The mall goers panicked as they carried books and bags across the galleries of stores as they scrounged for room on available tables. The amount of literature in the mall was equivalent to a library. Everyone was reading, studying, rereading, and almost freaking out. It could have been mistaken for utter mayhem, but everyone was silent. The worst thing to happen was if people bumped into each other, so far.
The nervous sweating, the intense book reading, and everyone barely shopping yet inside the mall. This could only mean one thing: it was time for mid-terms.
Jen, Nikki, Wyatt, Caitlin, and Jonesy met at their usual table in front of the Lemon. All of them were hitting the books in preparation for the exams. No one was safe. Not even that weird couple that always making out. For some reason, they still kissed continuously while staring at their books, almost making anyone seem sane at their public displays of affection.
Nikki would snark about how tough it was to multitask, mainly with how the couple kept themselves lip locked. Why anyone would do that was beyond comprehension, but such thoughts were pushed away as Jude came to study.
The mellow teen had his book and everything, yet could not sit still. Fidgeting only seconds into his studies, the blonde boy quickly got up, complaining how loud the Lemon was, despite the deaf silence. Before any complaints about his sudden arrival, he was on his skateboard, gliding away for some fresh air.
It seemed no one was resistant to the apparent midterm study fest at the mall. Darth Mall was seen carrying his books with one cracked open as he bumped into another, the girl at Wonder Taco, Julie. They both crashed to the ground yet lay with faces buried in pages. It was if the dirty floor was a comfort in these hectic times.
A jock was seen running in a panic across the teens. He looked like aliens were invading.
"I think my head's gonna explode! Help me!" The boy yelled before charging into a mall kiosk. It didn't matter how much money he owed for damage, the kid was just happy to not think about numbers.
"Nice," Nikki snarked.
"And midterms exams claim another victim," Jonesy added.
To top it off, this was yesterday. Today was worse as tensions grew as the five friends tried to study. Correct answers could not be backed up by process as everyone glanced at each for any moral support.
Jen, who had self-appointed the study group leader, had kept everyone focused on studying. However, whatever study guide she had was only followed by her. No one appreciated the six am wake-up call.
Caitlin, trying to ease her stress, mainly due to being boy crazy still, decided to ask a cute boy for help, to Jen's interjection, making the girl leave.
The group had taken a break when the lemon girl left due to Jude's absence. The laid-back skater was saying how he founded another study group yesterday, forgoing any studies with his best friends, much to their collective shock.
"I'm telling you, this study group must have hot chicks," Jonesy reiterated, tapping his open book on the table to emphasize his topic. He laid back in his seat with a smug smirk. "It has to be the reason."
"Pft...your reason," Nikki snarked with a roll of her eyes.
"Guys, focus!" Jen kept her book up the entire time, making her remaking friends groan. "Now, let's go over chapter 7—"
"Back it up there, teacher's pet. Some of us are still on chapter five." Nikki pulled her book back, reviewing the chapter. Jonesy nodded from his spot next to her, nodding vigorously.
From across, Wyatt sighed, wondering how he and his friends would pass the exams. From across the mall, he could hear Ron the rent-a-cop yelling, "man down!"
And by the next day, a breaking point was reached.
It started with everyone studying at Grind Me, the mall coffee shop. It was just another chain store in the mall, with chic stoic furniture designed to give off a lounge feel than a cafe. Niki was sprawled on the floor as Jen sat in her seat. Jonesy was across a small table on another chair as Wyatt took a seat on a sofa. Everyone was engrossed in their books.
"The answer is...absolute zero?" Jen was not sure that was an answer, inflected in her tone.
Nikki looked over her math book as she said, "that's...correct. How did you get that?"
"I have no idea."
It was now official. The teens were doomed—
"Buaaaaa!"
Nevermind. Now it's official.
Caitlin came in with her hair a mess and makeup dragged down by tears. She sobbed over to the counter, slamming her money on the desk and shouting like a lousy drunk. "Chocolate milk, stat!" she yelled as the barista ran to the back for a chocolatey beverage.
The instant the beverage was handed to her, the blonde girl chugged the contents, slamming her glass down. She walked towards her friends with a chocolate mustache on her face, wiping it off after one last cry.
