Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story, but I do own the story. If it resembles anyone else's in any way it is unintentional.
Author's Note: Meh...sorry for the slight delay. This chapter was a little hard to write, so I hope it turned out okay for you guys. I'm so tickled that you all like this story! XD Your sweet reviews make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. There's more of my rambling at the end, so on with the chapter!
Looking For the SmileChapter 3: Unbelievable But True
Frankie was grabbing things in such a fury she could barely see what she was taking. For the past half hour she'd been seething, infuriated with past incidents. Little else had been running through her mind but the argument she'd had with Mr. Herriman. How she would have loved to just hit him, punch him, do anything to shut him up. She'd been replaying the scene over and over in her head, imagining what else she wished she could've done.
It was doing nothing to quell her anger. If anything it had grown tenfold in the past thirty minutes. How dare Mr. Herriman speak to her like that. How dare he say those things. Shoddy work...Frankie almost punched the wall at the very thought of him saying that. Nothing she ever did was good enough for him. There was always something wrong...always something that wasn't absolutely perfect. Yet that was the only way Mr. Herriman would have it.
It wasn't like this was their first fight. It wasn't the first time their shouting had gotten slightly out of hand. Frankie had been very on edge for the past couple of weeks...and it was starting to creep into other things. Namely, her work at the house. Needless to say, her testy mood hadn't been pleasing Mr. Herriman.
Frankie took in a deep breath and growled lowly to herself. As if he could understand what was stressing her. ...He was the last person Frankie expected to understand. He was the last person she would even tell.
She angrily snapped a suitcase shut, still working in a blind fury. Other thoughts began to enter her head...she sighed inwardly to herself. She didn't like this...didn't like how random thoughts came and went as they pleased these days. It did diminish her anger somewhat when she went on to think of other things, but for the most part it was just annoying. Maybe if she could just concentrate on something for one moment, if she could just feel the way she used to feel before all this happened.... Maybe it wouldn't be so bad then.
A knock on the door tore her from her thoughts. New anger rose up within her. She tightly clenched her fists, vowing then and there that if it was Mr. Herriman at her door, he'd be getting that punch in the face she'd been fantasizing about. She cautiously went to answer the door, and as she opened it, her anger vanished on seeing that it was not the rabbit at all: it was just Bloo.
"Hiya, Frankie," he greeted happily.
"Oh...hey, Bloo. What do you want?" she asked, trying to keep the impatience out of her voice.
"I was just wondering--" Bloo stopped in the middle of his sentence, his eyes drifting curiously to the suitcases on her bed. "Ooo, hey, are you going somewhere?"
Frankie glanced behind her momentarily. Her mind working quickly, she lied, "Uhm...no. No, I'm just...cleaning my room. It's getting cluttered."
"It doesn't look like you're cleaning your room..." Bloo said, trying to look past her.
"It's nothing, Bloo. What did you want?"
He ignored her question. "Come on, Frankie, what are you really doing?" Bloo tried to weasel his way into the room, but Frankie promptly blocked him at every attempt.
"Bloo..." she said in a low warning tone.
"Are you hiding something, Frankie?" Bloo asked excitedly. Frankie knew only too well his infatuation with uncovering secrets. In a playful tone he taunted, "I'll tell Mr. Herriman if you don't tell me...."
At the mention of the rabbit's name, Frankie noticeably tensed. Bloo's grin gradually faded away as he saw the look in her eyes: he could tell that he'd hit a serious nerve.
"Get out of here!!" she screeched, enraged. Her voice was like nothing Bloo had ever heard before; every word made him visibly jump.
Bewildered and frightened, Bloo immediately turned and ran off down the hall. He could hear Frankie screaming, "Go away!! Go away and leave me the hell alone, Bloo!!" before slamming her door in a fit of rage. Once he could hear no more, Bloo stopped running.
Panting heavily, he leaned against a nearby wall to steady himself. "What was that all about?" he wondered aloud. Why had Frankie yelled at him like that? Sure, she'd been mad at him before; nearly everybody had, for that matter. But never like that. He'd never heard such anger in her voice before. ...It scared him.
