Chapter 4 - Ripping Up Madtown
A/N: These next few chapters may take a while since I don't remember much from the original story and want to drag this out in to as many chapters as possible.
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Sam and Reggie entered the boardwalk and finally arrived at Madtown. For Reggie, riding on her roller blades, taking in the always-breathtaking view of the endless coast and feeling the ocean air whip her hair around made her temporarily forget the pain she was still in and the upcoming surgery. As long as she was with her friends and keeping busy, she didn't care about anything else. She had to let the regular Reggie shine through. Besides, she figured that they were as nervous as she was, for nobody else she knew had experienced something like this. The boys seemed to take the news well; however, there was something about Otto that didn't seem right. But she just couldn't put her finger on it, so for now, she just shrugged it off. She would have never expected what Otto and Twister were doing at that moment.
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After 10 minutes of non-stop crying, Otto finally got a hold of himself. He realized that it was no sense crying now. Besides, Reggie needed him right now. She probably needed him more than ever, he thought. For her sake, he had to be strong. There would be plenty of time for crying after Saturday. In the meantime, he knew they had to help Reggie out during what would probably be her final days. After walking to the bathroom to clean his face, he picked up his blades and left with Twister. Normally, they would challenge each other to a little race. "Last person to Madtown is a lame-o," was the usual bet. However, in light of what they had heard, the usual challenge slipped their minds. Instead, they skated slowly down the hill towards the Pier. During the trip, they started talking about what they were going to do about Reggie.
"I just can't believe it, Twist. First my mother, then her," Otto stated in disbelief.
"Do you think anybody else knows about this?" Twister asked.
"Probably not," Otto replied. If Reggie had just found out today, then nobody else knew. He wondered if she would even tell anyone?
"Twist, we need to tell her friends. They definitely need to know. I think it's only proper that everyone be able to support her up until the last minute."
"Whatever you say, O-Man," replied his friend. Twister usually went along with whatever Otto decided to do, and this was no exception. Besides, Reggie was his friend. If he had thought of it, he'd have done the same thing. However, if it were his brother, Lars, who was dying, he wasn't sure what he'd do. After all the daily whompings and tricks, would he even want to tell Pi and the rest of his cronies? Thankfully, Twister didn't have to decide since that wasn't happening, and he was glad for that. But he felt terrible for his best friends: for Reggie, of course, and for Otto, who would be suffering another terrible loss. He hadn't been old enough to remember much about the death of Mrs. Rocket, but he knew that she was always in the back of Otto and Reggie's minds.
With the support of his best bro, Otto laid out his plan. "OK. You call Trish, Sherry, and Cleo. I'll call Trent, Eddie, and Keoni tonight while I'm in my room. Remember, tell them not to say the d-word to her. We don't want her to feel any worse."
Twister nodded his head in agreement as the two passed under the landmark sign that signaled the beginning of The Pier.
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"There you guys are!" exclaimed Sam as the two boys entered the gates of Madtown.
"Let's tear this place up!" Otto declared. He had finally managed to control his emotions and one could not see through what appeared to be his usual enthusiasm.
"Hey, let's play Follow the Leader," Twister suggested. "Reggie, why don't you lead this time?"
Reggie saw right through them. They were obviously treating her differently because she was sick. She flipped out her reporter's pad and scribbled another note.
"Thanks, guys, but you really don't have to do that. You can lead, Otto. You usually love doing that," Sam read as she handed the slip of paper to him.
"No, sis. I insist. It's all you, Rocket Girl," Otto countered. It was no use. Otto always had to have his way, and her attempts to penetrate his "hard" head usually didn't work until it was too late. This was not a battle she wanted to pick, especially without the full use of her voice.
They started skating around the blader bowl, matching Reggie move-for-move. Reggie was quite amused with the whole idea of being the "leader." "No wonder Otto likes this so much," she thought especially as she caught Sammy out of the corner of her eye, wobbling and trying to keep up. Of course, she didn't want to say anything--yes her voice wasn't good enough, and Sam was her friend. Unlike Otto, she seldomly criticized the abilities of her friends.
Next, Reggie skated up and out of the bowl, making sure she got some "Japan air" (A/N: in skater's terms, "Japan air" means an aerial move in which both legs are bent and one hand grabs the skate of the opposite leg), quite surprised that Sam nailed the move. He was definitely getting better with the frequent trips to Madtown.
She then moved on to the rail, grinding a short section perfectly. Of course, she'd grind more if she were using her skateboard. Sam almost lost his balance, but seemed determined not to fall down.
Then, without her saying a word, Otto, Twister, and Sam (in that order) grabbed on to each other's waists, forming a "congo line." She returned to the bowl and they skated around for a few minutes. Everything was perfect. That is, until Sam lost his balance when flying down from the edge of the bowl, plowing forward in to Twister. Like dominos, each kid crashed in to the other, creating a pile in which Reggie was squeezed on the bottom. Otto, realizing that they might be exerting more pain on his sister, ordered the other two to quickly get up. All three then offered their assistance to Reggie. She was surprised that all three guys were offering their hands at the same time, but figured their kindness must have been due to her upcoming tonsillectomy.
They continued to skate for several more hours until the sun finally began to set. Deciding to head for home, they left Madtown and headed back up the hill. It was surprisingly quiet, until Twister broke the silence.
"Hey guys. My mom said you guys were all welcome to come over for dinner. She's making her famous enchiladas."
Sam, licking his lips, inquired, "Is she making her hot chile sauce, too?"
"Yep. She made lots of it this time."
Normally, Reggie would have loved to enjoy Mrs. Rodriguez's excellent Mexican cooking. However, she didn't think her throat (or her stomach at this point) would tolerate it. So she shook her head, placing one hand on her throat.
"Huh? What's wrong?" Otto asked, fearing the worst.
Again, Reggie reached for her pad of paper and pen. She wrote out her response and flashed it at Otto and Twister.
"Oh. Don't worry, Reg. We have Jell-O and ice cream back home, and my mom will happily make some mashed potatoes for you," Twister replied.
Reggie nodded in agreement and smiled. Twister and Sam smiled back and Otto quietly breathed a sigh of relief as the four reached the cul-de-sac and headed for Twister's front door.
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Later that night, Otto and Twister executed their plan. They called each of Reggie's friends. Both boys received the same general responses. First, her friends laughed in denial, thinking that it was some kind of prank. Then when they were told about what Reggie had said, their laughter turned to shock. They knew Reggie had been sick, but that sick? They agreed not to talk to Reggie directly about her fate but to instead wish her the best and to make her final days the greatest ever.
Meanwhile, Sam sat in his room, looking through photo albums and old issues of Reggie's 'Zine, thinking how lonely he would be without her. Suddenly, the phone rang. Moments later, Mrs. Dullard came in to his room, handing the phone to Sam. It was Reggie.
"Reg? Why are you talking in your condition?" he asked with much concern.
"I just took my pain medication. Listen, Sammy, I need to ask you to do me a favor," she requested.
"Sure, anything. You can count on me!" Sam answered reassuringly.
"Will you come to the hospital with me on Saturday morning?" she asked. The next thing she heard was a thud. Sam had dropped the phone in shock.
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A/N: I'll stop here for now. More to come soon.