This chapter ended up a bit longer due to my rearranging some things since I really wanted Otto to encounter Reggie and Twister again for chapter 12. I wouldn't have been able to do that if I'd kept it the way I had originally.

As for this chapter's contents…not too much I can say. Just showing what Twister and Reggie are up to after leaving the amusement park.

Now, as always, I do not own anything dealing with Rocket Power. Klasky-Csupo has that honor.

Chapter 10: True Feelings Revealed?

They finally arrived at the big wheel, and luckily for them, they made it just in time to get into the last empty basket.

"Yeah, we made it!" Reggie cheered as she sat down. Twister nodded with a goofy grin, and sat beside her.

"Oh, isn't the sunset beautiful from here?" Reggie asked when they were stopped at the top.

'Not as beautiful as you,' he thought without realizing it. He soon inwardly slapped himself. 'No, Reg is not beautiful! She's not pretty! She's my friend! Friends aren't supposed to be pretty!'

"Twister?"

"Oh, yeah, it's nice looking," the boy said quickly.

"Twister, what's wrong?"

'I can't get you off of my mind and I can't figure out why, that's what's wrong!' He scratched his head, knowing he definitely couldn't share that thought. "Um, I was wondering why you like the Merry-go-round so much."

She nearly gasped. 'He remembered? I didn't distract him long enough to forget about it?'

"Reg?"

"Um-"

"You said that you would tell me later and it's later."

"Why do you want to know?"

"I guess I'm a little curious. I've always been curious, but I always forget to ask. You're a Rocket; Rockets normally like fast and extreme stuff."

"You mean Otto and Raymundo like fast and extreme stuff. I do too, but the Merry-go-round, it…it..."

He stared at her, awaiting an answer. "It what?"

"Well, it means a lot to me, that's all," she responded softly as she enchantingly stared out at the sky filled with peach overtones from the setting sun. 'Would Twister bust on me if I told him about it? Well…he is a nice guy and a bit sensitive himself at times. Maybe he wouldn't think of me as lame…and come to think about it, Sammy probably wouldn't either.'

"But how can a ride like that mean so much to you?"

She sighed. He actually sounded more concerned than curious, but his eyes showed extreme interest. She finally gave in, and shared why she enjoyed the ride so much. Twister listened attentively as she told the entire story.

"How come you never told that story before?"

"Well…I thought that you guys would've thought of me as lame if I had…"

"Lame?! Why would you think that? That wasn't lame and you're not lame!"

"I don't know why I never really talked about it or why I thought I would sound lame if I did. *It's just that Otto never seems to like hearing stories about mom much, and he doesn't talk about her. Dad's always busy, and when we do start talking about her, he normally does all of the talking, telling me stories about the times he and my mom shared back in 'the good old days'."

"I still don't get it, Reg. I still don't know why you thought it would be lame. Isn't it good that you remember something your mother liked?"

"Y-yeah, I guess… Hey, you and Otto have been best bros for like forever, has he ever talked about mom with you?"

"I don't think he's ever talked about her. I don't even remember your mom all that well. I do remember that after she died, that's when Otto started shredding more and got me into it too!"

"Yeah, you're right. He did start skating more after mom died!" Reggie started to think over her friend's words. 'I wonder if…'

Before the girl could finish her thought, the Ferris Wheel came to a stop.

"Yo, Rocket Girl, it's time to get off."

She jerked her head up, her thoughts broken, and saw that her companion was standing up. She stood as well, and started to walk behind him. When she was about to step out, she lost her balance and almost fell back into her seat. Twister, with his fast reflexes, grabbed her hand.

"Are you alright, Reg?"

"Um, yeah, sure," she managed to say as her face grew hot and slightly flushed. She hoped that he wouldn't notice. 'This is Twister. Why am I acting like such a kook just because he's helping me?'

He helped her up and she stepped out of the basket.

"Thanks, Twist." She avoided staring at the boy. "So-so how about we hit the shack now?" she suggested, a nervous quirk in her voice.

"Yeah! I can't wait to eat some of those chili cheeseburgers!"

