Chapter 44
Squid had absolutely no idea of where he was going, all he knew was he had to get out of that hotel, had to get as far away from Chase as possible.
She was a horrible, horrible person and he hated her-in fact he never wanted to look at her again! Never wanted to talk to her, touch her, or make any sort of contact with her ever again! In ten million years! Never, ever, ever, EVER! She was a bitch! A horrible, terrible bitch! A freak who enjoyed using people and then making them feel sorry for themselves. She had probably even made up that whole story about her running over that kid, just so people would feel sorry for her and give her tons of attention. She was absolutely horrendous and Squid hated her. He'd given her what she'd wanted last night-sure it might make her pregnant, but she had wanted it! And now she was blaming everything on him? What was wrong with her?
Squid kept thinking this as he exited through the front doors and stepped out into the fresh air. He looked around as he walked in no particular direction, looking for something-ANYTHING to do. He walked passed an old department store that had been cleared out and boarded up. He watched his reflection in the grimy windows as he moved passed, noticing how tall, gangly, and completely lost he looked. Squid kicked up some dust as he turned away from his reflection, thinking about what Chase had said about him copying his father by leaving his child. That bitch.
Squid looked up for a second and noticed a shabby little bar nearby. He decided to go for refuge there as the light breeze seemed to be pushing him that way, and there seemed to be nothing else to do anyway.
The smell of smoke filled the air as Squid stepped inside the small bar. There weren't many customers as it was still a little early for a drink, but the old bartender stood there all the same, wiping down mugs and talking to a gruff looking man who sat at the bar.
Squid sat down and felt all eyes on him.
"How can I help you?" the bartender asked, moving over to Squid and eyeing him suspiciously.
"I'll have a Yeagermeister," Squid said, looking glumly at the countertop.
"How old are you?" the bartender asked, not sounding at all harsh as Squid had expected.
"Twenty-three," Squid replied tiredly, depression dripping off his every word.
"I see," the bartender said, continuing to work on cleaning a dirty mug as he spoke. "What's your name son?"
Squid said the first thing that popped into his head. "Frank Meyers."
"And that was a Yeagermeister you wanted Mr. Meyers?" the bartender asked, setting down the mug, and moving to the opposite side of his workspace, the side where he kept all the alcohol.
Squid stared in surprise; this man was actually going to serve him! Either this bartender was extremely gullible or he knew Squid was underage but was kind enough to note the trouble Squid must have been through. A few seconds later the bartender handed Squid a glass and the bottle of alcohol along with it.
Squid had had Yeagermeister a couple times before and he'd never been too fond of it. To him it tasted like sour, black licorice, and it amazed him that some people loved it. But now seemed a good time to have some sort of alcohol and Yeagermeister, one of his mother's favorites, had been the first drink that had come to mind.
Squid took a sip and had to contain himself from choking; how could people stand this crap!? But as Squid continued to drink it straight from the bottle it became easier and easier, and pretty soon he was done with the entire bottle.
"Zippy?"
Zippy turned around in surprise. She'd been standing at a snack machine, preparing to stick her dollar bill into the dollar slot when the voice had come up from behind her, down the hall. When she turned around she nearly wet her pants in shock; standing there, a few yards away, holding an ice bucket and staring in what seemed to be awe, was Chase-or at least Zippy thought it was Chase, for a moment there she thought her eyes were playing tricks.
But when Chase called out her name, Zippy knew she wasn't seeing things.
Chase dropped the bucket of melting ice, sending water all over the nice carpet, and raced forth to her bewildered looking friend. She lifted Zippy up off the ground and into her arms, and swung her around in happiness.
"Oh, Zip, I thought I'd never see you again!" Chase cried before kissing Zippy on the cheek.
Now Zippy was completely bewildered and only until Chase set her back on the floor did she barely whisper, "Chase?"
"Yeah, silly, it's me," Chase replied, beaming down at Zippy, who'd forgotten about the dollar in her hand.
"Buh-but what are you doing here?" Zippy asked in disbelief.
"Getting a place to sleep and take showers," Chase replied happily.
