A/N: Extensive chapter.
Chapter 51: An Arrangement... and Another Revelation
Later, after so much escape, Diddy headed back home. Minutes before, he had to hide until the quartet along with the rest of the herd of children lost sight of him, since they wanted to go against him after the move he had made to Jenny.
On the other hand, Dixie was still running home. She managed to see Diddy arriving at it, so she had to speed up more to get there before him.
Diddy was one step away from going upstairs, when suddenly, he met Dixie head-on by surprise. She was tired of running and didn't know what face to make, as she hadn't managed to arrive before Diddy. In fact, both of them didn't know what to say or what face to put on at that time. Diddy noticed Dixie showing herself with fast breathing due to the hustle.
"Uhh… Hi, Dixie!" Diddy said with a nervous smile. "What are you up to?"
"Uhh... Nothing... I just… went for a walk," Dixie replied, trying to hide everything and break the ice. "Oh, and... How did it go there? Is the ship ready?"
"Well, yeah, everything is ready," Diddy replied, still with some nerves, but trying to talk to her normally. "But you know? Those... I don't even know what to call them now. Instead of planning everything, they started celebrating and playing," he added before starting to laugh when remembering the last thing. "And you don't even know what I did."
"What?" Dixie asked, trying to stay serious, but then she knew what Diddy meant, and she also started to laugh.
"We played that same challenge game again, and…" Diddy replied, trying to stop laughing.
"Jenny?!" Dixie added, starting to laugh too, but instantly, she realized that she gave herself away, so she fell silent.
"Huh? Yes, how do you know?" Diddy asked, stopping the laughter in his tracks as well.
"Uhh… It's that…" Dixie didn't know what to say now. "Ah, really? I think I guessed," she added with a forced smile, trying to deflect the topic.
"Did you go there too?" Diddy asked, giving her a strange look.
"Uh, no, of course not! I just…"
"Oh, admit it!" Diddy said, wanting to laugh again and giving her a little push, before letting out his laughter. "You had to see it!"
"Oh, okay! Yes, I went... I did see everything," Dixie replied with a little embarrassment and seriousness this time. "I'm sorry... it's that, you know... I just wanted to make sure everything was... okay."
Diddy stopped laughing, at the same time that he felt worried about Dixie after hearing that answer. Then, he remembered that they still had to clarify everything and should fix things as soon as possible.
"And... do you feel better right now?" Diddy asked, smiling at her with some insecurity. "Do you want to go for a walk for a while?"
Dixie, although no longer upset, agreed to go with him and be able to clear things up. She was also very ashamed that she hadn't believed Diddy, even though he had always given her reason to trust him. Along the way, they were talking about everything that happened in the meeting and, remembering the last event, they let out laughter. After several minutes of walking, they went to sit next to a fallen tree trunk, still laughing.
"... And everyone thought you were really going to do it!" Dixie said, trying to stop laughing. "Oh, no, I shouldn't laugh at Jenny, poor."
"Bah, though she and the other three laugh and make fun of us anyway," Diddy added, shrugging and laughing again along with Dixie.
They both continued to laugh out loud nonstop at Diddy's play on Jenny. They felt a little guilty too, especially Diddy, but at the same time, they were very amused; they felt that this had been some kind of revenge in a way.
But after a few minutes of laughter, they both knew they had to get serious so they could talk things out clearly. Diddy took courage to be able to touch the topic they had to solve.
"Uhh, Dixie... aren't you upset anymore?" Diddy asked with some insecurity.
"Well... no, I don't have to be," Dixie replied, smiling at him. But then, she was a little sad and embarrassed by what happened. "Oh, Diddy... I'm really sorry for not believing you yesterday at first, I mean... I did believe you, but seeing that with my own eyes made me feel very bad."
Remembering that, Dixie felt almost the same as she did at that moment again, so she just took a breath. Diddy felt very sorry for her; he never wanted to make her feel that way, much less if he never had that intention. He got closer and settled in front of her so he could talk to her better.
"Dixie... I'm so sorry you felt that way," Diddy said, trying to comfort her. "Jenny doesn't understand, or rather, doesn't want tounderstand, not even because we have both explained to her. And you know I'd never do that to you... Sorry if it happened, Dix."
"No, no, you don't have to apologize for that, Diddy... It wasn't your fault really, it's not," Dixie replied, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I know it was Jenny to blame, she did it," she added earnestly, but then looked down again. "And it's just Jenny... I came to consider her a lot, as a good friend... But I don't think I'll see her like that anymore," she added, folding her arms before continuing. "I can't anymore... I can't stand how she tries to approach you, let alone last night... I did want to believe you, Diddy, it's just that... I didn't want to be wrong either and I got that insecurity for having seen it, because really... I have been afraid that you'll give a chance to her... even if you've always shown me that you don't."
"What?" Diddy said, looking at her with some strangeness for what she said. "Hey, no, I said I'd never do that to you, Dix, why did you think so?"
