DISCLAIMER: This licence isn't mine. The opinions express by the characters are not mine. I do not support nor encourage the illegal acts or words present here. I can make a distinction between fiction and reality and I trust in my readership's ability in doing the same.
Chapter twenty-two: A cold reunion!
-The Café is really beautiful, admitted Raspberry Torte when she entered the room.
-It's just like I remembered, Lemon Meringue added. « Lem, Ada, tell Strawberry Shortcake you are pleased to be here. You know she wasn't forced to invite you… »
Strawberry Shortcake pretended she didn't notice that Lemon Meringue was especially staring at Ada when she pronunced this last sentence.
-Miss Shortcake, we thank you from the bottom of our heart… Lem started.
-For letting us attend to your party. It will surely be wonderful, Ada ended.
-Oh, thank you, Strawberry chuckled, lightly blushing. « It's a great pleasure for me, too, to see you. But let me introduce you to my little sister, Apple Dumplin'. ».
Apple Dumplin' was a little bit anxious. She really wanted to make a good impression to the two young teenagers coming from Big Apple City ! However they didn't look haughty or bored, just like she had imagined; they rather seemed intimidated, but nevertheless happy to be here.
-Apple Dumplin', can you show your room to our guests ? Strawberry asked.
Five minutes later, raised voices and laughs could be heard from Apple Dumplin's room.
-I'm glad they had a lot of fun together, Lemon Meringue noticed. « Lem is a sociable boy, but Ada is so reserved that she can hardly make friends. »
-Please, stop it ! Raspberry Torte cried, which made everyone started. « Stop critisizing this poor young girl ! You're always telling her that all she want to do is wrong ! »
-This is surely a mistake… Strawberry tried to say, but Lemon Meringue cut her.
-You shouldn't give me advices, she curtly said to Raspberry Torte, « You have no sibling ».
-There's no need to have a sibling to notice that your behaviour towards Ada is totally inappropriate ! You're always tormenting her, always showing her that she's disturbing you-but all that Lem does is perfect, and after you wonder why Ada is reserved and shy ?! Seriously ?!
-Please girls, stop it ! Strawberry begged, getting between the two opponents. « We're here to celebrate the joy of being all together, so, please, don't wast this moment with pointless quarrels ! »
-We're not having a quarrel, Raspberry stung, « I'm just telling the truth about Lemon Meringue, I mean she's stupidly jealous of a fifteen-years-old young girl because she's nicer and more talented than her. »
If Orange Blossom and Plum Pudding hadn't held Lemon back, she would have go for Raspberry's throat.
-No ! She shouted. « No ! I'm not jealous of Ada but YOU are jealous of ME because you can not support I'm as famous as you, but more ! I'm gonna tell you the truth about you too, Raspberry Torte : you are selfish, vain and capricious, and no one bears you !
Strawberry Shortcake sincerely hoped that the three teenagers were too distracted by what they were doing (whatever it could be) for hearing the insults Raspberry shouted to Lemon.
-Alright, alright ! Strawberry shouted in order to cover Raspberry's and Lemon's voices. « Now that you tell each others some home truths, can we talk about something else ? Hey, did Orange Blossom tell you about her last project ?
-What is it ? Plum Pudding asked, sincerely curious, while Lemon and Raspberry were still trading dirty looks.
The arrival of Cherry Jam and Peanutt Butter interrupted her.
-Hi everybody ! the young singer shouted joyfully, but she immediatly felt that the atmosphere was so tense that she could have cut it with a knife.
-What's wrong ? She softly asked.
-Anything, Angel Cake answered categorically. « Lemon Meringue and Raspberry Torte were just having some explanations, and Orange Blossom was about to share a big brand piece of news with us. »
-I can't wait to hear it ! Peanut Butter cried.
-You can start now Orange Blossom, Strawberry said, carefully glancing at Lemon and Raspberry to check if they weren't about to fight again. « Everybody is listening to you. »
Orange Blossom cleared her throat.
-During these last monthes, I noticed that the Berrykins really have to fight for living in decent conditions, so it's why I decide to do my best for helping them.
-Personnaly, I don't think they are suffering, Plum Pudding declared.
-Shhhhhh ! Raspberry Torte aggresively whistled.
-You can't imagine all that Orange Blossom did, Strawberry Shortcake added. « She really bowled us over. Sorry Orange, you can carry on. »
-First of all, I understood that their biggest problem comes from the fact they have no access to any kind of education, which imprisons them into a strong social determinism. That's logical : How could you become a lawyer or a physician if all that you can learn is how to repot strawberry patches or how to screw a nut and bolt back up ?
-That's impossible, Peanut Butter muttered.
-Exactly, that's impossible. So, I decide -with the Berrykin Princess' approval, of course- to built a school for their youngest members where they will receive the basis of a good education.
-A school ? What a wonderful present, Plum Pudding ironized. « They must be delighted. »
-You're right, that's really a great idea, Peanut Butter approved. « I must admit it's the first time I hear about a such project, and you proved us how important it is. You're right Orange Blossom, we owe everything to the Berrykins, but us, ingrateful humans, we too often tend to forget them. When will your school be ready to receive its first students ? »
-To be totally honest… Orange Blossom stammered, « We had some problems at the construction site. Someone makes fun in vandalising the scaffolding, by damaging or dismantling them. Each morning, we have to carefully check if everything is alright, and to put the damages back together. It makes us loose a lot of time. »
-You should stop fixing the damage if it makes you waste your time, Lemon Meringue purposed.
Orange Blossom stared at her, speechless out of astonishment.
