Work Text
Waiting–that's what the gang did. They waited for Sydni and Caitlin to show up, because Caitlin texted them the night before saying that Sydni had a surprise for them in the morning, but Sydni later promised them that it was nothing as special as Caitlin had made it out to be. Nevertheless, they waited to see what could be so "special" and "surprising," seeing as there was nothing else to do at nine o'clock in the morning.
"What do you think the surprise is?" Jude asked, curious as usual.
Jonesy, tired and not looking forward to going to his new job of the day, groaned. "Who cares? If it's not a million dollars with my name on it, then I'm not interested."
"Someone's grumpy," Wyatt noted before sipping on his second coffee of the day.
"That's because I have the worst gig today. I'm the guy that drives the train taking kids through the mall!"
"You working with kids? Good luck," Jen said.
Jonesy shot her a smile. "Thanks, step-sis."
"I meant good luck to the kids, not you," she retorted, causing the others to chuckle at Jonesy.
He, not too amused, cast her an annoyed look.
Walking towards the table, Caitlin had someone hidden behind her. Her smile wide and her voice full of joy, she announced, "The surprise is here!"
Nikki burst her bubble. "Caitlin, we all know that Sydni's behind you."
"I knew hiding behind you'd be kinda stupid," Sydni said under her breath, which Caitlin heard.
She looked taken aback by her bluff words, though not completely hurt by them.
"My bad, Caitlin," apologized Sydni.
"It's okay."
With Sydni still standing behind Caitlin, Jude looked as lost as a puppy when asking, "Where's the surprise? I can't see it."
Caitlin realized that the surprise was the whole reason Sydni was waiting behind her in the first place. Now that she stepped away, the gang could now see Sydni's new look. "Ta-dah!" Caitlin exclaimed.
Her look, though being slightly different from how it was previously, was simple. She now had bangs with a copper streak running through one side and the ends of her hair were redyed with the same color. Giving a small smile, Sydni said, "I know it's nothing major, but I needed something to feel good about." She proceeded to take her seat at the table.
After Caitlin and Sydni showed up and the gang exchanged words for a brief moment, there seemed to be a lull in conversation.
"So, anybody got any plans for the weekend?" wondered Jude, even though it was only Wednesday.
Everybody shook their heads with the quickness while Wyatt shook his head timidly. He almost nodded yes until he realized that the gang would again be hot on his trail if he did so. His plans for Friday night were to go on a date with the girl he had been sneaking around with, Friday being the perfect time since he knew their friends would not suspect a thing. Lately, he found himself amazed at the things that he had been doing for the girl that he was with–things that he would not have normally done a year ago. It was crazy how much he loved her. Their relationship was totally unlike the one that Jude had with that senior girl, Melinda Wilson. They weren't sneaking around in fear of harassment from peers or anything. It was just them liking the serenity of being an under-the-radar couple.
Knowing that nobody had plans, Jonesy sighed. "This summer's getting kind of boring already."
Nikki slumped in her seat. "Agreed."
"I guess we should just go to work," Jen suggested.
With feelings of drowsiness and boredom lingering around, the others agreed with Jen and went to work hoping that something exciting would happen. Nikki and Sydni walked to the Khaki Barn together and readied themselves for the long workday ahead of them. Both of them were currently folding some tank tops and shorts like Chrissy had requested them to. Occasionally glancing at her, Nikki found herself somewhat wondering how Sydni felt, noticing something more about her just by her mixed facial expression.
"You okay?" Nikki asked her.
"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"
"You haven't really seemed like it," she stated while carelessly tossing a tank top onto a pile of neatly folded ones.
"It's just... a lot of crap going on. That's all, I guess."
Nikki was not one to force or coax information out of people, which is why she remained quiet and continued her cycle of tossing tank tops and shorts around.
Though not being able to properly read Nikki, something in Sydni made her want to some of her reasons and feelings. "I needed a change who I see in the mirror everyday because I... I need to start new." She paused, hesitant in sharing what she originally was going to say and not knowing how to properly word it. "Before I came here, I kind of–"
Her words were cut off by Kirsten and Kristen, who were squealing in joy about something. They jumped up and down with their cell phones clutched closely to them.
"Oh my gosh, Kirsten! We're going out with two of the hottest guys on Friday night!" Kristen shouted.
"This is so amazing! I'm so happy I could die!"
It wasn't even noon yet and Nikki was already annoyed. "I'd like it if that happened now," she muttered under her breath. She now longed for a night out–not because of the Clones' glee over their dates on Friday, but to do something with her friends. And probably to get away from her crazy coworkers.
"We need to do something on Friday night," Sydni said to Nikki in the midst of the Clones' excitement.
"Ugh, it's like you were reading my mind."
