After what felt like a long and tedious ride of absolute nothingness, the tomboyish duo finally arrived at Simport, Maine...
As previously mentioned during the phone-call between her and her father, the two girls arrived at the number one spot where they'd usually go the most in this town; Main Street. Now, one would usually not see this place as anything but an ordinary street with nothing all too interesting to go to, especially given the fact that this town's more known for its clubs more than most of its other facilities and what not; however, for Katie and Crystal, this was probably one of their most favorite spots in this entire town; and for two good reasons too. The two reasons why they would consider this place as their favorite are Gino's Pizzeria and the Morris's Dentist Office; both of which were literally across the street from each other. It honestly felt quite refreshing for them to finally be seeing this place again after four years of being gone.
Once they got off the monorail-train, Katie and Crystal got off onto the station and headed down the stairs, leading down to the street-area itself; and once they got to the ground-level, the two looked towards the road, seeing the former's father, Maxwell, leaning against the side of his own car. The man was slightly taller than his own daughter, and has black hair and rectangular glasses; and he tends to wear a purple button-down dress-shirt, as well as black dress-pants and brown loafers. Now, admittedly, Maxwell and his daughter are a lot different in some aspects, mostly regarding what they wore and what they were interested in; but despite their differences, they always have their love for all things studious and their family dental-business in common.
Upon seeing her father off in the distance, Katie quickly ran up and gave him a hug, all with a smile on her face. "Oh, dad, I missed you so much." She tells her father, happily.
"I missed you too, dear." Maxwell told his daughter as he hugged her back, before eventually stopping a few seconds later. "You're still wearing that baseball cap from when you were just entering the sixth-grade?"
"Yep, I still am." Katie answered as she straightens up her favorite hat for a second.
"I'm glad to see that things haven't changed about you throughout the past four years, sweetheart."
"Well, I'm glad to see that things aren't different with you either, dad...unless you've been laying off shaving for the past few days or so; seriously, I don't recall me seeing a morning-shadow on your face the last time I've seen you."
"I haven't laid off shaving recently..." Maxwell stated, confused by what his daughter was talking about. "I don't believe that I-"
"I'm just messing with you, dad." Katie confessed through laughter, patting her father on the arm. "Besides, if you've forgotten to shave your face, then me or mom would have warned you about it by now."
"Oh, Kathryn..." Maxwell said through a chuckle, before suddenly noticing his daughter's best friend walking up to them now. "Ah, Crystal, I almost forgot about you. It's a pleasure to see you again."
"It's a pleasure to see you too, sir." Crystal told her best friend's father as she approached the two relatives. "By the way, how did you know that we were on our way back here?" She asked, now confused.
"Oh, I forgot to mention this on the way here; but back at the college, while I was on my way to talk with our administrator, I called up my dad and informed him about my decision; and I even asked him to come pick us up once we get here." Katie told her best friend.
"Oh...that makes much more sense." The rebel says while nodding her own head.
"Anyway, shall we be heading back home now, dad?" Katie asked her father.
"Of course, dear." Maxwell answered, before suddenly raising a finger ahead of him. "Oh, before I forget...I have a surprise waiting just for you when we get back to the house, Kathryn; it's something that I've been participating to hand to you ever since you've told me that you want to become a dentist."
"Really?" The studious tomboy asked. "What is it?"
"Don't you know what a 'surprise' is, sweetheart?" The dentist asked his daughter. "I can't just simply tell you what it exactly is; you have to see it yourself instead. I can assure you are going to adore what it is when you see it."
"Well, if that's the case, let's get a move on then." Katie then turned to face her best friend, who was walking over to the back of her father's car. "Uh, do you want one of us to put your luggage into the trunk for you?"
"Yeah, that would be great." Crystal replied as she handed Maxwell her suitcase. "I'll keep my backpack with me though, since I have things in here that are way more delicate than what's in there."
"Fair enough." Maxwell replied back as he placed the piece of luggage in, and then closed the trunk soon after.
After dealing with the rebel's suitcase, the small group of three got into the vehicle and took off. Maxwell was driving, Katie was sitting in the front-seat next to him, and Crystal was sitting in the backseat. Since it was going to take awhile before they could arrive at the suburban-section of the town, the sole male of the three decided to start up another conversation between them.
