SUMMARY: Prequel of "Thoughts about a special girl". From Angie's POV.
Hello, there! First of all, I want to thank all of you guys for supporting my previous fic. I never imagined it would be liked by so many authors (Hey, I was on it. Of course it had to be great). Modest as usual, right, Angie? (Ok, I admit it. It surprised me too. We want to thank all the reviewers from that one. Thanks Digital Damita, acepilot6, CocoPuff, Story Crafter, peachy 15, Piper-mtl, Your 21, and chuckangie). Right, Angelica.
BTW, this story comes from a suggestion of chuckangie (Yep. Thanks a lot, Jonathan. You see, folks? Ramiro really reads your reviews). You don't read them too? (Well, Harold reads them for me, and then gives me a summary). I imagined it worked that way. Read the disclaimer, please. (You are the author. DISCLAIMER. Ramiro here, just like any other man, doesn't owns me). How about Chuckie? (Ehem! As I was saying, he doesn't owns me, or any other character portrayed in this fic. Rugrats/AGU is property of ClaskyKsupo and Nickelodeon; we'll have references from another shows as well, and, of course, Ramiro doesn't owns them too. Do you own anything?). Yes, my comic-book collection. (Geek).
I thought you liked geeks. (On with the show!).
OUR SHARED SECRET.
A Rugrats/AGU fic by Acosta Pérez José Ramiro.
Please, God, let the place be deserted. I know I'm not used to talk to you, but, please, just this time, do that for me.
I am heading through the Java Lava, the gang usual meeting place. I hope no one of them would be there. Of course, I know that, even if I am lucky, there will be at least one person at the counter, but that's okay. Better one than all of them.
I am at the corner right now, and I see Troy and Fridge going out from the Lava, wearing their football T-shirts and drinking smoothies. Luckily, they don't see me, as they walk on the contrary direction. I know them well, since I'm the team assistant-coach. If I call them now, they might be able to help me; but I don't. This is too embarrassing. I take a deep breath, and cover my right cheek. Here goes nothing.
I enter the Lava, and direct my eyes to the counter. I owe you a big one, God. The place is empty, unless you count the person attending it, someone I can easily handle. He´s wearing the Lava's official apron, and his long-sleeve black shirt. He directs his attention to me the moment I cross the door.
"Angelica?" he talks, with obvious confussion. Can't say I blame him. "Are you okay?"
I give him a dirty look, tempted to say " Yes, Finster, I'm really happy. Don't you see me smiling? ", but I have no time to be sarcastic, so I use my regular "don't ask me" frown on him, and he quickly understands that I don't wanna talk. I walk (almost run) into the ladies' bathroom, and start washing my face. Once I finish, I start applying some make-up, a lot more than my usual almost natural look.. When I think I'm more or less okay to be seen in public, I walk out of the bathroom, trying to keep my cool.
I'm tempted to go right now, without saying a word, but Chuckie is now in front of me, with his trademark nervous face. He's obviously scared, but, if I know his body features as well as I think I do, I can tell you he's also worried. I want to leave the place, but he then extends his left arm, offering me a smoothie.
"No coconut, as you like it", he says, trying to stay calmed. "Is one of my new mixtures. Not even on the menu yet, so this one is on the house", he smiles to me. I want to say something really mean to him and make the guy swallow that smoothie with glass and all, but, somehow, I can't. The last thing I want is Finster's pity, but is very hard to yell at someone when he is trying to be kind with me, specially when he is offering you something . I can use something sweet right now, so I decide to grab the smoothie, and take a quick drink.
I sit on one of the chair near the counter as he returns to his usual place, behind it. I take a little of his "new mixture". Not bad; I must recognize Finster really knows his business. I take my cell phone out of my purse to call Susie; I'm not going to talk to her in front of Finster, but I can ask to meet me in my place.
"Hello? Susie, I need to talk to you. Can you.. what? Carmichael? Is that you? Oh. Hi, Trevor. Sorry, wrong number. Bye." Great! I must be really pissed. I can mark any number from my contacts without even looking at the phone, and I just called one guy from my Drama Club instead of my best confident. And, to make things worse, Finster heard the whole thing.