"Ugh, it's that... it's just that I couldn't help it," Dixie replied with discomfort to be honest. "I mean... I know you've proven that you'd never do it, and I've also tried to pretend that I don't care and that I'm strong, but... sometimes I can't anymore, and actually... it does annoy me."
Diddy felt bad about Dixie and how she spoke. He even felt worse after hearing the last thing she had just told him. But before long, that expression of hers… reminded him suddenly of himself a little more than a couple of months ago.
"Oh, Dixie... I think I understand how you feel anyways," Diddy said with a low look. "I've felt that way too, you know, because... Jemky... I couldn't stand how he tried to get close to you either, I was very upset about that, and I've even been afraid that something would happen between you and him... even if you proved it would never happen. And at least you can now express it... On the other hand, I couldn't back then. And you can't imagine how terrible I felt when I thought you dated him; and when you told me we wouldn't be friends anymore, it was worse. But... I couldn't do anything anymore, I just tried to accept that I wasn't going to have a chance with you anymore, even if it was what I wanted most... And well, so don't feel bad about feeling that way, Dixie," he added, smiling back a little and holding her hand. "And it's okay, you can tell me how you're feeling; never hesitate to do so."
Dixie was thoughtful for a moment after what Diddy said; the latter words made her feel better and she smiled at him again, even though she still felt somewhat embarrassed. But suddenly... her face changed back to a low and even worried expression, which earned a look of strangeness from Diddy.
"Diddy... I'm really sorry," she said, showing a little worry. "So, that's how you felt about Jemky's matter?... Oh, no, forgive me, Diddy!" she added quickly.
"Hey, don't worry, that happened a long time ago," Diddy replied with a slight laugh and shrug. "I mean, we are both already together and happy to be; no need to worry. Besides, Jemky was the one who forced you to tell me that that time, wasn't he?"
"It's that it wasn't exactly like that, Diddy. I mean... He did threaten me, but at first... It wasn't a serious threat as such."
"What?" asked Diddy, suddenly confused by what Dixie had just said. "What are you talking about?"
"There's something that... I didn't tell you about that time, Diddy," Dixie revealed, which began to confuse Diddy more.
"What are you saying?" Diddy said with a confused look. "I don't understand, what are you talking about?"
"It's that... the time you invited me to the waterfalls... I had made a stupid deal with Jemky... to pretend that we were dating and so you would encourage you to confess to me."
Suddenly, Diddy began to change his face again. He felt a small inner blow with what Dixie had just revealed to him; he didn't know what to say to her and just stayed still for a couple of seconds as he began to think too many things.
"W-what?! What are you saying, Dixie?" Diddy stuttered without processing. "How's that?"
"It was something stupid," Dixie replied, embarrassed, even not wanting to look at him. "All because I didn't know how to take a first step with you without being direct... He wanted to make a deal with me, and I... I accepted it."
"What did you say, Dix?" Diddy exclaimed, still not knowing what to think. "B-but what did you do? What actually happened?"
Indeed, what Dixie said... it was true; it was a small detail of the facts that she hadn't told and that had been on her mind during that time. She needed to tell Diddy somehow, but was afraid of how he would take it at the time. Still, after understanding the situation, she decided it was time for him to know.
"It's that I…" Dixie replied, still embarrassed, "at that moment, I was upset with you because you always denied that you liked me and never understood my signs. And then, Jemky proposed a deal to pretend in front of you that we were dating, in exchange for me giving him the emerald... And, although I didn't want to accept it at first... I ended up accepting it.
Diddy was shocked and silent for a few seconds as he tried to process what Dixie revealed. That revelation was never seen coming, and he had even become more confused than before.
"What?!" Diddy exclaimed with a stranger expression. "Hey, what are you telling me, Dixie? So, you…"
"I didn't know how to get close to you at the time!" interrupted Dixie, trying to stay serious. "I didn't know how to tell you directly and take the first step, and you even denied it with disgust, when I knew you liked me."
"Oh, but Dixie!" Diddy exclaimed, looking at her seriously. "Obviously, I wasn't going to say in front of you that I did like you, and I couldn't measure my words back then."
"I know! As I told you: it was something stupid... Only back then, I didn't know what else to do, and I believed that fool that it would encourage you to confess to me."
"Anyways…" sighed Diddy, still looking at her seriously. "How was it all then?... What about what you did to Jemky? And about the pyramid and all that?"
"Well…" Dixie replied after heaving a sigh, "it's a long explanation…"
It all started that very day when you had invited me to the waterfalls. I was upset back then because I knew you liked me, but you just pretended not with all disgust.
"No, no, it's that... I just don't feel like hanging out today," Dixie said, looking at Diddy, with a hidden frustration after he invited her out to the waterfalls. "Or we can go another day."
"H-hey, no, what do you say?" Diddy replied. "Today I wanted to... show you something important. Could you go today, right?"
"Well, not now…" Dixie replied, still hesitant, but then trying to smile at him. "Or well... Okay, better yes. Let's go today."
"Okay, then see you later, Dixie," Diddy finished, smiling at her.
