Hey guys! It's been a while...two months and counting since Chapter 7 was posted. Sorry for the giant waiting time. Yeah, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet had my attention hooked for a while, but unfortunately I had to deal with school finals, work, and feeling tired and down a while. Stress and anxiety has been eating away at me, but today was one of my better days.
C'est la vie, as they say. Anyway, I'm back with chapter 8. Things are slowly progressing, and I'm so excited to post 9 and then 10! 10 will probably be a really emotional chapter, so I'm excitedly counting down the minutes until it's posted!
Massive thanks to my readers, commenters, and especially the ones saving and liking my story. It means a lot coming from someone who hasn't written a fic in a while! I love to see where you guys think the story's headed next, or general PMs saying who you like the most so far. I hope this chapter suffices for a while, as I am hyping up chapter 10 already.
Anyway, happy reading and thank you all so much!
One week later.
Chilli read a novel, one week later, a week after she had gone to leave Brandy's ramen order at her flat.
She wondered why she couldn't just set the address to the apartment; why she had to make someone drive an hour out to city to deliver instant ramen of all things. Still though, despite her angry attitude she had put on, Chilli couldn't help but wonder what it was that Brandy had really gone through.
Her birthday was less than a month away; the perfect time to make up, she thought. She knew who she'd invite...the best friends Trixie and Frisky, Bandit and Stripe, Sadie (she would be here for business reasons), Dad (she still lived with him anyway), Aunt Linda and Uncle Lorence, and well...she had to invite her sister.
Brandy grumbled at the sight of Chilli's name on her buzzing phone. What does she want now?
"Hello?" she answered, devouring a bowl of pasta Bandit had made her, happy to be enjoying real food once more. She was in the midst of typing her latest chapter, her fingers typing away. Opposite her, Bandit ate his dish, his ears peeking a bit higher to hear whoever was on the phone.
He'd noticed a change in her since a week ago. She wasn't as affectionate as she used to be and sadly so, yesterday was the first time he had seen her angry side directed towards him. She seemed to be avoiding him almost, usually finding a way out of having to be alone with him.
Even Bruce noticed, and he had gone 3 days before he had noticed Bandit's new drastic furcut back in high school. "She isn't as mushy with you as she used to be." he said...But actually...what's gotten into her?
"Oh yeah, of course," Brandy assured her. "I'll be there. Oh, Bandit's invited too?"
"Yeah, of course," Chilli stated, feeling as if this went without saying. "He's my friend and he's your boyfriend. Kinda goes without saying..."
"Yeah, I'm just being sure," she said. Bandit gave her a quizzical glance. "Right, that's great actually. I've been wanting to see Dad for a while... Yeah. Okay, bye."
Brandy placed her phone down and continued working while stuffing big spoonfuls into her small mouth. Bandit giggled to himself. She looked like a chipmunk, biting off more than she could chew. Still, his giggles stopped when she shushed him before pointing at her laptop.
"Work?"
"Obvious," she swallowed.
"Don't talk with your mouth full."
Brandy rolled her eyes and focused on her laptop again.
"There's something I've been wanting to talk to you about," he caught her attention again. "You've been acting so distant and angry lately. Why?"
"It's nothing," she told him.
"It's not 'nothing'," he quoted with his fingers. "You need to voice your own concerns, otherwise...this happens."
"What the hell is 'this'?," Brandy raised her voice, standing up over him. "There's nothing wrong so stop trying to invent new problems!"
Bandit stood, having enough this week. "I'm just addressing the existing problems...It's not just me, have you heard the way you've been talking to Bruce, Stripe, hell, your sister? You practically have a tantrum whenever Chilli is involved!"
"Oh, so you're calling me a tantrum having baby?! Besides, my relationship with my sister is none of your business," she growled at him, turning towards their room. Bandit covered the door, arms crossed in a stern stare. "Move."
"I don't feel like it," he leaned closely. "I'll consider it if you tell me what's going on."
He was a playful dog, Brandy had remembered. He's done this before...such a childish dog, yet tells me I'm the baby.