His gaze drifted idly to a nearby clock. Mac would be coming by soon. Maybe he could make some sense of it. Bloo headed for the stairs to meet his creator once he arrived.
Upon entering the house, Mac saw his imaginary friend Bloo sitting on the steps, waiting for him. "Hey, Bloo," he greeted, walking over to him.
"Hey..." the friend responded half-heartedly, a faraway look in his eyes.
"What's on your mind?"
"Oh, nothing, it's just...well...." Bloo fumbled his thoughts around in his head; he never really had a way with putting serious questions into words. Perhaps because he never had many serious questions. Yet this was important...he decided to just say whatever came out. As usual.
"Wilt was upset earlier."
"He was? Over what?" Mac asked, genuinely curious.
"Well, that's the thing, you see...he wouldn't say."
Mac frowned thoughtfully, his curiosity deepening. Wilt wasn't the type to act like that. "That's strange," he replied matter-of-factly. "Where is he now?"
"Still under the bed, as far as I know. But Mac, there's something else...." Bloo seemed skeptical to continue.
"What is it?"
"...Well...Frankie was just mad at me."
Mac laughed, and Bloo realized how stupid that must have sounded. "So?" his creator asked. "What else is new?"
"No, Mac, you don't understand, I mean like...like really mad."
"Define 'really mad,'" Mac said, crossing his arms. He was interested to see what Bloo meant.
"Well, I mean like...it was almost like she hated me or something."
"Bloo, Frankie doesn't hate you."
"No, I know...." Bloo sighed in exasperation. Why was this so hard to explain? "Look, my point is, Mac, that she's acting...I mean, she seems really angry. I mean, if you could have heard the way she yelled at me just now...I think something's upsetting her."
Mac let his arms down, now a bit struck by Bloo's words. It wasn't like Bloo to ask him things like this. It wasn't like Bloo to wonder why Frankie was yelling at him for whatever reason...perhaps something was wrong. Bloo hardly ever worried; that alone and in itself was enough to make Mac wonder.
"...I'm starting to wonder now," Bloo continued, his eyes deep in thought and staring towards the floor, "...if maybe the reason Wilt's upset and the reason Frankie's upset are the same?"
"...I don't know, Bloo. It could be. ...Where's Frankie now?"
"In her room."
"What made her get mad at you?"
Bloo shrugged. "I just wanted to know what she was doing with all her suitcases. She wouldn't answer me and then for like no reason blew up at me!"
"...Wait...suitcases?"
"Yeah, she had like ten suitcases on her bed and she wouldn't tell me what they were for."
Bloo couldn't help but notice a small twinge of worry momentarily come across Mac's face. "You know what, Bloo..." Mac told him, "it's probably nothing. There was one day that my mom was yelling at me for really little things too, and later she just told me that for a couple days during the month girls are a little more angry than usual."
Bloo made a curious expression. "Really? How come?"
Mac shrugged. "I dunno. I guess it's a girl thing."
"Oh. All right then. Let's go play."
Frankie slowly, somberly opened her door. A few of friends were starting to make their way downstairs towards the dining room. For a moment she watched them. She was going to miss them all, she had to admit.
A thought suddenly popped into her head: dinnertime was around when Mac left. If she didn't hurry, she would miss her only chance to say goodbye to him. She ran for the stairs, hoping to catch him before he left.
Luckily, as she reached the front door, Mac and Bloo were just saying their goodbyes.
"Mac!" she called. "Wait a second!" Frankie stopped at the bottom of the steps momentarily to catch her breath.
"Oh, hey, Frankie," Mac greeted, turning around. "What's up?"
"I need...I need to talk to you for a second. Uhm...alone," she added, glancing at Bloo.
"Oh, I see," Bloo said, pouting. "I see how it is. Fine then. I'll see the two of you later." He skulked away towards the dining room.
"What did you want to talk to me about, Frankie?" Mac asked curiously. He remembered the last time someone had asked to speak to him without Bloo. For some reason he didn't think she had good news for him.
Frankie looked to the 8-year-old and sighed inwardly. Best to just get it over with. She knelt down to his eye level.
"Mac...I have to leave."
