The Case of the Manila Envelope--Chapter 14
by HA
"Whoa," Stink exclaimed as he skimmed the menu. "That much for an appetizer?"
"Those are the cheapest things there aside from the drinks," Alicia remarked. "I think I'll have my usual."
"I'll just go with the lemon chicken breast," Stink said. "It's not that pricy." He looked hopefully at Alicia, who was giving him a weird look. "Um, you can pay for this, right?"
Alicia rolled her eyes. "Be thankful I never leave home without my credit card." She put down her menu and glared at him. "You're paying me back for this."
"Me?" Stink said wide-eyed.
"It's your fault we're here," Alicia said. "You and your obsession with Molly."
"This coming from someone obsessed with every good-looking guy she sees," Stink shot back. "First you like this guy, then the next one, and then the next one..."
Alicia snarled and moved her hand closer to her knife. "Why you..."
"Are you ready to order?"
The waiter's question got their attention, not to mention it prevented possible bloodshed. "I believe we are," Alicia said, keeping her hand next to her knife. "I'll have my usual."
"Of course, Miss Gianelli," the waiter said, "and what will your boyfriend have?"
Both teens sputtered. "Wh-wh-what?" they exclaimed at the same time, causing a few of their fellow diners to almost jump out of their seats.
Seeing their eyes bugged out, their jaws almost falling off, and their faces just abouyt he ating up, the waiter cleared his throat. "Oh, my apologies. I thought..."
"I'll have the lemon chicken breast," Stink said quickly.
The waiter collected their menus as fast as he could and left while his face was tinged with embarassment. He wasn't the only one. Both Stink and Alicia tried to talk away the redness on their faces.
"I can't believe he thought that," Alicia said, still trying to get over the shock of hearing that particular assumption as she began wrapping and unwrapping the napkin around her eating utensils. "Us dating? Really!"
"Tell me about it," Stink said in total agreement while letting out a little laugh. "I mean, sure, you're good-looking, but still..."
After laughing a little, Alicia froze and gaped at him. "What did you say?"
"Huh?" Stink met Alicia's stare. "I just said I agreed with you."
"No, no," Alicia said quickly. "What did you say after that?"
"I said something after that?" Stink said innocently.
"Yes, you did," Alicia said. "I could've sworn you actually called me 'good-looking.'"
"What?" This time, it was Stink's turn to gape at Alicia. "Oh, come on..."
"Last time I checked, my ears still work." Alicia continued to verbally drill Stink. "You really think I'm attractive?"
"Well...um..." Stink hemhawed under Alicia's intense gaze as he felt his face and ears heat up. "I might have...mentioned it."
"Hmmmmm..." Alicia gave Stink a funny look. "Well, I have to admit that someone out there might find you attractive and might actually want to go out with you. Too bad no one at our school fits that description."
"Ouch," Stink said, faking as if someone had struck him in the gut, but as he looked at Alicia, he had to admit that she could get a guy with her looks. Granted, she was no supermodel, but she wasn't exactly butt-ugly, although she could be bossy at some times. Still, she was pretty...in her own way.
"Stink, what are you looking at?" Alicia asked suspiciously.
Spanning out of his daze, Stink quickly answered, "Oh, I was just remembering when I tied your underpants to a balloon and floated in the hallway."
Alicia raised an eyebrow. "For the record, I'm still looking for a way to pay you back for that."
"It happened a long time ago," Stink said. "Don't tell me you still have a grudge against me for that."
"Believe me, I have a list of things you've done to me ever since we've known each other that I'd like to pay you back for," Alicia said, but as she glared at him, she had to admit to herself that the right person would want to go out with him. Sure, that person would have to deal with his bad sense of humor and bad taste in clothing, but he was cute in his own way.
With both their faces gradually getting redder, they continued to look at each other in silence until Stink spoke. "So, how's the food here?" he asked shakily.
* * * * *
Tapping her foot, Tomie frowned as Shirley continued to study her hand. "Well?" she asked.
Shirley looked up. "You're confident that you'll win, so what's a few more minutes?"
Tomie snarled. "You're just delaying the inevidable, Shirley. I promise I'll make your defeat quick."
