Friday morning Tracy and Antonio pull into the driveway to the Shiba house to pick up the key to the apartment. They walk up Tracy knocks on the door. A few seconds later Lauren and Chris greet them.
"Hey bro, you didn't throw any wild parties while I was gone did you?" Tracy asks.
"Relax sis, your apartment is exactly the way it was when you left except for the stack of mail on the kitchen table," Chris answers.
Lauren invites them in after she gives Tracy the key. Tracy notices Chris put his arm around Lauren. She puts her head on his shoulder. Tracy jaw drops quickly. Antonio congratulates him after he closes Tracy's jaw. A few seconds later Tracy recovers and they head to the kitchen.
"So bro, you finally got up the nerve to ask Lauren out. You two have 'hanging out' for over three months. Now you finally decide to ask Lauren out." Tracy says.
"When are you planning on confronting this Joshua boy?" Chris asks.
"When did this conversation make a u-turn and focus on me?" Tracy asks.
"About three seconds ago, so, are you going to answer my question or not," Chris says.
"I'm going to tell Joshua when I see him on before class on Monday," Tracy answers.
They walk into the room. The first thing she sees is Ashley sitting at the table next to Jayden. She calmly walks over to her. Ashley gets up and gives her best friend a hug. Tracy feels Ashley pat her on the back. They sit down at the table a minute later.
"Okay, Ashley, what's with the 'I feel guilty and I'm trying to get out of something' hug?" Tracy asks.
"I don't feel guilty about anything?" Ashley answers in a high voice.
"Ashley, even here knows I'm a bad liar. I know that you're lying because when you lie your voice gets really high." Tracy says.
"No, everything is fine honest," Ashley says in a high voice again.
"Ashley, you just did it again. If you keep this up I'm going to play the Spanish card." Tracy says.
"Tracy, please don't play the Spanish card. All right I'll tell you. Last week the school held auditions for West Side Story. The director called me yesterday and told that I got the role of Maria. The first show is next month." Ashley says quietly.
"Let me get this straight you auditioned for one of the best musical of our time. Not to mention you got the lead role and you struggled to tell me. Are there any other secrets about this musical that you conveniently forgot to tell me?" Tracy says.
"Yeah, after our first show in New York we will be touring the US, Spain, and a few others places in Europe. Look I'm really sorry that I didn't tell you. How am I supposed to pass up a great opportunity like this?" Ashley says.
"You can't it's a chance to perform in West Side Story," Tracy says.
"Then you understand why I felt guilty about this," Ashley says.
Tracy gets up from her chair and walks over to the doorway. She turns back around her voice breaks up and says, "Of course I understand, the one thing I don't understand is after being friends for over ten years. You don't know me well enough to know that yes I would be really mad at you for not telling me. Then I would be really happy for you."
I'm sorry I didn't want to go through the really mad part." Ashley argues
"Guess what you got it anyway. If you're waiting for the really happy part don't hold your breath." Tracy says.
"Ashley isn't there something else that you need to tell Tracy about the reason you two become friends," Jayden says.
Ashley zips over to Jayden. She covers his mouth with her hand. Tracy asks, "Ashley, what Jayden is talking about." Jayden takes Ashley's hand off his mouth.
"Ashley told me that she only asked you if you wanted to play with her because she thought those kids wouldn't pick on you anymore if she was with you. She also felt bad for you." Jayden says.
"Ashley is what Jayden just said true. Our entire friendship was built on the fact that I was nothing to you but a charity case." Tracy says.
Ashley looks over at her best friend. She sees tears streaming down her cheeks. Tracy reaches into her jacket pocket. She takes her friendship bracelet. Ashley watches her tosses it across the room. The bracelet lands on the table.
"What did you that for?" Ashley asks.
"Because it obvious that our friendship means nothing to you I'm never talking to you again," Tracy says.
Tracy turns around runs out of the room. Ashley calls for her to come back. Tracy keeps on running. She goes to the back garden and sits down on the bench. She cries into her hands. A few minutes later she hears Luna walk up. Tracy takes her hands away from her eyes. Luna jumps on the bench and climbs in her lap. She licks the tears off her cheeks. Then she curls up into a ball in Tracy's lap. Tracy starts to pet her.
