Author's Note: Just wanted to give a special shout-out to Vigatus! I'm glad you're liking my story so far! I want to tell you especially, I appreciate your following and commenting on my stories! And of course, thank you to everyone else who reads my stories as well! I can't update without you guys at all! You all make this possible! Lots of love and candy,
Lily
Sadie Hawkins Dance
"Matt, I'm really concerned about you. You seem a little more hostile than usual and that's not cool. It's such a mood killer," Marcus cracked his knuckles.
"Sorry man, but I'm really not feeling it right now. Between all the girls talking about the Sadie Hawkins dance and then having to hear that stupid music in the country section, it's really driving me crazy," Matt huffed.
"Yikes. I've been in your shoes before. No one's asked me to the dance either, but I think I'm going to chalk it up to the fact that I was kind of a scary dude back then. Still, would have been nice if a girl would see past my criminal behavior," Marcus tapped his pen against his desk.
"What?" Matt straightened his posture.
"Okay, I think I know what to do. You've worked here a while, so I'm going to test you. I think if you're surrounded in a more uplifting place, maybe that will improve things. Nokia will take Country and you will cover the Gospel and the Christian Rock sections for her, since they're pretty small. If you can handle juggling two sections, maybe we can talk more about moving you to a bigger, more popular section. Remember, this is a test run, so don't let me down," Marcus spun around in his chair.
"Thanks? I definitely appreciate the opportunity," Matt bashfully said.
"Honestly, thank Nokia. She's the only one I know who could do the job. Did you know she's almost deaf?" Marcus said.
"Say what?" Matt looked at him incredulously.
"She can kind of hear, but it's muffled. She reads lips to get by," Marcus shrugged.
"Then why isn't she in the country music section permanently?" Matt gasped.
"She says the cadence offends her ears," Marcus shrugged.
"Wow, not surprised that country music offends even deaf people," Matt muttered.
"Ready to get back on the floor?" Marcus smiled.
"Yeah. It will be nice not having to hear that dumb country song anymore," Matt sighed in relief.
"All the girls in the bathroom, talking who they gonna take to the Sadie Hawkins? My ears are burning, but I kept on walking, smile on my face and an air guitar rocking-"
"Okay, who chooses the playlists for these songs?" Matt gasped.
"I don't know. I guess home office just updates whatever the Top 20 most streamed songs for each genre are and sends us the list," Marcus shrugged.
"Great…," Matt groaned.
"Someone should at least have a good day today," Izzy said as he slipped a fabric heart in his pocket.
"Yeah. I hope you included. Are you sure you're okay?" Kari asked.
"Thanks Kari, but I don't think you can fix this. I appreciate the bear though," Izzy placed the teddy bear behind the register counter.
"Oh…I just want to make you feel better. I feel bad about everything," Kari rubbed her arm.
"You know what? Fine, but this stays between the two of us, and only us," Izzy held up his pinky.
"Promise," Kari linked her pinky with his.
"I lied about having a date to the Sadie Hawkins," Izzy turned red.
"You did?!" Kari gasped.
"I know, it's stupid. But I just got so annoyed of people assuming that no one would ever ask me out. Obviously, no one would ask me out. Look at me, my face is freaking pink right now, isn't it? And in this store, where every damn thing is pink, I'd be the last thing anyone would choose. Ugh, I suck," Izzy groaned and leaned over the register.
"Aww, that's not true," Kari awkwardly patted him on the head.
"You're only saying that because you're my friend. You don't have to lie," Izzy looked up at her skeptically.
"Izumi! I don't pay you to mope in front of customers on the clock! Get up!" Yolei snapped her fingers.
"Ick…I forgot you worked with her for a moment," Kari whispered.
"I wish I could forget forever," Izzy muttered.
"I'm not a customer, just so you know," Kari put her hands on her hips.
"Then what the hell are you doing here? I'm definitely not paying Izumi to mope in front of window shoppers. If you're not buying anything, then get out!" Yolei hollered.
"Right after I ask him if he'd want to go to the movies after work on Saturday, since he had to work the night of the dance. You bet I was disappointed when he broke the news to me," Kari crossed her arms.
"Whoa…hold the phone! Izzy, she was the one who asked you out?" Yolei looked amused.
"Just play along," Kari whispered.
"Uh yeah…," Izzy dumbly said.
"So how does that sound, Izzy? I'll meet you here after closing on Saturday?" Kari asked.
"Yeah, if you wanna do that," Izzy blinked.
"Great, it's a date," Kari grabbed Izzy's face and kissed him on the lips.
