Here it is. The biggest, most emotional chapter in this story so far. To be honest, I've tried to revise and edit this chapter to maybe tone it down a little, but in the end, I think it is perfect the way it is. This chapter is going to be heavy, so buckle up (though it'll become wholesome cringe afterwards).
This chapter is a huge projection on my part. No, I haven't had a tough relationship with my siblings or any of my nephews/nieces, but I have felt Brandy's resentment in a similar fashion with people in my life. It feels quite...cathartic to let it all out in a manner that's storytelling rather than rambling off to just anyone, you know?
Of course, answering the questions! To be honest, the ending will come shortly after my fic finally gets to the time "Onesies" happened. I might write a little one-shot of Brandy afterwards, but my attention will be placed on my next Bluey fanfic, which will center on Bluey and Bingo's coming of age journeys, along with Bandit and Chilli handling moody teens. Of course the events of "on a night under the shining stars" will remain canonical for this unnamed fanfic, for those who are curious! Hell, I might even include a snippet of Chilli telling young adult Bluey the grown-up version of why Brandy didn't come over again until she was 6. And yes, Brandy will have a healthy relationship with Chilli, Bandit, and the girls once more! She'll be a recurring character much like Stripe and Rad.
On the next question, yes, Bandit and Chilli will get married. They're too perfect for one another!
As per usual, I love the new comments and readers. Keep it coming folks, there's more where this chapter came from!
Anyway, here is chapter 10!
"So," Bandit muttered before he got in the car, giving Brandy a look when she carried the gift bag and a box wrapped in wrapping paper. "You really did go out and get Chilli something, huh?"
"I did," she blushed. Things are still kind of awkward since our fight two weeks ago.
She noticed Bandit was a bit shaken up, noting his stuck up fur, making him appear a little bigger.
"You okay?" Brandy asked, placing a paw on his shoulder. "Your fur's sticking up."
"Yeah," he said, paying no mind to it. "I'm fine."
Bruce, in the back seat, gave him a concerned look, but minded his own business as the couple discussed a couple of things.
Once Brandy got home, it was very early dawn and as expected, she found Bandit out cold on their mattress. He looked so damn good, but a part of her still had a feeling of anger and she felt that misunderstandings plagued their relationship.
Their personalities clicked surprisingly well, but it was clear that their values didn't align. Bandit valued familial and friendly relationships much more than Brandy did and all it took to start a fight was the slight mention of Chilli.
It wasn't just that, either. Bandit loved to rehearse with his band mates and Brandy was often left alone or annoyed with some of his band mates when she went along to one of their places. They had year 7 type of humor and one of them had tried to flirt with her despite her obvious nods at being uninterested and taken on top of that.
She never brought it up to him because she loved seeing him happy, even if it meant spending time with his...poor taste in friends. Still though, she loathed most of them, just like she did most people. Bruce was already pushing her limits, but take him and multiply his annoying humor and idiocy by 10, and that's basically their band mates.
She stared at his peaceful state, wrapping the covers carefully around him. She bent down and softly kissed him before joining him, placing his arm around herself.
When she woke up, Bandit was sitting on the edge of the bed. "So, you wanna talk about whatever happened last night?"
"I'm sorry I ran off like that," Brandy apologized. "I was so angry, I didn't want to hurt you any more than I already had. I figured if I spent some time on my own, I'd feel better and it worked."
Bandit processed her words, a new feeling forming within himself. He felt...seen. I had no idea she'd cool off to avoid hurting me.. "Brandy..."
"I know...you have every right to be mad at me," her ears dropped to her sides. "I wouldn't blame you if you decide to take the car out for a spin."
"No, I'm just thankful," he hugged her, Brandy hugging back, surprised. "No one's ever taken my feelings into consideration like that before. Honestly, I'm just happy you're fine. I was worried, even after Chilli told me you'd probably be okay."
"You called her?" Brandy stated.
His smile quickly turned into a frown, anticipating a redo of last night. He mentally cursed at himself, considering on whether he should entertain another fight or just leave like she did.
"You were worried about me," she teased. "How cute."