"I don't feel like playing your stupid games," she pushed against him lightly. He moved slightly, but his gaze pierced right through her soul. "Move now, or else."
"Or else what?" he leaned even closer, smirking at her. He finally stepped aside and left her the door. Her eyes met his, not really feeling angry.
He is so cute. Brandy blushed, feeling nearly the same way as she did back in London. Even during a fight like this, she had never truly seen Bandit angry before. She had thought this was his breaking point, but the truth was he was trying to woo her into telling him everything. He was so charming that he won every time. Brandy tried to resist as much as she could.
"You're lucky you're so cute," she grumbled, nuzzling herself in his fur. He hugged her, recalling that Bruce was out with his dad for the weekend. They could have alone time if they wanted..
His paws travelled to her 'cheeks', getting a loving look for once in this hellish week.
"Be gentle," she whispered, still a bit nervous about going at it so soon after. I can't deny I still have feelings for him. So damn...hot.
"You're so cute like this," he carried her to the bed, his tail wagging slowly.
The duo laid on the bed, still composing themselves afterwards. Just then, she decided to shove that thought to the back of her head.
No one is perfect. I'll try to work this out...He really meant no harm.
"Okay, Brandy...," Bandit began, grabbing for the pack of chewing gum. "What's been on your mind lately?"
"Honestly, I've just been feeling petty these days," Brandy said. It wasn't exactly a lie- she had acted up since Chilli's visit and Bandit getting all up in their business afterwards. What Chilli said in the car park or what Brandy told her was none of his concern. "I feel better now, so I'm sorry that I acted that way."
"It's all good," he passed the gum to Brandy. "We're going to Chilli's party soon, right?"
"That's right," Brandy remembered. "I also have to make sure I get her something real good to make up for the crap I gave her this week."
Bandit nodded, agreeing with her. He'd talked to Chilli a bunch since they'd return home and he always felt something was wrong about the way Brandy treated her. There's really nothing wrong with her from what I know. "Well, there's always a new hockey stick...wait no, that's my idea."
"Our idea now," she sighed. "But seriously, I have to get something amazing."
"Do you really not know what she likes?" Bandit asked her. "Honestly, and I'm not trying to be an arse here, you really don't know much about her, do you?"
The red heeler looked away; this not being the first time Bandit or anyone else had mentioned it to her. Yes, she wasn't the biggest fan of her sister, but did Chilli really need another fan when practically everyone seems to treat her like royalty?
Especially when Chilli seemed to be growing more and more distant these days. Perhaps she knew Brandy didn't like her much and was finally leaving her alone...
"Does it even matter? Chilli doesn't need me anyway," Brandy answered. "Why should I treat her well when she can't do the same in return?"
Bandit stared at her, stunned. "From what I see, it's more you who doesn't treat her well. It's just...concerning. She looks up to you Brandy, but you shoot her down over and over."
"How do you know?" Brandy growled. "She barely even talks when she comes over-"
"Because you shut yourself in the room and Bruce and I actually talk to her," Bandit interrupted. "We're closer to her than you are at this point."
"And I don't see why that annoys you so much," Brandy got up, her claws about tearing holes in the covers. "If you two find her so fascinating, why don't you guys pack your bags and move in with her?!"
"...She doesn't even have her own place yet," Bandit mentioned, getting up after his girlfriend. He tried to hug her, but she pushed him away. "She's your sister; she's been nothing but nice to you, and if there was ever really a problem in the first place, you should tell what it is! You can't expect us to hate her for no reason!"
"You can't be serious," Brandy glared at him. "No; you really can't be serious. You don't see how she acts towards me at all?! If anything, you shouldn't be talking to her either!"
"You can't make me stop talking to her. Not unless you tell me what she did for you to act like this whenever her name is even brought up," Bandit was appalled. "She's one of my closest friends-"
"I can if I really wanted to," Brandy hissed. "Without me, you'd be sleeping under a bridge somewhere!"