Kristen and Kirsten eventually quit their squealing, but the next few hours of work still weren't the most enjoyable. Luckily, the gang regrouped during their lunch breaks and sat on the benches near the fountain in the atrium.
Jonesy let out a groan as he hunched over. "Work was so bad."
"Fired?" Wyatt asked while now sipping on his fifth coffee of the day.
All he did was nod and sigh.
Jonesy looked like he majorly screwed up–all the more reason for Nikki to focus her attention on him. "Oh, I have got to hear this."
He began to mumble his words. "Maybe I... ran the train full of kids off the track."
Jen, hearing him very clearly, exclaimed, "You did what?!"
Much louder and slowly, he shouted, "I ran the train full of kids off the track!"
Everyone in the surrounding area gave him strange gazes, but then resumed doing what they were beforehand.
"So I guess I wasn't paying attention when my boss was showing me how to work the train," he said much more calmly.
Nikki's sarcasm was ever-present. "And what made you think that?"
Looking around, Jen noticed that plenty of people around them now held flyers in their hands, even though they weren't there minutes ago.
"Hey, guys–where'd those flyers come from?" she asked.
Her friends shrugged, not quite knowing either.
"They're for something really awesome!" a familiar voice enthused.
As soon as the gang peered up, they saw Starr with her close friend (and Vegan Island co-worker) Brooke.
"Like what?" Caitlin wondered.
Handing a flyer to each of them, Starr explained, "A roller-skating rink opening on Friday night. It's called Just Roll with It."
Brooke added, "We were told that, like, whoever shows up on time for its opening at eight gets to go in for free."
The gang glanced at one another in joy. Knowing that there was somewhere for them to go on Friday made all of them believe that their dog days of summer might just be over for now. Well, it made almost all of them believe so.
Caitlin winced at the idea wearing other people's skates and turned her nose up. "Ew! Used skates? What if I get athlete's foot or something?"
Shaking her head, Nikki tried putting it into terms that she could understand. "Caitlin, you're not gonna get athlete's foot by wearing used skates. It's no different from trying on different pairs of shoes in a store."
With a more convinced look on her face, Caitlin said, "Now it sounds more fun... and less gross."
Nikki rolled her eyes with an expression along the lines of, "Oh, the drama Caitlin sometimes creates from nothing."
Sydni, on the other hand, was ecstatic. One could practically feel her positive energy spread through the air. "Oh, God–I love roller skating! It's one of the best things ever."
"I take it you don't need any persuasion to go," Nikki noted.
"Trust me when I say I'm there!"
Needless to say everyone was up for skating on Friday night, except for one person that didn't add anything to the conversation.
Jen's eyes were curious as they looked upon her friend. "So, Wyatt, are you gonna come with us on Friday?"
"Oh, no," he thought. Oh, no was right. His friends had unknowingly backed him into a corner. If he tells them that he has other plans for Friday night, they'll ask what he's doing, which will leave him two options: telling a lie or coming out with the truth. The lie may not go undetected and only make them more wary of his behavior than they already are; the truth will only make them question why he's been sneaking off and he'll be forced to explain himself. As Jen and the others eyed him, he finally came up with an answer.
"Of course."
Wyatt found himself asking, "Why did I say that?" Now he had to explain to his girlfriend why he has to cancel their date in order to avoid a big misunderstanding. Great, he succumbed to this peer pressure started by stares. Masking his confusion, he gave a Stepford smile that came off as a genuine one in the eyes of his friends.