-We must do this, Orange explained. « Do you imagine what could happen if a Berrykin climbs on a wobbly scaffolding, falls down and severely hurts himself ? I'm here to help the Berrykins, not to force them to put their lifes in danger ! »
-I think I understand what Lemon means, Plum Pudding declared. « She think the culprits are the Berrykins. »
« Are you stupid ? » Orange Blossom angrily thought, but she said instead :
-What would they do a such thing ?
-Because they don't want to go to school, Raspberry Torte stung. « But they don't dare to tell it to you, so they just vandalize your constructions in hoping you will abandon it. »
-The Berrykin Princess herself said it was a good idea !
-The Berrykin Princess isn't the Berrykins, and I'm sure they don't care about your help anyway, Raspberry cut. « The Berrykins can not be educated, they're not intelligent enough, and they don' t want it anyway. So, the best you can do is to stop wasting your time and your energy in this stupid project. Strawberry Shortcake, why didn't you tell her it was doomed to failure ? »
-Because I believe in her and in all the Berrykins, Strawberry Shortcake retorted. She was herself irritated by Raspberry's ill-will. Was it the effect of living in Big Apple City ? She was glad she had never leave her country !
-I believe in education, Orange Blossom whistled looking at Raspberry right in the eyes, « And there's no need for me to show you what happens to the person who are deprived of it… like you, Raspberry Torte. Will you tell me you don't need no education ? You manage to sell dresses and hats in a metropolis and it makes you believe you're better than us ? Be extremely carefull, Raspberry. One day, your customers will be fed up by your impudence. They'll desert you and you won't have a penny left. All that you will be able to do will be to find your old friends, but maybe they won't bear you anymore, and you'll end up all alone. But I not saying this to freely destroy you Raspberry, I'm just frank and honest, like a real friend should be. »
-You-are-no-longer-my-friends ! Raspberry Torte screamed, « And I won't stay a more second in this room. »
-Me neither, Lemon Meringue decided.
-I thought Raspberry Torte and her were enemies ? Peanut Butter discretly asked to Plum Pudding.
-I must admit that I don't really know, Plum Pudding admitted. « They have a cat fight, and the second later they are the best friends in the world again. »
-I don't want to stay with someone, Lemon Meringue continued, staring at Orange Blossom, « With someone who take a pervert pleasure in telling us we are arrogant plague because we found a good situation instead of staying in this backwood place. Lem, Ada », she called, « Say goodbye to Apple Dumplin', we're going RIGHT NOW ! »
-We were having fun… Lem protested, but he kept quiet when he saw his big sister's furious eyes.
-Good bye everybody, the twins muttered as Raspberry and Lemon were dragging them outside, « It was a great party ».
-Please, wait ! Strawberry shouted, but the door slammed before she reached it.
-What happened here ? Apple Dumplin' asked in a bad mood. « Why were Lem and Ada forced to leave ? »
-They had a long road to do, Blueberry Muffin clumsily explained.
-I wish they have stay longer, the young girl said, sulking.
-Well, you can't have everything you want, Strawberry Shortcake angrily retorted.
-Great ! Apple Dumplin' shouted, coming back in her room. « You organise a party, and it's another occasion for me to be told off ! »
-I don't know Lemon Meringue was allowed to come with her sibling, Plum Pudding noticed. « Why didn't you tell me that, Strawberry ? I would have bring my twin brother along » (She insisted on the word « twin »).
-Because the Café isn't elastic, Angel Cake said curtly, « And Lemon Meringue is closer with her sibling than you are with your twin brother. You have absolutely anything in common ! You don't even look alike. Are you sure you are really twins ? »
-Shut up Angel, you're just jealous because YOU HAVE NO FAMILY, unlike me.
-Stop it girls ! Peanut Butter shouted. « Be quiet, everybody ! Do you forget why you are here ? Strawberry Shortcake managed to gather you here, thinking you would be happy to meet your old friends after so long, and what did you do ? You spoiled with wonderful moment with your quarells, hardly worthy of little children in a playground. Why couldn't you just enjoy this moment ? Why couldn't you thank Starwberry for her efforts ? »
-What are you doing here ? Angel Cake nastily asked. « As you just said, it's a reunion of old strawberrylanders… what you're not. »
-I'll check if there glimmerberry juice left in the lardry, Strawberry Shortcake muttered with a faint voice.
But it was just a pretext for escaping the room. As soon as she left them, she burst into tears. Why everything went so wrong ? Why did they all torn each other to pieces ? They didn't use to act like that before leaving Strawberryland, but she refuse to admit that the persons she had heard and saw were her old friends. It couldn't be possible. Why did they change so much ? Was everything they did together in there earlier years was… over ?
-Strawberry Shortcake ? Strawberry ? Can you hear us ?
It was Cherry Jam and Peanut Butter.
-I'm so sorry Starwberry, Peanut stammered. « I don't know what happened. Angel Cake was right, I did a terrible mistake in coming here… »
-It wasn't your fault ! Cherry Jam cried. « Fame and anger for power can change anyone. I saw it a lot of time, when I was still a professional singer. The city is a world full of hypocrisis. You pretend you are friend with someone… only to stab him in the back later, when he's no longer usefull for you ! It was the world in which I was force to live until I was twelve years old, can you understand now why I desperately wanted to escape it ? Strawberry Shortcake, I can perfectly understand how disappointed you are by Lemon Meringue and Raspberry Torte, but you shouldn't be surprise. Someone surely told them that a country girl like you wasn't a suitable friend for them, so they decided to forget you. It was easier for them.
-What… Strawberry sobbed. « What could I do to find my old friends again ? »
Very slowly, Cherry Jan and Peanut Butter looked at each other.
Finally, Cherry Jam said :
-Nothing.
To be continued…
Dear reader, you should be able to guess who is the mysterious vandal. If you're not, reread carefully the seventeenth chapter.