"What happened to you?" Wyatt asked.
"You know how you said I should ask that guy, Jack, if he wanted to study with me?" Caitlin started.
"Yeah?" Jen nodded with confusion.
"Well. Last night I couldn't find his number, so I thought I'd just leave a note in his mailbox."
"Uh-huh," Wyatt added.
"But I chickened out and kept circling back in my mom's car."
"That's not so bad. Kinda lame, but I've heard worse," Jonesy said.
"It gets worse. This neighbor saw me and thought I was a robber or something, so they called the police, and...I have MUGSHOT!" Caitlin held up the picture of her, with the same mess on her face as the present. It had a serial number, her height measurement, and all in black and white.
Wyatt and Jonesy burst into laughter as they stared at the photo. Nikki raised herself up to laugh harder and get a better view as she kept her book on hand, as if still trying to study.
"Guys, it's not funny," Jen said.
"You're right." Nikki calmed down, bursting once again. "No! You're wrong! It's pretty funny!"
The laughter continued for two minutes as Jen sat silently. It was not until Wyatt started talking did the hilarity die down. "The cops let you off though, right?" he asked.
"They cleared it all up after Jack cleared it up at the station." Caitlin groaned as she said the cute boy's name, like a dagger replanted into her heart. Letting her arms drop, she came to terms with the reality of the situation. "I'm a stalker. A big, loser stalker." She sniffled before thinking out loud. "Maybe I should go find him and tell him how I really feel."
"I think you already did that when you stalked him," Jonesy remarked, making him and Wyatt snicker and then laugh again. However, his comment deafened as he and the group heard some nearby kids say Jude's name, talking about how the dude was terrific on his skateboard, cutting off everyone's train of thought.
Suspicious, Jen pondered how the boy had told them earlier about finding another study group. She asked someone to talk to Jude, making Jonesy and Wyatt promptly stand up, already out the door, grateful for something to keep them from studying. There was only so much math a boy could take without his head exploding, metaphorically.
Jonesy and Wyatt met up with Jude at his workstation, Stick-It, where Jude was currently cleaning his counter with a tablecloth. The tallest male member of the 6teens offered the blonde dude to join in on their study group to "crack a few books" with the inclusion of ordering sick amounts of pizza.
However, the chilled-out blonde stakeholder had declined the offer as he already had plans with another study group, much to the surprise of both his dude best friends. With that discussion ended, the two teens decided to leave Jude to his own devices, but not before Jonesy got suspicious about Jude's alleged study group.
"This new study group of his must have hot chicks in it." Jonesy told Wyatt about his educated guess as tey walked, much to the later's disbelief. "We gotta get in on this."
They later reunited with the rest of their friends at the Lemon, informing them of Jude's plans to hang out with his new study group. While the hot chick theory was tossed into the garbage, the teens started to chat about their friend's academic help.
"This new study grope of his must be really smart." Jen surmises.
"Or he's just made some new friends that he likes better than us." Caitlin says with a sad tone in her voice. That thought hurt more than animal abuse videos.
"Okay maybe we should just give the guys some space." Wyatt subjects, trying to act as the neutral party.
"No way!" Jen said as she slammed her fist on their table. "Come on let's find them. Jonesy, you and Caitlin go check the arcade."
"Why there?" Caitlin asked.
"It's a study group that wants to pick Jude's brain. where do you think you'd find them?" Jen explained her logical reasoning with a tap on her head.
"Good point, you guys go check the amusement park." Jonesy responded, thinking that would probably be the second place to find Jude and his study group
Once they did, the teens found out that Jude was playing video games at the arcade an hour ago and had spent a few hours at the stake park the day before. While no one found Jude at the amusement park, they did spot Deadpool there, walking around with three stuffed toy prizes that he had won: a purple unicorn with wings and a crown, a blue pegasus with rainbow hair and tail, and a smiling brightly colored pink pony with cotton candy pink hair to match. The merc waved at the teens, prompting them to leave before any conversation.