"So, enlighten me, girls; how was it like to stay over at Simhatten for four years?" Maxwell asked the two tomboys. "I assume it must've been a fun experience for both of you."
"Indeed it was, dad." Katie replied while nodding her head at everything her father had said. "There were many things that Crystal and I have done throughout the past few years, some of which we did by ourselves. She spent most of the time flirting with some of the local boys, going off to parties, going off to some of the local bars, among with some other events that I don't fully recall-"
"Katie, on the other hand, spent most of her time either reading, writing, studying for tests, or working down at the college's coffee-shop." Crystal chimed in, leaning against the two front-seats ahead of her.
"May I ask if there were any times where you two spent together rather than apart?" Maxwell asked, seeing the now irritated look on his daughter's face, which soon turned into a smile after he asked her this question.
"As a matter of fact, there were plenty." Katie answered. "Whenever it's Spring Break or summer vacation for us over there, we would usually go out and look at some of the stores and sights that the city had to offer; there were times where I would even take pictures of us by said sights whenever we came across them."
"You being apart of the Royal Academy's photography club really paid off for somebody like you, Kate." Crystal commented.
"Thank you, Crystal." The studious tomboy said to the rebellious one. "Other than that, there were a lot of 'first time doings' for both me and Crystal over there; our first part-time jobs, our first time traveling on a boat, and even our-well, my-first time going to a concert."
"Who did you girls go and see?" Maxwell asked.
"Simple Plan; they're a pop-punk band that Crystal and I tend to listen to on occasions, mostly whenever we're skateboarding or whenever we're studying."
"They're not a band that you'd be interested in, Mr. Morris." Crystal then stated. "They're way to awesome for a guy who attended college back in the nineties, such as yourself."
"You're acting like I'm old, Crystal." Maxwell retorts jokingly with a scoff. "I remember, quite frankly, that I too went to my first concert back when I attended college; mine was New Kids on the Block."
"Oh, please..." The more-rebellious tomboy scoffed. "You could've picked a way better band than them, dude; and I mean way better."
"It wasn't exactly my decision to go there; it was one of my other dorm-mates." Maxwell informed her. "They told me that they had gotten tickets for them from some store that was close by the campus, so they, after what felt like an endless hour of begging, convinced me to come along with them; although, one beautiful thing came out of that little excursion: it was the night where I met my first love, who just so happened to have been my wife."
"Oh..." Crystal simply said, before her eyes suddenly widened, now realizing what her best friend's father just said. "Oh, now I get it..."
"Coincidentally enough, she was there for the exact same reason why I was there that night, or so she told me; afterwards, we both decided to head off to some restaurant that was down the street, and the rest was...how one would say, history." Maxwell smiled fondly at the memory for a second, before frowning soon after. "It's a shame that she...you know what, nevermind..." He sighed, before deciding to change the subject to something else now. "There's something that I want to, uh...mention about the part of the neighborhood where we live, Kathryn..."
Katie then gave her father a confused look. "W-What about it, dad?" She asked.
"Do you know the neighbor who lived right next to us in the house on the left; the old man who used to work at our town's barber-shop?"
"Yeah."
"He passed away from liver-failure three months ago."
"Damn..." Katie whispered.
"Also, somebody else moved into that house last week; however, I'm a little weary about him, since he appears to be a rather...well, impertinent individual."
"So, this guy's a total dick then?" Crystal asked, now rejoining the conversation. "What kind of guy are we talking about here anyway?"
"Personally, I don't know; I never spoke with him once since he's moved in." Maxwell answered honestly. "All I know about him is that he's some man with a car and a motorcycle; has tattoos all over his arms; and he seems to have a liking towards auto-mechanics; other than that, I don't know anything else about him."
"I don't like the sound of him already." Katie commented while shaking her head, as if she were saying 'no'.
"To be fair, with a description like that, this guy does sound kinda handsome-"
"Not the time, Crystal..." Katie muttered as she turned to glare at her friend for a second, then turned her attention back to her father again. "I just hope that this guy isn't going to be an issue for us, or the rest of the neighborhood, to deal with."
