Chapter 421.

"The night of unexpected things."

(Rosato Mansion.)

Jordan prepares herself as she puts on her necklace and her bracelet and then she applies some lipstick and some makeup, she then grabs her winter coat. "There, as pretty as I'll be for tonight and so glad there's no school tomorrow too." She then steps back and she looks at herself on her large mirror.

Jordan Rosato – Bright yellow dress that reaches her knees, light blue belt, white socks and brown shoes. She even has her blue bow tied to her braided ponytail, but it has a snowflake on it instead.

"There, now I am dressed to impress my white-haired shining knight."

Jordan then walks out of her room, and then she runs into her brother, Ryan Rosato. She chuckles. "Wow. Someone is looking forward to show off how handsome he is to the girl of his dreams."

Ryan Rosato – dark blue shirt, with a light blue long sleeved jacket and dark blue pants and black shoes with white socks and he has a snowflake symbol on the back of the jacket.

"Well, the weather will be cold, well not much. So I thought I'd come prepared and chances Lincoln is gonna dressed in the same thing too."

"Then let's get going bro" said Jordan. They both go down the stairs and they meet up with Ajax. "Be good Ajax and don't be troublesome tonight. Remember, mom and dad aren't here, they went on their date. We have the Probe and Sentry and the Ultralisk still on guard."

Ryan then realizes. "Yeah, I don't think I've met the big guy yet. When can I see the large alien hiding in our front yard?"

"Soon, possibly. He's just doing what he can, and what he can do is to guard the home we have" said Jordan. They open the door and right in front of them is Lincoln and Gretchen.

Lincoln Loud – light blue shirt, with a red jacket that has an eagle logo on the back and dark gray jeans and black and red sneakers with white and red socks.

Gretchen Warwick – Velvet dress that reaches above her knees, a pink belt at the waist, white socks with rose patterns that reach her knees and brown and yellow slip on shoes and her hair is tied into a ponytail and being held by a snowflake bow.

They look to each other. "Well, kinda closely looking like us" said Ryan. "Still, you look quite lovely tonight Gretchen."

Gretchen giggles. "Thanks, and I'm glad both our parents are out on a date."

"Triple date, my parents are with them too" said Lincoln. "I just hope my dad doesn't pull out the cowbell, or it will get super awkward real fast."

"Well, we should get going now" said Jordan. "The night is young and we have the whole Friday evening to ourselves." They all nod and head towards Gretchen's limo.

The girls are let in first and then guys go in next. "So, where are we going?" asked Gretchen.

Lincoln and Ryan nod. They then look to the driver. "Sir, take us to the Royal Woods Mall."

The driver nods. "Sir, yes sir." He starts the engine and they drive off.

"So, any word on where Leslie and her posse are?" asked Lincoln.

"From what I got from this text, Leslie and the girls are somewhere in town. No clue where, but they're meeting up with something and I don't know what it is" said Gretchen.

"As long as it's not near us for tonight, then I'm okay with it. Still I wonder what she has planned with wherever she is with her group" said Jordan.

"FutureTech might be on the case" said Ryan. "They have to be. Our dad told us, from Peter Harris. All airports and any checkpoints are being watched on, so whoever is trying to come here, or whatever kind of cargo is being brought into town is being scanned for precautions. We don't want any trouble when the holiday is closing in on all of us."

"And a good thing too" said Gretchen. "So, what plan do you two have for us tonight?"

(Royal Woods Mall.)

They arrive to the Royal Woods Mall Cinema house. "Oh, a movie date. Smart move, but what are we watching anyway?" asked Jordan.

"That is a surprise girls. Follow us" said Lincoln. The girls hold the hands of Lincoln and Ryan and they grab some snacks and Ryan nods to the lady on the tickets and she hands them the tickets as well.

They then go through the door where the movie is, but they don't see any posters on what the movie is. This confuses Jordan and Gretchen. 'What the heck is going on?'

They make it inside and they get to the front row seats. "Get yourselves comfortable girls, this is gonna be good" said Ryan. They all see the film start and this shocks Jordan and Gretchen at what they see.

"No way!"

The film was showing the title of "The Twilight Saga." The two girls look to the boys they're dating. "What is this?"

Lincoln chuckles. "Ryan and I thought it would be nice if the Royal Woods Movie house would try and stay open, so we can watch all the Twilight movies, just the four of us tonight watching some immortal romance."

"We set up the reservations and made everything look as sparking as the love we share to each other. As longing and as eternal as the life of an immortal" said Ryan.

The girls smile hearing this, they kiss the cheeks of the boys they love and they lean onto their shoulders and watch the film, starting with Twilight.

But Gretchen has no clue, that Ryan has other plans for tonight and he's hoping she'd like what he has in store and he looks to the box in his hand. 'Calm down Ryan, not yet.'

(Food Court.)

Leni walks through the mall and she looks for the person who texted her and soon enough she sees her, the best friend of Leslie Silver and she's wearing a brown hoodie. "Hi Hope."