Despite pushing their suspicious away days ago, Nikki, Jonesy, and Jen couldn't help but notice the hesitance in Wyatt's response. Nevertheless, they prepared themselves to have a great time on Friday night along with their friends.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Why does it feel like I'm always the first to show up?" Nikki asked herself as she crossed her arms.It was finally Friday night, the night she and the rest of the gang were supposed to go roller-skating. But there was one slight issue: she was the only one of her friends who showed up so far. This left her standing outside the rink with the other people who arrived early for its grand opening. She leaned against the brick wall, tempted to call the others and ask where they were. Tempted, but not obligated. Instead, she waited. Looking in one direction, she noticed someone coming her way.She greeted, "Hey, Nikki.""Finally, someone's here."Sydni slung her sports bag over her shoulder and put her neon-colored sunglasses in her hair, wearing them like a headband. "I told you guys that I'd definitely be here." Continuing to wait with Nikki, she added, "The rink's supposed to open in ten minutes. I hope the others make it.""Trust me, they will... Eventually," Nikki deadpanned, making it hard to tell whether she was just playing or being completely serious.In the meantime, Jen and Jonesy were on their way to meet their friends–if they could get there without beating each other senseless.Jonesy groaned for the umpteenth time. "Why do you have to drive so slow?""I'm not driving slow, Jonesy. It's called being a cautious driver.""Cautious driver?!"–his whining was replaced by a fit of laughter before continuing–"You've crashed the school's bus before and failed your driving test a bunch of times! I, on the other hand, passed mine on the first try."Under her breath she muttered, "And I still don't know how you managed to pull that one off." She made Jonesy eat every single word that fell out of his mouth when they pulled into the rink's parking lot sooner than he thought they would. "Ha! In your face!" Jen taunted as she got out the car.He made a sour face while opening the passenger seat door. He exited the car and walked towards the main entrance of the rink, only to find a large crowd of people surrounding it. There was no way he could find his friends among that many people."Jonesy, over here," called Jen, who found Nikki and Sydni standing at the building's side, away from the crowd.Once he joined them, Nikki asked, "Where were you guys?"He pointed a finger towards his stepsister with the quickness. "I was running late because grandma over here can't drive fast enough."Before Jen could give a good comeback, another one of their friends showed up."'Sup, dudes," Jude said as he walked up with Starr. "Hope you don't mind that I brought my favorite Betty with me.""It's more than okay, Jude. You know Starr is part of the group," replied Jen.Looking at the sports bag in Sydni's hand, Jude's curiosity became peaked. Then again, he had a tendency to become curious about plenty of things. Regardless, he asked, "What's in the bag, bra?""My skates."Starr smiled, being quite a roller-skating enthusiast. "You have your own custom skates, too? Cool! I'm always wearing mine." She then pointed to her feet, sporting blue and black in-lines."Nice. So when did you start skating?" asked Sydni."I grew up–like–skating with my parents and stuff. They were really into that sort of thing. What about you?""Oh that's cool," she responded before she let Starr's question sink in. "My friends and I used to skate together on a regular basis." With a nostalgic smile, she said, "We had so much fun going every Friday night."An ecstatic Caitlin ran up to her friends once she spotted them and Wyatt shortly followed.She exclaimed, "Hey, guys! I hope we're not too late!"The doors to the skating rink opened and the owner appeared, ushering the large crowd into the building."Nope. You're right on time," Jude responded.Most of the gang fell into amazement after taking their first steps into the rink. A huge disco ball on the ceiling resembled the sun; it was centered around many neon lights that clustered around it like stars. Caitlin, Jen, and Sydni adored the retro vibes that the rink gave off. Nikki, on the other hand, felt as if the 1970s and 1980s dug their graves and died there. Jude liked in particular that pizza and french fries were the first things he could smell. Jonesy looked to his far left and, lo and behold, there was a snack bar that served tasty fast food. He and Jude gave each other a high-five."Sweet!" they both cheered.Nikki eyed some of her friends that stood around, continuing to take in the scenery. "Are we gonna rent our skates or just stand around looking silly?" she asked over the loudly-playing dance music.Caitlin crinkled her nose. Her distaste for wearing used skates–and used bowling shoes for that matter–came back.Nikki felt this was all too familiar. "Oh come on. It's not that bad, Caitlin."Her facial expression said, "I know you're trying to help, but I'm not totally sure.""It's not like you're the only one wearing used skates, Cait." Jen placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We'll put on our skates together so you won't feel weird about it."She slowly nodded. "Okay."Once the gang rented their skates and strapped them on, they wasted no time in rolling their wheels against the concrete floor. Jen and Caitlin decided to get in the swing of skating together, with Sydni tagging along as well. Starr, being excited that Jude could ditch his beloved skateboard Sally for the night, wanted to teach him "the way of the in-lines." Wyatt skated solo since he wasn't exactly a pro at it and didn't want to harm