For a slight moment Mac panicked. Could his earlier suspicions be true? ...Maybe there was something else she meant by it. "What do you mean?" he asked worriedly.
"Well...like leave the house."
Mac's eyes widened in complete incredulity. "What?!"
"Not so loud, Mac. ...I'm going to tell everyone else at dinner."
Mac had suspected something like this earlier when Bloo told him about Frankie's suitcases. But he hadn't thought it made sense at the time...he hadn't believed it until now. And it was practically leaving him speechless; he didn't know what to make of it. "Frankie, you can't leave!" he blurted out. "What are we going to do without you?"
"...I don't know, Mac. But I have to go."
"Why? Where are you going?"
"Just...somewhere else. For a while."
"For how long, Frankie? When are you coming back?"
"...I don't know yet." She almost sounded indifferent.
There was a silence, Mac absorbing and processing all that she had just told him. How could Frankie leave? It wouldn't be the same without her. ...And she had almost sounded like she didn't care. This whole situation seemed so surreal. How could she just tell him something like that, something that would change his life and the lives of all the friends here...so calmly?
"...Can I stay a little longer, Frankie?" he asked quietly.
"No, Mac, I don't want you to get in trouble with your mom...."
"It's okay, I'll think up some excuse. Please, Frankie...I barely saw you at all today."
Frankie could understand what he meant. It was only fair that he got to spend some more time with her before she went away.
"All right. You can stay."
Bloo entered the dining room, hungrily and happily anticipating dinner, and took his usual seat with Eduardo, Coco, and....
"Is Wilt still upset?" Bloo asked Eduardo, seeing the tall red friend's empty seat. Eduardo nodded sullenly.
"I haven't seen him since earlier," he replied. "...I think something is very wrong."
As Bloo sat down, Coco pointed towards the door. "Coco coco," she said, somewhat enthusiastically. Bloo turned in the direction she was indicating and saw a pleasant sight.
"Mac! What are you doing still here?" he asked excitedly, jumping down from his chair. "Are you staying for dinner?"
As Mac came closer, Bloo saw the troubled look in his creator's eyes. His excitement died a little and his grin slowly eased off his face. Even in his impish naivety, Bloo could tell that something was seriously wrong by now.
"Yeah, I'm staying, but, uhm..." Mac fumbled, "...I'm gonna sit up...near Frankie, if that's okay with you."
Bloo blinked, his mind going crazy with curiosity and concern. "Uh...sure, Mac, whatever you wanna do."
"Thanks." Mac walked off towards the front of the table. Bloo stood there a moment, thoughts coming and going a mile a minute. What was going on around here?! First Wilt was upset and wouldn't say why, then Frankie had practically ripped Bloo's head off, and now Mac was staying over longer with something obviously on his mind. What had Frankie talked to him about anyway? Bloo slowly jumped back into his seat next to Eduardo, almost dizzy with wondering.
The meal passed in relative silence for the three of them. Occasionally Bloo would steal a glance near the front of the table, where Mac sat next to Frankie. Neither one of them spoke the entire dinner either. Bloo noticed Frankie wasn't really eating either. He was beginning to fear that something bad had happened. He knew that Eduardo and Coco were thinking the same thing; periodically the three of them would share a silent glance, not knowing what was happening and fearing the worst.
They would soon get their answers; Madame Foster stood on her chair and cleared her throat.
"Everyone, may I have your attention please, dears..." she announced. Gradually, the talking in the hall died down and went silent. "Ah, thank you," she said, smiling. "I have a very important announcement to make that you all may like to hear." Madame Foster then lowered her voice and turned to Frankie. For a moment an unheard, whispered conversation passed between them.
Bloo felt his gut twisting; he just knew Madame Foster did not have good news.
Madame Foster stood again and addressed the room, "I'm afraid Frankie will be leaving us tonight."
"WHAT?!" shouted Bloo, Eduardo, and Coco simultaneously. Of course, Coco spoke in her own little language, but the meaning was the same.