Diddy said goodbye and went home. Dixie stared at him, while feeling a little frustrated that time about the way Diddy acted with her regarding her feelings.
I was sure you liked me, but I also thought that maybe you weren't as interested as I was and didn't want to take the first step with me.
"That dwarf monkey still doesn't tell you a little love secret?" said Jemky, appearing behind Dixie with a few small laughs. "That monkey doesn't love you; he's a coward and doesn't look interested in you, don't you think?"
Dixie turned to look at him in disgust, and then looked back at Diddy walking away into the distance, before breathing a sigh of frustration. She started walking to leave too, when suddenly, Jemky stopped her.
"Hey, Dixie," he called her. "By the way... I wanted to talk to you about something."
"And now what do you want?" Dixie exclaimed reluctantly.
"Well, you'll see... I was going to propose one thing to you."
"There aren't any dates!"
"No, no, it's more about something I told you a few days ago," Jemky said with a curious look. "It's about... the emerald that Diddy has in his pyramid."
"Again?" Dixie replied, looking at him strangely. "How much interest do you have with that emerald?"
"Well, I have a better proposal for you. You see: you give me that emerald, and... I'll help you with the monkey," he whispered, smiling, and at the same time earning a look of greater weirdness from Dixie. "Yes, really, I can help you get that monkey, so that he confesses to you once for all."
"What are you talking about?" Dixie said with a mocking look. "And how would you do that?"
"You're waiting for him to take the first step with you, right? Well, I'll tell you a secret... Do you know when a boy starts to get more attentive to getting closer to a girl he likes?... When he sees and feels that he is losing her, when he sees that he has difficulty getting with her."
"And what's the point?" Dixie asked again, looking at him strangely.
"That I can help you with that," Jemky said with a confident look. "Do you know how?... We can pretend that you and I are dating. Yes, as you hear it. You're going out with him this afternoon to those waterfalls, right? Okay, so, how about we make him believe that you agreed to date me?... You'll see how he'll get and want to come to you without thinking about it anymore."
"Hey, what are you saying?!" Dixie replied. "I'm not going to date you!"
"I'm not telling you we'll really be dating," replied Jemky. "I tell you that we'll fake it, and it'll only be for this afternoon when that monkey arrives, and in exchange, you give me that emerald, and that's all; we won't do anything else, we only say that to the monkey. And by the way, if everything goes well, the four of us will give more jewelry to the two of you for your pyramids."
"And secondly... that doesn't sound like it's going to work. Nothing works," Dixie replied, before starting to walk in disgust, but Jemky followed.
"Hey, hey, but wait, Dixie," Jemky said, taking her arm. "Do you really not want that monkey to take the initiative with you?"
"Urgh! It's none of your business," Dixie replied, grumbling in frustration. "Well... Yes, but nothing can be done," she added before continuing to walk.
"So, what do you say?" he said, walking beside her. "Come on, Dixie. Look I want to help you, to have that monkey you love so much; I know you don't love me, so... why not better help you with who you love most?... You'll see how making him believe that, will make him come to your feet."
"Yeah, yeah, as if that would be achieved," replied Dixie, rolling her eyes. "So, from me, there are no fake dates and not that emerald!"
"Hey, but only it'll be to tell that to the monkey this afternoon, and that's it!" added Jemky, standing in front of her. "Come on, Dixie, isn't that what you want so much now? That Diddy confesses to you and wants to date you? That way, he won't resist anymore, he'll take courage and confess all his love for you; he'll do anything to have you and he won't want to let me beat him."
"You're already talking antics," Dixie replied. "Diddy won't fight for me with you because I don't love you."
"Exactly! It's because you don't show him that he can miss the opportunity with you. If you keep giving him signs, he's not going to bother to fight for you and he'll even continue to deny that he likes you... And you're sick of that, right? So why don't you make things harder for him? Look, I can help you with that."
"What makes you think that works?!" Dixie replied before pushing him aside and continuing to walk. "You don't know what more to invent!"
"Hey, Dixie, look... I've had a girlfriend before," he told her with a confident look. "And do you know when I was most interested in her? When I saw that conquering her was a challenge, when I saw that other boys wanted to win her love. Because that's what we like: the challenging, the competitive, believe me yes. Maybe that's why Diddy just pretends to be proud by pretending he doesn't like you. But if you make it difficult for him... you'll give him right in that pride, and he'll want to come to you no matter what, and he won't wait any longer to confess to you and ask you to be his girlfriend... What do you say?"
Dixie gave him a serious look, while showing her frustration after remembering that Diddy didn't take any notice of her and didn't understand her signals. Although anyway, she just hardened her gaze and continued walking, leaving Jemky behind.
"Ugh... Forget it," Dixie said grumbling, before only shrugging her shoulders. "And don't insist anymore, please. There isn't any deal."
"Urgh, you're very stubborn," Jemky replied, annoyed. "But it's okay, it doesn't matter! You'll never have the monkey you love so much; he'll continue to be a coward to you and will continue to pretend to be proud by hiding his feelings for you!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah and so may he remain so!" Dixie replied in a mocking tone, before continuing on her way and ignoring him.