"Don't forget I didn't move out because of financial problems. I could get my own flat if I really wanted to. I stay because I want to be with you. I love you. I just wish you could open up on why you hold so much resentment towards her," Bandit felt his patience running out, but his heart ached at seeing his girlfriend so enraged, yet...guilty looking. Her tail drooped and her ears were falling.
He barely recognized her as the Brandy he was with. She was usually a bit reserved, had a lot to say about certain books and TV shows, liked to play music while she did her share of the housework. She was quite a sarcastic dog, she enjoyed satire humor the most and oftentimes at night, she'd stay up typing chapters on her laptop while talking to Bandit about starting an art book again or going back to England for a bit or anything else. Bandit would then go on for hours about archeology and rugby and his band and just about anything, yet somehow...Brandy was always listening with a smile on her face.
She was beautiful-but when Chilli's name was brought up...
"I love you too," Brandy sighed, nearly in defeat. "But I can't do this right now. It's best if she keeps her distance from me. I'll...I'll keep hurting her if one of us doesn't. I'm not just doing this for myself, Bandit."
"She loves you, even if she is afraid to show it," Bandit placed his paws on her shoulders, looking at her eye to eye. "You're such a great person around everyone most of the time...and I'm sure Chilli wouldn't be an exception. It's such an easy fix on your end-"
"You don't know anything about our relationship," she subtly sighed, fearing getting angry again. "Don't try to force your views of our relationship down my throat. It makes me feel...so...trapped. I promise, I'll open up when I'm ready."
"Okay, I'll let you take your time then. I'm sorry." Bandit apologized.
"It's fine. I'm sorry too," Brandy sighed. "...Look, I need some fresh air. I'm going to go out."
Bandit nodded, watching her get ready and leave. He feared he'd pushed her too far, but he was glad she was taking a breather. She'd come home, they'd resolve their problems, and things would go back to normal surely.
Brandy rubbed her eyes furiously, trying to keep the tears out of her eyes. She was a sensitive person even if she didn't allow herself to feel things around people, even Bandit sometimes.
Still though, such bitter reactions becoming the norm for such a docile heeler...Yes, she'd been a bit aggressive as a pup, but she had outgrown that long ago. Except for Chilli and her fans of course.
She reacted before she even had a chance to think about how her words wouldn't just affect him, but also her. Why did I act like that?
She walked over to her car, opening it. She heard the familiar roar of the engine and she sat down, adjusting the radio. Generic pop rock songs of the 90s played before she sighed and turned on the classical music channel. She backed out slowly and then set her path to wherever her soul took her.
It was a rough time after the passing of Ralph. Brandy sat on the doorsteps, taking a mental break from Aunt Linda's baggage, which the latter was taking out on her husband in that moment. Yells could be heard from the other side of the door, but it was muffled enough for Brandy to not make sense of what was being said.
Chilli was out as usual; Ralph's death had barely impacted her from what Brandy could see. She shed a few tears at the funeral and started to help around the house more often, but ultimately, she wasn't wrecked by it like her older sister or her aunt and uncle.
Brandy figured it wouldn't hit her as hard- she was barely ever at the house. Still though, Chilli had picked up babysitting as a side gig and it was paying well- she was either taking care of puppies or was out with friends. The small times she was with them, she'd spend more time with Linda then with anyone.
She'd grown really close to her.
Brandy slowly got up from the staircase, walking back to the garage. She grabbed her bike, which was parked nearby, and got on it, pondering on where she should bike off to.
She decided she'd go see Martin, one of her closer friends at the time. They'd met in class once when faced with a project that required a partner. For Brandy anyway...it was almost love at first sight. Martin was a chow chow, a breed known for their luscious fur...although his was sometimes a mess.
She rode only a few minutes before she saw him just exiting his house, holding another red heeler by the paw. Brandy froze, braking hard on her bike; the two dogs turned to her direction.
Brandy ducked underneath, barely managing to get away unnoticed.
"What was that?" Martin questioned, still staring in the direction of the sound.