"Wow," Izzy blinked in surprise.
"Wait a second, you're Tai Kamiya's little sister, aren't you?" Yolei slyly grinned.
"Yeah," Kari raised an eyebrow.
"Interesting. Izzy, aren't you best friends with Tai?" Yolei raised an eyebrow.
"What are you trying to get at?" Izzy stood up straight.
"I'm just connecting the dots here. He doesn't know, does he?" Yolei had an evil smile on her face.
"Oh crap," Kari and Izzy exchanged frightened looks.
"Oooh, hmmm…I guess you might have to cash in that huge favor much sooner than you thought, Izumi," Yolei smirked.
"You wouldn't!" Izzy gasped.
"Oh, I'm just saying it wouldn't look too good for you. He might kick your ass," Yolei let out a small laugh.
"Why don't you mind your own business?" Kari cut in.
"Because getting in other people's business is much more fun," Yolei rubbed her hands together.
"Well, you don't have to worry about it because I'll…I'll tell him. Just give me some time," Izzy said.
"Fine. But I'm only giving you guys a couple of days. Otherwise, I blab…or you can cash in that favor and I can keep it a secret forever! Mum's the word," Yolei winked.
"That won't be necessary," Izzy hunched over the counter.
"Okay, like I said…you've got a couple of days. Now I'll be in the back doing manager stuff, so if you need me, try not to," Yolei walked off.
"Thanks for covering for me- which you really didn't have to do, by the way- but now what?" Izzy ran his fingers through his hair.
"I don't know, but I have a feeling Tai won't buy anything we say. Like Yolei said, we do look convincing now," Kari bit her nail.
"Is it me, or did you hear screaming and an 'oh my god' in the background?" Izzy asked.
"I thought it was just in my head, but if you heard it too…," Kari bit her lip.
"She's got to grow up eventually," Miki gently patted Tai on the back.
"But did she have to do it with my best friend in public?" Tai groaned.
"They were practically eating each other's faces off," Mimi nodded frantically.
"Oh, I need a drink," Tai popped open a can of soda and grabbed a straw.
"Oh my god, it must be bad if you're drinking a Coke…with sugar! Aww Tai," Megumi hugged him.
"If you need to take another walk around to clear your mind, you go ahead! I bet it can't be easy to see your sweet, innocent baby sister kissing the guy who was your friend for your entire life! I can't even imagine how long they've probably kept it hidden!" Miki put her hands to her heart.
"Oh my god, can you even imagine all the opportunities they've had to hook up, it would be so easy!" Megumi gasped,
"Why would you say that?!" Tai exclaimed.
"Okay, maybe we should walk a lap around the mall. Thanks girls! Come on, Tai! We can shop for the Sadie Hawkins dance," Mimi sheepishly laughed.
"They were supposed to go to the Sadie Hawkins dance together," Tai wailed as Mimi guided him out of the store.
"But now they're not going, isn't that great? Remember, Yolei found her date," Mimi chuckled nervously.
"But the girls are probably right! It doesn't matter, they've probably been seeing each other for longer than that. I'm going to kill the bastard," Tai growled.
"No! We have to pretend we don't know anything- oh…that might be a problem," Mimi paused.
"What?" Tai gave her a menacing look.
"Well, you know how we said we were gonna keep it between the two of us, and the first thing we did was tell your coworkers? Do you think…?" Mimi bit her lip.
"Nah, I think it'll be fine. Who would they tell?" Tai scoffed.
"Hey there," Megumi walked up to the smoothie counter.
"Hi, don't you work at the makeup store with Tai?" TK asked.
"Yeah, that's me!" Megumi giggled.
"Nice to have you stop by. What can I do you for?" TK smiled.
"Can I have a medium Very Berry smoothie, non-dairy though!" Megumi said.
"Sure thing," TK grabbed some fruit and started chopping them up.
"Hey, aren't you friends with Tai's little sister?" Megumi slyly asked.
"Kari? Yeah. Why you ask?" TK scooped the fruit into the blender.
"No reason. Rumor has it she made out with the guy who works at Pinkalicious though, but you didn't hear it from me," Megumi put her finger on her lips.
"What?!" TK's mouth dropped.
"Yeah, they were supposedly going at it, hands everywhere and everything. You would have thought it was a steamy 7 Minutes in Heaven sesh," Megumi slapped the counter.
"Really? That doesn't sound like something she would do," TK frowned.
"Think about it, if you thought no one was watching, wouldn't you want to hook up with your crush?" Megumi raised an eyebrow.
