Awakening: Second Stage
Chapter 15
"Homecoming"
Sunday
Tino paid little attention to the scenery as the streets of Bahia Bay passed by, whisking him towards his home. The ride back home from the mountains had been decidedly quiet, as though each of the passengers were content simply to bask in the afterglow of their trip. Tino himself felt relaxed with his head tilted towards the window. His companion in the back, Tish, was sprawled out on her side of the seat. She was catching a catnap; her eyes closed and her head against the frame, with her feet planted in Tino's lap, sans shoes. Up front, Dixon was unusually quiet; apparently neither of the adults had anything more profound to say that the environment couldn't. Either that, or they were just trying to let Tish sleep. Tino was beginning to seriously understand the phrase 'lazy Sunday afternoon' when a sight that demanded his attention caught his eye.
"Whoa! Dixon! Stop the car man!" Tino shouted as he spotted Lor and Carver walking down the sidewalk, having an animated conversation. "Our friends are out there! We should catch up with them before the weekend's totally over!"
Dixon brought the car to a stop and pulled over, looking at Miss Tonitini for approval. Tino's mother rolled her eyes, then gave her consent. Energized, Tino ran his fingers across the palms of Tish's feet, returning the girl to consciousness with a yelp. "Tino!" Tish chastised him as soon as she realized who was to blame.
"C'mon, I just saw the guys out there. We should hook up with them."
"Really?" Tish yawned. "Yeah, I guess I could go for some pizza."
"Thanks Mom, Dixon. I promise not to stay out too late."
"Be home by 8:30." Tino's mother smiled.
"I will."
"Um, thanks again for taking me with you this weekend." Tish offered. "I really had a great time, I'd like to do it again in the future."
"We'd be glad to have you." Miss Tonitini affirmed. "Don't be a stranger, all right? You're always welcome to drop by for spot of tea and a bagel with bream cheese."
"I'll remember that. And I'm also thankful to you, Dixon."
"Just doing my job. You know where to find me if you ever want to discuss fine literature. Or maybe just to talk."
"Thanks. Seeya later!" Tish called on her way out, running to catch up with Tino who was already being teased by Lor and Carver.
"And there she is now, the woman of the hour." Lor gestured as Tish trotted up, Tino shaking his head slowly.
Carver smiled heartily, pleased to be together as a group again. "Okay, you guys gotta tell us. What did you and Tino do this weekend?"
"Yeah, don't leave out any details." Lor insisted, making smacking noises with her lips.
"Please don't assume I'm like you." Tish sighed, while Lor continued to make kissing sounds. "We had a lot of fun. We took some hikes, ate ice cream, tried out Dixon's cooking, went swimming, it was nice."
"Sounds cool." Carver agreed.
"And yes, we did do a little 'celebrating." Tish rolled her eyes, looking at Lor.
"I knew it!" Lor grinned.
Tino took over. "Anyway," he began, "When I saw you guys walking down the street, I thought we should hook up and spend the last of our weekend together. It's only 6 o'clock. Anyone up for a little pizza and pool?"
"Now there's a plan!" Carver seconded.
"I'm in." Tish agreed.
"Well, I guess that's settled." Lor concurred. "But if we're gonna get pizza, let's make it a big one. I'm hungry."
"You're always hungry." Carver chided.
"Much as I hate to burst the bubble, but won't it really depend on the theme of the restaurant this week?" Tish reminded them.
"I think it's still the cop theme." Claimed Carver.
"Oh man," Tino sighed, "what's it gonna be like in there? Is our pizza gonna arrive at our table in a squad car or something?"
"It didn't last time, but we can always lay that mystery to rest by going there."
"He's got a point" Lor shrugged. "Besides, you guys owe us some details!"
It was a raucous foursome of friends that entered the Bahia Bay Pizza Department, swapping stories of Lor's triumphs over Laird Princeton at the pool table and Tish's unscheduled dunk in the lake. Settling into a booth, the group filed a report that an extra large sausage and veggie had allegedly given them hunger pangs. The officer promised to bring the pie in for questioning, promising to run off the offending sausage from one quadrant with his nightstick before departing to resume his duty. He returned a moment later, asking them to pick some sodas out of a line up.
