Note: Okay, I think I should answer some questions that people asked in the reviews (I just loving answering questions!) that people would probably start asking again if I didn't answer them.
Q1: Is Kai or Kenny in the fic?
A1: Kai and Kenny will be appearing but not very soon. Since they're not that crucial to the story, you'll have to wait until like around the middle. I maybe able to squeeze them in earlier than that, but we'll have to wait and see what goes.
Q2: Is Ray getting married to Salima or Lola? Because in the elevator (see chap. 1 for reference) it seemed like it was Lola but in you wrote Salima. Which one is it?
A2: Okay, this might get people confused (if they didn't read the paragraphs! Just kidding, just kidding). Lola is getting married to Kenny, it says so in the 1st chapter. I'm gonna be bringing in Lola (again) and some other OCs later into the story.
And by the way, I know that Merriam is actually spelled Mariam, but I just don't feel like going through all the trouble of editing the last chapters, so I'm just gonna stick with this spelling (I'm so lazy, that I know it!). And btw, sorry if you think Tyson is way too OOC in this chapter.
Chapter Four: The Familiarity
Hilary's POV
Hilary twisted and turned until she finally sat up straight, her face covered in sweat.
It was precisely 1:00 AM and she was dealing with the aftermath of her dumb acceptance of the offer.
She was such an idiot.
Hilary was feeling majorly stupid.
'Why I accepted that offer is beyond me. Now, I'll have to meet Tyson everyday, and god, I'm-I'm just so stupid!' Hilary thought as she took deep breaths and tried to fall asleep again.
She knew she wasn't ready to meet him again.
Twisting and turning, trying to fall back to sleep.
She ended up staying awake throughout the rest of night, dreading the morning.
Why did she accept the offer?
Mariah's POV
Mariah used her spatula to move the pancakes away from the pan and onto the plate.
"Come on Hil, I know you're nervous about this job, but if you don't eat something, you're......mom's gonna hear about this!" Mariah threatened pathetically, tapping her foot and placing the pancakes in front of the brunette.
Hilary raised an eyebrow and replied sarcastically "Oh no, my mother will hear about this. My mother, who is 75 and lives in Bakuten (guess she never felt the need to move). How will I ever live?!" She put her hands on her cheek and looked Mariah with a shocked and scared expression (though Mariah knew she was mocking her).
Mariah rolled her eyes and said "Whatever. Just eat something okay, you don't want to go to work with people staring at you because of your dark circles under your eyes and your stomach's rumbling every 5 minutes."
Hilary sighed exasperatedly "Mariah I do not have dark circles under my eyes (do so!) and my stomach is not gonna rumble every 5- "She got cut off because her stomach rumbled like an avalanche right that second.
Mariah smirked as she watched Hilary groan, then started stabbing her breakfast and shoving them down her throat.
Oh she was good, she was very good.
Now if only the brunette would hurry up so she could get that call from Ray.
Third Person's POV
"I don't see why you're not coming with me to the metro so you can catch the train so you can go to work!" Hilary exclaimed as Mariah searched through her closet, trying to find something suitable for her to wear (AN: Hilary's wearing her pajamas at the moment).
"Because." Mariah's answer sounded a bit muffled. "My shift doesn't start until 3:00, and besides, I have lunch with Ray remember?"
Hilary smiled and said "Oh yeah, are you looking forward to it?"
"Of course I'm looking forward to it!" Mariah came out of the closet with a grin and clothes in her hand "Meeting with a long time and getting to know each other all over, bringing back old memories.......just rocks!"
Hilary raised an eyebrow.
Mariah handed the brunette the clothes "Here try this; it'll look good on you. Very professional, yet very comfy and good for a photographer."
Hilary went into the bathroom to change while Mariah waited (busying herself by whistling).
Then, 20 minutes later (Mariah told her to take a quick shower before she put on the clothes) Hilary came out, sporting blue pants and a gray buttoned down collar blouse with a blue petticoat over it (AN: I'm not very good at clothes, plus I've only seen a petticoat once in my entire life!).
Mariah tilted her head and smiled in satisfaction "See, doesn't that look nice? Now, goodbye, and tell me all about what you did when you get there! Don't leave out any details and such Bye!" She was pushing Hilary out of her room and out the apartment, while saying this not even giving her the chance to say bye.
Mariah leaned against the door and sighed in relief.
'Finally, thought she'd never leave.' The pink haired lady thought.
The phone rang and Mariah managed to take it almost immediately.
"Hello? Oh hi Ray! What's that? Oh, of course, 2:00 sounds fine, where do you want to meet? Borders sounds great! Meet you there in a couple of hours!" Mariah hung up with a grin on her face.
Yep, a meeting with a long time friend would be nice.
Hilary's POV
The elevator was so slow, turtles could've moved faster.
Hilary had been standing in the elevator for 10 straight minutes with 5 other people in it with her (all of whom which were either talking in their cell phones or smoking).
