Chapter 52: Is That What Friends Are For?
In the mid-afternoon, Diddy and Dixie were on their way to the house of their group of... friends? Both had decided that they would definitely not go with them to DK Island anymore... nor did they intend to remain their friends because of the bad attitudes they had had with the two of them.
They also passed by where the ship was, which was already ready, and stopped to observe it in detail. But at the same time, a feeling of indecision was being generated in both of them: they had worked that ship until they got tired; desisting of going on it also meant to have wasted whole days of effort.
"Don't you feel pity or something?" Diddy asked as he touched the walls of the ship.
"Maybe a little," Dixie replied, crossing her arms. "But then I remember that we built this with fake ones and it completely shakes off."
"I feel like we threw away hundreds of hours of work," Diddy added, still watching the ship. "Although the trip would be exciting if they had behaved better with us."
Then, they continued on their way and headed to the quartet's house. But first, they had to plan how they would be told that in the best way without the four of them reacting badly, besides they had to prepare to see them again, since the last meetings with them had not been so good.
"You talk to them first," Diddy whispered as he was about to go upstairs to the house.
"No, no, we'll both talk to them!" replied Dixie quietly.
The two climbed up until they reached the door of the house. It would be a somewhat awkward meeting, and at least they hoped that everything would happen calmly and the four of them would take it in the best way they could.
They were going to knock on the door, when suddenly... they managed to hear some additional voices inside along with the four of them. Apparently, they were talking to some of the other kong children in the herd... In fact, they could hear them laughing out loud. Diddy and Dixie managed to hear certain words that caught their attention, so they became curious to know what they were talking about. Both beckoned to silence, and then stood with their ears glued to the door so they could hear better.
"I really can't stand them, they're ridiculous," Ricky was heard speaking.
"Exactly, the two of them think they look good together," Mandy added in a mocking tone. "But no, they're pathetic."
Diddy and Dixie looked at each other with an expression of seriousness at what they heard; it was almost entirely likely that they were referring to the two of them. In addition, they listened as the rest of the kids laughed with each sentence that the four said.
"Hopefully one day they'll cheat on each other, fight and break up!" said Jenny in a tone of disgust. "It's that Dixie is also very dumb; she should have better boyfriends; she only walks after that stupid boyfriend she has."
"Yeah, and Diddy is another dumb," Melvyn added in the same tone. "For him there is only Dixie, he knows no better girls than Dixie. 'Oh, no, let Dixie and me be happy'," he said, imitating him and making the rest of the kong children laugh.
Diddy and Dixie were completely outraged now. Indeed, the group was talking about them. Both were so enraged that they were consumed by the desire to suddenly enter the house and confront them, but they wanted to keep listening to find out what else they were talking about them.
"'My name is Diddy, and I'm a leaf eater'," Ricky imitated him exaggeratedly. "'I'd rather eat a whole tree than kiss another girl other than my girlfriend Dixie because I feel like I'm cheating on her'."
"Wait, wait, I have a better one!" Mandy interrupted with a laugh. "'I'm Dixie and I believe my boyfriend, and not even because he kissed Jenny, I'll stop loving him'."
Both of them, still with their ears glued to the door, were cursing them in their minds. The impulse of wanting to enter the house by surprise won them, but curiosity won them much more.
"They're a couple of kids in love who just make us cringe," Ricky commented mockingly. "Not even with that trap we set for Diddy yesterday so that Jenny would kiss him, they broke up. I even swore that in this afternoon's challenge he would kiss Jenny, but that scoundrel monkey just got away with it."
"None of our traps have worked for us," complained Mandy. "Last night's trap didn't work for us, the challenge games didn't work for us, and the carnivorous plant we put in the gift that time didn't work for us either!"
Those last words left Diddy and Dixie in total froze; now they didn't even know what to think of them... Had they heard about a carnivorous plant? They both only thought like a great friendship they had had all along with that group, it had only been just falsehood.
"But this one we have prepared for them is going to make them break up," Jenny exclaimed firmly. "Surely those two stupids will come tomorrow to ask us when we'll sail the ship."
"Tomorrow will be a great day!" added Ricky with excitement before speaking the other kongs. "Well, you know our plan for tomorrow and what you should do. You just play along as usual and, with this plan, that pair of fools will break up no matter what."
"And all their ridiculous love will be over with everything!" Mandy finished with a sly laugh.
Diddy and Dixie continued with their ears glued to the door, but then heard their voices more closely accompanied by a few footsteps coming, so they immediately retreated and hid around the porch of the house.
Then, the other kong children got out of the house along with the quartet accompanying them, still commenting on their alleged plan that they mentioned recently. Diddy and Dixie, on the other hand, looked out of that corner of the house to look at them, in turn they made faces of contempt and mockery to the four while they didn't see them, because all that friendship they claimed to have had was completely bankrupt.
The other kongs who were with the four of them, headed down from the house, so Diddy and Dixie had to come down too, and they had to do it as fast and stealthy as possible so as not to be found out.
The quartet re-entered their home after saying goodbye, and the others left. Meanwhile, Diddy and Dixie went to hide among the branches of another tree... They had to finish processing everything they had just heard from those four who always claimed to be their friends. From the branch of the tree, they stared at their house while a deep indignation consumed them inside.
"Urgh... They are... first class fake ones!" Diddy grumbled, stomping on his cap with all the anger he felt.
"Ungrateful hypocrites!" added Dixie, also furious. "And after all we've done for them!"