This news of Jude going to fun places with his study group saddened the petite blonde girl and slightly upset Jen since Jude was originally in their study group first. While Jonesy still believes that Jude is only in this alleged other study group because a hot chick must be in that group. Everyone gave gestures of disbelief as they searched for their friend in the last place they could look.
Insane Snowboarders 3 premiered today at the Gigantoplex theater, a movie Jude would not miss for anything, even midterms. This hunch was proven correct as the five teens saw their friend in line, comically hiding behind plants and mall decorum for disguises. None of these teenagers seemed genre savvy to the idea that one could not copy Solid Snake in real life as some nearby kids laughed at them.
Jonesy pointed to a hot chick with glasses behind the blonde boy, saying, "I knew they'd be a hottie! What did I tell you? Blam!"
Ignoring that, Jen, Caitlin, Wyatt, Nikki, and Jonesy followed the boy inside. They had caught up as the skater picked up some popcorn from the snack bar, where they were waiting together right behind him.
Seeing the five teens huddled up as he turned, Jude jumped back and screamed like a madman, dropping his popcorn as he scared his friends into harmonizing with his fear. Nearby mallgoers gave a glance as they heard the commotion but decided to ignore it for the most part, seeing it as part of the usual chaos at the shopping center. There was a horror movie playing: Bloodbath III: The Terror Continues.
"Hey guys. What's up?" Jude greeted nervously after calming down.
"Jude! What are you doing at the movies? Midterms are in three days!" Jen replied with her arms up.
"Yeah! And who's the smoking hot girl in line?" Everyone ignored Jonesy, realizing the girl was just another patron. The fact she was hot with that one-piece dress was a mere coincidence.
"I think it's pretty obvious our little skater boy isn't in a study group," Nikki added.
Jude tried to retort with a history book. While he did bring his study material, an issue of The Crimson Chin fell out from its pages, depicting the red-suit hero fighting off ninjas. The blonde boy smiled sheepishly as his lie was blown.
"A comic book?!" Jen gasped
"Okay. See, the thing is, I'm kinda flunking a class," Jude said as he rubbed the back of his head. His friends were silent, staring with dead eyes. "Alright, a couple classes." Their stares dulled like dusk. "Okay, all of them."
"So then what are you doing at the movies?" Jonesy asked
"I figured if I'm gonna fail anyway, might as well have fun doing it."
"Can't argue with that logic."
"Did you think of studying harder?" Wyatt asked.
The conversation continued as the group went on to help the boy study for the midterms. Jude smiled at his friends' generosity, which was returned in full force. They all wanted the skater boy to succeed, but first, there had to be some ground rules, which meant holding onto Jude's skateboard.
The task of confiscating the board was harder than it seemed as Jude held an iron grip on his gear. It took the collective effort of all five teens to rival his strength. After minutes of pulling, the laid-back boy let go, exhausted from holding on for so long, as the five others collapsed on the floor.
"You just need better time management skills. We all have something we can work on. Jonesy's obsessed with girls," Wyatt said as he propped himself up with the board.
"True, but you never take chances. Ever," Jonesy snapped back.
"I do so!"
"Name one."
Wyatt choked on a frog as he could not recollect a time he was spontaneous or took a risk. His pause proved the point as Cailtin continued the topic.
"I go way too crazy at sales," Caitlin said.
"I could stop teasing the Clones." That was hard for Nikki to say. It was too amusing to tease her coworkers, even if they may or may not be brainwashed. "Though I still need to look into that employee lounge," muttered that last part.
Jonesy cleared his throat as Jen got up, dusting herself off. The group stared at her, waiting for her answer.
"Okay, I'm not being conceited but, I can't really think of anything," Jen said, shrugging.
"How about butting into everyone's business and telling us what to do all the time?" Caitlin snapped.
Jen gasped as Caitlin covered her mouth. The blonde girl wasn't sure when the statement flew out of her mouth but did not take it back.
"Did I just say that out loud?"
"Yes." Jen answered with a blunt tone.
"You're always giving advice...and...it's not always good."
Jen glared angrily at her friends as they nodded, leaning into the group.
"Uh, news flash, no I don't!" Jen defended.
"This just in, you totally do," Nikki added.
