I Left the Womb for This
This is it, Chuckie thought to himself excitedly. Here she was, alone with him, looking beautiful and sexy in her low cut shirt. There could only be one thing on her mind if she'd troubled herself enough to squeeze into that mini skirt and those boots. Her skin glowed and her eyes sparkled with the same cheap glitter makeup that Kimi wore in her hair. This is it.
"Chuckie?" She said waving her hand in front of his face, "can I come in?"
"Oh right!" Chuckie quickly stepped aside and ushered her in, "Sorry,"
"That's alright," she said with a quick smile, "I just needed to ask you something…"
Chuckie grinned and a million dirty questions raced through his mind. He was so glad Tommy had agreed to take Kimi off his hands just for a few hours tonight ("Or maybe more" He had promised with a wink.)
"Did you want something to drink?" Chuckie asked quickly distracting himself and cutting her off before she could speak.
"Yeah… sure."
He led her into the kitchen where she sat at the breakfast bar and watched him intently while he poured her a drink. It was slightly unnerving, the way she never once removed her eyes from him, the way she followed his every move. Unnerving and kind of attractive, but that could have just been the hormones.
"Listen Chuckie I can't stay too long, I really just wanted to ask you something."
"Mmm," Chuckie mumbled only half listening, her shirt was hanging very low.
"Umm, your friend Tommy he- he's got a girlfriend doesn't he?"
"Yeah, my sister Kimi."
"How long have they been dating?"
"The hell should I know? Why does it matter?"
"Well… the truth is..."
"Oh… no, you don't"
Of course, it was only too obvious. The only reason she had come over here was to ask about Tommy. Tommy, Tommy, Tommy. How fucking obvious. They all loved Tommy, he was like some mythological sex god whom all the girls pined after, like a movie star. And there he was, Chuckie, stuck in the background behind thick lens glasses.
"I know it's stupid and he has a girlfriend and everything but I really like him." She explained quickly and apologetically, "Do you reckon you could, you know, tell him or something?"
"What good would that do?" Chuckie burst out, she flinched away from him
"Well it wouldn't hurt to try." She retaliated boldly, scrunching her face up in the same rage as Chuckie
"I don't believe this, every time I get attention from some hot chick it turns out their chasing Tommy well, newsflash sweetheart, he's currently fucking someone you'll have to check back later."
Her face went through a range of emotions. Shocked, angry, scared and lastly tears began to well up in her eyes. Once Chuckie calmed down enough to see her properly guilt began to build up inside of him and he started to regret bursting like he had.
"Look I'm sorry-"
"No, don't be sorry," She choked. She composed herself and slid off the breakfast bar stool, "I just wanna ask you one more thing."
Chuckie bit his bottom lip apprehensively, he'd have to answer whatever she asked truthfully, he was too guilty to lie.
"Did you only ask me over here to have sex with me?"
Chuckie blanched, and she nodded knowingly. Without another word she left, her head hung morosely. This night hadn't gone quite as Chuckie had envisioned it. In fact, it couldn't have gone worse. He threw himself on the couch in front of the TV, tried and failed to concentrate on the moronic whine of late night talk show hosts. When Tommy and Kimi walked in the front door fifteen minuets into Conan O'Brian Chuckie had fallen asleep on the couch.
"Don't take it so hard Chuckie," Kimi said consolingly when she caught Chuckie brooding over a half eaten bowl of cereal the next morning
"Don't take what hard?" He pouted slapping the back of his spoon on the cereal and watching spots of milk form around his bowl
Kimi sighed and hoisted herself onto the counter beside Chuckies cereal. They sat for a moment in silence before Chuckie sighed and muttered "We better go to school."
Kimi nodded, climbed down off the counter and followed him out the door. They walked in silence for a few blocks, and it drove Kimi crazy.
"Do you want to talk about it Chuckie?"
"Talk about what?" Kimi heaved an exasperated sigh
"About last night, what happened? You've been sooking all morning."
"I have not been sooking," Chuckie said defensively, Kimi sighed again
"What happened with your date?"
"Nothing,"
"Nothing at all?"
"That's right," Chuckie started bitterly, "nothing happened because the only reason she even agreed to come over was to ask about Tommy. That's the only reason anyone even talks to me, to ask about their god Tommy."
"Chuckie…" Kimi said, but she couldn't finish the sentence.
She didn't want to lie just to placate him, he would see through that in a second. But as it went she'd have to lie so as not to hurt his feelings. The truth was a lot of girls liked Tommy and saw Chuckie, his best friend, as a means of getting closer to him. And here Chuckie was thinking every girl in the world was obsessed with Tommy (even his sister) when he really had absolutely no taste in women. Most of the girls he chased were notorious sluts, or notorious for dressing or pretending to be sluts. He was seventeen, after all, and his hormones were high of course he'd be chasing the girls with the pheromones.