Soon, Jemky accelerated his steps towards her and stepped in front of her again.
"Or you know what?" he said with a fixed gaze. "Since you don't want to give me that emerald, I'm going to tell Diddy that you like him so he'll continue being a coward with you! Because that's all he would do."
"Yeah, of course, and he may not even believe you," Dixie replied in a mocking tone. "So, stop continuing-"
"Yes, I'm going to tell him! I'm going to tell him that you know he likes you because we show you his notebook with that little heart. We'll steal Diddy's notebook again and I'm going to show it to him and say it in front of you, so that you yourself have to confess your love at that moment, and he is frightened and your confession is ruined!"
Dixie just remained silent, while she began to feel some nerves at that warning from Jemky, although she tried to downplay it at first and looked at him with a bad face.
"I said there is no deal!" Dixie replied, pushing him out of her way hard, then speeding up her steps.
"Bah! So, run out of your monkey!" Jemky replied as he walked away. "If he doesn't do anything to get close to you, he never will, because that's what he always implies!"
Before long, Dixie grumbled quietly at the comment, which only reminded her of Diddy's attitude to her feelings that day. She was already moving away, while Jemky was going in the opposite direction. When suddenly... she stopped, still showing some frustration, and even admitting that she feared that Diddy would find out about her feelings the way Jemky had warned her.
"Wait!" Dixie called him, before Jemky turned to see her. "Uhh... O-okay... Let's do it."
Jemky smiled again after hearing that answer from Dixie, but at the same time, he eyebrowed up.
"Hey! But don't get so excited, because I remind you of something: emerald in exchange... or there is no deal, there will be other consequences and I'll make you look bad in front of that monkey."
"Yeah, yeah, I'll take it to you," Dixie replied, before looking at him harshly. "But it's all a joke, right?... Because you know I can break your face if you take it seriously."
"Hey, I'm telling you that I want that emerald in exchange," Jemky reaffirmed with a mocking look. "It's a deal. In addition... If you accept, I swear we'll never bother you two again."
"Well, so... okay," Dixie said before leaving. "Don't delay, by the way."
"Of course not," Jemky finished with a smile. "We'll meet after extra classes, Dixie... You'll see how that monkey will want to go for you once for all."
Obviously, I wasn't going to give him your emerald. So, I took any stone, painted it green and kept it in a tightly closed small box. Then, in the afternoon when we were going to the waterfalls, that happened.
"What time does that monkey arrive?" Jemky asked. That was the moment where they were waiting for Diddy. "You did bring the emerald, right?"
"Yes, I'll give it to you later," Dixie replied as she waited to see if Diddy arrived. "Here he comes! H-how do I tell him?"
"You already know: I'll hide, you tell him we're going on a date, then I'll get out and fake it too, and you play along with me," Jemky said, smiling confidently. "You'll see how he'll react; with that, you'll leave him begging and he won't wait any longer to confess to you, perhaps today or tomorrow."
And then you arrived and you already know what happened... I know, I was very foolish to think that that last alternative I had was going to work.
"Hey, didn't you have something to say to me, Diddy?" Dixie asked Diddy after telling him she was dating Jemky, hoping he would react somehow.
"N-nothing, forget it!" Diddy replied with utter indifference before leaving. "Hope your date goes well."
"H-hey, Diddy, wait, wait!... Diddy!" Dixie exclaimed, but he had already quickened his pace.
"Oh, leave him, pretty," Jemky said, taking her arm. "It's getting late for our date."
"But it's that-"
"And well… What object did I tell you to hand me over right now?" said Jemky, looking at her in a serious way as he held her arm. "Hmm! And it seems to me that... the trick didn't work with that monkey," he added with a mocking look.
Dixie, showing clear frustration at the failure of the plan, went to a nearby bush where she had hidden the fake emerald kept in a box, took it and handed it to Jemky very reluctantly.
"Yes! Finally! Our dads will be proud of us!" exclaimed Jemky, jumping with excitement and taking the box with the 'emerald'. "Thank you, Dixie!" he added, giving Dixie a sudden hug, but she instantly pushed him away in disgust. "You're the best! You should be my girlfriend instead of waiting for that cowardly monkey."
"Yeah, yeah, you can leave!" Dixie exclaimed, rolling her eyes and grumbling as she left the place. "Stupid trick of yours."
"Hey, but don't be discouraged," Jemky said from a distance as she walked away and ignored him. "Maybe tomorrow Diddy will rush to confess to you; he must have been nervous."
Then I felt very bad for having accepted that, and I could notice the next night that you were discouraged because of me, and so I told you that the next day we should go back to the waterfalls. That time, I even was going to confess to you that I liked you... But everything went worse.
That day when they were going back to the waterfalls, Dixie was sitting on a rock waiting for Diddy to arrive. She carried in her hands a tiny box covered in pink glitter with a red ribbon, where inside it, there was a note written by her for Diddy, which she planned to give it to him secretly to reveal that she liked him, in a not so direct way. When suddenly, Jemky appeared.
