Chapter 5: Tasteless
It was a new day, a new start to a life. A day that you could pass and laugh at all past troubles, that is what she'd like it to be like. To hang with friends, maybe dance and laugh, and just smile fruitlessly without having to worry about making a fool of herself, why? Because she was among friends. At least that's what she wanted.
Ginger still tired and her heart still pounding, never gained a wink of sleep. Her mind still a little mangled of you-know-who's kiss, and her heart still searching for answers. Kowalski was so quiet how was she to know that he had feelings for her, he was such a closed book to her, and they only talked a couple of times! She knew of platypi's that hitted on fast but not like that! Ginger slapped herself and let her hand rest on her face.
" Hey is anybody home?" To be honest she expected Kowalski's voice, not Marlene's.
Ginger groaned to herself and sat up, she stared at the burrow's opening, it was blocked by Marlene's body.
" Yes" Ginger had to work up energy she didn't have just to say one word.
" Well, can I.....come in?" Marlene asked after a moment of silence.
The last thing Ginger wanted was for company, she'd rather her and a couple of sheep instead. However, Ginger was taught to be polite and kind to neighbors and friends, Ginger forced herself up and stumbled to the opening.
" No, I'll come out here instead, I-it's pretty crouded in there" Ginger said while pointed to her den.
Marlene shook her head and smiled, her face then went serious and she just stared at Ginger.
" Hey are you okay? you don't look so good?"
Why did her heart jolt so fast? Ginger could feel every muscle starting to react to her sleepless night, every vein seemed to shreak in terror when blood cells pounded though them, her eyes like blinds, just wanted to close slipping the world into utter darkness. Ginger try as she might, kept a sleepish smile and stood tall.
" I'll be fine, I just didn't get much sleep thats all, I'll be fine" She replied while holding in a yawn.
Marlene smiled and put her hands together.
" Cool, do you wanna see what the boys are up too?"
Ginger's body awoke, her body wide awake as soon as Marlene said boys, the shock was then replaced by tourture. No, no she couldn't go, but she wanted to. To risk seeing Kowal--kowal or whoever he was, would make her explode with either passion or utter madness. She wanted to shreak at him, shreak at him for making her lifeless, shreak at him for confusing her, just shreak at him! Ginger just wanted to break down into tears and cry at Marlene's lap or someone who understood her, it was times like these that she wanted her mother super badly. She just wanted to isolete herself for just one day, and cry to herself let her lifeless crys echo around her in a random direction, just to get rid of every damn memory and just die peacefully. She wished back in Tasmania that the woman just killed her if it was going to bother her this much, if only she was a time travalier.
" Umm Marlene, I really, I really don't want to go there today" Ginger replied timidly.
Marlene looked at her like she was speaking without even thinking. She then looked at her, hardly this time.
" Why? Skipper said he wanted to see you again, I think he kinda likes you" Marlene said while elbowing her.
" I'm sorry Marlene, but can I tell you something?'
Marlene was in wide eyed shock when Ginger told her what happened, she just sat there speechless for about 15 minutes. When she looked like she'd speak, she clamp her mouth shut without a sound. Ginger sat in the opposite corner, knees tucked to her stomach and rubbing them softly and swiftly. Marlene finally stood up and stared at Ginger.
" I-I nevered guess.... that Kowalski would..... do that?" Her tone made it sound more like a question then a statement.
Ginger just rubbed her knees harder.
" Well do you like him back?" Marlene asked,
Ginger looked up at her, complete unsure of the question, to be honest she wasn't sure. She never really developed in interest in the fellas yet, but one of them did, to fast for her liking. Ginger could feel herself start to cry and roll herself in a tighter knot.
" I'm not sure" she murmered.
" I just wonder what made him kiss you, that's not like Kowalski and besides I thought he like Doris" Marlene poundered her own mind, looking for an answer.
Ginger felt like a gasp of air was being taken out of her lungs, she looked up at Marlene and could tell she was crying since she was so blurry. She didn't know anything about them, mostly because she was scared of the rejection she might recieve when she asked questions. She never thought of asking if they admired anyone. Ginger never thought she'd feel such a pinch of jealousy in her life!
" He-he likes someone?" Ginger had to ask, Marlene was like her stabolizier.
"Yeah he has a crush on Doris the dolphin, well now I'm not so sure"
Ginger stood up a sher determenion on her face, she walked past Marlene and outside towards her pond. She swam up to the wall and was about to climb over when she remembered Marlene.
