More reviews means MORE STORY! Sorry, hyper right now, I just found out
that I get the rest of the week off of school!! Yaya! Also, if anyone is
wondering why I haven't updated The Untold Hamtaro yet, it's cuz I have
the second chapter already written on the computer in my room, but we still
don't have power and the generator is only connected to the downstairs
computer and not the one in my room. So anyhow, as soon as we get power
back I'll update that story. Until then, enjoy reading Tough Love.
~
Hannah was sobbing, holding her face and letting tears slip through her fingers and splash on the ground. She was leaning against a tree deep in the woods, thinking hard. Why had everything gone so wrong?
Just then, she heard someone walk up behind her. Without turning her head she said, "Leave me alone, Howdy! I don't want to talk to you any more right now!"
"You shouldn't be so hard on him," came Dexter's voice.
Hannah stopped crying and turned her head to look behind her. "Oh. I'm sorry. I thought you were Howdy."
Dexter walked up beside her, but he didn't look at her. Instead he held his gaze deeper into the woods, as if searching for something there.
"You know, Howdy really loves you."
"What are you doing telling me that for?" Hannah demanded. "He's nothing but a liar. Since he lied about you how am I supposed to believe he wasn't lying when he said he loved me?"
"Hannah, please," Dexter said. "You should give him another chance. You know, me and Howdy, we have our differences. But he's a great friend of mine and I know that you would be happy together."
"How can I love someone that I can't trust?" was all Hannah could say.
"He lied so you would be happy. Doesn't that mean anything to you?" Dexter asked.
"It means he's a liar, that's what it means to me," Hannah replied. "A lie is a lie no matter how you look at it."
"Okay, so maybe Howdy doesn't always make the best decisions," Dexter said. "But that shouldn't matter. All that matters is he loves you. Don't you see that?"
Hannah turned to Dexter. "You're really sticking up for him, aren't you?"
Dexter smiled. "I guess that's why we're such good friends. Even though we argue a lot, we always stick up for each other. That's what friends are for."
"Howdy sent you to talk to me, didn't he?"
Dexter was shocked. "No! What makes you think that?"
Hannah shrugged. "I guess it just seems like something he would do." Hannah looked at Dexter. Dexter looked at Hannah.
And then she did something that really surprised him.
"Dexter, will you do me a favor?" she asked.
"Sure, anything."
"Kiss me."
"What?!" Dexter shouted, completely taken aback.
"You heard me," Hannah said.
"But why? What's going on? I thought you weren't in love with me anymore!" Dexter said.
Hannah shrugged. "I'm not," she said.
"Then why -?"
"Because...because, well...when I was in love with you...I...I always used to imagine what it would be like to kiss you. And since I never got to find out - now's as good as ever, isn't it?" Hannah asked innocently.
"No!" Dexter replied. "Because I have a girlfriend and Howdy's in love with you!"
"Oh, come on," Hannah said. "No one will ever know. Just one little kiss. Kind of an end-of-our-relationship kiss?"
"Hannah, we never had a relationship," Dexter said, exasperated.
Hannah had given up arguing and now simply began leaning into Dexter. She planted her lips on his, and then there was nothing he could do. She kissed him. Not just a kiss. A kiss kiss. Passionate. Deep. Loving.
Dexter couldn't take it any more. He pulled away from Hannah hastily. "I - I can't do this," he stuttered, aghast. "If Pashmina finds out she's going to kill me. And Hannah - we're not in love. I don't love you. You don't love me. Or if you do, then what makes you any better than Howdy, since you just told me you don't?"
"You're right. I'm sorry," Hannah said.
There was an awkward silence. Then Dexter turned to leave.
"How long are you going to stay here?" he asked Hannah before he left. "It's getting dark, and I'm going home."
"Oh. I guess I should get going, too," Hannah replied. "But maybe I'll stay here a little longer. You can go."
"You sure you'll be okay?" Dexter asked her.
"Yeah," she said. "I know the way back."
"You sure you don't want me to stay with you?" Dexter said apprehensively.
"Don't worry. I'll be fine."
"Okay. Good night, then." Dexter began to walk away, then felt Hannah grab his paw.
"Dexter," she said.
He turned back around to face her. "Yes?"
"Um..." Hannah was silent a moment, then said, "Next time you see Howdy...do me a favor and tell him...tell him I forgive him, okay?"
Dexter smiled and nodded. "You got it," he said happily, and left in good spirits, knowing he's been able to help Howdy out. Then again, there was still that kiss...there had been something in it...it had felt so real, like it had come from someone who was madly in love with him. Why had she done that? What was going on?