"Not too quickly, I'm afraid," Shirley said, placing a green card depicting a hand reaching into a clay pot onto her Magic/Trap Zone. "I'll activate Sticky Fingers."
Sticky Fingers
Normal Magic
Draw two cards from your deck.
Shirley drew two cards from the top of her deck and added them to her hand. "Ah," she said. "I'll Set this and end my turn."
Bo leaned against the edge of the balcony. "You're Setting?" he yelled, almost falling off. "Shirley, don't you have anything else to play?"
A card appeared in facedown Defense mode on Shirley's field. "Hmph," Tomie said as she looked at it. "Are you sure you want to end your turn?"
"I'm sure," Shirley answered.
Bo frowned at the single card and the imposing Monster on the Field. "I don't like it," he said. "Tomie could just Summon another Monster, destroy that defense Monster, and inflict more damage."
"That's true," Sara said, "but Shirley's definitely up to something."
"What makes you think that?" Bo said, hitting the edge of the balcony as hard as he could. "She knows absolutely nothing about the game, and now if she loses..." He bowed his head and said nothing.
"I wouldn't worry about her," Rika said. "She'll win."
Bo looked up at Rika. "How can you be so sure?"
Without looking at Bo, Rika repiled, "I'm just feeling...positive at the moment."
"Oh yeah," Bo said as he looked from his friend to her opponent and then to the current scores. "Everything's just going our way."
"Why, Bo, I'm surprised at the doubt you have in your friend's abilities," Rika said.
"Well..." Bo looked down at where his friend was and wished he was there in her place. "She's not exactly in her element right now."
"When is she ever?" Rika said. "After all, she manages to get out of any difficulty that gets thrown at her."
"I'm just not sure if her mind's on this right now," Bo said, wondering if she was thinking about a certain someone. At that moment, he wanted to hit something, but sadly, he wasn't around to slug right in the face.
"If you're talking about Blake and Miss Cold Heart, I have a feeling about that, too," Rika said.
"Another positive feeling?" Blake said.
"You could say that," Rika replied. "Besides, a part of you knows she can still win."
"Which one?" Bo wondered, looking at the Stranger suspiciously.
"The part that cares about her," Sara said matter-of-factly.
Suddenly, Bo became more focused on the Battle below. He faced away from the two Strangers and hoped that the burning sensation in his cheeks would go away.
"Delaying your end, Shirley?" Tomie grinned as she drew her card. "You do know that no low level Monster--that is, levels one to four--can stand up to my Yamata no Orochi, right?"
"I vaguely recall the stats of the cards I looked through," Shirley replied.
"And you do know that as long as I keep blowing up your Monsters, you won't be able to Summon a high level Monster, right?" Tomie continued to ask.
"I recall reading about that, yes," Shirley answered.
"Good." Tomie's grin widened. "I wanted to win this turn, but since you insist on drawing this out..." She slapped a card onto her Monster Zone. "I Summon Vogon to the Field!"
A gray hulking creature with the face of a humpback whale and pointed ears appeared next to the Yamata no Orochi. It roared at Shirley as it flexed its massive muscles.
Vogon
Level: 4
Element: Dark
Type: Warrior
ATK: 1800
DEF: 700
"Next, I'll activate Shadowlands," Tomie announced, placing a card depicting a barren landscape shrouded in darkness into her Field Magic Zone.
Shadowlands
Field Magic
All Dark Monsters have their ATK increased by 500 and their DEF decreased by 400.
"This isn't good," Sara remarked as Yamata no Orochi and Vogon had their ATK increased to 3500 and 2300, respectively.
"Just great," Bo muttered. "Hang in there, Shirley."
"First, I'll have Vogon destroy your pathetic defense," Tomie declared.
Heeding its mistress' order with a low grunt, the Vogon rushed the defense card and smashed it with one blow of its fist. Everyone was treated to the image of a green furball with sharp claws and beady black eyes before it faded from the Field.
Tomie raised an eyebrow. "A Green Digger?"