"You!" Jemky exclaimed, heading towards Dixie, apparently very angry. "I wanted to find you!"
"W-what are you doing here?!" Dixie exclaimed, getting up and defensive. "What do you want?!"
"Don't act crazy! That emerald you gave me was fake!" he replied furiously before extending his hand."We want the real emerald!"
"Well, yeah! It was fake," Dixie replied with a shrug. "Did you really think I was going to hand it over to you?"
"Ah, yeah?! So, this time you will hand it over to me!"Jemky replied as he pulled a gun from his pockets to point it at Dixie.
Instantly, Dixie was startled and screamed as she covered her face and began to tremble in terror; seeing a gun pointed at her made her panic extremely hard that left her unable to think. She had kept the group of bullies from the school under control for a long time, so she didn't think they would be armed again.
"Oh, are you afraid, girl? What a pity you can't defend yourself this time," Jemky said with an evil smile. "Now! I want that emerald!" he added, pointing her more closely. "Nobody makes fun of the four of us!"
"J-Jemky... I-I'll g-give you whatever you want, b-but please... d-don't hurt me," Dixie stammered with all the fear she could ever feel. "And... and I don't think I can give it to you now b-because I'm w-waiting for D-Diddy. In... In fact... there he comes."
Dixie, her arm shaking, pointed to Diddy, who wasn't coming that far from where they were. She was afraid that he would arrive and see the scene. Jemky also observed him from a distance, and then smiled evilly at Dixie and pointed the gun at her again.
"Well, I don't care! This is what you'll do with him then if he sees us!" he ordered, pointing the gun at her closely. "When that monkey arrives, you'll have to tell him that you won't go with him, pretend again that we're going on a date or something to make him leave and you'll tell him that you don't love him anymore, that you won't be his friend anymore, stomp on him! Make him feel bad!"
"B-But what are you talking about?! I can't do that to him!"
"If you don't, then he'll pay the consequences, and I'll shoot him right then and there!" he snapped, snatching the tiny box she was carrying and throwing it to the ground. "Now, the better you do, the more likely I'm to pity you two! And play along, by the way!" he added, smiling maliciously.
Dixie was trembling and just wanted to escape from there, but she couldn't. The worst thing was that Diddy was already close and had to recover her normal posture and, of course... to do with Diddy what Jemky had ordered.
"Now come!" ordered Jemky, taking her arm to start walking with her while putting the gun in his pockets. "If he arrives and sees us, you know what you have to tell him."
Both began to walk to retreat from there quickly... until Diddy managed to find them.
"Uhh, D-Dixie?"
"Oh, hi, dwarf," Jemky said with a smile when Diddy arrived.
"Uh, h-hi, Diddy," Dixie said with a forced smile… trying to sound natural.
"But... And now what?" exclaimed Diddy, quite confused.
That was terrible: having to tell you all that and just make you feel worse than you surely already were, and not being able to do anything about it.
"Ugh, okay, Dixie!" Diddy replied from a distance after 'arguing' with Dixie. "Anyway, I didn't even want to go with you today!"
All that said, Dixie and Jemky left there without discussing anything else, while Diddy stayed behind before leaving. Dixie felt so bad about what she had to say to Diddy, added to the fear she had at the time.
"He's already gone," Jemky whispered, looking at Diddy in the distance, before speaking to Dixie. "What a good performance, baby. That monkey was saved," he said, smiling and at the same time looking at her seriously. "But now: hand us over what was pending… I want that emerald! And for having given us that fake emerald, I'll now order you to bring me Diddy's complete pyramid!" he added as he pulled the gun out of his vest again to point it at her. "And from here you don't leave until you hand it over to us, okay?"
"What?!" Dixie exclaimed, looking at him with weirdness and fear at the same time. "Hey, that's not how the deal-"
"Well, I'm who say the deal," Jemky interrupted, pressing the gun in a warning tone. "Now! I want those two things!"
"Uhh... but I won't be able to give it to you at this hour, Jemky," Dixie explained frightenedly. "I mean... at Diddy's house may be Donkey right now."
"Well, I'll wait for you then," he replied with a shrug. "I haven't done it, you know? And I don't plan to do it; let that grumpy teacher not even bother! I want that pyramid of Diddy; that one is well done!"
Suddenly, Mandrew, Rocky and Melenky also appeared on the scene, all also with guns in hand and with evil looks.
"Say what?!" Dixie exclaimed, much more frightened and confused.
"How are you, girl?" Mandrew said, greeting her mockingly and pointing the gun at her. "Can't you fight with us anymore and beat us down?"
"Oh, poor girl!" Melenky added sarcastically. "How vulnerable someone is when you give them orders like this."
"And well, Dixie," Jemky said in a threatening tone. "You have until midnight today to hand that pyramid over to us, or else... there will be consequences, and not precisely with you, but... with the monkey," he added, making a sign of the gun and laughing maliciously. "And you can't leave! You have to stay here with us until you hand us that pyramid!"