"H-Hi, thank you for coming Leni. I really need to talk to you, about something."

Leni sits down and she looks to the preteen. "Hope, did you wanna talk about some stuff that involves…. You're friends?"

Hope sighs. "Y-Yeah. I mean, I need to know. Am I doing the right thing? Siding with Leslie, for all these years since kindergarten, am I doing the right thing?"

Leni sighs. "Not sure how to respond to that Hope, but I need to know from you. Do you think you're doing the right thing being a mean girl to others?"

Hope thinks about this, she has been with Leslie for so long and back then Leslie wasn't a mean person, much. She was needy and wanted so much attention, but then it changed when they went up a grade and met with Karen, then Regina.

They then reached the 5th grade and met Chastity, and two weeks after, they met Gretchen and things went from the slightly mean Leslie, to the very demanding, and not easy to reason Leslie. The Leslie who demanded to be listened to and the Leslie who wants whatever she wants.

Hope thinks of all the things she has done, the things they have done for Leslie and how much it made her happy, and that was all Hope wanted to see. Leslie to be happy, and to never turn her back on her. Hope looks to her bracelet and sees the name of Leslie that marked them as friends. Best Friends.

"I….. I don't know… I don't know anymore, Leni. I don't know if I am doing the right thing, or even thinking if following Leslie was the best thing ever."

Leni sighs. "Then, I don't know what else to do. Hope, do you see what Leslie's actions have done recently? Have you seen the chaos, madness and misery she's caused?"

Hope recalls that one. Ever since they came into town and started with the mall, and then the rest of the businesses in town and then the Middle School and on the first day.

"Everything has been so different. I mean, I know Leslie can be very demanding, but she has a kind-heart. Well, she used to, but now we're here in Royal Woods and now she wants more than the town. She knows this town has been the hotspot for popularity and she wants that."

"And then….. She found it, and that was Lincoln, your brother and she didn't just want the popularity, because that's what Karen and Regina want and I guess also Chastity. Leslie wants Lincoln, and that's it. The rest, is just a side quest to her."

"But what do you want Hope?" asked Leni. "From all that has happened. "What do you want from all of this? To watch others be miserable and act like slaves for you and the other rich girls?"

Hope thinks about this. Leni then sits next to her. "Hope, look at me." The preteen looks to the now stern Leni. "Hope, you have been part of so many schemes and each one is a failed attempt or they end up getting you and the others into trouble and also pain. Each plan and plot, has been made by Leslie and I doubt she even knows how most of you girls are feeling. Think about this Hope, what are you going to gain when Leslie gets what she wants."

Hope thinks. "I don't know….. I don't know what we gain, I don't know what I gain. The only thing I ever wanted since I met Leslie, was to see her happy."

"But are you happy?" asked Leni. "Are you happy about this? Do you really feel happy knowing Leslie is happy at what she wants and what she's done? Tell me Hope Pertland. Does she ever ask you what makes you happy?"

Hope then goes wide eyed. That was something she never bothered to talk to Leslie about. All of their talks, were mostly about them doing the schemes she wants and never about what the others want. But Hope saw that something was making Gretchen happy and that was Ryan, and then she changed and became a good person and everyone was happy for that and she became happy and deep down, Hope was happy for Gretchen.

"She….. She never asked me. The only person I ever talked to about what I feel and like it…. Gretchen." Hope then looks to Leni with tears. "Leni, is Leslie my best friend?"

Leni places a hand onto the sad preteen. "A best friend is someone who understands you as you understand them, I don't know if she is your best friend. But I need to know, is she your best friend? Do you think she is your best friend?"

Hope then looks down and then she has some tears on her face, but she wipes them off and she looks to her bracelet from long ago. "I…. I need to think about this." Hope then looks to Leni. "Thank you Leni, thank you for talking to me. I'll tell you when I need to talk to you again."

Leni then hugs Hope. "No problem, anything for someone who wants to open up on who they are and what they seek."

Hope blushes from this and she smiles and hugs Leni. 'Oh wow. She smells nice. Wait! What am I doing? This is Lincoln's sister and she is older than me, and also pretty. Wait! Snap out of it Hope!'

But they have no clue that a group of girls have entered the mall. "So glad mom and dad got the things we need for our awesome Christmas party" said Leslie.

"Sure as heck, when we setup all those amazing Christmas Decorations, Lincoln will come to your home and wanna spend time with you" said Karen.

"Who else can resist the cool decorations we will have when the day comes?" asked Regina. "And if some other lame people come and wish to be part of the party, then we'll shut the door on them."

"Just like what we did in Tuscola. There is no other town or house with an awesome kind of Christmas decoration such as the one from Leslie Silver" said Chastity. "Sure is a shame that Hope couldn't be with us tonight to see what we got from the rents."

Leslie scoffs. "Well, she'll thank us later when we…. What in the hell?" They all see Leni and Hope finish their talk and they part ways from each other. Leni goes to Reiningers and Hope walks to another part of the mall, and she passes by Liam and Tabby too.