"Ah, but I wish they also told the others how we rescued them the time we met them," Diddy said wryly as he put his cap back on. "Hopefully they'll also talk about how we help them with their house."
"And how we treated them and went out to play with them," Dixie added in the same tone. "And how we helped them with their ship! How we were their friends!"
"They're double-faced!" Diddy exclaimed furiously. "And all the time they called us 'their best friends'."
"And now it turns out that they were also the ones who had put that carnivorous plant in the gift you gave me?! It means... were they already fake ones from before and wanted to make us fight?"
"I should have guessed," said Diddy, looking hatefully toward the house of the four. "That had crossed my mind at that time of the carnivorous plant, but I didn't imagine that it would be true, I didn't expect it from them!"
"And besides... are they planning to do us another evil thing?" asked Dixie before grumbling and rolling her eyes. "As if we still wanted to go on their stupid ship... Urgh, out of respect for their allergies I wouldn't throw all four of them into the water!" she added grumbling.
"You know? I'm curious to know what they're planning now," Diddy said thoughtfully.
"Me too. They even think we'll come tomorrow," Dixie added in the same tone. "What if we find out?"
"I say let's go into their house and tell them all their truths," Diddy replied with his arms crossed, "that right now let's grab them red-handed."
"I don't think it's a good idea, I'm sure they'll play the victims as usual... Hey, what if we asked those kids who were talking to them? It seems that they'll also be their accomplices."
"They won't want to tell us, Dixie," Diddy replied with a shrug. "They're friends of those four... Not of us, because from what I see, they're on their side too and play along."
"But they're very gossipy; surely, if they see us, they'll want to tell us immediately."
"And besides, if they can tell us, they could also tell the four of them that we were asking them."
"I know, but that doesn't matter anymore. Anyway, this 'friendship' is already underground ground."
"Well... Maybe it can be tried, although I'm not sure if it'll turn out well."
Diddy was not so sure about going, but the curiosity was also enormous, so he went along with Dixie to the area where the booths of the other kong children were located, which were not so far from there.
When they arrived, they hid behind the bushes and looked for the children who were talking to the four of them recently. When they found them, they went to them, making sure that no one else saw them.
Dixie whispered to them, to which the children turned and were surprised to see them before they started talking loudly.
"It's Diddy and Dix-"
"No, no, no! Silence or we will be found!" Diddy interrupted, beckoning them to shut up.
"Listen to us," Dixie told them, calming them down too. "We want to know... what is Jenny, Ricky, Melvyn and Mandy's plan for us?"
"A plan?" the kong children asked, looking at them strangely. "What are you talking about?"
"Don't pretend to be crazy, we were listening to those four," Diddy said, staring at them. "What do they plan for us tomorrow?"
"If you tell us, we'll give you a banana cake just for you," Dixie suggested.
"What?!" Diddy exclaimed at Dixie's suggestion. "No, that's n-"
"Yes, we'll do that!" Dixie interrupted, nudging Diddy to play along. "Come on, tell us, we won't tell those four you told us. We'll stand by you."
"Are you serious?" one of the children asked them, looking suspiciously.
"Yes, of course," Dixie reaffirmed, staring at them. "So, tell us, please; we heard them recently so clearly."
The group of kong children all looked at each other in confusion, but after hearing Dixie's suggestion, they smiled at them and were determined.
"Well... We'll tell you, okay?" one of the children replied, making Diddy and Dixie excited. "Come, come closer. What they plan is…"
"Wait, wait, wait!" Diddy exclaimed, laughing out loud. "Do they really think that's going to work for them?!"
"Even the carnivorous plant was better!" Dixie replied in kind.
Both were back on the branches of the trees, laughing nonstop until they felt pains in their stomachs, after having heard the supposed plan that their so-called friends had for them.
"Anyway, it's almost the same," Diddy said, calming his laughter. "It all will end with me being with Jenny and then everyone starts crowding together and believing it... I'm coming to think that Jenny just does everything on purpose."
"They don't know what to invent anymore, now I know that trick of theirs," Dixie added, still laughing. "They're crazy! They call us ridiculous when in fact they are. They have nothing better to do."
"And well, this confirms and reconfirms their falsehood that they brought with us."
"Hey, I was thinking... what if we ruined their plan?" Dixie suggested playfully.
"What?!" Diddy exclaimed with a look of surprise. "And how will we do that?"
"Well, I say to make them believe that their plan worked for them and then tell them that we knew it all the time, in front of everyone."
"Ohhh!... That sounds good," Diddy replied thoughtfully and started to smile. "And make them look bad in front of everyone as they have done to us."
"Exactly!" Dixie exclaimed with a sly smile. "I don't know if that's correct, but... I need to do it!"
"So do I," Diddy replied in the same tone and holding Dixie's hands. "And prove to those fake ones that they cannot separate us!"
"Yes! I already want to see the faces of those four of them!" Dixie exclaimed with excitement. "They would go crazy!"
"By the way, why did you tell those other kids that we're going to give them a banana pie? They'll believe it!" Diddy said, changing to an alarmed tone.
"But I was serious," Dixie replied with a laugh. "Don't worry, we'll check Mr. Pinky's recipe books; it'll be a simple cake."
"Uhh... Okay, it doesn't sound bad either," Diddy replied with a shrug before smiling. "Well, then we must think about how to ruin the trap for those fake ones."
"And we have to think it through," Dixie added thoughtfully and smiling maliciously. "So that in the end they're the ones who look bad…"