I expect Chuckie would find it easier to talk to Tommy, but he doesn't know
that both Tommy and Kimi know about him and Angelica. He also doesn't know
that Kimi is gonna force him to spill the beans either. However you look at
it, he has no choice. You are also right, we do know best!
Chapter 5: Emotional stress and the truth
Tommy put an arm around his cousin.
"You're going through a difficult time Angie. Just remember that I'm here to help you...and I want to help you. You are rather frail at the moment and the last thing I want to see, is you upset." Tommy comforted Angelica.
Angelica felt tears well up in her eyes, but she was able to fight them off for the moment. A small weak smile came across her face. She was fraught with so many emotions and Tommy appeared to be a rock for her to cling to in this dire period of her life.
"You won't tell anyone about this will you?" She asked.
"No." Tommy replied shaking his head with his eyes closed.
He hated lying to people, especially family. He knew that Angelica needed help but she would never admit that so he had to lie to her to help her. It never made sense in his mind to lie to help, but this might be an occasion where it may well be the best course of action to take. Hopefully with the information that Kimi can get from Chuckie, they can devise a plan of action to help both of them come to terms with what seems to be happening.
"Thanks Tommy." Angelica said, unaware of his deception.
The weather had turned from a nice sunny morning into a wet and drizzly afternoon. Tommy and Dil were reading books in their room, Phil, Lil, Angelica and Susie were playing Hearts while Chuckie was reading in his room. Kimi saw this as the perfect opportunity to interrogate her step- brother. She walked in and closed the door, leaning against it to stop Chuckie from leaving.
"So, dear step-brother." She said.
Chuckie looked at her and then went back to reading.
"Chuckie?" She asked.
"What?" Chuckie said in a frustrated tone.
"I'd like to ask you something."
"Shoot."
"What's wrong with you?"
"What do you mean? I'm fine." Chuckie said, a little confused by Kimi's question.
"I know you are in good health...at the moment. I want to know what is wrong between you and...ah...you-know-who."
"You-know-who?" Chuckie thought Kimi may have meant Angelica, but he questioned to be sure.
"Yeah, you-know-who as in Angelica Pickles." Kimi explained. She wondered if he was playing stupid with her.
"What about me and Angie? Everything is fine between us, we're fine and dandy." Chuckie replied.
"Yeah, that's the problem." Kimi said, her tone growing serious.
"I don't follow."
Kimi sighed in frustration.
"For God's sake Chuckie! What I mean is when we arrived you two were going hammer and tongs and now the two of you are rather close, despite the claim that both of you despise each other's guts!" Kimi loudly said to a rather shocked Chuckie.
Chuckie ran his left hand through his messy hair and sighed.
"Look, we just decided to calm things down between us as we are on vacation."
"Maybe, but I get the definite feeling that there is more to this story than you are telling me." Kimi said, her eyes narrowing.
"There's nothing more to tell, honestly!" Chuckie stated.
"Big fat lie, Chuckie Finster. I saw you and Angelica sitting right up against each other, almost hand in hand. A little hint there as the couch sits 3 people and the two of you were taking up about half of it." Kimi stated, folding her arms across her chest and leaning her head to one side.
"Um."
Chuckie had to admit, Kimi had him there. He was trying to think of an excuse, but he started to panic. He started to stumble over his words.
"It...It's not what you think." He spluttered.
"And what am I thinking?" Kimi questioned, knowing that Chuckie was close to giving in.
"Er...um...that...we are...you know..."
"A couple?" Kimi finished Chuckie's sentence for him.
"Uh...kind of. But we're not. We just...toned the aggression down, that's all." Chuckie tried to convince his sister.
Kimi raised an eyebrow.
"No, I think you are trying to convince yourself with that statement Chuck, not me. As your sister I know you pretty damn well. The only person who could know you the same or maybe better than me is Tommy and I'm pretty sure he would agree with me." Kimi explained, smiling at her brother knowing that he knew she was right.
Chuckie hated it when he knew his sister was right, and she was right here, although he did not want to admit it...he never wanted to admit it. His expression saddened.
'Looks like he has just cracked. Although I hate to seem him saddened, this is for his own good. Who knows what will happen if Tommy and I can't help them.' Kimi thought to herself.
"Oh alright, you win Kimi." Chuckie said, giving in. He sighed loudly. "It...it started yesterday. When you guys were taking your things upstairs, I went outside. Out of the blue Angelica tackled me to the ground and...and she started to...lay into me."
"She attacked you!" Kimi became furious.
"Yeah, but that ain't the end. After that she said that as we were on vacation she would leave me alone if I left her alone." There was a pause. "I asked her to get off of me and...and something inside me...just didn't want her to go...Something happened to her as well as she..."
"She what?"