Green Digger
Level: 3
Element: Earth
Type: Beast
ATK: 400
DEF: 400
FLIP: Return one Magic Card in your Graveyard to your hand.
Shirley nodded and reached for her Graveyard. "I'll get back Sticky Fingers," she said as she returned the card to her hand.
"A pity it won't help you now," Tomie said, and she pointed at her Monster's target. "Yamata no Orochi, attack!"
The eight-headed dragon roared and unleashed another fiery direct attack on its mistress' opponent. Once again, Shirley was covered in flames, and as the fire burned around her, her Life Points burned down to 100.
* * * * *
"I got you to hold my hand," Blake sang as he held out his hand to Molly.
"I got you to understand," Molly sang back, trying not to laugh, something that fortunately didn't happen during the whole performance.
"I got you to walk with me," Blake sang.
"I got you to talk with me," Molly sang.
"I got you to kiss good night," Blake sang as he looked at his reluctant singing partner.
"I got you to hold me tight," Molly sang as she did her best not to gag, yet she kept her eyes focused on Blake's.
"I got you, I won't let go," Blake sang.
"I got you to love me so," Molly sang despite the nausea developing in her stomach.
The audience cheered as Molly and Blake reached the finale. "I got you babe," they sang together, and after repeating it four more times, the audience applauded them loudly.
As the applause faded, Molly left the stage as quickly as she could and focused on escaping. As Blake followed her down towards the exit, the audience called out in one voice, "Encore, encore!"
The owner met them as they neared the exit. "They love you," he said with a happy smile. "Are you sure you don't want to try another song?"
"Um, no," Molly said. "We really have to get going."
"Oh, that's too bad," the owner said with genuine regret. "Denise, get the Polaroid camera!" he called out to the girl behind the counter while waving her over.
"Polaroid camera?" Molly wished she had worn a disguise to this date.
"I like to take pictures of the people who sing here," the owner explained. "I put them in an album behind the counter."
"And the point of that is...?" Molly asked.
"I'm not getting any younger," the owner admitted. "I like to have some good memories, and since I love people who sing, I'd like to remember them. Besides," he said with a grin, "you never know when you'll see them again at a concert or listen to one of their albums or see their music videos."
"Uh-huh," Molly said. Seeing that the girl was coming with the requested camera, she began plotting her escape, which was basically running back to the restaurant and getting her bike.
"How much does it cost to get copies of our own?" Blake asked, causing Molly to stare at him instead of grabbing his hand and making a mad dash out of there.
"Well..." The owner rubbed his chin. "Normally, I'd charge you two bucks per copy, but since you were the best singers tonight, I'll charge you nothing."
"We'd like a copy for each of us," Blake requested.
"Done and done," the owner said. "Please stand in front of the wall here."
As Denise found a good spot from which to take the picture, Molly and Blake took their places. "I'll make you pay for this," Molly snarled at him under her breath as she stood next to Blake.
Blake flashed her a huge grin. "Why, Molly, didn't you hear the good man? These pictures are free."
Molly frowned at the photographer as she continued checking the shot through the camera. "You know what I can do. I scan your stuff, and you're through," she whispered to Blake in a menacing tone.
However, Blake didn't show any sign of worry on his face. "Try to smile," he simply said.
Molly shot him an icy glare. "I do not smile."
"Just think of a happy moment," Blake said.
"I will do that," Molly said. "I'll think of how everyone will think of you after I post everything on the Web."
Blake shrugged. "Do as you wish."
"I'm ready," Denise said.
Molly and Blake faced the camera. "Now, give us your biggest smiles," the owner recommended.
As she forced her mouth into a smile, Molly started to imagine how happy she would be once she posted her purloined information, but then she began reexperiencing her earlier nausea along with a strange warmth that spread throughout her body. Strangely enough, she found herself standing close to Blake as best as she could without touching him.
"Say 'cheese'!" Denise said as she got ready to take the picture.
"Cheese!" Blake said with a smile along with Molly, who surprised herself by saying that.
The flash went off, and the photo slid out of its slot. Taking it out, the owner examined it carefully. "Oh, that was great, and the lighting was just right," he said. "Now, for picture number two..."