Suddenly, he heard the bushes to his left rustle, and looked over. He was surprised to see Howdy climb out of the bush, brush a twig off his arm, and look him square in the face.
"So. This is how it's gonna be," Howdy said.
"Howdy? What are you talking about?" Dexter asked, confused.
"I saw what just happened!" Howdy yelled. "I have eyes, ya know!"
"You mean you were spying on me and Hannah just now?" Dexter asked, surprised and annoyed.
"I can't believe this," Howdy said. "You are nothing but a filthy, sneaky rat! Cheating on Pashmina like that! With the gal I'm in love with! Could you possibly be any lower?"
"Oh, no, you've got it all wrong," Dexter said hastily. "That kiss? That wasn't me. That wasn't my fault. I'm not in love with Hannah! I don't know what possessed her to do that but I -"
"Oh, so now yer blaming it on her?" Howdy said angrily. "Using Hannah to cover up your own faults?"
"Howdy, please, let me explain -"
Howdy was boiling over with rage, a time bomb about to explode. Without warning he curled his paw into a fist and punched Dexter hard in the stomach. Dexter doubled over in pain, holding his stomach.
"That's for Pashmina," Howdy said monotonously.
"Howdy, please," Dexter said unsteadily, gasping for air. "You've got to believe me!"
Howdy shook his head and started walking away. "I thought I knew you, Dex. I didn't think in a million years you'd do something like this." Dexter watched him walk away, trying to get his attention by saying, "Wait! Howdy!" but he couldn't catch up with him because he was still in pain and couldn't find the strength to run.
"Howdy...Hannah said...she said she forgives you! She wanted me to tell you that!" Dexter shouted as loud as he could after Howdy. Howdy paused, started to look back over his shoulder, and then shook his head and continued walking away.
Dexter just stood there, and watched Howdy disappear from view. After a moment, the pain eased and he was able to catch his breath. He turned around and walked deeper into the woods, searching for Hannah. It was no use. She had vanished into the night and was now nowhere to be found.
~
Poor Dexter! Talk about a gigantic mess, huh? What's gonna happen now??? You'll have to wait for the next chappie. Possibly some Bijou+Panda to come (for Haily-Comet!) and I might try to squeeze in some S+Mness (for my good friend Numbuh 7!). Anyhow, that's it for now. Keep them reviews a-comin'! That's what I like, baby!
~
Hannah was sobbing, holding her face and letting tears slip through her fingers and splash on the ground. She was leaning against a tree deep in the woods, thinking hard. Why had everything gone so wrong?
Just then, she heard someone walk up behind her. Without turning her head she said, "Leave me alone, Howdy! I don't want to talk to you any more right now!"
"You shouldn't be so hard on him," came Dexter's voice.
Hannah stopped crying and turned her head to look behind her. "Oh. I'm sorry. I thought you were Howdy."
Dexter walked up beside her, but he didn't look at her. Instead he held his gaze deeper into the woods, as if searching for something there.
"You know, Howdy really loves you."
"What are you doing telling me that for?" Hannah demanded. "He's nothing but a liar. Since he lied about you how am I supposed to believe he wasn't lying when he said he loved me?"
"Hannah, please," Dexter said. "You should give him another chance. You know, me and Howdy, we have our differences. But he's a great friend of mine and I know that you would be happy together."
"How can I love someone that I can't trust?" was all Hannah could say.
"He lied so you would be happy. Doesn't that mean anything to you?" Dexter asked.
"It means he's a liar, that's what it means to me," Hannah replied. "A lie is a lie no matter how you look at it."
"Okay, so maybe Howdy doesn't always make the best decisions," Dexter said. "But that shouldn't matter. All that matters is he loves you. Don't you see that?"
Hannah turned to Dexter. "You're really sticking up for him, aren't you?"
Dexter smiled. "I guess that's why we're such good friends. Even though we argue a lot, we always stick up for each other. That's what friends are for."
"Howdy sent you to talk to me, didn't he?"
Dexter was shocked. "No! What makes you think that?"
Hannah shrugged. "I guess it just seems like something he would do." Hannah looked at Dexter. Dexter looked at Hannah.
And then she did something that really surprised him.
"Dexter, will you do me a favor?" she asked.
"Sure, anything."
"Kiss me."
"What?!" Dexter shouted, completely taken aback.
"You heard me," Hannah said.
