I'm sooooooo sorry guys for this ultra-long time before I update. X______X I just recently got off my sickness and then was and still is bombarded with homework. A couple of you commented on the prologue and that it was gone *frowns* I didn't delete it, FF.net did, saying that it broke some rule or something???? O.O I'm confused, anyways, on with the chapter, it's longer this time!! ^^ I don't have time to answer all my reviewers @_@, but I'm going to advertise my Michael fanlisting! XD If you're a Michael fan, and if you aren't, read my other fic: Where Your Loyalties Lie, it has lots of Michael and is sure to make you love him, ^_~, so join the listing if you are! The URL's in my site ^^
Oh and thx soooo much for the 600 reviews milestone! ^^ *glompz*
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Chapter 42: The Known Secret
"Umm...Tala?" Hru said uncertainly as she slipped into his car, she couldn't stand not asking, she HAD to know for sure. How on Earth could they think that she would pretend to be invisible every time they talked about the "c" word.
"Oh for Lord's sake…be a man."
"Yeah?" Tala said distractedly, adjusting his seatbelt while fumbling for his keys, "What?"
"Why...um...why...um…" Hru started, but she couldn't finish, the words just seemed trapped in her throat and she swallowed them down, "Um...never mind."
"What?" Tala asked, frowning, "Something wrong?"
"Nothing," Hru said lightly, "Nothing at all."
Tala shrugged and turned back to his steering wheel, "Do you want to get something to eat?"
Hru sweatdropped, //Did he just ask me if we wanted to get something to eat? Boy, am I glad that Kaliee or Willow aren't here…// "Sure," she replied awkwardly, thinking that she'd be able to summon enough guts to spit out her questions, "It's too late to cook dinner anyways."
They sat in silence, the only sound was the silent humming of the car engine. Hru hated the silence, but she didn't know what to say to break it either. Tala solved the problem by turning up the stereo, letting the blare of music dominate before he stopped his car at a fast food place and parked.
"What a coincidence," Hru said weakly when she caught a glimpse of Holly, Willow, Cassandra, and Kailee inside, eager to get away from the silence, "I'm going to go and say hi."
"Sure, whatever," Tala said, shrugging and he headed towards the cashier to order.
"What-ever…" Hru mimicked under her breath, "Again with the what-ever…" She approached the girls with a bright smile "Hi guys, how come you didn't invite me to hang out?"
"I called your place," Holly told her, returning her smile, "But no one was there."
"Oh, I was at Aquana's," Hru said, "Rehearsing, Carly's there too."
"You wanna sit?" Willow asked as Kailee moved over a bit, "We just got here."
"Um..." Hru shrugged, her mind bouncing back to the questions she was going to ask Tala.
"Look there's Tala," Kailee said happily, "What a coincidence. Let's invite him over."
"Kailee, I don't think Tala would want to sit with us," Cassandra cracked up, "He never says a word to any of us, in fact, I think he enjoys believing that we're non-existent. The only time he stops to talk with us is if Carly's with us. How did you get here Hru? You didn't walk, did you? We took the bus."
"Um..." Hru pointed to Tala sheepishly, "He drove me over. I went to his place first and then he drove us to Aquana's. After we left, he suggested that we get something to eat, so I agreed."
"Aww...that's so sweet," Kailee said with a giggle.
"What the heck is that supposed to mean???" Hru snapped.
"It's like a date," Willow said, giggling.
Hru nearly fell over, "It is NOT! I mean, Carly and Johnny always go out and eat, but they don't call it a date! Holly and Kai go out to eat and I don't see you telling them it's a date. Me and Tala are standing a dozen feet apart and you're already assuming!!!"
Holly sighed, "Everyone knows that Johnny likes Carly. Everyone. I wish he'd break down and tell her, it'd be so much simpler. I feel for him, must be real hard for him."
"Everyone except for Carly that is," Willow reminded, wincing at the memory, "I mean, she hits him with trays."
"And a punch on the shoulder and a light greeting every time they meet isn't exactly date material," Hru added.
"Well...mmm...he...umm....yum...should just...mmm...tell....yum...her," Cassandra said through a mouthful of food.
"I wish it was that simple," Holly said rolling her eyes, "But Johnny's...well...stubborn."
Just then, Tala came up and nodded a polite hello to the sitting girls and turned to Hru, "Are you going to stay?"