"Hey, even I can make a mistake once in a while, you know!" I snap at him. Mentally, of course, I'm kicking myself; from the last 14 years, Chuckie had been my personal punching bag (not literally, of course; besides a few dozens times I had pushed him, or played a nasty prank on the guy, I had never really hurt him) that I can use to relief my stress every time I feel angry or down, but I'm not on the mood to do it right now. As usual, he is just an innocent guy who got in the middle of one of my bad days; and this is one of the worst I can remember. I sigh and try to call Susie again.
"Susie is not going to answer you", he talks to me again, and I look up to him (puberty finally made him taller than me; of course, since I usually wear high heels or sandals with thick platforms, the difference seems to be smaller). "She must have his cell phone off", he continues, "since she is at the movies with Harold, remember?", he ends. Of course. Harold finally got enough courage to ask her on a date, and they went to the movies; she told that to all of us right here, just a couple of days ago. Great. My best confident isn't available, and my second best confident, who is also my assistant, is with her, so I have nobody to talk right now. I sigh again, and take a second sip of my drink.
I might call Lil, but, if I can use Finster's trademark phrase, I don't think that's a good idea. On the last couple of years, we had become a lot closer. Sure, she is a tomboy, but is smart, funny, and has a lot of imagination for pranks; we played a very good stunt on Phil last week, and I think he still has troubles to even look at a watermelon. Plus, she is an athlete (our soccer team star), so my friendship with her doesn't affects my image at all. I dare to say Lil is as good as a friend to me as Kimi is to Susie. The problem is that, besides being a tomboy, she is (if you excuse the pun) Tom's girl; Lil had been dating Tommy for a long time now, and, even if she keeps all my secrets, I know she would tell my cousin if I have any serious problem, and, despite what you might think, I don't like to get Tommy into trouble, unless it's one of my pranks, of course.
So, here I am, sulking in front of Finster. He is smart enough to deduce, at least, part of my problem. Is not that hard, of course. I am wearing a lot of make-up, a last-fashion red top, my favorite bracelet, a fancy purse, and a little revealing mini-skirt, so is obvious I came from a date. My hair is on a bun, a hairdo I only use when I want to impress someone (I immediately feel bad for Lil; I asked her to help me with my hair just a few hours ago, she gladly accepted, and now it seems all her work was for nothing), so is obvious I had high expectations from this guy. And, since I stormed into his family's business, and went directly to the girls' room, Chuckie doesn't need to be Sherlock Holmes to know the date was a disaster. But he's not saying a thing. He knows me so well I don't need to tell him to keep his mouth closed and go on with his own stuff. So we stay on our places, not talking to each other. I'm going to finish my drink, and go home.
Before I can do it, Chuckie starts humming a tune. It's a cartoon theme song. One we both know very well. When we were younger, and his parents offered to baby-sit me, we always sat on his house's living room to watch the TV with his sister. I always chose the show, of course, but, fortunately, we had similar tastes for the cartoons, so it was a funny time for all of us. Those were of the few occasions I could had fun with Finster and Kimi (I know, they are both Finsters, but I like calling Chuckie for his last name better than Kimi) without telling a lie, playing a prank, or just being mean with them. Before I can realize, I'm also humming the tune.
Finster notices it, and starts singing. "We are tiny…" and pauses, looking at me. I don't want to join, but I can use a littleamusement now.
"We are toony…", I continue the song. He smiles at me, and I do it too.
"We are all a little looney… And in this cartoony we are invading your TV!…" we sing at the same time. We used to do this when we were watching cartoons at his place; singing all the shows themes. I was the main voice, but Kimi and Finster really enjoyed singing with me. I hate to admit it, but I sing my best when someone is chorusing me, or doing a duo, even if my partner is this geek.
After we finish the song, Finster looks at me, keeping his smile. Since his braces went out, he has a very cute smile; actually, he had always had it, but now it's easier to notice.
"Remember our "Guess the Show" game, Angelica?", he asks me. Of course I do. We all played it; one of us hummed a cartoon theme song, and the rest of us tried to guess from what series it was, and sing it.
"Finster, I'm no longer a 10 years old girl, you hadn't noticed?", I tell him.
