A/N: Fair warning for this chapter, Veronica is probably super-OOC... That's all.
"Hah..." AJ sighed and looked at the stack of pizza boxes on the seat next to him. Currently, the African-American teen was riding in the limo with his two female companions, Trixie and Veronica.
Normally, this would be an amazing, once in a lifetime opportunity for him. Not one, but two single girls? And he was alone with them, in a limo? Well, there was the driver, but he was busy.
"AJ? Something bothering you?" Veronica looked across the car at the teen, who she could tell was deep in thought.
"Hm? Oh... Nah, I'm good, thanks. Just... thinking..." They had been out for a bit longer than originally intended, mostly because Trixie and Veronica couldn't decide on which restaurant to go to. In that time, AJ had done what AJ did best: Observed. From what he could tell, Trixie was a tomboy. Deep down though, very deep down, so well hidden in fact, that AJ wasn't even sure Veronica knew. Sure, she acted like the typical rich girl who was above everyone in public, but she had let a few things slip that the bald teen picked up on. Her like of a few video games that himself and his friends liked, as well as her mentioning of a few events in more recent Crimson Chin comics, for example.
As for Veronica, she was different in a whole other way. Besides the fact that she hadn't unnecessarily added the word 'like' into every sentence like she had back when they were ten, the girl was oddly perceptive. A complete aversion to the established stereotype of the blonde species of human. Case in point, her noticing his loud sigh just now, she could tell something was eating at him. "Or am I just that obvious?"
"Penny for your thoughts then?" Veronica pressed on. "Maybe... Oh! You're worried about Vicki, right?" the blonde bounced slightly, somehow knowing she was right. Or so she thought.
"Well... Yeah..." in truth, the bubbly girl was only half-right. He was worried about what the red-headed she-devil might do to him on her birthday, but on the other hand, AJ found that his attempts to flirt with the two girls were being largely ignored. Veronica was clearly not interested, but he hadn't yet gotten much chance to talk to Trixie. "Who knows, maybe Tootie's right, maybe Vicki has changed, and I'm worrying over nothing." AJ slumped his shoulders and looked at the floor of the limo. "I really do hope that is the case. It'd be nice to not have to live in fear of Vicki..."
"So... What if she hasn't?" Veronica glanced over at Trixie, who was somewhat animatedly talking to someone on her phone.
"Then she hasn't." AJ shrugged. "Myself, Chester, and Timmy have been dealing with the devil incarnate since we were eight. We- Or, I, at least, would be more unready for her being suddenly nice than for her to continue being mean." AJ put his arm in front of the pizza boxes to keep them from falling as the driver took a sharp turn. "That being said, you two shouldn't have anything to worry about, Vicki doesn't really know either of you, so I don't think she'll do anything to you or Trixie."
"But... what about you and Chester and Timmy? You can't really expect us to stand by and let her torture you three..." Veronica looked to Trixie for support, but the raven-haired girl clearly wasn't paying attention to the conversation.
"Um... I may have... exaggerated a bit. Vicki is... She's definitely mean, downright evil at times, but she's never laid a hand on any of us, that includes torture. She just makes us do our chores, as well as the ones our parents intend for her to do, and she can fling some pretty harsh insults... I suppose my opinion of her is somewhat skewed toward hatred simply because I've never known differently. As I've gotten older, I have realized that Vicki isn't truly evil, just extremely unpleasant. At the same time, I'm not suicidal enough to want to psycho-analyze her, it takes a better mind to figure her out..."
"A better mind?" Veronica looked at him with clear amusement etched on her face. "AJ, everyone knows you're one of the smartest kids at Dimmsdale High..."
"Well... A less sane mind then." AJ relaxed into his seat. "Either way, I said I'd stick around for the birthday party, and I owe it to Timmy, Chester, and Tootie to keep my word."
"And you're holding out for some small hope that all of us throwing Vicki a birthday party will make her lighten up, right?"
"Bingo." AJ nodded slightly. "So... you're... not really interested in me, are you?"
"Hm? Where's this coming from?" the blonde quirked an eyebrow up at AJ.
"Well... You two do know you're the two most attractive female specimens in our school, right?"
"I'm sure Trixie thinks that's the case." Veronica remarked just a little bitterly. "There was a time where I strove to be more like her, y'know?" the blonde gestured at Trixie, who still hadn't picked up on the fact that the conversation had now shifted to being about her. "Lately, I've... I want to be seen as my own person. Trixie's still my best friend, don't get me wrong, but... Ugh... I don't even know why I'm telling you this... I want to... distinguish myself from her, I guess... I don't really know..." Veronica shot Trixie a weak smile, which went largely unnoticed.