"I don't know..." Hru said, it was hard to speak when Holly and all the others were watching her, especially since they were all watching with curious interest. Hru fought the urge to look away, "I think I'll go back, could you give me a lift home?"
"Sure," Tala said, "I'll wait for you outside." He walked off without another word.
"Do you like him?" Kailee asked in interest.
"Of course not!" Hru snapped, "No way! I'll see you guys tomorrow, I've got to get some food before he decides to drive off." Inside, she was frustrated, another opportunity to ask Tala wasted, but there was no way she was going to sit in the place and eat while everyone was there. This was going to drive her insane.
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Hru almost wished that she had walked home instead of agreeing to ride in Tala's car, the silence was killing her! Even the stereo wasn't helping this time…
Finally Tala spoke up, "What were you going to ask me?"
"Huh?" Hru said with a blank look on her face.
"When we left Aquana's place, you acted like you wanted to ask me something, but you stopped before you said anything, what were you going to ask?" Tala said, focusing on the road ahead.
"Oh that," Hru laughed nervously. She finally summoned the courage to spit it out, after he was the one who brought it up, not her. "Well, I was just wondering, before I said you were reading like a robot. Remember that? And all of a sudden you were so tense and angry, what's up with that? I didn't mean anything, it was a joke."
"I don't like being reminded that I'm cyberized," Tala said coldly.
"I forgot," Hru said honestly, "I didn't think you'd get so upset. That's the past, why can't you forget about it and live a normal life already?"
"How am I supposed to forget that I'm part machine?" Tala demanded, gripping the steering wheel hard, "Everything I do is a constant reminder of Boris, Voltaire, Biovolt… I was a tool, yes, I made my choice during that time, but I won't be anyone's servant. I don't expect you to understand."
"And why is that?" Hru shot back, feeling anger sting her, "How would you know whether I understand or not if you never tell me anything. I thought we were friends."
"We are," Tala said sarcastically, "But don't expect me to spill my soul out to you anytime soon."
"But you told -" Hru started and stopped, feeling a bitter and strange sting of jealousy, //He told Carly, she knows everything. But why did he trust her so easily? I want to know, now!//
"Who else knows?" Hru asked abruptly, sounding angry, "Besides me."
"Carly," Tala said, "Kai and Johnny."
"How come you don't tell anyone else?" Hru asked, her eyes sparking.
"I don't want them to know, and quite frankly, you shouldn't know either. They don't need to know that I'm part machine, it's already hard enough, I don't need everyone looking at me like I've sprouted antennas or something," Tala said with equal anger.
It occurred to Hru was Tala was very, very angry, but he concealed it well. Hru guessed that being cyberized helped hide his true emotions.
Tala stopped by Hru's house and said shortly without looking at her, "See you tomorrow."
Hru got out and took a deep breath, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry, I just wanted to know."
"I guess I don't blame you," Tala said, the anger evaporating from his face and his voice, "I really don't want to talk about it though. Don't ask me anymore. I'll see you tomorrow."
Hru watched as his car sped down the road, shivering in the wind, suddenly, the air seemed very cold and lonely.
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"Please take your seats," Mr. Johnson said, "Tyson, no more touch ups, I've given you more than enough time. Sit quietly while I take attendance."
Carly turned around, pointed silently to Tala's empty desk and looked questioningly to Hru.
Hru shrugged and rolled her eyes, feeling worried. //If he doesn't show up, I'll have to present by myself! I'll going to kill that guy! I wonder if he's going to show up at all! It better not have anything to do with what I asked him yesterday. That's so not fair!//
"Excellent, most of you are here," Mr. Johnson said promptly, "Will anyone volunteer to go first?"
"Oooh, me! Me!" Carly said, jumping out of her chair and knocking it over, "I will!!!"
"Very well Carly," Mr. Johnson said, "You know I expect at least two minutes up there."
"Uh-huh," Carly said, grabbing her colorful poster board and setting it in front on the teacher's desk, Aquana followed her up. Before they could launch their presentation, Tala stumbled inside.
"Tala, you're late," Mr. Johnson remarked, not looking pleased.
"I know, sorry," Tala muttered.
"Tala, sit down, you're interrupting my presentation!" Carly said dramatically.
"Okay, okay, sheesh," Tala sat down, ignoring Michael's laughter.
Behind Michael, Johnny whispered to Enrique, "I can't believe you got your presentation done, man."
"I know, me neither," Enrique murmured back, "Carly and Aquana stayed over real late last night to help me finish it."
