Chapter IX Telling the Truth

While Lance moped around North Clock Town, Navi and Tatl continued to mess with the balloon. Lance decided to contemplate the meaning of life. He sat, thinking. When…

POP!

Lance swiveled around to see what his fairies had done now. The fairies rushed back to him. Apparently, they had popped the balloon. Pieces of purple and blue rubber floated to the ground. Before Lance could think of what to do next, a small boy wearing a red T-shirt and a matching cap approached them. The shirt had a number in white painted on the back. His number was one. Soon other little boys joined in behind the red boy, they were all dressed in the same fashion, except blue, and with different number on their shirts ranging from two to five.

"Yo," little red boy greeted.

"Er… Hi?" Lance was almost afraid to answer. Little red boy wore this really smug face and the blue boys just snickered loudly at Lance's words.

Lance looked back at Tatl, behind him, silently questioning if he knew who the heck these kids were…They couldn't be more than eight years old. In reply, Tatl just shrugged so Lance had to take matters in to his own hands.

"Okay, two questions: Who are you? and What do you want?" Lance used his best tough guy voice. His voice squeaked at first, (He doesn't use this voice often) but ended strong.

Little red boy looked impressed. "We're The Bombers, my name's Jim, everyone else is just referred to as their numbers," Little red boy introduced them. "And we think you're Bomber material." Jim smiled this really cool smile, which Lance was sure was one of the things that earned him his high rank in their little club.

Lance laughed, "Is that it? You want me to join your little club?"

Lance watched Jim's smile fall off his face, "Yeah. You got a problem with that?"

What was Lance supposed to say?

Three…Two…One…GO!

It turns out in order to join you have to pass a test. Apparently the test was a game of hide-and-go-seek, with Lance as the seeker. After Jim told him how to join, he couldn't exactly say no…

Lance just stood there for a second, watching six little kids to run off to hide. After counting to ten, he set off looking for the strange little boys and their leader. At one point, Navi suggested they just leave and forget about the dumb game. Tatl considered it, but Lance refused, saying that it was down right mean to just leave in the middle of a game.

They searched everywhere.

"I think they cheated," Exhausted Navi suggested as they all returned to the North Clock Town. Lance had started to sweat in the hot sun a long time ago and was now drenched uncomfortably. Lance finally went with Navi's idea and they decided to leave the little kids. Who needs a bunch of eight-year-olds anyway? Tatl, who wasn't the least tired in anyway, lead the way back to the inn, where Lance tried to get a room.

Lance barged into the inn and walked up to the front desk, hoping that Ella would be back. She wasn't. In her place behind the desk was a grown-up version of Ella, Ella's mom, Anju.

He awkwardly stepped up to the desk. Before he could speak, Anju welcomed him.

"Welcome, to the Stock Pot Inn. My name is Anju. How can I help you?"

"We need a room," Navi spoke up for Lance once again, Lance was at a loss for words, as he most of the time is.

Anju quietly shuffled some papers and winced.

"Ohh, I'm sorry. We're booked for the week," She replied weakly.

"That's okay," Lance supplied. "Is Ella around?" Lance asked as he tried to peek around Anju. At this Anju brightened up.

"Oh! Are you friends with Ella? I'm so happy! She hardly makes any friends around here!" Her smiled deepened, "Since you're friends with Ella, you're more than welcome to spend the night in Granny's old room. No one's been in it in ages… I'll just tidy it up real fast!" She shouted out behind her, "Ooh, Ella come here and cover for me real quick. You can chat with you're friends too!" And with that Anju skipped off into the hallway from behind the desk.

"Whoa." Lance stood back. "Can she talk fast or what?" He asked Navi and Tatl.

"You said it," Tatl answered him.

"Psst… Lance, she's here." Navi nudged Lance in the shoulder.

Why is Navi okay with me liking Ella and not Mandy? Lance questioned himself.

He was faced once more by Ella's ever-swishing hair.

"Oh, it's you," she said sounding disappointed. Then she steamed, "I told you, I already have a boyfriend!"

"Okay then," Lance challenged, "Where is he?"

"If you must know," she replied and then hiked her skirts up before jumping over the counter towards Lance.