END OF CHAPTER 14
by HA
"Whoa," Stink exclaimed as he skimmed the menu. "That much for an appetizer?"
"Those are the cheapest things there aside from the drinks," Alicia remarked. "I think I'll have my usual."
"I'll just go with the lemon chicken breast," Stink said. "It's not that pricy." He looked hopefully at Alicia, who was giving him a weird look. "Um, you can pay for this, right?"
Alicia rolled her eyes. "Be thankful I never leave home without my credit card." She put down her menu and glared at him. "You're paying me back for this."
"Me?" Stink said wide-eyed.
"It's your fault we're here," Alicia said. "You and your obsession with Molly."
"This coming from someone obsessed with every good-looking guy she sees," Stink shot back. "First you like this guy, then the next one, and then the next one..."
Alicia snarled and moved her hand closer to her knife. "Why you..."
"Are you ready to order?"
The waiter's question got their attention, not to mention it prevented possible bloodshed. "I believe we are," Alicia said, keeping her hand next to her knife. "I'll have my usual."
"Of course, Miss Gianelli," the waiter said, "and what will your boyfriend have?"
Both teens sputtered. "Wh-wh-what?" they exclaimed at the same time, causing a few of their fellow diners to almost jump out of their seats.
Seeing their eyes bugged out, their jaws almost falling off, and their faces just abouyt he ating up, the waiter cleared his throat. "Oh, my apologies. I thought..."
"I'll have the lemon chicken breast," Stink said quickly.
The waiter collected their menus as fast as he could and left while his face was tinged with embarassment. He wasn't the only one. Both Stink and Alicia tried to talk away the redness on their faces.
"I can't believe he thought that," Alicia said, still trying to get over the shock of hearing that particular assumption as she began wrapping and unwrapping the napkin around her eating utensils. "Us dating? Really!"
"Tell me about it," Stink said in total agreement while letting out a little laugh. "I mean, sure, you're good-looking, but still..."
After laughing a little, Alicia froze and gaped at him. "What did you say?"
"Huh?" Stink met Alicia's stare. "I just said I agreed with you."
"No, no," Alicia said quickly. "What did you say after that?"
"I said something after that?" Stink said innocently.
"Yes, you did," Alicia said. "I could've sworn you actually called me 'good-looking.'"
"What?" This time, it was Stink's turn to gape at Alicia. "Oh, come on..."
"Last time I checked, my ears still work." Alicia continued to verbally drill Stink. "You really think I'm attractive?"
"Well...um..." Stink hemhawed under Alicia's intense gaze as he felt his face and ears heat up. "I might have...mentioned it."
"Hmmmmm..." Alicia gave Stink a funny look. "Well, I have to admit that someone out there might find you attractive and might actually want to go out with you. Too bad no one at our school fits that description."
"Ouch," Stink said, faking as if someone had struck him in the gut, but as he looked at Alicia, he had to admit that she could get a guy with her looks. Granted, she was no supermodel, but she wasn't exactly butt-ugly, although she could be bossy at some times. Still, she was pretty...in her own way.
"Stink, what are you looking at?" Alicia asked suspiciously.
Spanning out of his daze, Stink quickly answered, "Oh, I was just remembering when I tied your underpants to a balloon and floated in the hallway."
Alicia raised an eyebrow. "For the record, I'm still looking for a way to pay you back for that."
"It happened a long time ago," Stink said. "Don't tell me you still have a grudge against me for that."
"Believe me, I have a list of things you've done to me ever since we've known each other that I'd like to pay you back for," Alicia said, but as she glared at him, she had to admit to herself that the right person would want to go out with him. Sure, that person would have to deal with his bad sense of humor and bad taste in clothing, but he was cute in his own way.
With both their faces gradually getting redder, they continued to look at each other in silence until Stink spoke. "So, how's the food here?" he asked shakily.
* * * * *
Tapping her foot, Tomie frowned as Shirley continued to study her hand. "Well?" she asked.
Shirley looked up. "You're confident that you'll win, so what's a few more minutes?"
Tomie snarled. "You're just delaying the inevidable, Shirley. I promise I'll make your defeat quick."