"If you don't comply, we'll go for that fool Diddy," Rocky added menacingly. "By the way, that dumb owes us one for throwing our previous guns into the sea."
"And by the way, why do you want that emerald so much?" Dixie asked, looking at them indignantly.
"It's none of your business!" Mandrew replied, before giving her a little push with the gun. "Now walk!"
Dixie was completely frightened; she always knew how to defend herself and Diddy from those bad kids, but with guns in hand, it had become almost impossible.
The four of them sat on some rocks along with Dixie. All the time they kept pointing at her and watching that she didn't leave; they were like really guardians with Dixie. Long and overwhelming minutes passed for her while she was being threatened, and she just wanted to teleport from there.
Night fell and, with about three hours to go before midnight, Dixie had to go the hard way to Diddy's house. Mandrew and Rocky went up with her into the house with all the silence they could maintain, and entered through the window of Diddy's room. Dixie could observe him sleeping; she wanted to wake him up and warn him what was happening, but having those evil kids next to her, it was impossible. Dixie, apologizing to Diddy in her mind, took the pyramid and left the house, then went down and went to the evil kids and handed them the pyramid.
"Perfect!" commented the four, taking the pyramid with excitement, but speaking in a low voice.
"And now something else, girl!" Jemky warned quietly, pointing the gun at Dixie again. "Don't even say nothing of this to anyone! Or else, you know," he added, again simulating a gunshot. "And if you say any of this in class tomorrow, we'll have no problem shooting Diddy, the whole class... and even Mr. Pinky!" he whispered with a malicious smile along with the other three kids. "Now leave here, please. And let no one know about this."
Finally, under the order of the four, Dixie ran as fast as she could to her home. She felt how her conscience weighed heavily on her with all that had been created.
The next day, it had been the presentation of the pyramids, and everything that happened that day happened. Dixie couldn't say anything to Diddy, and it was clear that he was upset with her for how she treated him. The most frustrating part was when she had to reaffirm to Mr. Pinky that the pyramid was Jemky's and not Diddy's.
"We'll take this to our dads," Rocky said at the time of leaving, pointing to the emerald.
"And finally, they will take us to hunt monsters!" Mandrew added excitedly.
"It turned out better than we expected!" added Jemky in the same way. Then, he turned to look at the entrance of the classroom. "You guys go on... I've reached you later," he told them as he looked sideways at Dixie, who was leaving the classroom.
"Huh? Hey, don't bother Dixie anymore," Rocky said, taking his arm. "We are in a hurry; our dads are waiting for us to leave."
"She shouldn't tell the monkey about this," Jemky replied, letting go. "We have to stop her."
"We just needed this emerald and that's all," Rocky replied. "Not Dixie; she doesn't even love you and she's not going to stop loving that monkey."
"That's not why, but she's going to rat us out with Diddy and with everyone. We have to scare her with another threat so that she doesn't tell them."
"And that doesn't matter!" Mandrew replied. "We aren't going to come here for a long time."
"But as soon as we get back, we'll get into trouble, and our dads could get to know," Jemky exclaimed, letting go of them. "Later I'll reach out to you."
"You're so stubborn!" Rocky replied. "Beware you lose out."
Dixie, who was ahead, was walking home as if trying to pick up her pace and, in fact, thought about heading towards Diddy's house to inform him what was happening. When suddenly, Jemky stopped her later.
"Wait a minute, Dixie!" said Jemky to Dixie, taking her arm by surprise. "Where do you think you're going right now?"
"Huh?! Hey, leave me now!" Dixie replied, trying to pull herself away. "I already gave you the emerald and even the pyramid!"
"You don't have to tell Diddy any of this, by the way," he said with a fixed and serious look as he pulled a gun out of his vest to point it at her. "And even-"
Suddenly, Dixie took some courage this time and gave him a couple of hard slaps, accompanied by an attack with her hair, and then ran away at full speed that her four limbs gave her. She ran as fast as she could until she tried to lose sight of Jemky, even if she didn't know what further action to take.
Minutes later, Dixie came up to a cliff, still having nowhere else to go. When suddenly... Jemky appeared by surprise and took her by the arm.
"Not so fast, girl!" Jemky told her, before pointing the gun at her again. "You don't have to tell anyone about all this."
Dixie just froze, as she looked at the gun pointed at her.
"No, don't be afraid, pretty. I wanted to talk to you about something else, actually," he said in a calmer tone and smiling at her. "See... there won't be any consequence with you telling that dumb Diddy monkey whatever you want, but how about a date, baby?" he added with a playful look. "Will you and I hang out now that that monkey won't love you anymore?"
"What?! No, of course not!" Dixie replied, looking at him strangely. "Let alone with you!"
"Come on, it would just be a romantic date," Jemky replied in a sweet tone and stroking her hair. "I just want to have a nice time with you, Dixie. I'll be a good boyfriend for you, I'll tell you everything I feel for you, I'll give you many things and treat you like a queen, not like that dumb monkey who could not even tell you that he likes you."
