Hello everyone, this is my first novel in seven years. I'm more of a drawing artist than a writer, but rewatching All Grown Up fills my mind with many prompts, probably because I also believe that the series itself didn't reach its full potential. I feel like my head is going to explode if I don't write these ideas down, so here you go.
I want to apologize this early for all the errors I'm about to make as English is not my first language. I'm also just picking up my writing skills from scratch to release all the scenes I have in my head.
Full Summary
As they explore the peak of their high school lives, one cannot imagine all the drama, twists, and romance they are about to endure and most importantly how all these experiences will shape them to be the best version of themselves.
Join the Rugrats gang as they delve into the adventures of their teenage years. Will the hinted potential relationship between Tommy and Kimi finally come to fruition? How will the gang respond to it?
The characters and events of this story are based on the original canon of Rugrats and All Grown Up.
Disclaimer: The author doesn't own either Rugrats or All Grown Up. It belongs to Nickelodeon and Klasky Csupo.
Song: We Belong Together (Mariah Carey)
A week ago, Chuckie told the gang that he has been planning to throw a surprise party for Kimi's sixteenth birthday over six weeks from now. He had explained all the things he wanted to happen to get the gang's help and they all willingly agreed to it. Tommy was requested to make a montage film of Kimi's memories over the years, including every tape they kept from their baby years. Chuckie really wanted the party to be special, so he's thankful he has a lot of friends who can help him.
Tommy sat in front of his computer, checking all the tapes Chuckie provided. He wanted him to choose and arrange the ones that will fit the montage film. It was kind of exhausting, but good thing he has been learning how to minimize unnecessary work when it comes to editing. His routine nowadays is miles better than his editing routine during middle school.
The sound of continuous mouse clicks can be heard in a quiet and softly lit room as he browsed through all the tapes. He watched the videos and was unable to choose as all of them are very fitting.
He's now watching a recent tape that has Kimi randomly posing and making faces on the camera. He couldn't help but to stare and repeat the clip on the computer screen. It has Kimi innocently staring directly at the camera with a stunning nature view behind her. She's making several stunning facial expressions in this clip, and he can't help but keep playing it repeatedly.
He didn't even notice the goofy smile forming on his face until someone knocked on his bedroom door and called his name. His eyes widened at the realization that he forgot to lock it and whomever it is on the door probably knows he's drooling over this clip right now.
"You sure you just want to drool over there and not eat the delicious dinner downstairs?" Dil giggled and walked closer to him.
Dil became a skilled inventor over the years, inheriting their father's passion for inventing stuff. He would sometimes present an invention to ease house chores or just random stuff that oftentimes bring amusement. He also has been joking about starting his space agency someday to meet an alien himself. Tommy believes that if his little brother really wants it, he can definitely make it happen.
"Oh, I'm just checking all the tapes Chuckie gave for Kimi's montage video," Tommy defended, still glued to his computer screen.
"It looks like that particular clip is the only one going to make it since you've been repeating it for minutes now," Dil chuckled and walked to his brother's bed, sitting on it. "But I can't blame the admiration, she looks breathtaking in those clips. Makes you wonder why she doesn't have a boyfriend yet," he added.
Tommy tried his best not to look at him to avoid responding to that comment.
Dil stared at his brother who seems like he was not coming down with him. "You're still not coming down, T? Mom sent me here to ask you to join us downstairs 'cause there's a big chance none of the food will still be there if you wait to eat later."
"You should go downstairs right now and start eating with mom and dad. I don't have any plans on coming out from this room until I finish my tape selections," Tommy responded.
"Okay, your choice. Just make sure to have a variety of clips in that montage and not stick with just one clip," Dil teased before heading to the door to leave Tommy's room.
Tommy watched his little brother leave the room and stared at the closed door for a while. He released a breath and turned his attention back to his computer screen. This film montage needs to be done very soon as a new school year is starting tomorrow, and it will definitely get him busy in the following weeks. He held his computer mouse again and went back to scanning and playing the tapes.
The sunlight beamed at Tommy's room as he slowly opened his eyes, only realizing now that he slept on his computer table. He looked around the room and saw all the videotapes scattered around. He rummaged his fingers through his messy hair before groggily standing up from his seat to go to the bathroom.
He momentarily stared at the mirror before opening the faucet to wash his face, removing all the dried saliva from his cheeks. He then started brushing his teeth and slightly jolted up when the door suddenly opened upon the entrance of his little brother.
"Good morning bro. Did you finally finish that task you were working on last night?" Dil asked, grabbing his toothbrush from the sink countertop.
"I made a big progress, so I guess I kinda did," Tommy responded, spitting out his excess toothpaste before wiping his whole face with a dry towel.
"That's good," Dil said and started brushing his teeth. "By the way, can I sit with you guys later at the cafeteria? My usual lunch buddies are busy this week," he asked with the toothbrush in his mouth.
