Two Weeks Later
"Look!" Rosemary gushed as she held the box in her hand that had just been delivered. "It's from Vreeny!"
The girls all held in laughter at the nickname she'd given him. She had driven them crazy with constant talk of 'Vreeny' since two weeks before when they'd started dating. Jan, on the other hand, had said barely a word about Bochra even though they were still dating, too. She was being very tight-lipped about her Romulan.
"Well what's in the box?" prodded Jan.
Rosemary tore the thing open and the four girls oohed and aahed about what was in there. It was the latest PADD that had just come out in stores two days before. "It's the PADD Thai 360!"
"It's got the newest net interface and you can watch four shows at the same time!" Lina gushed.
"He must love me!" Rosemary shouted.
Jan pointed at her betta fish. "Captain Wentworth is not happy about this," she joked.
Rosemary smiled at the fish. "Would you like to watch fishies, little fishy?" She pulled up the old Earth movie Ponyo. "Here you go!" And she placed the PADD in direct sight of the fish on the shelf.
"She gets a new PADD and the fish gets a movie," laughed Lina.
"Captain Wentworth is worth it!" Jan said.
Someone's message tone went off just then. "Speaking of PADDs," said Bea. "That's mine." She went and got it, turned it on and frowned.
"What is it?" asked Lina.
"It's Solok. He wants to see me in one hour in his office."
"Do you think you're in trouble for that last time you guys spoke?" asked Lina.
Bea shook her head. "I don't think so. I think he'd have called me in way sooner about that." She started getting her things together. "I better get going now if I want to get there on time."
"I'd come with you," said Lina, "but Taurik's coming over to study."
"Oh, Tauuuurik?" teased Bea.
She sucked her teeth. "He's just a study partner, okay?"
"Sure he is," teased Jan. "And Bochra's just a stand-in for the man of my dreams." All of the girls were now laughing at Lina. "Who do you think you're fooling? You've got it bad for that Vulcan."
She waved them all off. "If you will all excuse me," she said as she went to go and do her hair. "I've got curls to get in order."
She disappeared into the back. "Oh, she totally loves him!" Jan laughed.
Bea left then to go see Solok at his office.
##
The moment she arrived, Solok found himself entranced with her non-caring attitude. "What do you want?" she asked as she strolled in and sat casually in a chair.
"I have asked you here because I believe you are under the wrong impression about me."
She rolled her eyes. "Okay, say what you need to say and make it quick. It's my turn to cook dinner at home tonight."
"I am hard on cadets so that they will achieve their greatest results possible in all fields. Can you not agree that under my tutelage and drive you were able to attain greater results in your endeavors?"
She shrugged. "I guess so."
"Then you agree it is only logical that you give me another chance?"
She frowned. Chance? Chance at what? "Sir?"
"You should allow me to take you out for a meal and perhaps we may connect in a way other than student and instructor."
Bea only sat there staring at him for a whole five seconds. She wasn't breathing, blinking or even thinking. She came back to life and began looking around herself. "Where's the cameras?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"What in the world did my friends do convince you to pull this off?" she asked as she started checking all around his office for surveillance equipment. "I appreciate a joke just as much as the next person, but this has gone too far!"
"I am not in jest, Cadet Wilder!" Solok insisted.
"See, if you meant what you just asked, you wouldn't be calling me 'Cadet Wilder'!"
"It is your name, is it not?"
"And I suppose you were born in formal wear!" she shouted. "I'm outta here!"
"Where do you think you're going?" he snapped.
"Just because you're my superior doesn't mean you have the right to make fun of me!" she yelled and then stormed out of his office.
##
Taurik was about to leave just as Bea was walking back into the apartment. "The man is a jerk!" Bea declared loudly.
"Things didn't go well with Solok, did they?" asked Lina.
"He tried to prank me!" she shouted.
Taurik's eyebrow shot up. "I highly doubt that."
"Well what do you call it when a Vulcan who's been nothing but mean and combative suddenly suggests you go to dinner to get to know him better?" she shouted. "That's a great big JOKE!" she said and then burst into tears. "I'm going to go and take a shower!" she blubbered and then walked to the back of the apartment to get her things together. "I'll cook dinner in 10 minutes!"
Taurik's eyebrow rose even more. "I do believe your cousin's predilection for illogic has reached an all-new high."
"What'd you say about my cousin?" snapped Lina.
"I simply stated that-"
"Well you can get out then!" Lina said and then opened the door.
Taurik, confused, walked to the door. "May I ask what I did wrong?"
"She's hurt and all you can do is speak badly about her? Well then good-bye till next week!"
He had the door slammed in his face.
Lina turned and looked at the betta swirling in his bowl. "Good riddance, right, Captain Wentworth?"
And the fish swirled on.