"I guess you have a point…I just didn't expect it from her. That's all," TK started to tremble. He gulped and turned the blender on.
*rrrrrrrrr*
"Ahhh!" Megumi ducked under the countertop.
"Sorry! I forgot to put the lid on!" TK unplugged the blender.
"That's okay! You know what? Don't worry about it! I think I have a soda in the break room! I should go!" Megumi ran off.
"Great, look at this mess I made," TK groaned.
"Miki? What are you doing here?" Sora asked.
"Just looking for a new pair of running shoes for track," Miki casually said.
"If you want, I could interest you in the latest release by Luipaard. They are lightweight, flexible, and they have versatile spikes that are suitable for all kinds of tracks," Sora held up a sneaker.
"Interesting…almost as interesting finding out Tai's little sister was making out with his best friend at work," Miki bent the shoe.
"Shut the front door! You're lying!" Sora gasped.
"Nope, scout's honor!" Miki said.
"That can't be true…but it also can. It does make a lot of sense. No, is it true?" Sora asked.
"Hey, I don't spread rumors," Miki shrugged.
"Hmm, oh my god. Does Tai know?" Sora asked.
"Yeah, and he's pissed, so I would suggest not bringing it up to him," Miki nodded her head.
"Wow, poor Tai. I can't believe Matt would do such a thing," Sora scoffed in disbelief.
"Hey, as someone who's hooked up with an older brother's friend, trust me she's been begging for it," Miki winked.
"No, that can't be true," Sora gasped.
"Oh, but it is. Speaking from experience, there's something about brothers' friends that makes it so taboo, but so fun. Anywho, I like this shoe. I'll take it in a size 9," Miki casually handed Sora the sneaker back.
"Sure…coming right out," Sora flatly said.
"Yeah! That's what I heard," Taiki whispered to Yolei.
"Then you can go back and tell everyone that it's true. It happened right here, but don't tell anyone I told you," Yolei smirked.
"What are you guys talking about?" Izzy walked up to them.
"Nothing! Nothing at all!" Taiki and Yolei turned red.
"Wait a second, aren't you the manager that works at Kari's store? What are you doing here?" Izzy crossed his arms.
"He was just…sharing managerial news with me," Yolei winced.
"Really? Because it doesn't sound like you're sharing 'managerial news'," Izzy retorted.
"Dang, you're right. You can't pull much past this guy, can you?" Taiki blurted out.
"Yolei, are you serious?! You're spreading rumors? Forget it, you broke your contract! Now you owe me two huge favors!" Izzy yelled.
"But I didn't-"
"Really? I find that hard to believe! I'm going on my break!" Izzy took off his badge and stomped out.
"Geez, you think from all the making out they do, he'd relax a bit," Yolei scoffed.
"Honest-lee," Taiki hummed.
"So you don't say?" Matt stopped sipping at his smoothie.
"Wait, you had nothing to do with this Matt?" Sora asked.
"What are you talking about?" Matt gasped.
"No, me and Tai saw the whole thing with our eyes! It was Izzy!" Mimi said.
"You know, that's interesting you say that, because one of Tai's coworkers stopped by and told me the same story," TK paused.
"That's odd…one of Tai's coworkers came to my store too, but I assumed she was talking about Matt- no offense!" Sora sheepishly smiled.
"Actually, all of the offense! Do you really think I'm that much of a sleazeball?" Matt crossed his arms.
"Whatever we do, we definitely can't let Davis know about this. I think he'll get upset," TK shook his head.
"I don't know about that. He looks pretty busy with his coworkers trying to plan his outfit for the dance. They've been flipping through the men's magazines at my job," Mimi said.
"Good for him," Matt rolled his eyes.
"Come on, be happy for the guy!" Sora nudged him.
"Psh, whatever. I am. Can't you tell?" Matt waved his hands in the air half-heartedly.
"Okay, if you're gonna be such a baby," Mimi turned her back to ignore him. "So what are we going to do about everyone else? Tai's really shaken up about all of this."
"I guess we just have to pretend we didn't hear a thing," Sora said.
"Are you sure they're going to fall for that? I bet you the whole mall knows about them by now," TK said.
"I didn't know until a couple of minutes ago," Matt said.
"That's because no one goes to a music store," Mimi yawned.
"The only reason people go to a bookstore is to take a crap in your bathroom!" Matt scoffed.
"At least people are still going," Mimi shrugged.
"Oh, there's Kari coming right now! What do we do?" TK frantically whispered.
