Secrets
"Henry, you got the tranquilizer gun?"
"Yeah, I got it man. Where's Schwoz?"
"I'm here! Let's go!"
"Wait!" Henry turned to the girl currently pressed against his side. "Char, I'm gonna need you to stay with Schwoz, okay?"
She pouted, and it was so cute and that it made Henry's heart twist painfully. "Why can't I stay with you?"
"Because Jasper and I have to go get Ray and we need you to be safe, okay? You trust me, right?"
"Of course I do. Stay safe, sweetie." She quickly pecked Henry's lips before going to stand next to Schwoz.
Henry's mouth fell open and he froze in place. His fingers involuntarily went up to touch his lips. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Jasper trying to not laugh.
"Shall we go?" Henry asked, trying not to snap at Jasper, whose shoulders were shaking from silent laughter at this point.
Jasper cleared his throat and tried to muster a serious expression on his face. "Yeah dude. Let's rock and roll."
"You did not just say that," Henry said, while following Jasper to the elevator.
15 minutes later…
Henry and Jasper were standing outside of...an alley?
"Schwoz, why the butt would Ray be in an alley?" Henry asked incredulously.
"Well, I'm tracking him and that's where he seems to be," Schwoz said through Henry's earpiece. "He's not in love with anyone in Swellview, right?"
"Umm, he probably is because he ate a love muffin. I thought you were the smart one?"
"Ummm, right. That's what I meant." Schwoz said suspiciously.
"Wait, is that Ray?" Jasper pointed to a figure in the distance. It was dark and hard to see, but it sure looked like Ray.
The figure came running towards them and Henry's sidekick instincts kicked in. He immediately braced himself for any danger, but, as it turned out, that wasn't necessary.
"Henry! Jasper! Hey boys!" Ray came sprinting to the pair, happily jumping around like a toddler.
"Um, hi! Why are you in an alley?" Jasper questioned.
"I dunno. I'm feeling super energized right now. I went to the arcade earlier and won a bunch of games-"
"Wait, there are people at the arcade!" Henry interjected.
"Yeah, of course there are. It's an arcade. Geez, Henry. I knew you were stupid but I didn't think you were that-"
"NO! That's not what I mean. You don't feel weird? Like, maybe in love with anyone you saw?"
"What in the world? Why would I be in love? The only thing I feel right now is energetic! You wanna play laser tag?"
"YES!" Jasper exclaimed, punching his fists in the air.
"NO!" Henry shouted, scowling at Jasper, who immediately shut up.
"Schwoz, are you hearing this?" Henry asked.
"Yes, I am. It seems that the only thing Ray is suffering from is a sugar rush." Schwoz sighed.
"I don't understand. Why didn't the muffin work on him?"
"What muffin?" Ray asked, but Henry ignored him.
Henry waited for Schwoz to reply, but Schwoz was silent. "Schwoz?" he repeated. He knew that the earphone wasn't broken, which meant that Schwoz was purposely trying to avoid answering his question.
"Schwoz? Is there something you're not telling me?"
Silence.
"Jasper, let's go back to the Man Cave," Henry said. "Something's up."
Back in the Man Cave…
Henry and Jasper barged into the Man Cave, dragging along a very confused Ray.
Schwoz immediately panicked at the sight of Henry and went to hide behind Charlotte. However, as soon as Charlotte saw Henry, she went to stand next to him.
"Hi baby," she said, kissing his cheek. Henry felt his heart flutter, and he wanted to kiss her so badly, but he reminded himself that what he wanted wasn't important at the moment. Charlotte hugged his side and Henry put an arm around her.
Ray's mouth dropped open and he was about to shout something when Jasper gave him a look. Ray looked at him furiously, but Jasper vigorously shook his head.
Henry turned to Schwoz.
"Schwoz, what are you not telling me?"
Author's Note: Uh oh. Looks like Schwoz has some spilling to do. Make sure to tune in for the next chapter next Wednesday at 3:00 PM PT! As always, thank so much for reading! It really means a lot to me. Also, don't forget to leave feedback if you have any!