"Hey, you are never too old to enjoy a cartoon. Come on. I'll make it simple for you. I'm using my harmonica so you can guess the song more easily", he says, and takes the instrument out of his pants (not that one, you pervs!). He starts playing a song with it. I recognize it; I loved that show! The duck girl on it (the main character's daughter) used pigtails and had a lot of spirit, just like me. He keeps playing the song, while looking at me with his little green eyes. Should I?
ONE HOUR LATER.
"From the tower they can see it all!…", I sing, using a spoon like a microphone. We had been on this game during the last hour, and hadn't missed any song. I hate to say it, but Finster is quite good with that harmonica, and I'm having a very good time. Now my hair is moving loosely, while I keep singing the theme song from a Warners Brothers' current hit series. I think he is looking at something over my shoulder, but maybe is just my imagination. After I finish, I vow in front of him, while he claps; I love having a captive audience.
"Ok, Angie, let's…", he starts talking, and I interrupt him.
"Get dangerous?", I joke; that was the masked mallardcatchphrase. He rolls his eyes.
"Very funny. No, I mean, let's break the tie. If you guess this song, you win", he smirks at me. Somehow, I have the feeling he is planning to play a joke of his own. But since it's Finster we're talking about, I just nod and wait for the song. He puts the harmonica on his lips, and starts. Please. You couldn't had chosen an easier song. I open my mouth to sing and win the game…
"Sing a Happy, Happy, Happy, Happy, Happy, Happy Song…", I hear two voices behind me, and turn around to see Phil and Kimi, singing, with one arm on each other's shoulder, huge smiles plastered on their faces. Oh, great! They were what Finster was looking over my shoulder! I was so concentrated on the songs, I couldn't hear the door's bell when they entered. I give Finster a nasty look, but he just looks at me with his so-called innocent eyes, while keeping with the song, and I have to laugh.
"Good one, Finster!", I tell him. "When did you developed that sense of humor?", I ask.
"The moment Kimi and Phil developed their sense of timing", he ends playing and shrugs. Kimi and Phil are chuckling behind us. I turn to see them.
"And at what moment did you guys entered?", I ask them. They go back to their previous position, and start singing again.
"Yes, he is the chief, he is a king, but above everything, he is the most tip-top..." I roll my eyes, but keep smiling. I must had been really concentrated on the game, because I sang that one like, 3 songs ago. On the bright hand, I made them hear Finster singing the theme song from "My Little Pony".
Kimi cuts the act, and talks to her brother. "We saw Betty a few blocks away, Chuckie. If you want, go home and rest. We'll close in an hour anyway. Sorry for leaving you with all the job on Saturday", she tells him.
"Fine, sis. Phil, can you stay with her until your mom arrives?", he tells Phil.
"You really need to ask that, brother-in-law?", Phil says in his "I-am-a-cool-guy" tone, making Kimi to laugh, and me and Finster to sigh and roll our eyes. Finster takes out his apron, and puts his green jacket on.
"Want me to walk you home, Angelica, or you're gonna stay for a while?", he tells me. I hesitate for a moment, and then I shrug and stand up.
"Sure, if you want. I don't want to be here alone with Starfire and Beast Boy anyway", I tell him, while looking at Kimi and Phil, who look at each other and then start laughing at my remark.
"And you claim to no longer watch cartoons", Chuckie raises an eye brow at me.
"Great, I am a geek!", I say while slapping my forehead, "I'm spending too much time around you, Finster", but he just shrugs and opens the door for me.
As we walk, I notice he is looking at me with a happy expression, but I know him. He's still worried about the way I entered the place. I sigh. I need to tell this to someone, and I guess he isn't a bad option.
"Had you seen McNulty lately?" , I ask him casually. He looks at my face, and talks a moment later.
"Timmy?", he asks, and I nod. "Yes, once in a while. He isn't in our school, but sometimes I see him or one of his brothers hanging around at the mall or the park", he finishes, and gives me a few moments to continue.
"Well, I saw him a couple of days ago. He had turned into a very handsome guy, really", I rub my neck, nervously, "and when he asked me for a date, I couldn't say no. I mean, I used to have a crush on him when we were younger, and thought it would be funny", I make another pause. I see Finster's expression; he is really interested in my story, and, even if the tries to keep his cool, I dare to say he is getting upset. I look at the floor. This isn't going to be easy to say.