He stared at her, unsure on what this was. "What?"
"You heard me right," she nuzzled her snout on his.
Bandit was confused, but he went along with it anyway. Anything to prevent another disastrous fight, yeah? All he wondered was what must've happened along the way for her to become so lax with him.
"I'm trying to make amends with her," she stated bluntly. "It'll lighten her world and it'll get Dad off my tail."
Bandit stared at her. Is that what she has been doing for these past three days? Making amends with everyone? Because I really don't remember her being friends with Trixie until I heard them talking on the phone last night. Something about some Martin dude... "Specifically to get your dad to quiet down or because you actually want to?"
"A bit of both," she met his stare with her own blank one.
"Huh, and here I thought I'd never get to see the day," he joked, laughing a little. Brandy chuckled slightly as well, missing these few moments with Bandit where they weren't doing anything, yet still brightening each other up.
"Well, someone's got to reach out first, right?" she shrugged. "I'm not going to be grandma-aged and still holding a grudge against her."
"I'm glad you two are reconciling way before that age," Bandit kept his eyes on the road. "What happened that night you went out anyway? You left bitter and came back sweeter than ever."
"I ran into an old friend of mine," she explained. "I was...driving in circles around her neighbourhood, which by the way, I had no idea she lived there! But she came out and noticed me, so she tried to confront me only to see that it was me. So we talked a little about our lives and caught up. Turns out she lived a similar story to mine, but her sister was really the spawn of hell. I realized then that Chilli was trying to reach out from the good in her heart and not out of malice...so...why not give it a go, right? How bad could it really be?"
Bandit nodded, smiling. He smiled- he wasn't sure if it was because Brandy was finally open to the idea of reconciling with Chilli or because he'd get to socialize with his friends and perhaps Brandy would try and talk to them as well? He'd hoped so. It was the only thing about her that he would change.
His tail thumped loudly on the seat, positioned awkwardly to allow him to sit comfortably. Brandy noticed, looking up at him after a minute of oggling his tail.
"You sure are happy right now."
"Oh, this thing? I dunno, it's probably the car motion making it thump so much," Bandit covered for himself. "Such a bumpy road to Chilli's after all."
It wasn't at all a secret, but Bandit was terrible at controlling his wags once they started. Yet, somehow, a dose of reality hit him and his tail stopped wagging. He wanted to believe Brandy, but he had a feeling that things would go south once Chilli does anything that Brandy perceives as bad..
"We haven't gotten out of Brisbane yet. Hell, we were just at home less than ten minutes ago," she said with a half eyed stare. "But oh well. I guess you're happy to see me try to reunite with her. I know you're probably afraid of letting it show because of how I was acting before, but really, I don't mind now."
"I'm still getting used to this," Bandit said.
"That's...understandable," Brandy's ears slightly fell towards her sides. Why is it so awkward all of a sudden?
She rested her face with her paw, staring out of the window. She wanted to sigh, but she kept her mouth shut, not wanting to intervene with whatever he was thinking about. She knew something was creeping up in his thoughts- he was smiling just a minute ago with his tail dancing on the seat. He only stopped when she mentioned it.
I don't know, honestly. I can never really tell what's on his mind. I wish he'd tell me what's going on, but I guess these are the consequences of my own actions..
Stripe arrived slightly early, holding the small gift he'd gotten Chilli- the two had only briefly met once again during a run-in in the city when he and Bandit were just walking for the sake of it. Still though, Chilli had decided that was enough for him to be on the invited list and what kind of guy would pass that up?
He didn't know what to really get her, but he hoped a small bottle of perfume would suffice. Stripe peered around the rural area, not recognizing any other cars. This meant he was indeed the first...until another car rolled in.
That must be Bandit, I hope. He turned around in the direction of the sound, only to see another unfamiliar car. A shudder went down his spine when the driver parked next to him.
If they see me sitting here alone, they might think something weird of me. Stripe decided to stop fooling around and get out. Steadily, his paw touched the handle and he turned it, the door opening slowly. Clutching the gift in his paw, he stepped out and closed the door, making eye contact with the other driver, who stepped out at nearly the same time.