anybody in the process of learning. Starr offered to teach him the ropes as well, but Jude shot him a "No hard feelings, bro, but I wanna hang with my Betty" look. He was going to decline the offer regardless, figuring that it would prevent fewer injuries if he fell alone than if he fell with someone else.Jonesy tried convincing Nikki to skate with him, but she was skeptical. He was very far from amateur on the ice and fairly good on concrete, since he had gone roller-skating a few times before. It was Nikki who did not have much grace when it came to skating. Sure, her ice-skating skills had improved in recent months, but roller-skating was a different story. A very different story."Jonesy, we both know I can't skate worth a damn.""That's why I wanna teach you."She narrowed her eyes."I won't let go of you, Nikki."Crossing her arms, she replied, "That's the same thing you said the last time and you let me fall." The last time being referred to was the incident at the mall's ice-skating rink; Jonesy left Nikki stumbling and, shortly afterwards, falling, all because he wanted to flirt with Tara Johansen–a girl given the honor of being the prettiest in school, while also being the most stuck-up.He gently took her hand and pulled it towards his torso. "I'm serious this time. Just trust me."Her thin-pressed lips formed a small smile. She rethought how she acted towards him and how the situation she referred to played out. That incident did take place when the tension between them still remained, before they could confess their true feelings to each other. That and Jonesy hadn't let her fall since then. Maybe this time would be different. "Okay, Jonesy. I trust you."Immediately he skated with Nikki, guiding her through the basics of it along the way. She was having genuine fun with him and it was great. Their speed began to increase and a wide grin replaced her small smile."Jonesy, I'm actually getting the hang of this!"He grinned as well. "See, I told you I'd teach you."As they went even faster, Nikki made a valiant effort to keep up with the pace they created, but ultimately fell and brought Jonesy down with her. For a moment the two of them just stared at each other. Not being able to keep straight faces, they burst into laughter.He howled, "And you said you were getting the hang of it!"Jen, Caitlin, and Sydni were skating at a fast pace until they saw Nikki and Jonesy lying on the concrete. They came to a stop."Are you guys okay?" Jen asked, offering a helping hand.Nikki took her hand and Jonesy got back on his feet by himself, joking, "We're fine. It's just Nikki who couldn't keep her balance." He wagged his eyebrows at her.His girlfriend gently elbowed him. "You want balance? I'll show you balance."She took off in a matter of seconds, determined to prove Jonesy wrong and make him eat the sandwich filled with his stupid words. Jonesy skated after her like a madman, wanting to take up the challenge she posed. This elicited giggles and grins from Jen, Caitlin, and Sydni. If there was an appropriate word to describe their relationship from time to time, it was competitive. However, the three girls decided to skate like their hearts desired after hearing what sounded like a Madonna song."Ooh, hottie alert!" Caitlin exclaimed when seeing Alejandro.The girls all looked in his direction. He was hanging with Justin and other greeter-god friends from Albatross and Finch. Jen and Caitlin took a moment to admire his handsome face, then stopped. Both were ready to skate with Sydni again until they noticed something: Sydni continued to gaze at him. Jen and Caitlin exchanged knowing glances before getting her attention. Caitlin waved a hand in front of her eyes, effectively breaking her out of her trance.Startled, she began to stutter. "Huh? W-what was I doing?" Her cheeks flushed a shade of pink.Caitlin giggled. "Staring at Alejandro."Was it mentioned that her cheeks were pink? Because they were now tomato-red. "I was?" she asked in disbelief.Jen nodded."You like him, don't you?" asked Caitlin.Sydni was quick to cross her arms and shake her head. "No. I'm not into him."Jen and Caitlin stared."You can look at me all you want. I don't like him that way."As if she didn't have other factors weighing against her, the voice in her head from recent days began to pester her."You like Alejandro. Don't deny it!" it singsonged to her annoyance. In addition, Jen and Caitlin continued to stare with mischievous smiles on their faces. Their stares burned through her.Defeated, Sydni threw her hands in the air and confessed the obvious. "Dammit, I like him! He's just … charming!"Caitlin clapped her hands, almost jumping up and down to show her excitement until she realized she might fall if she did so. "You should totally go and flirt with him!""By doing what? Seducing him with my awkwardness?" Sydni may have been many things, but a huge flirt she wasn't. She pictured how Caitlin's suggestion would play out, almost like a movie. Long story short, it did not look good. She cringed. Intensely. "Caitlin, I'm not so sure."Caitlin knew how to deal with the rabbit-hearted–girls who were less sure than they should have been, especially when involving a guy. Jen was that kind of girl over Nick and countless other guys. Caitlin herself had been that girl plenty of times. Nikki–she was a different story altogether. Nevertheless, Caitlin wanted to replace Sydni's rabbit heart with a lion heart to make her confident and strong. "Trust me. If there's anything that I learned from Teen Pulse, it's that guys love girls who make the first move. Give him something subtle like a wink. Or maybe bold, like a hair flip. It doesn't hurt to use what you're good at to your advantage either."Though hesitant feelings lingered, Sydni