Leslie is confused. "Now, why would Hope be here at night and talking to her?"

"Something's not right here Leslie" said Regina. "But I think Hope will answer that one, but when do we ask her?"

Leslie is now sporting a confused and upset face. "Soon, when the time is right." They then head their way to Gryphon's shopping, but deep down Leslie was not feeling happy with what she saw.

'Why was Hope hanging out with the sister of Lincoln? What is her game? Was she talking to her?'

(Outside the mall.)

Hope walks to her own limo, she then thinks about what she talked about with Leni. 'Am I really making the right choice with Leslie? Is she my friend? Have I been a bad person? What do I do?'

She then stops when she sees something. "What the heck?" She goes over to the trashcan nearby and she sees something shivering underneath the piles of old newspaper.

Hope then sees what it is. "Hey, what are you doing out here in the cold?" Hope sees this little brown dog, or puppy and it looks sad and cold.

The puppy is light brown, but has a tuft of fur around the neck that has some stones onto it, the tail is curled up and there are dark brown colors on its feet. It has light blue eyes, dark brown patches on the ends of its ears and a dark brown muzzle and a pink nose.

Hope goes close and it looks scared. "Hey now, I'm not gonna hurt you. Come here." The puppy looks into the eyes of Hope and goes closer, but can barely walk.

Hope then picks the puppy up. "Easy boy, easy." She looks around. "Who left you here? Or, are you a stray?" She sees no collar and no signs of abuse, which means this little guy is a common stray puppy. But it did seem odd, since there are stones on its neck.

Hope then sees the puppy snuggling close to her winter coat. Hope smiles. "Hang on there, I'll take care of you." Hope then walks back to her limo and she gets in and she looks to her driver who is shocked she has a dog. "Take us home, now. This guy needs some help."

The limo drives off, and Hope is feeling a sense of taking care of this puppy, like she would for a friend who needs help. Like what Leni would do, and this makes her smile. She then hugs the puppy and it snuggles and licks her cheek. "You're gonna be okay little guy, I promise."

(Late at Night.)

The movie was over and they have left the mall and made it back to the home of Jordan. Lincoln and Jordan do some last minute talk in front of her house. While Ryan is walking Gretchen to her house.

"So, this night has been quite eventful and we got some snack refills too" said Gretchen.

Ryan smirks. "We thought it would be a good idea, so we don't have to get more snacks. But we'd still need to go to a bathroom break of course."

Gretchen chuckles. "Still, this has been quite the best night we've ever had, but we both know Lincoln and Jordan have had it better than us."

They look to Jordacoln as they share a small kiss and look into each other's eyes. "Yeah." Ryan then takes a deep breath. 'This is it.' He then holds the box in his jacket.

Gretchen then looks to Ryan and sees the look on his face, the nervous look. "Ryan, is something wrong?"

Ryan looks her in the eyes. "Gretchen, we first met months ago on October and things have been uneasy with us when you found out who I was and what I stood for, but then we both went through some rough times when we were apart and it hurt both of us mentally and physically."

"We both needed to change, and was so happy you changed and became someone better. Through that, I thought about change too and so I did and ended up back in the arms of the girl I have admired and here we are now, closer as we were when we met."

"We had our dates, well a few and we made friends and fought through the issues we may have had, even though they weren't much. But there will be more to come and I know they'll be involving those from our past. Let it be rich girls or cherry hating idiots agents. But there's no other person I would have to be by my side than with you, Gretchen Warwick."

Gretchen is touched by those words and then she sees the box in his hands, and she goes wide eyed seeing this and she covers her mouth. "Ryan? What?"

The Rosato boy opens it and it shows this pearl necklace, but it's not just pearls. Some of them are amethysts and rubies in pearl shapes and each one seems to change color. "May i?"

Gretchen nods and she lets Ryan put the necklace around her. "Gretchen Warwick…. Will you be my…"

But her fingers touch his lips and she smiles with tears. "Yes, yes I will be your girlfriend!" She then kisses him, and this makes him go wide eyed and then he kisses back, they both close their eyes and they kiss passionately.

The parents of the Rosato's and the Warwick's see this and are touched by this moment of romance between they're daughter and son.

Lincoln and Jordan smile at this romantic sight. Lincoln then speaks. "I did not see this coming. So, this is why he wanted to go to the jewelry store last time when we hung out. Dang, Ryan came prepared."

Jordan giggles. "That's my brother. Prepared for what happens next, or better yet, he makes the preparation on what should happen next." Lincoln and Jordan hold hands and they too share a passionate kiss.

Both couples, enjoying this moment of romance, under the pale moonlight.

To be continued…..

A/N: A good start to the double date, and also congratulations to Ryan and Gretchen and Hope is close to changing and perhaps this puppy will help, but is it a puppy? Leave a review and tell me what you all think.

Try and guess what kind of puppy she has.

Date made: 11/30/20.