She was a gray-coated heeler. A cute one, to add on to her description. Various spots of lighter and darker fur covered her body and she had a cute ribbon on her ear.
"Oh, hello," she waved awkwardly, unsure of what else to do or say. He was a heeler as well, although he seemed unfamiliar. "You must be a friend of Chilli's?"
"Yeah...well, I guess you could say that."
She raised an eyebrow in response. Stripe felt like he was on fire, getting the hell roasted out of him. He quickly realised that his response came out weirder than expected and she looked a little unnerved. Here I go, making a fool of myself like I always do.
"Wh-what do you mean?"
"Well we sorta talked when Bandit and I went to the city. Somehow I got invited, so here I am," he sputtered out. Not my best first impression, that's for sure.
"Oh, Bandit?" her expression lightened up, a smile overtaking her previously worried looking face. "Oh, is he with you?"
Bandit really gets all the ladies, huh... Stripe took notice. "I'm his brother, Stripe. And no...I'm betting on him arriving with Brandy and Bruce though."
"Stripe," she repeated. "Well, I'm Trixie. Trixie Miller."
"Nice to meet ya," Stripe rubbed the back of his head, unsure of what else to do or say. Fortunately, at that moment, another car pulled in. Brandy, Bandit, and Bruce had just arrived-and Trixie's attention was quickly grabbed.
"That must be Bandit and Brandy!"
He was glad his brother had saved him from an awkward talk- though he wished he could've done that without grabbing her attention away.
Once the couple got out of the car, Stripe noticed something off about Bandit. He quickly greeted everyone before he walked a little too quick to the door, leaving the rest looking at each other strangely.
Brandy and Stripe briefly said hi to one another before Trixie jumped up to see Brandy, leaving him standing around awkwardly. Bruce waved at him, but Stripe wasn't too eager to talk to him. They were not what one would call friends.
"Hey Brandy," Trixie smiled, grabbing the red heeler's arm. The two had formed a slight friendship over the two week span of change- which had included several drinks to find out they were more alike than different. She was almost afraid to admit she liked Trixie's company over Bandit or Chilli's.
"Hey Trix," she smiled back. "And here I was, a little worried that I'd be here without a friend to turn to."
"You would've had Bruce or Bandit...or Chilli, for that matter. Are you still going to talk to her?"
"I'm going to try," she replied honestly. "I was talking to her on the phone yesterday and she seemed eager to talk. I just hope I can make it through without fumbling something up."
"Don't worry-you won't," Trixie comforted her. "Chilli's just going to be happy she can talk to you without yelling involved."
"You think so?"
"I know so," she nodded. "I've been best friends with her since we were kids. She really just wants to be friends with you more than anything."
"Well thank you," Brandy replied. "Oh, and by the way, what did you get her? I'm scared I didn't get her enough."
"I just got her some Everydoggy Loves Raymond tapes. She's been dying to watch season 3 in its entirety, but it hasn't aired here yet...but I did have some American friends who lended me a paw and sent this to me."
"Oh Trixie," Brandy laughed. "You never told me you had friends in America! You've got to get them to send me some Reese's cups sometime."
"Just give me the word," she swung her paw, forming a 'phone' with it. "What did you get her?"
"...It's a secret," she held the box and the gift bag up close. "You'll see once she opens them."
"No fair," Trixie huffed like a child.
Brandy chuckled softly as they walked up to the door. Trixie was 18 and Brandy was approaching her 23rd birthday in a couple of months, but they got along quite well despite the gap. They had similar taste in shows and once Trixie discovered Brandy's 'secret' identity, all their conversations always went back to novels and the like. Though it is said analyzation of characters gets better as one ages, Trixie and Brandy had similar views when it came to most character analyzations.
Guess that means I'm immature for my age. Brandy's ears fell in slight embarrassment. I keep forgetting she isn't my age. What gives though? I like talking to her. I guess Chilli's friends aren't all bad.
Once the trio had entered, they saw Chilli smiling and thanking Bandit for her not so subtly wrapped hockey stick. Their tails wagged as they continued talking about what Bandit's 'present' could be. Brandy still continued staring at his fur. Something was eating away at him.