"Just act natural. Remember, we didn't hear anything," Sora slowly said.
"Hey girlie, what's up?" Mimi flashed her a big smile.
"It's been a long day," Kari slumped down on a chair.
"Really? How come?" TK leaned over the countertop.
"Eh, everyone's been acting so weird around me. In fact, you guys are acting kind of strange too…," Kari squinted her eyes.
"Us strange? No, what makes you say that?" Sora nervously laughed.
"Mimi, you're smiling too much, Matt you're frowning too little, Sora, you're not even looking at me, and TK, you're playing with your fruit," Kari listed off.
"Maybe you're just thinking too much into this," Mimi dismissively said.
"Okay, how many of you guys heard?" Izzy stomped over to the table.
"Heard what?" TK forced a smile.
"Oh my god! All of you heard?!" Kari gasped.
"What are you talking about? We didn't hear anything," Matt whistled.
"No, didn't hear a thing," Sora looked at her nails.
"Then why can't any of you look at us right now?" Izzy leaned over the table.
"See, we're looking at you? Happy?" Mimi winced.
"I can't believe this! My freaking loud-mouthed manager had the audacity to spread this rumor about us. I caught her gossiping with Kari's manager," Izzy sat down next to Kari.
"What?" Kari gasped.
"Yeah. I came right over here after I gave her a piece of my mind. So I guess the whole mall knows?" Izzy raised an eyebrow.
"Even Tai?" Kari held on to Izzy's arm.
"He's the one who saw the whole thing unfold, and he's soooo pissed," Mimi said.
"Wait, what? What are you talking about?" Izzy raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah! Me and Tai were going to check up on you, but it looked like Kari had a head start," Mimi bit her tongue.
"Wait, so you saw us?" Kari gasped.
"Yeah! You guys were all like 'mwah mwah mwah'," Mimi grabbed Matt's face and pretended to lick it.
"Ew, don't touch me!" Matt pushed her away.
"So you were the one who started the rumors, not Yolei! I can't believe you!" Izzy gasped.
"That's not even at all what happened! You exaggerated everything to make an interesting story! How could you?" Kari turned red.
"So, if what you said wasn't true, then what did happen?" Sora shot Mimi a dirty look.
"I stopped by to see how Izzy was doing and Yolei was there being pushy like always. I don't know, one thing led to another but this was all we did," Kari pulled Izzy close and gave him a small peck on the lips.
"Ooooh," Matt smirked.
"That's all it was. And it was just to shut Yolei up," Izzy cleared his throat.
"Yeah Mimi. I think you either need to mind your business or get your eyes checked because this," Kari kissed Izzy again, "is much different than this," she pulled him closer and kissed him more passionately.
"Anyone else feel the room spin or is it just m-"
*clank* TK fainted.
"Whoa," everyone else said in unison.
"Now you all saw it for your own eyes. Can you stop talking about it now?" Kari stood up from the table.
"I think you drove the point home, Kari…," Izzy turned a deep red.
"I'm sorry, but it's really frustrating to find out that the whole mall is gossiping about you. Especially when the rumors are coming from your own friends. Come on Izzy, let's go," Kari said.
"I'm out," Izzy got up from his chair and followed Kari away.
"Oh my god…," Mimi gasped.
"We just saw them kiss three times in less than two minutes," Matt snickered.
"Yeah. I think maybe Miki might be right after all, and I'm kind of scared about that," Sora said.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Mimi asked.
"Miki was saying that Kari and Izzy have probably been seeing each other for a while now behind our backs- and if they aren't, they really want to. I mean, did you see the way that Kari was kissing him just then?" Sora bit her nail.
"Yeah, it was all like-" Mimi was cut off.
"Don't you touch me, we get it," Matt held his arm up.
"Yeah, but seriously! This time we got to see it up and close!" Mimi nodded.
"Maybe you're thinking too much into it. Maybe they were just trying to make a point. Can you actually see the two of them together?" Matt scoffed.
"Uh, a girl going after her older brother's best friend? That sounds plausible. Kinda fun," Mimi smiled.
"No, we have to nip this in the bud before it even starts!" Sora snapped her fingers. "What happens if they start to date and then they break up? We're obviously going to choose sides, which will most likely be Kari, and then what about Izzy? He'll be all alone," Sora said.
"Damn, you're right. Also, it's just going to be weird to have two of our friends going out in general. That will just wreck the group dynamic," Matt winced.
"And imagine how weird Tai's going to feel about it too. He's already upset about the first kiss. I think he would have a conniption if he saw what just happened," Mimi said.