agreed. "Okay, I'll do it."Caitlin knew that complete sureness didn't (and wouldn't) show up overnight. It would not be the easiest of tasks, giving her a new heart, but she could certainly handle it. Just to make sure that Sydni wouldn't hesitate any longer, she gave her an encouraging push. Literally.Sydni was quick to catch her balance afterwards. Nearing Alejandro, she kept Caitlin's advice in mind. "...Use what you're good at to your advantage..." She did just that. Using the roller-skating experience picked up over the years, she kicked one leg up–similar to how an ice-skater would–and glided past him and his friends, winking at him (and grinning) in the process. If there was anything that she hoped for in this moment, it was that this would work out and Caitlin did not give her bad advice. Then again, Caitlin spoke like she knew every bit of what she was saying. To her surprise, he winked back. She told herself to keep together and don't show any signs of melting until out of his view. She gave Jen and Caitlin a thumbs up and skated off, probably to find somewhere to spaz out without looking like an idiot."Gotcha!" Jonesy wrapped his arms around Nikki's waist. He refused to let his hold on her go since, after ten minutes, he finally caught up to her. He hated to admit it, but when determined, that girl was unstoppable.She, trying her hardest not to blush, squealed in surprise. "Jonesy!"Jonesy held onto her for a few more seconds, then let go. He took her hand, skating with her for several minutes before seeing something mesmerizing in every possible way. He let go of her hand while she talked, with her not knowing his focus was on something else."…Don't you think so, Jonesy?"No response from him.She peered up, only to find he was no longer there. She shook her head in disbelief. "That son of a bitch left me." Before storming off, she glanced in a random direction. That random glance became an intense, burning stare. Jonesy was playing an arcade game. An arcade game. "He left me for a game?! Ugh, I can't believe him sometimes!" She attempted to storm off, but tripped and fell shortly afterwards. Beyond frustrated, Nikki blew loose hair strands out of her face."You look like you need a hand."She looked up and saw Jen, with Caitlin behind her, offering to help her up for the second time that night."Are you okay?" Caitlin asked, concern in her eyes.Nikki spoke a sharp-tongued no.Jen asked the next question. "What's wrong?""I'll tell you what's wrong–Jonesy left me for a stupid arcade game. It's bad enough he let me fall again, but at least the last time he left me for a person. Now he left me for a game." Monotony replaced the lividness in her voice."That is so low," Caitlin said.Jen shook her head in disappointment. "Just wait until I see him.""I should've made him swear on his life not to leave. Then that douche probably would've stayed." No evidence was needed to prove Nikki's point.Jen said, "I think I'm gonna go talk some sense into him."Nikki shrugged. "Good luck with that.""Die, aliens! Die!" shouted Jonesy. He hit buttons and moved the joystick around as fast as he could, now feeling like he was in the zone. With its sci-fi action and flashing lights, this game had all of his attention. He was immersed, even hypnotized. Everything surrounding him became one big blur until a finger tapped his shoulder, startling and causing him to let out a girly shriek in the process. His movement swift, he turned around.Jen, with her arms crossed, asked, "So how did you enjoy your game?"His chest puffed out and he pointed to himself like he was the man. He acted like he didn't just squeal like a frightened girl seeing a rat seconds ago. "I was totally beast. Now I have the highest score on Alien Annihilation."Her voice filled with disgust. "Wow. You must be proud considering you ditched Nikki to do it!"Jonesy's ego deflated and he face-palmed himself. "Aw, man! Is she okay?""What do you think?" she asked. "Nikki is beyond mad at you, but I don't blame her.""How am I gonna make it up to her?""You've got to find the answer to that one." After stressing that to him, she left.Alone again, he groaned once more. Time to create a "Ways to Apologize to Nikki" list.Since they had nothing else to do, Jen decided to sit down with Caitlin and take in everything going on around them. Sydni showed up after letting all her happiness out elsewhere."Alejandro looked like he was into you. The skating trick you did totally sealed the deal," Caitlin said."You really think so?" asked Sydni."Definitely!" Caitlin glanced up at her, only to find Alejandro skating towards them. Since Sydni had her back turned to face her and Jen, she warned, "Oh my god–he's coming over here!"Sydni's eyes went wide, the beat of her rabbit heart increased, and her palms began to sweat. All she hoped was that she would not pass out in the time it took for him to skate towards them. On the flip side, something inside her longed to talk to and get to know him better. Hopefully she could do so without looking like a fool.Caitlin said, "Just stay calm and don't be too nervous.""Right," she whispered. As soon as she turned around, he was there. When she felt like falling back into her shy front, she once more thought of Caitlin's words. "Just stay calm."She put on a friendly smile and gave him an admiring expression. "Hey, Alejandro. What's up?"He extended his hand towards her, and she almost believed that he was going to take her hand and kiss it just like when they first met a few weeks ago. It turned out that he wanted to hand return something to her, making her feel silly for even making such an assumption."I think you dropped these earlier," he said as he opened his hand to reveal her neon-framed shades.Her hands quickly reached for the top