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Lost In Conversation Chapter Five: Resemblance (Tootie's POV)
I remember running.
Dark shadows cast their mangled forms on top of me as the sun became nothing more than a faint orange glow. By then, my calves were numb, my chest was sore, and I could hardly breathe. This whole time, I had no idea where I was going and what would I do when I got there.
I really didn't care.
Everything I knew or thought I knew about life, love, and all those types of things had flown out my head. Some or most of it, never flew back. The only thing I was sure of...
...was that he hated me.
Because in his mind, I was the reason for all his troubles... for Vicky's cruelty... for our peers' scorn... for Trixie's rejection... he blamed it all on me. In front of the whole school and our fairies... he told me exactly how he felt...
... the exact opposite of what I felt for him.
The world started spinning around me. A pang hit my stomach and sent me down on my knees. On wobbly legs, I made my way to a nearby alley but even then my stomach refused to settle and large chunks of vomit spilled out my mouth.
After my body was sure that today's lunch and possibly breakfast was gone, I sunk to the ground. Pushing my back to the hard yet somehow slimy wall, I felt something wet seeping through my skirt and into my panties. I jumped up and looked down at the black puddle. It hadn't rained in days.
I could really just die.
My knees bucked and I found myself back on the cold concrete. I had truly hit the bottom. The funny thing is, I never realized I was falling. At least, Jada and Juno had left me to sulk on this alone...
Alone. As always, in the end I'm by myself in luke warm tears. Hunched against a wall... cornered by monsters threatening to swallow me... in total darkness... all this time... waiting for my prince to save me. Only this time, I knew he wasn't coming.
With my eyes shut tightly, I tried to forget today's events... with little luck. Sobs escaped my throat and no matter how hard I tried to keep the words in... they slipped out.
"I-I can't believe him! How could he... after all the love... the support I gave him, and-an he just-just..."
Broke me.
Then left me.
I tensed up waiting for that feeling of humiliation and despair to consume me. It didn't. Instead, a new feeling grew from the pits of my stomach to the hairs on my head...
Was this... rage?
No, it ran even deeper than that. For the very first time, I felt pure hatred. Sure, I couldn't stand my sister, but I still loved her. Yeah, I really didn't like Trixie. But I never hated her... not yet. So yeah, this hate thing was new to me.
I found myself shouting to no one in particular, "Damn that Timmy Turner! That son of a bitch, how dare he treat me- me like that! As if it's my fault his life is so horrible. He's so shallow... so immature... so pathetic..."
So why did I love him?
"Damn Timmy."
"He's not all that bad..."
"Yes he is! I never could stand that little monster."
"Come on, you're being unreasonable,"
"ME?! I'm being reasonable?! Just look at what that bastard did to my Tootie!"
"Maybe, he didn't really mean it..."
"HE MEANT EVERY WORD. We both know this! Why are you trying to lead Tootie on like this?"
"All I'm saying is, we shouldn't count him out yet"-
"Well, of course you feel that way. Don't your kind just feed off shit like this?"
Silence.
"Watch it, faerie."
My eyes flung open to total darkness. Immediately, I started to panic and pushed myself up. I ran towards the faint white glow of a streetlight.
Where was I?
I made it to the other side of a two-way street just in time before a eighteen wheeler nearly ran me over. Although, after considering it for a moment, I probably should have let it. The driver wouldn't have noticed anyway. Really, all I had to look forward to was the lumps Vicky was going to me when I got home. Absentmindly, I checked my watch.
6:52 pm.
Mom and Dad were still at work, ignoring Vicky and I's existence. If they took the night shifts again, I would have plenty of time to complete both of our chores before they came home. That brought back the question of how would I get home. I had no idea where I was.
I continued up the sidewalk and came to the entrance of a park. I recognized it immediately. It was Dimwood park. The park I used to go to on nature walks with my 1st grade class. It stood in the center of downtown and the trail went past several boutiques, two pet shops, a pizzeria, and an ice cream shop. It ended by the bank and I could take the city bus from there.
A deep sigh escaped my mouth as I started on the trail.
Cautiously, I made my way up the front porch. I quickly dug into my pocket for my house key and was just about to slide it into the lock when the door disappeared and in its place was a tall dark figure. The bitch had sniffed me out.
A massive hand grabbed me by the shirt collar and I had no choice but to look at her scrunched up face and inhale her rancid breath. Well, I least I could breathe a little.
"Hey twerpette, what took ya? My chores can't do themselves you know!"
And with that, she put me, wait, let me rephrase that, she threw me down on the tacky burgundy carpet. She slammed the door and out of nowhere pulled out a bucket of cleaning supplies.