"Why would it be a problem? You can sit with us anytime!" Tommy smiled and patted his brother's back.
Dil finished brushing his teeth and wiped his lips with his hands. "Sweet! can't wait for all the conversation you and your friends will be cooking up later!" he replied and casually headed to the door.
"By the way Dil, please don't mention the incident you saw in my room last night. I wouldn't want to cause any awkward tension at our table," Tommy pleaded, looking at his brother who was just about to leave.
Dil looked back at him and raised his eyebrow. "Uh sure bro, it's not a big deal," he responded, shrugging. "But it will definitely be a great blackmail material in the future. So, you have to be careful with me from now on," he teased before pushing the door to leave the bathroom.
Tommy took a deep breath and stared at himself in front of the mirror. The birthday montage won't be a big challenge for him as he already envisioned how the video is going to look. However, her attractive face on those tapes might make it difficult for him to concentrate while editing it. He then smiled goofily, remembering that he was about to see her again today at lunch. It's going to be a gang meet-up but at least he has an excuse to see her.
Stu pulled their family car near the entrance of the school to let the boys go out and go to their respective classes. Dil is one grade level behind Tommy, but they can still walk in the main hallway together before they part ways.
The two brothers walked together in the hallway filled with noises as everyone chatted with their group of friends. Tommy didn't see any of their friends in this place and thought that they were probably already in their first classes right now, especially Susie and Chuckie who are very serious about academics. He pulled out his schedule list from his bag and saw that he was assigned to go to an English class on the second floor for his first class.
Tommy slid the paper back into his bag and was greeted left and right by a lot of peers they were passing by in the hallway. He nodded, smiled, and greeted all of them back while still walking with his little brother. He's not exactly close with everyone, but he knows how to get along with all of them, which has been saving him from being a subject of bullying pranks all these years.
Dil just watched his brother casually greet everyone while staying quiet beside him. He's actually impressed Tommy can just casually talk to everyone even when he's not really close to them. He cannot imagine himself doing that as he's not the type of person who likes to socialize.
Every student around the place suddenly rushed to their respective rooms as the school bell started ringing. The two brothers separated from each other and finally went to their assigned classes.
Tommy knew the exact location of his first room assignment and quickly headed to it. He quietly pushed the door and was relieved that the teacher wasn't there yet. The class is almost full, and everyone was chatting and goofing around with each other. The absence of his other friends here won't be a problem as it's not difficult for him to approach anyone when needed. The whole classroom stayed that way until a teacher finally arrived, getting everyone to compose themselves at their seats.
"Class, please sit down as I have an announcement to make," their English teacher, Ms. Kryst said, getting everyone's attention. She turned to the door and invited someone from outside to enter the room. "We will have someone new in this class."
A girl stepped into the classroom, looking incredibly gorgeous. She has an olive skin tone and long curly brown hair that moved smoothly as she positioned herself in front of the class. Almost everyone in the room couldn't keep their eyes away from her, including Tommy who was completely surprised to see her again after so many years.
"Do you want to introduce yourself?" Ms. Kryst asked the new student. The girl smiled at her before confidently turning her attention to her new classmates.
"Good morning, everyone," the girl started, looking around the whole class. "My name is Rachel Alcroft, but you can call me Rachel. My family used to live in this city before we moved to New York when I was twelve. I'm looking forward to starting the new academic year with you all and hope to be friends with everyone," she smiled, getting almost every male in the class to swoon at her presence.
Tommy was dumbfounded by her sudden return. He looked around the room and saw an empty seat at his side, making him nervous. They didn't have the best conversation before they parted ways over three years ago. He didn't know what to say to her as he didn't expect to see her again.
He leaned his head down, trying to process the fact that she was going to be a part of his life again. Admittedly, he's still embarrassed and terrified to have a conversation with her, considering how mad she was when they last talked to each other.
Ms. Kryst roamed her eyes around the room, searching for an empty seat for the new student to sit in. "You can sit beside Mr. Pickles," she instructed, pointing her finger at the seat beside Tommy. Rachel nodded and immediately complied with her instruction.
Tommy's eyes bulged and tried his best to avoid her gaze as she walked closer towards him. He just froze in his seat until surprisingly hearing her talk to him.
"Oh hey, Tommy!" Rachel greeted, smiling.
Tommy nervously lifted his head and glanced at her, "U-uh, Hi!" he responded, not directly looking at her.
Rachel paused for a few seconds and just stared at him before she spoke again, "It's so nice to see you again."
Tommy was perplexed by how she was casually talking to him like that, acting as if nothing happened between them in the past. He looked back at her, trying to look calm, "Thanks, you too," he responded, forcing a smile.
Rachel was about to say something more but was cut off when Ms. Kryst started to speak, starting the class lecture.
