(A/N: I think this may be the penultimate, aka second to last, chapter. Wow. O,O Enjoy this decent chapter! I hope, at least.)
We Meet Again
Ch. 19
A few months flew by like a jet for the group of tight friends and before long, it was time for a big moment: A graduation ceremony for those passing on to high school. Susie, Angelica, Harold, and Fridge turned 15 as the months passed by, and it was time for them and the rest of the students their age to move on to high school. Surprisingly, the party was two weeks before summer break would officially begin.
14-year-old Shenzi tried very hard to find the perfect outfit for the ceremony; She wanted to support Fridge, Susie, and Harold, and Angelica somewhat. After what felt like hours of debating, she finally decided on a pink bow-back top with short, lace sleeves, a black strapless satin dress from Abbey Dawn with a pink leopard skirt, black opaque tights, pink leopard Vans, a black moto vest with pink leopard print lapels, small black hoop earrings, a pink extension, and a large, pink pleather bow. "Dang sis," 14-year-old Frankie smirked after Shenzi exited her room, "You going on a date?"
"This is for the graduation party," She giggled, "I want to look my best."
"Well, it's not like we're the ones going into high school yet," Frankie pointed out, "Fridge, Susie, Harold, and Angelica are."
"I know!" She smiled with excitement, "I'm so happy for them! I want to look my very best for them!"
"So is this "very best" enough?" The blonde playfully asked her, gesturing to her own outfit. She was wearing a light turquoise lace-strap camisole, a pink floral peplum corset top over it, simple black jeans, black corset-like creepers, pink heart stud earrings, a black lace-up Victorian style choker, a simple ponytail band, and a black sequin jacket.
"Yep," Shenzi nodded, "You look great!"
"Thanks," Frankie smiled, "You do too." The two girls walked in the living room, and sat on the couch to wait until it was time to head to school for the ceremony.
"So, this event is pretty big, isn't it?" Felicia asked them.
"Yep," Frankie nodded, "Fridge, Susie, Harold, and Angelica will be in high school in September."
"I wonder what high school will be like," Shenzi wondered aloud.
"Hopefully it won't be like how it is on TV and in movies," Frankie remarked, "The new kids seem to get picked on a lot."
"Well, you two have another year to move up," Friar Tuck pointed out to them.
"That is true," Shenzi shrugged, "Tommy, Maxie, and both sets of twins have 2."
"Well, I can't wait for that," Frankie said, "It'll be great!"
"But for now, let's focus on supporting our friends," Shenzi suggested.
"Alright." Before long, it was time to go. Shenzi was practically bouncing in her seat as they headed for the school; Frankie was amused, but stayed silent. 'You would think it was Chuckie who was graduating,' She thought to herself. After they arrived, the two girls walked (although Shenzi ran) in the building and in the gym, where the party was already in full swing. "I wonder where our friends are."
"I see Chuckie!" Shenzi rushed over to the redhead, with her sister trying to keep up. "Hi, Chuckie!" She hugged him for a second.
"Hi, Shen," He smiled at her, "It's pretty cool that some of our friends are graduating to high school."
"I know!" She smiled excitedly, "I can't wait until it's us!"
"Me neither." He looked at her outfit. "Wow, you look great."
"Thanks," She blushed, "I wanted to look my best for the party, and for our friends."
"Well, you certainly do." He kissed her cheek, so her blush deepened. "Thanks, Chuck."
"Oh please!" Angelica scoffed, "If you ask me, she is wearing way too much black." She looked like she was going to prom in her fancy dress. They all turned to her, Frankie setting her hands on her hips. "Not to mention pink leopard is a big no-no. And large bows are so 14 years ago." Shenzi frowned sadly.
"Angelica, knock it off," Frankie glared, "She came to support you and the rest of our friends, not to compete against you in a beauty pageant. And besides, even if there was one, she would win on the spot; Because not only is she a very pretty girl, she's also kind, selfless, fun to be around, and has great taste. And you look too fancy; This is a graduation party, not the prom." The older blonde walked away in a huff.
"Sorry about her, guys," Susie walked up to them, dressed in a much less fancier, but still party-like, way. "She seems to think the party's only about her."