"What happened? Why would I have a conniption?" Tai walked to the table.
"Hey, was I dreaming or did Kari and Izzy just make out?" TK groggily picked himself up from the floor.
"WHAT?!" Tai yelled.
"Oh no…," TK softly said.
*crash*
"I think he just passed out again," Sora leaned over the smoothie counter in pity.
"Is it me, or does it seem like this whole mall is acting strange?" Barbie Q crossed her arms.
"Yeah, no one is even coming here at all," Suzie Q slapped her tongs on the countertop.
"It's because I have this mondo zit on my face, isn't it?" Davis pulled his mask off and played with his zit.
"Oh my god…what if it is?" the girls gasped in unison.
"Oh no, I have to get rid of this fast! The dance is coming up soon, I can't go looking like a mummy," Davis groaned.
"Hey! You could try out this acne kit from this ad in Sixteen Magazine. Supposedly it gets rid of pimples instantly, look what it did to Kendra Brenner," Barbie Q held up a magazine.
"Oooh, she looks great! Imagine how nice it would be to be a Brenner sister," Suzie Q sighed.
"Awesome, I'll get it! But where do I find it?" Davis frantically asked.
"It says it's available at the makeup store," Barbie Q said.
"Great! My friend works there, maybe he can help me out! I'll be back in 10!" Davis hopped over the counter and dashed away.
"Did he say he had a friend who worked at the makeup store? That was a he?" Suzie Q raised an eyebrow.
"That's what I heard," Barbie Q nodded.
"Hey Tai! Is Tai here?" Davis yelled.
"Dude, calm down. You're scaring everyone else. What do you want?" Tai huffed.
"I need that popular skin care thing that will help get rid of pimples. I need to get clear skin ASAP!" Davis frantically nodded his head.
"Sure. Here, I'll ring you up," Tai rolled his eyes.
"Hey, is something wrong?" Davis asked.
"No, nothing is wrong. Just get your stuff and leave," Tai huffed.
"Okay, thanks…," Davis frowned. Sure, the world sucked because he had pimples, but once they went away, maybe it would go back to normal. He just needed everything to be fine before the dance.
"Hey bestie, what's up?" Matt awkwardly shuffled over to Sora.
"Why are you here?" Sora curtly replied.
"I just came to say I'm sorry. I was being rude and I was taking things out on you because I didn't like how things were turning out with the dance," Matt sighed.
"I'm glad you acknowledged that. Thank you," Sora said.
"So, can I use your discount to buy these?" Matt held up a pair of binoculars.
"What? Why?" Sora raised an eyebrow.
"I've…I've been taking up stargazing to relax my mind. I think it's helped me become a better person," Matt forced a smile.
"Hmm, if that's the case, you don't want binoculars. I would rather recommend the Lunar Infinity Portable. It has an easy setup, powerful lenses, and it even comes with some educational software so you can learn more about the constellations and planets. It has a lot of great specs for beginners, and you can't beat the price," Sora pointed at a small telescope.
"Are you serious?" Matt gave her a deadpan look.
"Are you actually going stargazing, or are you using these binoculars for a different reason?" Sora put her hands on her hips.
"Hey Sora! I need a favor!" Tai ran into the store.
"What?" Sora huffed.
"Rumor has it that Kari's not going to the dance at all this weekend!" Tai said.
"How do you know this?" Sora huffed.
"Because Izzy's scary manager went to take a bathroom break at my store-," Mimi gagged.
"Anyways, she overheard Yolei talking to her manager about how Kari and Izzy are going on a date the night of the dance. Figures they would do that…while everyone would be busy," Tai cracked his knuckles.
"Hey, I haven't asked anyone out yet," Sora said.
"If you wanted to, it's way too late now. All the good guys are taken up," Mimi scoffed.
"That's not true! No one asked me out yet," Matt gasped.
"Again, all the good guys are taken up," Mimi shrugged.
"Whatever. I'm out of here," Matt stomped away.
"Aww, look. He's upset," Tai mocked.
"Tai, I don't know what you want me to do but I'm not going to do it," Sora said.
"Please! We need someone to spy on Izzy and Kari!" Mimi begged.
"If you want it that bad, then do it yourselves! I'm not helping you," Sora crossed her arms.
"What if we said TK was gonna help too?" Mimi asked.
"What? You're kidding. He wouldn't," Sora gasped.
"Yeah, and us too! We're skipping the dance," Tai said.
"What? When did we agree on this?" Mimi frowned.
