Surprisied to see another episode within the span of two months? Well this one today is brought to you by the talented writer 'SF64Rules', who also helped to edit many of the first 30 episodes as well as writing up Episode 33. Now before we begin, I will say that the OCs that are in here are created by SF64Rules, and I wish to thank him for writing this one up. As for me, I got to get back to work in writing fanfictions in between my shifts at work. I'm going to stop talking now, and send you onto the episode. Once again, thank you to SF64Rules.
Sodor High School: Thomas & Friends Tales
Written by: ThomasZoey3000 / SF64Rules
Based on the Railway Series by: The Rev. W. and Christopher Awdry
Based on the Television Series by: Britt AllCroft, David Mitton, Lionsgate, and Universal Pictures
OC(s) owned by: SF64Rules
Episode 38: Summertime Stands
Summer was a time for lots of fun stuff for young children, teenagers, and adults alike to go and do—like family vacations, picnics in the park, playing sports, camp, etc.. Unfortunately, it could also mean another thing; summertime jobs. Currently, three students from Sodor High School had one of those kinds of plans lined up—Gordon was working at the rubbish dump with both Whiff and Celvin (nicknamed Scruff), Mavis was working at the Ffarquhar Quarry, and even Rosie had her own job somewhere in the nearby town of Ulfstead. Very soon, however, another student (or two) was going to be getting a summer job...
One Wednesday night within the Splinterson (Leonardo's last name) residence, Leonardo and his younger brother, Michelangelo, were both seated at the kitchen table chatting with their parents about potential plans for the rest of the summer.
"Leonardo, Michelangelo," began Mr. Splinterson. "Your Mother and I have been doing some serious thinking about what you two will be doing this summer."
"So, like, what exactly will we both be doing?" asked Michelangelo. He was around 15-years old, had short black hair, was only slightly shorter than his older brother, and seemed to speak with a Californian (American) accent. "Are we just going to stay around the city? Maybe go away to summer camp, perhaps?" He then grinned with great excitement as he continued guessing. "No, no, wait a moment! Maybe it's going to be a family trip to 'Honolulu - Hawaii'? Because it would be mondo exciting if we really are going to Honolulu for most of the summer!"
"Well... It's not exactly that, Michelangelo." corrected Mrs. Splinterson, sadly shaking her head. She could then tell that her younger son was greatly disappointed, and thus continued to explain the reason for why there was no Honolulu trip planned. "You see, a vacation like that would not only be extremely costing in money, but it would also require extensive planning to book flights, hotel rooms, and everything else." She then shook her head once again. "Unfortunately, honey, we simply cannot afford that kind of trip, right now. Not to mention your Father and I are also too busy to try and get any time off from work for that family trip."
"Instead, we've decided that both of you should apply for a part-time job." finished Mr. Splinterson. "You both are at that age now, and this summer seems to be a good opportunity to look for temporary work like some of your new friends in town and from school have done." He started to bring up some of the Sudrian teenagers currently with a summer job. "Like Mavis Drewry, Gordon Gresley, Rosie Vulcan... Need I go on?"
"A summer job?" Leonardo seemed rather excited for something like that. "I'm down for that."
"A summer...j-j-job?!" Michelangelo, however, was not so much excited about it. "B-B-But I was planning to hit those gnarly waves at the beach with some of my buds! Not to mention Leo and I also have our martial arts sessions with our Grandfather!"
"Oh, come now, son," reassured Mr. Splinterson. "Applying for a summer job isn't going to kill you or anything. Besides, I can assure you that it will not only provide you some money of your own, but working experience for when it comes time to get a real job after graduating from high school."
"There's the fact we've also spoken to your Grandfather beforehand." added Mrs. Splinterson. "He understands the job plans, and has said that you will continue your martial arts lessons on the evenings of a weekend when you're both home."
Michelangelo was very disappointed with having to try and get a summer job. After all, he was a party dude; not someone who could hold down a summertime job. Infact, the black-haired boy was entirely convinced he would be fired from his job very quickly. Suddenly, his eyes seemed to light up after a while.
"Hold the phone, did you say...make money?"
"Yes, we did." Mr. Splinterson answered, nodding in confirmation.
Michelangelo seemed to grin big. "Then that means...all of the pizza, comic books, skateboards, and video games I can buy!"
"I kinda just prefer getting work experience." Leonardo said simply.
"Sure, you go ahead with that, dude."
Once it was confirmed that both teenage boys would seek out part-time summertime jobs, Mrs. Splinterson took and laid out on the kitchen table a number of lists consisting of 'Help Wanted' offerings to various places all around Knapford and Ffarquhar for both of her sons to try and apply at. While reading, Michelangelo's eyes soon lit up when he saw a certain offering on one of the lists...
