A/N: I've been listening to odd music lately. Things I used to jam to in middle school (which was admittedly a long time ago). The music I listened to, and the fashion I picked up were pretty much all I'd like to remember from that period in my life. I hate most everyone who went to my middle school, they were all such jackasses. Anyways, I've been listening to Limp Bizkit (the old songs), MXPX (rockin' group), Rage Against the Machine (I still remember when I heard on the radio that they'd broken up), Sublime (great band, worship them!), Red Hot Chili Peppers, I grabbed the OPM song Heaven is a Halfpipe (which is like perfect for Rocket Power, if it weren't for all the drug references...), I even pulled out the Eagle Eye Cherry song "Save Tonight", which doesn't really fit in with the rest, but I still love it anyways.
I've been listening to Shakira too, who I love, she's got such wonderful and beautiful songs, especially the Spanish ones(ie. Tu, Que Me Quedes Tu, Donde Estas Corazon, Pienso En Ti, Si Te Vas, Estoy Aqui my favorite, etc.). One of the next parts in my A Simple Kiss series is going to rely heavily on Shakira songs for inspiration, and involve a lot of Twister's hispanic background (especially having to do with the dancing...flamenco, fandango, salsa, meringue...). Intrigued? If anyone knows of any reliable sources (websites, etc.) that has information on the dances, could you please send it to me? Thanks.
Um...that's enough of that.
ENJOY!
Otto threw open the cabin door, rushing in and tossing his things on the ground. Reggie followed, leading Twister by the hand. Sam trailed in after them. The rest of the family trekked in behind the four friends.
"This is awesome," Otto exclaimed, "But what's with the Christmas tree?" Indeed there was a large decorated pine tree in the middle of the cabin, a few presents laid underneath.
"Merry Christmas guys," Ray announced, "We're spending the holidays on the slopes!"
"Really?" Otto cried.
"Awesome," Reggie said, exchanging a high-five with her brother.
"That's cool," Sam cheered.
"Does this mean...does this mean..." Twister turned to his parents, "We're having the family reunion on Mount Baldy?" Lars turned to his parents as well, and Cleo simply slapped her forehead.
"I'm sorry boys," Raul sighed, "I know how much you two look foreword to the gathering of our family for the holidays...but this year..."
"No family reunion!" Lars cried ecstatically.
"No cousins whose names I can't remember all of!" Twister grinned, "I am so down with that!"
"I thought they'd be more disappointed," Raul said to Sandy, who simply shrugged.
"Cleo, I'll be driving you down on Wednesday to the airport," Sandy told her niece, "So you can meet your parents with the rest of the family. Can I count on you to take our presents to them?"
"Sure thing, tia."
"I hope you don't mind, Sammy," Mrs. Dullard spoke up, "I know you're not really fond of the cold...here's another scarf, oh, and put those gloves on."
"Uh...thanks mom. I don't mind, this is great," Sam said, smiling broadly.
"It was all your mother's idea," Ray told him, heartily slapping an arm around Mrs. Dullard's shoulders, "She set this all up."
"You did?" Sam raised an eyebrow.
"Dude, we're here," Otto cried, snowboard in hand and gear adorned, "Can we hit the slopes already?"
"Alright, kids, we'll get the unpacking done here," Ray told them, "You know which runs to stick to until I get out there."
"Oh, Maurice, Lars, don't you want to see our cabin?" Sandy asked.
"Later, mom," Twister said, giving her a quick peck on the cheek as he followed Otto out the door.
"Later much, mom," Lars agreed, placing a peck on her other cheek and heading out the door.
"Later," Reggie and Otto called.
"Mom," Sam moaned, as his mother pushed another sweater into his hands, "I'm good, can I go?"
"Be careful, Sammy, and remember that we're staying in this cabin. Let me get you a map, so you don't get lost..."
"Mom, I've stayed up here with the Rockets hundreds of times, I know my way back to the cabins," Sam protested, giving her a quick kiss and running out the door before anymore could be said.
"I'd like to see our cabin," Cleo told her aunt and uncle, who smiled happily, "And then I think I'll head over to the ice rink."
-0-0-
"Later, losers," Lars called over his shoulder, heading towards the expert slopes.
"Lars," Twister shouted to him, "We're not allowed to go on those runs until Raymundo gets out here!"
"Correction, lame-o, you're not allowed to. Check my ID, eighteen, I can do what I want," Lars retorted.
"Jerk," Otto yelled to Lars, before turning back to his friends, "I can't believe Raymundo has us secluded to the bunny hills!"
"Hey, you're the one looking for the snow bunny babes," Reggie replied sarcastically.
"I can't show the girls my awesome moves on those slopes!" Otto cried.