"...You know... you still haven't answered my question..."
The blonde chuckled at that. "Sorry. No offense intended against you, but you're not really my type."
AJ glanced back and forth between Trixie and Veronica. "Hm... Wonder if that lends credence to the rumors floating around school..." "Mind if I ask another question then?"
"We've heard the rumors." Veronica deadpanned. "Despite the 'heavy'-" Veronica used air quotes. "-evidence to the contrary, I'm not a lesbian, you can quote me on that." the blonde then crossed her arms over her chest. "As for Trixie..." she glanced over at the girl once more. "She can speak for herself. I stopped letting her speak for me a while ago. Right Trixie?"
Apparently Veronica had perfect timing, for right as she finished talking, the raven-haired girl hung up her phone and pocketed it. "Hm? Sorry, I missed... Pretty much the whole conversation, what were you two talking about?"
"The rumors." Veronica stated rather uninterestedly.
"Oh." Trixie spoke with a hint of annoyance. "Those rumors... Really AJ? You think we're..." Trixie looked over at Veronica with a barely-there blush on her cheeks. "I mean... Don't get me wrong, we're really good friends, and I've told Veronica that if I was a- ...Well." she giggled.
"You're not helping!" Veronica shot back just slightly defensively.
"Sorry!" Trixie smiled and put her hands up in defense, then began giggling some more. "I'm just saying, you'd be one Hell of a catch for some guy... Or girl." Trixie added mischievously.
"Not to change the subject, but I'm changing the subject." AJ spoke up, he hadn't intended to ask about the rumors anyway.
"Thank goodness." Veronica rolled her eyes.
"Actually, now that you're off the phone, I can ask you directly." the car's only male teen looked over at Trixie.
"Me? Okay, what's up?"
AJ found that, with Trixie looking at him so expectantly, his nerve left him for parts unknown. "Um..." "Shit! What was I gonna ask again?!" "I was wondering if you're... seeing anybody?"
As the limo came to a stop at a red light, the vehicle's interior went nearly silent. "Seeing... anybody?" Trixie looked at AJ quizzically. "What do you-"
"He's asking if you wanna go out with him." Veronica deadpanned, earning her a glare from the teen across from her. "What? You two were gonna beat around the bush all day if I didn't speak up! Not to mention, why else would you come with us?"
At this point, AJ wasn't quite sure of Veronica's motives; if she was trying to help or hinder him. "Well... Yeah. That's... where I was going with this..." he looked up at Trixie to find that she was... Quite shocked, as if her brain couldn't comprehend the information it had just received.
The blonde looked back and forth between AJ, who was now giving Trixie the expectant look, and her best friend, who was clearly having a blonde moment. "Kind of ironic..." Veronica slid over next to Trixie and leaned in to whisper in her ear. "This is the part where you say: 'I'd love to!'" she pulled away as Trixie looked at her, an eyebrow quirked up in what could only be disbelief. "Just, y'know, FYI."
"H-huh?!"
"AJ, he's waiting for you to answer him." Veronica nodded towards the teen in question.
"Oh! U-um..."
"Great, she's gonna turn me down like she used to back when we were ten..." AJ frowned and looked at the floor of the limo again.
Veronica took notice of this, and her own friend's nervousness, then lightly shoved Trixie's shoulder. "Go on!" she began whispering again. "He's into you, and he's matured since we were ten... Just... Make his day! What've you got to lose?" A little known(okay, unknown) fact about Veronica was that the bubbly blonde was a hopeless romantic, and while she wasn't quite looking for love herself, she did enjoy pairing people up, whether these people felt like a good match or not.
"You're... sure about this? You think... it might work?" Trixie whispered back, clearly nervous about her friend's suggestion.
"What could they be talking about...?" AJ shifted his eyes back and forth between the two girls. He could tell that they were whispering about... something... But he couldn't read lips, and the limo's engine was just slightly too loud for him to hear them.
At last, Trixie turned her attention over to AJ, a look of determination marred by a significant amount of uncertainty on her face. "Um! S-sure... You... Live right near where Veronica and I do, right?"
"Y-yeah!" AJ nodded excitedly.