"No way!" The black-haired boy exclaimed, when he read that the ever popular Pizza Palace restaurant (one of his favorite places to eat and hang out at) was looking for someone to help deliver pizzas around town. "The owner of the Pizza Palace is looking for someone to deliver pizzas?! Radical! THAT is the job I want to try and apply for."
"You sure, honey?" asked Mrs. Splinterson. "For that one, you would need a driver's-"
"No need to worry, my skateboard and I are on the job!" reassured Michelangelo, holding his skateboard up. "Heh, plus I can also get my pizzas for 20% off."
"Well, just remember that you'll first need to undergo a successful interview to try and get the position."
Michelangelo merely beamed with confidence, figuring that he would have a successful interview and get the job of his dreams. Mr. Splinterson could only chuckle at his younger son's enthusiasm about getting a job at the Pizza Palace. From there, he looked over to speak to his older son.
"Leonardo, can you come with me for a moment? I'd like to talk to you in my study."
Leonardo nodded. "Sure thing, Dad."
With that said, the dirty blonde-haired boy and his Father both left the dining room to head for the latter's private office upstairs. Once inside the room, Leonardo and Mr. Splinterson had a Father and Son-like chat.
"Son, I have a friend who is looking for someone to help him with running a hot dog stand inside the train station here in the Ffarquhar area." began Mr. Splinterson, taking hold of a picture consisting himself and another man (who seemed to be wearing an apron and vendor's hat while standing inside of a hot dog stand) off his desk to show Leonardo. "When I had last seen and spoken to my old friend, I've told him that you're someone anyone could depend on... Such as when you willingly risked your own life to try and help out with rescue efforts when that terrible storm and flood struck the island weeks ago."
Leonardo stroaked his chin thoughtfully. "I see... Me...selling hot dogs to coming and going passengers? Hmm..."
"Is there something wrong with that?" Mr. Splinterson asked uneasily, putting the picture back on his desk.
"Och, not at all, Dad," Leonardo quickly reassured. There was also a smile on his face. "I actually would like to try and apply for that job... It does sound like fun."
"Wonderful! I'll call up my friend now, and schedule a meeting for this coming Friday."
As Mr. Splinterson picked up the nearby phone and dialed the number, Leonardo left the office and proceeded to his bedroom. Once inside, the dirty blonde-haired boy picked up his mobile phone, laid down on his bed, and dialed a number on the device. A few seconds later, a voice was heard on the other line.
"Hello?" The voice belonged to Thomas.
"Hey, Thomas," Leonardo greeted. "It's Leo calling."
"Hey, Leo! Emily and I were actually just talking about you not too long ago. What's up?"
"Nothing really much," The dirty blonde-haired boy replied coolly. "I do have some news I wish to share... Mikey and I are going to be applying for summertime jobs."
"You and your brother are the fourth and fifth teenagers to do so this summer!" said the voice of Thomas.
"Aye... Gordon is working at the rubbish dump, Mavis is working at the Ffarquhar Quarry, and even Rosie is working somewhere in the town of Ulfstead."
Thomas's voice then continued speaking... "So, where have you decided to apply?"
"My Dad gave me a recommendation to apply at the hot dog stand inside of the Ffarquhar Station." answered Leonardo.
"Sounds great! Emily and I are sure that you'll do great there!" Thomas' voice remarked positively.
Leonardo smiled. "Thanks, man. Have a good night! ...and tell Emily that I said hello."
"Same to you... And I'll be sure to do that."
With that said, Leonardo hung up and continued to lay down on his bed. He was thinking about what it would be like to be selling hot dogs to customers at the Ffarquhar Station... Well, we'll soon find out all about it.
(new scene...)
About two days later; while Michelangelo and his Mother both proceeded to the Pizza Palace, Leonardo and his Father drove to Ffarquhar Station. As they drove in the family car, Leonardo was looking out the window like he was in deep thought.
"You're not feeling nervous, are you?" Mr. Splinterson asked his eldest son.
"Och, not at all..." insisted Leonardo, snapping out of his thoughts. "I was just doing some thinking."
And nothing more was said for the rest of the drive.
(new scene...)
Once Leonardo and his Father finally arrived outside Ffarquhar Station, they found the man in charge of the hot dog stand, who was wearing a matching vendor's cap and apron, waiting by the station entrance.
"Casey!" The man called out pleasantly.
"Bradford!" Mr. Splinterson called right back.
The two adults walked over and shook hands before Mr. Splinterson introduced Leonardo to his best friend.
"Bradford, this is my oldest son; Leonardo. He's the one who wants to apply for a summertime job at your hot dog stand. Leonardo, this is my old friend; Bradford Williams."