"Come on, I'll make it up to you another time! Trust me, we'll have much more fun doing this than at some crummy school dance anyways! What do you say?" Tai winked.
"Well, if you don't really want to go to the dance, then why not?" Mimi faked a smile.
"Awesome, we've got four of us! So we're gonna need four pairs of binoculars," Tai said.
"Ugh, I can't believe this. I'll come, but only because you'll need someone to bail you out from jail," Sora muttered as she grabbed binoculars from a shelf.
"Please? Sora already bought the binoculars," Mimi hopped up and down on the counter.
"No!" TK yelled.
"Come on! You know, this means me and Tai cancelled our plans to go to the dance," Mimi sadly looked at him.
"What? I thought you were excited about going to the dance," TK paused.
"I was, but I guess this is really important to Tai," Mimi sighed.
"I'm sorry to hear that. I just don't know how I feel about this. I would rather spend my Saturday night watching paint dry than invading people's privacy, but to each their own I guess? Fine…it seems like you've all given up a lot to do this, it's not like it's hurting me. Ugh," TK pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Mimi squealed and hopped away.
"Awesome…cause that's exactly what I want to do on my Saturday night," TK rolled his eyes.
"Psst, hey…"
"Davis? Is that you?" TK squinted. "Why are you covering your face?"
"Because…I'm ugly. I think that's why everyone has been acting so strange, isn't it?" Davis said.
"What? What are you talking about?" TK asked.
"Ever since I got a pimple on my face, everyone at the mall has been acting so strange. They just whisper with each other and no one even comes to my booth. I know it has something to do with me, doesn't it?" Davis sniffled.
"Oh….that," TK paused.
"What?" Davis gasped.
"Uh, nothing. It's nothing at all. Apparently, everyone is just jealous that you're going out with that girl at the music store. That's why everyone is being weird. But don't let that bother you. Just keep being you and ignore the haters," TK forced a smile.
"Really?" Davis smiled.
"Yeah. Everyone secretly wishes they were you. Don't let it get to your head though," TK nodded slowly.
"Oh boy, I never knew I was this awesome! Saturday night is going to be great!" Davis stuck his chest out.
"Hopefully for you. I know mine won't be as great," TK sighed.
"You never know, maybe a girl will ask you out for Saturday," Davis shrugged.
"Yeah, that's my problem. Unfortunately, it's not to the dance," TK rolled his eyes.
"Hey, ready to go to the movies?" Kari popped up out of nowhere.
"You actually still want to go?" Izzy asked incredulosly.
"Yeah, why not? Don't you?" Kari frowned.
"Oh, no- I mean, I'd like to go. I just thought you weren't actually serious when you said you wanted to go to the movies tonight. I thought you just said that to get Yolei off our backs," Izzy turned red.
"No, I actually meant what I said," Kari nodded.
"Okay then. I'm almost done here. I just have to finish closing the registers and then we can leave," Izzy said as he counted some cash. "Okay, looks like we're good. Are you ready?"
"Yep, I'm ready," Kari smiled.
"I think their last showing is in 15 minutes. We should make it in no time at all," Izzy said as he pulled down the store gate and locked it.
"Yeah, worst case scenario, we'll probably miss the previews! Oh how else are we going to know what will be playing in a couple of months from now?" Kari pretended to heave.
"I thought I was going to the movies with Kari, not Tai," Izzy smirked.
"Hey, that's not funny! If you wanna see Tai, I'll show you Tai! Loser pays for the tickets!" Kari smacked him on the arm and ran across the mall.
"Hey, you cheated!" Izzy chased after Kari until they got to the ticket booth at the theater entrance.
"I win," Kari smiled.
"You cheated. But I was gonna pay for your ticket anyways, so who's the real loser?" Izzy raised an eyebrow.
"Ahem, good evening guys? What show are you interested in viewing?" a bored-looking kid yawned.
"Uh…," Kari looked at the marquee. "How about Ginger and Midge Steal A Car?"
"Alright, two tick- oh…looks like we're sold out. Uh, there's literally no one in Chocolate Covered Cherry Love. It's a Korean love drama so there's subtitles," the ticket attendant warned.
"We can do something else," Izzy winced.
"No, that's fine. We'll take two tickets for that!" Kari said.
"Are you sure?" Izzy raised an eyebrow.
"I did say we were going to the movies. We could just make fun of it, that should be entertaining," Kari shrugged.
"If you insist," Izzy frowned.
"24 dollars," the ticket attendant yawned.
"Here," Izzy pulled out his wallet and took out some cash.