"Okay! ...Um..." Trixie's eyes darted around as she tried to figure out what to say. "I-"
Veronica slapped her hand over the raven-haired girl's mouth. "Tomorrow. Her place. Eight o' clock. Night. Bring...?" the blonde looked at Trixie and pulled her hand away.
"Um... Flowers-?" Trixie began speaking again, only to have her mouth quickly re-covered.
"Bring flowers, got it?" Veronica looked at AJ expectantly, earning her another quick nod. "Good, everyone's happy... And we're back at Timmy's house!" the blonde once more pulled her hand away and giddily darted out of the limo after grabbing the pizza boxes.
"What-" AJ began, feeling so very confused. "What just happened?"
"I'm... not really sure..." Trixie scratched her nose with her index finger. "Is... Veronica my pimp... or something?"
Meanwhile, in the house...
"I'm bored." Chester dropped his controller on the seat between himself and Tootie.
"You're just saying that because you're losing." Tootie stuck her tongue out at the blond. "And, correct me if I'm wrong, but you were the one who suggested we play video games until AJ and the girls get back." she pointed at Chester accusingly.
"Well now I'm bored." Chester slid over the couch cushions, switching places with his controller and coming to rest next to Tootie.
"Uh-huh." Tootie finished the game by throwing Chester's character off the stage. "And how do you suppose you could alleviate your boredom- Ah! Hey!" the raven-haired girl watched Chester pull the controller from her grasp and attempted to retrieve it, with little success. "That's cheating!"
"You already won!" the blond teen shot back with a grin. "And, in answer to your question, this." snaking his arms around Tootie's waist, Chester re-oriented himself and Tootie so that they were both on laying on the couch; Tootie on her back, and the blond holding himself up over her with his arms.
Finding herself just a little too shocked for words, Tootie looked towards the front door. "Wh-what if- Wasn't my promise of affection after the party good enough?!" She wasn't sure why she was whispering, it's not like anyone else was around to hear them.
"Nope. And since you beat me in the game, I have to get back at you somehow... This just seemed like the easiest course of action." Chester leaned down, leaving their faces a few centimeters apart. "And... If you weren't enjoying this... You'd have kicked me off by now..."
"Note to self, when dating your best friend, don't think for a second there's anything you can hide from him." Tootie thought to herself. She supposed in some weird, twisted way, the two had already technically dated, without the romantic feelings being between them, of course. Chester and her(along with Timmy and AJ) had hung out countless times in the past, not to mention sleeping over each others' houses, and spending pretty much all of their free time together. Maybe that was why he wasn't shy around her, they had gone through all the motions already... Yet she still found herself blushing like a fool whenever he pulled something like... Like what he was doing right now! "What if someone sees us?! You think Trixie and Veronica won't gossip about this to everyone in existence?!"
"Eh. They've been gone for a while, I'd say we've still got time." Ignoring Tootie's concern, Chester lowered himself the rest of the way, brushing his lips against Tootie's for just a second, then leaning a bit lower to press his lips to her neck, eliciting a barely audible whimper from the girl beneath him.
"How does he know so much?! Ugh, who am I kidding? He and AJ probably look up all sorts of weird things on the Internet!" "Ah!" Tootie yelped as she felt the blond nip at her neck. "Son of a-..." she gasped out. "You're a perv..."
Chester pulled away and grinned at her. "Yeah, I can admit to that." The blond began leaning down again...
CLICK
Just in time for the front door to be unlocked and swung open by Veronica, carrying a large stack of pizzas. "Hey guys, we're back! ...Um..." the blonde's eyes fell on Tootie and Chester, both of whom were still in a very compromising position, and now gazed at the Veronica with wide eyes. Though Tootie looked significantly more perturbed than the boy on top of her.
"Hey Veronica." Chester stated rather plainly as he waved at the girl.
"O-kay..." calmly placing the pizza boxes down on the floor, Veronica slammed the front door shut and leaned up against it, making sure to re-lock it for good measure. After a moment's thought, the blonde looked at her two fellow teens with a devious smirk and half-lidded eyes. "This day just keeps getting more and more interesting..." she muttered to herself as she shook her head.
"I told you this would happen..." Tootie whispered to Chester..
"Well..." Chester began in an equally low voice. "It's just Veronica, I'm sure if we ask nicely, she won't tell anyone... What's it matter anyway? People are gonna know eventually... Why not-"
"Because I want to tell people! Vicki, at the very least... You know how these two are when it comes to gossip..." Tootie was beginning to sound anxious... And worried.