"It's okay," Shenzi shrugged, "Thanks for the backup, sis."
"No prob."
"Don't listen to Angelica," Chuckie told his best friend, "You're a lot prettier than she is any day."
"Thanks," She smiled timidly. She then saw a certain someone from the corner of her eye. "Ooh, there's Fridge! Come on, guys!" She hastily headed in his direction, as the others tried to keep up. For the party, he was in a white long-sleeve shirt, an olive green vest, dark jeans, and dark blue sneakers. "Hi, Fridge!" She literally jumped on him in an excitement-filled embrace, making him stumble back a bit. Not from her weight, but from surprise. His hands were on her back as she jumped down on the floor. "Congrats on moving to high school!" Her tiny hands were on his upper arms as she smiled up at him.
"Thanks," He smiled back down at her.
"Sorry if she scared you with her sneak attack," Frankie apologized with a giggle, "She gets excited."
"Believe me, I know she does," He smirked, recalling the Halloween party from last year, "And it's fine." Shenzi giggled as they talked about her silly, yet cute antics. They were what made her who she was, so they didn't bother her.
Mr. Pangborn tried to recite a poem he wrote for the celebration, but to his anger, he was booed off the stage. Before a riot could start, Shenzi ran up on the stage, and calmed them down by singing "On My Way" by Phil Collins with a reluctant Frankie. Sure enough, it worked; The audience cheered enthusiastically for them after the song was over. While Shenzi performed the song, she was dancing a bit, swaying her hips wildly and such. Backstage, Mr. Pangborn unintentionally, but gladly caught a peek of her panties under her tights. From what he saw, they had black and grey horizontal stripes. After she was done, when she looked behind her back from that "someone's staring at me" feeling, the former wrestler suddenly started acting casual. For a brief moment, she saw him smiling a little too widely at her. Feeling uncomfortable, she quickly stepped off the stage and to her friends, as she and Frankie were praised for their performance.
Too much time passed for Shenzi and her friends, so before long, it was time for the students to go home. As they headed for the Tuck house, she still had that feeling of discomfort. Why was Mr. Pangborn looking at her like how he did? Was he... ogling her? If so, how long had he been doing so? She decided to find out tomorrow; It was late, and she was tired anyway.
The next day, as Felicia started making their dinner, Shenzi headed upstairs and stopped at Frankie's doorway. "Um, Frankie? Can I talk to you about something kind of... personal or something?"
"Sure thing," The blonde nodded; After her little sister entered her room, she gingerly closed the door. "What's up?"
"Okay Frankie, I need you to be completely, 100 percent honest with me," She started, "Has Mr. Pangborn been staring at me in a creepy way?"
That question made Frankie's heart stop. She was hoping that Shenzi would never ask that, out of fear of how she would react to the truth. "Um..." How would she take it? Not well at all. How else would she react to the fact that a faculty in their school was ogling her, and she was completely oblivious to it for 3 years? "To be honest... yes."
"For how long?"
"Ev... ever since we started attending Jim Jr. High," She nervously blurted out.
Shenzi's eyes widened. "Wh-what? B-but that's over a year! How come you never told me?"
"I was afraid of how you would react, and I didn't want to worry you," Frankie admitted, "And... I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable there. I know you love it at Jim Jr. High, since our friends, old and new-ish, are there."
"Does Chuckie know?"
"Y-yeah," She nodded, "But he didn't tell you for the same reasons as me; He was afraid of worrying you, and how you would take it. Please, don't be mad at him; It was for your own good."
"It's okay, I could never be mad at Chuckie," Shenzi assured her, "What about Tommy? Does he know?"
"I think so."
"Alright," She nodded, "Well... thanks for telling me." She was surprised that she didn't notice earlier that day; She was in a black Killstar Addams crop top, a dark pink cropped halter vest, dark pink acid wash jeggings, black studded belt, black Converse low-tops with dark pink laces, a dark pink extension, and black and pink heart drop earrings. Her shirt and vest revealed some of her belly, so she was surprised at not noticing the former wrestler ogling her. The thought made her shiver internally.