"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Williams." said Leonardo, politely shaking the man's hand.
"Oh, just call me Bradford." Bradford chortled pleasantly. His expression then became a little stern—yet remained very friendly. "So, I was told by your Father that you want to work for me at my hot dog stand. Am I right?"
"Yes, sir, I do..." The dirty blonde-haired boy nodded. "In addition, I'm sure my Dad had also told you over the telephone that I'm someone anyone could depend on... I'm very much all that..."
Bradford raised an eyebrow. "Well then... Let's put that to the test, shall we?"
And the man allowed Leonardo and Mr. Splinterson into the train station.
(new scene...)
Once they were inside the station, Bradford immediately lead the teenage boy and his Father to a large stand located in one corner of the area and handed the former a vendor's cap and apron from the nearby hook to put on. After all, it was the standard uniform for anyone who worked at the hot dog stand. Once Leonardo was dressed and ready, Bradford began to show the dirty blonde-haired boy everything about the job, and what to do...
"Now then... Before we begin with the day, I'll give you a quick rundown on how the job is done... Is that alright with you?" The man offered. When Leonardo nodded in affirmation, Bradford motioned to something inside the stand. "Okay... As you can clearly see, we sell both hot dogs and sausages. We have a large stove carrying three stationary boilers full of pre-heated water."
Leonardo took a peek inside the stand and found three large kettles sitting on a large stove in the back. Bradford then approached and pointed up towards a cabinet near the stove.
"One kettle cooks the normal hot dogs, another kettle cooks jumbo sized hot dogs, and the third kettle cooks sausages. There is also a small cabinet near the stove, which is where we keep the buns and spare napkins. Getting me so far?"
Leonardo paid close attention and nodded carefully.
"And now... Over there to the right, we have a freezer to keep the supply of hot dogs and sausages plenty chilled until they're ready for cooking," continued Bradford, motioning somewhere to the right of the stove. He was referring to a small storage freezer of sort (which also carried a refrigerator). "The fridge can also be used to keep several additional things cold like the condiments, water, juice, pop, etc.."
"And I can see a few sinks nearby..." Mr. Splinterson pointed out, looking at one of the large sinks to the far left of the stove.
"That's correct, Casey. We use the sinks for washing and cleaning plates, utensils, and kettles when we're not using them, and to make absolutely sure that each kettle is filled with fresh water when needed. And most importantly; we also need to keep the stand clean at all times to prevent germs from spreading or getting into the food."
"Well, thanks for the explanation, Mr. Williams," bowed Leonardo. "And I promise to make you proud."
"I know you will, kid." smiled Bradford. "Now, come on... Let's get to work."
The work day began for the dirty blonde-haired boy... Leonardo first washed his hands to make sure no germs were present, he then slipped on a pair of disposable gloves before opening a new pack of hot dogs from the storage freezer and dumping them into the boiler for the normal hot dogs and closing the hatch. Before long, the first customers of the day came...in form of both Thomas and Emily.
"Hey, Leo!" The two teenagers called out pleasantly.
"Thomas, Emily!" Leonardo was very surprised and overjoyed. "What brings you both here?"
"I told Emily about your new job last night." answered Thomas. "And wouldn't you know it? She insisted on coming here to see you work on your first day."
The dirty blonde-haired boy felt very touched by his two friends' kindness.
"Could we get two hot dogs to go, please?" asked Emily kindly.
Leonardo nodded, opened the kettle for the hot dogs, used a special utensil to grab a cooked hot dog, placed it in a bun, and handed it to the dark green-haired girl.
"Here you go, m'lady."
Emily blushed, smiled, and paid for the hot dog. Leonardo then got Thomas his hot dog, and the blue-haired boy paid for it, too.
"The napkins, mustard, ketchup, etc. are right over here." Leonardo pointed to a place on the counter of the stand.
The two teenagers got their napkins and condimental toppings (Emily had just mustard, while Thomas put onions and melted cheese on his) before departing, but not before wishing their friend the best for the rest of his first day. The dirty blonde-haired boy fondly watched the two teenagers leave the station, but mainly Emily...
"Very good, my young friend." praised Bradford, patting Leonardo on the shoulder. "It looks like your Father was right about you being very dependable..."
Leonardo felt proud with himself. It was also then Bradford got a cheeky smile on his face as he continued speaking...
"And, from what I could tell, you also seem to really like that pretty emerald green-haired girl... Emily, wasn't it?"
Blushing a little bit, the dirty blonde-haired boy looked down slightly—but remained absolutely silent on the matter.
"Ah ha ha ha! I'm just messing with you, kid!" Bradford laughed in a joking manner.
"Och... I knew that!" Leonardo lied, trying to deny ever being messed with. "I so knew that."
