Author's Note: Thanks again to all my reviewers! And I'd like to mention how excited I am that "My Life as a Teenage Robot" will begin it's new season this Friday, October 1! I just hope none of the new episodes will have anything to contradict my stories, but knowing my luck they probably will. Of course, that won't stop me from writing! So read on, folks!
Chapter Three: Costumes and Conspiracies
Two days after distributing their invitations, the three friends were spending the afternoon out in Tremorton shopping for party supplies. Sam and Brad had soon discovered that bringing Jenny to the party store was like releasing Tuck in a candy shop. The robotic girl just had to have anything with cute little ghosts, bats or black cats on it, and soon she had six baskets full of plastic-ware, candy corn, streamers and balloons. Unfortunately the three teens didn't have enough money between them to buy all the treasures Jenny wanted. They were still left with plenty of supplies although she was a bit disappointed, but the moment she stepped into the costume shop she forgot all about the it. Her optical receptors expanded to the size of tennis balls, taking in the aisles upon aisles of suits, cloaks, gowns and masks for every kind of costume imaginable. Squealing in delight, she loaded her bags of party supplies onto Brad and Sam before gleefully snatching up items to try on.
"Gee, she's taking this costume business pretty seriously, isn't she?" Brad remarked to the human girl at his side.
"You know how Jenny is." Sam smiled. "She'll take any excuse to dress up. Plus, this is gonna be her first costume party, so she has to have a great costume. Speaking of which, aren't you gonna try anything on, Brad?"
"What for? I'm already a pack mule." He chuckled at his own joke and set his many bags down on the floor. "Actually, I've already got my costume decided, and I'm gonna put it together from stuff I've got at home."
Sam set her own bags on the floor. "Really? That's a good idea. What are you gonna be?"
Brad smirked at her smugly. "Not telling. It's gonna be a surprise."
She pouted, clasping her hands imploringly. "Come on! Just give me a little hint! I won't tell! I promise! Pleeeease??"
He shook his head and folded his arms. "I'm not gonna give it away, but trust me, the ladies will love it."
"Jerk. Now you've go me curious." Sam frowned, feigning annoyance as she placed her hands on her hips. "Can you at least tell me what Tuck's gonna be?"
"He wanted to be Johnny Zoom, but Mom wouldn't let him." He leaned closer to her and lowered his voice. "Don't tell him I told you this, but she's dressing him up as Peter Proper."
Sam gasped and beamed. "That cute little bunny?!"
"Yup! It's a fuzzy white suit with floppy ears on the hood and a fluffy tail on the rear!"
"Oh my gosh! That's so cute!" She giggled as she pictured Tuck in his costume, his long ears drooping over his very grumpy and humiliated face. "He'll be adorable!"
Brad slid his hands into his pockets and grinned. "That's exactly why he hates it! His friends will be picking on him all night! But he'll get the last laugh because the kids with the cutesy costumes always get the most candy!"
Just then Jenny came up to them carrying a big pile of colorful costumes. "Look at this, guys! I had no idea there were so many kinds of witch costumes!" She was right; the selection of witch costumes in the store was extensive and had countless variations in style. They could be playful, glamorous, spooky, or any combination of the former and in any color or pattern.
Jenny had selected a few that interested her and lifted a black dress with a spider web pattern for her friends to see. Brad stared at it with a look of shock. "What?! Don't tell me you're having second thoughts about the 'no witches' rule!"
"Yeah! What was that you said the other day about never wanting to see a witch again?" Sam teased, poking the robot girl's shoulder.
"Come on!" Jenny said defensively, holding up another dress with an orange pumpkin pattern. "Just look at these outfits and tell me you're not having second thoughts!"
Sam felt her resolve crumbling as she looked at the trendy costumes. "They are pretty cool . . ."
"Oh, no you don't!" Brad protested. "You can't break the rule we already made!"
Jenny simply shrugged and tossed both dresses onto a nearby rack. "Black's not my color anyway." She held up a new pair of outfits for Sam to see. "Which of these princess dresses do you think would look better on me? The pink one or the purple one?"
As the two girls discussed the good and bad points of both dresses, Brad looked around at some of the other costumes in the racks. He picked up something long and black that had caught his eye. "Hey, Sam! You should get this outfit!"
Sam stared incredulously at the costume he was holding up. "A nun costume?! You're not serious!"
"Sure I'm serious!" he insisted. "I know you girls think I like short skirts, but I'm really more of a fan of modest, ill-fitting clothes. Leaves more to the imagination, y'know?" That was a lie, of course. The truth was that he wanted to guard Sam from the amorous advances of other boys, but he wasn't about to let her know that. She exchanged a disbelieving look with Jenny, and both of them smirked evilly. They were oblivious to his true intentions, but they had the feeling that he was fibbing about his taste in women's clothing. And now they were going to tease him ruthlessly for it.