"Not too quickly, I'm afraid," Shirley said, placing a green card depicting a hand reaching into a clay pot onto her Magic/Trap Zone. "I'll activate Sticky Fingers."
Sticky Fingers
Normal Magic
Draw two cards from your deck.
Shirley drew two cards from the top of her deck and added them to her hand. "Ah," she said. "I'll Set this and end my turn."
Bo leaned against the edge of the balcony. "You're Setting?" he yelled, almost falling off. "Shirley, don't you have anything else to play?"
A card appeared in facedown Defense mode on Shirley's field. "Hmph," Tomie said as she looked at it. "Are you sure you want to end your turn?"
"I'm sure," Shirley answered.
Bo frowned at the single card and the imposing Monster on the Field. "I don't like it," he said. "Tomie could just Summon another Monster, destroy that defense Monster, and inflict more damage."
"That's true," Sara said, "but Shirley's definitely up to something."
"What makes you think that?" Bo said, hitting the edge of the balcony as hard as he could. "She knows absolutely nothing about the game, and now if she loses..." He bowed his head and said nothing.
"I wouldn't worry about her," Rika said. "She'll win."
Bo looked up at Rika. "How can you be so sure?"
Without looking at Bo, Rika repiled, "I'm just feeling...positive at the moment."
"Oh yeah," Bo said as he looked from his friend to her opponent and then to the current scores. "Everything's just going our way."
"Why, Bo, I'm surprised at the doubt you have in your friend's abilities," Rika said.
"Well..." Bo looked down at where his friend was and wished he was there in her place. "She's not exactly in her element right now."
"When is she ever?" Rika said. "After all, she manages to get out of any difficulty that gets thrown at her."
"I'm just not sure if her mind's on this right now," Bo said, wondering if she was thinking about a certain someone. At that moment, he wanted to hit something, but sadly, he wasn't around to slug right in the face.
"If you're talking about Blake and Miss Cold Heart, I have a feeling about that, too," Rika said.
"Another positive feeling?" Blake said.
"You could say that," Rika replied. "Besides, a part of you knows she can still win."
"Which one?" Bo wondered, looking at the Stranger suspiciously.
"The part that cares about her," Sara said matter-of-factly.
Suddenly, Bo became more focused on the Battle below. He faced away from the two Strangers and hoped that the burning sensation in his cheeks would go away.
"Delaying your end, Shirley?" Tomie grinned as she drew her card. "You do know that no low level Monster--that is, levels one to four--can stand up to my Yamata no Orochi, right?"
"I vaguely recall the stats of the cards I looked through," Shirley replied.
"And you do know that as long as I keep blowing up your Monsters, you won't be able to Summon a high level Monster, right?" Tomie continued to ask.
"I recall reading about that, yes," Shirley answered.
"Good." Tomie's grin widened. "I wanted to win this turn, but since you insist on drawing this out..." She slapped a card onto her Monster Zone. "I Summon Vogon to the Field!"
A gray hulking creature with the face of a humpback whale and pointed ears appeared next to the Yamata no Orochi. It roared at Shirley as it flexed its massive muscles.
Vogon
Level: 4
Element: Dark
Type: Warrior
ATK: 1800
DEF: 700
"Next, I'll activate Shadowlands," Tomie announced, placing a card depicting a barren landscape shrouded in darkness into her Field Magic Zone.
Shadowlands
Field Magic
All Dark Monsters have their ATK increased by 500 and their DEF decreased by 400.
"This isn't good," Sara remarked as Yamata no Orochi and Vogon had their ATK increased to 3500 and 2300, respectively.
"Just great," Bo muttered. "Hang in there, Shirley."
"First, I'll have Vogon destroy your pathetic defense," Tomie declared.
Heeding its mistress' order with a low grunt, the Vogon rushed the defense card and smashed it with one blow of its fist. Everyone was treated to the image of a green furball with sharp claws and beady black eyes before it faded from the Field.
Tomie raised an eyebrow. "A Green Digger?"
Green Digger
Level: 3
Element: Earth
Type: Beast
ATK: 400
DEF: 400
FLIP: Return one Magic Card in your Graveyard to your hand.