"I'm never gonna get laid," Chuckie said suddenly and Kimi stared at him for so long she nearly ran into a fire hydrant
"What makes you say that?"
"Look at my record Kimi, every girl I've even come close to fucking ends up having some obsession with Tommy."
"Maybe you shouldn't just look to fuck someone then." Kimi blurted before she had time to think
"That's easy for you to say, you're getting it nearly every night."
"Chuckie, please, can we not talk about this."
Chuckie fell silent again. He was pouting at the ground, kicking every little pebble out of his way or otherwise scraping his feet on the ground. Ever since junior high where Chuckie had discovered, and taken an unprecedented liking to rebellion he had become increasingly moody and insolent. He modeled himself after Punk rocker Johnny Rotten to some extent, when he felt like it, when he was in that mood. Other times he'd just sneer at anyone who tried to tell him what to do. Kimi knew it was just a phase, but a lot of his friends had become concerned, saying he had changed for the worse.
It hurt Kimi a lot seeing him like this, depressed and resentful. His obvious jealousy of his best friend and her boyfriend Tommy was also a point of concern. Kimi felt it was her duty as his sister to meddle in his business weather he liked it or not. And she knew just the person to set him up with.
* * * *
"Do you realize we only have two weeks of school left?" Phil exclaimed as they walked into school
"Yes I realized Phil, just like a realized yesterday when you pointed it out." Lil replied slightly exasperated.
"Can you imagine what it's gonna be like never having to go to school again? I can't wait."
"Well I don't know about you but I plan on going to college,"
"Well, yeah, but college is different isn't it? It's nothing like high school, you don't even have to go to class if you don't want." Phil closed his eyes and smiled slightly, several people had to skit around him as he walked through the hall blindly
"It's still school stupid,"
"Please, don't ruin this for me Lil," Phil said cheerfully, "I'm savoring the moment."
"Why don't you wait till we actually finish school to savor the moment?"
"It'll be too late then."
Lil sighed and said no more. It was no use arguing with Phil when he was in this mood, he didn't even realize he was having an argument. It wasn't like Lil wasn't excited about finishing school, she just took a different viewpoint. It was scary, finishing school, there's the whole wide world ahead of you and what has school really prepared you for? Sitting through boring lectures and exams. There's so much more to life than just that, and it's all dumped on you at one time.
It wasn't just that either, it was all the friends she'd made, all the friends that she'd have to leave behind. Growing up meant change and not everyone changed the same way. Chuckie was a perfect example, how much he'd changed from the shy, nervous wreak he was in their younger years to the confident, nonchalant punk with absolutely no regard for the rules. If anything he went out of his way to break them. If good old reliable Chuckie could change that much in a matter of years, imagine how much everyone else would change when life slapped them in the face. Imagine how much she would change. Leaving high school would be great, liberating, but leaving behind the security of lifetime friendships would be the most difficult thing she'd ever done.
The bell for class rang and Lil pushed her thoughts to the back of her brain. It was depressing thinking like that before class, she only wished she could take Phil's perspective on the situation. Happy go lucky, a big wide world of opportunity and all the time in the world to play videogames. If only.
Lil filed her way into the class and automatically went to take the seat next to her twin brother Phil. The seat, however, was taken by a perky, rather ditzy short haired girl Lil knew as Kathleen. She and Phil seemed engrossed in a conversation about a cartoon they used to watch as children called Reptar. Kathleen kept referring to it as a 'classic' and, for no reason at all, that annoyed Lil.
Lil was resigned to sit next to a girl she knew by face and not by name. They didn't speak once and the class seemed to drag on forever without the ever present distraction of Phil. Funnily enough she absorbed less information that lesson than any lesson she spent next to Phil, and their final exam was in just a few days. Lil pondered this for a moment and decided not to worry about it.
Lil had thought very little about Phil's relationship with this Kathleen girl, their growing closeness hadn't gone unnoticed it just hadn't been acknowledged. In fact, if she hadn't run into Kathleen in the girls' bathroom several days later she would have dismissed it completely.
'Run into' Kathleen probably wouldn't describe the scene that otherwise perfectly normal lunch time. Lil walked into the girls' bathroom where it appeared Kathleen had been waiting for her. Without explaining herself at all Kathleen checked the cubicles and hastily proceeded to lock the door.
"What do you want?" Lil blurted out, thoroughly confused.
"Listen Lil I don't want you spreading this around the school." Kathleen said, giving Lil a hard stare.
"Spreading what?"
"I need to talk to you about something."
Lils stomach dropped. She didn't like people talking to her about things, especially things they found important or secretive enough that she couldn't tell anyone. Lil had an unfortunate habit of telling other people's secrets when conversation ran low.
"You've got to swear not to say anything though," Kathleen implored, her stare softening
"Not to say anything about what?"
