Chapter 34: More "Lovely" Stories
With Stella...
FLASHBACK
"Who's brilliant idea was this?" Stella asked with a pissed off voice.
The maid shrugged. "Your father's, I suppose."
Stella sighed. "Can I just throw up now and stay in bed for the rest of the day so I can get out of this?"
"Just TRY to have a good time, Stells, and it'll pass by quickly."
"Can I slit my wrist so it'll go faster?"
"...No."
Currently Stella and the maid were in Stella's bedroom. Stella was wearing a silver dress that blended in with her spots. The maid was pacing around.
Stella sighed again. "So Jake is gonna come here, pick me up, and we're going to this Carney Fest?"
"...Yes, in simple words," the maid muttered.
"I hate Carneys," Stella murmured under her breath.
"...Me, too," the maid whispered.
"Stella! Stella! Come down here!" Simon's voice called from far away.
Stella stood up and brushed off her dress. "Dammit, I don't wanna go."
"Miss Stella!" the maid gasped.
"...What?" Stella sighed.
"You said the magical D word!"
"So?" Stella retorted as she walked out the door.
Stella walked down the hallway, to and down the stairs, and walked into the parlor. Simon and Jake were standing there talking with light whispers so Stella couldn't hear them. They turned toward Stella. Simon nodded and remarked, "You two have a good time. Don't be back too late! Ha ha..."
Jake nodded gleefully as he took Stella by the paw. She bit her lip and gritted her teeth as she walked with him out of the mansion. Stella glanced around and didn't see any cars. "...So where's your car?"
"...Car? Oh, I don't have one." Jake shrugged.
Stella sighed angrily.
After a while, the two finally came to a large gate with a ticket booth. There was a long line, but it passed quickly. It was about their turn to pay for their tickets, but suddenly...
"Move it! Move it! Outta my way!" a booming voice shouted.
Stella flashed her silver eyes. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the Bad Ham dictator, Mike, with the Numbers. They walked up to the booth, and the person behind the ticket booth cowered. Mike rolled his eyes. "You. Yeah, you. Give us all free passes 'cuz I don't feel like paying you again. Yeah, the rest of the people in this line, too."
The person in the ticket booth cowered still.
A few minutes later, the Bad Hams were out of sight as everyone else in the line got their free passes. This was one of those occasions where "they" did something for others (still not very lawful, but meh). Jake was shivering because of the sight of them and the biting cold wind. Once he and Stella got into the carnival, Stella only remembered being dragged onto a Ferris wheel.
"I hate heights," Stella murmured angrily. "I hate Ferris wheels. I hate the cold. I hate you."
Jake rolled his eyes and sighed.
Before the Ferris wheel even got started, Stella got off of it. Jake was about to get off, but then it started, so Stella walked off alone. He yelled at her to wait for him, but she kept on walking.
"This is torture in a park," Stella shouted as she stomped her foot. "I want out!"
Stella continued walking around with nothing to do. The Ferris wheel was somewhere, but she didn't know where. The crowds were large, and she soon lost her way, and thus she couldn't find her way out.
"DAMMIT!" Stella shouted as she stood in the middle of the kids' area. Women with their young children covered their children's ears as they slowly walked away. Stella continued shouting. "I CAN'T FIND MY DAMN WAY OUT OF THIS DAMN PLACE!"
"Mommy, what does 'damn' mean?" a random little kid asked their mother.
Stella shouted angrily more curses into the biting cold, some that are too out there to write down. She paced angrily around the park, not able to find her way out. She soon just gave up and leaned back against a fence.
A man walking by glanced at her eerily. He turned toward her and remarked, "Ya know, I wouldn't be 'ere 'lone."
"Why?" Stella retorted as she crossed her arms.
"The 'ad 'ams 're some'here," he said before walking away.
"Well, screw you, too," Stella muttered as she stopped leaning against the fence and started walking. She walked until she came to a ride that spun around and around. Stella walked up to it and walked inside it when it stopped. She leaned up against one of the panels on it. A few others walked on, but some got off when some of the Numbers in the Bad Hams got on with Mike. Stella looked up barely and hid her face when he walked by her. He glanced at her for a second and then leaned up against the panel beside her. Mike flashed his brown eyes and whispered in his dark voice, "You were at the store the other day, weren't you?"
Stella nodded slightly. "Yes, I was with my father."
He nodded, too. "Nice. What's-"
Before he could say anything else, the ride started spinning. The force of the spinning magneted everyone to their panels, and the panels slid up and down. When the ride stopped, Stella looked beside her, but the sly dictator wasn't there anymore, and neither were any of the Numbers. Stella sighed as she walked off the ride and stepped away from it.
Suddenly Jake appeared. "I've been looking for you," he said as he tried to hold her paw. She jerked her paw away and muttered, "Take me home. Now."
Jake shrugged and sighed. "Alright, I guess," he mumbled.