"It wasn't funny at all. He took me to the park for a walk, but when we were alone, he…he…", I feel a tear running down my left cheek. We are no longer walking. Chuckie washes my tear, and looks at me, right at my eyes, and, somehow, I find the strength to continue.
"He grabbed me by my waist, and tried to take me behind some bushes. The way he looked at me…". Chuckie is now placing his hands on my shoulders, and finally talks again, with a huge anger on his voice.
"Angelica, please, tell me… he did something to you?"
I take a handkerchief out from my purse, and clean the make-up from my right cheek. Chuckie gasps the moment my bruise becomes evident.
"I resisted him, and he slapped me… hard", I'm now at the verge of tears. I had never seen Chuckie this angry before.
"Oh, my… Angelica, I'm going to tell Tommy, and then we're going to give that jerk the beating of his life!", he snaps. I try to calm him.
"No, Chuckie, please! I don't want Tommy, or anyone else, to know about this! And, besides…", I'm more calmed now, and a little smirk appears on my face, "…I already gave him something to remember me". Chuckie looks at me, surprised.
"What did you did to him?", he asks.
"Well, let's just say that the McNulties are lucky for having a huge family, or Timmy would be the last generation", I tell him, proud of myself. He looks at me, puzzled for a moment, and then cracks laughing. I laugh as well, and, after a few moments, start re-applying the make-up.
After a while, we are at my home's door. "Well, here we are. Oh, and Finster, about our little karaoke a while ago…", I start talking, but he cuts me.
"Sorry, Angelica, I can't do a thing about it. Kimi and Phil discovered us, remember?". The guy has a point; tomorrow all the gang will know I was singing my childhood's songs with Finster. I sigh, and go to the main issue.
"And, about the other thing… the incident with Timmy", I start talking, looking down again.
"What incident with Timmy, Angelica?", he asks me in a very casual tone, "I think I wasn't hearing at you all the time. Sorry." I look at him, very impressed.
"You know, for a geek, you are a good guy", I smile at him, and surprisingly, he gives me a hug. After a moment, I return it to him, and we stay there for a few moments. I think I really needed this. Just spending some time with one of my oldest friends.
It seems I'm a magnet for red-haired guys, but, besides McNulty, they're not as bad as I say sometimes. Dil is a nutcase, but he and Tommy are like little brothers for me. Harold can be clumsy and annoying, but had been a loyal assistant and a good friend since we met at pre-school. And Chuckie… I know we can drive each other crazy most of the time, but I can always count with this carrot-top's help when I need it.
We break the embrace, and stare at each other for a couple of seconds. I hadn't noticed how a nice and handsome young man Finster had turned into. Sure, he still has that messy hair and the geeky glasses, but that's part of his image, and kind of fits him. When we hugged, and a while ago, when he put his hands on my shoulders, I noticed he's no longer as skinny as he used to be; I think Lil told me her mother is helping him with some working out routines, and it seems to be working. Maybe I should ask Betty to design one for me; my regular exercising, besides my Gym class, consists in just a few minutes of Tae-Bo each morning (it was quite handy today at the park).
I break the staring, and open the door of my house. "Good night, Chuckie. And thank you", I tell him. He smiles at me again.
"Any time, Angelica.", he answers me, and starts walking away. I can't resist the temptation of playing a little joke on him before he leaves.
"You know, with this light, you look a little like a red-haired Tobey McGuire", I tell him. He stops, and looks and himself.
"Really?", he asks me.
"Yes", I smile to him, "before the spider bite, of course!", and I chuckle. Finster just gives me an annoyed look, but eventually shrugs and smiles again.
"You can't control yourself, right?", he says, and starts leaving again while waving good-bye to me. I give him a last look, and close the door.
ONE MONTH LATER.
I´m heading to the Java Lava with Susie and Harold. Their date was way better than mine with Timmy, I can tell you. As much as I'm happy for them, suddenly I feel like the third wheel. Harold is totally crazy for her, and calls her "Melody" a lot; not a bad pet name for Susie, actually, since she is a great singer (nothing I would admit in public). Susie is happy as well, and calls him "Teddy Bear"; she claims that Harold's hugs, even when they are very tight ones and sometimes don't let you breath properly, are very warm and give you a sense of security. Harold used to hug me a lot when we were younger (he is a very expressive guy), and, even if I'm not crazy for him, I admit Susie has a point.