"But why? What's going on? I thought you weren't in love with me anymore!" Dexter said.
Hannah shrugged. "I'm not," she said.
"Then why -?"
"Because...because, well...when I was in love with you...I...I always used to imagine what it would be like to kiss you. And since I never got to find out - now's as good as ever, isn't it?" Hannah asked innocently.
"No!" Dexter replied. "Because I have a girlfriend and Howdy's in love with you!"
"Oh, come on," Hannah said. "No one will ever know. Just one little kiss. Kind of an end-of-our-relationship kiss?"
"Hannah, we never had a relationship," Dexter said, exasperated.
Hannah had given up arguing and now simply began leaning into Dexter. She planted her lips on his, and then there was nothing he could do. She kissed him. Not just a kiss. A kiss kiss. Passionate. Deep. Loving.
Dexter couldn't take it any more. He pulled away from Hannah hastily. "I - I can't do this," he stuttered, aghast. "If Pashmina finds out she's going to kill me. And Hannah - we're not in love. I don't love you. You don't love me. Or if you do, then what makes you any better than Howdy, since you just told me you don't?"
"You're right. I'm sorry," Hannah said.
There was an awkward silence. Then Dexter turned to leave.
"How long are you going to stay here?" he asked Hannah before he left. "It's getting dark, and I'm going home."
"Oh. I guess I should get going, too," Hannah replied. "But maybe I'll stay here a little longer. You can go."
"You sure you'll be okay?" Dexter asked her.
"Yeah," she said. "I know the way back."
"You sure you don't want me to stay with you?" Dexter said apprehensively.
"Don't worry. I'll be fine."
"Okay. Good night, then." Dexter began to walk away, then felt Hannah grab his paw.
"Dexter," she said.
He turned back around to face her. "Yes?"
"Um..." Hannah was silent a moment, then said, "Next time you see Howdy...do me a favor and tell him...tell him I forgive him, okay?"
Dexter smiled and nodded. "You got it," he said happily, and left in good spirits, knowing he's been able to help Howdy out. Then again, there was still that kiss...there had been something in it...it had felt so real, like it had come from someone who was madly in love with him. Why had she done that? What was going on?
Suddenly, he heard the bushes to his left rustle, and looked over. He was surprised to see Howdy climb out of the bush, brush a twig off his arm, and look him square in the face.
"So. This is how it's gonna be," Howdy said.
"Howdy? What are you talking about?" Dexter asked, confused.
"I saw what just happened!" Howdy yelled. "I have eyes, ya know!"
"You mean you were spying on me and Hannah just now?" Dexter asked, surprised and annoyed.
"I can't believe this," Howdy said. "You are nothing but a filthy, sneaky rat! Cheating on Pashmina like that! With the gal I'm in love with! Could you possibly be any lower?"
"Oh, no, you've got it all wrong," Dexter said hastily. "That kiss? That wasn't me. That wasn't my fault. I'm not in love with Hannah! I don't know what possessed her to do that but I -"
"Oh, so now yer blaming it on her?" Howdy said angrily. "Using Hannah to cover up your own faults?"
"Howdy, please, let me explain -"
Howdy was boiling over with rage, a time bomb about to explode. Without warning he curled his paw into a fist and punched Dexter hard in the stomach. Dexter doubled over in pain, holding his stomach.
"That's for Pashmina," Howdy said monotonously.
"Howdy, please," Dexter said unsteadily, gasping for air. "You've got to believe me!"
Howdy shook his head and started walking away. "I thought I knew you, Dex. I didn't think in a million years you'd do something like this." Dexter watched him walk away, trying to get his attention by saying, "Wait! Howdy!" but he couldn't catch up with him because he was still in pain and couldn't find the strength to run.
"Howdy...Hannah said...she said she forgives you! She wanted me to tell you that!" Dexter shouted as loud as he could after Howdy. Howdy paused, started to look back over his shoulder, and then shook his head and continued walking away.
Dexter just stood there, and watched Howdy disappear from view. After a moment, the pain eased and he was able to catch his breath. He turned around and walked deeper into the woods, searching for Hannah. It was no use. She had vanished into the night and was now nowhere to be found.
~
Poor Dexter! Talk about a gigantic mess, huh? What's gonna happen now??? You'll have to wait for the next chappie. Possibly some Bijou+Panda to come (for Haily-Comet!) and I might try to squeeze in some S+Mness (for my good friend Numbuh 7!). Anyhow, that's it for now. Keep them reviews a-comin'! That's what I like, baby!