She smoothes her skirt out, "He's this way," and she leads Lance and the others around the corner and down the hall. She held her chin up as she glided down the hall and kept her back straight. It made her look a whole lot taller.

"I think you two will be roommates tonight," she told Lance. She looked back slyly, "Granny's old room, I believe she told you?"

"That would be correct," Lance responded, matching her proper tone.

"Ah, here it is!" She said as she stopped in front of an old pair of double doors that looked a little older than the rest of the inn. Without knocking, she pushed the doors open with both hands and skidded inside.

"Ryan, it's me!"

Lance was left standing in the doorway. Lance had figured she was making this boy up. Once he realized this guy was no imaginary friend, he automatically slouched and jammed his hands in his pockets.

"Ryan, I want you to meet Lance, he's rooming with you tonight," Ella jabbered as she led the boy to the doorway to meet Lance. Lance instinctively fixed his eyes on his muddy boots—he should have wiped them on the rug outside the inn.

"Dude, nice boots," a deep voice interrupted the silence. He'd noticed Lance staring at them. Suddenly, Lance forced himself to look up at Ella and Ryan.

A tall gangly boy greeted him. With jet-black hair and bright green eyes, he smiled at Lance.

He held out his hand, "I'm Ryan." Lance took it. Ryan gave it a hearty shake and held it, waiting for a reply.

Finally Lance got the message, "Oh, my name's Lance."

"Nice to meet you Lance," Ryan replied his deep voice.

Lance's hand was finally released as he replied softly, "Um, yeah. You too." Intimidated again, Lance looked at his opponent's feet. Boots, just like his—just not as dirty.

"Ryan, don't be so stiff," Ella initially broke the ice, "You guys are going to be roomies for tonight, get to know each other already!" She linked arms with both of them, Ryan on her right, with Lance dragging behind on her left. Ella led them out of the inn Navi and Tatl trailing not too far behind.

As they plowed through the square, Ella chattered incessantly. Ryan looked uncomfortable, but not as uncomfortable as Lance who slumped along with a glum look on his face. She led them to a milk bar, Chateau Romani. Ella flashed an ID when she reached the open door.

When the bouncer (who rarely had much bouncing to do) questioned Ryan and Lance, Ella explained coolly, "They're with me." Accepting her answer, he allowed them to pass into the cool bar, a flight of stairs below ground level. A mug of warm milk was handed to him instantly. After a few sips, Lance was slurring his words and spilling his secrets. The rest was a blur for Lance.

Lance later woke to find his self in the room he was to be sharing with Ella's boy friend . . .What was his name again? Riley? Or . . . no . . . Ryan! It took Lance awhile to regain his wits . . . not that he really had any in the first place. In the bed on the other side of the room was Ryan who had also woken up.

"Dude," he whispered to Lance, "You were talkin' up a storm last night! I had no idea how interesting you are! With that horse, and growing up, and getting lost, and-and-and . . . Dude, who's Mandy?"

Lance was suddenly wide awake, "Mandy? What did I say about Mandy?"

Ryan began talking with accelerating excitement, "Dude, only that she's like the hottest chick ever! She's hot, she's funny, and she's totally rich!"

Lance forced his self to roll out of bed. Hitting the floor hard and taking half his sheets with him, he made his way over to Ryan's side of the room. Crawling on his knees he reached Ryan, and knelt at the side of his bed. "Ryan, we're friends, right?" Lance proposed in a high voice.

"Uh . . . Sure," Ryan said easily.

"So that means you'll keep my secret about totally being in love with Mandy?"

"Yeah man, but I don't know about Ella and those fairy things of yours."

Crap. "They heard it too?" Lance's pleading smile melted off his face. Just then, his ocarina began vibrating. Crap. Lance thought again. He made his way over to his pack on his knees. So anxious to find the ocarina he dumped all its contents on to the floor. Lance grabbed his ocarina and held it out in his palm and waited for his caller to respond.

Please let it not be Mandy. Please let it not be Mandy. Please let it not— Lance prayed. But like all the other times when you really want something, his prayers were not answered.