Relieved that Twister was too distracted by his empty stomach to notice her state, she nodded. "Well, let's hurry up then!"

The two rushed out of the park and hurried over to the Shore Shack. There weren't nearly as many customers around as there had been earlier before they'd gone to the amusement park. The tables, though, were still filled with a handsome amount of tourists and "shoobies". 'They all probably went to the amusement park or the movies and stopped here for a bite,' Reggie figured.

"Aloha 'lil cuzzes!" a cheery voice rang, belonging to a certain chubby Hawaiian from behind the counter. "Hey, Raymundo, look at what the tide washed in!"

Ray looked up from the soda fountain and smiled. "Hey kids!"

"Hey Raymundo, hey Tito," the two greeted as they took their usual seats in front of the counter. It as pretty much the only place left to sit.

"Tito and I were wondering where you kids were."

"We just had some homework to do," Reggie said quickly.

"Studying really hard, eh 'lil cuzzes?"

"Yeah, since we'll be taking finals pretty soon."

Tito smiled at the two proudly. "So, what will our future journalist and cinematographer like for dinner?"

"I'll have five Mackerel Limburger Fish Tacos!"

Reggie's eyes went wide as she dynamically shook her head. "Oh no you're not!" she threatened while waving a finger at him. "If you want to stay here, you are not going to eat that smelly stuff around me."

Twister lowered his head. "Aww man~~"

Ray laughed, and whispered to the two, "If Tito made that, we wouldn't have to worry about the Shoobie Rush."

"Okay, since I can't have that, I want a humungo order of fries, a giant double chili bacon cheeseburger, extra spicy, with a giant coke!"

"Comin' right up, 'lil cuz!"

"How about you, Rocket Girl?"

"Well, dad, I want a Hula Burger, a small order of fries, a garden salad with Italian dressing, and a bottled water."

"A salad?"

"I'm just eating healthier, that's all," Reggie told Twister simply.

Ray handed Twister his coke and a bottled water to Reggie while Tito started their orders.

"I saw you two earlier heading to the amusement park," Ray propped his arm on the counter, his chin resting in the palm of his right hand, "where are Otto and Sam?"

"Well, um, Otto, he-"

"It was a spur of the moment thing," Twister interrupted, figuring that Reg didn't want to discuss her brother. Reg was grateful for it. "We just decided to go. O-man is probably still practicing for the competition and," he shuddered slightly, "the Squid is probably studying."

"What's wrong with studying?"

"Nothing, Raymundo. Hanging here at the Pier and on the Boardwalk is just more fun." Twister went back to his drink.

"Well, you guys are pretty mature and responsible." Right at that moment, Twister gave off a loud belch, which caused Ray to wrinkle up his nose. "Um, Reggie is pretty responsible and mature, and she'll make sure that you and Otto get your work done."

"That's always been the case dad." The girl turned her attention to Twister and started to mock him. "I have to babysit wittle Twister and make sure he stays out of twouble." She squeezed his cheek and laughed playfully.

The boy stopped drinking on his soda and protested. "I do not need a babysitter, and the name's Maurice…I mean Twister!"

"I'm just joshin' ya Twist." She turned her attention back to her dad. "Hey, we got on the most awesome ride! The Cave of Terror!"

"I don't know if I like the sound of that, Rocket Girl."

"Raymundo, just because you're scared of haunted rides doesn't mean that I am."

"I'm not scared of any haunted rides!"

"But dad, the ride is haunted by the spirits of dead poodles."

"POODLES!" Ray shrieked in fear.

Reggie laughed. "Chill, dad, I'm just kiddin'."

"Um, I-I knew that. J-just silly. So, um, what was this ride about, anyway?"

"The ride is haunted by this family that went exploring during a camping trip, but they never found their way out! It's said that the most ferocious monsters and beasts slaughtered them after getting lost in one of the many caverns. To this day, their bodies have never been found, and that the family's remains are still hidden someplace. Their spirits are wandering the cave, trying to find their way out, not even realizing that they're dead."

Reggie finished up the tale with a spooky laugh, which caused Ray to shudder as he handed Reggie her fresh garden salad.