Chuckie sighed.
"She kissed me."
Kimi's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. She stared at her brother in disbelief. The tables had turned now. She did not believe what he had told her, yet she knew it was true.
"Chuckie I...I'm speechless." Kimi said. She had not prepared herself for something like that.
Chuckie shook his head.
"I don't know what to do Kimi."
"How do you feel about her?" She asked.
"I...I'm not sure. Part of me still hates her, while another part of me does not know what to think while another part is...kind of attracted...to her."
"Attracted to her? You mean...like you're...sexually attracted to her?"
"Uh...Partly." Chuckie said shrugging his shoulders. "I don't know what brought this about. Maybe time caught up with us, I'm not sure."
"Are you in love with her?" Kimi asked.
Chuckie didn't know if he was in love with Angelica.
"I'm not sure. I...I like her. Now every time I look at her, I comment to myself that see is rather attractive and...well...I start to wonder if she would go for me..." Chuckie trailed off as he realized. "My God. I DO love her! I mean...crap, I love her. Oh Christ! What am I to do Kimi?"
"I don't know. I...I just don't know." Kimi told him.
Later that day, the rain had stopped and Tommy and Kimi had gone for a walk to discuss the results of each other's interrogations.
"You know, Chuckie is a complete wreck now." Kimi told Tommy.
"How come?" Tommy asked.
"Well, while I was talking with him I asked him how he felt about her and he started to comment on how he finds her quite attractive. Then he said that he was starting to wonder if she would go for him and then came the confession that he has fallen in love with her. The only problem is that he obviously still has the hatred and aggression against her." Kimi explained.
"Shit, that's bad. We gotta do something." Tommy said, immediately feeling concern for his best friend.
"Yeah, but what? Should we try to get them together or what?" Kimi asked.
"Well, maybe I should confront Angelica and ask her straight if she is in love with Chuckie. If she is, then we should try to get them together. If not...well I guess we will need help." Tommy explained.
"I am really worried about Chuckie. He is fraught with emotions...he loves her yet I think he feels that he cannot love her due to the history between them. This could destroy him." Kimi told Tommy, looking at him. "You have to find out if Angelica is in love with him. If she is, like you suspect, and Chuckie finds out that she loves him, then he might be able to accept his love for her."
Tommy nodded.
"Indeed. Their fate lies in our hands Kimi. Whether they like it or not, we are the key to saving their relationship...we will either save them or destroy them." Tommy said in a sad tone. He knew one mistake would leave a permanent emotional scar on Chuckie and Angelica.
Chapter 5: Emotional stress and the truth
Tommy put an arm around his cousin.
"You're going through a difficult time Angie. Just remember that I'm here to help you...and I want to help you. You are rather frail at the moment and the last thing I want to see, is you upset." Tommy comforted Angelica.
Angelica felt tears well up in her eyes, but she was able to fight them off for the moment. A small weak smile came across her face. She was fraught with so many emotions and Tommy appeared to be a rock for her to cling to in this dire period of her life.
"You won't tell anyone about this will you?" She asked.
"No." Tommy replied shaking his head with his eyes closed.
He hated lying to people, especially family. He knew that Angelica needed help but she would never admit that so he had to lie to her to help her. It never made sense in his mind to lie to help, but this might be an occasion where it may well be the best course of action to take. Hopefully with the information that Kimi can get from Chuckie, they can devise a plan of action to help both of them come to terms with what seems to be happening.
"Thanks Tommy." Angelica said, unaware of his deception.
The weather had turned from a nice sunny morning into a wet and drizzly afternoon. Tommy and Dil were reading books in their room, Phil, Lil, Angelica and Susie were playing Hearts while Chuckie was reading in his room. Kimi saw this as the perfect opportunity to interrogate her step- brother. She walked in and closed the door, leaning against it to stop Chuckie from leaving.
"So, dear step-brother." She said.
Chuckie looked at her and then went back to reading.
"Chuckie?" She asked.
"What?" Chuckie said in a frustrated tone.
"I'd like to ask you something."
"Shoot."
"What's wrong with you?"
"What do you mean? I'm fine." Chuckie said, a little confused by Kimi's question.
"I know you are in good health...at the moment. I want to know what is wrong between you and...ah...you-know-who."
"You-know-who?" Chuckie thought Kimi may have meant Angelica, but he questioned to be sure.
"Yeah, you-know-who as in Angelica Pickles." Kimi explained. She wondered if he was playing stupid with her.
"What about me and Angie? Everything is fine between us, we're fine and dandy." Chuckie replied.
"Yeah, that's the problem." Kimi said, her tone growing serious.
"I don't follow."
Kimi sighed in frustration.