"Snow bunnies are girls?" Twister said confused.
"What did you think Otto meant by that term?" Sam questioned.
"I don't know...I was kind of hoping he meant that Mount Baldy opened a bunny farm..."
"Come on, Twister," Reggie rolled her eyes, taking his hand, "I'll explain it to you later. Let's get to the ski lifts." They trekked through the snow with varying ease, Sam having the most obviously difficult time. Otto grinned, elbowing Sam.
"Don't look know, Squid, but I think that girl has her eye on you," he said. Sam looked around, turning a deep shade of red.
"Where? Who?" he stammered, before his eyes fell on a frizzy haired girl on skis, breathing into an inhaler and staring glossy eyed out at the four friends. Twister and Otto broke into laughter.
"Nice guys," Reggie said tersely.
"Yeah," Sam scowled, "Besides, I think she's looking at Twister." Reggie narrowed her eyes, wrapping her arms possessively about her boyfriend.
"She better not be," she spat.
"She is not, Squid," Twister snapped, as they stopped behind the line of people waiting to board the ski lift.
"Major bummer," Otto commented to Twister, "You are so going to regret having a girlfriend during this trip, bro. The mountain is crawling with hot babes. It looks like Sam and I are going to have our hands full."
"M-m-m-me?" Sam stuttered.
"Yeah, we're total stags, dude," Otto exclaimed, clapping his hands together.
"Squid the stag?" Twister scoffed, "That's a good one, Otto," and promptly receiving a jab to the ribs. "Ow, Reg, what was that for?"
"Sam's not a bad catch," Reggie stated, and Twister gaped at her, "I personally think he's an attractive guy and any girl would be lucky to date him over you dweebs."
"Really? Thanks, Reg," Sam beamed.
"Any girl?" Twister pressed, evidently worried, "What about...what about a particular Rocket girl?"
"Uh oh," Sam gulped.
"Lovers' quarrel?" Otto looked to Sam.
"Yeah, lovers' quarrel," he nodded.
"You wouldn't choose the Squid over me...would you?" Twister questioned.
"Well, I don't know," Reggie said slyly, "I have seen more of Sammy lately than you."
"I was wondering when she would blow about that," Otto commented.
"I'll make it up to you, I promise," Twister pleaded.
"This is sickening," Otto muttered, jumping on the next available lift.
"Really," Reggie smiled, "And how do you plan on making it up to me?"
"I'll see you guys at the top of the mountain," Sam said, hopping on the next lift.
"Hm...I don't know. What do you want?" Twister questioned.
"I could think of a few things," Reggie grinned, taking his hand, "I don't really want to snowboard right now. I am, however, very interested in a cup of hot cocoa from the lodge, and maybe...a whole evening of your undivided attention?"
"I can do that," Twister conceded as they left the ski lift, heading towards the big lodge, "I'm not very good at division anyways. But won't Otto and Sam be mad we ditched them?"
"Yeah, but they'll get over it," Reggie replied, then smirking mischievously, "Or I could give them all the details of our time together, so they don't feel as though they were left out."
The lodge was particularly crowded that afternoon. There were lofty couches encircling the lobby, a large roaring fire in the stone fireplace, people sitting around chatting, and a small inlet for purchasing hot drinks and food. Reggie and Twister got their drinks, finding a seat in the lobby on the plush couch. Reggie snuggled close to Twister, and he wrapped his arms around her.
"I haven't felt this good in awhile," Twister mumbled, "You sure Otto won't mind..."
"Twister, I know he's your best bro," Reggie whispered, shifting slightly to look up at him, "But I am your girlfriend, so I have dibs on spending time with you first. We have all week to shred the mountainsides. We just got here, let's relax for a bit. Besides, all Otto seems to be interested in is looking at the ladies."
"Yeah, I guess you're right. I'm too tired right now to shred, anyhow. I worked a late shift last night, and my mom woke me up pretty early this morning," Twister sighed, sinking back into the chair.
"Why have you been working so much lately?" Reggie asked. It had been on her tongue for a time now, but Twister hadn't been up to talking until that moment. He had slept most of the car ride. He shrugged.
"Um...my boss asked me to," he lied. He couldn't tell her it was because he needed the money to buy her Christmas present, she'd feel guilty, or tell him he hadn't needed to or something along those lines. And besides, he didn't want to spoil the surprise that he'd gotten her something exceptionally great and really pricey that year.
"You didn't have to say yes," Reggie told him, giggling somewhat as she pressed her lips to his own. And that decidedly ended their conversation, as they shifted to get a slight more comfortable, deepening the kiss.
