Crystal left N'Tek at 5 o'clock to begin cooking dinner. She knew that Laura would insist upon helping, and was grateful for that since she has an hour before her friends arrived, and wanted dinner to be ready within a half of an hour of that.
She arrived home just a few minutes later, and got right to work on the meal. "So, what did you do while I was gone? Anything fun?" Crystal asked while grating the cheese for her Lasagna. "Oh, watched a little TV, read a few of the books from my room. Not a whole lot. I thought you got off of work at 6, how did you get away early?" "I work with the boss' son Laura, how do you think I got away early? I'm kidding; I just asked Jeff if I could leave an hour early. I told him that I had to cook because I had guests coming for dinner, and he told me that it was no problem. No reason to lie to him, right?" Laura nodded as Crystal continued.
"I told everyone to be here at 6, Josh agreed immediately when he found out that you would be here. It was so cute." Laura began to blush, she opened the refrigerator to hide her face, but she was too late. "I saw that Laura, you're blushing. Aw, how cute!" "What?" Laura tried hard to hide a smile from her friend, knowing that she would never be allowed to live that down. "You two still have a thing for each other, after more than a year. That's so adorable." Crystal smirked as she walked around her kitchen. She told Laura that she would try to help get them back together, but not be too obvious about it.
A few minutes before 6 o'clock, the first person arrived, but a problem followed. Crystal saw Shadow in her driveway and knew that Josh was here early to see Laura, but was shocked by what she saw when she opened her door. "Max!" she said, surprised by his mistake. "What are you doing here?" Confusion fell upon his face at her question. "Huh, you invited me, remember?" "No, I invited your friend, JOSH. Not Max Steel, to dinner." She whispered toward him so that Laura would not come to the door.
"What?" he asked as he looked at his clothes. "Oh shit, I forgot, uh what now?" He was near a blind panic at this point, knowing that he could have just ruined everything. Hey, I want to show you something really quick. Come here." Crystal gestured for him to come inside of her house. She walked him down the main hall and shoved him into the downstairs bathroom. Immediately, he hit the button on his communicator and emerged as Josh McGrath.
"Ok, much better, so where are you hiding Laura." Crystal shrugged and pointed toward the dining room where Laura was setting the dinner table.
Josh turned back toward the bathroom, checked his hair for a second, and went toward the dining room to see Laura. Josh crept into the room where Laura had her back toward the hall. He tried to move quietly so that she wouldn't notice him behind her as she sat silverware next to each plate. "Boo!" Josh shouted as he tickled her waist. "Ah," she shrieked.
Unfortunately, shrieking wasn't all that the startled girl did. Laura threw her right arm back, hitting Josh in the stomach with her elbow. Josh clutched his waist and moved back a few steps. "Oh my god, Josh, are you ok?" "I-I'm fine. Wow, you've gotten pretty strong since you left. I'm impressed." She smiled as she walked with him around the couch to help him sit down. "Sorry sweetie, you scared me." Josh smiled bright at her minor slip of reverting back to calling him sweetie like she had done before. She paled slightly at the realization, but decided that correcting herself might draw attention to something that she wasn't even sure that he had noticed. Instead she offered him a drink. "Sure" he said as he watched her walk out of the room. She walked back in with a glass for him and asked if he wanted to see what was on TV since he was a bit early.
She picked up the remote and found the end of a movie that they had watched together many times, although they only managed to watch the entire movie once. "Hey, I think I've seen this one before!" Laura told Josh as she put down the remote. "You know, I only remember seeing the first 2-3 minutes of it except for in the theater." They both laughed, remembering that Josh had always invited Laura over to watch movies, and they would never get to see the entire thing, so they always picked movies that they had already seen.
Crystal decided to stay in the kitchen and give them some privacy. Laura felt bad about leaving her alone, and offered her assistance. "Crystal, do you need any help?" Laura shouted. "No, I'm cool." "Ok, let me know if you do." "Alright." Crystal was almost done cooking, she was very happy that dinner would be done within a few minutes of everyone's arrival.
Everyone else arrived together at a few minutes past 6. Crystal opened the door and said hi to everyone and walked with them into the living room where Josh and Laura were trying to find something to watch since their movie had just ended. Crystal walked into the kitchen and pulled the last part of their meal out of the oven. She sat everything on the table, and yelled "Dinner's ready." Everyone walked out of the living room and sat at the table. Pete sat between Josh and Kat, and with Josh sitting next to Laura, that left Crystal to sit between Laura and Berto. The group ate until they were stuffed, and Josh ate a bit more after that. "God, what a pig. Aren't you ready to explode yet?" Crystal asked in amazement. "Yeah, but this is good, and I don't get home cooked meals too often."
Crystal began to realize that now was probably the best time for her to try to convince Josh to tell Laura about his secondary life as Max Steel. "Uh, Josh. Could you help me carry some of these dishes into the kitchen please?" "Ok." Josh picked up a few of the plates and followed her into the kitchen. They put down the dishes in the sink and headed back for the table. "Uh Josh, wait a minute. I need to talk to you." Josh looked worried that he might be in trouble. "Sup?" "Listen, I know that I told you that I would back off for two weeks about telling Laura, but I really think that tonight would be a really good time. I mean, you have all of us here for support."
"I-I don't know, I still don't know what to say." Crystal understood that he was afraid of scaring her, but still felt that telling her was necessary. "Come on Josh, we'll all be right there behind you to help." Josh nodded and said that he'd try to tell her. The two walked into the dining room to see that everyone had left. They had all went into the living room and put in a movie. Josh turned off the TV and tried to find the words to start the conversation.