Finally, the elevator reached the floor she wanted and the brunette flew out the elevator, sighing with relief.
'I swear, if I had to stay in there for another minute, I would've died of boredom and exasperation.' Hilary thought as she walked into the room, glancing at the cubicles and people who were working very diligently.
"Um excuse me?" Hilary asked when she appeared at the back of the room, seeing a light brown haired girl with brown eyes talking to a phone.
The girl put the phone down and greeted Hilary with a "Hello, my name's Lola Doss, secretary. Can I help you with anything?"
"Yes. Do you know where Tyson Granger mi-"The brunette got cut off as the said boy appeared beside her.
"Oh hey, Ms. Tatibana, you're right on time! Come with me, I'll show you to your room." Tyson walked with Hilary following him.
"Call me Hilary please. Ms. Tatibana just sounds so weird for me." Hilary said honestly.
"Okay Hilary. Now, let's see. Ah, here it is." The bluenette opened the door and the two drank in the sight.
"This is where you'll be taking pictures of Beyblade matches, beyblades, beybladers, Beyblade teams, and other stuff. I'll leave you to deal with the people who are in charge of the lighting and such. If you have any questions, you can find me at the room next to the big one where Jax is. Good luck!" Tyson left her to stare some more.
The room was gigantic! It wasn't even really a room, more like a big spacious area with a small stage, a bunch of people playing around with the equipment, and some kids striking funny poses. Hilary was guessing this was where she would be taking those photos.
"Hey, are you the new photographer?" A girl with blonde hair that was styled in a cute bob cut and cheerful blue eyes asked. "My name's Maggie Hamden by the way and I'm your assistant. If you have any questions that Mr. Granger can't answer you come to me. Plus, I give you coffee and tea and other beverages you might need."
"Yes. And my name's Hilary Tatibana. Please to meet you. And don't call me Ms. Tatibana. Too old. Hilary will do fine." Hilary and Maggie both shared a chuckle.
Maggie started talking to her about some of the work "Okay Hilary. Now, the kids over there are the beyblader teams. You don't need to know their names; just take individual pictures of each kid and you're free to go. It sounds easy, but it's not. You have to make sure the lighting is right, what kind of pose looks about right. Also, if they look too......um, not good in front of the camera, then you might need to have some people do their makeup or something. But don't worry; you won't be doing this all alone! There are people who'll help you with the lighting, makeup, and all sorts of other stuff!"
Hilary whistled, clearly impressed. "Sounds good. Well, we better get to cracking!"
Maggie nodded and hollered to the other people in the area "Okay, people, our new photographer's here so let's help her with the stuff and hope she can make great photos and work overtime with the magic!" She walked away from the brunette, going to talk to some guy who was fiddling with the lights.
'Yeah, let's work the magic!' Hilary thought enthusiastically as she examined the camera in her hand.
She wondered how Mariah was doing.
Mariah's POV
"I'll have the fried fish with steamed rice please." Ray answered as he handed the waiter his menu.
"And what would your friend like sir?" The waiter asked jotting down the order as Mariah answered.
"I'll have the chicken soup served with bread." She handed the waiter her menu as well and he nodded and walked away.
"So Mariah, just what have you been doing these past few years?" Ray asked her with curiosity in his tone.
"Oh nothing much." Mariah answered as she twirled her straw around in her drink. "I moved to San Francisco cause I got a letter from some college saying they accepted my application and would look forward to seeing me there. I was a bit sad to leave my team, but I did promise I'd write to them when I could. Anyway, I met Hilary at the college and we became best friends and moved into an apartment together. What about you?" Mariah took a sip of her water and fixed Ray with a curious look.
Ray answered "Well, let's see. The Bladebreakers (I, Tyson, Kai, Max, and Kenny) won a lot of tournaments and lots of other things. We went to the same college that was in another part of California. Then, we all decided to travel a bit on our own for a while. Very coincidental, we found out that we were in the same city! And now, we've all different positions at the BBA and stayed close friends. I met Salima a month after I got the job at the BBA and we started going out. After 2 years of dating, I finally had the courage to propose to her and she accepted. Now, the marriage is in two weeks and I'm living as a happy engaged man." He stared at the ring on his finger with a smile on his face.
"Wow. Sounds like you've been doing nicely." Mariah observed and they both shared a chuckle.
'This sure is nice. Taking time to hang out with a friend and just enjoying sitting with them.' Mariah thought as she smiled.
The waiter appeared and put their dishes in front of them.
Mariah took a sip and swallowed happily. The food was really good.
The pink haired lady darted her eyes upward to be met with Ray's face for the briefest moment, before placing them down at her food again.
A wave of familiarity washed over Mariah for a moment that lasted a couple of seconds.
He had an extremely nice smile.......
Tyson's POV
"Here are the pictures sir." Hilary handed him the photos to look at.
They were in his room. Hilary had just finished taking the pictures and while the people were putting the equipment away, she went to Tyson to give him the photos.