"Where's Squid?" Zippy asked, looking around, as if expecting to see him pop out of no where.
"I have no idea!" Chase said brightly, still smiling.
"But didn't he come with you?" Zippy furrowed her brow in confusion.
"Of coarse he did!" Chase nodded. "He saved me from this guy who was gonna rape me, and then we walked here, and then we rented a room together, and last night we had sex, and then this morning we got into a huge fight and he left!" Chase said as simply as if she were explaining how to make a puppy out of balloons.
Zippy stared at Chase as if her head had just fallen off.
"Yo-you what?!" she cried.
"Yeah, it's a long story," Chase said with a simple shrug. "So how are you?"
Zippy was still too shocked to answer and luckily she was pardoned from doing so as just then Fidget walked into the hall.
"Zippy where's my butterfing-" she had started before spotting Chase. "- er.Chase? OH MY GOD! CHASE! IT'S YOU! YOU'RE ALRIGHT!" Fidget ran forth and threw her arms around Chase.
"It's good to see you too, Fidget," Chase said, hugging Fidget back.
"Where've you been?" Fidget asked, stepping back and examining Chase in all her cleanliness. "You look great! Tell me everything that happened!"
Chase opened her mouth to speak but Fidget abruptly stopped her.
"One second," she said before racing into the room she'd just exited from.
A couple seconds later Zippy and Chase could hear shrieks of excitement coming from the room, and next thing they knew Fidget was plummeting back towards them, followed by Static, Rogue, Lei, and Magnetic who slouched along behind.
"Chase you're alright!" Lei cried, hugging her just as everyone else had.
"I knew we'd find you again," Rogue said, grinning.
"Did that guy in the blue truck drop you off here?" Static asked.
When everyone moved aside it was Magnetic's turn to greet Chase.
She lingered a moment, her arms folded as she glared at Chase. "You sure have guts to come back to us like this," she growled, taking a step forth. Chase was worried Magnetic might smack her across the side of the head with the way pure malcontent tinged her every word. But quite on the contrary (and to everyone's utter surprise) Magnetic threw her arms around Chase and said, "But I'm sure glad you did!"
"I missed you too, Magnetic," Chase said as soon as the shock had passed.
"Come on," Rogue said, grabbing Chase's hand and pulling her towards the room they'd all been in. "Come sit down and tell us everything!"
A big, fancy loaf of bread, a block of brie, and a bottle of wine were set out on one of the low-to-the-floor dressers in the room all the girls had been in.
"Where'd you get all this stuff?" Chase asked, staring at the food with wide eyes.
"There's this big buffet going on downstairs," Static replied. "That's where some of the boys are right now," she said. Then, noticing the hungry look about Chase, she gestured to the food, "Help yourself."
Chase gladly took a couple pieces of bread and sat down on the bed behind her. She glanced at the wine bottle and asked, "You guys are all drinking wine now?"
"Some of us have always been drinking wine," Magnetic said with her nose in the air as she sat down beside Chase.
"I just started today," Fidget said, fidgeting with a small piece of bread before she popped it into her mouth. "They gave us the bottle," she said between chewing. "But they wouldn't let us bring glasses up to our room so we have to drink straight from the bottle."
"Well I don't have to," Zippy said, sitting to the left of Chase. "That wine is nasty! I told them to get something sweeter but noooooooo!"
"We told you to come downstairs and pick what you wanted," Static said, taking a seat beside the bed on the floor. "But you didn't!"
Zippy playfully stuck her tongue out at Static.
"Well anyway!" Rogue said, sitting down on the floor as well. "Chase hasn't told us her story yet!"
"Oh yeah!" Lei cried, sitting down as quickly as she could. "Go ahead Chase! What happened!"
Chase sat back, swallowed the last bit of bread in her hands, and began telling the girls everything that had happened. She told them about how the guy in the blue truck had turned out to be a slob and a bastard, and how Squid had come to the rescue and had saved Chase by claiming to be an insane person. She told them about the time she woke up one morning on the side of the road to find Squid kissing her neck.
"Oooooooh!" Fidget squealed.