"No!" Dixie interrupted, giving him a push. "I don't love you!"
"Hey! But watch out for that attitude, girl!" Jemky exclaimed again, raising the gun at her, but then smiled at her again. "No, no, don't be scared either, Dixie, I won't hurt you. But... I can go find Diddy right now if you just decide to tell him everything, and he would pay the consequences no matter what, since now I know where he lives, and so-"
Suddenly, Dixie grabbed his arm carrying the gun and held it tight with her hands and her hair.
"What the-"Jemky exclaimed as Dixie grabbed his other arm and, with an immediate kick behind the knee, managed to knock him to the ground.
Jemky tried to get up while Dixie kept struggling and punching him to get him to drop the gun. When suddenly, Jemky made a sharp move that pushed Dixie away at once, causing her to fall to the ground and drop the gun. Jemky, being on the ground, was going to take the gun again, when suddenly... Dixie reached to grab it first and pointed at him before cornering him towards the edge of the cliff. But Jemky, although initially frightened, let out a few laughs when he saw her pointing at him, as Dixie's hand trembled while holding the gun.
"Oh, not so fast, baby!" he said as he got up and pulled another gun out of his pockets. "Here I have another-"
Suddenly, a loud shot rang out... Dixie hadn't had any time to react, and thought of no survival alternative but to pull the trigger. Jemky lasted barely a second with his hand on his chest, before falling backwards to the cliff, where he was scratched with sharp stones that were nearby and was covered with leaves that he had dragged, before being carried away by the current of the river.
Dixie had been deeply frozen at what she had just done. She didn't know what to think, she didn't know what to do, and not even the fact that she got free of Jemky reassured her; she just kept shivering as she watched Jemky's silhouette wrapped in leaves being dragged by the river farther and farther away. Dixie made sure no one had seen that, left the gun lying in a corner hidden at random, and then ran home as fast as she could.
"Dixie!" Tiny exclaimed when she opened the door and noticed her sister's cold and pale expression. "Why was it late for you to arrive? Is something wrong?"
"U-uh... H-hi, Tiny," Dixie replied, trying her hardest to pretend to be okay. "It's that it w-was the last day of c-classes, that's all... It's the excitement. I'm just so tired."
That day was terrible, I just came home, greeted them all and locked myself in my room. I didn't sleep at all that night, I only had in my mind the vivid image of Jemky after I shot him... just like in my nightmares I've had about him. And the worst thing was when he was found, and I didn't know how to say that I was the one who had done that to Jemky.
"And that's what happened," Dixie finished recounting, remembering it in detail. "Actually... it started like that."
Diddy was completely shocked; Dixie had told him much of that story, but apparently, she hadn't told him that first detail of how it started. He was silent for several seconds not knowing what to say to Dixie, as he never imagined that everything had started as a simple deal.
"So, Jemky and those fools did threaten you and wanted the emerald with my pyramid, but ... did it all start because you accepted that deal with him?... Why didn't you tell me before?"
"I didn't know how to tell you before, Diddy," Dixie replied, looking very embarrassed. "That is, you and I were friends; if I said 'Diddy, it was actually a Jemky's deal so you would confess to me', obviously I was going to give me away... And if I told you when we were already dating, I thought you were going to take it badly and you would get angry."
"I wasn't going to be angry, Dixie," replied Diddy. "Well... the truth is that it did annoy me now because you just told me, I accept it... But I also wouldn't have had any problem with you telling me about it earlier."
"I know... But it is that…" Dixie replied with her hands to her temple, "I do not know how I could think like that at that moment. I just wanted... to take a first step with you and I didn't know how, and I only listened to absurd advice and beliefs, when really... the solution wasn't that difficult."
"Seriously, Dixie…" Diddy said quite seriously, "I don't like that you can't tell me things right, and you could tell it to me well at that time."
Afterwards, Diddy remained silent as he finished processing the situation; he didn't want to have another conflict with Dixie after all, and he knew it would be useless to continue regretting it. Later, he only gave a strong sigh before continuing.
"Oh, all right, Dixie," Diddy said with a shrug. "Anyway... all that has passed; we can't do anything else. And who do I fool? I... I also didn't know how to say things well."
"Forgive me, Diddy," Dixie replied with a low look and again looking embarrassed. "I didn't think at the time how you would feel, and maybe with Jenny's matter... I'm just paying for it now. If only I had told you directly that I liked you, instead of waiting and trying stupid tricks for you to do it, everything would have been different... We wouldn't even be here; we'd be happy on DK Island now... It's my fault," she said, putting her hands back to her temple, "for also thinking that I could always have those bullies under control, and for thinking only of myself back then."
"Oh, no, Dix, don't say that either," Diddy said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "See, it may have been your mistake, it is... But... it was also mine... If I had also told you in time that I liked you, it would be different... In fact, Donkey always encouraged me to tell you, or else it would be too late... and I see that it was. Oh, and you know something else?... Nor is it so much that, it's that if I had also reported those foolish bullies in time, nothing... absolutely none of this would have happened... Oh, I don't know what to do either!" he also finished with his hands on his temple.