I hadn't told them about my problem with McNulty. Every time they, or Lil, ask me about my date, I just tell them that the guy is a great jerk, and never want to see him again; they understand that, and stop the interrogation. The bruise is gone anyway, but the memory is still fresh. That episode is something I wish I could forget, but I can't tell them. That's my secret… mine and Finster's.
I had tried to be nicer with Chuckie since last month. Actually, I try to spend more time with him. I always go to the Java Lava on the days he has shift, and even talk to him in a friendlier way at school. I know that hanging around with a geek isn't good for my image, but he was so kind and supportive with me... he always is. I can't treat him like garbage for the rest of our lives, anyway, so I guess I can be seen in public with him once in a while. If Saavanah asks me why I'm with him, I'll just have to say he is assisting me on some school project; it wouldn't be the first time. And really, I'm considering asking him to help me with my Math; I am a good student, but not a very good one, and I suck with numbers, while Chuckie has some talent for that. Also, Lil told me something she heard from Jeffrey, her geek friend that works as the Principal's assistant; the school is organizing a trip to Disneyland for the summer's vacation, and we might all go. Sure, it's almost 2 months away, but I had always wanted to go, and it would be nice to be in good terms with Chuckie and the rest of the gang to enjoy it the most.
Finally, we enter the Lava, and we don't like the scene in front of us. Kimi looks really worried, with Phil grabbing her by the shoulders, while Betty is behind the counter, with a concerned expression as well. Susie is the first one to talk.
"Kimi, what's going on?", she says, and walks in her (other) best friend's direction.
"Oh, Susie, it was horrible!", Kimi says to her. "I was just waiting for Chuckie to replace me at the counter, and... Timmy McNulty entered the place!", she sobs, and Phil tries to comfort her. McNulty. God, if he touched just one hair on Kimi's head...
"He recognized me... I think he just forgot that we own the place", she continues. "Then, he started insulting me, and Angelica", she pauses for a moment. If I see him again, I'll make my football team use him to practice the tackles. "When I asked him to leave, he just laughed and grabbed me by the shirt", Kimi continues, and then looks at Phil, who is clenching his fists. He talks next.
"Chuckie and I arrived then, and he released her", Phil pauses, and then continues with a really furious voice. "Man, I really wanted to tear him in pieces, but Chuckie stopped me, and demanded him to move away from Kimi and leave", he looks down for a moment, while Betty and Kimi smile a little at him. Well done, Finster. Timmy is far bigger than Phil or him, and a fight could had been a mistake; I gave him a good kick on the right place, and then a couple of punches when he was stunned, but I must admit I was lucky. Harold is the next one to talk.
"Where is Chuckie now?", he asks, and Kimi, Phil, and Betty get the worried look again. I'm starting to worry as well.
"After Timmy left, he waited for a few moments, and then asked Phil to stay with me, and then walked away to follow Timmy and, he said, be sure he wouldn't return with his brothers... but that was more than 10 minutes ago!", Kimi tells us, almost crying.
Oh, crap! I should had known. Chuckie can be the most cautious of all of us, but, when it comes to Kimi's safety, he is the perfect picture of a protective big brother.
"I arrived just a moment ago, and Phil and Kimi ended telling me the story right before you guys entered", Betty informs us, "I was about to go and look for Chuckie.", she ends, putting her jacket on.
"I'm going with you, mom", Phil says, and turns to see Susie. "Please, take care of Kimi, can you, Susie?", he asks and she nods.
Before I can really think about it, I say "Count me in. Susie, Harold, you two stay with Kimi, and call Tommy. We might need him". But, right when we are about to get out, the door opens. What I see almost makes me cry.
Chuckie is in front of us. He has a blackened eye and a few bruises on his face, his jacket's left sleeve is ripped, and his hair is way messier than usual. He is holding his glasses on his left hand, apparently undamaged. I really want to throw McNulty from a skyscraper right now. Phil and I run aside him, and help him keep balance.
"Finster, what were you thinking?", I snap at him, more concerned than angry.