"Was he like, full on kissing your neck, or what?" Rogue asked, grinning.
"Naw," Chase said. "It was light, you know; soft."
"Listen to her!" Magnetic cried. "She's started saying 'naw' just like Squid!"
Chase blushed.
"So what happened after he was kissing your neck!?" Zippy cried, she was nearly hyperventilating with excitement.
So Chase went on, telling them about the random things she and Squid had talked about as they'd walked along the road, and how she had continuously found herself getting shyer and shyer around him.
"I was finding it hard to even talk to him without blushing!" Chase said, she was even blushing now. "And I think he was the same way."
"So you were falling in love with him!?" Zippy asked, her eyes nearly popping out of her head.
Chase didn't answer immediately.
"Well.?" Lei asked, smiling broadly.
Chase shyly nodded her head.
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOH!" Fidget cried with delight.
"So what happened next!?" Magnetic asked.
Chase was reluctant to tell the girls about the day she and Squid had confessed their love for each other, the day they had both just stood their in that sweltering atmosphere, embracing each other for what seemed to be hours. But in the end she decided to tell them as they were pretty much her sisters and she loved them all so they deserved to know.
"How romantic," Fidget said, gazing up at Chase as if she were the Greek goddess Aphrodite.
"Was it just wonderful?" Lei asked.
Chase thought for a moment, then said, "It was better than wonderful."
Chase was glad for the silence around her as everyone tried to picture that perfect moment, for she was beginning to feel terrible. That day, that moment, had been more than perfect, and words couldn't even describe how much she'd felt for Squid then. She'd loved Squid more than anything- anyone, and she'd known he'd loved her back-maybe not more than anyone or anything, but he had loved her. What were all these girls going to say when she told them about the fight she and Squid had had-just that morning.
"Tell us more!" Zippy cried.
"Well, then we kind'a just walked along until we came here," Chase said glumly, using way less details then she had earlier.
"Did you guys get a room together?" Static asked. "Huh? Huh? HUH?"
Chase nodded.
"Chase! You dog!" Magnetic cried, nudging Chase in the arm.
"What?!" Chase cried. "It was to save money!"
"Sure!" Rogue said sarcastically, grinning from ear to ear.
"Did you guys get one bed or two?" Lei asked.
"One," Chase said quietly, feeling her face get warm.
"Ooh YEAH!" Magnetic cried, laughing. "And what happened in this one bed?"
"You know," Chase said, shrugging her shoulders.
"I think I do know!" Magnetic cried, beaming with delight. "Was it your first time Chase?"
Chase nodded.
"Wait-what happened?" Fidget cried.
"So much for never liking Squid, eh Chase?" Zippy asked, smiling.
"Wait a second-did Chase have sex with Squid?" Fidget asked, her eyes getting bigger.
"Oh yeah!" Magnetic cried. "Okay, so who here other than Chase has done it already?"
"I haven't," Zippy said shaking her head frantically. "Why, have you Magnetic?"
"'Coarse I have! I am eighteen after all! I'm the oldest here!"
"No you aren't!" Lei said. "I'm eighteen also!"
"Oh yeah, when's your birthday?" Magnetic asked.
"Her's is two days before Chase's," Zippy said. "September 21-right Lei?"
Lei nodded.
"And your's is November 27 Magnetic!" Static said. "Lei's the oldest here."
"Whatever!" Magnetic said. "So back to my original question; who here has done it already?"
She looked to Fidget, Static, and Lei, who each shook their head no.
"I almost did," Rogue said slowly.
"Oh my God! Chase you're like one of the youngest here and you did it last night!" Magnetic cried, nudging Chase in the arm again.
"Would you stop that!" Chase cried.
"What was it like?" Fidget asked her excitedly.
Chase shrugged her shoulders again. "It was-erm-interesting," she said, containing herself from blurting out 'IT WAS INCREDIBLE!!! And scary.'
"Well did you enjoy it or not?" Lei asked.
Chase felt her face get warm as she bashfully nodded her head.
"Chase!" Zippy cried, laughing.