"Thank you. Enjoy the show," the ticket attendant smirked.
"We should probably get some snacks too. I have a feeling I might need something to keep me awake," Izzy said.
"Good idea," Kari made her way to the concession stand.
"Get whatever you want, it's on me," Izzy said.
"Really? You don't have to-"
"Don't worry about it. I insist," Izzy interrupted.
"Okay," Kari gingerly grabbed a bag of candy. She then ordered a bag of popcorn, and two sodas.
"That's all?" Izzy asked.
"Yep!" Kari bit her lip.
"I'm going to take these as well, and can you upgrade the popcorn to a larger size? Thanks," Izzy asked the cashier.
"40 dollars," the cashier said.
"Thank you," Izzy grabbed the snacks. "We should get going, we don't want to miss anything considering we have to read the movie."
"Good call," Kari nodded as they went inside the theater room.
"I can't believe we're here instead of the Sadie Hawkins dance," Mimi grumbled.
"Mimi, I know you've only known us for a couple of months now, but let me bring you up to speed. I CAN believe we're here instead of a dance," Sora hissed.
"Yeah, when you're with us, expect to do the unexpected," TK huffed.
"Oooh, looks like they're getting their movie tickets now," Mimi pulled out a pair of binoculars.
"Do you know which movie they're seeing?" Sora asked.
"Shut up, you guys are too loud," Tai whispered as they hid behind a movie poster.
"Um, I don't think we have to worry about that. They're already at the snack bar," TK whispered.
"Alright, let's go then! We have to be quick though," Tai jumped from behind the movie poster and snuck to the box office window.
"Hi…how can I help you?" the ticket attendant yawned.
"Hey, we need to see that same movie that those guys are going to," Tai sneakily pointed to Kari and Izzy.
"Huh, is that so…?" the ticket attendant drawled.
"Yes! Uh, that's my boyfriend we're following?" Sora flinched.
"Oh, sucks for you. They're gonna be watching a romance flick," the ticket attendant sucked his teeth.
"What?! Romance?! We're in even bigger trouble than we thought!" Tai shook Mimi.
"Hey, calm down!" TK shushed him.
"So, four tickets?" the attendant raised an eyebrow.
"Yes please," Sora sighed.
"That will be 48 dollars," the attendant stated.
"Uh oh…," TK patted his jean pockets.
"Yeah…," Tai winced.
"Oops," Mimi giggled.
"What?!" Sora growled.
"I forgot my wallet at work," TK sheepishly said.
"I have 3 dollars," Tai laughed.
"I have gum!" Mimi bit her lip.
"What?! None of you have money? Mimi, Tai! How do you think you would have went to the Sadie Hawkins dance if you don't even have money to pay for a dance ticket, let alone a movie ticket?!" Sora yelled.
"You have to pay to go to the dance?" Mimi made a face.
"Yeah," Sora and TK said in disbelief.
"You guys want the tickets or not?" the attendant interrupted.
"I'll pay for them, but you guys owe me big time," Sora threw a $50 bill on the counter.
"Thanks Sora, you're the best!" Tai hugged her.
"Sora, can we get snacks too?" Mimi sweetly asked.
"I thought you had gum," Sora sarcastically said.
"Guys, I don't think we have time! Look, I think they're almost done! We gotta hurry," TK pulled Mimi towards him.
"Enjoy the show," the ticket attendant smirked.
"Okay, we have to be quiet…why don't we try grabbing the last row out back," Sora said as the group snuck into the theatre room.
"Why? That's so far away from the screen," Mimi whined.
"We're not here to see a movie, you dingbat. We're here to spy on Izzy and Kari, remember?" Tai hissed.
"Oh yeah," Mimi nodded.
"Come on, they'll be here any minute now," TK ran to the last row of seats.
"Hey guys…look it's them!" Mimi whispered.
"Shhh, lay low," Sora warned.
"Ugh, look at them laughing. Izzy never laughs," Tai said in disgust.
"That is an unusual sight," TK peered through his binoculars.
"Good, they picked their seats. Awesome," Sora nodded.
"What the hell? Is this movie in Chinese or something?" Tai scrunched up his face.
"Ew, of course they would want to pick a movie that you have to read. That's so nerdy," Mimi scoffed.
"Can you guys behave? Keep the commentaries until after the movie," Sora whispered.
"Ugh, this movie already sucks. Look, even Kari's falling asleep to it," TK made a gagging sound.
"No, I think she's actually doing a girl move on him," Mimi gasped.