"No prob," Frankie smiled, "I'm sorry that I waited so long to tell you."
"It's okay," She assured her, "So... what'll we do about it?"
"Girls! Dinner time!" Felicia called out, "I made spaghetti!"
"Ooh, spaghetti," Frankie's smile grew, "My favorite."
"We'll talk after dinner," Shenzi decided, "Oh yeah! Um, do Mom and Dad know about Mr. Pangborn?"
"N-no," The blonde shook her head, "I didn't want to worry them. But... I think we should tell them tonight."
"I'll try."
"Me too."
At the table, the two siblings nervously played with their pasta. "You girls okay?" Felicia asked them.
"You're awfully quiet," Friar Tuck added.
"Um, y-yeah, we're fine," Frankie assured them, before eating a small mound of noodles and tomato sauce. Shenzi however, stayed silent as she hid her face behind her glass of water. Thinking that her sister was too nervous to spill the beans, Frankie decided to do it for her. "Uh, it-it's just that... our... our gym coach has been... ogling Shenzi." The said girl squeaked nervously.
Friar Tuck almost choked on his bite of pasta in shock. "He's been what?!"
"How long has this been going on?" Felicia asked them.
"Ever since our first day," Shenzi blurted out.
"What?!" Their mother exclaimed, "How come neither one of you told us? We could've done something a long time ago."
"Well, she didn't know about it until just now, because I was scared to tell her," Frankie confessed, "I didn't want to worry her, and I was afraid of how she would take it."
"What should we do about it?" Shenzi nervously asked their parents.
"Oh, I'll tell you what we're going to do," Felicia stood on the floor angrily, "I'm going to report that creep to the vice principal."
"He-he is the vice principal," Frankie nervously said.
Friar Tuck spit out his water in even more shock as his wife's eyes widened. "Seriously?!"
"Uh huh," Shenzi nodded.
"Oh, that pervert is going down!" Felicia stomped over to the phone, and dialed a number before waiting for an answer.
"Mom, what're you doing?" Frankie asked her nervously, just wanting to confirm.
"I'm reporting that no-good Pangborn to the principal," Felicia explained angrily, "And the super intendant if I need to. You all just eat without me for a minute or two; This shouldn't take long."
Friar Tuck looked at Shenzi, and he filled up with sympathy when she looked like she was going to throw up. "You'll be alright, sweetheart," He laid a hand on her shoulder, "Your mother will take care of him."
"Uh huh," Frankie nodded, "He won't creep on you ever again."
As they ate, they heard Felicia talking, and as expected, she sounded angry. "You're the principal? Good, I want to report the gym coach/vice principal for ogling my youngest daughter ever since September of around three years ago." She waited for an answer. "Shenzibeth Tuck." She sighed in relief. "Oh, thank you, sir." She hung up, and sat back at the table. "I talked to your principal, and he's going to take care of the problem."
"Oh good," Shenzi sighed in relief, "Thanks Mom."
"No problem, sweetie," Felicia kissed her head, "No one creeps on any of my daughters and gets away with it."
That night, after brushing her teeth, Shenzi reached for her black and pink flower camisole and shorts pajamas, but stopped. She suddenly didn't feel like wearing any scanty clothes, even for bed. She decided on a black moonlight serenade pajama top with short flutter sleeves, matching pants, and white ankle socks with two black stripes on the cuffs. Surprisingly, she was able to sleep well; Maybe it was because she was going to feel comfortable in school again?
"Mr. Pangborn, it has come to my attention that you have been creeping on a minor student for over a year now. Is this true?"
"Well, I wouldn't say that it's creeping..."
"So then you've been staring at her? Touching her in bad places?"
"Well, s-sort of, but..."
"This will not be tolerated at this school. Estes Pangborn, you're fired!"
"Fired?! You can't fire me!"
"Oh yes I can, and I did. You may clean out your office tomorrow; And if I hear about you creeping on that little girl again, you'll be banned from the property and her house."