"It was probably nothing," Chilli tugged at his arm. "C'mon, let's go get some ice cream. I miss our little dates."
"Okay, okay," he laughed as he nuzzled his snout on hers. "I miss them too. You're hardly around anymore with babysitting and your family and all."
"I know," Chilli walked with him, staring at him. "I'm sorry. I'll try to come over whenever I can. Let's try to enjoy the bits of time we have together, yeah?"
Martin nodded before she stood on her toes, leaning towards his cheek, lips puckered out. Brandy watched as she recoiled from disgust.
To be frank, this wasn't the first or last time Chilli had gotten in the way with Brandy's life...whether that be family, friends, or...well, crushes.
Martin had never mentioned Chilli to Brandy. Then again, Brandy was never seen around her sister; people always thought they were both red heelers. No one would've guessed that they were related, much less sisters..
Brandy waited until they were out of sight before she cycled away, feeling the weight of 10 boulders in her stomach, but mostly rage. The type that makes one's fur stick out, the type that makes one snarl, the type that gets one's instincts up and running.
She felt territorial over a guy who never saw her as anything more than a friend, but even if she were to bark at Chilli repeatedly, she wouldn't go away. She never did. She was simply an unstoppable force, managing to keep everyone's smiles with a charming allure that only Brandy was repulsed and repelled by.
Even when they broke up, they remained close friends and Brandy knew by looking at them together that she couldn't call him a best friend because Chilli held that title.
Again...shoved off to the side as usual.
She paused in the middle of the road, the light turning green. Honking cars shrieked behind her, but she had her eyes on the shady bar she had biked nearby to as a youngster. She turned right and finally, the honking stopped even though the dogs behind the wheels were acting like such bitches.
She passed by some houses, then a chain restaurant, then the condo where Martin used to live...
I wonder how he's doing now.
Brandy shook her head, laughing to herself. Why do I care? We haven't talked in so long.
She continued to drive forward like a robot with no sense of direction, slowly applying more pressure to the pedal as she sped by the nearby roads. Kids playing nearby stared in a daze as she flashed in front of them, almost killing one who was trying to retrieve his ball out on the road.
Irresponsible and idiotic she was, but she cared no more about her image. If she could get lucky enough to swerve to the side and crash into a tree or something...
Wait.
Brandy slammed the brakes, an awful screeching sound echoing around the area. She wasn't hurt, but she could feel her heart pounding in her ears and genuine fear. Her paws felt slippery at the steering wheel and she cursed herself for almost causing her death...
"What the hell was I thinking?!" Brandy growled as she slowly turned to the side, stepping out onto the road. This was the road that led to Aunt Linda's house as Brandy remembered it. She never moved away though communication between aunt and niece remained thin...Brandy made sure to keep her at an arm's length.
Brandy just didn't like Linda very much, especially after the way she handled Ralph's death. For a while, the dog moped around the house, understandably so, then proceeding to berate her niece whenever anything Ralph was brought up, then straight pretending she never had a child in the first place.
"Oh, you've been married twenty years? How are the little pups now? Probably not so little anymore, huh?" a late friend of Mum's asked when she properly met Clarice's sister at a small party thrown by some mutuals.
"We never had children. I always preferred the quiet child-free life anyway," she would say, looking away as she always did when lying. "How are your pups?"
Brandy sighed, facepalming at the memory.
I know she was going through shit at the time, but that doesn't excuse any of the things she told me. She was so out of line...and no one stepped in for me when I needed it.
Brandy went back in the car, feeling a new wave of negative emotions. Her snout pressed against the horn, the noise alerting her back to reality. I need a drink.
She turned the key and drove off to the nearby bar, leaving a trail of dust that nearly covered her paw prints. Looking back on the road, she barely caught a glimpse of the house, standing so proudly on the tall hill.
If she has no heirs to pass it on to...who'll get the house?