"Did you enjoy it when you had it Magnetic?" Fidget asked.
"Do mean the first, second, or third time?" Magnetic asked, her nose back in the air.
"Oh my God!" Fidget cried. "Never mind that!"
"Did you enjoy it?" Zippy asked, turning to Rogue.
"Hell no! The guy I was with was a bastard!" Rogue cried.
"Wait a second," Fidget said, furrowing her brow as she turned back to Chase. "Isn't Squid like way older than you?"
"And WAY more experienced then you?" Magnetic asked.
"He's eighteen," Chase said quietly.
"Well I guess age doesn't matter when it's true love," Static said logically.
"So where's Squid now?" Magnetic asked. "Stuffing his face down at the buffet with the others?" she wrinkled her nose in disgust.
Chase sighed heavily.
"Uh oh," Lei said. "That's not a good sign."
"What happened Chase?" Fidget asked.
"Well, this morning we got into a fight," Chase said slowly. She hesitated a moment before telling them all about the fight; how worried she'd been and how she'd gotten extremely mad when Squid had made a joke about the whole thing. She told them about how stupid she'd been when she'd accused Squid of being just like his father and leaving their child if they did have one, and how that had made him furious. She told them a couple of the bad names tossed back and forth during the fight, and how in the end Squid had stormed out leaving her in a crumpled mess at the foot of the door she'd just punched a dent in.
"Chase," Lei said, much more quietly than she had been a few moments earlier. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Chase said. "I'm fine-but I sure am stupid."
"No you're not, Chase!" Zippy cried. "These things just happen," she put her arm around Chase's shoulders.
"Especially after your first night of sex with someone," Magnetic added.
Chase smiled.
"It'll all blow over," Static said. "Just give Squid some time to think just as you've been doing. You'll both be apologizing to each other in no time."
"Definitely; 'cause you two really do love each other," Rogue said. "And if he's stubborn enough not to see that, I'll beat some sense into him for ya'."
Chase's smile grew. "Thanks you guys," she said quietly. Like Static had said, everything was going to be okay.
Squid had absolutely no idea of where he was going, all he knew was he had to get out of that hotel, had to get as far away from Chase as possible.
She was a horrible, horrible person and he hated her-in fact he never wanted to look at her again! Never wanted to talk to her, touch her, or make any sort of contact with her ever again! In ten million years! Never, ever, ever, EVER! She was a bitch! A horrible, terrible bitch! A freak who enjoyed using people and then making them feel sorry for themselves. She had probably even made up that whole story about her running over that kid, just so people would feel sorry for her and give her tons of attention. She was absolutely horrendous and Squid hated her. He'd given her what she'd wanted last night-sure it might make her pregnant, but she had wanted it! And now she was blaming everything on him? What was wrong with her?
Squid kept thinking this as he exited through the front doors and stepped out into the fresh air. He looked around as he walked in no particular direction, looking for something-ANYTHING to do. He walked passed an old department store that had been cleared out and boarded up. He watched his reflection in the grimy windows as he moved passed, noticing how tall, gangly, and completely lost he looked. Squid kicked up some dust as he turned away from his reflection, thinking about what Chase had said about him copying his father by leaving his child. That bitch.
Squid looked up for a second and noticed a shabby little bar nearby. He decided to go for refuge there as the light breeze seemed to be pushing him that way, and there seemed to be nothing else to do anyway.
The smell of smoke filled the air as Squid stepped inside the small bar. There weren't many customers as it was still a little early for a drink, but the old bartender stood there all the same, wiping down mugs and talking to a gruff looking man who sat at the bar.
Squid sat down and felt all eyes on him.
"How can I help you?" the bartender asked, moving over to Squid and eyeing him suspiciously.
"I'll have a Yeagermeister," Squid said, looking glumly at the countertop.
"How old are you?" the bartender asked, not sounding at all harsh as Squid had expected.
"Twenty-three," Squid replied tiredly, depression dripping off his every word.
"I see," the bartender said, continuing to work on cleaning a dirty mug as he spoke. "What's your name son?"