"Here's the weather, huh-uh!"
"Hot off the press, yuh-huh! Oh, and breaking news, you're bossy too!"
The conversation continued until the usher broke up the argument, pointing out how the teens were holding up the line to the snack bar. His efforts were in vain as Jen scared him off in her explosive, defensive anger, which had Jonesy bring up the next topic, a bet.
"Oh really?" Jonesy put down his book and brought out his wallet. Despite the fact he's been fired from every job so far in a regular basis, the boy still had plenty of money, taking out a dollar bill. "I'll bet you twenty bucks you can't not stick your nose in our business till the mall closes."
Soon, the others joined in as a total of 100 loons was brought in front of Jen. The girl smirked at the idea of easy money, especially with enough to boost her wallet for a shopping spree.
Nikki smiled as she said, "oh, I want a piece of this." There was no way she would ignore such a juicy bet. The others shared her sentiments as they spoke with the same glee.
"So I get 100 bucks if I don't give anyone advice for the rest of the day?" Jen asked. Jonesy nodded with a confident smirk. "Oh it's on."
The group gathered back at the Lemon, where the rules of the bet were explained while everyone was scheduled to help Jude study for the midterms.
Jen, who was not under the powers of the bet till noon, when over with subjects the teens would help Jude with. Caitlyn had taken English with Nikki on Political Science, Jonesy worked on Science, Jen took History, and Wyatt helped start the tutoring with Math.
Ten seconds before the bet started, Jen had to give last reminders about all distractions as quickly as possible. As the clock changed to twelve on the dot, the girl smiled confidently as she walked away for work. How hard could it be to keep her mouth shut all day?
"And when we're not on Project Jude, I want all of your resources devoted to making Jen crack," Jonesy added as the redhead left. The table agreed as they all scattered, save for Wyatt, who pulled out his book.
The one thing about best friends, they always know which buttons to press. Jen would be in for the mental ride of her life as the first shot rang around the mall. Caitlin had walked in, greeting her best friend, who had been forced to give a cheer, albeit a disheartened one, per store policy.
Coach Halder would create such policies, prompted by his years as a football player. And while these details were ridiculous from Jen's perspective, she was always a team player for the Penalty Box. The coach respected her for a reason.
"So, what's up?" Jen asked after the cheer. She followed Caitlin as the blonde girl carried a stack of clothes to the changing lockers.
"So you know how Jack has seen only one side of me?" Caitlin asked from inside the changing room.
"You mean the side that got arrested?" Jen leaned near the door, smirking at hearing another one of her boy crazy friend's little plans.
"Well, I decided to make it up to him, and so, I'm gonna write him a love letter and read to him where he works in front of his coworkers." Caitlin smiled as she checked the mirror, combing and styling her hair by hand. She slyly waited for a response as she finished but heard nothing.
It was odd for her to hear as the petite girl leaned towards the wall. "Jen?" She called, wondering where her friend was, unaware of the hockey puck the latter was biting on before a response came.
"I think that's a great idea," Jen said. "You should do what you want to do."
Caitlin could hear the forced tone coming, now worried she wouldn't win the bet but smiled at her attempt. She thought this obviously-terrible move would break the redhead with no problem, but it seemed the girl was made of sterner stuff.
It was time for drastic measures as Caitlin grabbed the hem of her skirt.
"I think that's a great idea," Caitlin said, exiting the locker. The pile of clothes was left inside as she walked away, with one minor edit to her blue skirt.
"Caitlin, your—" Jen quickly clamped her hands over her mouth.
"Huh? Did you say something?" The petite blonde's voice was full of innocence as she stopped. A shake from the redhead, and the girl walked out. "'Kay, wish me luck."
Jen knew Jonesy had something to do with Caitlin's actions. It did not matter how. The blonde girl knew social standards too well as she always quoted them from the plethora of teen magazines. But a bet was a bet, and now she could only groan in pain as she watched her friend go away.
Caitlin readjusted her skirt, no longer exposing the side of her pink underwear, opened her phone, and dialed Nikki.
"Speak." Nikki's usual greeting.
"She's good," Caitlin replied.
"How far did you go?"
