"Thanks for coming with me to buy these, I really appreciate it." Tootie currently carried a large bag of video games, many of which she was able to buy only thanks to Heather being the one who actually purchased them.
"Sure. My dad wasn't too big on getting things like this for me, said the more violent ones would corrupt my mind. But look at me now, dating a fourteen year old girl!"
Tootie blushed and looked around nervously. "C-can you keep your voice down?! Who even said we were dating?! All I did was sleep with you! ...Not like that!" Tootie felt she needed to add the last part.
"Oh? Well then, care to explain what exactly the two of us have going on between us?" Heather stopped and stared, her normally bored expression replaced by one that was somewhere between annoyance and genuine confusion.
"I... think it would be... prudent to talk about this back at the apartment..."
"Now seems good."
"But... look, I'm just... not sure right now, you're funny and nice... and I do like you... but we just met! We haven't even known each other a week! How can we be sure of what this is between us?"
"We can't. That's what makes it exciting!"
"Well this is just too much excitement for me. First I find out my sister is dating my best friend and long time crush, then I find out she's moving out of our house, and he's moving in with her, then she tells me that her ex came back and nearly killed them, then I find out that the landlady that I just met wants some sort of relationship with me! It's too much right now!" Tootie didn't realize when she started shouting, but several people in the mall were now looking at her like she was insane, causing her to stick her face in her bag of games to avoid their stares.
She felt a hand rest on her shoulder and give it a gentle squeeze, it could only be Heather's.
"Alright."
Tootie looked up at her. "Alright?"
"Yeah, c'mon, we'll get something to eat at the food court, then we can try to figure this thing out, sound like a deal?"
Tootie noticed the sudden shift in Heather's personality. Normally, she was flirty and confident whenever she spoke, Tootie was fairly sure that she had never seen heather blush and was almost certain she never would, but right now, Heather was... not embarrassed or nervous... she was... reserved, modest, for lack of a better term.
"Um... alright..."
"Okay... you're gonna have to lead the way, I forgot where it is." She didn't, her photographic memory saw to that, but she figured it might be best to let Tootie lead, give her some confidence in what was clearly unfamiliar territory.
"Yes, um... follow me." Tootie shifted her bags to one hand and grabbed Heather's, then led her toward the food court.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the mall...
"Can- can we stop hugging now?"
Timmy chuckled quietly, but released Vicky and looked at her face. The blush was receding, but she still looked nervous. "Don't really like being public, huh?"
"You know that..."
"Sorry, I kinda forgot myself for a second there, when you suddenly got here... I dunno, I was just really happy to see you."
"Well... I'm not saying I didn't enjoy the hug, or seeing you... but let's try not to do that too often... it's just... it makes me uncomfortable... in public..."
"Vicky acting nervous? The end of the world must be coming..."
"Shut up!" Vicky shoved him playfully, a content grin spreading across her face.
"There we go! Got your smile back."
"You wanna do anything or...?"
Timmy scratched his chin in thought, then smiled evilly at her.
"We're not doing that! I meant like... get something to eat, or... I dunno."
"Killjoy. Fine, let's head to the food court."
Also meanwhile, several feet away...
"See Veronica? I knew keeping a close eye on him would bear fruit!"
"Do you know that girl?" Veronica looked over at Trixie, who had procured binoculars from... somewhere.
"No... I don't recognize her... but her and Timmy seem to get along really well..."
"Maybe his sister?"
"Nah, couldn't be, they look nothing alike."
"Maybe her mother or father is different from his?"
"Hm... could be... but... I dunno, they seem too different, he has brown hair, she has red. He has blue eyes, she has pink. Who's ever heard of pink eyes? I thought that was some kind of medical condition?"
"Actually, pink eye affects the white part of the eye, making it bloodshot and appear pink or red. Her eyes-" Veronica snatched the binoculars away from Trixie.
"Hey!"
"-appear to be naturally pink, the iris itself is, I mean, like how Timmy's are blue..." Veronica trailed off and stared at Timmy's eyes dreamily.
"Actually... no one cares. Her eyes are frickin' weird." Trixie snatched the binoculars back, snapping Veronica out of her reverie.
"I dunno... I think their eyes' kinda compliment each other, him having blue eyes, her having pink... like they were made... for... each other..." Veronica stopped and thought. "Trixie! You think that she might be his mystery girlfriend?"
"Maybe... yeah! I'm impressed Veronica! That's the first smart thing you've said all day!"
"Thank... you?"
"Of course! The hug, the look they gave each other... it makes sense now!"
"Hold on, doesn't she seem a little old to be his girlfriend? She must have... five or six years on him! I mean, I'm just guessing here..."
"It fits though. Why he wouldn't tell us! He's dating an older girl and one who's pretty trashy looking too."
"Trashy looking?" Veronica asked with disbelief. "Trixie, look at her, she looks like she just got out of the shower, but she looks great! Can you imagine if she put some effort into her appearance?"
Trixie put away the binoculars and focused on Veronica, a dangerous look in her eyes. "Are you saying she looks better than me?"
"Um... no... I wasn't..."