Squid said the first thing that popped into his head. "Frank Meyers."
"And that was a Yeagermeister you wanted Mr. Meyers?" the bartender asked, setting down the mug, and moving to the opposite side of his workspace, the side where he kept all the alcohol.
Squid stared in surprise; this man was actually going to serve him! Either this bartender was extremely gullible or he knew Squid was underage but was kind enough to note the trouble Squid must have been through. A few seconds later the bartender handed Squid a glass and the bottle of alcohol along with it.
Squid had had Yeagermeister a couple times before and he'd never been too fond of it. To him it tasted like sour, black licorice, and it amazed him that some people loved it. But now seemed a good time to have some sort of alcohol and Yeagermeister, one of his mother's favorites, had been the first drink that had come to mind.
Squid took a sip and had to contain himself from choking; how could people stand this crap!? But as Squid continued to drink it straight from the bottle it became easier and easier, and pretty soon he was done with the entire bottle.
"Zippy?"
Zippy turned around in surprise. She'd been standing at a snack machine, preparing to stick her dollar bill into the dollar slot when the voice had come up from behind her, down the hall. When she turned around she nearly wet her pants in shock; standing there, a few yards away, holding an ice bucket and staring in what seemed to be awe, was Chase-or at least Zippy thought it was Chase, for a moment there she thought her eyes were playing tricks.
But when Chase called out her name, Zippy knew she wasn't seeing things.
Chase dropped the bucket of melting ice, sending water all over the nice carpet, and raced forth to her bewildered looking friend. She lifted Zippy up off the ground and into her arms, and swung her around in happiness.
"Oh, Zip, I thought I'd never see you again!" Chase cried before kissing Zippy on the cheek.
Now Zippy was completely bewildered and only until Chase set her back on the floor did she barely whisper, "Chase?"
"Yeah, silly, it's me," Chase replied, beaming down at Zippy, who'd forgotten about the dollar in her hand.
"Buh-but what are you doing here?" Zippy asked in disbelief.
"Getting a place to sleep and take showers," Chase replied happily.
"Where's Squid?" Zippy asked, looking around, as if expecting to see him pop out of no where.
"I have no idea!" Chase said brightly, still smiling.
"But didn't he come with you?" Zippy furrowed her brow in confusion.
"Of coarse he did!" Chase nodded. "He saved me from this guy who was gonna rape me, and then we walked here, and then we rented a room together, and last night we had sex, and then this morning we got into a huge fight and he left!" Chase said as simply as if she were explaining how to make a puppy out of balloons.
Zippy stared at Chase as if her head had just fallen off.
"Yo-you what?!" she cried.
"Yeah, it's a long story," Chase said with a simple shrug. "So how are you?"
Zippy was still too shocked to answer and luckily she was pardoned from doing so as just then Fidget walked into the hall.
"Zippy where's my butterfing-" she had started before spotting Chase. "- er.Chase? OH MY GOD! CHASE! IT'S YOU! YOU'RE ALRIGHT!" Fidget ran forth and threw her arms around Chase.
"It's good to see you too, Fidget," Chase said, hugging Fidget back.
"Where've you been?" Fidget asked, stepping back and examining Chase in all her cleanliness. "You look great! Tell me everything that happened!"
Chase opened her mouth to speak but Fidget abruptly stopped her.
"One second," she said before racing into the room she'd just exited from.
A couple seconds later Zippy and Chase could hear shrieks of excitement coming from the room, and next thing they knew Fidget was plummeting back towards them, followed by Static, Rogue, Lei, and Magnetic who slouched along behind.
"Chase you're alright!" Lei cried, hugging her just as everyone else had.
"I knew we'd find you again," Rogue said, grinning.
"Did that guy in the blue truck drop you off here?" Static asked.
When everyone moved aside it was Magnetic's turn to greet Chase.
She lingered a moment, her arms folded as she glared at Chase. "You sure have guts to come back to us like this," she growled, taking a step forth. Chase was worried Magnetic might smack her across the side of the head with the way pure malcontent tinged her every word. But quite on the contrary (and to everyone's utter surprise) Magnetic threw her arms around Chase and said, "But I'm sure glad you did!"