"Wow, and you two actually rode on it?"

"Yeah, we sure did. It was scary and fun, especially that part towards the end with that weird shadow on the wall."

Twister nearly choked on his drink after hearing that. That was when he hugged her. That just didn't sound right. Was she really talking about the shadow on the wall, or was it her subtle way of saying she enjoyed the sudden hug from him? He figured it couldn't have been the latter.

"What was so special about it?"

She took a couple of bites of her salad before answering. "Well, it made your imagination run wild! When I saw the shadow, it looked like a headless man, and Twister, I'm assuming, thought it was a giant monkey!"

"Ehehehe," the boy bashfully laughed in embarrassment. "Can I have some more soda please, Raymundo?"

"Sure thing." He took the cup to refill it.

"Here we are 'lil cuzzes," Tito announced setting down two plates. "One giant extra spicy, double chili bacon cheeseburger combo for Twister and a hula burger and small fry for my fav 'lil wahini cuz."

"All right!" Twister said while rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

"Thanks Tito."

"¡Muchas gracias, Tito!"

"No problem." At this point, Twister had taken a big bite out of his burger and Reggie was still chowing down on her salad. "Oh, I just remembered, your friends came by before you two got here."

"What fwiends, Tito?"

"You really need to work on your manners, Twist," Ray commented dryly as he handed the boy his soda.

"Trish and Sherry came by for shakes."

Reggie smacked her forehead. "Oh my gosh! I totally forgot! I was supposed to meet up with them at the amusement park, but I was having so much fun with Twist, it slipped my mind! I guess I'll call them when I get home to explain what happened. I don't want them to think I ditched them."

"What are you two going to do after you leave here?" asked Ray.

"I know what I want before I leave," Twister grinned, "another one of these burgers, and then Tito can hook me up with an ice cream sundae!"

"You're starting to eat like Sammy!"

"No need to worry about Twister gaining any weight, Rocket Girl," Ray said with a friendly, yet envious smile. "As active as he is, he'll probably never have to worry about it."

"Anyway, after here, we'll just go home. I still have some math homework to finish up."

"I do too! Maybe we could do our math homework together, Reg. Just like the Squid said, I could use all the help I can get, and I always have math homework."

"I guess you could come over tonight, if it's okay with Raymundo."

"Sure, it's okay with me. You can stay the night too if you want, just ask your folks first."

"Cool, thanks Raymundo!"

"If you want me to help you with your Geometry, Twist, then you need to hurry up and finish."

"Okay, okay, but you know, Reg," he gave her a sly grin, "tacos are faster to eat…"

"Don't!" the girl interrupted, putting her now half-eaten burger back down onto her plate. There was no way she was going to let him eat those smelly things around her.

"But if we leave after we finish this, I won't have time to eat a sundae," he sulked.

"We can make you one at home, now hurry up and eat!"

Twister didn't argue, as he inhaled the remainder of his meal and gulped down the rest of his soda. Reggie could only stare in wonder as she continued with her meal. She had no idea that Twister could eat in such a fashion when in a hurry.

"Okay, I'm finished," the boy said with a burp, "but could I maybe get a chili bacon cheeseburger to go?"

"I'm way ahead of you cuz." Tito handed the boy a Styrofoam container. Twister opened it up to see a double chili bacon cheeseburger with the works inside. "Other than Sam, you're the only other person I know who can eat two of my chili bacon cheeseburgers."

Twister hopped off the stool. "Way cool! Thanks a lot, Tito!"

"Yeah, thanks for everything, Tito." Reggie waved to them. "See you guys later."

"Bye kids," Ray called as the two walked off.

"Hmm…"

"What's wrong, bro?"

"Nothing…just wondering about some things…"

"Mind sharing?"

"No, no bruddah. It's probably nothing."

Ray shrugged. "If you say so."

'Okay, now I'm starting to see it as a bit strange that those two are hanging together now. I'm surprised neither one of them mentioned Sammy or Otto and maybe doing their homework together as a group…but, if Ray doesn't think anything of it, then I probably shouldn't either. They're friends and have known each other for practically their entire lives…'
x x x x
Reggie and Twister made their way back home, walking in an awkward, deafening silence.