"I can't believe Carly finished hers."
"I heard that Johnny!" Carly said loudly, frowning at her friend, "Not very funny, McGregor."
Johnny scowled at the use of his surname while Michael broke into fits of laugher again. Carly and Aquana started their presentation about Mexico.
"You're late!" Hru hissed, "I thought you weren't coming."
"Sorry," Tala whispered back, running his fingers through his messy hair, "I slept in. At least I showed up."
"Otherwise I would've killed you!" Hru snapped.
"Tala, Hru, please pay attention," Mr. Johnson said promptly.
Both of them fell silent, Hru still glaring profusely at Tala for his light-hearted manner.
When Carly and Aquana finished, Johnny's hand shot up.
"I'm almost afraid to ask," Carly muttered. "Do you have a question Johnny?"
"Uh-huh," Johnny was grinning mischievously.
"Is it appropriate?" Carly demanded, "Does it have anything to do with what I'm talking about?"
"Uh-huh."
"Ask," Carly said curtly. Then she groaned when she heard Johnny's question. //I should've known that he'd ask the most difficult question...// After she refused to answer, Mr. Johnson told them to sit down. Carly gave Johnny her best I'll-get-you-back glare and tossed her hair.
Holly and Robert went next and they launched a well-organized and well-prepared presentation. The only time they sorta did was fluke was when Robert got a little overenthusiastic about German history and ranted on and on about his clan and their accomplishments, Holly finally jumped in and interrupted Robert's family history by finishing their presentation with a quick overview of Germany's status today. When they finished, Carly's hand was waving eagerly in the air.
//I hope she doesn't ask an impossible question to me,// Holly thought before calling on Carly.
"This one's for dear old Robert," Carly said with a slight wink at Holly, "How do you say 'I'm uncouth' in German?" She was grinning wickedly.
Robert sniffed and said it in a perfect German accent.
"You know, my dear Robert, you are most uncouth," Carly snickered.
Realizing that Carly had made him say that he was uncouth, Robert shot her a glare. "I am NOT uncouth," he said coldly as some people burst out laughing.
Cassandra and Kenny went up next and their presentation was a bit unbalanced, perhaps it had something to do with Cassandra's dislike for Kenny's interpretations. Kenny droned on and on in fascination about China's vital statistics, boring everyone to death. Cassandra finally interrupted and did a nice wrap up of Chinese food, then Kenny interrupted to talk about Chinese history. And basically, they just kept interrupting each other, not allowing the other to finish. When they finished, both of them were so frustrated with one another that they sat down before anyone could ask for any questions.
"Hey Chief," Tyson whispered, after giving Cassandra a light punch on the shoulder for reassurance, "Why did you keep interrupting Cassie up there???"
"If you haven't noticed Tyson, she was interrupting me too!" Kenny snapped, looking hysterical, "That was the worst presentation I've ever gave, what if I get a C??"
"That's because you were putting everyone to sleep," Cassandra retorted.
"I was not, I was giving vital facts!" Kenny protested.
"I have to agree with Cassie on this one," Tyson said with a yawn for emphasis, "Your part was a drag, I thought it'd never end. Cassie's was much more interesting; she made Chinese food sound even more scrumptious." Tyson smacked his lips hungrily, "Too bad you didn't bring samples."
"Thanks a lot Tyson," Kenny muttered.
Ray and Mariah went next and they gave a lively presentation on Hong Kong. Willow and Oliver went next with their presentation about France. It went very well, until the question period. Mariah kept firing questions at Willow, hoping to stump her, but Willow managed to stumbled past the questions with Oliver's kind help. Mr. Johnson finally told Mariah to stop and Willow smirked in satisfaction. Michael and Johnny went next with their project on Egypt. Michael accidentally screwed the dates up, but managed to jump back on track when Johnny thrust the timeline in his face.
"Me, me, me," Carly said happily, waving her hand in the air.
"Carly, I hope you're going to ask an intelligent question," Mr. Johnson warned.
"Are you implying that I'm not intelligent?" Carly asked innocently as Michael gave a snort of laughter.
"Of course not, you are very capable," Mr. Johnson replied, "But you get sidetracked easily, go ahead and ask."
"When you say that the tombs are cursed, how do you know they're cursed for sure?" Carly asked, "It might just be a coincidence of bad luck, what's the proof that tombs are cursed? I want solid proof, McGregor."