Tori sighed, pouring drinks as a pack of atrocious male dogs all eyed her, saying some of the most vulgar things she had ever heard of, and mind you, she thought she'd seen it all back in high school. She was a dachshund with rather long and thick caramel-chocolate colored fur. Her ears ached from the loud music-she'd forgotten her earplugs back home, and she was tired of entertaining these animals every day, even if she could sometimes pull big bucks from them.
She dusted her fur, passing the drinks to the men who still stayed, oggling her like a hawk. They whispered among one another, though in their drunken state, it was more of a slurred, nasally whine.
"Hey, ya mind tuhnin' awoun? Ya bum's a real treat~" spoke one of them, a heeler dog. Tori shook her head with the world's fakest smile, instead pointing at some co-workers who were busy pole-dancing.
"That's something to ask those ladies over there," she spoke. She slowly stepped out of the booth, planning to escape to the toilets. She wasn't naive by any means, she knew what big gangs of men could do if any woman dared to stop their advances. This was especially common with the dancers and the bartenders, but it wasn't unheard of with the servers either. Twice had she been touched in inappropriate areas, and many more times had the same thing happened to others around her, to varying degrees.
Money isn't earned for free anyway.
"They aren't halfs as hot as you!" another called out from behind her as she quickly walked then sprinted to the lady's room.
"I can't do this," she muttered to herself, too afraid to look over her shoulder to see if anyone had the balls to follow her.
She walked in, rolling her eyes at the various horny couples banging in the stalls and girls that appeared to be a bit too young sitting on the sinks and smoking a joint or two. Although, on the one sink not being used as a seat was a red heeler, washing her paws furiously.
The mirror reflected a look of panic on her face and Tori understood that look all too well...
It wasn't in her job description, but she always kept an eye out for anyone who had partied too hard beyond the point of functioning or anyone made uncomfortable by other means. She tapped the heeler's shoulder.
"Hey, excuse me," she called to her. "You okay? You seem a bit worried."
"I'm fine," the red heeler brushed her aside. Tori tapped her again, getting a full view of Brandy before she realised who this was. The half red, half white heeler with a couple of spots on her white side...no mistake, it was her.. "Oh, well..."
"Brandy?!" Tori exclaimed, catching the attention of the teen girls who imitated them. A glare from Tori was enough to shut them up, but they continued to snicker in the background as they imitated the duo. "What are you doing here?"
"None of your business, Tori," Brandy replied smugly, eyes as red as Tori's nails. "In fact, I was just about to leave."
"Not in this state, you aren't," Tori rolled her eyes. "God, Brandy, look at yourself. Anyone can take advantage of you like this-"
Brandy sighed. "Yeah I know. Maybe I deserve it though."
"Don't say that," Tori dusted her coat, some fur falling away. "What happened anyway? If you want to tell me of course."
"I don't want to tell you," Brandy eyed her up and down to see how she changed over the years. Her coat was longer and her acne had cleared up, but everything else seemed samey enough. "But I have to tell someone. Keeping it all bottled up is what led to me being here in the first place."
"I'm all ears," Tori held Brandy's paw, seeing the remorse in her eyes. She saw Brandy turn away and pull out her buzzing phone, seeing the name "Bandit" on it before she sighed and let it buzz endlessly in her purse. Her eyes glistened a little afterwards. "Who's Bandit?"
"My boyfriend," she muttered out, not sure what to add. The last time they had spoken, things had broken out into a major fight. Despite all this taking place as dumb children who didn't know any better, Brandy still couldn't give her intentions the benefit of the doubt. "He's worried about me, probably."
"And you're not gonna answer?"
"Well, we had kind of a fight," Brandy shook her head, crouching down on the floor before sitting down. "My sister's birthday is coming up, so we were talking about what to get her. And well, Bandit's the type to dig at the bottom of something, so he started asking me why I wasn't too fond of my sister. Not like it was any of his business, but he wouldn't even give me space to talk about it! He is so sweet, but when he acts like his perspective is the only correct one, it really makes me angry.."
"Oh, so you and Chilli...never really...," Tori looked away, blushing.
"No. We didn't," Brandy gave her a look. "Do you think everything magically changed after you left?"