"I can tell this is not a hockey stick," she laughed. "But really, thank you, Bandit. My old one was chipping away."
"Yup, it is not a hockey stick," he agreed. "And you're welcome. I'm glad you like it!"
Brandy felt strange about this and she didn't seem to be the only one who felt something was off. Trixie gave her a look and all she could do was shrug in response. "Since when are they that friendly with each other?"
"Hey Chilli," Trixie broke their conversation, giving Chilli a half-hug. She gave Brandy a confused look, and she meekly looked away. "Happy 21st."
Brandy and Bruce joined in along with Stripe. "Happy birthday, Chilli."
"Aww thank you," Chilli smiled as she received the gifts and placed them on the table. "It's so nice to see you all again."
She stared at Brandy when she said that. Brandy felt herself blush, suddenly feeling paralyzed in place. "Y-you as well."
As the evening dragged on, more people showed up- including Mort returning from a trip to the store to buy cake candles, Tori, Frisky, and Aunt Linda and Uncle Lorence. Who could forget? At one point, Richard, Trixie's strange cousin, arrived briefly only to leave the gift. He explained he had a meeting to go to and apologized over not being able to attend the party.
Things really broke loose when Sadie and her fiancé-now-husband arrived, Lester carrying two bottles of fine booze. Sadie, being her little 'posh' self she is, felt the need to one-up everyone at the party with her flashy dress and even a tiara.
Who the hell does she think she is, showing up in that in a casual dress party?!
Sadie's eyes widened at the sight of Tori; then after they spent time catching up, she went and nearly tripped over Brandy's foot before realizing who she was.
"Oh dear," her corgi ears fell. "Brandy Cattle? Is that you? What is it with today and bringing everyone from my childhood back?"
"Yeah, it's crazy...innit," she said half-heartedly. Brandy glanced over at Trixie, who seemed to be spaced out as was Stripe, then over at Tori, who was having a discussion about her history with Sadie with her husband. Bruce was watching the TV; Chilli and Bandit were completely gone and her aunt and uncle were talking with her father. Talk about no escape.. "I'm surprised you came here."
"I had business to attend to," she said flatly. "You sound annoyed. Something happen?"
Yeah, you came. Brandy held the urge to roll her eyes. "No. I'm just tired. You know I've never been cut out for parties."
"Yeah of course. I don't even remember having one with you in it," she laughed. Brandy liked corgis as a breed-she thought they were cute-but this one still had an ugly habit of talking through her ears. Several times had her ears almost slapped Brandy since they rose and fell with every mood of her word. This made it awfully easy to see that Sadie was in fact serious about not remembering any parties with Brandy in them. "So where's Chilli? I ought to give her my gift."
"I'm not sure actually," Brandy dropped her cold attitude. "I'm going to look for her."
"Hold on, I'm coming too," she decided to come along.
Brandy investigated the house, peering out in the backyard where she'd spend most of her early childhood drawing bugs that would crawl out in the open, then looking in the kitchen she had learned to cook in, then in the living room she had spent playing make-believe with Chilli. Nostalgic feelings kept hitting her so hard, even if Brandy kept returning home every once in a while.
Suddenly, Sadie spotted Chilli over on the rocking chair, running out into the backyard. Brandy thought the chair must've been purchased recently- it wasn't there last time she came over. As the duo talked, Brandy decided to sought out Bandit.
He wasn't anywhere that she could think of. Well, she hadn't looked very hard either. She saw her childhood more than she saw the actual rooms as they were now. She decided to sneak out through the front door out into the house's car park, where she sniffed out his scent. Her ears swerved left and right, catching a soft conversation being had next to their car.
"That's not how it happened," Bandit harshly said, a few indistinguishable murmurs on his phone. Brandy figured she should give him his privacy and turned back to Chilli's party.
She walked by near the back, where Chilli sat down on her rocking chair; Sadie was gone then. Brandy grabbed her gifts and walked outside, closing the window doors behind her. "Chilli."
