Chapter Summary:

Kuki, Wally and Hoagie are convinced they know who Abby has secret romantic feelings for…they're just not in agreement as to who it is.

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Code: [RESTRICTED]

Operation: M.A.T.C.H.E.D.

Maybe

Attraction

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Created by OfficiallyWrong with properties owned by

Tom Warburton and Cartoon Network

Episode 19

Location: Unknown

Status: Maybe Not As Fucked After All

Rachel couldn't stop licking her fingers. She had forgotten oh-so-long ago what Earth food tasted like. What's more, sugar wasn't an ingredient found on rogue planetoids. She knew that she couldn't just keep asking for more, but since coming on the ship, that was all she could think about.

"There's plenty, so help yourself," Abby told her.

"I still can't believe this is real," Rachel said, her teeth unknowingly sinking into yet another chocolate bar. "It's been so long since I've had candy." Her voice grew solemn. "Is it true, then? Are we really on the run from the TND?"

Abby was quiet. "Things've gotten a bit out of hand on Earth. The TND feels trapped. When people feel trapped, they panic and do stupid stuff. Stuff gets more outta hand. Rinse and repeat."

"Can I ask what hap-" But the look Abby gave her made her stop her pursuit. "I see. Regardless of the situation, I give you my full support, Sir."

Abby chuckled. "Sir? C'mon. If anyone's Sir..."

"Please. I abandoned my post," she admitted. "I'm no one's leader. Not anymore."

Abby held her arms, leaning against the wall. "You did it to be with him," she said.

Rachel laughed, awkwardly. "Yeah, well. I was young and stupid."

"Everyone's stupid when they're young," she said wistfully. "We don't know how good we got it."

"I'm surprised," Rachel leaned forward, looking out the star-filled window. "I thought after you turned thirteen you would have gone looking for him too." Her eyes shone with fondness. "I know how close you were."

Abby sighed. "Nigel was my best friend," she said. "But he wasn't my whole world. My place is on Earth. That's how I always felt."

"When I quit being Soopreme Leader, the first time," Rachel remembered. "Nigel wanted to take my place. But in the end, he decided not to do it. He spent the rest of the time trying to get me to take back my position."

"Nigel Uno as the Soopreme Leader of the Kids Next Door," Abby shook her head. "Lord help us all."

Rachel looked at her, startled by this. "What do you mean? He was the greatest operative on Earth."

Abby rolled her eyes. "Yeah, maybe, but you give that boy a smidge'a power and it's gonna go straight to his head." She pointed at her temple. "The second some kid in Montana gets the flu, you best be sure Nigel Uno will think of a million conspiracies. Some kid's off to college? They must be removin' his brain!"

Rachel laughed again. "He was a bit high-strung."

"High-strung don't begin to cover it. This one time we had to win a fish for Numbuh 3, long story, and he insisted he be the one to win it. So, all day we stood there in the blisterin' hot sun tryin' t'get this stupid ping pong ball in a stupid goldfish bowl! Wouldn't even let me try. That's how stubborn he is."

"You miss him a lot, don't you?"

Abby blushed. "Every day."

Kuki peeked out the door, her ear caught between it and the wall. Her audial radar was zeroed in, picking up on every sound wave she could find. She could feel her heart twisting more and more with each moment of spontaneous laughter that echoed through the hallway. Wally sat at the table, digging through what was left of the junk food, completely disinterested in his girlfriend's conquest. She groaned, waiting for his reaction. It didn't come. She groaned again, louder, cuing her boyfriend to step in.

"You're gonna slam your ear off."

"Can you believe this?" She whined, moving from the door towards him. "We have this girl for a few hours and she's already trying to steal Abby from us!" She crossed her arms, pacing back and forth. "Acting all chummy. Just because they're old friends."

"They're just talking."

"They're not just talking, Wally! They're...bonding." She explained. "I've been trying forever to bond with Abby and suddenly this girl just waltzes in and they're all palsy-walsy like the Best Friends Forever Rainbow Monkey fun pack, buy one get one free for you and your bestest friend limited time offer. Ugh!"

"The girl's been stuck in an asteroid belt for half a decade. Course she's gonna want company. It doesn't mean Abby's replacing you."

"They're probably plotting my downfall as we speak." She stuck out her hips. "Ooh look at me! I'm Number whatever I'm so pretty and smart. I'm a warrior princess fantasy with all my childhood memories. I can connect with you in a way that Kuki can't!"