Johnny scowled at his best friend as he and Michael awkwardly put together more of a theory than a solid reply to Carly's questions.
Kai and Emily went next, and it was obvious that they were very organized. But when Kai was speaking his part, Emily kept on adding in her little footnotes and immediately interrupting and correcting Kai if he should make a mistake. The little genius that Emily was playing was annoying and irritating for everyone, especially Kai.
"Listen Emily, if you know so much, why don't you say this whole presentation yourself?" Kai finally said, in front of the class in the middle of their presentation. Emily turned very red and kept quiet for the rest of the presentation unless it was her turn to read.
Tyson and Max went next and their presentation on the United States was more goofy than serious. Tyson messed up quite a bit and Max was confused by the way Tyson was blabbing everything out at once. The teacher shook his head.
Kailee and Cathy went next with their presentation on Canada and did an awesome job. Then Enrique and Courtney were next. Enrique who had managed to finish his project about Italy with Carly and Aquana's help was still a little nervous. He also half-memorized the important points while Courtney pretended to know something by reading off the poster. Carly and Hru both knew that Courtney did zip, so they both aimed some easy questions at her, hoping that Mr. Johnson would figure out that Courtney was a cheap fluke.
"I don't know," Courtney said for the fifth time, "I forgot, I'm not a computer." She was busy blowing at her fingernails.
"Courtney, do you know anything at all?" Mr. Johnson asked, shaking his head with a frown, "You haven't answered any of the questions, surely you know something."
"Of course I do," Courtney huffed, "They're just too hard."
"I forgot," Aquana said sweetly, "What was the capital of Italy again?"
"Surely you can answer this one Courtney," Mr. Johnson said.
"I...I...I..." Courtney stammered, turning red when she heard some of the guys snicker. In the back, someone- who sounded a lot like Michael said loudly, "What a ditz!"
"I think you and me need to have a little chat, young lady," Mr. Johnson said, not looking very happy, "I would like to know just how much you did on your project Courtney. Enrique, I would like the both of you to meet me after class."
"Yes sir," Enrique said obediently, "Oh, and Italy's capital is Rome." He grinned at Aquana, his hazel eyes sparkling. Aquana blushed, her heart fluttering.
Hru and Tala were last and they launched their presentation. Hru noticed that Tala read today with much more expression and life than he had when they practiced. It nearly threw her off guard and made her forget her lines, but she pushed that away, she could always wait till after class to kill Tala was tricking her. After they finished, the bell rang and everyone filed out for their next class.
"You jerk," Hru snapped at Tala, "You tricked me."
"No, I didn't," Tala said innocently.
"Yes you did, you said that you didn't know how to read with expression and I suppose you learned overnight?" Hru fumed.
Tala nodded vigorously, grinning and eyes sparkling, "How did you ever guess? I was up all night and -"
Hru hit his shoulder, "Give me a break, liar! I can't believe I actually fell for it!"
"Tala!" Carly yelled, "You fooled me yesterday!! You and your stupid expression, you can read just fine, you big idiot! I feel so gullible!"
"Sorry guys," Tala said, grinning sheepishly, "I couldn't resist."
"You are SO lame!" Carly said, "If I weren't in such a good mood that Aquana got Courtney caught, I would punch the hell outta you!"
"You and your questions!" Johnny said to Carly, "I can't believe you!"
"Well, it's only fair," Carly said stubbornly, "Do you have tennis today?"
"Yeah," Johnny said, "Coach is training us hard for the regional championships."
"I guess the girls are training too," Carly remarked.
"Yeah," Kailee put in, looking nervous, "My first regional tournament, I'm beginning to wish you hadn't let me take your place Carly."
"Nonsense, you're good," Carly said sternly, "You love the sport, I don't, I play tennis because Johnny forced me to."
"I did not!" Johnny yelled.
"Okay, so I'm exaggerating, I learned to play because I was sick of Johnny killing me every time we play. Mind you, he still kills me every time we play, but at least I get a few good shots in. You, on the other hand, love the sport, that gives you way more potential and momentum than me," Carly told her, "You'll get better because you like the sport, the only way I get better is when Johnny pushes me too far."
Kailee giggled, "Thanks Carly. Are you going to come to our practice today?"
"I don't know," Carly shrugged, "Maybe, maybe not."
"Because I might need help…" Kailee piped up worriedly, "I don't think Mariah and Emily are too happy with me playing…I don't want to let down the whole team…"
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