"Brandy," the younger red heeler turned around, placing her bookmark in a novel. Brandy's eyes widened at the sight of Comets in her paws. Surprising, for someone who was never much a reader.
"You're reading Comets?" Brandy sat down next to her, placing the gifts to the side. She subtly made the chair rock a little, watching the clouds race to cover the moon. Some light came through to hit Chilli's eyes, where Brandy saw a soft reflection of herself within.
"Yeah. I haven't made it too far in, though," she closed the book on her lap. She looked over at the gifts. "Are those for me?"
"Who's the birthday girl?" Brandy said sarcastically, laughing a little bit. "Yes, they're yours. I hope you like them."
Chilli laughed along. We haven't talked like this since we were kids. "You haven't changed since...childhood."
"No way," Brandy crossed her arms. "Are you saying I'm still a child?"
"No, no, I'm not," she grabbed the gifts, lightly rolling her eyes. "I'm saying your personality hasn't changed. You're still as sarcastic as ever."
"Sorry, should I tone it down?" Brandy felt self-conscious. The last thing she wanted to do was make Chilli uncomfortable. "I'll stop."
"No, it's okay," Chilli reassured her. "I miss this. You have no idea how it feels to see you be yourself for the first time since I was 10 or so."
"...I don't. You're right on that," she replied honestly. "You're always so carefree and happy even when life is testing your patience. You've always been so good at keeping your head up when the worst is happening. I can't say the same for myself."
Chilli held her sister's paw. "But there's probably a good reason behind that. You were never the type to blindly hate someone. So tell me...why did you distance yourself from me so much?"
"It was a hard thing for me to do," Brandy admitted. "I was so...jealous of you. Chilli, I felt like I was in your shadow for as long as I can remember. It started when Mum would always take you out shopping as kids. Then when Uncle Lorence gave you the huge play set for Christmas while all I got was a beanie."
"Mum only took me out because you hated shopping," Chilli replied. "You weren't really sociable with Uncle Lorence either, so I assume he didn't know what to get you."
"Chilli," Brandy interrupted. "It started then. Of course I know now that you're probably right, but my feelings were never rational, especially not when I was a child. And I know it wasn't your fault. I was angry with the wrong people this whole time."
Chilli stared, giving her paw a good squeeze. It was best to let Brandy explain her side of the story, she thought. If we keep interrupting each other, we will never understand one another as people.
"I had my friends growing up. They loved me, but then they'd meet you and slowly...or sometimes instantly- I'd slowly fade away from our friend groups. They'd talk to you and I would spend time sitting alone, pretending I was fine with being left out over and over again," Brandy sighed. "I liked my fair share of guys, but they'd always have eyes for you. It really hurt me when you went out with Martin. Yes, you had every right to date someone you liked and I doubt you knew I had feelings for him, but it was my confirmation bias at play here. People loved you, and no one really loved me."
Chilli gave her a sympathetic look, initiating Brandy to continue. Brandy was thankful she didn't interrupt again-maybe it was a sign that things would only go up from here.
"Despite all that, I loved you," Brandy continued. "I didn't care so much for my friends or my crushes, or our family's admiration. None of that really mattered leading up to now. What hurt me the most is that you looked at me with so much...pity. I hated it more than anything. Chilli, I hate being pitied. I hated that you thought you could 'fix' me, or that you can zoom in and be the heroine of the day by getting me to socialize just once with others. I saw you try it so many times...telling Mum about my drawings of me crying, pushing me to talk to your friends in primary school, setting me up with your guy friend who absolutely had no interest in me, offering to help me rent my place in front of our family, taking Ralph off my paws whenever I joked about being tired in front of his parents, telling Dad about my diary...the list is endless."
Another moment of silence passed as Brandy thought of how to end her ramble in the gentlest way possible. She saw Chilli's features drooping the more she continued to talk and she felt no desire to sour her mood on her special day.
"But ultimately the fault was mine," she started to lead towards the end of her side. "I never told you how I felt. I expected you to just be able to tell that I hated those stunts you'd pull in front of other people. But here I am. I'm telling you now because I want to fix our relationship. I don't want our differences to come between us anymore. I want to start over, fresh and anew, but I also want to hear your side. I will never be able to understand you if I keep interrupting your attempts to reconnect."