"It's about Phil." Kathleen noticeably blushed. Lil didn't notice, her stomach had dropped another notch. Was there something about her brother she didn't know?
"What?"
"I didn't know how to tell him, so I figured since you guys are twins maybe you could, you know, talk to him."
Lil blinked owlishly, was Kathleen trying to tell her what she thought she was trying to tell her?"
"I really like him Lil but I'm too scared to say anything."
Lil heaved a relieved sigh and proceeded to laugh
"You like my brother? Why?"
"Well… I don't know, it's just…" Kathleen blushed a deeper red and fell silent
"I'll break it to him slowly." Lil assured her with a friendly pat on the shoulder.
"Don't make it sound like I'm obsessed or anything," Kathleen said quickly
"Don't worry, you can leave it up to me." Lil smiled to herself. She didn't like Kathleen a lot, but Phil hadn't had a girlfriend in years (not that he cared much) and he could do a lot worse.
* * * *
Life was swell. Life couldn't be better. School would be over for good in a week, he'd never have to worry about making assignment deadlines, sitting exams, socializing. He could let himself go, sit around the house all day in his underwear if it so pleased him. Yup, as far as Tommy was concerned life was just peachy.
Why, then, did he feel so down? Why was it every time he saw his girlfriend Kimi he wanted to be anywhere but where she was? Why did his best friend glare at him and talk to him in a voice dripping with sarcasm? Why did girls write him creepy letters telling him they were ready to commit suicide because they loved him so much?
"You know what it is Tommy," Angelica said knowingly, snatching the letter from Tommy's grip, "these chicks are nutcases, I've seen it all before, they seek out some pretty boy and obsess to no end."
"Tell me something I don't know," Tommy mumbled rubbing his temples with his thumbs
"Just ignore them, they'll either get over it or kill themselves."
"That's easy for you, you're not the one their killing themselves over."
"Ah who cares, one less crazy person in the world."
Angelica, who seemed to believe the case was closed, ripped up the letter and tossed it in the garbage. Tommy however couldn't forget about it that easy. Why would someone write something like that, he was sure he'd never met this girl before in his life.
"Don't worry about it kid," (Angelica had taken to calling Tommy 'Kid' ever since she had gone away to college, even though she was only two years older than him.)
"Yeah," Tommy nodded his head once and let his hang where it stopped.
"Why don't you call Kimi? She'll get your mind off it,"
"No, I think I'm just gonna go to bed."
"It's four thirty."
"Oh…"
Angelica sighed dramatically. Her poor young cousin was going through that ever familiar teenage depression. The kind that didn't need a cause, but was there nonetheless. She had vague memories of something like that during her high school years, but it had been so irrelevant, even then, that even remembering it seemed embarrassing. There was only one thing that could cure teenage depression and that was weed and booze. Angelica didn't particularly like weed but she was sure her aunt and uncle had some sort of alcoholic treasure trove in the house.
"Angelica, dear I've set you up in the spare bedroom, you can unpack your things if you like."
"Thanks aunt Didi," Angelica smiled angelically. The booze would have to wait.
Ever since her parents divorce Angelica had an unfortunate falling out with her mother and had severed any ties they one had. She hadn't seen or spoken to her in three years and that suited Angelica just fine. Her father had simply packed up and moved state as soon as it happened and, while Angelica would live with her father during most breaks from college, she had decided to give him his space during his mid life crisis and stay with her aunt and uncle for a few months. At any other time in his life Tommy would have been against Angelica's staying but in the two years he hadn't seen her they had both matured somewhat.
"I know what'll get your mind off those crazy girls," Angelica suggested as Tommy flopped on her newly made bed in the spare room, "Why don't you call everyone over and we can have a little reunion."
"Why don't you call everyone over." Tommy mimicked sarcastically
"Don't make me tickle you punk," Angelica said holding her hands above Tommy's torso
"Don't," Tommy said, and for the first time since she'd arrived he smiled
"Then get your butt downstairs and start calling people."
"It's the middle of the week, no one's gonna want to come over. They have homework,"
"You have a week of school left how much homework could they possibly have? Stop making excuses for them and just call." Angelica began to move in on Tommy, her fingers wiggling madly
"Alright," Tommy laughed, "Alright I'll call them."
"That's better."
* * * *
AN: That's the end of part one. I'm not sure how many parts there'll be this is kinda one of those stories that has a loose plot but the rest just fills itself in as I go. I must apologize as well, I wasn't exactly a fan of the original Rugrats (big fan of the spin-off 'All Grown Up') so if anything in the story is wrong drop me a line or, make good use of the review thingy and just correct me there. Also, I wasn't quite sure about the ages of all the characters so I'm going by All Grown Up where all but Angelica and Susie seem to be in the same year lever.