Wally struggled to open the bag of chips he found, not really listening. "If it bugs you so much, just go'n join them."

Kuki scoffed. "What? So she can pretend to be my friend and then stab me in the back? Like a...stab you in the back Rainbow Monkey?"

"Now that's a toy I'd buy."

"How am I supposed to compete with a girl who literally murdered bugs for survival? Alien bugs, Wally. I can't even kill the spiders in the bathroom!"

"That is true."

Her cheeks puffed. "Shut up. Neither can you."

"Rachel is nice. Just go up and say hi. You're usually, like, real good at makin' friends and stuff. Why're you actin' so weird?"

Kuki moaned. "Cause..." Walking over to the table, she sat down. "Now our team is uneven. We have two boys and three girls. And you know...girls are..."

"Horrible."

"No."

"Catty."

"Wally!"

"Full of crud."

"Ugh!"

"What? I've seen those Housewife shows my mum watches," Wally defended. "Women are bloody terrifying!" But as Kuki sighed, feeling like her boyfriend once again didn't understand, he began again. "But not all girls are gonna be like the girls in school, Kuki. Abby's your friend, she ain't gonna drop you just cause she can talk about the Kids Next Door and Nigel Uno with some other girl."

Suddenly, Kuki's face brightened. "You're right, Wally."

He smirked. "I am, aren't I?"

"Abby and Rachel will never be close friends."

"Righ-huh?"

Kuki grinned wildly, grinch-like wrinkles creasing her face. "Yes. Of course. Why didn't I see it before?"

"Okay. You're freakin' me out, Love."

"Girl friendships have but one weakness. Even the toughest can fall at the hands of this fatal flaw." She turned to the door. "So, laugh while you can, my little blonde beauty. Enjoy the calm before the storm...nothing will prevent your inevitable demise!" She laughed maniacally.

"What the bloody hell are you on about?"

"I'm talking about love, Wally," she jeered. "Friendship may bring peace, but love? Love will bring kingdoms to their knees." But he didn't seem to follow. "Two girls in love with the same boy can't be friends. It can't happen."

"Love?!" He rolled his eyes. "What makes you think she's in love?"

"I'm a girl. I know these things."

He paused for a moment. "Wait. Rachel's in love with Gilligan too?" His chair leaned back as his eyes grazed the ceiling. "Damn. That nerd gets around..."

Kuki stopped, her smile falling. "What? N-no. What?!"

"You said Rachel and Abby were in love with the same guy."

"Yeah, I did. Nigel Uno."

Wally did a waterless spit-take as he looked back at his girlfriend. "You think Abby's in love with Nigel Uno?"

Kuki flipped her hair, cockily. "Uh, yeah. Haven't you been paying attention?"

"Apparently not."

"Clearly all of this has just been a front for her to travel across the Universe, to finally after years of longing confess her feelings for-" She was interrupted by Wally's snickering, which eventually turned into an infectious laugh at her expense. "What?"

"That's the dumbest fucking thing I've ever heard," he howled.

Kuki's cheeks reddened, puffing. She stood, glaring at him. "It's the truth!"

"Did Abby tell you that?" he spat out, in between laughs. "Did she open up to you about her star-crossed love?"

She flushed harder, embarrassed. "No. But I know it's true. Why else would we be here?!"

"How about to save our home planet from bein' exploded?"

"Well, duh. But that's not the only reason!" Her words went right over him as he continued to laugh. "What? You think she's in love with Hoagie?"

Wally wiped a tear from his eye. "Duh."

"...Hoagie."

"Yeah."

"Our Hoagie."

"Who else could I even be talking about?"

"Ha! And you think my idea is far-fetched?"

"Okay, Love," he put a hand up to stop her. "It's fair to see how you missed it, seein' as you were off tryin' to prove some fantasy romance bullshit—"

"It's not bullshit! Abby is in love with Nigel Uno!"

"—but you're the one who ain't been payin' attention." He grinned as his girlfriend took her seat, annoyed. "I may not be a girl, but I know when people got it and man, Abby's got it. She's got it bad."

"Please," she scoffed. "That's just your boner talking."

"My boner's got nothin' to do with it!" Wally snapped back. "All you gotta do is use your eyes. Back in Dystal City they were all over each other! How could you not see that?"

"That doesn't even count. That place literally pumps hormones into the air! She would have fucked a bush if it had bought her an ice cream."