"And I believe you're right there," Chilli nodded at her last sentence. "And I'm sorry. I'm sorry I treated you like a helpless animal and made you feel like a repair project for myself. I'm sorry about our family, your friends, your crushes. I wanted you to be happy, because it was clear you weren't. I couldn't tell why because I was caught up living my own life, but...it makes so much sense now that you've told me everything."
She held her novel. "It hurt me seeing you left out, so I tried involving you more. I won't lie to you, I did think I could 'fix' you. I was used to being the voice of reason, so I took it upon myself to attempt to fix you when that's a process someone does on their own. That day you told me you didn't need or want my help, it really...hurt me. I wasn't used to anyone turning me down or not being able to fix something."
"I'm sorry," Brandy looked away. "I was so immature and such a cunt. I tried to distance myself from you so I wouldn't hurt you like that again, but once Bandit came into our lives, it was inevitable. We are dating- but he adores talking to you and everyone else he's met on the way."
"It was no wonder I saw so much more of you ever since he came," Chilli laughed, a slight blush on her cheeks. Now is not the time to think about him like that. "But how's he doing you?"
"He's a great person...but ultimately, I don't think he's the one," Brandy admitted. "We fight too often and can't communicate too well. I'm also pretty sensitive...so sometimes I take a comment of his too personally...and distance myself for a while."
Brandy hugged her abdomen. I haven't told anyone about this except for Bruce and that's because he lives with us.
"I see," Chilli nodded. "What...has he told you?" He seems so kind, I could never picture him saying something hurtful towards her.
Brandy felt her throat tighten. "I haven't told anyone except Bruce and that's only because he lives with us."
"I won't tell. You can trust me with anything, Brandy," Chilli stated. "I promise."
"And it's not like it's bad!" Brandy reasoned. "It's just that he doesn't really understand what to say during tough times!"
"Brandy, c'mon," Chilli urged. "I won't judge you. Out with it."
"Okay," Brandy stopped stalling. I'll feel better when I can really have a discussion about it. Bruce wasn't the best person to talk to, though I can't really blame the guy..? "So...you remember when we went to London and we met Bandit there?"
"...Yeah, of course," Chilli nodded. Silly question.
"We had fooled around during that trip," Brandy admitted. "That's why I smelled like him that night you were pestering me over it."
"I had a feeling, you know," Chilli sighed. "Still though...so soon? You hadn't really known him for even a day at that point."
"It just happened," Brandy blushed. "He was telling me about his life here. He was at a rough point in his life and I was naive, two things that should never go together. He was venting, I comforted him, he hugged me, then it happened. Anyway, turns out, I got pregnant from it."
Chilli's eyes were as wide as saucers. "S-so you're expecting?! Is that why you refused to drink?!"
Chilli gave her a second to answer, but Brandy wasn't as quick a talker as she was a thinker. "WHAT THE HE-"
"No, of course not," Brandy laughed, shushing Chilli. Somehow slightly poking fun at this otherwise serious situation made her feel better. "I miscarried. I know it was too soon to even think about marriage, much less having a baby, but...it reminded me a lot of Ralph for some reason. See, I wasn't able to release the fetus naturally, so I had to get it out medically. I had a really strange dream that night about Ralph; then I felt excitement rather than fear. So here I was, imagining a life where Bandit and I would be raising a little Ralph, while he was happy no kid was going to be born."
"Did he really say that?" Chilli said, still in shock from the news. Is that why she seemed even more distant than usual the other day? Still though, I understand both of them. I'd be terrified in Bandit's paws, but I know Brandy loved Ralph with all her heart. She'd be a great mum, just not right now.
"He didn't go around parading it, but he said if I knew I was pregnant, I would've aborted it. I know he meant no harm at all and it's only hurting me because it reminds me of Ralph, but I've never been able to look past it," Brandy hugged herself a little tighter. "Our relationship has never really been the same since and neither of us is trying to improve it. We're just roommates who kiss every once in a while now."