" Where are you going?" Marlene yelled at her,
" I'm going to get some answers" Ginger said in a voice that was not like her,
Not even scared of seeing his face, blinded by what she didn't even know. Ginger found herself standing at the fishbowl opening. She was clouded by her thoughts of freaking out at him, Kowalski. For making her worry about what a "stupid little kiss" did to her mind, for making her a shell of a body. She kicked the bowl out of the way to find she booted Skipper in the face, making him fall back down the tunnel.
" Oh my gosh! I must have been so absored in my own thoughts that I didn't see you, or hear you! I-I'm sooooo sorry Skipper!" There she goes, being Ginger apologizing all on a breathe.
Skipper regained his balance and waddled over to her, once again as is seducting her, he put one flipper on her shoulder. Ginger, pissed off, pulled it off with distaste.
Skipper noticed this right away, He stepped a few paces and made a more kinder smile, probably to make up for his rude opening.
" What's wrong with you? you seem tense"
" I am, wheres Kowalski, I have to ask him something" Ginger made herself loud and clear.
Skipper could tell she meant business, Ginger could feel herself smiling, Skipper was getting a little nervous because of her tone.
" He's where he always is, in his office" Skipper pointed his flipper at the fishbowl opening, he jumped though and Ginger followed.
Ginger found herself abandoned in the penguin's HQ, she looked around and saw she was the only one in the room. Slowly she heared a door creek open, unsure of itself was how it sounded, Ginger turned around and saw Kowalski with Skipper walking through.
The feeling of bliss and relax shifted her angry and furious demenor. Ginger could feel herself start to smile but quickly downed it, she put her hands on her hips and glared. Kowalski could tell what this was about, he quickly tapped his flippers together nervously and looked away from Ginger.
" Here he is as you asked" Skipper said while pushing Kowalski closer to her. Ginger looked up at the nervous Kowalski, timidly he smiled and waved. Ginger grabbed him by the flipper and pulled him to a place where Skipper wouldn't be watching or listening.
" What were you thinking?" Ginger then started to lose it, she felt herself applying pressure on Kowalski's flipper, she loosened it, but just by a bit.
" A-about what?" Kowalski said while his voice shifted up a couple octaves.
" You know damn well what I'm talking about!" Ginger said starting to lose her temper more easily now, " That stupid kiss you gave me, I haven't been able to sleep because it's been driving me mad! It wasn't passionate, I know that, you know that. I don't know what it is!"
Kowalski then fully understood, he then looked closely at Ginger's stare. He was about to put his flipper on her nose but swiftly pulled it away. He retracted it to his side.
" I'm sorry, but you just seemed so lonely the other night, with all the rejection in your life with the platypi's, and the Grimm brother's fairytales it just reminided me of.......well me" Kowalski replied timidly while putting his head down.
Ginger could feel herself start to cool off, she hadn't relised how sad and lonely she must have sounded last night, she never paid attention to herself when she talked. She remembered the conversation but she didn't want to remember the kiss part, she now felt like she was making a fool of herself for even losing it for something so pointless.
The one part that kept replaying in her head was like a record skipping, the part where he said it reminded him of himself. She loosened up, felt herself lean forward in her exhaustion and fall onto his chest.
It was so soft and cushiony, she could stay there for ever, and it relaxed her. Before she knew it she could feel herself start to drift off, she quickly pulled away. Ginger meet her stare with Kowalski and she smiled shyly.
" I'm sorry, I'm just so tired"
Kowalski smiled and tapped his flippers together nervously as if thinking about something, then infront of Ginger's eyes, he laid down. He then motioned for her to lay down on him, Ginger just stared wide eyed at him.
" No no no I couldn't do that! " Ginger said though the tempation of sleep was taunting her.
Kowalski rolled his eyes and stood up, he walked towards Ginger and rapped his flippers around her, slowly, he laid back down on his stomach and rubbed Ginger's back. The whole time that she was laying there she thought of one thing, her mother. Her mom did the same thing when she couldn't sleep, she'd lay on her mom's stomach while she rubbed her back, and she sing a song. She cerently didn't want to ask Kowalski to start singing, thats all she needed. Instead she muttered a lullaby to herself, with Kowalski rubbing her back to the time. Slowly she felt herself start to drift off.
When she awoke to what felt like hours later, she peered down to Kowalski's unsleeping eyes, suddenly aware of what was going on she jumped off Kowalski and stood her ground. Ginger felt so embarrised that she slept on her friend like that!
" Oh my gosh how long have I been like that?" Ginger asked.
" For about 3.8 hours" Kowalski said smiling, Ginger didn't smile.
" I'm sorry Kowalski! It'll never happen again I promise!" and with that Ginger found herself running up towards the ladder. She passed Skipper, Private and Rico and pushed herself out of the tunnel into the penguin's habitat. Ginger then swam to get the wall and when she got over she decided there was one person she needed to see, her true best friend.
Marlene.