"You're paranoid." the blond pushed himself up and off Tootie, returning to a sitting position on the couch next to the raven-haired girl, who followed suit shortly after.
"Um... Could you maybe-" Tootie began while tapping her index fingers together.
"So you two, huh? Gotta say, with how often you-" Veronica pointed at Chester. "Try to flirt with me, it thought for sure that... well, that you had a thing for me. But this makes more sense. I mean, dating a childhood friend? You both already know what the other likes, you're both comfortable around each other..."
"T-to be fair... I don't think he's completely over you..." Tootie was quite aware of the fact that Chester liked her, but they had both insinuated that they weren't over their previous crushes... Which brought a whole new worry to the forefront of Tootie's mind. Would Veronica make Chester choose between herself and Tootie? "Would he choose me over her? ...No! Not gonna happen! I'm-!" "Okay, I don't know your game here-" Tootie stood up and strode over to Veronica. "But you had your chance, and you blew it, so back off, he's mine!" Upon finishing her speech, the raven-haired girl realized two things: One, Veronica was slightly taller than her, and two, she had managed to get right in the aforementioned blonde's face.
Feeling just a little uneasy due to their closeness, Veronica took a step back from the bespectacled girl, though she remained leaning on the front door. With the blonde being under the assumption that Tootie likely had a dangerous temper in common with her sister, she began speaking in a manner that could probably be described as 'appeasing'. "I um... I wasn't gonna try to steal him from you..." much in the same way Trixie had, Veronica put her hands up in defense.
"You- You weren't? ...Oh..." Tootie took a few steps back to give the blonde some room. "Then... What were you gonna do?"
"Um... Congratulate the two of you?"
"Oh. Sorry I-... Yeah..." "Right... I forgot that these two are... Great, I probably look like a psycho now..." "Can you maybe... Keep me and Chester, and this little... misunderstanding under your hat then? Please?"
Seeing the girl who had seemed ready to kill her suddenly become unsure and nervous in only a few seconds made Veronica relax, now that her life no longer seemed to be in danger. "Don't um... Don't worry about it. Actually..." feeling confident again, the blonde felt an idea come to her. "What's it worth to you?"
As if on cue, the three teens in the living room heard the door of the limo shut, indicating that Trixie and AJ were about to enter. Tootie glanced out the front door's window, then over to the blonde girl, who now bore a grin that was eerily similar to the ones Chester liked to shoot her. Feeling all her confidence blow away like leaves in the wind(not like she could get away with murdering Veronica with this many witnesses), Tootie opted for a much more dignified action. "Please just keep this to yourself! I- We'll do anything!"
"How did I-" Chester began.
"Shush! This is your fault!" the raven-haired growled out at the blond, then turned her attention back to Veronica. "Eh?"
"Wow. She is paranoid... But what could I possibly want from them...? Guess I'll have plenty of time to think about it..." "Alright fine. Secret's safe. For now." Reaching past Tootie's head, Veronica unlocked the front door and gestured for Tootie to move before opening it for Trixie and AJ. "So! I guess we're all here now, huh?" she asked in a bubbly tone as the two came into the house.
"Um... Yeah..." Tootie began as she grabbed the pizza boxes and handed a few off to Chester. "Just gotta wait for Timmy and Vicki to get back and we can have this birthday party." she quickly scurried into the living room, followed by Chester.
AJ took the opportunity to look around the living room, seeing the disheveled appearance of the couch cushions, and seemingly forgotten video game controllers, he couldn't help but notice a certain... "Feel a little tense in here to you?"
"I don't feel anything." Trixie shrugged.
"Ah, Chester and Tootie were playing games, I think he's mad because he got distracted by my walking in so suddenly." Veronica placed the borrowed front door key on the endtable next to the couch.
"Yeah, that sounds like him..." AJ smirked and shook his head back and forth as he went into the kitchen with his two friends.
"So what else is going on? You seem happy?" Trixie turned her attention to her blonde friend.
"Me? I'm just happy you're giving AJ a shot, that's all."
Trixie giggled. "Not like you gave either of us much choice..."
"Sometimes people just need a push in the right direction. And what kind of friend would I be if I didn't help you out now and then?"
"Well... I'm glad we're friends then!" Trixie stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Veronica.
"Aw... Me too!"
At the mall...