I'm so glad it wasn't anything worse. Chilli sighed in relief. I can't fully blame Bandit for hurting her feelings, but I also see why Brandy was excited. A small disagreement, and here I thought he was malicious. "I'm sorry. I wish I knew what else to say, but I'm still processing this- you never looked-"
"I don't blame you, now stop being so awkward," Brandy lightly elbowed Chilli with a smile on her face. "I wouldn't know what to say to me either if I were you. I should've expected it anyway seeing how Mum was back in the day."
"...Yeah. It still hurts when I think about her," Chilli frowned. "Honestly, now I'm afraid of having children. I do want to be a mum someday...but I'm afraid I'll die giving birth to them. Mum almost died because of me.."
"It wouldn't have been your fault even if the worst had to come then," Brandy reassured her. "Still though, I wish she and Dad had tried stopping at you. She'd probably still be here otherwise. I love Dad so much, but I never stopped missing Mum."
"I wish they did too, but it would've been nice to have another sister or a brother," Chilli wondered. "Though the past is the past and there's nothing that can really be done."
"That's true," Brandy nodded. "You know...I'm so glad we had this talk. I understand if you don't want to, but I would love to be...sisters again. We can start over; leave the past in the past."
"I never thought I'd be alive for this day," Chilli cracked her own joke, bringing a smile on Brandy's face. "Of course. I'd do anything for you. So...hey, I'm Chilli."
"Huh?" Brandy gave her a strange look. She was still happy that her sister agreed. What is this?
"We're starting over," Chilli gave her a look. "Come on, introduce yourself!"
"This feels a bit silly," Brandy blushed. "You know what I meant by starting over and I didn't mean it literally."
"Oh? Sorry, my dad told me not to talk to strangers," Chilli crossed her arms with a smug look on her face. "You're making this way more complicated than it needs to be, mate."
"Okay, okay, fine. I'm Brandy. Nice to meet you," Brandy extended her paw out, Chilli shaking it in response. This is so cheesy, but whatever helps us rekindle our sisterhood.. "I got you some gifts. I hope you like them."
Brandy handed the bag and the box to her.
Trixie smiled awkwardly and Tori and Sadie gossiped over random celebrities on the TV. Frisky had gone out to get some more booze, Lester and Bruce were busy talking to one another, and the sisters were gone, leaving her with no one to talk to. Usually, she would've turned to Bandit, but even he was gone. She wasn't sure where he was- but it was no use parading around the house anyway. If he was gone, he probably didn't want to be found.
Tori and Sadie are tearing that poor woman apart, I'm not very close with Bruce and Lester, Mr. Cattle and the other people are talking about the economy for dog's sake, and Bandit and the sisters are gone...Why did everyone I'm comfortable with have to go?
She spotted the same heeler from before, awkwardly staring at the TV, probably overhearing Tori and Sadie's conversation. He looked so out of place, but Trixie guessed she did as well. He looks friendly enough.
She got up and approached him, barely snapping him out of his intense gaze at the TV. Oh, I guess he wasn't eavesdropping after all. He was just bored. "Hey, Stripe, isn't it?"
"Yeah," he nodded. "Trixie, yeah?"
"Yeah," she laughed awkwardly. Maybe I should've minded my own business. "It's quite...dead here in the living room."
"Yeah, especially for me. I only know Bandit, and he's...taking care of private matter. I tried to talk to Bruce and Lester, but they're too strange for me."
"Tell me about it," Trixie sat down next to him. "See, I just recently became acquainted with Brandy. I know Bruce through her really- and I'm not the only one who thinks he's strange. I mean the guy likes drinking BrainTaste.."
"No way, those are shit," Stripe stuck his tongue out. "But I totally understand you on Bruce. Bandit's close to the guy, so I've seen him more times than I'd like to..."
Sensing a perfect time to subtly flirt, Stripe smiled a bit more daintily. "Though I haven't seen you as much as I'd like to."
Trixie blushed, before giggling a little. Oh wow, a cute guy is flirting with me. Just when I thought love was dead.. "I can say that about you, too."