"It is her one true weakness..."

"And even if by some weird chance she did like him," Kuki was adamant. "Hoagie and Abby? They have nothing in common!"

"Psh. Neither do we," Wally argued. "And look at us."

"We do so have things in common!" Kuki argued. "We both..." However, she struggled to find a single specific thing. "Like music!"

"Brilliant. Let's marry."

"But we both care about things like...the world!"

"Not vague."

"And we have the same life goals!"

"Exactly!" Wally snapped. "How's Abby gonna date Nigel Uno? He's been livin' in outer space with a bunch'a kids for like a decade!"

"Only seven years."

"Point."

"So? That doesn't mean he himself is gonna be like a little kid. And even if he is, she will love him anyway. Because that's what love is."

"Abby and Hoagie have chemistry," Wally argued. "And he's a fuckin' teenager. They spend time together, they like each other. Plus, she's like obsessed with getting him to like her."

"Oh, she is not." Kuki shook her head. "She's obsessed with Nigel Uno."

"Because he destroyed the Kids Next Door!"

"No. Because he left and she's still heartbroken over it." That gave Wally pause. "You can't tell me you haven't picked up on that little detail."

"Well...he still hasn't grown up! What's that life gonna look like? She gonna live with the little kids? Play kickball till she's 80?"

Kuki stuck her nose up. "I bet she would love that life."

"She did all this to bring us together, she ain't gonna leave us to go play catch with kiddos."

"She won't have to. Uno will come back with us. Like we planned. And then they'll re-ignite their old flame and be together forever and ever-"

"Oh, yeah. Cause it's that easy."

"It's more likely than your idea!" Kuki snapped. "What in the world makes you think that a strong, athletic, sexy, total 10 like Abby would want to be with a Hoagie? How? What would that even look like?"

Wally stuck his nose up back at her. "It would be beautiful." He grimaced. "And what do you know? Maybe he's Abby's type."

"Oh, yeah. Sure."

"Hey. That's discrimination. You're bein' narrow-minded."

"It's not that! It's just statistically..."

"Yeah?"

She swallowed. "People tend to..."

"Go on."

"You know, go for people who have the same-"

"The same..."

"Oh, you know what I mean!" Kuki said. "It's not discrimination it's science. Hoagie likes science so he'll totally understand-"

"Understand what?" a voice entered the room.

Kuki froze. Shit. She thought for sure he would still be working. "U-Uh...the science of...Love?"

"...really?"

Hoagie walked in, heading toward the shelf where the food was being stored. "That's one science I don't think anyone's an expert in," He laughed awkwardly. "You guys having an argument? Don't mind me I'll be outta here soon..."

"No, stay," Kuki said, her grin reappearing. "I want your opinion on something."

Wally snarled. "You witch. Don't you dare."

Hoagie grabbed a cupcake from the top shelf, the very last chocolate one they had. "Uh, sure. But I dunno if I'll be much help-"

Kuki stood up, leading him to a chair between her and Wally. "You'll be great. Okay. So. Say you have this friend..."

"Kuki thinks Abby's in love with Nigel Uno and that this whole thing is just a rouse to see him and confess her undying love," Wally said dryly before she could finish.

"Wally!"

"You were gonna make it annoying," he whined.

"Abigail in love?" Hoagie's eyes lifted to the top of his goggles, as though in thought. "I suppose it's possible."

"What?!" Wally stood.

"Ha!" Kuki sang. "Eat my ass! I am the love guru! Bow before my wiseness!"

"Oh, fuck off."

She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Come on," Wally appealed. "You can't be serious. You actually agree with Kuckoo over there? You're supposed'ta be the smart one!"

"Yes!" Kuki was too triumphant to notice him use the nickname she despised most. "Abby and Nigel will fall in love and get married and have a million precious babies together and there's nothing you can do about it!"

But Hoagie scrunched his nose. "Married? He's gotta be mentally like...twelve."

"That's what I said!" Wally exclaimed.

"B-But you said-" Kuki quivered.

"That she could be in love with him? Yeah," Hoagie said. "Not that they were going to end up married. Those things are mutually exclusive, you know. You can love someone to death but that doesn't mean you can sustain a long-term-"

"Wait a minute!" Kuki snapped. "That makes absolutely no sense! If you love someone you are definitely supposed to be together!" She flailed her arms into the air. "That makes even less sense than Wally's theory!"