-0-0-
Otto placed his hands on his hips, standing in the doorway of the cabin. It was late in the evening, and Tito was busily preparing a dinner for the families. Sam stood next to Otto, both holding their boards in their hands. Sam soaked, evidently from a great deal of face plows. That's not to say he wasn't getting better at snowboarding, he just wasn't getting better at not landing on his face. Otto's lip was curled into a sneer and he was staring at Twister and Reggie, who had been volunteered to set the table with plastic ware and paper plates.
"Didn't see you guys at the top of the mountain," he snarled, "Decide to ride another run?"
"Oh, hey Otto," Twister looked up, smiling sheepishly, "No...we didn't..."
"We decided not to snowboard," Reggie spoke up.
"Oh, and what did you decide to do?" Otto pressed, his voice teetering dangerously on the edge of a shout.
"What do you think we decided to do?" Reggie muttered, before brushing a kiss along Twister's cheek and disappearing into the back kitchen. Otto narrowed his eyes at his longtime best friend who had turned a noticeable shade of pink.
"You ditched us to make-out with my sister?" Otto demanded.
"No," Twister protested, then in an almost whimper, "We didn't make-out the whole time."
"You..." Otto advanced, but Sam stepped in his way.
"Chill out, Otto. Remember, you're cool with Reggie and Twister dating?" he reminded the seething Rocket boy.
"Yeah, yeah," Otto grumbled, extending his hand to Twister, "We're cool, bro." Twister grinned, placing his hand over Otto's and they chanted a, "woogie, woogie."
"Tomorrow we'll ride the slopes," Twister promised, "I'll bring my camera, and maybe we can hit the expert runs."
"Definitely," Otto agreed, "Raymundo should be joining us, so he won't mind."
"Otto, I got to show you something," Twister said, as he watched Sam slip into the kitchen in search of Reggie, and most likely, food.
"What?"
"It's the reason I had to work so much," Twister explained, reaching into his jacket pocket and producing the small box, "I know I bailed on you a lot, but I had to buy this."
"What is it?" Otto asked eagerly.
"It's Reggie's Christmas present," Twister continued, lifting the top off the box. Otto raised an eyebrow.
"It's a necklace, dude," Otto stated blankly.
"You don't think she'll like it," Twister concluded in disappointment, sulking.
"Well...I don't know..." Otto shrugged, "It's Reggie...she doesn't usually ask for jewelry. She usually wants sports equipment or writing stuff." Twister frowned, "You could have bought her a notebook and it would have been cheaper, so then you could have spent more time with me then at work."
"I bought her a notebook last year, Otto, remember?" Twister cried, "I don't think she liked it very much."
"That thing had a picture of the ugliest bird I've ever seen on the cover," Otto retorted.
"Dude...I really worked hard to get this for her," Twister pouted, "It's white gold, those little stones are diamonds, man...at least, that's what the guy at the store said, and you don't think she'll like it?"
"I don't know, Twist," Otto snapped, "I mean, Reg has always been into...you know, not girly stuff, that's for sure. But man, this is nice. You really bought this for her?"
"Yup," Twister replied, "But what if she doesn't like it..."
"Dude, girls like jewelry, I guess. And Reggie is supposedly a girl," Otto shrugged, "And she'll flip when she finds out how hard you worked to get this for her."
"I hope so," Twister said, placing the lid back on the box and slipping it back in his jacket.
"She'll like it," Otto assured him, "So what'd you get me?"
"Nothing you'll like," Twister told him, making his way into the kitchen.
-0-0-
Reggie was in the lodge with Cleo the following day. They were sitting at one of the tables. Reggie was sipping a cocoa, Cleo a coffee. It was early in the morning. Ray and Tito were standing at the information center with the boys, trying to find out which slopes were best for the day. It had started snowing that night, and there were still little flurries of white falling.
"I can't wait to try this snowboarding," Cleo said, "Maurice showed me the videos of Otto and yourself, it looks like so much fun."
"I'm worried," Reggie whispered, leaning forward, "About my gift for Twister."
"Oh, what did you get him?" Cleo questioned.
"I went shopping with Sam," Reggie sighed, stirring her drink, "Made him help me pick something out...oh, man. I don't know anything about these things, Sam barely did. We looked at different cameras, different editing programs, I finally decided on this cute little digital camera...it cost a lot...and I don't even know if it's much better than the one he has."
"Calm down, Reggie," Cleo told her, "Maurice will love it no matter what." Reggie sighed, glancing around the lobby. "That's the tenth time you've done that," Cleo remarked, "Who are you looking for? And it better not be some ski hunk you met on the slopes in a time long past and your hoping some power of love will bring you two together, because my cousin..."
"I'm not looking for someone," Reggie grinned, lifting herself from the table, "Because I have found her. Lizzie!" she called, running through the crowd towards the stout young woman walking in from the snowy outside. She was short, sinewy, with shoulder length blonde hair and a broad smile.