"So do I, dear; but I believe as long as we don't give him any sort of attention, then he will hopefully leave us be." The studious tomboy's father suggested, as the small group were now arriving at the neighborhood.
It didn't take too much longer for the small group of three to make it to the Morris's House...
Upon arrival, Katie remained silent as she kept her eyes focused on her old house; she genuinely thought that she was dreaming for a moment when it came into her view. Truthfully, she didn't know how to actually feel right now having to return to this place after so long; that's not to say she wasn't happy about it, but it's just that one measly incident from the very beginning of the year, one incident that completely changed her family, made a part of her feel a little...uneasy to come back here, let alone stay here again; it was an incident that she, nor her father, could bring themselves to talk about with anyone other than themselves, other than Crystal anyway. Regardless, she knew that deep down, she had to come back here no matter how much she thought about what happened; she knew her and her father need each other now more than ever.
Once the car was parked in the driveway, the three got out and began unloading all of the luggage from it, as minimal as the amount was; afterwards, Crystal made her way over to the sidewalk. "Hey, I'd like to stay and hang out with you guys some more, but I'm afraid I gotta go home now." She informed her best friend. "If you want to go do something tomorrow, let me know."
"Yeah, I will." Katie replied while nodding her head. "Feel free to let me know if you want to do anything together tomorrow too, or...if you want, maybe even later tonight."
"Actually, I'm planning on reuniting with some of my old friends from the goth clique after I unpack everything, so...sorry, not tonight, dude." Crystal then extends the handle on her suitcase, prepared to make her leave. "I'll tell you what though: since that's what I'm going to be doing later on, you should probably consider reuniting with some of your old friends from high-school too. It would be nice to see what all of them has been up to since we've last been here."
Katie then raised an eyebrow at her best friend, feeling a bit skeptical about everything that she's saying; and knowing their previous conversation back in New York on their way to the train-station this morning, she had a sneaky suspicion that she knew where this was actually going. "So, who should I reunite with?" She asked, now crossing her arms.
"Oh, y'know...those nerds who all look up to you and wish they could be as smart as you..." Crystal complimented weakly, her eyes peering off to the left for a second as she spoke.
"Uh huh...and I presume that one of those 'nerds' just so happens to be Ian Arneson, am I wrong?"
"Maybe..." Crystal answered, her eyes now peering the opposite direction. "I mean...there are other studious kids that you used to hang out with other than him, even though that he's-"
"If you're telling me to reunite with him just so I can be with him, quit it; I've already told you that me and Ian are nothing more than 'just friends' and that's it."
"Okay, but-"
"But nothing, Crystal." Katie interrupts. "I've already said my piece regarding my relationship with him, and I'm staying to it; there's nothing between me and Ian."
"You didn't let me finish." The rebel deadpanned, this time sounding more serious than playful. "I was just going to say that you probably should reunite with him anything to see how life's been going with him, whether you're into him or not; it's just something that I think you should take into consideration, that's all."
"I...guess I'll pay his aunt's library a visit one of these days...if he's still working there, anyway."
"He probably is." Crystal then grabbed a hold of her suitcase handle. "Anyway, I gotta go now; I'll see you around, Kate."
"You too, man." After that was said, Katie went up to the front porch of her house where her father was currently standing at. "So, where did you say my surprise was again, dad?"
"It's on the desk in your room, upstairs." Maxwell answered as he unlocked the front door for them.
"Thanks." Once the door was open, the two relatives went inside their house.
Upon entering her bedroom, Katie decided to take a moment to examine everything that was in there. There were your usual stuff that you'd see in almost every bedroom; such as a bed, a desk, a closet, and dresser; and there were a bunch of posters that filled the entire wall that right next to her bed, all of which had a rock, pop-punk, or heavy metal band that Katie loves to listen to. There was also a guitar that was leaning against the side of her desk, but she rarely uses it nowadays. Speaking of which, there on top of her desk was the surprise that her father was previously talking about; just a package that was covered in wrapping-paper, meaning this was probably meant to be given to her on either Christmas or her birthday.