"What's Wally's theory?"

Kuki shrank. "Uh..."

"Oh well. So, it doesn't matter if she loves him or not or whatevah!" Wally said. "She's not goin' on this mission as some grand romantic gesture. She's doin' it cause if she doesn't do it we're all fuckin' screwed!"

"B-But..." Kuki appealed to their judge once more. "Don't you think eventually...they might..." But Hoagie made another face. "Oh, what now!"

"It's a nice thought," he said. "But don't you think if Nigel wanted to be with her he would have come back? I mean maybe if he matured or realized what he wanted too late, but considering that he just got rid of the Kids Next Door..."

"You guys are dumb!" Kuki cried. "You don't believe in love!"

"No matter how you slice it, it's a complicated history," Hoagie shrugged. "But if they both wanted it enough and the circumstances were right, I guess it could work. I just really don't see Abigail doing something as personal as confessing romantic feelings on a mission. Not unless she was really backed into a corner."

Kuki huffed. "Buzzkill. I can't believe you think Abby should end up with hi-"

"Hi-He-Henrietta!" Wally screamed frantically.

Kuki bit her lip. "Oops."

Hoagie cocked a brow. "The candy hunter?"

"Y-Yes."

"The one who literally sold us out for gummy worms."

"I don't judge you on your flaws," Wally argued. "Plus, they're already exes."

"I assume for good reason," Hoagie contended.

"It's a dumb theory," Kuki said between grit teeth.

Wally leaned in to his best friend. "But it'd be sexy. Think of it. Two hot gals with thick muscles, one has that German accent, they hate each other but they also wanna fuck each other..."

"Okay!" Hoagie stepped back. "I'm going back to work now."

Kuki tried to hide her own flushed face. "R-right. That's so...stupid...psh. Who'd even want to see that, Wally. You're gross." But then, not so subtly, she whispered. "Table that for later." And her boyfriend took note.

"You know, maybe we shouldn't be talking about this at all," Hoagie scratched his neck, backpedaling as fast as he could. "I mean, whoever Abigail ends up with, we should be happy, right? She's technically our boss so it's a little weird."

"Oh really?" Wally leered at him, expectantly. "Does it bother you?"

Hoagie cleared his throat. "N-not really, no. And that bothers me immensely."

Wally's face fell. "Oh."

Kuki stuck her tongue out again, this time in victory.

"But while we're here, I'm surprised you didn't choose Rachel as a candidate. They'd make a pretty good couple if it weren't for-"

"No!" Kuki clenched her fists, her entire body steaming. "Rachel is also in love with Nigel Uno and that would ruin their glorious but ultimately tragic rivalry!"

Hoagie blinked. "Uh...what?"

"It's part of her little fantasy," Wally said.

"It's not a fantasy!"

"You guys, this isn't even an argument anymore," Hoagie explained, opening the wrapper on the cupcake. "Abigail already made her move. There's nothing left to speculate about."

The couple froze, gasping in unison. "Haaah?!"

"What?" Wally asked. "When?! With who?!"

"W-was it with...Nigel Uno?" Kuki tried hopefully.

"N-no. H-how would she-?"

Kuki shrugged. "Magic?"

Hoagie stood across from them, leaning on the table. "There's only one person Abigail is interested in right now." The others leaned in. Hoagie looked at them, his eyes darting back and forth. "Wait, you guys seriously don't know?" He was met with silence. "Maurice."

"Ew!" Kuki shook her head.

"Maurice?!"

"He dated her sister, Hoagie. That's gross!"

"I mean yeah," Hoagie said. "But he's the only person out of this entire line-up who actually has a chance aside from Rachel."

"Well..." Wally said under his breath.

"Maurice has known Abigail for a long time. They obviously have a history, one that's been complicated by the situation. He has connections with her family, and even if he did date her sister we don't know how long ago it was or if the relationship was even that serious. Plus, have you seen her sister? That woman is fine to the nine. Can't even blame the guy."

"Yeah, but-" Kuki protested.

"He's a member of the Teens Next Door, which means they have a similar lifestyle. It also means they share values, and he has proven time and time again that he cares deeply about her. And then in the end, he put her before himself. A true act of genuine love with absolutely nothing expected in return. Uno left her, Henrietta is a selfish bitch, and Rachel might very well be into Uno as Kuki says so...Maurice wins. No question."