Tommy took a deep breath of relief that their conversation didn't advance further. It's not that he didn't want to talk to her, he was just not in the right state of mind to form a decent conversation with her. He's still processing the fact that she's living in this city again for crying out loud.
He later become more relieved that he didn't have any more classes with her after that first period. The school bell soon rang, finally signaling their lunch period. His classmates collectively stood up after immediately getting dismissed from the class, preparing to leave the room. He swiftly stored his pen and paper in his bag before quickly heading to the cafeteria.
He politely grabbed one tray of meals from the counter and walked through the middle of the tables to search for the gang. It didn't take him long to spot them when he immediately saw Dil's aggressive waving from the table not too far from his location. He waved back at his brother and started walking closer to them.
His eyes first landed on Kimi who was quietly eating her lunch upon arriving at their table. She kept the bangs that she has since they were toddlers, but now sports a ponytail hairstyle more compared to the usual pigtails she wears during middle school. He still thinks she's the most beautiful person he ever saw regardless of any look she'll do.
He placed his lunch tray on the table and sat beside Chuckie who is seated in front of the girl he's been staring at. He then looked away from her and sat comfortably before starting to speak.
"Hey guys, what's up?" Tommy greeted enthusiastically, getting everyone at the table to look at him.
"Just came from a boring Gym class. Doesn't the current school curriculum have a challenging activity for me to do?" Lil responded and took a bite from her food.
These past couple of years have been productive for Lil as she became more involved in the school's soccer team. She basically became the best player in the whole team as her skills continuously improved and are currently peaking at their best. The whole gang is incredibly proud of how far she came."They can literally set your foot on fire, and you'll still be comfortable," Phil retorted, getting everyone at the table laughing with him.
"Ha-ha, so hilarious Philip," Lil mockingly laughed and jokingly rolled her eyes. Her usual conversation with her brother will always be filled with banters, so his teasing response didn't really surprise her.
Phil has matured a lot during the past couple of years. He finally learned to keep himself hygienically clean and now knows how to flirt with girls better than Tommy. In fact, he already dated a lot of girls more than Tommy ever had, initially surprising everyone. Tommy didn't mind that fact and was more than happy to keep his eyes on only one person.
His cooking skills also got tremendously better over the years. He has been contributing a lot of new menu options to Java Lava since he was thirteen, which became very helpful for the business. The gang was happy that things eventually went very well for him
"I don't know Phil, stepping on flames will surely cause intense skin damage," Chuckie said and giggled.
It was no secret to the gang that Chuckie has always been naturally smart and started concentrating on academics when they started entering their teenage years. He's currently taking Advanced Placement classes together with Susie among the gang.
"Stop right there Chuckie, we don't want to hear any of your complex scientific trivia," Kimi chimed in and raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. The rest of the gang, except Chuckie, laughed at her response.
Tommy kept stealing glances at her even after all the laughter ended. The gang resumed eating their meals as he silently watched her chew her mini carrots. His stare only got interrupted when he felt someone tapping his crossed arms above the table.
"You're being too obvious bro," Dil whispered who was sitting in front of him.
Tommy widened his eyes and immediately fixed his posture, looking away from her. Luckily, the rest of the gang are busy eating their lunch and having their own conversations to notice him. It will be very risky to get caught staring at her in the middle of a gang meet-up.
A lot of students in the cafeteria started to stand up and composed themselves when the bell rang, signaling the end of their lunch period. The gang collectively returned their now empty trays to the dish racks and started bidding goodbye to each other, except Kimi and Lil who are scheduled to be in the same class for their next subject.
Everyone's first day of class went well and ended at the usual time of three in the afternoon. Every corner of the campus was soon filled with students who were about to head home or do some extracurricular activities. Most of them also went to their respective lockers in the main hallway to leave some stuff they won't be bringing home.
Almost everyone in that hallway suddenly cheered in celebration when one of the popular teens, Savannah Shane announced that she was inviting everyone to her high school kick-off party. A lot of students squealed in excitement, already looking forward to having a good time and catching up with a lot of their school peers. The party will also serve as one of Savannah's farewells to everyone in that school as this will be her last year in High School.
Savanna confidently walked through the middle of the hallway together with her usual companion, Brianna, and Paris. They immediately stopped when they saw a woman they'd never seen before, already certain that she was a new student. The trio walked closer to her, getting everyone blocking their way to immediately step aside. Almost everyone in that school wouldn't want to fall into their bad graces.
Rachel was silently organizing some of her books in her locker when she felt the presence of some people behind her. She closed her locker and cluelessly turned her body around to face whomever those people were. She looked at the trio in wonder and raised an eyebrow, not knowing any of them or their possible motive.