Timmy looked the red-head up and down. He was absolutely dumbfounded by her choice of attire. What on Earth would possess the normally abrasive, tomboyish girl with the most fiery personality he knew to wear such a thing of her own volition? He hadn't wished her into being nice... No, he hadn't done anything remotely close to that, because he was doing his utmost to turn over a new leaf, since she was trying to do the same.
He looked down, noticing her legs, and how pale they looked, a testament to how rarely she wore anything besides her black-colored jeans, his gaze shifted a bit lower, now to her feet. She still wore her black sneakers, but Timmy hadn't realized back in the restaurant how short her black socks were, they just barely made it past her ankles. Following her legs(which were somehow more interesting now that they were bare) back up, Timmy came upon the article of clothing that he was sure the red-head actually wanted an opinion on. In keeping with what he assumed to be her favorite color, it was a lime-green colored... Dress, reaching about midway past her knees. It wasn't quite... frilly, like the one he had seen her in a few years back, nor was it poofy. The dress actually fit her rather well... Okay, very well.
"Okay, generally ten minutes of awkward silence is my limit." Vicki tugged absently at the dress's right shoulder. "Tell me what you think!" she raised her voice slightly, and must've felt embarrassed, for her cheeks turned a light shade of pink under Timmy's scrutinizing gaze.
Averting his gaze from her body to her face, the brunet picked up on her discomposure... "She- She's embarrassed? Really?!" "Heheh... Aha... Haha-Whoa?!" Timmy's fit of laughter was cut short as Vicki's fingers curled around his shirt collar and yanked him into the changing room with her, shutting the door to give them both some privacy.
"Zip your shit or I'll break your neck!" she whispered harshly as she pulled Timmy forward so he was right in her face. Had he not been close to her height, she'd probably be holding him up off the ground by now. "What did I say?!" her blush had gone from light pink to clear and obvious crimson. It took a lot for her to put on a damn dress, to actually go through with it, and the Twerp was laughing at her?!
"Um... To zip my shit or you'd-" Timmy started.
"Before that!" only for his babysitter to interrupt him. "I said you'd better not laugh at me, didn't I?!"
"Well... Yeah... But I wasn't laughing at you... Not really." Timmy looked away, feeling ashamed, and a little embarrassed. "Just... didn't expect you to wear a dress... And you were blushing, caught me off guard." the brunet looked at Vicki with a smile and closed eyes. "Sorry!"
"Then why are you smiling?" her grip slackened, though only slightly. "And... how do I look? ...Honestly." Rather than cover her whole face, the blush now shrank down to a reddish dusting on just her cheeks.
"I'm... smiling?" Timmy asked, and quickly realized that yes, he was indeed smiling. "Huh... I dunno." he shrugged, allowing Vicki to release him. Why was he smiling? Well, obviously, you smiled when something was funny, and he had been laughing until a few seconds ago, but having someone threaten to break your neck wasn't exactly a laughing matter... Was he maybe just happy to see her? Was it odd for him to be happy to see her, assuming he was?
"You don't know why you're smiling...?" Vicki looked at him quizzically. "Okay... Then just answer the second one."
Right. How did she look. How did she look? She looked... Good. Really good. By simply wearing a dress, Icky Vicki had become... Nowhere near Icky. And though her hair remained in a ponytail, seeing her change out of her tomboyish outfit made Timmy feel... Nervous. She was pretty, and he supposed 'cute', when she was blushing. "Uh... You look nice?"
"Nice? What is this, kindergarten? Try a bit harder than that, Twerp. If I wanted to be told I look nice, I'd ask a toddler..." Vicki stopped and thought, looking away as she did, before refocusing her gaze on the brunet in front of her with a devilish smile. "Tell me I'm pretty."
"What is she trying to do? Why ask me to tell her that?" Timmy was suddenly reminded of the time that he wished everyone out of the world except Trixie and himself.
"Tell me I'm pretty!"
The memory made the poor brunet's spine shiver and his skin crawl. "Does she know I think she's...!" Since falling out of the vent with Vicki, Timmy felt like his feelings were heavily conflicted, to the point that he was well beyond confused. No longer was he under the impression that this... whatever it was, was just hormones. The girl- Woman, had cast some sort of spell on him... Or something of the like, how else could it be explained? And with the existence of fairy godparents, the possibility of this idea being the case was building on itself. So... Was it more intelligent to play along, to tell her she was pretty, like she wanted to hear? ...Better question, would the red-head let him live it down if he told her she was pretty? What did he have to lose by telling her she was? "What do I have to gain? ...Wait. What?" Again, his thoughts saw fit to leave him more and more confused...