The girl didn't understand why she was feeling so apprehensive and strange around the younger boy, whom she'd always seen as a brother, even if she hadn't thought of him much in that way lately. She thought back over the past occurrences of the day as well as before then. She was curious as to why he was acting in such a fashion and why she just couldn't shake that feeling or why she was feeling somewhat shy around him. 'I guess he was just trying to be nice…but why did he act like that? I don't think he's ever treated me as nicely as he did today. I mean, I know he's a nice person and all…but…I don't know…'

As for Twister, the same thing that had always seemed to bug him more and more recently was on his mind…Reggie. He really enjoyed the time he spent with her….just the two of them and wouldn't have minded doing so again and didn't get that either. He didn't understand why since it was normal to hang out at the amusement park together, but why was everything so different now? During their walk, he caught himself glancing over at her, and having to stop himself. It was wrong to stare at Reggie in any way or form, he felt.

After what seemed like an eternity to the teens, they finally arrived at their cul-de-sac and headed to the Rocket home. When they reached the door, Reggie started to fumble around her pocket nervously, looking for the key. 'It's okay, it's okay, it's only Twister. He's been here without Raymundo around lots of times,' she told herself as she unlocked the door, heading in. Twister remained on the stoop, staring at her again, like he had no control over it, the silence even greater. It was driving Rocket Girl crazy, though. At the shack and the amusement park, it was okay. 'Maybe because people were around?'

"I had a lot of fun with you, Twister," Reggie managed to get out, trying her best to sound cool and casual.

"Really?"

"Yeah, it was really fun, hanging with just you. Thanks for trying your best to cheer me up, it really helped."

"I didn't seem like a lame-o to you?"

Reggie laughed. "Now why would I think of you as a lame-o?"

"I dunno," he mumbled.

"I enjoyed hanging out, just the two of us," she repeated, "and I-I like you Twist, so of course you're not a lame-o."

Before he realized it, with a dreamy look on his face, he said in a faint, quiet voice, "*Te amo, tambien, Reggie…"

"Huh, what?"

The realization of his words sunk in. He'd meant to think it, not say it, and the fact that he thought it was strange, and scary, to him as well. "No, ¡no te amo! ¡Te quiero! I mean, no! ¡Lo siento, Reggie!"

She could only blink and arch an eyebrow up at him. She had no idea what any of that meant. She took French and Sam took Japanese. "Um, Twist, are you okay? You don't look so well."

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" he got out quickly.

"What did all of that mean, anyway?"

He started to sweat, and fumbled with his hat. "Well, um, Reg, it-it means that I like hanging with you too!" he lied. Would she buy it? 'I can't believe I said that! We're friends! She's my friend! We aren't a couple! She's not my girlfriend…' The word "girlfriend" played throughout the boy's mind. It had a ring to it and he surprisingly liked the sound of it. His receiving a kiss from Rocket Girl, surfing together, shredding Madtown together, just the two of them. He shook off the thought quickly. He really hated the fact that he was starting to think of Reggie in this way and just wished it would all go away. 'I must be sick...'

She didn't fully believe him, but figured it had to have been somewhat bad for him to react in this way. "Twister?"

"So, um…how about that homework?"

"Oh, yeah…that's right. Come on in."

The boy picked up his backpack by the door, and plopped down on the sofa in the living room. He started to take out his math materials. Reggie had rushed up stairs to get her math things, such as her Algebra II text, notebook, graphing paper, and her graphing calculator. She took a seat beside the boy.

"Okay, let's get down to business!"

"Thanks, Reg, for helping me. I really want to get good grades, and it would be nice to graduate with nice grades, and I really do want to go to college and stuff."