"I missed you too, Magnetic," Chase said as soon as the shock had passed.
"Come on," Rogue said, grabbing Chase's hand and pulling her towards the room they'd all been in. "Come sit down and tell us everything!"
A big, fancy loaf of bread, a block of brie, and a bottle of wine were set out on one of the low-to-the-floor dressers in the room all the girls had been in.
"Where'd you get all this stuff?" Chase asked, staring at the food with wide eyes.
"There's this big buffet going on downstairs," Static replied. "That's where some of the boys are right now," she said. Then, noticing the hungry look about Chase, she gestured to the food, "Help yourself."
Chase gladly took a couple pieces of bread and sat down on the bed behind her. She glanced at the wine bottle and asked, "You guys are all drinking wine now?"
"Some of us have always been drinking wine," Magnetic said with her nose in the air as she sat down beside Chase.
"I just started today," Fidget said, fidgeting with a small piece of bread before she popped it into her mouth. "They gave us the bottle," she said between chewing. "But they wouldn't let us bring glasses up to our room so we have to drink straight from the bottle."
"Well I don't have to," Zippy said, sitting to the left of Chase. "That wine is nasty! I told them to get something sweeter but noooooooo!"
"We told you to come downstairs and pick what you wanted," Static said, taking a seat beside the bed on the floor. "But you didn't!"
Zippy playfully stuck her tongue out at Static.
"Well anyway!" Rogue said, sitting down on the floor as well. "Chase hasn't told us her story yet!"
"Oh yeah!" Lei cried, sitting down as quickly as she could. "Go ahead Chase! What happened!"
Chase sat back, swallowed the last bit of bread in her hands, and began telling the girls everything that had happened. She told them about how the guy in the blue truck had turned out to be a slob and a bastard, and how Squid had come to the rescue and had saved Chase by claiming to be an insane person. She told them about the time she woke up one morning on the side of the road to find Squid kissing her neck.
"Oooooooh!" Fidget squealed.
"Was he like, full on kissing your neck, or what?" Rogue asked, grinning.
"Naw," Chase said. "It was light, you know; soft."
"Listen to her!" Magnetic cried. "She's started saying 'naw' just like Squid!"
Chase blushed.
"So what happened after he was kissing your neck!?" Zippy cried, she was nearly hyperventilating with excitement.
So Chase went on, telling them about the random things she and Squid had talked about as they'd walked along the road, and how she had continuously found herself getting shyer and shyer around him.
"I was finding it hard to even talk to him without blushing!" Chase said, she was even blushing now. "And I think he was the same way."
"So you were falling in love with him!?" Zippy asked, her eyes nearly popping out of her head.
Chase didn't answer immediately.
"Well.?" Lei asked, smiling broadly.
Chase shyly nodded her head.
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOH!" Fidget cried with delight.
"So what happened next!?" Magnetic asked.
Chase was reluctant to tell the girls about the day she and Squid had confessed their love for each other, the day they had both just stood their in that sweltering atmosphere, embracing each other for what seemed to be hours. But in the end she decided to tell them as they were pretty much her sisters and she loved them all so they deserved to know.
"How romantic," Fidget said, gazing up at Chase as if she were the Greek goddess Aphrodite.
"Was it just wonderful?" Lei asked.
Chase thought for a moment, then said, "It was better than wonderful."
Chase was glad for the silence around her as everyone tried to picture that perfect moment, for she was beginning to feel terrible. That day, that moment, had been more than perfect, and words couldn't even describe how much she'd felt for Squid then. She'd loved Squid more than anything- anyone, and she'd known he'd loved her back-maybe not more than anyone or anything, but he had loved her. What were all these girls going to say when she told them about the fight she and Squid had had-just that morning.
"Tell us more!" Zippy cried.
"Well, then we kind'a just walked along until we came here," Chase said glumly, using way less details then she had earlier.
"Did you guys get a room together?" Static asked. "Huh? Huh? HUH?"
Chase nodded.