"Glad to see you too, Angelica", he answers me. We help him to sit at one of the nearest chairs. Kimi is at the verge of tears. Betty looks at him, and asks what happened.
"I followed Timmy a few blocks, and then stopped him when I was sure he wasn't with any of his brothers", Chuckie explains, "And then I asked the guy to go back to the Lava and apologize to Kimi. But he just laughed at me, and started insulting her again... as well as a few others of us", he pauses and looks at me for a moment. I understand; Timmy insulted me as well, and I'm sure the reason he attacked Kimi is because of her relation with me.
"I couldn't take it any more, and threw him a punch", Chuckie continues, "and he fought back, of course." Phil interrupts him.
"Dude, you should had asked me to go with you!", then he looks at Kimi, and I'm sure he understands why Chuckie asked him to stay. He turns to see his friend, and talks again, calmed, but still angry, "Where is that idiot now?".
Chuckie, surprisingly, smiles at us, and answers calmly, "Taking a nap in the dumpster behind the Chinese Restaurant a few blocks away from here."
I heard right? Charles Crandall Finster beat Timothy McNulty? Judging from the expression and the silence of all of us, I'll take I'm not the only one surprised here.
Chuckie then looks at Kimi, after taking a fast look at me, "Nobody menaces the ones I love", is what he says. "Oh, and Betty, the exercises are working well", he tells Phil's mom. We all chuckle and congratulate him. Kimi gives him a kiss on his cheek and a huge hug. I can't erase the smile plastered on my face. And I don't want to even try.
A little later, I'm home, calling Finster's house. Gladly, he is the one who answers the phone.
"Hey, Finster, still among the living?" I tease him.
"Well, let me check it and I'll call you back in an hour", he replies.
I chuckle, and continue, more serious now, "How are you feeling?"
"Fine, thanks. My face still hurts a little, and my knuckles are killing me, but, besides that, I'm okay", he tells me.
"Well, just don't make an habit of playing Cassius Clay and you'll live. I can't keep using my make-up to cover bruises; it costs 10 bucks, and, besides, it's not your tone", I talk about the whole issue as if we were discussing a school's assignment.
"Well, it might not be my tone, but you made a good job covering my bruises. I didn't wanted to scare my parents more than they already were when Betty told them all. Of course, most of it washed away after I showered", he tells be back.
"Well, you surely needed a shower. I mean, throwing someone into a dumpster doesn't leaves you smelling like roses. You had to do that?", I joke with him.
"I couldn't find a sewer", he jokes me back, and we both laugh. Then he pauses. "Angelica...mmm..." I recognize that tone. Is his trademark "I-am-going-to-ask-something-but-I-don't-know-if-I-should" kind of tone. "I was wondering...if you don't have anything to do tomorrow...would you go to catch a movie with me?" I think for a second, and answer.
"Chuckie, I appreciate what you did, but you can't ask a girl out just because you knocked out cold another guy. That's not a good reason to accept a date. Very old-fashioned". I make a pause, and, when I hear he is about to answer, I continue, "You are a great guy, one that had helped me even after all the bad times I had given to you. That's is a good reason to accept." I'm smiling now, and I'm sure he is smiling as well.
"Does that mean..." he says, but I cut him.
"Pick me up at 5. Don't be late, Finster. See you.", and I hang off.
Yes, I really owe you a HUGE one, God.
THE END.
Wow. I can't believe I wrote all that! (Believe it. I was there). I know, Angie.
Thanks again to Justin for posting this. By the way, this story and the sequel are located in the same universe of Jarel's story, "The Photograph" (which includes some scenes with me, Chuckie, and our families) so, if you can, check it too.
I made a lot of references in this one. If you can recognize them, tell me on the reviews. I'll post one of my own later on this same fic to mention them.
Okay, folks, you know the deal, review and tell me what you think. (I liked it. Was a wicked fic). Angie, don't use Digital Damita's catchphrase. (You have a better suggestion?). What about Hakuna Matata? (Very funny). Groovy, baby? (Nope). Let the force be with you? (You are hopeless). There! That's your catchphrase! (Why I always attract the dumbs?). Ok, what about if we both say my good-bye phrase? (Sounds good).
So long. Keep the good writing (Keep the good writing)