"Reggie Rocket? Is that you?" the woman called, eagerly accepting a hug, "You've gotten taller, I'm jealous!"
"What do you care? You look gorgeous, Lizzie," Reggie exclaimed, "And you've probably gotten better on the slopes."
"No better than you, I don't doubt," Lizzie replied. Cleo came up slowly, crossing her arms over her chest and smiling to Reggie.
"Aren't you going to introduce me to your fabulously dressed friend, Reg?" she asked.
"Oh, I'm so sorry! Cleo, this is Lizzie, she's the most awesome snowboarder you'll ever meet. No one can tear it up like her on the powder," Reggie started.
"Except maybe you," Lizzie put in.
"You're modest," Reggie told the blonde, before continuing, "And Lizzie, this is Twister's cousin Cleo. You remember Twister right?"
"Yeah, he's one you really can't forget..." Lizzie mumbled, just as Otto breezed by, doing a brief double take and rounding back.
"Lizzie? Is that you?" he stated dumbly as Sam ran into him, only to look at Lizzie and smile sheepishly.
"Last I checked, yeah," she grinned.
"You look..." Otto started.
"Nice," Sam finished, then blushed, fidgeting with his glasses, "Aren't we snowboarding, Otto?"
"Yup, we'll see you girls on the slopes, right?"
"You can count on it," Lizzie relayed and both Sam and Otto rushed out the door, "They've grown...and I'm not complaining," she stated as Twister came past, pausing briefly to look at Lizzie a bit confused, then noticeably glancing down.
"How did your...?" he began.
"Twister," Reggie snapped, and he fell silent.
"Sorry," he mumbled, looking admonished to Reggie, "Ray said we could go on a few of the medium runs, so that's where we're headed," he told her, as she stepped forward, and Lizzie took note of how her hand came to rest on his side, "I'm gonna get some awesome footage of Otto doing some of his new moves."
"Don't waste all the footage on his beefs, Twist," Reggie joked.
"Yeah, I'll save plenty of room for your moves, Rocket girl," he grinned, "You'll catch up later, right?"
"Definitely," Reggie whispered.
"Right," Twister flushed, "Then...um....later..." He jogged out the door after Otto, glancing back slightly and Reggie followed his retreating form. Lizzie raised an eyebrow.
"Were you flirting with him, or are you like that with all the guys?" she inquired teasingly and Reggie's face turned red, "And was that Twister? Because...wow. Now I'm going to complain about how he's grown...and here it is, why did you not tell me he turned into such a babe? So, were you flirting with him, and if not, can I?"
"No," Reggie snapped, then eyes lowered, "I was not flirting, I was...well me and Twister are sort of...we're kind of...well..."
"They're dating," Cleo interrupted, "Sheesh, Reggie, are you ashamed or something?"
"I am not ashamed," Reggie told her somewhat bashfully, "I'm just...it's just...he's just...oh man."
"But you can't say it," Cleo pointed out.
"I can too. Lizzie, Twister and I are dating, we are a happy couple, most of the time. We kiss, we hold hands, we go out on dates just the two us, we are boyfriend and girlfriend. See Cleo, I have no problem saying it," Reggie spat, before smiling pleasantly at Lizzie, and saying, "So, are you just coming in from the slopes?"
"You're dating Twister and you want to know if I just came in from the slopes? I don't think so, girl, you need to give me all the details, and you need to do it now!" Lizzie cried, slipping an arm over Reggie's shoulder and leading her to the lobby. Lars, on his way out the door, stopped next to Cleo staring openly at Lizzie.
"Dude, that chick only has one leg," he blurted out. Cleo crossed her arms, looking up to her cousin.
"¿Cómo muy observador de usted? No pienso que usted podría ser más sensible si usted sostenía un pequeño conejo en sus brazos, y que fue vestido en color de rosa (How very observant of you? I don't think you could be more sensitive if you were holding a little rabbit in your arms, and were dressed in pink)," she scolded.
"Hey, I'm just saying..." Lars argued, "No que la una pierna que ella tiene no es más que bastante... es ella el amigo de Regina, porque no importaría de una introducción. (Not that the one leg she has isn't more than enough...is she Regina's friend, because I would not mind an introduction.)"
"No, pero yo es seguros que ella (No, but I'm sure she would)," Cleo replied, before leaving him gaping at the doorway to join the two girls chatting.
END A/N: I think that's about all I'll update tonight. I know, it's going really slow...and pretty fast at the same time...huh.
Please excuse any grammatical and typing errors, REVIEWS are loved, and THANKS FOR READING.
All I ever wanted was to eat popcorn with you...