Satisfied that they wouldn't be visited again until the meal was ready, Carver at last gave voice to a question that had been hanging in the air since Friday afternoon. "Okay, so you guys mean to tell us that you and Tino have been cavorting around for an entire year and Lor and I didn't notice. I'm willing to swallow it if you guys can answer me one thing."
"What's that?" Tish asked, noting that even Lor's full attention was on Carver.
"How did it happen? You and Tino. You didn't just wake up one day and start going out, right?"
"Of course not!" Tino laughed hollowly. "It took awhile to happen, I mean, I..........you know, come to think of it, I really can't remember how I ended up falling for Tish. I don't remember it. It was like one day she was my friend, and the next I was holding her in my arms as a girl instead. How did that happen?"
"That's what I want to know!" Carver reiterated.
"Are you sure this is a story you want to hear?" Tish laughed nervously.
"Totally!" Lor agreed. "You can't just drop this bomb on us with no explanation. We're your friends."
"Okay." Tish buried her face in her hands for a moment before summoning up some strength from within. "This isn't the easiest story to tell, but I guess I should start at the beginning. I just hope that in the end, it all makes sense. Especially to you, Tino."
The others stared at Tish intently as she began relating the whole story. "This is something that started over a year and a half ago. Do you guys remember that time that I was looking for a crush? Because you all had one and I felt totally left out? Even Tino hear had the punk girl, Tasha."
"Ah, Tasha..." Tino sighed, "I wonder what you're up to now."
"I'm sorry, am I keeping you, Tino?" Tish asked with a sever frown, tapping her foot impatiently.
"Did I say that out loud?" Tino wondered, letting out a squeaky squeal when he saw the look on Tish's face.
"If I may continue...."
"Hey, don't look at us!" Carver distanced himself and Lor from Tino.
"Anyway, after all the dust had cleared from that, I was reminded that I shouldn't push myself, and that it would happen for me when the timing became right. So there really wasn't much for me to do but, well, wait. But one thing had definitely changed. I was a lot more aware of guys, now. Like I was constantly on the lookout, I tried trying to be aware of my surroundings and the people around me. I paid more attention to boys in general, trying to figure out the things they do, the way they talk and act. I wanted to learn what I was drawn to, what I ideally like in a guy. Looking back, I think I used both of you as a template, since you two are the boys I know best and spend time with. I knew I really liked both of you as friends."
"Wait...so you mean that if things had been different, it could've been you and me?" Carver queried.
"Theoretically," Tish admitted, "but I don't think it would've worked out. You're crazy, Carver, but not my kind of crazy. We'd probably end up driving each other, well, crazy."
"Can I get a road map to that sentence?" injected Tino.
Tish groaned and pressed onward. "The point is that you two were a lot of help, even though you didn't know. I made a list of the things I really liked about both of you, and then I started applying it to different guys I'd encounter at school or wherever."
Lor decided to interrupt at this point. "Okay, that I can understand. But how did you end up with Tino?"
"I'm getting there. Anyway, there I was, minding my own business, looking for the ideal guy, when it started happening. I just...one day in Study Hall I was going over my list, and I started thinking about Tino, and how he seemed like such a great guy. Now don't get me wrong, it 's not like I didn't see his faults too. We all have them. I, for instance, am a perfectionist."
"Duh." Lor muttered under her breath, giggling. Tish narrowed her eyes at her friend before continuing.
"But things about him just began to seem so cute. The little squeals he makes, his sensitivity, the way he angsts over things...he's such a lost puppy." She giggled, resisting the urge to cuddle her significant other. She was not that far gone. "But it scared me. Tino is my friend, and I didn't want to ruin that, or worse, unbalance our group. So I didn't do anything. I went back to looking for someone else, but it was half-hearted. Inside, I knew I wanted to be with Tino. But I didn't know what to do. Plus, he had the crush on Tasha. I didn't think that I'd ever find a way to get him to see me as a girl and not just his friend. But there was only so much I was willing to risk. And so, I just let things fill me. I busied myself so I wouldn't have too much time to fixate on it. I worked hard during the week and hung out with you guys all weekend, hoping that a solution would eventually prevent itself."