After placing her backpack aside, Katie went over to the desk to see what was inside the box. She tore off the wrapping-paper, then used one of her pens to rip through the tape that was keeping the lid concealed to the rest of the box; after that, she took off the lid and peeked to see what was inside. Needless to say, when she saw what was in there...well, she would probably tell you that it was arguably the best gift that she had ever received in her entire life; not even her own skateboard can compare to it.
Katie reached into the package and pulled out one of the items that were inside: a dentist uniform that was folded neatly and covered in a plastic wrap. After placing it aside, Katie took out the only other item that was inside the box, which was a medium-sized case that had a tooth printed on the front of it; inside of it was a bunch of dental-tools that she'll be needing to operate on patients in the near future. She took one more look inside the box to make sure that she hadn't forgot anything, but found it completely empty...not that it mattered anyway, since she was already happy with the two items she had received.
"So, do you like it?" Maxwell asked from the bedroom door, nearly startling his daughter in the process.
"Well, I wouldn't exactly say that the precise term for an occasion such as this to be...'like', dad." Katie stated in her usual calm tone, only to suddenly hug her uniform tightly in her arms with a smile. "I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!!" She exclaimed in a near squeal, causing her father to chuckle.
"I'm glad you like it, dear." Maxwell then frowned soon after saying that. "However, there's one tiny thing that must be mentioned in regards to your gift here."
"What is it, dad?"
"There was one more item that I was meant to give you along with everything else, which is your name-tag; but unfortunately, I am not allowed to give you one just yet. As much as I really want to, especially for you, I am not allowed to hand you one until you are officially hired at my dentist."
"But, dad, you're the manager of that place, I'm your daughter; if anything, I think that's worthy enough for me to be hired there anyway."
"Ah, Kathryn, if only it were that simple..." Maxwell said through a restrained chuckle, but proceeded on with his explanation nonetheless. "In order for me to hire you, I need you to stop my office, sometime tomorrow, so that you can sign a few papers; and once that's out of the way, then I'll be able to hire you."
"To be fair, that sounds mighty simple anyway..." Katie remarked sarcastically.
"Well, the only downside here is that there are actually numerous papers that you need to sign in order for you to be eligible; some of which may some take time for you to read through."
"It's not like I haven't dealt with an endless amount of paperwork before." Katie stated nonchalantly, while shrugging her shoulders in the process. "It genuinely felt like it took forever for me to get hired at the coffee-shop on campus. I'm pretty sure that I got this all under control, dad."
After hearing everything that his daughter was saying, Maxwell simply shook his head with a genuine smile forming on his face. "Yeah...you are definitely the mature daughter that I watched grow up back then."
"Hey, what can I say?" The tomboy asked in a joking manner, before poking her father in the chest. "I was raised by the best."
"Oh...well, thank you, Kathryn." Maxwell chuckled as he reached out to rub his daughter's head, causing her to laugh. "Anyway, why don't we focus on getting you that job tomorrow; and for now, let's just enjoy your first day back home, together as a family; okay?"
"Sounds good enough for me, dad." Katie answered, as she and her father exited the bedroom. "I must warn you though: I've been practicing my skills at chess throughout college, so if you ever want to play that game with me, there's your heads up."
"Do you want to start off with that game first then?" Maxwell asked with an eyebrow raised at his daughter.
"Totally." The two relatives high-fived on it, then made their way downstairs.
Note: So, this chapter came out later than I hoped. This one was a bit of a struggle for me to write; but mostly just the beginning, since I had one idea, but then I changed my mind, because I thought that idea would've wound up being completely pointless. Also, I was a little worried about some of the grammar and sentence-structuring, which I'm trying my best to improve on in this; but hopefully, everything's okay here.
Anyways, why don't we see what reviews we have here...
lordgemini: Thank you for your understanding; also, Katie and Crystal stayed together in college for 4 years, not 5. That's technically the amount of years that Katie needs in order to become a dentist, so that's, pretty much, why I made their stay at college that specific amount of time.
Hopefully, the next chapter won't take too long to make as this one. For now, I will see you guys soon.