The game was on. Mark blew the game cartridge of Donkey Kong Country and plugged in the player two controller for Crystal and his thumbs were ready.
"Ready to lose, girly?" Mark playfully taunted.
"I was just about to ask you the exact same question." Crystal retorted playfully as she was ready.
Mark huffed, he then started the game and got the two-player mode. He briefly explained about the game and what to do. Crystal absorbed that information and the game was set. Within a flash, Mark and Crystal played on hand-to-hand combat for the high score of the video game.
"You don't like video games, Sara?" Richard asked, noticing the girl often read books than played games like her twin.
"Not a lot on the Nintendo so much... But I actually don't mind computer games." Sara admitted sheepishly.
Richard glanced at her. What was a computer game?
"They don't have computers on your planet?" Sara asked.
"I... I'm not sure... What's a computer?" Richard asked, a little unsure of what the device was.
Sara smiled, she decided to go show him. She put her book down, bookmarking it and stood up, linking arms with him. "Come on, Daddy won't be home for a while, I'll show you his computer."
Richard seemed to blush at the arm linking. He then looked to the girl as she smiled and nodded to her. Sara smiled back and they started to go off to the office of the castle which was Frank's old lab that had been converted differently due to Brad and Janet moving into it with Mark and Sara, turning it into a true home. Sara helped Richard into the elevator, shutting the gate and once it was locked, and the two teens were slowly going up. Sara looked so excited while Richard's curiosity was very piqued.
Richard looked to her endless smiling face. "Um... Are you and Mark close?"
Sara shrugged, but kept her smile. "Sorta... We always saw twins as natural best friends... He and I get annoyed with each other like any brother and sister, but deep down we love each other... I feel lonely though when he has friends over."
"Why don't you hang out with your friends?"
Sara looked to him, slightly biting her lip. She stared at the floor, when the elevator stopped; she walked out of the door as the gate pushed back and she walked across the floor. "I-I don't have any friends..." she said softly.
Richard looked agape at her. "Y-You don't h-have any friends...?"
"I don't know what I'm doing wrong... It's just, everybody at school usually ignores me and doesn't bother invite me to parties..."
"Maybe you could try being social?"
"I do..." Sara looked to him, her blue eyes widening like puppy's eyes. "I-I tried to get my nose out of my books for once while they were talking... I tried to join in the conversation, but they stared at me like I was a wild animal... Once I got quiet, they kept talking about whatever they talked about like they wanted me to go away... Mom and Dad try to put me in social groups at school, but they never work..."
Richard came to her, patting her gently on the back. "I kinda know how you feel... Outside of Joey and Crystal, I kinda don't have anybody of my own..."
Sara chuckled softly. "Sounds like we're quite a pair... Only you're cool... And I'm just a nerd..."
"Who says you're a nerd?"
Sara looked up with her dreary blue eyes. "Sapphire Hapschatt and Melissa Martin... Almost anybody else in school 'cuz Sapphire said so... Especially Clarice Struthers..."
Richard slightly flinched at the name 'Struthers'. He didn't know the blonde woman who was part of Good Morning, Denton on TV back when his aunt and father were television doctors and Laura as their nurse, but he didn't like the way she sounded. "Is she related to anyone named Macy?" he couldn't help but ask.
"Mm-hmm," Sara nodded. "She's always telling everybody how her aunt was Macy on Dentonvale... I don't know what she does now, but Clarice always uses that as a reason to be one of the popular kids... Sometimes I wish I were popular... Dye my hair black... Wear clothes that'll scare Dad... Go out past my curfew or bedtime..."
"Sara, you don't need to do that..." Richard coaxed.
"I should... I try so hard to fit in at school and do my studies at the same time, but it's so much pressure! Sometimes I feel like... Like..."
"What?"
Sara shook her head, bowing it.
"Sara... Please tell me..." Richard put his hand under her chin, making her look back at him. "What do you feel like doing, Sara?"
"Killing myself..." Sara spoke very softly that Richard wasn't sure if it was a quiet tone or if she mouthed it.
"Sara, you shouldn't do that... Suicide is a permanent solution for temporary problems... Besides, you're a bright girl... I know you want friends and you want to be healthy, but you shouldn't risk your life for this kind of stuff..."
"But no one wants me as a friend..." Sara looked very miserable. "I'm sorry, Richard, but I've tried so hard... Your mother is like a great big sister though," she had a small smile then. "She watched Doctor Who with me... She says I look like my mother."
"You really do..." Richard stroked her brown hair. "Especially when you smile. Listen... I know you're in a lot of pain and you're a liar right now... You said you don't have any friends..."
"I don't..."
"Sara, probably for once in your life, you're wrong... You do have a friend... And his name is Richard McKinley."
Sara smiled at him then, then instantly hugged him, softly crying with blush in her cheeks. Richard blushed as well, then hugged her back, gently patting her on the back. Sara smiled in the hug, a little tight, but did let the boy go.
"Um... Let's go on that computer now..." Sara smiled as she remembered why they came up here, then went to a desk with a large computer and sat in the chair. "Right here..."
Richard nodded, blushing still, but went along with her. What a brilliant mind Sara Majors had. He felt his three hearts pounding, even in his head. He also couldn't help but stare at Sara's rear-end as she walked ahead of him to the device called a computer. Sara took out an extra chair, looked to him and patted the other seat as she got into one. Richard saw that and went to sit next to her, then saw the computer. He did not in fact had seen one of those before.
"So, is this a computer?" Richard wondered.
"Yes and no," Sara gave a nod, then gestured to the screen. "This part is called a monitor, but it shows you everything... A common mistake people make is calling that the computer, when this part, is the computer actually..." she then patted the large metal thing with all sorts of buttons and a CD slide. She then took out what looked like a zipped-up album and opened to show several discs. "Now, here's computer games..."