And thus, the day continued on from there. The dirty blonde-haired boy worked hard - serving coming and going costumers in addition to washing dishes and keeping the stand all spic and span. Bradford and Mr. Splinterson both watched the teenage boy working the hot dog stand, and became very impressed with him.
"Quite the hard worker, am I right?" whispered Mr. Splinterson to Bradford.
"Amend to that, old friend," agreed Bradford. "Amend to that..."
At the end of the day, Leonardo was worn out. He took off the apron and cap and carefully hung it up on the hook outside the hot dog stand.
"Oh man, am I ever wiped out." The dirty blonde-haired boy yawned.
Suddenly, some money was given to him by a very pleased-looking Bradford.
"Leonardo Splinterson," smiled the hot dog stand owner. "You have officially earned a job at this stand! ...and even a little reward for doing so well, too."
Leonardo felt very happy and gratefully accepted the money. He was then told the time he had to be at the station for work; 9:00 am.
"That way we can get the stand all cleaned up for when it's time to open at 10:00." explained Bradford.
"You can count on me to be on time, Mr. Williams." Leonardo promised.
"That's what I like to hear from an employee. I'll see you back here bright-eyed and bushy-tailed tomorrow morning."
Leonardo and his Father both then said goodbye to Bradford and left the train station to drive home.
(new scene...)
Back at the Splinterson residence, the family was enjoying a pizza that Michelangelo and his Mother bought before coming home. Michelangelo had obviously gotten the job delivering pizzas, and was feeling very tired like his older brother.
"Man, do I feel so totally exhausted..." groaned the black-haired boy. "I had received the job at the Pizza Palace after a successful interview, and the 'boss man' put me to work almost immediately. From there, I made several deliveries in a row in under two hours time."
"Don't forget; there was also that VERY big delivery of ten pizzas to the Hatt family." reminded Mrs. Splinterson.
"Bummer... Was that one ever difficult to manage..."
"I'll bet it was," chuckled Leonardo. "And a good thing about your new job is that it got us a 20% off pizza for dinner."
Michelangelo recovered upon being reminded of the pizza. "Oh yeah! Free pizza, dude!"
The black-haired boy began to eat slice after slice of the large-sized pizza from the box, much to the rest of the family's amusement. Inside his room later that evening, Leonardo got into bed with his alarm 'seemingly' set for 7:30 am.
"This day was so great..." he thought with a big smile on his face. "Tomorrow should be another good day!"
And off to dreamland the dirty blonde-haired boy went... Now, I'm sorry to say that while his first (unofficial) day at work was great, his next (officially first) day was not gonna be so good. Just read on to find out exactly what I mean about that...
(new scene...)
The next morning, Leonardo heard his alarm going off. When he turned it off, it was not 7:30 am—but rather 9:30 am, instead!
"AUGH!" The dirty blonde-haired boy exclaimed in complete surprise, falling out of bed and looking shellshocked. "I'm... I'm late for work?!"
His first official day, and already he was running late. How could this have happened? Well, as it turned out, Leonardo had mistakenly set his alarm clock for 9:30 am instead of 6:30 am. After briefly swearing in the Scottish Gaelic language, he hurried for the bathroom—but sadly found that it was being occupied by Michelangelo. The black-haired boy didn't need to be at work (Pizza Palace) until around 11:00 am, so he certainly wasn't running late at the moment.
"I'm taking a shower... You'll just have to wait your turn, dude..."
The dirty blonde-haired boy was dismayed with this delay and tried to wait patiently for at least ten minutes until Michelangelo had finished. Finally, the black-haired boy emerged from the bathroom drying himself off while whistling a tune of some sort, and Leonardo immediately rushed inside to take his shower.
"Can't believe I set my alarm for the wrong time..." he thought unhappily. "That was so stupid of me."
Unfortunately, just as the dirty blonde-haired boy started up the shower, he got the shock of his life when the hot water...suddenly became cold water.
"WWWWWAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Leonardo screeched loudly from said shock, beginning to shiver from the cold water. "F-FREEZING C-C-COLD W-WATER!" Then realizing that his little brother had rigged the hot water 'thing-a-majig' as a little joke of some sort before getting out of the bathroom, the dirty blonde-haired boy yelled out angrily... "MMMMIIIIKKKKEEEEYYYY!"
Anyway... Once Leonardo was showered (as fast as humanly possible), fixed the hot water 'thing-a-majig', and was dressed for work, he went down into the kitchen, glared at his 'innocent' brother for the joke (who merely whistled cheekly like he did nothing wrong), made a light breakfast, ate it up quickly, dashed out the door, and raced to the garage to get his bicycle! ...only to find that the front tire of said bike was all deflated. That meant one thing...