Vicki sighed, seeing that Timmy wasn't going to answer her. "Forget it. I suppose it doesn't really matter anyway..." she backed off, ready to move away from the brunet and let him out of the dressing room.
"You-" Timmy began, but seemed to stop and think. "You're pretty... Like, really pretty." he knew his face was probably beet-red now, but he saw the hurt on her face when she thought he would stay silent, and dammit was he too nice for his own good!
"Really? Hm. I- Thank you." Vicki chuckled and leaned over so she was eye-level with the brunet. "Looks like my Twerpy Tin-man has a spine after all." Placing her right hand on his shoulder, Vicki leaned even closer and pressed her lips to Timmy's cheek. "You should probably go out so I can change..." she whispered as she pulled away. "Unless...?"
Ignoring the fact that her little analogy just now made absolutely no sense, Timmy stuck his right hand in the air in front of himself, index finger extended, then proceeded to rear back and slap himself across the face. Hard. "Nope. Not a dream. That just happened." "I should go." the brunet spoke almost robotically as he moved to the changing room door and opened it, then stepped out and closed it behind him.
For a second, Vicki wasn't sure how to react to Timmy's act of hitting himself, nor his expressionless face. "Hm." Was about all she could come up with as she took off the dress and put it back on the hanger, then pulled her black jeans back on, followed by her green shirt. "Well, guess I'll be getting this."
A few minutes later, the dress was paid for, Timmy had collected himself(for the most part), and the two were headed for the mall entrance, Vicki's relatively low-key lust for shopping having been sated. "End up finding what you were looking for?" Timmy asked, now feeling comfortable enough to talk to the red-head after a good twenty minutes of silence.
"Got this, didn't I?" she held up the bag containing her dress for effect. "Not to mention the stuff in that bag." she pointed to the neon pink bag Timmy held. "Am I to assume you were able to find me a suitable birthday gift?"
"I'd say so."
"So what'd you get me?"
"Nice try." the brunet rolled his eyes as he opened the door to Vicki's car and got in. "Sorry, you'll have to wait until we get back to my house before you can have it."
"And why's that?" she got into the driver's seat and tossed the bag containing her dress into the backseat. "It is my birthday, I should be able to receive my gifts now, since I'm clearly not getting a party."
"Are... you alright with that?" "Gotta tread carefully here, don't need to go revealing anything..."
"That's how it's always been. I'll admit, I was a little torn up this morning, since Tootie forgot, but... I've had worse birthdays. You... Today was nice. And I think I showed my appreciation pretty clearly in the store."
"Uhm... Yeah... About that..." Timmy felt his cheeks beginning to heat up again.
"Let me guess, you wanna know why, right?" Vicki glanced over at him as she buckled her seatbelt.
"Kinda..." the brunet mimicked the action of his babysitter, realizing that, while he pretty much always buckled up when he drove in a car with Vicki, this was the first time she had done it.
"You tell me."
"Huh?!" "What is that supposed to mean? How should I know why you did it?!" Timmy mentally screamed. Now would be a really good time to have psychic powers. He had no idea why his evil-turned-indifferent babysitter would kiss him on the cheek! Was she attempting some new form of torture? Had she slipped off the deep end at some point while in JCPenny? ...Did she maybe... like him?!
"Why do you think I did it?" she started the car and pulled out of her parking space, beginning the relatively short drive back to their neighborhood.
"To torture me?" He went with his gut, rather than wild guessing.
"Heheh... I'll admit, that was part of it. 'Cept you didn't react the way I expected you to... By the way, your cheek alright?" Her own voice sounded... indifferent to her ears. Not good. Her intention was to at least sound concerned... "Something I'll have to work on..."
Up until her mentioning it, Timmy hadn't noticed any pain in his cheek, but now that she had, he realized that, yes, it did sting quite a bit, and he'd probably left a big red handprint on his face. He pulled the visor down and looked in the mirror to find that he did. "-Sigh- In hindsight, that probably wasn't a good idea..."
"Watch, your friends'll think I hit you."
"I'll make sure to clear it up." the brunet flipped the visor back up. "So why did you..."