The girl was amazed by this revelation, and wondered why he'd never been very vocal about it before. She'd had no idea that Twister was so adamant on working towards getting good grades. It almost reminded her of when Twister was interested in singing in the choir and how he liked singing in general and how he kept it to himself in fear of being teased. She wondered if that was why. "That's a good way to think, Twist. I'm impressed." She grew silent, as she thought of her words. She recalled someone else saying similar things like that…her mother. She shook off the thought, as she realized something. "Hey, you haven't been home since we left this morning, have you?" He shook his head. "You should probably let your folks know where you are, even though it isn't too late. It's about 8:30."

"Okay, okay!"

"That's a good wittle boy," she teased with a gentle smile.

"Reggie!"

"You know I'm just teasing, Maurice," she laughed. Teasing him helped to suppress those odd feelings that seemed to have been trying to build its way back up.

He ignored his friend, and dialed home. In no time at all, he got an answer…

"Hola, mamá." [Hello, mom.]

The woman on the other end answered, "Mauricio, ¿dónde estás?" [Maurice, where are you?]

"Estoy en casa de los Rocket con Reggie." [I'm at the Rocket home with Reggie/I'm over at the Rocket's with Reggie.]

"¿Y Otto?" [And Otto?]

"Otto?"

"Sí, ¿no está con ustedes?" [He's not with you?/He's not with you all?]

"No, no está aquí." [No, he's not here.]

"¿Y entonces, qué haces ahí?" [Then why are you there?]

"Reggie va ayudarme con mi tarea de la geometría." [Reggie is going to help me with my Geometry homework.]

She exclaimed happily, "¡Que bueno! Reggie es muy amable al ayudarte. Eso era justo lo que necesitabas." She then told the boy sternly, "No se te olvide darle las gracias, ¡Mauricio!" [That's great! It's very nice of Reggie to help you. That's just what you needed. Don't forget to thank her, Maurice!]

"Sí, le daré las gracias." [Yes, I'll thank her./Yes, I am going to give thanks (probably a more literal translation)]

The boy sighed over what his mother ordered him to do. He felt it would've been common courtesy to give the girl his thanks without his mother having to tell him that. He hated the fact that his mother still treated him like a baby.

"Te perdiste la cena, mijo," Mrs. Rodriguez noted, "¿comiste algo?" [You missed dinner, have you eaten anything?]

He sighed again and rolled his eyes, anxious to hang up. "Sí, ya comí." [Yes, I ate.]

"¿Seguro?" [Are you sure?]

"Sí, mamá. Seguro." [Yes, mom, I'm sure.]

"Aún tienes que estudiar mucho." [You have to study hard./You have a lot to study.]

"Sí…por cierto, Raymundo dijo que podía quedarme esta noche a estudiar, pero que te preguntara primero. ¿Puedo?" [Yeah…by the way, Raymundo said that I can stay over tonight, but I had to ask you first. Can I?]

She smiled. "Sí, sí puede." [Yes, yes you may.]

"¡Muchísimas gracias, mamá!" [Thanks a lot, mom!]

"De nada." [You're welcome.]

"¡Hasta mañana!" [See you tomorrow!]

"¡Buenos noches, mijo! ¡Estudie mucho!" [Good night, my son! Study hard!]

He hanged up the phone, feeling relieved.

"I didn't understand much of that, but I do know what 'gracias', 'hola', and 'hasta 'mañana' mean. I also heard you mention Otto, Raymundo, and me. Everything else you said it kind of fast.

"I just told her I was here and what Raymundo told us up at the shack."

"How come you don't speak Spanish much? I keep forgetting at times that you know it."

He shrugged, "No sé."

"Huh?"

"I don't know," he translated. "Why bother speaking it when no one other than family and Spanish teachers understand it?" he replied dully.

"It never stopped you before from saying stuff that no one else would get. You came up with some interesting things when you were younger…but I was just wondering, don't you have a decent grade in Spanish?"

He diverted his attention to the floor. "Maybe…"

"How come you decided to take Spanish anyway if you already know it fluently through your family?"

"Well, the Spanish they teach us is a little different from what my family speaks. There are different types of Spanish."

"Wait, really?"

He nodded. "My family speaks Mexican Spanish because that's where they're from. The type of Spanish they teach in school is like the type of Spanish they would speak in like Spain. Some of the words are different too and have different meanings."