"Shoot! I forgot to refill my bike's front tire last night!"
Hastily, Leonardo grabbed a nearby bicycle pump and started to refill the tire and inflate it back to normal. Once the front tire was all fixed up, he jumped onto his bike, and peddled to the Ffarquhar Station as fast as he possibly could.
(new scene...)
When the dirty blonde-haired finally arrived outside the station, he quickly chained his bike to a lamp post and entered the building. Inside, it was 10:25 am, and the owner of the hot dog stand was not looking very pleased with his new employ.
"What kept you?" asked Bradford crossly, motioning to the clock. "You didn't show up on time! Meaning I had to clean the stand and get everything ready all by myself."
"I am so sorry for being late, Mr. Williams." Leonardo apologized. He was all out of breath from rushing to work. "I had accidentally set my alarm for the wrong time, and also had forgotten to get my bike all fixed up."
"You're forgiven, but please try to be a little more on time for the next day, alright?"
The dirty blonde-haired boy gave a sad nod of affirmation, quickly changed into his uniform, and immediately set to work. From then until noon, business was rather slow, but still went alright. At around noon (lunchtime), Bradford spoke to Leonardo...
"I have to step out for a bit to pay a visit to my doctor," he stated, removing his apron and cap. "Can I trust you to keep the stand busy until I return later on in the afternoon?"
"Yes, sir." nodded Leonardo. "I promise to do a good enough job while you're away."
Bradford smiled and left the station. A few minutes later, Leonardo was being kept busy by keeping the stand all clean, washing the utensils not being used, and serving hot dogs and/or sausages to the passengers who were coming or going. In simpler terms; the day started to get much better for him. Eventually, however, a new—but familiar—voice had then spoken up as the dirty blonde-haired boy resumed cleaning the stand...
"No way! So the great Leonardo is working at a joint like this? How indignant!"
Leonardo knew who that snooty voice belonged to... It was Spencer, and he was not looking impressed in the slightest.
"Oh great..." The dirty blonde-haired boy grumbled. He was not happy to see Spencer, at all. "What do you want, Spencer?"
"So, you're working here..." The silver-haired rich boy snorted. "Heh! I guess you're not as great as you make yourself believe to be. Especially after you managed to completely humiliate me before the whole student body near the end of the school year. And what, may I ask, is with your uniform? You look like a real loser to me!"
"It'd be best not to disturb me right now." retorted Leonardo hotly. "I don't want to risk losing my job teaching you another lesson."
"Ooh, you sure do talk tough! ...even though you're not. Heck, I bet you even got lucky with humiliating me at that contest. And 'Leonardo'? Really? What kind of name is that suppose to be, anyway? It's sounds to me like the name of one of those turtles from that stupid cartoon series."
The dirty blonde-haired boy started to get angry. "Look, do you want something from the stand or not?"
"Fine." huffed Spencer, placing his order. "I'll get two Italian sausages with the works and two cans of diet coke to go."
Moaning rather crossly, the dirty blonde-haired boy reluctantly served the silver-haired boy his two sausages with the works and two cans of diet coke. Just then, Spencer started to leave without even paying for the meal!
"H-Hey, come back!" cried Leonardo. "You didn't pay for the sausages and two cans of coke!"
Spencer merely gave a snooty laugh in response, exiting the station while still laughing at how he managed to actually humiliate the dirty blonde-haired boy back. Slamming his face onto the counter once the silver-haired boy had left, Leonardo had now become incredibly unhappy with how his day was going thus far. Twenty minutes later, both Hank and Murdoch arrived while the dirty blonde-haired boy was washing some dishes.
"Hey, buddy!" greeted Hank, but then became worried. "You look down right now."
"So far, my work day hasn't exactly been the greatest." said Leonardo gloomily.
"That's too bad..." Murdoch replied with sympathy. "But cheer up, I'm sure it'll get better real quick."
"Man, I sure hope so."
"By the way," spoke up Hank, giving his dirty blonde-haired friend a look of some sort. "You wouldn't happen to be giving away free samples to your good buddies, are you?"
"I can't do that!" protested Leonardo. "If my boss found out about it, I would get into big trouble!"
"Aw, come on!" begged Murdoch. "We're your friends! Very best friends! We'd never tell a soul."
"No!"
"Come on, Leo, buddy!" Hank pushed it further. "We're both hungry, waiting for our train, and got no money for food right now!"
"We promise to make it up to you somehow!" added Murdoch. "Besides, Spencer said you gave him some free samples! So why won't you do the same for us?"
"Spencer?!" Leonardo nearly screamed. "But I never actually-!"
"PLEASE?!" Hank and Murdoch both pleaded once again.
Finally, after some more begging and pleading from his two friends, Leonardo finally gave up and sighed heavily.