"Kiss you on the cheek? Because I've thanked you with my words enough today. You know how apologies lose their weight when you apologize really often? Gratitude's the same way... In my opinion. I could say 'Thank You' 'til I'm blue in the face, but eventually, it'll just seem like I'm going through the motions that you expect. What you've done for me today, that takes character, just like all the times you've saved my ass from a potentially messy death."
Needless to say, Timmy was shocked. This was... A real, sincere, and genuine speech she was giving. She wasn't hesitating, like the act of apologizing or showing gratitude was difficult for her... And he couldn't understand it, not one bit. What had changed between them? Why had he been happy to see her in the store? Why was his previously icky babysitter now pretty, even without wearing a dress? Why did she make him feel the way he did around Trixie when he was ten? Why didn't he have any answers?! "I don't understand..."
"Think about it later then." Vicki remarked absently as she pulled into Timmy's driveway.
How did they get back so quick? Or... had he just been that lost in thought for that long? The younger teen heard a low buzzing sound, and for once, it wasn't coming from his phone.
"You go ahead, it's your parents. I'll just be a sec."
Timmy nodded and grabbed the bag containing her dress, along with the bright pink one that contained...
Shaking his head to clear it of the more naughty thoughts once more, the brunet got out of the car and made his way over to the front door, only to realize that he had forgotten the welcome mat key in the house, and his own in his room. With a sigh, he sat down on his front porch and watched as the red-head got out of her car.
"Of course, Mrs. Turner! I can stay over for a few days while you two go play slots! No, it's no trouble at all, I love keeping an eye on my favorite little angel! Alright, we'll see you two Sunday night, buh-bye!"
Timmy instinctively cringed at her sugar-coated facade. Didn't matter how pretty he thought she was, that voice got on his nerves. "You're getting pretty good at that."
"I may have had aspirations of acting when I was a bit younger. Guess who's sleeping over your house for a few days?"
"Chip Skylark?!" Timmy exclaimed with mock-enthusiasm.
"Close! It's me, Smartass." Vicki deadpanned. "Why are you out here anyway? Don't you have a key? ...Or were you just waiting for your favorite babysitter?" she smirked at him knowingly.
"Forgot my key."
"You'd forget your head if it weren't screwed on so tight..." the red-head shook her head back and forth. "Move over, your parents gave me a spare."
Thinking he probably should have texted Tootie to let her know they were back, Timmy hoped that his friends had noticed their return as Vicki unlocked the door and swung it open. "Huh... Did you close the blinds when we left?" the red-head looked back at Timmy questioningly as he followed her into the darkened house.
"Hm? No, I think someone here must've closed them after we left because-" Timmy flipped on the light switch.
"SURPRISE!" Chester, AJ, Tootie, Veronica, and Trixie shouted in unison as the lights came on. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, VICKI!" Timmy joined in this time as well. The brunet watched as their collective yell made the birthday girl jump slightly... Then quickly calm down.
"Knowing her, she's gonna play this off like she expected it all along-" the brunet was cut off immediately as he was swept into a hug by his babysitter, completely averting his expectations.
"Guess I still owe you quite a bit, huh Twerp?" she whispered in his ear sultrily.
"Um... No, that's- That's alright, I-"
Before he could finish, Vicki pulled away. "So, who gets credit for this idea, hm?"
"Oh!" Veronica chimed in. "This was Tootie and Timmy's idea! They called us up to help out!"
"...And you are...?"
"Um... I'm Veronica, and this is Trixie." the blonde gestured over to the girl in question. "We're Timmy and Tootie's friends. Nice to meet you?" the girl who was normally so bubbly spoke carefully, hoping that AJ was right, that Vicki wouldn't target herself and Trixie with aggression, and trying her best to speak over her fear of this woman.
"Same here!" and with that, the facade was back, not like Timmy, Chester, AJ, and Tootie were surprised, Vicki didn't know these two girls, so of course she'd act amicable around them.
"C'mon, Sis!" without warning, Tootie darted over to Vicki and grabbed her sister's hand. "You gotta blow out your candles!"
"Great, now everyone's gonna know I'm old..." the red-head spoke with mock-annoyance as she allowed the raven-haired girl to pull her through the living room and into the kitchen.
"So, now that that's outta the way, I'm gonna head out." AJ spoke as he patted his pink hat-wearing friend on the shoulder and walked past him.
"Don't suppose I could talk you into staying until you gave Vicki this?" reaching into his bag, Timmy produced his gifts that he picked up for Chester and AJ to give to Vicki.