"No..." Kuki whined.

"But she said she didn't like him!" Wally said. "How do you explain that!"

"Uh...she lied?" Hoagie chortled.

Wally cleared his throat. "A-are you sure there isn't...anyone else?" He gazed at him, his eyes wide and puppyish. "No one you might've forgotten?"

"She kissed him. Pretty sure it's official," Hoagie replied flatly.

"She kissed him?" Wally's jaw loosened.

"When did this happen?"

"On the TND's ship. Did you guys honestly not see any of this? Or are you fucking with me?"

"Nope," Kuki shook her head furiously. "No, that was a thank you kiss. Or a goodbye kiss. Or a thanks but no thanks I'm heading off on my own adventure without you kiss."

"I dunno," Hoagie smirked. "It was pretty steamy."

"It proves nothing!" Kuki called. "Abby is going to be with Nigel!"

"No, she's not!" Wally snapped back. "What was the kiss like? Was it like...a peck or like a full-on thing? Were there tongues involved? Do you have any opinions about it? We're best mates. You can tell me."

"Guys. Maurice won. That's it."

"It's not it!" Wally cried. "He can't just show up and sweep her off her feet! That's bullocks!"

"She probably just forgot her feelings for Nigel. Hid them away because they were too painful. She doesn't love Maurice! She said so!"

"H-hey..." Hoagie backed away. "Guys. It's cool. It's not really any of our-"

"So you're sayin' that if someone better came along, say, I dunno, a guy with some problems but mostly has a heart of gold, she would just ignore all of their obvious chemistry and go for the guy who dated her sister because he saved her one time?!"

"It's not about saving her so much. He protected what she cares about, putting her needs first and you guys are seriously starting to freak me out." He quivered.

"I saw the way she looked at baby Nigel! It was love, I tell you! Love!" Kuki moved toward him.

"O-okay but from what I saw-"

"You saw wrong!" Kuki's hair looked as if it were on fire, sticking up on end.

"You can't tell me you actually approve of this guy?" Wally insisted.

"It's not really my place to-"

He gripped Hoagie's collar, shaking him. "Of course it is! Stand up for yourself! Fight for what you want!"

"What are you talking about?!" He pushed him off.

"Oh give it a rest, Wally!" Kuki chirped.

"You give it a rest. I ain't goin' down without a fight!"

"You wanna fight? I'll give you a fight!"

"Bring it on, cupcake!"

"Enough!" Hoagie shouted over them, quieting down the room. "Jeez, what is the matter with you?"

Wally kicked the floor. "She started it."

"Hey!"

"Well you did!"

"Okay, look," Hoagie said. "It doesn't matter who she ends up with, okay? As long as she's happy. Right? We want her to be happy. Right?"

"Sure."

"I guess."

Hoagie sighed. "Good. Because in the end it isn't up to us. And we should trust her to make her own choices. If she makes the wrong one, then she'll figure it out. Until then we just have to stay out of it. It's making us crazy."

"Fine."

"Whatever."

"Okay." He adjusted his hat.

Wally's brows lifted. "Or..."

"Or?" Hoagie repeated, worry in his voice.

Wally grabbed the cupcake of the table, climbing on top. He lifted it into the air.

"Hey! That's mine!" Hoagie reached for it.

"It was yours," Wally said. "Now it's the prize! Whoever wins the bet, gets the cupcake! How 'bout that?"

"Sweet Moses," Hoagie flattened his brows.

"Ooh! Wally! Can I do it?" Kuki asked. "I wanna do the speech! I wanna make it all dramaticky and stuff."

"Uh...Okay, sure." Wally tossed the cupcake to Kuki who climbed up onto the table.

"Ahem. Boyfriends, and...just boys that are friends," she began. "Behold! I present to you the magical shipping cupcake! Whomever wields the cupcake holds the favor of the shipping Gods! However, when the tides turn and the Gods change favor, the shipping cupcake shall receive a new bearer, and so on and so forth until a proper endgame is reached."

"Heh," Hoagie chuckled. "That's pretty good."

"For having the most favor with the shipping Gods, I hereby bestow this shipping cupcake unto you, Hoagie Gilligan. For though you are ultimately very, very wrong, for some reason the Gods like you for some reason. But! When you lose favor with the Gods, you must pass the cupcake onto whomever they gain favor with. Which will obviously be me, cause, like, duh." She handed Hoagie the cupcake.