"Oh, alright. So long as my boss does not find out about it... What do you two want?"
Murdoch and Hank were both feeling very pleased right now. They immediately asked for a hot dog, a jumbo hot dog, an Italian sausage, and two cans of orange soda. Once the two tall teenage boys got their food, they thanked Leonardo and went outside to wait for their train. At around 1:30, business was beginning to slow down a little bit, and the dirty blonde-haired boy decided to take a quick break and have his own lunch—which was a hot dog and juice box.
"Sheesh, what a day it has been so far..."
"Hey, Leo!" came another voice. It was from James.
"You alright?" asked another voice... belonging to Gordon.
Leonardo looked up to see two of his other friends standing near the counter.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he sighed dejectedly. "I'm just taking a quick lunch break before returning to work."
"We've just gotten a text from Hank and Murdoch." said Gordon. "They've said that you gave away free samples to them AND Spencer! ...though I don't know why you'd give free samples to my cousin..."
Leonardo already knew where this was going. "W-What!? But I-"
"We'd like free samples, too!" grinned James. "Besides, we'd SO owe you for it!"
"BIG time!" added Gordon eagerly.
Despite his protests, Leonardo eventually gave in and reluctantly served his two friends some free samples:
-Gordon: Two chili dogs and two cans of diet cokes.
-James: Two Italian sausages and two cans of fruit juice.
At this point, as he returned to work after eating lunch, the dirty blonde-haired boy could only hope that his boss never found out about what he had been doing as of today, because he would be in huge trouble for doing something like that—maybe even get fired. Around 3:30, Bradford returned from his doctor's appointment.
"I'm back!" The man announced. He then approached the counter to see Leonardo. "How was keeping the stand clean and keeping the customers satisfied?"
"It was...certainly an experience. That, I'll admit..." Leonardo said quietly.
"Very nice..."
"Sir!" cried a voice. It belonged to Spencer, who walked up and pointed an accusing finger at Leonardo. "I caught him giving away free samples to a few customers earlier while you were gone!"
"What?!" Bradford exclaimed in shock, just before giving the dirty blonde-haired boy a stern look. "Is this true, Leo?"
"But, sir-!" Leonardo began to protest, but got cut off.
"I even have pictures to prove it!" said Spencer, holding out his very expensive mobile phone.
Yup, there were a few pictures showing Leonardo giving away free samples to Murdoch and Hank, and then to Gordon and James. Leonardo was stunned - just how in the world did Spencer even know about him giving away the free samples in the first place? ...unless he had been the one who told Hank, Murdoch, James, and Gordon about it shortly after getting his food (without paying), in addition to secretly watching everything and snapping those pictures from the window outside!
"Spencer must have planned this all along!" The dirty blonde-haired boy thought angrily. "Why, that conniving-!"
"Well, Leonardo?" spoke up Bradford unhappily, snapping the Leonardo out of his thoughts. "Did you or did you not give away free samples to some customers?"
Knowing he was caught red-handed, Leonardo admitted everything... "Yes, Mr. Williams... I...did give away free samples."
Spencer smirked grandly to himself, while Bradford gave a disappointed sigh towards his new employ.
"I'm sorry to have to say this... but I'm very disappointed with you, Leo. I'm afraid this is going to have to come out of your paycheck."
Leonardo felt ashamed. "Yes, sir..."
Ten minutes later, Leonardo walked out of the station with a sad look on his face. The dirty blonde-haired boy remained rather silent as he unchained his bike from the lamp post and got ready to go home. It was then Emily, who was currently alone and out for a walk, showed up.
"Hello, Leo." she greeted cheerfully, but saw how sad her friend was. "What's wrong?"
"Spencer, that's what." sighed Leonardo gloomly. "In addition to a bad day on my second full day of work."
"Spencer?"
"He got me in trouble with my boss today!" The dirty blonde-haired boy exclaimed, finally getting angry. "First he came by to annoy me, and didn't even pay me after I gave him his order!"
"That's awful!" Emily was shocked.
"I know! And then Spencer proceeded to lie to a couple of people - saying that I was giving away free samples for the whole day! This lead to Murdoch, Hank, James, AND Gordon all coming to me at one point for free samples despite telling them otherwise! From there, Spencer spied on me from a spot outside the station - watching me through the window as I reluctantly gave away those free samples, all while he snapped pictures with his phone! Once my boss returned from his appointment, Spencer arrived and showed him the evidence...and I got into big trouble!"
Emily was very cross. "That rich jerk! How dare he do something so sneaky...!"
"I may not have gotten fired, but I have greatly disappointed my boss." said Leonardo unhappily, getting onto his bike. "Sorry, but I'd like to be alone for now..."