"Games?" Richard leaned over her shoulder to see.
"Yeah, they can be about anything possible," Sara smiled. "They're like Mark's video games on the Nintendo, only you use a mouse to click and install the game into your computer."
"A mouse?" Richard sounded alarmed.
Sara chuckled, not making fun of him though, she took out the computer mouse. "This kinda mouse... Don't feed it cheese, you click around with it and that helps you pick out things... I also like to draw on the computer."
"You can draw on the computer?"
"Yes..." Sara started up the computer and went to one of her favorite free spots on the computer that does not involve the internet. She opened up Microsoft and went to a place called Microsoft Paint and showed him some really creative and talented artwork. "These are some of Mark's best pieces..."
"Wow, he's good... That's astounding..." Richard was pleased, unknowingly quoting his maternal grandfather.
"Yeah... At least he's good at something..."
"Oh, come on, everyone has something they're good at..."
"I don't think memorizing text books cover to cover qualifies as a special talent..." Sara looked to him.
"Why don't I help you find a talent?" Richard offered.
"Oh, Richard... You don't have to..."
"I insist... If you'll let me, Sara... I'll happily find a talent for you..."
Sara looked down with a sniffle, but then a sweet smile back up at him. She felt very confident now. If he believed in her, then she could believe in herself.
Richard smiled back, then hugged back. "Now, tell me more about these computer games."
Sara nodded, then let go of him, blushing a little as she got the computer started. "Hopefully we can get this done before Daddy comes home."
Since Richard was with Sara and Crystal was with Mark, Joey was hanging out in the kitchen with Janet as she seemed to already be making dinner when they already just had lunch.
"Janet... Why are you cooking dinner now?" Joey asked as she stood not too close next to the woman, but close enough to watch her. "We just ate lunch like half an hour ago."
"I know, dear..." Janet said as she was preparing a pork roast and was now chopping potatoes and carrots. "But a roast takes a long time to cook and prepare and I want Brad to come home to a nicely made dinner of one of his favorite recipes."
"Oh..." Joey smiled, then saw the roast and her mouth began to drool. "Ooh... That looks great..."
Janet chuckled. "Would you and your... um... Cousins like to stay for dinner?"
"I think we can manage, we're not expected home that soon... We were thinking we could stay for the night or maybe a bite, then go home in the morning... Is that okay?"
"Yes, dear, that's perfectly fine... Do you help your mother with dinner?"
"Nah, the servants always like privacy when they cook our meals," Joey said as she explored around the kitchen, she could really see Magenta working in a place like this to cook meals for her father, big sister, and Laura back when she was better known as Columbia. "Mom doesn't really cook all that much... Uncle Cosmo is more in touch with his feminine side than Mom is."
"Oh?" Janet glanced back to her, not annoyed or disgusted with that, but curious.
"He's always told us that since he was a little boy, dressing up was always his greatest joy... He sewed these clothes for me." Joey said, showing her black and red clothes that were tomboyish, just the way she had liked them.
"I remember that," Janet smiled as she put the cut vegetables in with the succulent meat. "He made me a little black dress once."
"Really?"
"Yeah... It came with a hat an gloves..."
"Aunt Miracle's evening gown was yours?"
Janet didn't know that Miracle had it now, but she nodded. "Uh-huh... It was given to me when Farley Flavors decided I should be his Miss Mental Health... Unfortunately the fame went to my head and... I wasn't that nice... But luckily, Brad and I fell back in love with each other and we were very happy... That is... Until I thought Brad died and I did some risque things and the twins had to stay with Brad's adoptive brother, Steve."
Joey hugged the woman gently. "I'm glad you're better, Janet..."
Janet smiled back down and patted the girl and slightly gasped whn Joey was grinning.
Joey then frowned. "Is something wrong?"
"S-Sorry, dear... Just had a flashback," Janet smiled apologetically. "You just look so much like your father when you grin like that."
Joey blushed slightly. "Sorry, Janet..."
"That's okay, dear... At least now we know who you're gonna get your good looks after."
Joey giggled again.
"Honey, I'm home!" a male voice called.
"Ooh, that's Brad, he's home early..." Janet said as she washed her hands, then dried them to put the pot in the oven. "Why don't you go say hi, dear?"
"Okay." Joey smiled, then left the kitchen.
When Brad came in the door, he saw a girl he didn't know, playing video games with his son and winning.
"Umm... Hello..." Brad greeted.
"Hey Dad." Mark said quickly.
Crystal looked up, smiling at the human. "Hi, Mr. Brad."
"Uhh... Have we met?"
"You raised my mother when she was younger before she met my grandparents with LP."
Brad pulled a face, he then remembered about adopting Miracle as a daughter with Janet. "Oh, you must be Crystal... Steve mentioned Miracle came by before Janet and I got back together, that the twins got to meet Miracle and LP."
"Yeah, I'm Crystal, Richard's upstairs with your daughter."
Joey ran in to greet Brad, but she slowly walked up to him. She kind of stared at him.
"This is our cousin Joey," Crystal introduced as she got back to the game briefly. "She's Aunt Nation and Uncle Frank's daughter."
"Oh... Ohhh! Oh, hi, sweetie..." Brad greeted, now processing that and smiled to the red-haired girl. "Hi... Joey, is it?"
"Umm... Y-Yeah... I'm Joey..." the girl greeted, blushing as she smiled at him, looking as shy and nervous as a school girl. "Joey McKinley Furter..."
"What a lovely name you have..."
Joey giggled as she turned even redder. She was now experiencing something that many children her age or below get, but she was now having herself: Her first crush.