"For God's sake Chuckie! What I mean is when we arrived you two were going hammer and tongs and now the two of you are rather close, despite the claim that both of you despise each other's guts!" Kimi loudly said to a rather shocked Chuckie.
Chuckie ran his left hand through his messy hair and sighed.
"Look, we just decided to calm things down between us as we are on vacation."
"Maybe, but I get the definite feeling that there is more to this story than you are telling me." Kimi said, her eyes narrowing.
"There's nothing more to tell, honestly!" Chuckie stated.
"Big fat lie, Chuckie Finster. I saw you and Angelica sitting right up against each other, almost hand in hand. A little hint there as the couch sits 3 people and the two of you were taking up about half of it." Kimi stated, folding her arms across her chest and leaning her head to one side.
"Um."
Chuckie had to admit, Kimi had him there. He was trying to think of an excuse, but he started to panic. He started to stumble over his words.
"It...It's not what you think." He spluttered.
"And what am I thinking?" Kimi questioned, knowing that Chuckie was close to giving in.
"Er...um...that...we are...you know..."
"A couple?" Kimi finished Chuckie's sentence for him.
"Uh...kind of. But we're not. We just...toned the aggression down, that's all." Chuckie tried to convince his sister.
Kimi raised an eyebrow.
"No, I think you are trying to convince yourself with that statement Chuck, not me. As your sister I know you pretty damn well. The only person who could know you the same or maybe better than me is Tommy and I'm pretty sure he would agree with me." Kimi explained, smiling at her brother knowing that he knew she was right.
Chuckie hated it when he knew his sister was right, and she was right here, although he did not want to admit it...he never wanted to admit it. His expression saddened.
'Looks like he has just cracked. Although I hate to seem him saddened, this is for his own good. Who knows what will happen if Tommy and I can't help them.' Kimi thought to herself.
"Oh alright, you win Kimi." Chuckie said, giving in. He sighed loudly. "It...it started yesterday. When you guys were taking your things upstairs, I went outside. Out of the blue Angelica tackled me to the ground and...and she started to...lay into me."
"She attacked you!" Kimi became furious.
"Yeah, but that ain't the end. After that she said that as we were on vacation she would leave me alone if I left her alone." There was a pause. "I asked her to get off of me and...and something inside me...just didn't want her to go...Something happened to her as well as she..."
"She what?"
Chuckie sighed.
"She kissed me."
Kimi's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. She stared at her brother in disbelief. The tables had turned now. She did not believe what he had told her, yet she knew it was true.
"Chuckie I...I'm speechless." Kimi said. She had not prepared herself for something like that.
Chuckie shook his head.
"I don't know what to do Kimi."
"How do you feel about her?" She asked.
"I...I'm not sure. Part of me still hates her, while another part of me does not know what to think while another part is...kind of attracted...to her."
"Attracted to her? You mean...like you're...sexually attracted to her?"
"Uh...Partly." Chuckie said shrugging his shoulders. "I don't know what brought this about. Maybe time caught up with us, I'm not sure."
"Are you in love with her?" Kimi asked.
Chuckie didn't know if he was in love with Angelica.
"I'm not sure. I...I like her. Now every time I look at her, I comment to myself that see is rather attractive and...well...I start to wonder if she would go for me..." Chuckie trailed off as he realized. "My God. I DO love her! I mean...crap, I love her. Oh Christ! What am I to do Kimi?"
"I don't know. I...I just don't know." Kimi told him.
Later that day, the rain had stopped and Tommy and Kimi had gone for a walk to discuss the results of each other's interrogations.
"You know, Chuckie is a complete wreck now." Kimi told Tommy.
"How come?" Tommy asked.
"Well, while I was talking with him I asked him how he felt about her and he started to comment on how he finds her quite attractive. Then he said that he was starting to wonder if she would go for him and then came the confession that he has fallen in love with her. The only problem is that he obviously still has the hatred and aggression against her." Kimi explained.
"Shit, that's bad. We gotta do something." Tommy said, immediately feeling concern for his best friend.
"Yeah, but what? Should we try to get them together or what?" Kimi asked.
"Well, maybe I should confront Angelica and ask her straight if she is in love with Chuckie. If she is, then we should try to get them together. If not...well I guess we will need help." Tommy explained.
"I am really worried about Chuckie. He is fraught with emotions...he loves her yet I think he feels that he cannot love her due to the history between them. This could destroy him." Kimi told Tommy, looking at him. "You have to find out if Angelica is in love with him. If she is, like you suspect, and Chuckie finds out that she loves him, then he might be able to accept his love for her."
Tommy nodded.
"Indeed. Their fate lies in our hands Kimi. Whether they like it or not, we are the key to saving their relationship...we will either save them or destroy them." Tommy said in a sad tone. He knew one mistake would leave a permanent emotional scar on Chuckie and Angelica.