of her head, as if her glasses weren't in the palm of his hand. "I'm just all sorts of smooth today, aren't I?" She brought her hands back to her sides just as fast as she raised them. "Sorry about that," she paused as she grabbed the sunglasses from him, "but thanks for bringing them back.""My pleasure." Who knew he could make those two words sound so inviting? "I liked that little trick you did earlier, by the way.""Oh, thanks." She almost blushed until she realized what kind of guy he was. "This one's such a sweet-talker–but a really good one." Some guys were so lame when flirting, but he was different. Way different. "Maybe hereadsTeen Pulse." She stifled her laugh at the thought."How about we sit down and talk–just you and I?" he suggested."Sure. I'd like that."Sydni and Alejandro turned their focus to where Jen and Caitlin sat. Both of them took the hint and moved along, giving them some privacy–or at least semi-privacy, since they took their seats nearby. Alejandro and Sydni sat opposite each other."It seems like it's been a while since we last talked."His confident grin contrasted with her nervous chuckle. "I guess it has.""It looks like your hair's changed since then."He noticed. He actually noticed! "Yeah. I thought something new would be good." A faint blush appeared on her face. "You're like the first guy to notice. My ex-boyfriend probably wouldn't have." She mentioned, mumbling that last part with what sounded like resentment."I, for one, think it suits you."Sydni believed him to be a smooth-talker by nature. He was arguably much more suave and better at flirting than her ex-boyfriend. In fact, this guy could almost make her forget her ex. If only he could completely do so."Nikki––babe, I'm sorry I ditched you! I promise I won't do it again!" Jonesy pleaded as he tried his hardest to keep up with her pace, since she was deliberately trying to get rid of him.Her words were a butcher's knife driving through a cutting board. Like the chill of December, they could freeze anyone close enough to them. "Like hell you won't," she hissed.His loving, apologetic hand reached for her shoulder. "Nikki, just forgive me."She came to a full stop and faced him. His expression was hopeful, thinking she would hear him out. He was wronger than ever. "For what? Leaving me flat on my ass just like the last time? You embarrassed me after telling me to trust you, which I did. My mistake." Her eyebrows lowered and eyes squinted while taking a good, hard look at him. "I'd appreciate it if you left. And don't touch me." She swatted his hand away from her shoulder and carefully skated away since she didn't want to fall over after making such a valid point.Jonesy hung his head low. "I'm totally screwed." Time to revise his "Ways to Apologize to Nikki" list.The largest fire ignited in Heather, so large that she could have burned the rink down if she wanted to. Her eyes were deceiving her, right? "That new girl"–the one who hung out with Caitlin and her friends–was with Alejandro. The first time, she heard about it from Mandy. Now she was seeing it with her own eyes and could not believe it.With the most disdainful expression anyone could have, Heather watched as Sydni and Alejandro left their table. There was a smile and a faintly heard "See you later." She refused to let some girl come along and swoop up her guy like a hawk. Okay, he wasn't exactly her guy anymore, especially since he was the one who dumped her, but she was trying to make a point–one out of pride. Her point was that no one could just kick her to the curb, especially when she had feelings for the one that kicked her. She would never admit to having love for him. Merely feelings."So what are we going to do about this?" asked Mandy.Her witch's brew of thoughts had almost bubbled over. "About what?"Without pointing, Mandy glanced at Sydni.Her lips curled into a frown. "Oh, her? I don't know what to do. I just need her out of the way."Mandy gasped. "I have an idea!""What is it?"She came up with something pretty devious. Someone had to, considering Tricia couldn't go to the rink with them and Gwen and Lindsay were AWOL. Her voice trailed off as she whispered her plan in Heather's ear.Once Mandy explained what she had in mind, Heather smirked. "That'll work just fine." It didn't matter what she had to do for it to happen, because she was going to get Alejandro back–regardless of who stood in her way. She didn't hope that she could do it. Oh, she knew that she could.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
His eyes stared at the ground and his shoulders slumped forward as he skated slowly. Jonesy was without Nikki and it didn't feel so good. From the way she acted towards him earlier, it was going to take more than an apology to get her back into a good mood. He realized what he did in the first place was wrong. Making those connections, he had yet to figure out one thing: What would it take to make her head-over-heels for him again? If an apology alone couldn't, then what could?As he weighed different options in his head, preoccupied Jonesy bumped into someone. He snapped out of his trance and began to talk, his voice devoid of joy. "Oh... Hey, Sydni.""Jen told me what happened with Nikki and that she put you in your place.""Yeah, I know.""Even though she already talked to you about it, I've got to make a point," she said. "You can't just ditch a girl for a game and expect her to be fine afterwards. No one's perfect, but you've got to hold yourself together and be a good boyfriend."Her words penetrated through his skill, prompting him to respond, "Alright, but if you know so much about what a good boyfriend's supposed to act like, then why don't you help me find a way to get Nikki to stop hating me?""First: no half-assed