Trixie stepped forward and grabbed Veronica by the scruff of her turtle-neck. "I certainly hope not."
Veronica stared into Trixie's eyes. There was something scary... dangerous even, in them.
"You'd do well to remember who you're talking to, and who I am. No one is better looking than me, not that red head, not that nerdy looking girl that Timmy hangs out with, and certainly not you. Got it?"
"Um... y-yes-"
"Got it?!" Trixie's eye twitched slightly.
"Got it! Message received! Loud and clear!" Veronica wasn't sure when she did it, but Trixie now had her lifted off the ground.
"Good!" Trixie plastered a smile across her face and released Veronica, causing her to land on the floor on her backside.
"Now come on. We need to figure out who this red-headed witch is, and break those two love birds up!" Trixie spoke with passion that bordered on insanity.
Veronica stood up and dusted herself off, the more she heard of this plan, the less she liked it, she had already accepted that Timmy wouldn't be hers, but now Trixie wanted to break up Timmy and this new girl... "You can't just go through with this!" "What else can I do? If Trixie found out I went against her... it might be more than just my standing with the popular kids on the line..." Veronica shook the thoughts away and reluctantly followed after the girl who had her wrapped around her finger.
At the food court...
"You keep ordering cheeseburgers and you're likely to make us both fat... or kill us." Heather smiled at Tootie.
"Might as well live while we're young, that's what I think anyway."
"I suppose that's a good way to look at things..."
"Exactly! If we're fat when we're old, well, science will probably have advanced far enough to just... poof it away! Like magic."
Heather shrugged at Tootie's explanation. "A girl can dream, I suppose."
Tootie fell silent and looked across the table at Heather. "We're... kinda avoiding the issue, aren't we?"
"Maybe... but um..." Heather scratched her nose with her index finger. "Sorry, nervous habit."
"You? Nervous?"
"Hey, I'm human! And beneath all this confidence and flirtatiousness is still a regular girl."
"You sure?" Tootie couldn't hide the amusement in her voice.
"Smartass..." Heather laughed slightly. "I know I come off as... well, pushy, when it comes to my affections... I don't have a lot of experience with relationships... Hell, I didn't even have any friends in my old town. Your sister and Timmy are the first real friends I've ever had, so when I interacted with them at first... well, I suppose it made them uncomfortable. Timmy told me that it would be... let's say 'prudent' to cool my jets a little, so I laid off on them, but I think I know why I did what I did..."
"Because of your inexperience with relationships?"
"Yeah... but it was more than that... I think I'm jealous of them. I want that, what it is that they have..."
"Well... you can't just-"
"I know. I don't want to break them up, I just want... my own happiness, y'know?"
"So... you want me... and you?" it came out as more statement than question.
"I don't want to make you uncomfortable. If you want to take things slow... I get it." she reached across the table and gave Tootie's hand a(hopefully) reassuring squeeze.
"Thank you, really. I need to sort out... myself I guess."
"Take your time." Heather knew it wasn't going to be easy, she hoped that Tootie would at least still be okay with sharing the bed, it was nice to be able to get a full night's sleep.
"So, what are you two lovebirds up to?"
Heather rolled her eyes at Vicky's voice and pulled her hand away. "You two are the lovebirds, not us."
Timmy looked at Vicky, who looked at him, then both shrugged and spoke simultaneously. "It's true." both then partook in a quick kiss.
Heather gagged mockingly. In reality, she wished she could switch places with Timmy, if only for a minute... or sixty. "Well, since you guys are here, you want some cheeseburgers and... um... cheeseburgers?"
"..."
"Hey, don't look at me like that. This was Tootie's idea."
"I confess, it was."
"I'd be disappointed, were it not for the fact that it's mostly my fault..." Vicky spoke.
Timmy and Vicky sat down at the table. "So what did you guys get done?"
"Made a stop at the game store, picked up several things that are probably too graphic for a fourteen year old, then came here."
"We talked... about... things." Tootie admitted.
"What kind of things?" Vicky was curious now. "Naughty things? Interesting things? Timey-wimey things?"
"Relationship things." Tootie said quietly.
"Ah, I see. You two still trying to figure things out, huh?"
"Eh... kinda, we're taking it slow right now, right Tootie?"
"Yeah..."
"Oh... you gonna be able to handle the drought, Heather?"
"Pfft. I'm the very model of patience... then again, maybe I can entertain myself in other ways?" a smile crept across her face as she nudged Vicky, earning her a glare from the red-head.
"Do you want me to kick you? Because I will."
"Didn't know you liked it rough..." Heather whispered back.
"I don't, now shut up!" Vicky whispered back angrily.
Heather chuckled lightly, but said nothing more.
Some indeterminate time later...
"So what'd you get?" Timmy asked Tootie as the four made their way to Heather's car.
"I got a few things... here." Tootie seemed to be deep in thought as she handed Timmy the bag.
Timmy took notice of this and looked behind him at Vicky. He slowed down to match her pace. "I think it's 'big sister time'..."
"She seem that bad?"
"I dunno, it's hard to tell if she's depressed or just... thinking really hard, but her mind is definitely somewhere else..."