"I guess it's just like American English and….New Zealand English, for example. Like how we have different words with the same meaning, like 'mug' and 'kook'."

"Yeah, exactly!"

"But you do get good grades in Spanish, right?"

He nodded sheepishly. "Reg, can you promise to keep a secret?"

"Um, sure. What is it?"

"Don't tell anyone that I get really high grades in Spanish."

"Why not?"

"Well….it's just that…" he started to twiddle his thumbs, "…I don't think it's fair to the others. I feel like I have an unfair advantage…like I'm cheating almost. In class I usually just play dumb."

"Aw, Twist, how sweet. I won't tell if it means that much to you."

"Thanks, Reg," he grinned goofily.

"Anyway, let's get to work!"

"Right…"

"You said you were having trouble with proofs to Sammy the other day, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah. He tried to help me, but he just made it even more confusing!"

"Alright, let's see what we can do. This was a breeze for me when I took Geometry last year."

"I'm glad I'm not in advanced Geometry like you were. My D- would probably be an F- now."

"Aw, come on Twister, you know you can't score that low. We're going to work hard and try to bring up that D of yours to a C by the time finals come around! You're going to be eating and dreaming Geometry by the time I'm done with you!"

Reggie was so focused on the challenge set before her, she had no time to feel uncomfortable. Twister was glad to see this side of her, showing off that true Rocket determination that both she and Otto shared.

"Gracias una vez más, Reggie."

"Um, de nada!" she replied back. She figured it meant thanks in some way, despite not knowing what "una vez más" meant.

"It means, 'thanks again'."

"Well, de nada still, anyway."

"Um, Reg…before we start, could we, um…"

"Could we what?"

"Have those ice cream sundaes like you promised?"

"TWISTER!"

"What?"

"You can get your sundae after you do your work! It's more important."

"You promise?"

"I promise, and if you work out all of your problems, and they're correct, you can have extra chocolate syrup and some cookies."

"But, I just don't understand this stuff…"

To Reggie he sounded discouraged already. "Don't worry, Twist," she gave him a reassuring smile, "I'll help you out as best as I can, and if you want, I can tutor you from now on if you really need as much help as you say."

Realizing that he didn't have anything to lose, he gave her a nod. "Right on, Rocket Girl!"

"So, what's your assignment?"

"Let's see, page 279, problems 1-30 odd."

The two started up on their homework for the remainder of the early night. Twister was starting to understand the material a bit better, not entirely, but better than what he did earlier. Sam's method was just too confusing, and so was his math teacher's, but Reggie's way was different. She didn't use such jargon, as Sam would have and she kept things simple and used examples that he could apply to an everyday situation. It was similar to when he and Otto were both in 5th grade and had Conroy as their teacher. When teaching gravity, he applied it to something that the class could relate it to by having them skateboard. Reggie figured that Twister was definitely the type who learns best when he could actually do something, not just sit and listen. A hands-on learner. She also gave him some tips on how she remembered some of the rules to do the work.

After their work was finished (it only took a little over an hour), the two finally had their sundaes and Twister ate his burger. While doing so, they decided to watch a bit of television. While flipping, they came to an old surf movie, which wasn't very interesting, and it definitely showed. Both teens fell asleep, right there on the couch, Reggie's head resting on Twister's left, broad shoulder…
x x x

Author's Notes

Note 1: I don't know why I could see Otto being the one to hold back his feelings regarding his mother. I guess it's due to the fact that he always acts so tough, and if anyone was to ever catch him crying, he would definitely go out of his way to deny it. He just seems like the type who'd bottle up feelings pertaining to sensitive issues due to not knowing how to approach them, instead of just letting them out and sharing them.
x x x
Note 2: Okay, "te amo" and "te quiero" are two ways of saying, "I love you". "Te amo" is just a more romantic, and loving way of saying it, whereas "te quiero" is more casual and can be used in a non-romantic situation, like maybe with family. Of course if I'm wrong, feel free to correct me. "Te amo, tambien" means, "I love you too" and "lo siento" means, I'm sorry.