There they were, lying under the stars on their little picnic blanket. Taffyta and Crumbelina were gazing up into the stars in peace. And that infuriated Rancis. He was barely thirty feet away and they completely ignored him! They hadn't even said hello when they showed up. It probably wouldn't have bothered Rancis if this kind of thing didn't happen all the time.
None of the other racers, save Swizzle and Gloyd, seemed to like Rancis. Granted, Adorabeezle didn't really like anyone very much and Vanellope didn't do much besides race. Still, the others usually avoided him at all costs. Rancis was convinced that Minty Zaki flat out hated him, which pretty much killed any possibility of even getting near Candlehead. Even Gloyd and Swizzle had been hanging out on their own lately.
Rancis was getting fed up with it all. At this point, he was avoiding everyone else as much as they were avoiding him. Whenever he wasn't racing, he was sneaking away to other games where he could just bum around and nobody cared enough to avoid him. On this particular day though, Rancis needed more than the apathy of others.
Game Central Station was a beautiful place. The hall was made of solid obsidian with jade detailing. Electric currents sailed through the walls, lighting up the building. Rancis walked down the way, going into a very different part of the hall. This section was white with pale grays and light blues. Rancis walked along in silence until he came to the right game and walked in.
The house was smaller than one would think, considering the massive wealth of the owner. It could be summed up with the word quaint, making a stark contrast between it and the rest of suburbia. Rancis walked up the steps and rang the doorbell. It didn't take long for someone to answer.
"Hello? Oh, Rancis, I wasn't expecting you. Come in, I'll cook up some Crème Puffs." The woman said.
"Thanks." Rancis said as he walked in. The small house was filled with items and furniture that bore its owner's face. Rancis and his friend walked into the massive kitchen. It had three ovens, two stoves, even multiple toasters. A cook could feed the planet with these resources. That's what a normal cook would do. This was no normal cook. This was Cooking Mama.
"So, what made you decide to come over?" Mama asked as she began cracking eggs for the crème puffs.
"Oh, you know. Stuff." Rancis said.
"Sure, stuff. Rancis honey, what's really the matter?" Mama asked.
"It's just… you like me right? I'm a likable guy?" Rancis asked.
"Of course I do. Who doesn't like an adorable little winner like you?" Mama said.
"Then why do the other Sugar Rush kids hate me?" Rancis asked.
"They don't hate you. And even if one or two did, they don't all dislike you. What about your friends Gloyd and Swizzle?" Mama asked.
"Well, yeah they like me, but they're just two guys out of ten." Rancis said.
"I doubt they're the only ones who like you." Mama said.
"Candlehead and Jubileena don't count. They're friends with everybody." Rancis said.
"Why would that stop them from 'counting' as your friends?" Mama asked.
"I guess it doesn't, but it's not like we hang out either. Minty doesn't like me and she's always with Candlehead, and Jubileena is… I don't actually know what she does. She just kind of does it." Rancis said.
"Why doesn't this Minty girl like you?" Mama asked as she slid the crème puffs into one of the ovens.
"I don't know. I mean, I don't think I ever did anything to her." Rancis said.
"Maybe it's in her backstory." Mama suggested.
"Maybe. Come to think of it, I don't know her backstory. Or any of the others' for that matter." Rancis said.
"Well, let's hope that's all it is then. It takes a little effort to get over something programmed into your backstory, but it's usually worth it." Mama said.
"Yeah, and then everybody will see how fantastic I am." Rancis said.
"Or vice versa." Mama said.
"Wait, what?" Rancis asked.
"Well, if you don't know what their backstory is, you don't know how fantastic they are either." Mama said.
"I guess. But I'm the best right?" Rancis asked.
"Of course honey. Now, do you want to help me finish baking up those crème puffs?" Mama asked.
"Absolutely!" Rancis said, jumping up to help. His day was getting much better.
So, that's one chapter for each racer, plus a couple. That marks the end of this... would it be a story arc? I think so. Anyway, the next story arc will start the same way this one did: with a chapter in the real world. After that, I'll put up an as of yet undetermined amount of chapters about the racers dealing with the new arc. Thanks to all of you who have been reading this, you are amazingly encouraging.