"Chase! You dog!" Magnetic cried, nudging Chase in the arm.
"What?!" Chase cried. "It was to save money!"
"Sure!" Rogue said sarcastically, grinning from ear to ear.
"Did you guys get one bed or two?" Lei asked.
"One," Chase said quietly, feeling her face get warm.
"Ooh YEAH!" Magnetic cried, laughing. "And what happened in this one bed?"
"You know," Chase said, shrugging her shoulders.
"I think I do know!" Magnetic cried, beaming with delight. "Was it your first time Chase?"
Chase nodded.
"Wait-what happened?" Fidget cried.
"So much for never liking Squid, eh Chase?" Zippy asked, smiling.
"Wait a second-did Chase have sex with Squid?" Fidget asked, her eyes getting bigger.
"Oh yeah!" Magnetic cried. "Okay, so who here other than Chase has done it already?"
"I haven't," Zippy said shaking her head frantically. "Why, have you Magnetic?"
"'Coarse I have! I am eighteen after all! I'm the oldest here!"
"No you aren't!" Lei said. "I'm eighteen also!"
"Oh yeah, when's your birthday?" Magnetic asked.
"Her's is two days before Chase's," Zippy said. "September 21-right Lei?"
Lei nodded.
"And your's is November 27 Magnetic!" Static said. "Lei's the oldest here."
"Whatever!" Magnetic said. "So back to my original question; who here has done it already?"
She looked to Fidget, Static, and Lei, who each shook their head no.
"I almost did," Rogue said slowly.
"Oh my God! Chase you're like one of the youngest here and you did it last night!" Magnetic cried, nudging Chase in the arm again.
"Would you stop that!" Chase cried.
"What was it like?" Fidget asked her excitedly.
Chase shrugged her shoulders again. "It was-erm-interesting," she said, containing herself from blurting out 'IT WAS INCREDIBLE!!! And scary.'
"Well did you enjoy it or not?" Lei asked.
Chase felt her face get warm as she bashfully nodded her head.
"Chase!" Zippy cried, laughing.
"Did you enjoy it when you had it Magnetic?" Fidget asked.
"Do mean the first, second, or third time?" Magnetic asked, her nose back in the air.
"Oh my God!" Fidget cried. "Never mind that!"
"Did you enjoy it?" Zippy asked, turning to Rogue.
"Hell no! The guy I was with was a bastard!" Rogue cried.
"Wait a second," Fidget said, furrowing her brow as she turned back to Chase. "Isn't Squid like way older than you?"
"And WAY more experienced then you?" Magnetic asked.
"He's eighteen," Chase said quietly.
"Well I guess age doesn't matter when it's true love," Static said logically.
"So where's Squid now?" Magnetic asked. "Stuffing his face down at the buffet with the others?" she wrinkled her nose in disgust.
Chase sighed heavily.
"Uh oh," Lei said. "That's not a good sign."
"What happened Chase?" Fidget asked.
"Well, this morning we got into a fight," Chase said slowly. She hesitated a moment before telling them all about the fight; how worried she'd been and how she'd gotten extremely mad when Squid had made a joke about the whole thing. She told them about how stupid she'd been when she'd accused Squid of being just like his father and leaving their child if they did have one, and how that had made him furious. She told them a couple of the bad names tossed back and forth during the fight, and how in the end Squid had stormed out leaving her in a crumpled mess at the foot of the door she'd just punched a dent in.
"Chase," Lei said, much more quietly than she had been a few moments earlier. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Chase said. "I'm fine-but I sure am stupid."
"No you're not, Chase!" Zippy cried. "These things just happen," she put her arm around Chase's shoulders.
"Especially after your first night of sex with someone," Magnetic added.
Chase smiled.
"It'll all blow over," Static said. "Just give Squid some time to think just as you've been doing. You'll both be apologizing to each other in no time."
"Definitely; 'cause you two really do love each other," Rogue said. "And if he's stubborn enough not to see that, I'll beat some sense into him for ya'."
Chase's smile grew. "Thanks you guys," she said quietly. Like Static had said, everything was going to be okay.