"Trust me. I went far." Caitlin pressed a hand against her skirt, ensuring no wrinkles were seen.
And this was only the first round. Throughout the day, the teens went to great lengths to crack their friend, winning the entire pot for whoever succeeded.
Wyatt had been walking around all day in a bright pink/purple I love Jason from Dawg Toy shirt all day, making his male friends, and any other who saw him, question his pride and masculinity. There was no shame in expressing admiration for a boy band, by the short was too much to assert one's male pride.
Nikki's big move had been getting a tattoo, a move that Jen kept quiet as the punk girl showed her the design, a bulldog.
But none of them had been as brazen as Jonesy's attempt/failure.
It was Jen's turn to help Jude study as they went over history. To her surprise and joy, the boy seemed to be handling the help well, showing great promise in passing.
The redhead smiled mentally, not wanting to count her blessings before any results out loud. Still, seeing the usually laidback teen remain mellow in front of a book was reassuring, even if he got distracted when Wyatt came in with the Dawg Toy t-shirt.
"Don't you have any shame?" Jude remarked as his friend took a seat. Jen would have joined in but was still under the influence of the bet, keeping her mouth shut. At least until she heard Jonesy.
"Everyone, listen up! Jonesy's about do the Escalator!" Jonesy yelled from atop the nearby automated stairs.
The Escalator was a stunt Jude could pull on his skateboard, grinding down the rails with ease and nailing a landing. Jonesy was neither coordinated or skilled enough to do it, but he knew this would grab Jen's attention as she and every nearby mall goer looked at him, waiting at the top with board and helmet.
"I don't think you have the nerve!" Jen shouted from the table.
"What!? You don't think I can do it?!" Jonesy had the skateboard on the hind wheels, ready to ride. His arms were spread like wings as he spotted a sly smile.
"You're gonna die ," a kid, Stanley, snarked. The boy snickered with a nearby friend.
"Right. True," Jonesy dropped his arms. He held one hand against his mouth, adding, "I'm gonna do it, unless someone tells me to stop!"
Mallgoers went back and forth between the Hispanic boy and the redhead as they wondered what was happening. Teenage stupidity was nothing new, but this was more entertainingly so.
"He's not gonna do it! Not even Jonesy is dumb enough to risk his life for a bet!" Jenn yelled back, crossing her arms. "Just ignore him!"
Jen was right, and she knew it. Jonesy knew it. Even the mall goers had a feeling he would not do it. The boy put away his daredevil attitude as he turned around with a slumped back.
"Aw, who am I kidding? This is nuts," Jonesy said, waving off the skateboarding. But as he took a step, his free foot started the walk, unbalancing the boy as the board rolled forward.
Jonesy could be heard yelling in pain as he slinked down the escalator, bounced off the moving stairs, and landed in the nearby trash can. Each cry of pain was winced and cringed until his final thud came. The boy's legs were dangling out of the receptacle.
"Ugh...Somebody get me a hot nurse!" Jonesy's voice echoed from the can.
"You rang?" The Warner sister Dot appeared dressed as a nurse.
"Gutsiest move I ever saw, bro," Jude said in commemoration. He and Wyatt helped their trapped friend up as the Warner examined him.
"Ugh! I think I broke my wrist," Jonesy hissed.
Wyatt looked over as Jen wore a smug smirk brimming with triumph. "Darn, she's good," he whispered as Dot led them to a nursing station.
"What the heck are you wearing?!" Jonesy stared at Wyatt, flabbergasted at his Dawg Toy shirt. And he wasn't the only one.
"Looks like I need to examine your brain after this. Luckily, Wacko's the better expect for this," Dot commented.
The two boys at the top of the automated stairs laughed at the turn of events. They wished they had taken out their phones to record the moment.
"Dude thought he could do the escalators. Pfft!" Stanley said, pointing
"Jude could do that," the other boy remarked.
"I wish I could do that."
A ghostly aura enveloped the boy as he was levitated. He heard the words: so you have wished it, and so shall it be. Without a second to waste, he found a helmet strapped on as he was thrown down the stairs, bouncing off the steps as Jonesy had done earlier.