"What's a 'girl move'?" Tai angrily furrowed his eyebrows.
"Oh, you know. 'I'm just enjoying this movie soooo much!'," Mimi snuggled into Tai.
"You take that back! No she wouldn't!" Tai pulled Mimi away.
"She totally would and is," Mimi grinned.
"Then I'll have to make her stop," Tai grumbled as he fished through his wallet.
"Tai, what are you doing?" Sora whispered.
"I'm helping Kari straighten her posture. You know, leaning too much on one side can be bad for scoliosis," Tai flung some coins at Kari's head.
"Ow!" Kari whined.
"Duck everyone!" TK whispered.
"Kari, are you okay?" Izzy asked.
"Yeah. Call me crazy, but it feels like someone's throwing quarters at me," Kari frowned.
"Huh, that's odd…there are quarters here. But where are they coming from?" Izzy flashed his phone light behind their seat.
"I don't see anyone. I thought we were the only ones here," Kari said.
"Why don't we check to make sure? This is weird," Izzy got up from his chair.
"Oh my god, I think we need to abort mission NOW," Sora whispered.
"Shit, I think they're coming this way," TK whispered.
"We need to go now. Come on," Tai began to crawl out of the row.
"Tai! I don't know if this will work," Sora hyperventilated.
"We don't have any other choice. Hurry," Tai hissed.
"Okay," Sora said as the group steadily crawled their way out from Izzy's sight and out back into the main lobby of the theatre.
"That was a close one, but we really can't stick around! What if he tries to find us here?" TK gasped.
"Good point. Let's pick up the pace!" Tai jogged in place.
"I don't know if I ever want to hang out with you guys anymore," Mimi whined.
"I say that all the time, and yet I'm still here…," Sora rolled her eyes.
"Soooo, how was your night, guys?" Davis happily strolled towards everyone.
"Psh," Matt huffed.
"I guess that's one answer to your question," Kari awkwardly hummed.
"Oh, he's just mad because he got kicked out of the dance for trying to sneak in the the first place. Don't any of you remember? Weren't any of you guys there?" Davis asked.
"Uh…," TK paused.
"Oh yeah, I thought most of you guys went to the dance. Was it that packed?" Izzy asked.
"Come to think of it, it was pretty crowded, but still…I didn't see anyone there except Matt, and no offense, I kinda didn't want to see you," Davis frowned.
"Dude, I'm sorry! Happy?" Matt rolled his eyes.
"No! That's not a real apology," Davis yelled.
"What happened?" Mimi asked.
"What do you mean? Wouldn't you have known? I thought you and Tai were supposed to be at the dance," Kari made a face.
"Oh why were we 'supposed' to be there? Were you expecting me to be busy so you could do something behind my back?" Tai pointed his finger at her.
"Why is everyone acting so suspicious?" Izzy asked.
"Seriously! My skin is clear now! Everything should be back to normal," Davis sighed.
"Tai, what are you talking about? Did you guys even go to the dance?" Izzy crossed his arms.
"Uh…Mimi pooped all over her dress for the dance, so we had to cancel at the last minute!" Tai blurted.
"You can't be serious," TK slammed his head down on the counter.
"That's low, even for me," Matt snorted.
"What?!" Mimi turned red.
"Tai, I can't believe you," Sora shook her head.
"Sorry, but they're our friends. They'll understand! Diarrhea happens," Tai sighed.
"I want to kill you!" Mimi grunted through gritted teeth.
"Wow, so I guess explains everything," Davis blushed.
"We really didn't have to know all of the details," Kari winced.
"Uh, is this a bad time?" a busty woman with short purple hair approached the table.
"Hi Mirei, anything is better than this conversation we're having," Mimi whined.
"I highly doubt that. Mimi, I came here to tell you that you're FIRED!" Mirei yelled.
"What?! Why? That's not fair!" Mimi gasped.
"I have a list of reasons! You never alphabetized the books, you go on unapproved breaks, and you never clean the bathroom when it's your turn!" Mirei listed off.
"Ew, I'm supposed to clean the bathroom? But that's where people poop," Mimi made a face.
"You're FIRED!" Mirei yelled.
"Will I still get paid?" Mimi winced.
"The check will be in the mail! God help the next place that hires you," Mirei stomped away.
"Wow, I guess I can say my weekend wasn't as shitty as Mimi's. Get it?" Matt snorted.
"Shut up, I didn't poop," Mimi crossed her arms.
"You still got fired though," TK sighed.
"Yeah…this sucks," Mimi pouted.