Danny shows the girls around the town, telling them about the places he goes to and some he heard. They came up to the mall and Isabella wanted them to shop for a while. Danny sighs, hoping they won't force him to carry everything. Luckily for him, he didn't. They hit a few stories, the girls looking over many things.
"Wow! I can't believe they have this!" Megumi said, holding up a science kit.
"I heard of those! You wanted one as a kid." Ami said, knowing she told them about the kit she always wanted.
"Buon per te, Megumi!" Isabella said.
"Yeah, we're happy for you," Liz said, patting her shoulder.
Danny smiles, glad to see that the four were good friends. Even if they had different interests, they were at least supportive of each other. Just like him and his friends. Dany sighs, making the four turn to him.
"Are you okay, Danny?" Ami asked.
"Yeah. Just missing my friends." He said.
"You mention one during lunch. Sam, right?" Liz said.
"Her and my other best friend, Tucker. Both of them are out of town for a few days. Tucker went to visit his grandparents and Sam was dragged into an all-girl event that her parents signed her up for." Danny said.
"And what's wrong about that?" Megumi asked.
"Sam's not like other girls. Her family is rich but she wants to stay out from them. So, she dresses as a goth. Her parents don't like that, and are trying to dress her up as they envision her. They like me and my parents even less." Danny explained.
Liz frowns, kind of understanding that. Her parents back home treated her like a princess. For a time, she enjoyed it. It wasn't until she met her friends that she saw it wasn't as great as she thought. Her parents were still spoiling her, but she had long outgrown that. It was trying to make her parents see that she wasn't that girl anymore.
"So, anywhere else you want to go to?" Danny asked, snapping them from their thoughts.
"Well, I do want to hit the gym," Ami said, done with shopping for now.
"Let me buy this first!" Megumi said, running towards the counter.
"She really can't wait to play with that." Liz giggles.
"She told me that everyone was trying to ban her from science," Danny said, making the other three sigh.
"Megumi always had a knack for that. She the kind of girl that refuses to give up on her dream to become the world's greatest scientist," Isabella said.
"She didn't get much of a chance to study it as a kid, and she never told us why. Though, we do think it had something to do with her parents." Liz said.
"Why?" Danny asked.
"Don't know. She won't tell us." Ami said, shrugging.
Danny frowns, having noticed how happy and excited Megumi looks when she talks about her favorite subject. He was the same when he talked about space and heading for the stars. So why did everyone try to stop her from seeking out her dream?
"Well, I was hoping to see more of your fashion, but I'm good for some time," Liz spoke up.
"Lo stesso qui" Isabella nodded.
Megumi returned, looking very excited.
"I can't wait to try this out when I get home!" She said, bouncing off her feet.
"Chill, Megumi. We'll get there." Ami laughs.
"Wait, we don't have our workout clothes!" Isabella said, reminding Ami.
"It's cool. I'll head over and get them." Ami said, starting to walk away.
"Do you even know where the gym is?" Liz asked, making her green-wearing friend stop.
"Hehe, whoops." She said, sheepishly.
"How about we all head to our apartment and grab them? Then, Danny can show us where the gym is at?" Isabella said.
"Bella, what are you up to?" Liz asked, knowing something was up.
"Nothing. I'm just trying to make things Più facile." Isabella said, acting innocent.
"Yeah, easier." Ami, Megumi, and Liz said, knowing their friend well.
"What do you take me for? I'm not Tawna!" Isabella said.
"Who?" Danny asked, confused.
"Another friend of ours. Well, a former friend since she started dating that Pinstripe guy." Ami growls.
"She from the land down under and we used to chat all the time," Megumi said, sadly.
"She then tells us that she dumped her old boyfriend for that bastardo sessista, and she was no longer the girl we know," Isabella said, upset.
"We tried to tell her he was no good, but she refused to listen. Then, out of nowhere, she stopped responding to us. That was 5 years ago." Liz said, shaking her head.
Danny frowns, feeling bad for them. He wasn't sure how he'd feel if Tucker or Sam just outright stopped talking to him because of their life changes.
"At least Tawna helped me understand that having friends is far more important than having my name everywhere," Liz said.
"But didn't you want your name to be seen in lights?" Danny asked.
"I do, but I'll make sure that I'll be the same girl that my friends know," Liz said, sighing.
"Well, enough about her, let's get moving," Ami said, her tone carrying anger.
Danny decided not to ask anymore. It was clear that all four of them were still upset about the betrayal and it was still touchy to them. Still, it was sad to hear that happen to them.
Later,
Everyone made it to the apartments and the girls went to their rooms. Danny stood in their living room, noticing how nice the play looked. Danny spotted a game lying on the table called Nitro Squad, an adventure/racing gym he heard of.
"Huh, I didn't know they had this," Danny said, reading the back.
"Caio, Danny! Siamo pronti!" Isabella said, stepping out.
"Bella, you're slipping into Italian again," Liz said.
"So? Megumi slips into Japanese and you don't give her a hard time!" Isabella pointed out.
"E e, Sorede?" Megumi asked, smiling.
"At least with her, we know when she does it," Ami said, making Isabella roll her eyes.
Danny noticed that they were carrying bags, meaning they weren't going to change until they get to the gym.
"You wanted to see us in our workout clothes, didn't you?" Isabella tease.
"Err, that's not...I mean I was just..." Danny stuttered.
"Isabella..." Ami said, making the girl roll her eyes.
"I'm teasing. Give me a break!" She said, shaking her head.
Still, Danny was blushing as he tried not to picture what the girls looked like in their workout suits. Ami noticed Danny's blushing and shook her head. She could tell that Danny was trying his hardest not to come off as a creep, and that was good. Looks like there could be hope for a new friend.
Remember this story? It's been over 2 years since I started on this and I know a lot of people have been wondering about this. It's not dead, I just never go around this. Jeez, where does the time go? So, this is a short chapter, but it did cover the little get-together that this chapter was about. And after so many years, I removed Tawna because I didn't want to have her, but now I'm starting to change my mind. But she won't appear until later. And remember, I made Isabella Italian, so feel free to guess what she said. If you can't, use Google Translate. Bastardo sessista. Sorry if anyone who is Italian is reading this.