"Gee, it's too bad you don't like short skirts, Brad, because I was thinking of getting this German Fraulein outfit." Sam picked up the costume from the rack it was on and held it up for Brad to see. Not only did it have a short and frilly skirt but also a very low neckline. Brad stood bolt upright, dropping the nun costume on the floor and blinking in astonishment.
The reaction was just what the girls had expected. Snickering impishly, Jenny picked up another hanger. "Hey, what about this one, Sam? The Cocktail Bunny!"
Brad's eyes bulged at the sight of the tiny leotard and rabbit-eared headband. Getting a major kick out of watching him, Sam snatched up several more hangers. "The Red Hot Riding Hood outfit is nice, too! And so are the Nurse Feelbetter and the Harem Girl ones!"
Jenny grabbed more hangers with sexy outfits. "Or the Saucy Pirate Wench! Or how about this? The French Maid!"
By now Brad's eyes had glazed over as he floated in his own little world. "Oo la la . . ." Brad murmured dreamily, grinning a huge, dumb grin. The goofy expression on his face made his two female friends crack up completely, and only their loud laughing snapped him out of his fantasy. His face turned bright red with embarrassment as he glared at them angrily. "That wasn't funny, you guys!"
"Yes it was!" Jenny replied perkily. She and Sam were still shaking with laughter and holding onto each other just to keep from falling over.
Brad sighed and chuckled a bit, shaking his head at the two silly girls. "You're evil! Both of you!"
Brit drummed her fingers on the tabletop anxiously. She and her cousin were lounging in the local coffee shop 'Coffee By Alex' which they considered to be far superior to the popular teen hangout 'Mezmer's'. Although the Crust's would occasionally drop by to grace the peons with their presence, the malt shop was beneath their high-class standards. And besides, both of them believed that sipping a cup of java made them look more sophisticated. Normally the taste and aroma of fresh coffee would calm Brit's trouble nerves. Today, however, no matter how much of the steamy fluid she sipped, she just couldn't relax. Tiff glanced over her own mug with her penciled black eyebrows arched curiously. Brit was studying a card in one hand while her long nails tapped away on the table. At last, the tapping stopped and she sat up straight, looking her cohort in the eye. "Tiff, I'm concerned about this new girl Sam."
"Me, too." Tiff replied, nodding in agreement. "She's crampin' my style! Did you see that skirt she had on today? It looks just like the one I got last week!"
"That's not what I mean!" Brit snapped and waved the card in her cousin's face. "She's not simply a threat to your style! She's allied herself with Jenny, our greatest enemy! And now, because of this party they're holding, both of them will be gaining much unmerited popularity!"
A mischievous grin spread across Tiff's face. She picked up a Biscotti cookie from the plate between them and dipped it in her coffee. "Not if we can help it! I got all kinds a' fun tricks to spoil the party! We'll make it a party to remember!"
"Yes, I like that. But that won't be enough." Brit's usual devious smirk began to return then. She picked up a cookie of her own and tapped it on the rim of her mug. "It would be a shame for us not to put the dirt we've dug up to good use. Not only can we turn their little fiesta into a fiasco," Her fingers pressed down hard against the pastry, causing it to crumble and finally snap in two. "But we can crush the fledgling friendship they have!"
"Ooh! Ooh!" Tiff swallowed the cookie in her mouth and bounced excitedly, remembering some juicy gossip. "That's right! You're gonna love this! Stephanie said Melissa said that Jason said that Sam invited Sheldon Lee! And just to get back at Jenny for dissin' her in front of Brad!"
Brit's black-lipped smirk became even crueler. "How unsporting of both of them! Jenny shall be severely put out to have that lovesick loser pursuing her at the party! And speaking of lovesick losers, I've heard from some reliable sources that Brad and Sam are interested in each other. However, Brad has made the grave mistake of inviting his toughest possible competitor for Sam."
Tiff gasped dramatically in astonishment. "You mean Don Prima?! He's after Sam now??"
"Of course he is!" Brit cackled wickedly. She took a small bite from her crumbling Biscotti before continuing. "He's dated every girl in the school, even Jenny! And now that there's a new girl around, he'll have his sights set on her!"
"And ruining Brad's chance for romance!" Tiff added with a spiteful, villainous laugh. "This is perfect! Jenny hardly needs us to sabotage her party!"
Brit grinned at her cousin mischievously. "Ah, but she does! In fact, that was her biggest mistake! Inviting us!"
To be continued . . .