She arrived home just a few minutes later, and got right to work on the meal. "So, what did you do while I was gone? Anything fun?" Crystal asked while grating the cheese for her Lasagna. "Oh, watched a little TV, read a few of the books from my room. Not a whole lot. I thought you got off of work at 6, how did you get away early?" "I work with the boss' son Laura, how do you think I got away early? I'm kidding; I just asked Jeff if I could leave an hour early. I told him that I had to cook because I had guests coming for dinner, and he told me that it was no problem. No reason to lie to him, right?" Laura nodded as Crystal continued.
"I told everyone to be here at 6, Josh agreed immediately when he found out that you would be here. It was so cute." Laura began to blush, she opened the refrigerator to hide her face, but she was too late. "I saw that Laura, you're blushing. Aw, how cute!" "What?" Laura tried hard to hide a smile from her friend, knowing that she would never be allowed to live that down. "You two still have a thing for each other, after more than a year. That's so adorable." Crystal smirked as she walked around her kitchen. She told Laura that she would try to help get them back together, but not be too obvious about it.
A few minutes before 6 o'clock, the first person arrived, but a problem followed. Crystal saw Shadow in her driveway and knew that Josh was here early to see Laura, but was shocked by what she saw when she opened her door. "Max!" she said, surprised by his mistake. "What are you doing here?" Confusion fell upon his face at her question. "Huh, you invited me, remember?" "No, I invited your friend, JOSH. Not Max Steel, to dinner." She whispered toward him so that Laura would not come to the door.
"What?" he asked as he looked at his clothes. "Oh shit, I forgot, uh what now?" He was near a blind panic at this point, knowing that he could have just ruined everything. Hey, I want to show you something really quick. Come here." Crystal gestured for him to come inside of her house. She walked him down the main hall and shoved him into the downstairs bathroom. Immediately, he hit the button on his communicator and emerged as Josh McGrath.
"Ok, much better, so where are you hiding Laura." Crystal shrugged and pointed toward the dining room where Laura was setting the dinner table.
Josh turned back toward the bathroom, checked his hair for a second, and went toward the dining room to see Laura. Josh crept into the room where Laura had her back toward the hall. He tried to move quietly so that she wouldn't notice him behind her as she sat silverware next to each plate. "Boo!" Josh shouted as he tickled her waist. "Ah," she shrieked.
Unfortunately, shrieking wasn't all that the startled girl did. Laura threw her right arm back, hitting Josh in the stomach with her elbow. Josh clutched his waist and moved back a few steps. "Oh my god, Josh, are you ok?" "I-I'm fine. Wow, you've gotten pretty strong since you left. I'm impressed." She smiled as she walked with him around the couch to help him sit down. "Sorry sweetie, you scared me." Josh smiled bright at her minor slip of reverting back to calling him sweetie like she had done before. She paled slightly at the realization, but decided that correcting herself might draw attention to something that she wasn't even sure that he had noticed. Instead she offered him a drink. "Sure" he said as he watched her walk out of the room. She walked back in with a glass for him and asked if he wanted to see what was on TV since he was a bit early.
She picked up the remote and found the end of a movie that they had watched together many times, although they only managed to watch the entire movie once. "Hey, I think I've seen this one before!" Laura told Josh as she put down the remote. "You know, I only remember seeing the first 2-3 minutes of it except for in the theater." They both laughed, remembering that Josh had always invited Laura over to watch movies, and they would never get to see the entire thing, so they always picked movies that they had already seen.
Crystal decided to stay in the kitchen and give them some privacy. Laura felt bad about leaving her alone, and offered her assistance. "Crystal, do you need any help?" Laura shouted. "No, I'm cool." "Ok, let me know if you do." "Alright." Crystal was almost done cooking, she was very happy that dinner would be done within a few minutes of everyone's arrival.
Everyone else arrived together at a few minutes past 6. Crystal opened the door and said hi to everyone and walked with them into the living room where Josh and Laura were trying to find something to watch since their movie had just ended. Crystal walked into the kitchen and pulled the last part of their meal out of the oven. She sat everything on the table, and yelled "Dinner's ready." Everyone walked out of the living room and sat at the table. Pete sat between Josh and Kat, and with Josh sitting next to Laura, that left Crystal to sit between Laura and Berto. The group ate until they were stuffed, and Josh ate a bit more after that. "God, what a pig. Aren't you ready to explode yet?" Crystal asked in amazement. "Yeah, but this is good, and I don't get home cooked meals too often."
Crystal began to realize that now was probably the best time for her to try to convince Josh to tell Laura about his secondary life as Max Steel. "Uh, Josh. Could you help me carry some of these dishes into the kitchen please?" "Ok." Josh picked up a few of the plates and followed her into the kitchen. They put down the dishes in the sink and headed back for the table. "Uh Josh, wait a minute. I need to talk to you." Josh looked worried that he might be in trouble. "Sup?" "Listen, I know that I told you that I would back off for two weeks about telling Laura, but I really think that tonight would be a really good time. I mean, you have all of us here for support."
"I-I don't know, I still don't know what to say." Crystal understood that he was afraid of scaring her, but still felt that telling her was necessary. "Come on Josh, we'll all be right there behind you to help." Josh nodded and said that he'd try to tell her. The two walked into the dining room to see that everyone had left. They had all went into the living room and put in a movie. Josh turned off the TV and tried to find the words to start the conversation.