"Luna, at least I know you'll always be there for me," Tracy says.
Two minutes later she feels a pair of strong arms wrap around her. She looks to her left and sees Antonio's face. She moves closer to set her head on his shoulder.
"Tony, I can't believe that my friendship with Ashley was based on the fact that she thought I was weak and needed to be protected," Tracy says.
"Honey, you said that you and Ashley meet in daycare. So, she was just a little girl then. Isn't the whole reason why parents put their kids in daycare is to help them learn how to socialize with other kids. I think you need to try to let Ashley explain everything to you." Antonio says.
"Sorry sweetie that never going to happen, remember, I said I never talking to her again," Tracy says.
They sit outside until Ji tells them that dinner is ready. Throughout dinner, Tracy refused to make eye contact with Ashley. Ashley is sick of Tracy giving her the cold shoulder. She decides to get Tracy to talk to her. She sets down her fork.
"Tracy, Pasar la sal, por favor," Ashley asks in broken Spanish.
Tracy doesn't say anything. She hands the salt shaker to Antonio. He passes it to Ashley. She thanks him as she puts some salt on her French fries. Then she puts the shaker down on the table. A few minutes later everyone finished eating. All the others can hear as girls leave the room is the squeaking of their shoes.
-After Saving the World-
Sunday morning came and the girls still aren't talking to each other. Breakfast went the same as dinner on Friday. Ashley heads to her and Jayden room. Jayden comes in a few minutes later. He sees her putting on her track jacket.
"Hey Ash, I thought you two would have made up by now." Jayden says.
"I thought so too. I'm going for a jog. I'll be back in a half an hour." Ashley says.
Jayden tells her to be careful. Ashley tells him that she will. She kisses him on the cheek before leaving the room. Ashley takes the back exit and jogs off into the forest.
Meanwhile in the living room Tracy and Antonio and Chris and Tracy snuggled together on the couch watching TV. They finish watching Good Luck Charlie so Chris turns off the TV. Tracy gets out of Antonio's arms and tires to get the remote back from her brother. Lauren moves away once she sees Tracy take out her samuraizer.
"Wait you still have that thing?" Chris asks.
"Of course I do. You never know when I might need my symbol power." Tracy answers.
Tracy starts to draws a really small blizzard symbol. Chris asks his sister if she is going to activate it. She says she won't it he give her the remote. Chris quickly hands his sister the remote. She thanks him and walks back over to Antonio. She turns the TV back on just as another episode of Good luck Charlie was about to start. Chris waits for a commercial before he asks his sister a question.
"Sis, when are you going to patch things up with Ashley?" Chris asks.
"Bro, why do even care anyway?" Tracy answers.
"I care because I can tell you are sad. I hate seeing you this way." Chris says.
"Lauren, what have you done to my brother?" Tracy asks.
"Nothing I sear. Tracy I just remembered. You never told me or Antonio the story of how you and Ashley became friends." Lauren answers.
"I thought I did." Tracy says.
"No you didn't my little angel fish. Every time you tried the gap senor would go off." Antonio says.
"I guess I could tell you. Since you two really want to hear it.
Tracy clears her throat and starts to tell the story. Tracy just turned two so Ballade decided to put her in day care. When Ballade dropped her off Tracy cried and told her not to go. Ballade promise her that she would come back to pick her. The worker took Tracy's hand and they went inside. Tracy was enjoying herself until they went outside to play. Tracy was playing in the sand box trying to make a sand castle. It wasn't going to well. Two of the older kids walk over to her. One kid that is wearing blue shirt says that is bad at making sand castles. The other one kid that is wearing an incredible hulk shirt destroys it. Tracy gets to her feet, tries to stand up to him, but she is too scared. The boy in the blue shirt pushes her down and she scraps her elbow on the edge of sand box. She starts to cry. Ashley walks up and tells the kid to leave Tracy alone or she is going to tell on him. The boys walk away a few seconds later. Ashley helps Tracy up. They go back inside so one of the workers could look at her elbow. After the worker clean her up. Tracy thanks Ashley for her help. Then they spent the rest of the day playing together.
"Aw, that was a cute story." Lauren says.