END OF FLASHBACK
"...Stella?" Jake inquired as he tapped her on the shoulder.
Stella jumped up. "I'M AWAKE."
"...Okay..."
She and Jake were in the middle of the living room. He was talking about something, but Stella hadn't been paying attention, and Jake sort of realized. Jake sighed as he whispered, "Are you listening?"
"No," Stella responded frankly.
Jake sighed again as he stayed silent. Stella did not say anything either.
With the double agents...
"I wonder where Chad is today," Caitlin whispered as they walked along the main street of Hamster City.
Megan and Natsu shrugged. "I guess he's off doing whatever," Megan mumbled.
"Yeah, out in one of the alleys or something," Natsu responded. "I wish this was over with; I miss Howdy."
"I miss Boss," Caitlin whispered.
"...I miss whoever," Megan muttered.
Caitlin suddenly saw Chad sitting atop of a trash can writing down something onto a pad of paper. She shouted, "Chad! Over here!"
Chad looked up. "Hi, Shoxxi gals! What's up?"
"Not much other than listening to your self-enthusiasm," Megan retorted.
"What does self-enthusiasm mean?"
"...Sigh," the three double agents sighed.
"What?"
"..." The three double agents never said a word as Chad started talking again.
"Well, the wedding is the day after tomorrow," he explained. "I won't be able to meet you tomorrow because of plans."
"And we looked like we cared?" Caitlin muttered.
Meanwhile...
"Why won't you listen to me? I'm TRYING to talk to you!" Jake complained to Stella as she paced around the room.
"Look, Jake, I got the perfect solution for your heartbreak and depression," Stella retorted. "Cry a river, and then drown in it." She looked away and sat down on the couch. "And no, I don't care about what you're about to say, so just don't say it."
Jake sighed as he walked to the wall and whispered, "Alright, I suppose..."
FLASHBACK
Jake waited politely in the parlor. He sat in one of the overfilled chairs, and Simon sat across from him. Simon was whistling a simple tune in an uptight tone.
"Sooo...," Simon whispered, "...you like her, right?"
"Of course, sir," Jake responded.
"You do want to...possibly...marry her, right?"
"Yes, sir, I do." Jake nodded enthusiastically.
"Grand! I already have all of the plans."
"Wa...wait a sec...," Jake muttered as he stood up. "You already planned on having her marry me?"
"Oh, yes, I have. Five days from today." Simon nodded as he stood up, too.
"Wow, things are picking up speed... Yes, sir! Yes, sir, I would!"
"Grand, grand, grand!"
Jake paused. What if Simon found out he didn't have a lot of money? What would happen then? He put up a flashing smile and whispered, "Yes, sir."
Stella then walked into the parlor. Jake and Simon automatically turned toward her.
Simon nodded and remarked, "You two have a good time. Don't be back too late! Ha ha..."
Jake stood up and took Stella's paw in his. They walked out of the parlor and out the door. There were not any cars around, so Stella asked, "...So where's your car?"
"...Car? Oh, I don't have one." Jake shrugged.
Stella sighed angrily.
After a while, the two finally came to a large gate with a ticket booth. There was a long line, but it passed quickly. It was about their turn to pay for their tickets, but suddenly...
"Move it! Move it! Outta my way!" a booming voice shouted.
Jake did not even look. He knew who it was. Jake held onto Stella's paw tighter despite the fact he was close to cutting off her circulation. After a minute, the line moved again, and for some unknown reason, the ticket booth person gave them free passes. He shrugged as he dragged Stella behind him as he walked through the gate and to the Ferris wheel.
"I hate heights," Stella murmured angrily. "I hate Ferris wheels. I hate the cold. I hate you."
Jake rolled his eyes and sighed.
Before the Ferris wheel even got started, Stella got off of it. Jake was about to get off, but then it started, so Stella walked off alone. He yelled at her to wait for him, but she kept on walking.
"Wa...wait! Don't leave!" Jake yelled after her. "Wait for me somewhere! Oh!"
Jake was somewhat upset and pissed off by the time he got off the Ferris wheel. Admittedly, he hated heights, too. Jake could not find Stella anywhere. He watched as a man walked by.
The man glanced at Jake. "Ya lookin' 'or some'in?"
"Yes, a girl. She's about seventeen, she was wearing a silver dress-"
"Zeh gallie ya lookin' 'or 'ent to zeh a'spinnin' 'ide," the man said before he walked away.
"'Zeh a'spinnin' 'ide'? What the crap?" Jake shouted. "Does he mean 'THE SPINNING RIDE'?"
"Yea," the man shouted back at him.
"...Okay! That makes sense," Jake said as he walked toward the spinning ride.
Right when he walked to the spinning ride, Stella was getting off of it. He rushed over to her.
"I've been looking for you," he said as he tried to hold her paw. She jerked her paw away and muttered, "Take me home. Now."
Jake shrugged and sighed. "Alright, I guess," he mumbled.
END OF FLASHBACK