Jonesy's broken wrist was his fault, even if by accident. The boy should have been more careful around the escalator with a skateboard.
Luckily, Dot had taken online courses in nursing, with a certified certificate to prove it. The same was said of her brothers, but Wyatt was not sure he wanted to test Wacko's mallet therapy.
At this moment, Jude mentioned how he would skydive when he passed his exam, with nothing but a helmet and parachute. The idea of naked skydiving almost cracked Jen as the girl bit her lip.
Jonesy wished he had thought of that idea. It would have saved him a trip to the doctor.
Despite all these attempts, Jen managed to keep calm and not butt in about anything. Caitlin even went to a psychic to find out who her soulmate would be. However, when she saw Deadpool at the stand with the Pinkie Pie doll, she backed out.
The merc scared her at times.
But, the last straw for Jen was when she supported Nikki and Wyatt as they went to the tattoo parlor. The latter waited patiently as a man, who looked and sounded unhinged, asked for the next customer. The biker-dressed artist twitched as he spoke each word, unnerving the group as Jonesy, Caitlin, and Jude came along to help.
"They'll never go through with it," Jen whispered to Caitlin.
"She'll never let us do it," Wyatt whispered to Nikki.
"like they'd do this to win a bet?" Jen added.
"I mean, it's permanent. It's not as if she'd do it just to win a bet," Nikki said to Wyatt, the former smiling, making the latter imitate.
The artist asked again. He was cleaning the needle, sanitizing it as he inspected the device. For all his looks, the man ran a legitimate business and maintained his equipment's health diligently.
Nikki stalled as she egged Jen, waiting for her to crack. However, her redheaded friend did not budge, making her begin to stifle her smile as the two exchanged one last quip.
"I'll go first," Wyatt said nonchalantly as he got up, following the tattooist to behind a curtain. The whirring of the needle is heard as everyone stares at the other room.
Jen bit down hard on her lip, almost drawing blood as she fought the urge to talk her friend out of such a rash decision. This was a permanent accessory unless one got laser surgery, but that would be far out of anyone's budget.
So there was only one option the girl could think of: run outside.
Nikki protested as she heard Wyatt yelp. The others dropped their jaw, almost expecting someone to stop this or that Jen would break
Jen frantically sighed, walking to the railing outside. Her nerves were at their limit, and she barely kept it together. How far would Nikki and Wyatt go for a bet? There was no way they could get a tattoo knowing it was permanent.
"Seriously?! A tattoo!?" Jen muttered to herself. "Don't they know it's permanent! And Caitlin should not go to a psych if! That's just stupid!" She slammed a fist on the railing. "And naked skydiving!? Are you kidding me!?"
The girl leaned into the railing, her heart aching as she heard Wyatt's cries. This was not something a good friend would do, even to win a bet. Walking down a floor, the girl sat on the bench, now noting the constant make-out couple at a nearby restaurant, still hitting the books.
While sickening to many, the girl sighed as her emotions swirled, making an unsavory mix of drama in her heart.
"Ugh! I wish Danny was here!" Jen groaned loudly.
"So you have wished it, so it shall be," came a voice.
"Huh?" She asked out loud, wondering who said that. A flash of light came as Jen saw Danny appear out of thin air, looking at his surroundings.
"Wait...what?..." He asked as he looked around. The schoolyard was gone, and he saw the familiar shops. His eyes stopped as they landed on Jen.
"Jen?!" Danny said, and she smiled.
"Danny!" Jen said as she ran over and hugged him. Despite the confusion, Danny hugged back. "Ok, this is probably bad, but I'm so happy to see you!" She squeezed harder.
"I...really missed you and I decided to...drop by...apparently."
"That's good to hear. And we'll probably figure out what's going on," Jen said as she kissed his lips. Danny eagerly returned it, despite still wondering how he got here, but hormones trump reason every time.
The two remained like this until some of Jen's friends appeared, surprised at the new scene. Wyatt was rubbing his arm with a wincing face, something Nikki did not share.
"Hey, Jen, I know you're upset still, but it's like time to—Danny?" Jude said as he, Nikki, and Wyatt walked in. The last two were surprised to see the ghost boy.