Shirley nodded and reached for her Graveyard. "I'll get back Sticky Fingers," she said as she returned the card to her hand.
"A pity it won't help you now," Tomie said, and she pointed at her Monster's target. "Yamata no Orochi, attack!"
The eight-headed dragon roared and unleashed another fiery direct attack on its mistress' opponent. Once again, Shirley was covered in flames, and as the fire burned around her, her Life Points burned down to 100.
* * * * *
"I got you to hold my hand," Blake sang as he held out his hand to Molly.
"I got you to understand," Molly sang back, trying not to laugh, something that fortunately didn't happen during the whole performance.
"I got you to walk with me," Blake sang.
"I got you to talk with me," Molly sang.
"I got you to kiss good night," Blake sang as he looked at his reluctant singing partner.
"I got you to hold me tight," Molly sang as she did her best not to gag, yet she kept her eyes focused on Blake's.
"I got you, I won't let go," Blake sang.
"I got you to love me so," Molly sang despite the nausea developing in her stomach.
The audience cheered as Molly and Blake reached the finale. "I got you babe," they sang together, and after repeating it four more times, the audience applauded them loudly.
As the applause faded, Molly left the stage as quickly as she could and focused on escaping. As Blake followed her down towards the exit, the audience called out in one voice, "Encore, encore!"
The owner met them as they neared the exit. "They love you," he said with a happy smile. "Are you sure you don't want to try another song?"
"Um, no," Molly said. "We really have to get going."
"Oh, that's too bad," the owner said with genuine regret. "Denise, get the Polaroid camera!" he called out to the girl behind the counter while waving her over.
"Polaroid camera?" Molly wished she had worn a disguise to this date.
"I like to take pictures of the people who sing here," the owner explained. "I put them in an album behind the counter."
"And the point of that is...?" Molly asked.
"I'm not getting any younger," the owner admitted. "I like to have some good memories, and since I love people who sing, I'd like to remember them. Besides," he said with a grin, "you never know when you'll see them again at a concert or listen to one of their albums or see their music videos."
"Uh-huh," Molly said. Seeing that the girl was coming with the requested camera, she began plotting her escape, which was basically running back to the restaurant and getting her bike.
"How much does it cost to get copies of our own?" Blake asked, causing Molly to stare at him instead of grabbing his hand and making a mad dash out of there.
"Well..." The owner rubbed his chin. "Normally, I'd charge you two bucks per copy, but since you were the best singers tonight, I'll charge you nothing."
"We'd like a copy for each of us," Blake requested.
"Done and done," the owner said. "Please stand in front of the wall here."
As Denise found a good spot from which to take the picture, Molly and Blake took their places. "I'll make you pay for this," Molly snarled at him under her breath as she stood next to Blake.
Blake flashed her a huge grin. "Why, Molly, didn't you hear the good man? These pictures are free."
Molly frowned at the photographer as she continued checking the shot through the camera. "You know what I can do. I scan your stuff, and you're through," she whispered to Blake in a menacing tone.
However, Blake didn't show any sign of worry on his face. "Try to smile," he simply said.
Molly shot him an icy glare. "I do not smile."
"Just think of a happy moment," Blake said.
"I will do that," Molly said. "I'll think of how everyone will think of you after I post everything on the Web."
Blake shrugged. "Do as you wish."
"I'm ready," Denise said.
Molly and Blake faced the camera. "Now, give us your biggest smiles," the owner recommended.
As she forced her mouth into a smile, Molly started to imagine how happy she would be once she posted her purloined information, but then she began reexperiencing her earlier nausea along with a strange warmth that spread throughout her body. Strangely enough, she found herself standing close to Blake as best as she could without touching him.
"Say 'cheese'!" Denise said as she got ready to take the picture.
"Cheese!" Blake said with a smile along with Molly, who surprised herself by saying that.
The flash went off, and the photo slid out of its slot. Taking it out, the owner examined it carefully. "Oh, that was great, and the lighting was just right," he said. "Now, for picture number two..."
END OF CHAPTER 14