"It's that... we can't change anything either," Dixie added, before folding her arms and lowering her gaze. "We only have to... recognize how it all went... and face these consequences that have occurred so far," she added before sighing. "Oh, Diddy... and I always told you that you should report those fools, when I... also didn't know how to speak things well."
Both of them remained silent as they thought about the situation, although they didn't even know what to think now. Diddy stood back to Dixie's side and they stood alone in silence doing nothing. Actually, neither of them knew what they could do after talking about the whole awkward topic in depth and, in the same way, they didn't want to have more mishaps between the two.
After a while, Diddy just turned to look at Dixie and smiled a little at her, trying to put aside any negative thoughts for the time being.
"But at least, in the midst of all this... we did manage to be together, Dix," Diddy said, smiling a little again and trying to get things back on track. "Maybe not on DK Island as we thought and wanted, but still... we are," he added before taking her hand.
Dixie turned to look at him for a few seconds as well. Then, having nothing else to do, she smiled back and embraced him with all the affection she had for him; she wished more than ever to go back two months and have done things a little better. Then, Diddy reciprocated the embrace in a loving way and, after that, gave her a kiss on the cheek; they remained embraced for a minute. Diddy also wished he had done everything right when they were on DK Island, starting with not hiding Donkey about his bad classmates.
But anyway, Diddy and Dixie knew that they couldn't change anything anymore, and they only had to remedy things as far as their possibilities were reached.
"I love you, Dix," Diddy said as he held her. "And the truth is, I want us to stay together... and be forever... and in the midst of all this."
"Me too, Diddy," Dixie replied in kind. "I always loved you, and I feel like I'm going to love you forever," she added as she leaned on him and hugged.
"I wish I had stayed like this with you on DK Island," Diddy added, still close to her and stroking her hair. "I want it to be the day when we can finally return and... fix everything for real."
"So do I," Dixie replied, smiling back, but then she was a little sad. "Not a day goes by when I don't think about DK Island; I always wonder mostly about Chunky, Kiddy and Tiny. I just hope to see them again and that they're well... I don't want them to think I'll never come back."
"The same with me," Diddy added in the same tone. "I miss Donkey terribly; every night at bedtime, I wonder if he is still looking for us or if he has already given up... But the time will come when we can leave here, there is little left, and I hope that everything will be fixed... And I hope we can get things right."
"By the way, Diddy... I need to tell you something," Dixie said, suddenly breaking away from the hug and speaking seriously. "I... I don't want to go on that ship we built... Not with those who call themselves our friends."
"Well, the truth... neither do I," Diddy replied, stiffening his gaze as well. "I want to return to DK Island now, but not with them; they're fake friends. In addition, they'll go with all their old friends; surely there they'll want to get us into another scandal along the way."
"Maybe they want to do some evil to us," Dixie said, rolling her eyes. "Maybe they don't even take us to DK Island; they just want to make fun of us."
"I wouldn't be surprised," Diddy said with a shrug. "Starting with Jenny and then the others making a fuss to make us look bad... You're right, we have to do something to desist from going with them."
"Well, so... how about we tell them we won't go with them?" Dixie suggested, to which Diddy agreed.
"For me there is no problem. In addition... we're going to tell them this very afternoon. With what Jenny did and with what I heard them say last night, their friendship died for me."
"Did they really say all those things about us?" Dixie asked with some indignation.
"Believe me, if you had listened to them too, it would make you want to go out and confront them," Diddy replied, rolling his eyes, before changing the topic as he recalled a detail. "Oh, and right, Dix, I have news for you," he said before pulling a letter out from under his cap and handing it to Dixie. "This letter was sent by Mr. Pinky; he says he has to stay until next week. So, apparently, nothing bad has happened to him."
"What?" Dixie exclaimed as she read it and gave it a look of surprise. "Is it really Mr. Pinky's? Where did you get it from?"
"This morning when I left, a mail courier ape arrived and handed it to me. He said that Mr. Pinky also told him the same thing that the letter says; he asked about us."
Dixie stopped to read that letter that had been sent by Mr. Pinky, causing her to smile as well.
"Well, then it means he's all right; in the end he did have to stay more days there," Dixie added, smiling with relief as she finished reading the letter, before then questioning. "Wait, are the mail services mentioned by Mr. Pinky already enabled?"
"It seems so," Diddy said. "I just found out about that."
"So... couldn't we send a letter to DK Island to tell everyone there that we're fine?!"
"I have no idea how that service works on this island," Diddy replied thoughtfully. "Although I don't think it can be done now because of the hurricanes; the letters can't reach DK Island."
"Oh, you're right," Dixie said, disappointed at recalling it, before continuing. "Well, so, we'll go later to see those four to tell them that we won't go with them anymore... Now I think we have to go for something to have lunch."