apologies. She'll appreciate it if you say it like you mean it, not like if you were forced."He opened his mouth as if he was going to debate that point, then closed it.She continued, "Maybe you can go to the DJ and request one of her favorite songs. That'll definitely get you some brownie points."Several gears began to turn in his head and he got the perfect idea. "I've totally got it now! Thanks!" he said with a 400-lux smile. He skated off to the DJ booth, not willing to waste any time in enacting his plan.After that chat with Jonesy, Sydni skated onwards until she saw another one of her friends by themselves. Only this time, it was by choice.She caught sight of him, then glanced away. Nikki refused to even think about Jonesy right now, especially since she was trying to let some of her anger subside. It wasn't exactly working, however. She needed to vent in order to get rid of that pent-up frustration."Still pissed at Jonesy?" asked Sydni.Nikki raised an eyebrow upon seeing her."Jen told me what happened with you two.""That explains it," Nikki said. "And yeah, I'm still pissed.""I mean, it's understandable and all." And all referred to what Jonesy did to her, since she didn't want to repeat what Jen told her and cause Nikki to become enraged again.Nikki had an inquisitive expression. "Mind if I rant?""Not at all. Let it out."Rolling her eyes at the thought of her boyfriend right now, Nikki asked, "Where do I even begin?" She threw her hands up in the air. "One moment, Jonesy's this really caring and amazing guy and the next–""–He's a complete jackass?"Nikki nodded. "Pretty much. I love him, but I can't put up with the stupid shit he does sometimes." She paused for a while, seeming to be done with her venting.Sydni glanced at her. "So are you okay now?""I am now." She gave Sydni an unexpected, verbal jab. "Are you okay?"She was seconds away from being hit by a car, as Sydni was a deer in the headlights. "What do you mean?"She shrugged. "You just seem like you're pushing something away.""Is it really that obvious?" rang in her mind. She held in the words that she truly wanted to ask, instead letting out an awkward um."I mean, you changed your look and you seem like you're into Alejandro, but something's holding you back."Baffled, Sydni slowly blinked. "I thought Caitlin was the socially-observational one.""Hey–I pay attention to the things that go on, but I just don't really call attention to them." Nikki knew her place in certain matters.Sydni sighed. Maybe she should try to tell her again. "The real reason I moved here was–" The rabbit-hearted girl was cut off by one of the DJ's many announcements made that night. Exhaling a sigh of relief, she said, "Now might not be the best time. I'll talk to you later." On that note, Sydni darted for the restroom.Nikki pursed her lips. She found it interesting how she managed to skirt around the issue.A weight was lifted from Sydni's shoulders as she entered that restroom. She figured it was best if she didn't bring up her situation at this point in time.Heather sinfully grinned as she watched Sydni go inside the restroom by herself. "She's right where we want her," she said to Mandy."Perfect!" She swiftly skated her way to the restroom door, signaling for Heather to follow her."You know how to keep her locked in there, right?" asked Heather."Oh, I know." Mandy removed a bobby pin from her wavy red hair. Staring at it, she said, "It's worth a shot." She jammed it inside the lock of the door and turned it in various ways, having no honest clue of what she was doing. If it could keep Sydni locked in there long enough for Heather to make her move on Alejandro, then so be it.The doorknob loudly clicked. Just to be sure that it was locked, Mandy and Heather took turns in twisting it. It did not budge, that was for sure.In the middle of grabbing a paper towel to dry her hands, Sydni heard the noise. Alone in the bathroom, she jumped. Her wide eyes scanned the bathroom while asking herself, "What was that?" She figured out the noise must have come from the doorknob. It couldn't have been anything else.After skating towards the door, she attempted to twist the knob. No matter how much strength she mustered, that knob would not turn. She shook her head in disbelief. "No, this cannot be happening. Not now!" Luck, thanks for being so kind.To make things even better, she heard someone call out, "Have fun in there, loser!"Sydni's eyes narrowed. The quick expulsion of hot air from her nose was reminiscent of a dragon shooting fire through its nostrils. Not her again. Hadn't Heather caused enough drama? Then again, it was what she was good at. She pressed her back against the wooden door and slumped to the tile floor. She–listening to the random noises from the people enjoying themselves outside the door–heard Heather say something along the lines of, "Now that that's over with, I'm off to get my guy."All of this for a guy. There was no denying that the guy involved was a special one–at least for her–but this was getting ridiculous. Regardless, she couldn't waste time on what was done. It was a matter of finding a way to escape. The vent above the mirrors hanging over the sink was tempting, but she figured that she might end up in a bigger mess by taking that option.This time she chose to speak what was on her mind. "There must be something I can do." A light bulb went off in her head. "My phone–I can call the others for help!" she exclaimed. Rummaging through her pockets, she couldn't find it. The only things that she did manage to find were some loose dollars and change, a tube of lip gloss, mascara, and tiny bits of dryer lint. Her palm came into contact with her forehead. "Dammit! I must've left it in the car!"Luck, you've been more than generous today.