He biked sadly away. Emily felt very sorry for her dirty blonde-haired friend, and wished there was something she could do to help him.
(new scene...)
Later that night at the Brighton household, it was a quiet, ordinary evening. Thomas and Emily were both cleaning and putting away dishes from dinner before the latter started to speak up about what Leonardo told her.
"Spencer got Leo in trouble with his boss today, Thomas."
"How?" asked Thomas, drying a plate.
Emily then began to explain to her blue-haired friend what Leonardo had told her. When the dark green-haired girl finished speaking, Thomas was, as expected, cross.
"That two-bit, fibbing snob!" he fumed, obviously referring to Spencer. "Something needs to be done about him!"
"What do you suggest we do?" asked Emily.
Alas, Thomas wasn't able to think of anything right now. Regardless, the dark green-haired girl eventually managed to come up with an idea on how to expose Spencer Gresley. What's the idea, you might be asking? Oh, you'll find out what it is...soon enough.
(new scene...)
Later that night - inside a Japanese dojo of a sort within the Splinterson residence, Leonardo and Michelangelo were both dressed in matching karate gi (with black belts) and standing barefoot before their Grandfather, Hamato 'Yoshi' Splinterson (who was wearing traditional Japanese robs).
"Alright..." spoke the elderly man. "Begin by mimicking this pose."
He did a karate stance, and his two Grandsons mimicked the poses correctly.
"Excellent, my sons!" praised Hamato Yoshi. "Now... try this one!"
After an hour-and-a-half with their martial arts session, the two brothers were ready to call it a night.
"I'm beat!" groaned Michelangelo, stretching his arms out while yawning.
"So am I." agreed Leonardo. "C'mon, let's head to bed. We have to work tomorrow."
"No need to tell me twice, dude."
Will Leonardo's next day at work be better than the one he had today? Only one way to find out...
(new scene...)
Next morning, Leonardo was biking all the way to Ffarquhar Station. This time, the dirty blonde-haired boy had woken up on time. Upon arriving outside the station, he chained his bike to a lamp post and entered the station.
"Well... here goes." thought Leonardo, hoping he would have a better day than he did yesterday.
"Hey, Leo!" called the voice of Thomas.
"Huh?"
The dirty blonde-haired boy looked up and saw not only Bradford, but also Thomas, Emily, Murdoch, Hank, Gordon, and James all waiting for him.
"W-What are you guys doing here?" asked Leonardo in surprise.
"Thomas and Emily both called us here." began Murdoch.
"We want to apologize to you." added Hank. "Thomas and Emily here both told us what had happened, and that Spencer had lied about the free samples..."
"We feel awful for getting you into trouble." put in James.
"For that, we're all here to confront that snobby cousin of mine once he arrives." finished Gordon.
"Somehow, I doubt he'll show up here." sighed Leonardo. "He only came here yesterday to get me into trouble, and he likely won't be coming today."
Thomas grinned cheekily. "Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that."
The dirty blonde-haired boy gave a blank stare... just before the familiar voice of that silver-haired rich boy echoed throughout the station.
"What're you all doing?! Get out of my way! I have a train to catch!"
Yup, it was Spencer alright. Once he was in sight, Bradford, Thomas, Emily, Murdoch, Hank, Gordon, and James all merely glared at the silver-haired boy, who then got even crosser with those 'commoners'...
"Maybe you people didn't hear me properly." said Spencer rudely. "I said get out of my way, this instant!"
Bradford spoke up. "Not before you apologize to my employ over here."
"For what?! I never did anything wrong!"
"Don't give us that rubbish!" snapped James. "We now know that you lied to us about those free samples yesterday."
"Just to get Leo here in trouble!" agreed Murdoch.
"Not to mention you never paid him for your order yesterday." added Bradford.
Spencer, knowing that he was finally found out by those 'commoners', attempted to put up a tough facade to try and save a little face.
"Y-You all can't prove a thing!" The silver-haired boy huffed, sounding nervous. "It could have been someone else doing that stuff."
"Then come with us to the security room if you don't think you've done anything wrong." Emily spoke up, angrily gesturing toward one of the three security cameras on the ceiling. "I believe the security guard here might have caught everything on-"
Spencer lost his facade and caved in. "ALRIGHT! I DID DO ALL OF THAT STUFF! I ADMIT IT! I'M GUILTY!"
"That's all we need to know." said Bradford crossly. "Now apologize to Leo this instant!"
The silver-haired boy bit his lip. "S-Sorry, Leo... I should never have tried to get you...fired."
"Now pay him for your order!"
Spencer immediately paid with some money. And then, thinking that he was finally off the hook, the silver-haired boy started to leave and go catch his train—only to be stopped by the owner of the hot dog stand once more.