An image of Mandy appeared. There Lance was, in his underwear that he'd slept in last night, looking at the girl of his dreams who probably knew his deepest, darkest secret.

After Mandy's image of Lance focused, she began talking, really fast.

"Okay, Jimmy just told me that Leyla told him that Emily heard from her cousin Romani who was delivering milk to town this morning talked to this girl, Ella, who said that last night you told her and everyone else including her boyfriend and your two fairies (when did you get two fairies?) That you are in love with me."

"Wow, um, I . . ." Lance tried to find a way out of this situation.

"Lance, listen to me. I don't care who said what to whom. I sick of lying to people and being lied to. I just want to know the truth, did you mean what you said?" Mandy's face held great concern. Her forehead was wrinkled with frustration and stress. Too much stress for a girl of fifteen. Lance was tired of lying too. He wanted to unwrinkle that brow of hers. He wanted to curl that frown into a warm smile. He wanted her to smile at him. He wanted her.

"To tell you the truth," Lance looked into her eyes, "I need to be with you to say this." With out wasting time, he began pulling on some pants, "Mandy, I need you to warp to Clock Town, I'll meet you there, please don't stand me up this time." He hung up his ocarina and shoved it into his back pocket, forgetting his shirt and pack in the room with Ryan he ran out the door and down the street to where Mandy would arrive.

There Mandy was, standing at the top of the street, waiting for Lance. She wasn't dressed any better than he, still wearing her nightdress and with her curly blonde hair all tousled, she barely out dressed Lance's wrinkled pants and lack of shirt. Lance reached her out of breath and somewhat smiling. Mandy remained frowning.

"So," Mandy huffed as she crossed her arms and looked down at their cold, bare feet. A cool morning breeze blew down the empty street. The pause seemed an eternity.

She looked him in the eye and spoke quietly, barely audible, "Is it true? Do you love me?"

Lance's poor smile deepened and he embraced her, holding her close with his warm arms, he whispered in to her ear, "Only if you love me too." Mandy pulled back, leaving Lance's hands on her shoulders.

"Oh Lance, I—" she began, but Lance stopped her with an unexpected kiss. He kissed her words away.

Mandy's eyes widened as she pulled back sputtering, "Lance! I—"

"I know," Lance smiled, "you love me too, right?" He bent down to kiss her again.

"Wait, Lance!" Mandy shouted. Lance was confused; she sounded angry, "That's not it!" Mandy stepped back. "I don't, and I can't love you, Lance." A hurt look came upon Lance's face as Mandy said these next few words. "I have a boyfriend, Lance. We're going steady." She lifted up her left hand revealing a gold band around her ring finger, a promise ring.

"What?" Lance whispered. This couldn't be happening, he didn't understand. He was almost sure Mandy was playing some kind of cruel joke. That in a second she'd kiss him and say, "Silly Lance, did you actually believe me? Of course I love you!" but no such thing happened. Mandy put her hand down and held it front of her, anxiously twisting her ring, around and around her finger.

She couldn't look at him, her gaze was fixed on the ring, "I was going to let you down gently, but well . . .I'm just sorry, okay?" Lance held hard to keep his tears from falling.

"But, what about you and me?" he croaked.

"There never was and there never will," Mandy stated coldly.

"Friends?" Lance managed to stutter, he had to know.

Mandy looked sad too now, "I just don't think it would work out, Lance." Lance stepped back too now, embarrassed at his earlier advancement.

"So, I guess this is good bye, huh?" Lance tried to sound light.

"Good bye, Lance," Mandy ended with great dignity, looking him the eyes. Lance noticed her cheeks were wet. He reached out to wipe them away. Mandy was too quick for him though; she turned and with out looking back walked down the street from which she had come.

Lance watched her as her blonde hair swished back and forth. He sadly replied, "Good bye Princess Mandy." But nobody heard him. He was left alone, standing in the cold morning air. It was now that he realized why the time of dawn was called mourning. As the soft padding of her bare feet faded, Lance turned and on his own bare feet, walked home. Home: a place he hadn't been in a long time.

Although however hard he tried, he would never forget the blonde-haired tomboy with her smirking smile that had won his heart, and broken it just as easily.