"Dude!" Jude held his hands in the air without a care as he walked up to the ghost boy. "I didn't know you were in Canada!"
"Yeah..." Nikki spoke with unconvinced skepticism. She held her belt, the Specter Deflector hidden under her untucked shirt. "Why do I get the feeling this isn't natural?"
"How can you say that when we got superheroes? Sounds natural to me," Jude commented.
"Yeah...while that might be a good point, it isn't natural when the traveler got a free trip and he didn't enter," Wyatt said. He was on his phone, talking to both ends of this conversation.
"You entered a contest and didn't know?!" Jude turned to Danny. "Su-weet!"
"Wow! So Danny is here?" Jonesy slid to a stop as Caitlin came to the group shortly after. The two were holding their phones as they caught their breath.
"Danny! Hee! You're here!" Caitlin squeed as she hugged the ghost boy with Jen, momentarily forgetting what was happening.
"Is anyone gonna ask how he got here?" Nikki butted in with a mix of snark and concern. She scoffed as the group paused, the excitement of their friend appearing now gone.
"Actually..." Jen smiled sheepishly. "Remember that wishing ghost?"
"You mean the one with the big boobs, sexy outfit, and wide hips?" Jonesy sculpted an hourglass shape in the air with his hand, smiling lecherously. His eyes widened as he slicked back his hair and adjusted his shirt.
"I doubt you have a shot with her," Wyatt dryly remarked.
Jonesy hushed his friend with an elbow jab, pointing with his head towards Jen. He wanted to push the redhead over the limit, making the coffee-loving boy remember the bet.
"Why am I not surprised?" Danny snarked.
"It's this bet we're having—"
"And winning," Jonesy added. "Now, how should I go about when that hot ghost comes around?"
Jen hummed a growl, forcing another smile as she hugged her boyfriend like a constrictor. The recipient blinked as he asked for an explanation about the bet, briefed immediately by his girlfriend, who was obviously on edge. That was at least one question answered, but now he had to focus on Desiree.
"Ok, so you're just gonna flirt with Desiree to win a bet?" Danny asked, pointing at Jonesy's cast and sling. "Aren't you hurt enough?"
"Good point, but have you seen how hot the genie is? Tell me you wouldn't want to flirt with that?! Or at eats wished she was part of the dating service!" Jonesy was flipping through his phone, pulling up a photo he snuck of the ghost in question. A collective roll of eyes came from the others in response.
Danny expressed his doubts, muttering his thoughts out loud before wrapping an arm around Jen. His touch soothed the girl as her body relaxed. The two shared a smile as Jen hugged back.
Jude, who had been circling in the labyrinth Ian thought process of his mind, popped a bulb as he wondered about a stray thought he had on his mind.
"Is this a bad time to mention that this Danny is one the hot goth chick was crushing on?" Jude asked.
Everyone turned to the dude, who had his usual blank face, thinking he did nothing wrong. The boy's innocence knew no bounds at times.
"Jude, what are you talking about?" Danny asked. He blinked for a moment before adding, "wait...do you find Sam hot?"
"No dude! I mean the hot goth chick on tv. You know? The hot goth chick from Total Drama Island and Total Drama Action? What's her name...Jen?"
"Jude, this is Jen," Wyatt retorted, gesturing to the redhead. The two shared a brief look, once again concerned for their friend or maybe a habit of his.
"I mean the hot goth chick."
Danny pondered on the hot goth chick part as Jude went on. His face widened in realization as it hit him as fast as a tortoise.
"Ever see that new show, Total Drama Island? You know. The one that Bridgette chick Wyatt chose went on, but chose Jeff? The party dude we met once?"
"Oh, yeah." Wyatt nodded in his response. "He's a pretty chill dude."
"And on that same show, you remember how that hot goth chick got her underwear exposed on a challenge? The one that didn't get with Trent guy because she was hoping for another guy she met before the show and had Heather read it out in her diary and stuff?"
"The only thing I know about that show is that Gwen babe's skirt tearing off and that hottie Heather's top coming off. Man, that was awesome," Jonesy said, being his usual perverted self. "I'd go down the same way, just to see those ca—Ouch, what did I do?"