"Who are you? I've never seen you before," Savannah said, staring at her from head to toe. They couldn't deny that this new student was incredibly gorgeous and already saw her as a potential rival in school popularity.
Rachel paused for a few seconds and tucked her long hair behind her ear, "Hey, I'm Rachel and I'm definitely new here," she confidently responded and held out her hand for a handshake.
The trio looked at each other and nodded. Brianna and Paris also stared at her from head to toe, examining her whole physical appearance. They both think that she's hands down, one of the prettiest students around here, but they won't say that in front of her face.
Brianna stepped closer and crossed her arms, "Where did you come from?"
"I'm from New York, which I assume you all are familiar with," Rachel calmly responded.
"Of course, we're familiar with New York. Our family has been celebrating New Year's Day there since I was younger," Paris said, starting to feel good about Rachel and smiled at her.
Savannah looked back and forth at the girls on both of her sides, raising an eyebrow at them before letting out a comment.
"It's rare to see someone new here who looks on par with the people I usually hang out with," Savannah commented, properly positioning the fancy handbag in her arm. She saw Rachel's waiting hand and willingly shook it, thinking she was definitely beautiful enough to be part of her circle.
"I'm Savannah, and this is my friends Brianna and Paris!" Savannah said, politely introducing all three of them. "We would really love to hang out with you from now on," she added excitedly.
Rachel smiled and tried her best to look nice enough to the trio. She was surprised by the sudden change of their tone and decided to just go along, "That would be delightful."
"Savannah is having a party this Saturday. We really want to see you there so we can also introduce you to everyone!" Brianna informed, genuinely wanting everyone to meet her there.
"Sure, I'll come!" Rachel responded, not wanting to disappoint them by saying otherwise.
"Great!" Savannah smiled in excitement. "We're about to walk home together by the way. Do you want to join us?" she asked.
"No, thank you! I still have a lot to organize here in my locker," Rachel responded, trying to be polite as possible.
"Okay, no problem. So, I guess we'll see you around?" Savannah said, not minding her response.
"Yes, see you!" Rachel responded and gave them a subtle smile before the three girls finally left her alone.
Rachel watched the three girls closely as they walked farther away from her, feeling completely dumbfounded by what just happened moments ago. She doesn't find it difficult to find some friends, but she didn't expect to get a circle that fast. She then turned her body around to face her locker again.
She glanced at the three girls again, now far away from her as they playfully interacted with some guys. She thought those girls might have a lot of influence in this school to act that way around. Their whole encounter didn't weird her out as she already expected some school peers to have a lot of influence over others. She then smirked, realizing that it might not be too bad to tag along with them. Their power around here will definitely help her with her upcoming quests.
Lil walked around the huge schoolyard, looking for the gang after all the classes ended. He immediately spotted them walking in a group as they headed to the school exit. She immediately ran closer to them and spoke, "Hey guys, have you heard? Savannah's having a party this Saturday, you guys coming?" she said, starting a conversation.
"I mean we've been going to her parties every year since middle school, so I guess we will for sure," Phil responded, drinking from his can of soda.
"Oh, you mean another event that will trigger my social anxiety? I'm not sure about that but if you guys are going then I'll just tag along with you all, as usual," Chuckie replied, not feeling excited about some bullies he was about to see at that party.
"Come on Chuckie, it will be a good way to catch up with everyone and forget about our stressful school activities for a while," Tommy commented.
Lil turned to Kimi and wrapped one of her arms around her shoulders. "Please say you're coming Kimi. I definitely need some help with the outfit I'll wear at that party," she pleaded, waiting to hear her response.
Kimi looked at her on her side and gulped. "I don't have anything to do on Saturday, so okay I guess," she responded and was caught off guard when Lil suddenly hugged her.
"Thank goodness! You're the best,'' Lil exclaimed and pulled away from the hug. "I'll text you the details in the following days. I'm so excited, ah!"
"I really hope some of the senior girls won't fight again this year. They have always been dramatic," Kimi commented in disgust and rolled her eyes, remembering the fight that happened last year.
"Let's hope Angelica behaves well there as she's finally a senior this year," Phil joked, getting the rest of the gang to laugh with him.
Tommy subtly stared at her as they all laughed hard at Phil's joke. He smiled at the way she laughed, always liking the sight of her being that happy.
Kimi caught his eyes and gave him a soft smile before immediately looking back at the rest of the gang who were still laughing as they finally got to the school gate.
I apologize if it's a little bit (entirely) boring, I want to build up the events and characters first before we get to the (even boring) exciting parts haha. If you like what you read, you're welcome to stick around.
Also, I made a Tumblr blog to put all the info and behind-the-scenes details for this story there, including a Spotify playlist as I'll always include a song in every upcoming chapter to set the mood. It's on my bio, so please check it out if you're interested. I suggest viewing the site in the web version to see the links' navigation at best.