"Yeah, I guess so. Chris, why should I be the one to patch things up anyway Ashley was the one who lied." Tracy says.
"True but the only way for the two of you to end this is for one of you to be the better person and decide to end all of this." Chris says.
"Chris, I'm already the better person why do have to act like it." Tracy says.
Chris is about to argue back when the show comes back on. He decides to wait for the next commercial break to continue this conversation. Ten minutes later there was another commercial break. Chris clears his throat. He tries again to get his sister to go find Ashley to patch things up with her.
"Chris, if I promise to go find Ashley after this show ends. Will you stop badgering me?" Tracy says.
Chris nods. Fifteen minutes later the show ends and Tracy gets up. She heads out to the back exit. She waits ten minutes before she decides to actually leave the house. Jayden runs up to her.
"Tracy, are you going to find Ashley?" Jayden asks.
"Yes," Tracy answers.
Jayden says that's he is worried that Ashley isn't back yet. Tracy tells him to relax she is sure that Ashley is fine. She just lost track of time. Jayden asks if he can go with her. She says yes. They leave the house and walks into the forest. Meanwhile deeper in the forest Ashley is jogging back when she trip on a root and twisted her ankle. She tries to get to her feet bit the pain is too much. She sits back down on the dirt path. She reaches into her pocket and takes out her phone. She opens it to find that the battery is dead.
I thought I plugged it in last night.
Ashley hopes that Tracy will come and find her. She lets out a loud whistle that sounds like a Chipping Sparrow. Back with Tracy and Jayden, "Tracy, you heard that bird call a few seconds ago, didn't you?' he asks
" Yes," Tracy answers.
"What kind of bird call was that anyway? I know that bird doesn't live around here." Jayden says.
"It was a Chipping Sparrow and it lives in Michigan." Tracy answers.
Tracy whistles back with her Robin whistle telling Ashley to keep going. Jayden asks her what she is doing. Tracy tells him that she is calling back to Ashley using their bird call code. Jayden asks her when she and Ashley made up this code.
"We made it up in Second grade after we came back from a field trip to the state park." Tracy answers.
"If she is using the code that must mean she isn't mad at you anymore."Jayden says.
"I guess so." Tracy says.
Tracy and Ashley continue to call back and forth to each other for the next ten minutes. They see Ashley sitting on the dirt trail. Tracy decides to stand next to the tree to her left. Jayden rushes over to help her. HE asks her is she is ok. Ashley says that she is fine. She just hurt her ankle. Jayden helps her to her feet. He helps her over to Tracy.
"Ashley, I'm so sorry for the way I've been acting lately." Tracy says in a raspy tone.
"Tracy, I'm the one who should be apologizing. I want you to know that our friendship mean everything to me. I don't think that you're weak. You're the strongest person I've ever meet. Please be my best friend again I need you." Ashley says in the same tone.
Tracy starts to cry. Ashley reminds her that she shouldn't do that. Every time that she would start to cry it would make her cry. Tracy says she knows that. The tears continue to flow and she tries to talk. Jayden tries to tell the girls that they should rest their voices.
"Don't worry Jay we will. Ashley, I don't know if I've told you this before. You're not just my best friend. You're my hero and like a sister to me." Tracy says in a horsey tone.
Ashley motion for her to come closer and they share a best friend hug. After they back away everyone heads back to the Shiba house. After dinner everyone heads to the living room. Tracy looks over towards the dojo and sees a karaoke machine.
"Bro, did you rent that?" Tracy asks.
"Yes, I thought we could have a little karaoke contest." Chris answers.
"Fine but Ashley and I are going to win." Tracy says.
"Not if I can help it." Chris says.
Chris and Lauren go first. They sing Don't Go Breaking My Heart. Jayden sings My Girl. Antonio sings El lado oscuro Del amor. Tracy and Ashley go up to the machine. Tracy picks their favorite song from when they were kids. A few seconds "True Friend" begins to play. After they finish the songs everyone applauds. They walk back over to the group. Antonio comments on how great they sounded together. The girls thank him. Chris admits defeat and tells them that they won.
"I knew we would. I mean were made a great team even when we sang as kids." Tracy says.
"We are an ever better team now." Ashley says.
"Yes we are ash tree." Tracy says.