Nikki rolled her eyes in irritation, dusting off her knuckles for another punch. She had reeled the fist back as the taller boy cowered for protection.
"Wait! This tall?" Danny held his hand above his head before using them to shape the girl's image. "Green hair? Dresses in dark colors, likes to draw?"
"Yeah! That one!" Jude nodded with a pointed finger.
"You know her?" Jen glared at Danny with hands on her hips. Happy to see her boyfriend or not, this began to shape her thoughts as she jumped the gun. "When was this?"
"Back at the dating service. You know? The one where we met?" Danny droned back, not wanting to deal with a jealous Jen. He already had to figure out how he got here.
"So wait! You could've dated Gwen, the hot goth chick, and had your girlfriend's underpants exposed in National television!?" Jonesy almost guffawed at the idea, now laughing as Danny turned red.
"Wow..." Danny slapped his head. "That's something I never thought would happen."
"Yeah, she got pantsed by the hot chick, Heather, and—"
"Hang on there, Jude," Nikki butted in. "Danny, I'm glad to see you too, but how are you here? There's no way you have the time!"
"Yeah. Don't they have midterms in America?" Wyatt asked.
"Sadly, but I don't know what happened. One minute I was in front of the school and the next thing I knew, I'm here," Danny explained as his hands flew everywhere. His phone rang, being instantly answered as he opened it.
"Danny!" Screamed Tucker and Sam from the other end.
"Hey, guys," Danny replied nonchalantly. Being in constant danger did allow him to talk calmly through such extreme situations like this. "I'm in Canada, with Jen and the others. No clue why."
Sighs of relief could be heard from Sam and Tucker. Jude leaned over for a "Dudes!? What's up!?" as he gave a chill hand gesture.
"Hey, Jude," was heard in the other end.
"So anyway, turns out I'm wished over here...Desiree," Danny added at the end. His friend replied with a sighing groan as everything was made clear.
"So, what's the plan?" Sam asked, commanding the conversation.
"I'll let you know when I get back," Danny said. "I'll call you later."
Jen raised a brow as the call ended. Sam and Tucker seemed to take that answer like some code between the trio. But how could that kind of of response suffice when Danny was in another country?
The redhead was about to investigate, but some funny stares from Jonesy and the gang stopped her. It seemed the bet was still on for a couple more hours. The girl wanted nothing but to scream, but at least now she had a cute distraction as Danny held her hand.
"Jen? Is everything alright—
Danny did not get a chance to answer as Jen kissed him. Strange time to make out, but his hormones would not let him complain. He could hear Nikki scoff as Caitlin awed, and the others left as they went their superstar ways to help Jude and work.
This took far too long to update. Anyway, I'll see about updating this and the other side stories soon. Not much to say, but this story does have a time line in place, to an extent.
Oh, and if you enjoy Danny's life with Jen, check out Danny and Gwen(TDI), that I've been co-writing with pokemon fan 1991.
Special Thanks! to Flower Princess for all her help!
Special Thanks! to Jay The Average Fanboy for all his help and the kick I needed to finish this.
To my awesome reviewers, I want to say, thank you for your patience. Now let's see what you had to say:
Luiz4200: In a sense, yes.
pokemon fan 1991: Deadpool, you can swear if it's you. It's not merking. It's Desiree, and now you know why.
danifan3000: Eh...I'll try to make Lynn more of an individual, but not so much as an opposite. Sounds cliché.
Invader Johnny: Wish.
RonaldM40296867: Not really, and it's been far too long for me to remember why Lynn was introduced.
Jebest4781: Thanks!
Guest 1: Soon...in a relative sense.
Guest 2: Thanks!
Jay The Average Fanboy: We'll see. Caitlin: none(she's superficial), but there is a love interest for her. Jude: (Katie and Sadie. Wyatt: he chose Brigette, but then TDI happened and she's with Jeff. They all met and are cool with another, but more on that later. Can't say, I'll give it some thought.
ZoomedIn: Change is inevitable. I say, go with the flow and don't blow up about the things that truly won't matter in your life, but that's a matter of perspective.