"No, of course not, but I thought the both of you would reconcile by now? It's been so long..." Tori joined her, sitting down on the floor. "I'm sorry by the way. I was young, dumb, and not the friend you needed during that time."
"It's fine, I've been over it for a while now." I haven't. "What I'm not fine with is how seemingly everyone in my life can't comprehend why I 'push' her away." If anything, it's her pushing me away.
"We'll have you ever told them why? It sounds like you don't tell people anything about your feelings," Tori asked, ears slightly raised. Brandy noticed, remembering this as a funny thing Tori would do when she was interested in something. The perkier her ears were, the more interested she was.
Brandy took note quickly. She hasn't changed much.
"I haven't because no one ever listens to my side of the story," Brandy admitted. "Bandit...he's amazing, but he's friendly with my sister. He's always had a great relationship with his brothers. Grew up doing everything together, ya know? Every once in a while, the younger one comes 'round and they act just like children together. Such a joy to see, but it's also why he doesn't understand."
"He wouldn't understand how someone isn't best friends with their siblings," Tori explained. "Nah. He wouldn't, if he really is as close with his brothers as you say. But he needs to understand that not everyone is as blessed as he is...to have close family and friends like that. All the guys I've ever had never truly understood.."
"And you're not just saying that, I hope," Brandy stared at her, starting to feel regret on coming here.
"Oh, yeah I know," Tori sighed. "I grew to live with it, but have you? It's obvious you envy your sister. Is it because of what happened at your party those years ago? Is it because she always got the boys you liked? Is it because she's graceful at hockey while you can't step foot in there without tripping?"
"...how do you know about that last part?" Brandy clenched her fur, which was barely improving since she left instant ramen behind. She let go, not wanting to tear out more fur than what already fell on its own.
"I guess Chilli never told you," Tori held up her phone. "We still talk. In moderation. Probably not enough times to still be considered 'friends', but we still do. And you should consider listening to her side of the story sometime."
"Oh my dog, are all you people the same?!" Brandy growled. "She doesn't have a 'side' of the story! Her 'side' is skipping her way through life! Where is the hard work in that?"
"So you continue hating her like back then," Tori continued. "You're so self-centered, do you know that? The world doesn't revolve around you and I'm sure so many people have tried telling you this...but get help. It's not normal to obsess over someone innocent like this. You're letting it tear your life apart."
Brandy stared, opening her mouth to say something, but kept it closed anyway. Tori was like a mind reader somehow...able to read her thoughts with such accuracy, it scared her. All of these things she was saying...were things that the heeler would think about often coming as intrusive thoughts.
"If you don't get your shit together," Tori warned, lending a paw to Brandy, who meekly accepted. "You will lose everything. I've got three sisters, I'm not sure if you remember them or not, but Madonna, my youngest sister, was and still is the golden child. Always got what she wanted...got into the university I wanted to go in. Stole my boyfriend a couple of years ago, inherited all of my mother's wealth, got my dream career, and to top it all off, she's rolling around in money that I have to sell my dignity for."
"Madonna sounds a lot like Chilli," Brandy noted. "I'm sorry."
"Sounds like, sure. But she...she's not like Chilli at all when it comes to their personalities. Chilli would absolutely pick you up if you were ever thrown out into the streets...Madonna would listen to my call once and then not answer. If Madonna was anything like Chilli," Tori didn't finish her sentence. "You're luckier than you think."
Brandy nodded. "I'm sorry you've been through hell and back. My whining must've sounded...dumb to someone like you."
I'll try to give Chilli a second chance. Brandy thought to herself. "I'm here for you Tori. Let's start fresh- like school never came between us. It's been so long I figured there's no reason to keep holding on to a grudge from when we were children."
"Are you sure?" Tori asked. "What we did to you as a group was really messed up."
"I'm sure," Brandy was firm with her choice. "I'll look into getting a therapist...and I want to talk to you again. Like old times."
Tori smiled. "Here, I'll lend you my number."
-End-