"Oh, we'll see about that, Girly," Wally grinned competitively.

"Okay, ground rules," Hoagie interjected. "We can't pressure Abigail to talk about her feelings. And we can't manipulate situations to make her think she is in love with someone. We let it happen naturally, and we don't make her feel bad if we don't like the person she picks."

"You can't steal the cupcake. It has to be given to you," Kuki added.

"And if you eat the cupcake, you have to stand on the front of the ship naked for a whole week!"

"A week?" Kuki gasped.

"Will we even be here that long?"

"Fine. A day?"

"Deal!" Kuki held out her hand.

"Huzzah!" Hoagie shouted, putting his hand in. The others looked at him with confusion. "I thought we were...doing the...medieval thing?"

"What Medieval thing?" Kuki asked.

Wally put in his hand. "Whatever. Let's do it!"

"Wait," Hoagie stopped them. "What do we do if nobody wins? What if she wants to be single or finds someone we don't know?"

"Then we'll just have to share it I guess," Wally said.

Kuki smiled. "When we all lose, that means we all win!"

Hoagie shook his head. "That is not what it means but okay. I see your point."

"For Love!" Kuki called.

"For Love!" The boys mirrored.

"What are you doin'?"

Abby had opened the door to the kitchen, Rachel standing behind her. She watched as her teammates scrambled around each other, making awkward attempts to cover up their tracks. Hoagie swung his hands behind his back, his pink cheeks even more rosy than usual. Kuki didn't know how to get off the table, so she tried to jump down, but caught her foot on the chair in her descent. Her face plummeted into the floor, but she got up, laughing nervously. Wally crossed his arms defensively.

He was the one to speak.

"None of your Bizzo."

Hoagie winced. "Probably not the best choice of words," he whispered.

"We definitely weren't making bets on who, *Nigel* you *Uno* might be interested in, Nigel Uno."

"Hey!" Wally whispered. "No secret messages! That's cheating."

"But just in case you did want to confess, where would you say your affection level lies? Would you say it's childhood sweetheart or full on crime of passion?"

"Kuki!" Hoagie called. He turned to Abby, pushing his way past. "I am so, so sorry. Kuki's been acting a little strange lately, I think it's the flu. Yeah. There's no way we would actually use your personal life to entertain ourselves. That would just be weird, right guys?"

"Right." Wally fiddled with his feet. "But if you did like someone you should definitely tell him...her...them...How you feel. We'd totally support it. Totally."

"Totally! We want to know who your Number One is," she winked.

Hoagie smacked his face with is palm.

Abby stared at them, looking at them each individually. The tips of her lips curved upwards as puffs of air escaped from her nose. She started to laugh, lifting her own hand to her head. All she could do was laugh. She wiped tiny happy tears from her eyes, her stomach starting to hurt. Before anyone could say anything more, she turned her back to her friends, continuing her snorts out the door and down the hall. Rachel followed, unsure of what was going on.

Kuki brushed off her dress. "She was totally about to crack," she said.

Wally and Hoagie hung their heads, embarrassed.

"You sure you're okay with this?" Rachel called.

Abby found her voice again. "Sure, why not? They're just havin' a bit'a fun."

"Really? I would feel totally embarrassed if it were me."

Abby leaned on the wall of the ship. "Abby can deal. They just had their whole lives turned upside-down. They got no idea what's gonna happen after all this is over. They just want to talk about stupid, fluffy stuff and feel normal. Besides," She looked at the floor and smiled gently. "Numbuh 5 kinda likes it. Makes it feel like we're really friends again."

Rachel softened her gaze. "Maybe you're right," she said. After a while, her face flattened again. "Hey, Abby."

"Hm."

"You'd tell me though. If you still had feelings for Nigel..." Her cheeks were bright red as she failed to hide her embarrassed expression.

Abby rolled her eyes and proceeded to walk away, muttering "Oh, brother."

"N-Not that I care! You can like him or not or whatever, doesn't matter to me." She back-tracked. "I don't even think about him anymore so yeah."

"You're blushin', Sir," Abby chided.

"Wha—I am not!" But Rachel's hands instinctively pressed against her cheeks. They were hot to the touch. "And don't call me Sir!"

"Don't worry. I won't tell."

"I don't. Abby..." Rachel chased after her friend. "Abby!"

END TRANSMISSION

Happy Shipping! Or Not. :)