Chapter 9 – Setting the record straight

The Sun was streaming in the window of the wind planeteers cabin when she awoke the next morning and she immediately became alarmed. "Yankee wake up, we have overslept!" she exclaimed, shaking her lover gently.

"So?" Wheeler replied sleepily, cuddling her tighter, "This is nice."

Unable to keep a smile from her lips, Linka replied, "Da, it is. But you must talk to Trish today." The American still didn't move so she gently pressed a kiss in the crook of his neck, and whispered, "The sooner you talk to her…" another kiss below his jaw line, and just as he moved his lips to capture hers, she pushed herself up out of his arms, kneeling upright beside him with her arms crossed defiantly.

The American groaned and swung his legs out of the bed, "This is a form of torture, you know that?"

"Not for much longer." the blond asserted, climbing out beside him. "Trish should be awake by now, I will meet you in the kitchen, I must hurry or the others will ask questions."

"And that would be terrible." Wheeler said huffily as she insisted on checking if there was anyone around before he left.

"Only until you," she began and he finished, "talk to Trish, I know."

Linka laughed and ran off towards the bathroom, while Wheeler crossed the path to his cabin and knocked on the door.

"Come in." a strong Brooklyn accent responded, and when the fire planeteer entered, "Look who it is! Maybe I should put out the flags!" her voice dripped in sarcasm.

Wheeler yawned, "Give me a break Trish." He sat on the end of the bed facing her.

"So, to what do I owe this dubious pleasure?" The soon-to-be mother asked.

"You know how you've been telling me to tell Linka the truth?" she nodded so he continued, "Well I did."

Looking surprised, Trish said, "Don't tell me she's still not speaking to you?"

Grinning, her friend shook his head, "Nah, but she's convinced you're still in love with me, I have to tell you first and make sure you're okay with it."

The American girl snorted, "What makes her think I was ever in love with you?"

"Because she knows we slept together." He smiled. "And she can't imagine actually wanting to do that for any other reason. She's more of a romantic than she lets most people see."

Trish looked troubled, "Yeah, all your friends are like that."

"What's up hun?" the red-headed planeteer asked concerned and when she shrugged, moved to sit next to her. "Come on Trish, it's me you're talking to, what is it?"

Looking up to meet his eyes, the young girl said, "What are you're friends going to think of me? I mean forget the fact that I've lied to hi.. them all this time, they're all basically like Linka. It's one thing being so in love with your ex that you'll have a stupid fling with him years later, especially when he's their best friend." She shook her head, "When they know the truth…"

"It wont make any difference, they're your friends now too." He moved again to put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a hug. "Honestly, they'll understand, that's another part of being too good to be true."

Trish still looked unhappy, knowing her old friend was missing the important point and not knowing how to tell him. "Yeah well don't worry, I'll sort things with Linka for you."

"Thanks hun." Wheeler gave her shoulders another squeeze, "I guess I'd better put some clothes on!"

The American girl nodded, "Good idea."

Kwame and Linka were the only people in the kitchen when Wheeler got there, but he knew better than to try anything before Trish had had a chance to speak to the beautiful Russian, so he said good morning and started making himself some toast, though he did wink at the wind planeteer when he felt her eyes on him.

Gi and Ma-Ti entered a little while later, Ma-Ti was still half asleep but Gi was surprised by the American's presence, "Wheeler? What are you doing up so early?"

Linka closes her eyes, sure that he will tell them now, but all he says is, "I thought you might be missing my scintillating company."

Trish enters a few minutes later and Kwame immediately rises to help her to a chair, her bump having been causing her problems lately. Instead of taking the earth planeteers help, she smiles sadly at him, "Hang on." And moves over to Linka, who was making drinks by the sink. "I hear congratulations are in order." She leans over, a little awkwardly to give the planeteer a hug. "I've been telling this great idiot he should tell you the truth for months!"

"I know, he said," Linka's eyes searched the American girls, "Are you sure you're okay with it?"

Trish smiled and nodded, "I got over Wheeler a long time ago Linka."

"Have I missed something?" Gi asked, looking at the other two girls.

Wheeler nodded, deciding he couldn't wait any longer, "Lin and I are officially together, and just for the record, Trish's baby is not mine."

"What? Why did you not tell us?" Kwame sounded angry, but the question was not directed at his fellow planeteer.

Linka put her arm protectively around Trish's shoulders and Wheeler answered, "Hey man, don't get mad at Trish okay? I wouldn't let her tell anyone, I told her she could only stay here at all because you all thought it was mine."

Kwame ignored him, looking straight at Trish, "You could have told me." And when she didn't answer he added, "Why didn't you go to the real father for help then, or don't you know who it is?"

Gi and Linka gasped, while Ma-Ti kept his head down. Wheeler however stood up. "Don't talk to her like that, she's not like that."

"I wasn't asking you!" Kwame glared.

"She doesn't need you judging her Kwame, she's heavily pregnant." Wheeler persisted.

Kwame raised an eyebrow, "You surprise me Wheeler, I didn't think you had noticed. You've certainly done precious little for her these last few months."

"He's dead!" Trish suddenly blurted out, through the tears that were running down her cheeks. "Frankies dead, and it was my fault!" Then she turned to sob into Linka's arms.

When Linka and Gi had managed to calm Trish down, she began to explain, being careful not to look at Kwame. "Wheeler and Frankie were best friends as kids and I was the girl next door you know? We were tight, all three of us. When we got older Wheeler and I had a teen crush thing going and we ended up dating each other. I knew Frankie liked me but he wouldn't betray his best friend, even if I'd wanted him to, which I didn't."

She sniffed and took a sip of water, "So anyway, Wheeler left and it's just me and Frankie right? We were all we had, I mean neither of us got on too well with our folks and Wheeler had always been the leader." She shrugged, "I got in with a bad crowd and Frankie just went right along with me, he figured I knew what I was doing I guess."

"When I went home I pulled Trish out of the hole she was in," Wheeler continued quietly, "but I was too late for Frankie." Linka slipped her hand into his and squeezed it reassuringly. "I figured I owed it to him as much as Trish to help out with their kid, but with you all convinced that I'd cheated on Linka… I just saw red I guess."

"You are not the fire planeteer for nothing my friend. I apologise, I should have asked you instead of greeting you with a lecture." Kwame responded. "And to you Trish, I should never have lost my temper I'm sorry."

The American girl shrugged, still on the verge of tears, "Yeah well, I wasn't in love with Frankie any more than I was in love with Wheeler, we were both just lonely, so you can keep thinking what you were thinking about me, 'cos you were right." She stood up with Linka's help, and to Wheeler said, "Maybe I should have just stuck with my nickname after all, I never felt I deserved it half so much before I came here." Then the American headed to her cabin, followed by Gi.

"What did she mean?" Kwame asked his red-haired friend anxiously. "What was her nickname?"

Wheeler met the Africans eyes, and said quietly, "Trash."