"So, how did it happen?" Lor pressed. "Obviously you got what you wanted."
"It was a slow process. Basically I just tried to subtly show off that I'm a girl too. I wanted Tino to see me like that. Better yet, I realized that the best bet would be for him to take an interest in me, make it seem like it was all his idea in the first place. To that end, I did what I could to encourage him. But the night it finally...I was so nervous, I felt so naive and silly, yet also excited. It was...I don't know how to describe it. You really need to have a common frame of reference. Tino really makes me happy. The time we've spent together has been rewarding, albeit frustrating at times. But there's still so much more for us to do, so much to explore. Every day that we've spent together means something to me. I consider Tino to be my best friend. I've known him for so long now, but I feel like the time that we've spent as a couple...Tino has always understood me. I know he thinks I'm crazy sometimes, I don't pretend not to be, but he doesn't try to stop me. And it's one thing when your friends can do that, but when someone goes that extra mile, agrees to care about you in a special way, despite your faults, and I have a lot of them..." Tish looked at each of them and noticed that no one seemed to quick to agree with her this time. "It makes me feel truly happy. And that I feeling I can't help but give back to him. I'm glad that Tino and I are together." She quivered a little, taking a deep breath. "I want each of you to know that I consider you all to be close friends. My advanced relationship with Tino will never change that. And we'll never just ditch you guys to be alone together. So I hope we'll all be able to continue being friends as we always have." Tish drank deeply from her soda, letting the clacking ice inside of her cup serve as punctuation for her address. "End of speech."
Everyone at the table was slowly looking at each other. Tish felt especially nervous, a feeling which increased exponentially as minutes ticked on and no one spoke a word. It was the cop who finally broke the silence, arriving with a likely suspect and asking Lor to identify it. Lor blinked, nodded once, and the pizza was then reprimanded to their custody. The steaming food seemed to ease the tension and increase the appetites, and Tino found his voice after biting into a slice. "So..."
"Well," Carver began, "It seems to me that you two have really thought this thing out. So as long as you still wanna hang with us, I think it's cool. Lor?" Tino felt sweat beading on his forehead as all eyes focused on Lor.
"What's everyone staring at me like that for?" Lor asked. "Hey, as long as they're not gonna be making out everywhere we go, it's cool by me."
"You guys are the greatest!" Tino smiled. "We'd be lost
without you."
"Yeah, that's what makes us so special." Lor grinned.
Carver cleared his throat and clanked a spoon against his cup, drawing everyone's attention. "A toast, to Tino Tonitini and Tish Katsufrakis. May they be happy in their love, healthy in life, and may Tino and I forever beat these girls at pool."
"Not gonna happen." Lor laughed as they each drained their glasses.
"Yeah, but I had to try." Smiled Carver.
"Thanks guys," Tish sniffed, "this really meant a lot to me. We owe you big. And I'm glad you've taken this all so well."
"Yeah, I was kinda worried you were gonna be all weirded out about this." Tino sighed. "It's nice to know I can count on my friends."
"Well, that's what friends are for." Lor reassured him.
"Besides, you keep talking like this is some kind of bad thing. Shouldn't this be something to celebrate?" Asked Carver. "C'mon, this is your anniversary!" He waved the officer back over, who was now brandishing a nightstick. "Can we get a double order of cinnamon breadsticks over here?!"
The policeman took his hat off and raised his mirrored sunglasses over his eyes. "All right, but then you kids had better move along. No loitering."
"Not exactly conducive to running a business..." Tish muttered.
"Hey, c'mon, we're celebrating an anniversary here!" argued Carver.
The proprietor dropped his character persona almost instantly. "Well, why didn't you say so? For some of my best customers, a special occasion deserves something grand! You do know that we can make arrangements if you let us know in advance. You want me to whip up something special for you?"
"You don't have to go to any trouble." Tish flushed.
"Nonsense! I'll be right back."
Tish continued to blush as their server scampered off, muttering something about having just the thing. "You really don't have to make so much of it, guys. I don't want you to go overboard."