"Alright, I'll talk to her, thanks Timmy."
"Uh-huh." he watched Vicky quicken her pace toward Tootie, not noticing as Heather quickly strode over and looped an arm around his shoulders.
"How ya doin'?"
Timmy jumped at her sudden closeness. "Have I ever mentioned I have a weak heart? Because I do, and I think you just shaved five years off my life expectancy."
"Ah, you'll be fine. Now, I have a... proposition for you."
"I don't like the sound of this."
"Just listen. I... want some... 'alone time' with Vicky."
"Are you suggesting what I think you are?"
"If you think I'm suggesting that I want to sleep with your girlfriend, then yes."
"At least you don't beat around the bush... Where did this come from?"
"You both know that I like her, I mean, she's one Hell of a catch... Although..." Heather lightly caressed Timmy's face. "You're no slouch yourself..."
Timmy waved her hand away. "Stop that. When I said that I wasn't interested in some kinda three-way thing, I meant it. No matter how much the voice in the back of my head berates me for turning down the opportunity."
"Oh? So you've thought about it?"
"I'm a fourteen year old boy with raging hormones who shares a house with three very attractive women, so yeah, I've thought about it." Timmy's cheeks turned cherry-red. "That being said... multiple partners just complicate things..."
"You ever tried it?"
"No, but I've never taken a baseball bat to the face either, and I'm pretty sure it wouldn't feel too good."
"...Good point. But you haven't given me an answer yet either."
Timmy looked at Vicky, an obviously unsure expression on his face, he trusted her, he did. The problem was, this was Vicky, no matter how much he loved her and she loved him, she was still Vicky. And Vicky likely wouldn't turn down the opportunity that Heather was suggesting, given the chance. He knew Vicky liked Heather, somewhat more than a friend, though how much more, he wasn't sure. He also knew that Vicky usually turned down Heather's advances, whether it was out of loyalty toward his relationship with her, or if she was just denying what she really wanted, he also wasn't sure.
He finally returned his attention to Heather's expectant face. "Do as you like."
"Wha? Seriously?"
"Yeah, Vicky's a big girl, she's past her teens, and she knows how to make her own decisions. Her parents might have wanted to control her at one time, but they didn't succeed, not in the slightest. So what hope do I have? No that it matters, I know better. The only one in charge of Vicky's life, is Vicky."
"So you'll stay downstairs in my apartment while I go to Vicky's?"
"Mine too."
"Whatever."
"Much as this seems like a ploy to get me to screw around with Tootie while you're away, yeah, sure. She probably needs someone like me to keep her company anyway."
"Great! I owe you one!"
"You're lucky I trust you enough not to hurt her."
In the other conversation...
Vicky stepped on her sister's heel, causing her to stumble. "Trouble in paradise?"
"Not now Vicky..."
"Okay." Vicky stepped on her heel again.
"Vicky..."
"Hm? Something wrong Twerpette?"
"Yeah, you keep stepping on my heels..."
"Oh? I am? Sorry, didn't notice!"
"Right..."
Vicky took the opportunity to step on Tootie's heel again.
"Vicky!"
"Oh! An emotional response at last!"
"Why are you-"
"Tell me what's wrong."
"No-"
"Don't say 'nothing's wrong' you aren't mopey like this ever."
"It's just Heather. I don't... I don't know how I feel about her and all this."
"Well, she clearly likes you... and me... and Timmy..." Vicky stopped to think for several seconds.
"What do you think of her?"
"Hm? She's alright, I mean, she's got a nice body, and she's kinda cute... though the near-constant bored expression needs to go..."
"I- I was talking personality-wise, n-not... Do you like her?!"
"Erm... no! She just pinned me to the floor once and tried to kiss- We're getting off topic, she's fine." Vicky refused to meet her sister's gaze.
"Okay..."
"...You should go for it."
"Huh?"
"Just go with it. That's my opinion, she likes you, and seeing as how you're giving this some serious thought, you like her, so just... go for it. Heather is definitely... odd, but she isn't mean or spiteful and she doesn't want to hurt any of us... I... think..."
"I need to give it some more thought, but thanks Vicky."
"Hey, what are older sisters for?"
Upon arriving at the loft, Timmy grabbed his game system and Tootie.
"Timmy?! Where are we going?!"
"Downstairs, video game night."
"Oh... okay."
Vicky watched as he led her sister downstairs, then came back up to grab a TV. "You guys need us, you know where we'll be."
"What are you doing?" Vicky looked at him quizzically.
"I told you, video game night, Tootie needs someone to hang out with, and you might get too..."
"Me?"
"Sorry..."
"It's alright, I'm not the best to have around during these situations... take care of her, okay?"
"Vicky, you know me, I'm a sensitive guy, I know what to do."
"Alright Mr. Sensitive..." Vicky kissed him on the cheek. "I'll see you later."
"Of course!" Timmy hurried out the door and closed it behind him, then stopped to re-think what he was about to do. "It- it'll be fine... right?" Alas, his conscience was not taking calls today, so he received no reply.