As the children slept, the phone rang and Felicia hastily answered. "He-hello? Oh, super intendant!" She smiled widely as she heard his news, "That's wonderful! She's sleeping at the moment; I'll tell her tomorrow. Thanks!" She hung up, and turned to her husband. "Mr. Pangborn was just fired."
Friar Tuck sighed in relief. "That's good. But he'd better hope he never encounters me; He'll pay for creeping on our youngest daughter like that."
"Yes he will," Felicia agreed.
"Fired? Yes!" Shenzi cheered during breakfast the next morning.
"About time that creep got what he deserved," Frankie smiled.
Now feeling safe and comfortable again, Shenzi changed into black American Flag denim cutoff shorts, a black Batman bandeau top in place of her bra, black Converse 70s low-top sneakers, a black bat cuff earring, a black star earring, a black short sleeve cardigan for coverage just to be safe, and a white extension. "Ooh, you chose a new look to celebrate your safety?" Frankie smirked.
"Kind of," She shrugged modestly, "I'm going to embrace my comfort as much as I can. I wonder who our new gym coach will be?"
"Hopefully a less creepy one," Frankie replied, "And less loud too."
In the building, Shenzi ran to Chuckie and hugged him tightly, surprising him. "Hi Shen," He smiled down at her, "What's the big news?"
"Mr. Pangborn was fired," Frankie explained with a joyous grin.
"Whoa, really?" Chuckie's eyebrows raised up, before he looked at his best friend, "At least now, no one will creep on you again." He kissed her forehead over her soft hair.
"Nope," She smiled, "I feel more comfortable and safe here already." She undid all the buttons on her cardigan and then held out her arms for emphasis.
"That's good," The redhead chuckled at her enthusiasm.
Dil overheard the conversation by accident, so he went to at least say goodbye. Don't get him wrong, he was still disgusted by what happened to the poor emo girl, but he felt it was the right thing to do. "I uh, heard what happened," He said awkwardly, "I just... came to say goodbye."
"Thanks Dil," Mr. Pangborn said as he took down his wrestling photos, "I just can't believe I'm dismissed for something so minor."
"Well, to be honest, I-I'm sorry but... when you creep on a minor student like how I heard you did, you've practically fired yourself," Dil stated with bravery, before he left the office without another word.
"So are these revealing clothes going to be a regular thing?" Chuckie asked her, "Not that I'm complaining."
"I'm not sure about this much," She gestured to herself, "But overall, it's a possibility. I guess I just like the attention, so long as it's from people my age."
"True," He shrugged, "I uh, I have to use the bathroom before class." After kissing her cheek, Chuckie headed for the boys' restroom.
"I do too," Frankie said and followed him.
Not knowing what to do, not having to use the bathroom, Shenzi stood in the middle of the hallway with only her own thoughts to occupy her. A small smile grew at the thought of a new gym coach and vice principal; She hoped they would be nicer, quieter, and more respectful of boundaries. Maybe someone who was fun and spontaneous, like... Max Banks. She thought he would make a great vice principal; Any ideas he would come up with would make middle school much more fun. A white camera flash from the corner of her eye snapped her out of her thoughts; She looked, and to her surprise, no one was there. At least, no one with a camera of any kind out in the open. Deciding it was just her imagination, she headed for the history classroom, although the school day hadn't started yet. To be safe, she buttoned up her sweater again. Her heart leapt when she saw the eccentric teacher at his desk; She decided right then and there to tell him her thoughts. "Hey um, Mr. Banks?"
He smiled when he saw her at the doorway. "Oh, Ms. Tuck! You're early today. What can I do for you?"
"Well um, you know how Mr. Pangborn was fired last night?"
"Yes I do; Why?"
"Well... I was thinking... um, m-maybe you should try to apply for the job of vice principal? I bet you'd be a great one, and you can still be the history teacher at the same time."
"Hmm, I don't know," Mr. Banks sounded hesitant, "I'll think about it, okay?"
"A-alright," She nodded, "Thanks." She then headed for the restrooms to meet with Frankie and Chuckie. School without Mr. Pangborn was going to be awesome; She just knew it.
(A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! You know the disclaimer. This story is quickly drawing to a close, isn't it? It went by fast.)