"Timmy, I really need to get going..." the bald teen whispered, hoping he could get out and avoid spending more time around Vicki than necessary.
"He's gotta go get ready for his date tomorrow!" once more, Veronica chimed in.
"With who?" Timmy looked back and forth between AJ and Veronica skeptically.
"This lucky lady!" the blonde pulled Trixie over and put her arm around her shoulders.
"Oh really?" the brunet quirked an eyebrow up at his friend, clearly not convinced.
"It's um... It's true." Trixie nodded in confirmation.
"Really?" Timmy asked, amazed(and still disbelieving) that his friend had actually succeeded in doing what he couldn't, despite spending the better part of five years trying. "Huh... Well good for you two! I'm happy for you, dude!" the teen returned his friend's earlier gesture and patted AJ on the shoulder. "Alright, if you really wanna go, I can't stop you, but you owe me then, got it?"
"Fine, fine... Look, it's nothing against you, just-"
"Yeah, I know. I don't exactly expect us all to forget about what she used to do... And you've gone way beyond what I have any real right to ask anyway. See you Monday?"
"Yeah, you make sure she knows that's from me now." AJ gestured at the gift.
"I got it, no worries." Timmy watched AJ head out, then turned his attention to his remaining companions. "Anyone else? Now's your chance."
"You kidding? I haven't been to any parties besides my own and Trixie's in ages! No way, you're stuck with me." Veronica spoke up, then turned her attention to Trixie. "Trixie? How 'bout you?"
"Well... AJ's not coming over until tomorrow... Um... I'll stay for a little bit longer, if you're okay with it?"
"Why does she sound so... Unsure? Could she be worried about me being mad that AJ won her over so quickly, while I didn't?" "Hey, if you wanna stay, that's cool. The more the merrier, right?"
"Damn right!" Chester spoke up. "Now c'mon! I don't wanna miss Vicki's face when we sing her-"
"Aw, c'mon! Why don't you want us to sing 'Happy Birthday'?" the teens heard Tootie ask from the kitchen, clear disappointment evident in her tone.
"Because I'm fairly certain that everyone else here wants to keep their vocal cords, being that they're pretty attached to them." Vicki stated matter-of-factly.
"She's um... She's kidding, right?" Veronica whispered to Timmy.
"Probably? Let's go with probably." Timmy moved toward the doorway to the kitchen, only to be yanked back by his blond friend, which went unnoticed by Trixie and Veronica, who did make it to the kitchen.
"What's up?" Timmy spun around. "Y'know besides your relationship status with Tootie-Mmph!" The brunet found himself cut off by Chester's hand on his mouth.
"Shush!" Looking past his friend and seeing that they were still alone, the blond teen continued, now with a sly grin. "So, ya like that hug from Red?"
"Crap, time for him to get back at me." "Red?" Timmy chuckled at his friend's mildly affectionate nickname for their babysitter. "You mean Vicki?"
"No, I mean the Easter Bunny." Chester deadpanned. "Yes, Vicki! What exactly happened at the mall, huh?"
"Shopping." Timmy shot back in an equally deadpanning tone.
"And what else? What did you do to make her hug you in the first place, nevermind in front of all of us?"
"She's... just really happy we're throwing her a birthday party? You do realize she's never had one, right?"
"Hm..." Chester looked at Timmy, still not totally convinced. "I think you've got a thing for her. Or maybe... she's got a thing for you." he stated rather smugly.
"Oh? I think you've lost your mind. You think Vicki likes me?" the brunet shot his friend a look that suggested the blond had just grown three heads. "Based on a hug?"
"How many people has our favorite red-head hugged in her existence? There's Tootie, maybe. And there's you, just now. So...?"
Timmy was immensely glad that he had never told his friend about the avalanche incident. "Th-that's hardly proof of anything!" he blushed.
Chester shook his head at how obvious his friend made himself. "Hey, I'm not judging. If she wasn't so crazy-evil, she'd be a pretty fine lady... But maybe bad girls are your thing, huh?" the blond smirked at his friend.
"You're out of your mind." Timmy played his friend's suspicions off as a joke, seeing that it was his only real option. "I do not like Vicki, understand? It's just... hormones."
"Sure it is, dude. Sure it is."
Knowing that his friend wasn't convinced, Timmy spun him around to face the door to the kitchen. "C'mon Sherlock, let's have some cake."
"Whatever you say, Watson." Chester rolled his eyes.