"Why don't you get started? At your pace, you should be done by dawn! Hahahahahahaha!"
And why don't you go screw yourself somewhere? I bit down on my lip to keep the words from escaping my mouth. She shoved the bucket in my face and dragged me into the kitchen. We made it in the doorway, and like a bowling ball, she sent me sailing into the table. Salt and pepper clogged my throat and dusted my hair.
My eyes bore into the image of her laughing in the doorway. I had a right mind to run up to her and swing the bucket into her face... what? Where did that come from?
I slowly got up and began to pick up the table. Then, somehow, I managed to slip on the salt shaker that I knew had been catapulted into the air and to the other side of the kitchen after the crash. My back was as sore as ever and the table had fallen on top of me. Right into my mid-section. Ouch.
Vicky confirmed my suspicions when her laughter got louder and more manic. She disappeared before I got up again and begun to do my chores... oh, wait, no, her chores.
I was so lost in thought that I didn't realized that I had sailed through the chores that usually would have taken me all afternoon and night. I looked up at the clock in the hallway. 9:44pm.
I had gotten home around 8:10, so I guess it was pretty good timing. Maybe it was too good. Vicky definitely thought so.
" Alright, twerp. What the hell are you up too, not trying to pull a fast one on me are you..." She checked every room in the house. As she went along, I couldn't help but put on a smile at the scowl that slowly grew every time she left a room. You're wasting your time, I wanted to say. Out of my own disbelief, I had checked everything over twice. The kitchen was spotless, the bathrooms sparkled, the living room was polished, the hallways vacuumed, and her room looked inhabitable. IF not for the torture devices, you would've thought a actual human lived in there.
Where are these snappy remarks coming from?
Vicky hovered over me with her face twisted in a way that would 've made the Grinch envious. Seemly satisfied with my work, she waved her hand dismissively and I hurried upstairs to my room.
I fell onto my bed hoping for some relief from today's events... so imagine my dismay when I looked up at his face. I turned on my side and saw him again. Turned on my other side and still saw him. I sat up and looked straight ahead, there he was again. Pink hat and buck teeth everywhere!
I jumped out of bed and stared down his doofy smile. Without hesitation, I tore the poster off the wall making sure it was in shreds by the time it hit the floor. My eyes searched the room. More posters, lamp shades, bed covers, dolls, curtains... that DAMN TIMMY TRACKER!!!
Just thinking of all the money I spent on this crap... the rage that surged through my veins began to fizzle into an incredible force begging to be released. I gave it its wish.
Immediately, I began total annihilation of the pink hat menace. With all the strength a pissed off ten year old could have, I tore down the rest of my posters. I pulled down the curtains, crushed the lamp shades, ripped through the bed sheets, and pulled the dolls apart. My room was totaled. I surveyed the room once more over to make sure all evidence of my extinct love for Timmy was gone (or at least, in pieces). I caught sight of the Timmy Tracker hanging on the edge of my dresser.
A breeze came through the window when I opened it and hoisted the device onto the hard ground below. I waited to hear it crack and fizzle before I shut the window back. Without really thinking, I belly flopped on my bed and pulling on my pigtails started screaming.
I screamed as loudly as I could, not caring if Vicky heard me until tears streamed down my face.
" DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT!" I cried to the top of my lungs.
Jada and Juno appeared by my side with equal looks of horror on their faces. I continued screaming anyway until I felt all of my anger and frustration was gone.
I sat up and felt two pairs of arms encircle me. A glass of water appeared in my hand and I murmured a "thank you". As I took a sip, a loud knock came from my doorway. Not now...
" Hey, twerpette! I'm ordering Chinese, tell me whatcha want, now!" I could hear Vicky's huge foot tapping impatiently.
" Just... give me whatever you're getting." I said quickly. I knew not to take too long ordering something when Vicky was concerned. I've went hungry many a night for doing so.
" Whatever." Vicky said and I heard her walk away. Somehow, I knew she had stood there listening to my whole episode but of course, she wouldn't acknowledge that.
" Are you alright, sweetie?" Juno cooed.
"Yeah... I guess I am now... but my room sure isn't."
We all stared out at the disaster area that used to be my room. Torn posters, ripped fabrics, dismantled dolls, and broken glass decorated every square inch.
" Well... we can fix that." Jada chimed with an unusually reassuring smile on her face. She tapped her wand against her palm and it sparked into life. Juno's wand started to glow as well and they both looked at me waiting for the wish.
I thought about it for a minute and smiled. " Okay, I wish..."
Half an hour later...
" Hey twerpette... food's here." Vicky didn't bother to knock but busted into my room with a steaming bag of take out plates in one hand , can of Pepsi in one hand, and another under her chin.