"Who's going overboard?" Carver countered. "Relax, I promise not to do more than this."
"Okay. And Carver?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it."
"So, we'll still have time for pool, right?" Lor demanded to know.
"Yeah, I am totally itching for a game." Tino perked up.
"That eager to lose, huh?"
Tino looked at Tish, putting on his best puppy dog face. "Go easy on us?"
"Sorry." Tish smirked. "I'm afraid that isn't a perk of our relationship." She patted his head in condolence.
"Aww man." Tino whined.
Lor shook her head in amusement. "You can't win them all, Tino."
"Yeah, but I would like to win once!"
The manager found his way back to their table, confident that his assistant could manage in the kitchen. "So, what anniversary are we celebrating?"
"It's been like a year since the first time they made out." Lor gestured at the happy couple.
"Ah, of course! I should have suspected. These two have had a regular table in the back on Thursday nights for some time."
Lor cocked an eyebrow, looking at Tish. "I thought you said you had dulcimer lessons on Thursday nights."
"Yeah, and I thought you have to go grocery shopping with your mom." Carver fixed his gaze on Tino.
"I'm sorry." Tish admitted. "We were a little dishonest because we were trying to keep this thing a secret."
"Hey! I really do help my mom with groceries!" Tino tried to defend himself. "I just have her drop me off her when we're done."
"Yeah, and I come by after my lesson." Tish chimed in. "Consider it an omission."
"Wait, so they have a table near the back?" Lor pushed for more info. "What do they do back there?"
"Usually they get a double order of spaghetti and some bread." The owner shrugged. "And they talk quite a bit. Nothing terribly interesting, but then I don't make a habit of spying on my customers. Besides, they're good tippers." The assistant came up behind his employer, carrying one round tray in each hand. "Ah, it would seem we're ready." He picked up the pan that held the remainder of their pie and placed it on an empty table, leaving room for the two new arrivals, which were promptly placed in front of the teens. "Here are the breadsticks you ordered, but I thought you might also appreciate this apple cinnamon pie. I usually keep stuff like this around for birthday parties, but please, enjoy. This meal's on me. I'm sure I'll see you kids again soon. And now if you'll excuse me..." He replaced his glasses and put his prop hat back on. "...An officer's work is never done. Happy anniversary."
As their host made his way to the next table, Lor was already digging into the dessert. "Hey, this apple pizza thing is pretty good." She said after biting half a slice and picking up a second in her free hand. The others all shrugged and each grabbed a piece for themselves.
"I think that about says it all." Carver smiled. "Happy anniversary."
"Um, thanks." Tino fidgeted nervously, feeling self-conscious."
"Hold on!" Lor announced. "There's still one more thing!"
"Oh?" All three of them stared at her.
"Well, yeah!" Lor sounded like she couldn't believe how naive her friends were being. "It's an anniversary thing! Aren't you gonna kiss?"
"What, here?" Tish asked, subconsciously scooting a little farther away from Tino.
"Yeah! It's a party in honor of your coupleness! It'd be rude not too."
Tino slowly shrunk into his chair. "I'd rather not..."
"Oh c'mon, Tino, show Tish how much she means to you!"
"You really don't have to..." Tish waved her hands in front of her.
"Dude! It should be like mandatory or something."
"It would be kinda cute." Carver seconded.
"Oh, fine, if it'll make you guys be quiet." Tish resigned herself to her fate. She gave Tino a reassuring nod and moved in close to him. Tino looked like he was about to be kissed by an ox.
"I can't do this in front of my friends! It's embarrassing!" Tino pleaded. Lor began laughing hysterically. "Alright, fine! I'll do it. Okay, here we go." He leaned in and kissed Tish with all the passion of kissing his mother, which was almost none. "Happy? Show's over!" He said as he pulled away, both of them blushing.
"That's more like it." Lor grinned.
"I have to admit, it was a little weird." Said Carver.
Tino sighed. "Great. We've now completed the I'm-so-embarrassed-I-could-die portion of the evening. Now if we can just move on to the playing-pool portion, my night will be complete.
"Just as soon as we finish up these free desserts!" Lor exclaimed, helping herself to a cinnamon breadstick and dipping it in the glaze.