"Not so fast, Mr. Gresley." demanded Bradford.
"Oh, come on!" complained Spencer. "What else do you want from me?!"
"You don't seem to have a summertime job, do you?"
Spencer instantly knew where this was going. "N-N-N-No way! Forget about it! I 'don't' do summer jobs!"
"Uh-huh... We completely understand." said Leonardo somewhat understandingly. He then turned towards both Gordon and James. "Do either of you have access to Spencer's parents' number?"
"You mean my Uncle Jim and Aunt Leslie?" asked Gordon, holding his mobile phone up whilst smirking. "I sure do! I'll definitely be sure to tell them what my cousin had done most recently. I bet they won't be too-"
"Alright, alright!" snapped Spencer, throwing his hands up in surrender. "You win!"
Minutes later, the silver-haired boy was now wearing an apron and vendor's cap. He was busy scrubbing the stand's counters while red-faced with humiliation.
"Oh, the shame of it all..." Spencer groaned to himself.
Everyone watched with satisfied looks on their faces.
"Do you guys smell what I smell?" asked Gordon, sniffing the air a bit.
James sniffed the air, too. "I sure do. It's the smell of a delicious hot dog..."
"...with a heaping serving of karmic justice!" finished Thomas.
And some cheers from some of the heroes (Thomas, Emily, James, Gordon, Hank, and Murdoch) ensured, while Leonardo smiled at his friends gratefully.
"Man... Guys, I... I really don't know what to say. Thanks for exposing Spencer and saving my job."
"We're all friends, buddy." reassured Hank, giving his friend a thumbs up. "You know that."
"For sure." agreed Murdoch.
"Eeyup!" put in Gordon, trying to sound like a certain pony-like character.
"But the one person you should really be thanking here is Emily." said Thomas, motioning Emily. "This was all her idea, after all."
Emily merely blushed bashfully from what her blue-haired friend said about her. Leonardo, however, got down on one knee, carefully grabbed the dark green-haired girl's right hand, and gently and kissed it. Emily blushed a darker shade of red in response as she felt her heart skip a beat from joy.
"M'lady, I thank ye so much." Leonardo praised his friend/crush.
"Gosh... you're very welcome, Leo." Emily said...rather happily.
"Somehow, someway, I promise to return you the favor in a big way."
Nearby, Thomas was watching the scene unfold as he felt yet another slight ache in his heart from watching Leonardo kiss Emily's hand (again), and the dark green-haired girl blushing in response...whilst smiling over it. Like before, however, Thomas shook his head and insisted to only himself that Emily and Leonardo were just friends and nothing more.
"So, what do you say, Leo?" James suddenly spoke up. "Got any hot dogs for a job well done-?"
"JAMES!" exclaimed Murdoch, Hank, Gordon, Emily, Bradford, and Leonardo all at once. They were unhappy and thinking that the red-haired boy was attempting to get free samples, despite all the trouble it lead to.
"And we'll pay for them, too!" James chuckled sheepishly. "After all, you guys didn't even let me finish speaking."
Cue some laughs from everyone else (even Thomas) in response. After Leonardo, with some help from a reluctant Spencer, had served his six friends their orders, Hank, Murdoch, Gordon, James, Thomas, and Emily all left the station to enjoy the rest of the day.
"Wow, that sure was a hectic morning... but at least we taught that snooty Spencer a lesson." commented Thomas, looking over to Emily. "Wouldn't you agree, Emily?"
The dark green-haired girl, however, was looking rather quiet for some reason and didn't respond to her blue-haired friend.
"Um... Emily? Are you alright?" asked Thomas, getting worried.
"Am I..." Emily thought to herself, still ignoring Thomas at the moment. She felt her heart flutter about thinking about Leonardo. "Am I falling in-love with Leo?"
"Emily?"
Finally, the dark green-haired girl snapped out of her thoughts. "Huh? What?" She then noticed that Thomas was looking at her with a very concerned expression on his face. "I'm sorry, Thomas. What was it you were saying?"
"I asked if you were alright." repeated the blue-haired boy.
"Yes, Thomas, I'm fine." insisted Emily, not sounding convincing. "Don't worry."
Thomas, after giving his friend another worried glance, then looked away as he and the dark green-haired girl both continued their way home. While walking down the streets, Emily started to once again think of those words from that nightmare (which included Diesel 10) she had just before school ended for the summer, and I quote...
"Will it be the boy you've been living with until now? Or will it be the new guy who clearly has a crush on you? Which one will it be?"
At this point, Emily had no idea what to think about... She clearly had feelings for Thomas, but found herself slowly falling in-love with Leonardo, too. Now I know you all might be asking the question; 'Where will all of this eventually lead to?' That, I'm afraid, is a story for another day.