He looked through them, clearly impressed. The pictures were really good. The kids all looked natural and the lighting hit their face just right. These pictures would have Beyzone begging to have them.
"Wow, Hilary. These are super good. I can just see these in Beyzone, looking great and such. You sure did a great work." He complimented her.
"You think so?!" Hilary asked, surprise filling her tone.
"Of course I do. You've got a lot of talent and I am definitely looking forward to seeing more photos taken by you again." Tyson told her with a happy expression.
"Well, thanks Mr. Granger. I'm glad you like the photos." The brunette told him as she sat down on the chair in front of his desk.
"Please, call me Tyson." The bluenette told her to.
Hilary paused, and Tyson saw a flicker of uncertainty pass through her face, though it disappeared so fast he wasn't exactly sure he was it in the first place.
"Okay." The brunette started, just raising her voice an octave higher than a whisper. "It was nice working here today.......Tyson." She looked up and their eyes met.
A wave of familiarity washed over him..........
'Strange. It's like I have this weird sense of déjà vu when I look into her ruby orbs. But that's not really possible, seeing as I've never seen her before.' Tyson thought as he looked at her eyes.
She blinked and he returned to reality.
"Um, yes well." Tyson mentally shook his head. "See you tomorrow."
"Right, tomorrow. Bye!" Hilary nodded and walked away after saying bye, closing the door and disappearing from his sight.
Tyson looked through the photos one more time, trying to ignore that very, very weird feeling he had.
It felt oddly and vaguely like.....
Familiarity.......
Third Person's POV
Hilary hummed, using her keys and opened the door, only to be greeted by an extremely weird sight.
Mariah was eating popcorn in front of the television.
"Oh there you are Hilary! Quick, come here!" She gestured for Hilary to join her at the couch. The brunette complied and sat down beside her.
"Okay, who do think is the best all around girl in What A Tangled Web We Weave, the sexy Veronica, nice Margaret, or tomboy Andy?" Mariah asked her as Hilary reached for a handful of popcorn for herself.
"I didn't know you watched Soap Operas Mar." Hilary said amused as she munched on her popcorn.
Mariah answered. "It's not so much the Soap Operas I'm interested in, it's the impossible love positions that the characters get in. I mean, come on! The things that these Soap Operas come up with are just so hilarious!" She sniggered, popping the last popcorn (that was in her hand) into her mouth.
Hilary raised an eyebrow and gave the pink haired girl a look.
Mariah rolled her eyes and said "Okay, okay fine. I admit it; some of the stuff on this thing can actually be good. But I still say that none of the things that appear on TV will be on real life!" She swallowed, gulping and turning to face Hilary.
"So, how was your work today? I didn't get to see you at all because of that sorry excuse for a boss kept breathing down my neck and badgering me every ten seconds. I'm surprised I actually managed to get out of that room for a drink, much less for when my day at work was finished."
Hilary frowned "I don't think Mr. Jax could be that bad Mar."
"I wasn't talking about Mr. Jax. I didn't even see a glimpse of that guy, he probably stayed in his room the entire day. There was this guy in the Beyblade room (that was where I was checking the beyblades, making sure they were okay and stuff) that kept bossing me around and stuff, said he was my instructor and such. If you ask me, he was just acting like an ass." Mariah grumbled.
"Anyway, back to the original question: how was your day at work?" Mariah prompted.
Hilary shrugged. "It was great. The people were friendly, they really listened to what you suggest and say. The last photographer must have meant a lot to them, they took his injury real hard; you should've heard what Maggie was saying about him. Anyway, I enjoyed taking the pictures, the kids were great. And that all ended with me calling Mr. Granger, Tyson." She gave a sigh here and asked.
"How was your lunch with Ray?"
"It was great as well. He and I talked about lots of stuff, plus the restaurant was superb! The food was great (that chicken salad was just dandy). I really liked it. Talking with Ray and getting to know each other all over was just.....well, I can certainly say I'm looking forward to lunch date or any other friend date with Ray again." Mariah smiled which Hilary gladly returned.
"So anyway......who's the best all around girl? Sexy Veronica, nice Margaret, or tomboy Andy?"
"..........Mariah?"
"Yeah?"
"I think you should just stick to sitcoms."
Chapter Four Ends..........To Be Continued
Note: Well, there you have it! A little glimpse of romance (a very little glimpse at that). You'll be getting more romance later into the story, but for now, you're just gonna have to watch the progress of friendship to relationship.
What To Expect In The 5th chapter:
1. Mariah and Ray spend some time at the mall.
2. Hilary spends a day at work where interesting things happen.
3. More of why the brunette hasn't been in contact.
4. Plot development.
See the clock up there? If it says 12:40 P.M. on it that means that I've been working on this all day and need some rest. Be happy knowing your needs come first! I'm gonna upload this thing first thing in the morning!
Okies then, review please and thanks for taking time out of your life to read this thing!