Carver turned towards the booth behind him. "Hey, Carver here. So, what do you think? Seeing Tino and Tish officially 'together' is kind of a weird sensation, but I think I like it. It just goes to show you that there must be some kind of mysterious power that draws geeks together. They seem real happy, though, so I just wish 'em all the best. I think she's helped to make T a bit more confident. I wonder how he'll hold up when we get to high school next year."
"Anyway, what do you guys think about Lor? I'm worried about how she goes around pining over Thompson but never seems to take that all important first step. It drives me crazy because I know they could be good together. I hope I was able to help Lor out with her problem. I still say she's way more weirded out about Tino and Tish than she's letting on. Something is going on there, that's for sure. But I'm not gonna be the one to dive into her brain, no way! Still, I should probably keep an eye on her..."
"As for me, well, I've still got my heart set on that shoe model. But only time will tell if that's gonna work out. If not, well, I'll find somebody who can appreciate me. Moira and I get along pretty well; maybe I should ask T for her number. What do you think? Yeah, that could be sweet..."
"Anyway, life seems to be going pretty good all around. Can't ask for much else. T once told me all we need in life are the four F's: Friends, Fun, Fresh Air, and Fast Food. I'm gonna keep workin' at getting a lot of quality time in with all four. Anyway, I'd better get back to the guys. I'd ask you to stick around, but it'll just be all the more humiliating when the girls beat us at pool. We'll be seeing you. Later days!"
And now, at last, we have come to the fabled end of Second Stage. It's been a very long ride; it certainly took a lot longer than the first installment of this story. If any of you feel sad, let this alleviate your concerns—the story is far from over! There will be a total of six Stages in all! You've only reached the end of the second, there's a long way to go and a lot of ground to cover. Hopefully I can keep you all in suspense as the Stages go on and more and more events start coming up in all four of the characters' lives.
Working with all of these people has been a real pleasure, and I look forward to revisiting the lives of Tino, Tish, Lor, and Carver soon in the next leg of the journey. I'll try not to keep you waiting for too long. A part of me would like to sit here and write a dissertation on what it has been like to write this story, but I'll save it for another time. What I want to do now is take some time to thank everyone who has helped to make Awakening possible. I will try to list you all, but inevitably I will leave some people off, because it's 3:12AM and I need to get up in a few hours. If I did forget you, please let me know and I'll rectify the situation with my next update. Without further ado....
Special Thanks To:
KaonForever, for tireless pre-reading and cheerleading
Soulcleaver, for always challenging me
ShinjiLangley, for being a true believer
BlasterBob, for the early encouragement
BroadwayStar77, for always having something positive to say
Attic Man, for fostering good relations
Jesscheaux Kuwabara, for putting up with me
Ellis McGuinn, for her ever-watchful eye
Marco9, for daring to dream
Kalyana, for the flattery, which will get you everywhere
S.M., for never missing a review
VirtualFaerie, for saying why
Mick, for rocking on
Stormqueen873, I'm still going strong (I think)
Aaweth, for writing a review that made me beam
Random 1337, for all the encouragement
Ryoma, he's still out there somewhere, and I haven't forgotten his craving for more RPF
Karina Kineshi, gone from my sight, yet still the star that brings light to my darkness
God, through whom all things are possible
I'm sure I'm forgetting someone, but I'm going to cross my fingers and go with this. Thank you all for coming back for more every few weeks. I can promise you all this—I'm not going anywhere! I'm here to stay, and determined to make this the best darned Weekenders fanfic you can find. The continued support of people like yourself, who read this, makes it possible. I thank you all, from the bottom of my heart.
Lastly, because I adore you, my fans, I have drawn up a trailer for Awakening: Third Stage. However, I need to tweak it more, so it's not quite ready yet. Check back sometime around Nov 3 or 4, it should be ready by then. I'll put it up as Chapter 16 of Second Stage.
And now, I must depart, because I need to be up in five hours. Later days indeed, my friends. See you Next Stage!!!!!
Lord Malachite
11/2/03
3:35AM, EST
E-mail: ranger_writer@yahoo.com
AIM: Asukaphile26