A collective gasp echoed throughout the room, followed by an immediate uproar of protest. Frantic mutterings and whisperings went all around the table, the entire house demanding to know why, pleading for her to stay, not understanding. Bloo was shouting out in his own disbelief; unsurprisingly he could be heard above virtually every other friend in the house.
"Please, everyone, calm yourselves!" Madame Foster implored. "Frankie would like to say something to you all." She jumped off her chair and sat down, and looked encouragingly in her granddaughter's direction. Frankie sighed, figuring she may as well get it over with, and stood.
Though Frankie's anger had disappeared somewhat since that afternoon, she was still a bit edgy. ...Though it still wouldn't make saying goodbye any easier.
"Uhm...hey, everybody," she began a bit awkwardly, trying to think of the best way to do this. "I'm sorry this was on such short notice...but I just have to leave for a while. ...I don't know how long I'll be gone, but I'll try to come back as soon as I can. It's just that certain circumstances have made it practically...impossible for me to stay here." Bloo couldn't help but notice how she seemed to glance at Mr. Herriman when she said that.
"Frankie, don't leave!" one of the imaginary friends shouted. It was soon followed by a barrage of similar protests, the entire house imploring her to stay. Frankie bit her lower lip in apprehension. She hadn't wanted to make a big deal out of this.
"Guys, I'm sorry..." she began, but was instantly drowned out by the last voice she needed to hear.
"Oh, this is outrageous!!" Mr. Herriman shouted, suddenly jumping up from his chair and slamming his hands on the table. At the sound of his voice, the entire hall went quiet. "Miss Francis, I understand that I upset you this afternoon, but that should by no means be the grounds on which you abandon us!!"
Frankie had been all ready to shout right back at him, but at the mention of the word "abandon", she was struck speechless. How dare he say a thing like that.... "I...I am not," she stammered out, quivering with rage, "I am NOT abandoning this house, Mr. Herriman!!"
"What would you call it then?" Mr. Herriman replied, sounding as though he were holding back as much anger as Frankie.
"You know, I don't recall you being in this conversation in the first place." Frankie crossed her arms, annoyed.
"Miss Francis, you are behaving very childishly. Our one confrontation this afternoon should not be enough to drive you to leave."
"It's not that, you stupid rabbit!" Frankie yelled, uncrossing her arms and bringing her own hands crashing down on the table. "It's everything else!! All the other times I apparently can't do anything right!! And I am SICK of it! I am not going to take this from you anymore!"
Perhaps if Frankie had been in less of a rage, she would have noticed Madame Foster attempting to get her attention, trying to calm her down. But Frankie was only focused on the argument at hand. She barely even realized that she was shouting in front of the entire assembled house. Displaying her abject fury for all to see.
"Do not raise your voice at me, Miss Francis!" It was obvious Mr. Herriman was becoming increasingly irritated as well. None of the friends in the hall said a word. They couldn't...they'd never seen either Frankie or Mr. Herriman like this before.
"I will raise it as much as I want! It's not like you listen to me anyway!!"
"I won't tolerate this ridiculous behavior of yours any longer! I understand that you may find me unbearable, but you've never spent a day listening to yourself, have you, Miss Francis?"
That was it. Frankie had had enough. Frustrated beyond belief, she screamed. She turned and stormed out of the room, leaving behind a hall full of shocked friends struck absolutely silent in their disbelief.
Bloo, Eduardo, and Coco were no exception. They stared at the door through which Frankie had left, the last few minutes seeming to be a vague, distant dream. ...Had what they thought happened...just happened? Had Frankie really left them all? Had she left for good? Why would she do this? ...And what was the deal with that fight she'd just had with Mr. Herriman? They all knew the two of them had had their moments...but never like that. Never, ever like that.
Dead silence filled the hall. How could anyone speak at all?
Man, that chapter was hard to write xx; I tried to get all the appropriate reactions in and enough of them...let me know how you thought it turned out :D The next one should be easier to get done so I'll see if I can't have that out sometime before the week is over. ...But don't quote me on that. But the next chapter is one I'm sure a lot of you out there will enjoy...so I'll try not to keep you waiting long ;)
Sorry for the tacky horizontal lines, also. The site is doing something funky so it deleted my usual three stars that I use to separate scenes.