing happened at Sammy's, I've just had a bad day! Now leave me alone."
"Obviosuly something did, since you were over there for dinner. If he did something to you, I'll whomp him."
"No, don't. He didn't do anything. It was my fault. All my fault." Reggie sat up and looked at her brother. "I really love him, Otto. He used to like me too, he said, but I was acting weird and he doesn't know anymore."
"You like Squid? Oh man!" Otto said. Reggie glared at him. "So all this weird stuff is because you like Squid? That explains a lot." Otto said.
"Please don't hurt Sammy. Otto, please. He can't help how he feels." Reggie begged. "It's my problem, not yours."
"You're just saying that because you love him. He shouldn't make you feel that it's your fault, Reg." Otto put a hand on her shoulder. "He made you cry."
"It's nice that you care, but we have to deal with it ourselves. I guess I have to accept the fact he doesn't love me." Reggie said, laying down and turning her back to him. Otto saw her open notebook. Lots of little love heart doodles with her and Sam's initials. He carefully ripped out the page so Reggie wouldn't know and left the room.
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Trouble in Paradise, how will this turn out? Chapter 9 soon.
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The weather had cleared up by Tuesday. The four friends were at Madtown, to make up for the skating they missed on the weekend. Reggie wasn't in the mood for skating. Twister kept asking her about the shots for the film, Sam was still acting like the supportive friend, which meant that Reggie felt her plan failed. She looked down at her the hotpants and halter neck which had become her regular outfit and decided just to give up. She skated over to the Shack, ordering a shake at the counter.
"Woah, Reggie. I haven't seen you dress like that before. Special occasion lil cuz?" Tito asked.
"No, I just felt like a change." Reggie muttered.
"Oh I see, but Reggie, the ancient Hawaiians have a saying: Though the pineapple on the outside looks rough and harsh, its whats inside thats sweet." He gave her the shake and raised his eyebrows at the three boys coming up to the counter.
"Hey Reg! Why aren't you skating?" Twister asked.
"I'm just not in the mood. Hard day at school. Speaking of which, I have to go now. Thanks for the advice, Tito." Reggie walked off. Sam wanting to follow her and figure out why she left in such a hurry.
"Twister, stop checking her out!" Otto cried as she was out of earshot.
"Dude, either some alien replaced Reggie, or girls are just too hard to understand." Twister said. "One minute she's all into me then the next she's not."
"She wasn't into you, she was just interested in your films! She got some footage after all."
"Twister has a point. If girls were a subject in school, I'd be failing. Big time!" Sam said.
"You? Fail something? This is an alternate universe!" Twister exclaimed.
"Dude, girls are not that complicated. Take it from the master." Otto said, smiling at the other two.
"Then why are you so confused about Reggie's behaviour, Mr expert?" Twister asked him.
"He's got you there, dude." Sam stated.
In unison, the three of them sighed and looked at each other shaking their heads, "Girls."
-----
Reggie tapped her pencil on the page of her homework, she sighed in frustration and boredom and looked at herself in the mirror. She stripped and threw her hotpants and halter neck back into her closet. She slammed the door, putting on her old ensemble and looking in the mirror. "If he likes me, he should accept me for who I am and not what I wear." She looked over to her bed, where Sam's jumper sat, and decided it was about time to return it.
She walked over to the Dullards. Sam was out on his front steps and seeing him turned Reggie into a nervous wreck. The promise she made herself to forget about him had been broken in that moment of eye contact.
I can't fool myself, Reggie thought, I love him too much to just forget. She sighed and walked up to him.
"Here, sorry I forgot to give it back earlier." Reggie handed it to him.
"Why did you get changed?" Sam asked, wishing that he hadn't brought it up. Idiot idiot idiot, he thought.
"Well, it's not me. Plus, this feels so much more comfortable." Reggie explained.
"Fine by me." Sam said. "Ummm...Do you want to stay for dinner?" Sam was surprised by what he said, but still meant it. He wanted to show Reggie his appreciation, even if she did like Twister.
Reggie felt happy inside. Things were already starting to look up. Maybe all this stuff was pointless after all. Reggie accepted his offer and walked inside full of hope.
-----
After dinner, Sam walked Reggie to the door. She was about to say goodbye when he asked her to sit on the steps with him. He decided to ask Reggie about what was on his mind. He felt nervous and wasn't sure he was ready for the answer, but when she kissed his cheek it had confused him and he had to know. "Do you like Twister?"
Reggie looked at him, stunned. "Where did you get that idea?" Then remembered what she had been doing. She put her hand gently on his. "Don't answer that. I understand. I don't like him though..... Wait a minute, were you jealous?"
Sam's nervousness doubled when she asked him that. He didn't want to tell her how it made him cringe to see her with another guy, especially one of his best friends. Sam realised that he hadn't said anything, or even looked at Reggie. He felt her squeeze his hand.
"Sam, it's okay if you were. I have to tell you, that was the whole point." Reggie said quietly, before looking at the ground. "The thing is, I like you Sammy. I really do and I wasn't sure if you liked me or not, so I acted really stupid."
Sam hesitated before pulling his hand away. Finally he sighed and told her everything. "I liked you Reggie, I really liked you I even told you that, but you just brushed me off like I didn't matter and purposely tried to make me jealous. You obviously felt like you couldn't tell me." Sam paused, wondering if he was throwing away his chance. He loved Reggie, he knew that, but he was just too confused about everything.
"Why are you saying like in past tense, Sam?" Reggie asked with tears in her eyes.
"Im confused. One minute you ignore me, the next you tell me that you like me. I don't know Reg, I don't want to be with you to have you change your mind." Sam turned his back to her. "I think you better go." He pretended not to hear her crying as she walked away. Sam didn't want to be responsible for that, but he didn't know what to think.
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Reggie lay face down on her bed and cried, screaming into her pillow. Unfortunetly for her Otto overheard and opened her bedroom door. He walked over to his sister, patting her on the back.
"Reggie, what's wrong? Did something happen at Sam's house?" Otto asked.
"Why do you care, you never care about anyone but yourself. Nothing happened at Sammy's, I've just had a bad day! Now leave me alone."
"Obviosuly something did, since you were over there for dinner. If he did something to you, I'll whomp him."
"No, don't. He didn't do anything. It was my fault. All my fault." Reggie sat up and looked at her brother. "I really love him, Otto. He used to like me too, he said, but I was acting weird and he doesn't know anymore."
"You like Squid? Oh man!" Otto said. Reggie glared at him. "So all this weird stuff is because you like Squid? That explains a lot." Otto said.
"Please don't hurt Sammy. Otto, please. He can't help how he feels." Reggie begged. "It's my problem, not yours."
"You're just saying that because you love him. He shouldn't make you feel that it's your fault, Reg." Otto put a hand on her shoulder. "He made you cry."
"It's nice that you care, but we have to deal with it ourselves. I guess I have to accept the fact he doesn't love me." Reggie said, laying down and turning her back to him. Otto saw her open notebook. Lots of little love heart doodles with her and Sam's initials. He carefully ripped out the page so Reggie wouldn't know and left the room.
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Trouble in Paradise, how will this turn out? Chapter 9 soon.