Luckily, Jada and Juno had just retreated into their form of hamsters and quietly watched me as I finished rearranging my room.
When Vicky walked in, she almost dropped everything she was carrying. Instead, she caught herself and sat it all down on my side table and surveyed the room.
I chose to keep the wall color pink but covered it with posters of fairies, boy bands and some of those 'friends forever' kittens. The lamp shades were a pale but pretty pink and the curtains were shear white. A trail of plush cats, stuffed bears, and sewn dolls filled the places in my room that once belonged to an army of Timmy dolls. A TV remote occupied the space the Timmy Tracker once was. Oh, and the best part, not a trace of Timmy could be found. Beautiful.
" Redecorating, much?" Vicky said as she sat down on my bed that sported a flower patterned comforter over crisp white sheets.
" Yeah..." I grabbed a plate and sat beside her.
We sat there eating silently for a few minutes and all I could think of was how weird it was. Vicky coming up to my room... bringing my food... eating with me... instead of yelling at me from downstairs telling me to come get it before she feeds it to Doidle (and a few times she actually did)... ? Something wasn't quite right.
She put her plate down, turned and started running her fingers through my hair that was no longer bound by the pigtails I pulled out earlier. Her hand dropped and she barked, " Alright twerp, spill it."
My eyes finally looked up and met hers. I tried (and failed) to give her an oblivious look. She already knew and wanted me to give her the details. For what reason I wish I knew.
" Come on, I heard you and pink hat, buck teeth had a falling out today. Some little punks were laughing about it on their way from school today. I could only beat a few details out of them, but from the sound of it, looks like that twerp gotcha good." She remarked and took a swig of her Pepsi.
I could feel my cheeks glow red.
" He..." I began.
" He... he... he's just A TOTAL ASS!"
I couldn't stop the tears from flowing and the sobs from escaping my throat.
" No matter how many times I replay it in my head, I just still can't believe he... he'd just... completely HUMILIATE me like that! Even after all the rejections... and the restraining orders... I never thought... he'd be that cold..."
I hunched up on my bed waiting for the eerie cackles sure to rise up from Vicky. I confessed everything willingly knowing I'd be mocked but oh well, at least someone heard me out.
Then, I felt a warm hand rub my back. I looked up and was captured by two skinny arms. Was this... a hug? From... Vicky?
" Hold it!" I called out and pushed her gently away. " What's going on here?" I confronted her.
Vicky looked at me a little irritably for awhile but then sighed.
" Well, I was trying to be... 'sisterly' since you were in pain and all, but I guess you saw right through that."
I nodded with a gesture telling her to go on.
" But... really, I know how you feel... and I guess there's no getting around telling you this... but..."
She propped herself against the headboard and I crawled over beside her.
"Yes?" I pressed on.
"... sighYou and me are a lot more alike than I'd like to admit."
No way. Me and Vicky? We may have shared the same blood and the same house, but other than that, we were like ying and yang, day and night, apples and oranges.
Vicky saw my expression.
"No, really twerpette,(now that sounded like her!) we are. Look, you're probably too young to remember this, but when I was your age, I had this MASSIVE crush on this guy..."
No surprise there.
"... and I did a lot of the same things you did. Like, stalk him and hide in the bushes outside his window, and my room was a shrine to him. I even managed to get a tracker on him."
So that's where I got the idea from.
" So who was this guy?" I said casually, not trying to sound too interested (which I wasn't).
Vicky sat up straighter on the headboard and looked up at the ceiling, still trying to decide whether to tell me, I guess. She let out another sigh.
" Hey sis, did I ever tell you I went to school with Chip Skylark?"
My ears perked up. NOW I was interested.
" No... you didn't...was he the guy?"
"Yeah..."
Just by her tone, I could tell how it ended. Out the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of the two of us in the mirror. I could've sworn I was looking at two different versions of Vicky. One was a evil, manipulative sixteen-year old and the other was a lonely, heartbroken ten-year old.
But maybe it was the lighting.
Okay, let me start by saying... SOOOO SOOORRRRYYYY!!!!! I haven't updated in a year (just like last time), and it's become a terrible habit! It's just writer's block... and the issue with time... and my grades... ugh! Hopefully, with a new year and new problems, I can write easier. Since it's Spring Break and all, I might be able to do another chapter by next week. Maybe...
Anyway, whatcha think of this chappie? (Crowd murmurs) Huh? (Ninja bunnies appear behind me) (crowd cheers) Hm! That's what I thought.
Next Chapter: In A Nutshell (starting with Vicky's POV)
Sounds interesting. R&R please!
- Ranma Matsuri