I never thought I'd get this far. Stripe blushed. It's usually the chicks asking me for Bandit or Rad's number.
Love at first sight may be considered a fantasy for many, but it seemed like these two heelers have found it through each other- even if Trixie was previously thinking of trying to get with Bandit. She'd never hurt Brandy, but if they broke up...
Brandy observed from afar as she and Chilli went back inside. They look cute together...and this gives me an idea for the chapter I'm writing currently.
"Oh, is that Trix and Stripe?" Chilli paused, looking at them. They were talking, tails slightly wagging, big dorky smiles on their face, and a light blush on their cheeks, though Stripe's appeared purple due to his coat's color. "I had no idea they'd get along so well."
"Me neither," Brandy nodded, winking at Trixie from afar, who'd noticed the Cattle sisters glancing in their direction. Trixie blushed before turning to face Stripe once again. "Good for them."
"Yeah...and thank you for my gifts, Brandy," Chilli turned to look at her sister. "The She-Ra figure and my shirt definitely made my day..."
On the car trip home, Brandy stared lazily out the window as Bandit drove on ahead without saying a word. Bruce was in the backseat as usual, snoring quite noticeably. Since he was passed out anyway, Brandy decided to nudge at the subject with Bandit.
"Hey...I know I asked you this already, but I'm worried about you. You came back inside and didn't come out of the dunny," Brandy looked at him worriedly.
"Sorry I'm not as chatty right now," Bandit sighed. "I had another fight with my dad. He just found out about our living situation because Mum let it slip around him."
"What do you mean?" Brandy raised an eyebrow. We're not that poor. I've gathered enough money to last us 4 months just through the meet-n-greet I had a week ago. Now, if he got a picture of me wearing that awful mask...
"He realised I'm still working at Domino's and that you're the breadwinner," Bandit growled. "He's always up my arse about something. I try to not let it get to me, but it does.."
I'll let him get it all out. Brandy thought to herself. He'll feel better...just like I did when I talked to Chilli properly. If I'm going to do something...I should do it properly... Wow. "It's good you're being honest right now though. Sometimes getting it out is just enough for you to feel slightly better about things."
Brandy looked up at him, remembering the weight lifted off her shoulders at the party. She mentally sighed when she saw Bandit's expression remain the same. Angry and distant it was, but she figured she wouldn't push him unless he spoke of it again.
"...How was the talk with Chilli?" Bandit felt her stare, growing a bit uncomfortable yet again. Things haven't been quite as lax as before, they both figured. "I noticed you were talking to her when I went back in."
"It went by a lot smoother than I thought it would...And you were right," Brandy replied. "I needed to give her a chance. I'm sorry for doubting you."
"It's okay," Bandit focused on the road. Lights from the city were just starting to peak over the horizon when Brandy's mind drifted over to that talk she had with Martin yesterday. She often wondered how life would've been like if she and Martin had stayed in contact.
Sure, he was a bit obnoxious, loud-mouthed, and quite pretentious...but he really was a well-meaning dog with quite a lovely exterior, if Brandy said so herself...which she did. He has Wendy, though. It would be wrong.
He has Brandy, though. It would be wrong. Chilli sighed, sitting outdoors again, only accompanied by Stripe and Trixie. They were really hitting it off; a load of giggles erupting from them every two seconds. The alcohol might've gotten to their heads...
While they were talking about dog knows what, her mind was thinking of Bandit. He looked...more groomed than the last time she had seen him.
Her cheeks turned crimson, garnering the attention of the two tipsy lovers at first sight.
"Chilli! What are ya thinking about...?" Trixie smirked at her, noticing her cheeks. "You thinking about your crush?"
"I don't have a crush," Chilli shot her a dirty look. "You definitely need to go to bed, along with Stripe. You two could sleep in the basement, but sharing a bed would be inevitable...though that shouldn't be a problem for you two."
"What did I do?" Stripe yawned, stretching his arms up in the air. "I'm just talking to the finest woman I've laid eyes on."
"Oooh," Trixie smiled at the compliment.
It was only a two-whoops, 3 year difference, but Chilli cringed. 18 year olds are really something else.