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Nikki usually paid no heed to the DJ's announcements since he made so many that night, but this one in particular was different."This song is a special request from a guy who wants to make up with his girlfriend. He feels terrible about what he did and this song goes out to her if she's willing to listen to his apology."Why did she have such a strong hunch about who was behind all of this? Even though she felt better about the situation after venting her feelings, she was still didn't feel like hearing what Jonesy had to say–until she heard something a little more touching than the message he had the DJ announce. She heard the guitar-filled opening of the requested song and knew the lyrics like a prayer.It was "I Think I'm Paranoid" by Garbage, one of her favorite songs. Warmth grew from within her chest and spread everywhere else like a wildfire. She was touched that Jonesy remembered one of her favorite songs, let alone one of her favorite bands. He did all of that just to get through to her.A hand rested itself upon her shoulder. She turned around to find none other than the man of the hour himself. While trying her hardest not to sound like a complete sap, she said, "You remembered my song."Chuckling, he ran his fingers through her hair, tucking a loose strand behind her ear. "How could I not remember my girlfriend's favorite song? And did I mention I'm really sorry for earlier?""And I'm sorry for being so cold.""You had every right to be."It was safe to say that neither of them had to ask to be kissed."I'm gonna be stuck in here all night," Sydni said while pacing around the restroom. She felt like she spent forever and a day in there. Just as she almost lost all hope, she heard a few grunts on the opposite side of the bathroom door and halted her pacing. Someone burst into the bathroom following the grunts.Wait a second–someone burst into the bathroom!She took a quick glance at the teen who just saved her from being trapped at a roller-skating rink all night. Albeit briefly, she was intrigued by her black hair streaked with red and punk-rock fashion statement. Nevertheless, Sydni couldn't give a single care about how the girl looked because she was now rescued, saved, helped, and other synonymous words. Having spent about thirty minutes alone in a public restroom, she was excited to see an actual person not only show up, but also have the strength to get the lock on the door unstuck."You just totally saved me from being stuck in here!" Sydni exclaimed. "Thanks so much!" She then ran off to find her friends and tell them what happened.All she wanted to do was go to the bathroom, but instead she was left caught off guard and confused. With a thick British accent, she said–or rather asked–"Um... No problem?"The gang, including Starr, regrouped sometime after Jonesy and Nikki kissed and made up. They all sat near the snack bar, sharing a small tray full of fries that Jude so coveted when they set foot in the rink hours ago."Fries never tasted so good," he spoke with a mouthful of them.Jen winced. "Jude, I don't think you should talk with fries in your mouth. You might spit some on the table. Plus it's kinda gross.""Never had a problem with it befo–" Before he could even finish his sentence, a mess of chewed up fries and ketchup left his mouth and splattered onto the table. He chuckled before letting out an oops.The gang shared similar disgusted reactions."Nasty, bro." Even Jonesy had his limits on grossness.Before anyone could say anything else, Sydni darted towards the table with messy hair."Were you in a tornado on your way over here?" Jonesy joked while laughing.It got that way during her rush over there, but Caitlin thought otherwise. She gasped and asked, "I know that kind of hair! You got a chance to make out with Alejandro, didn't you?"Her face turned bright red. "We're not even going out yet! … Er, at all!" She couldn't lie to herself, though. The thought of it was nice. Back to the subject at hand, she cleared things up. "I was almost trapped in a bathroom overnight!"Of the things Wyatt had been told in the past few days, none could quite top this. "How'd that happen?""Heather and one of those other girls locked me in there. She wanted me out of the way just to get Alejandro. I heard her say it!" She looked around to see if the two of them were even at the rink anymore. She sighed and frowned when she didn't see them. Maybe Heather actually had the ability to get through to him. Maybe she was just more appealing."She won't give up–will she?" asked Nikki."Whatever the case, we've got you," Jen said.The rest of the gang nodded in agreement and made similar remarks.Sydni looked less upset. "Thanks, guys."It was nights like these that further bound the gang, but they decided that it was time to go home when eleven o'clock came around. Even though her car wasn't far from where he and Jen parked, Jonesy walked Nikki there. He was on his most gentlemanly behavior; it was part of him making up for what he did earlier."I had a good time tonight, even if I did hold a grudge match against you." She let out a snort.He found her snorts to be cute in such a dorky way. "Yeah... We should come here for a date sometime if you're up for it. Maybe we can race around the rink. I'll go easy on ya.""We should so I can show you what I'm made of." Any challenge that Jonesy posed, she would take it up. She stoop on her tippy-toes to look him dead in the eye."We'll see about that." He leaned over, doing the same.Now very close, the glances being exchanged were aggressive, then became more loving. Tired of letting romantic tension linger in the air, she yanked him by the collar of his shirt and gave him a goodnight kiss. After parting lips, they said goodnight to each other, Jonesy opened the car door for her, and she left shortly afterwards.When walking back to the his and Jen's car, he was surprised to see her waiting for him outside of it. Her arms were crossed, causing him to wonder if she was mad at him. And if so, for what?She sighed before revealing the car keys in her grip. "Since I drove us here, it's only fair that you drive us back home."He grabbed the keys with the quickness. "Sweet!"She laughed. "It's safe to say that Jonesy will always be Jonesy."Just about everyone left the rink except for Wyatt. He stayed behind and sat in his car with the engine idling. His hand tapped a rhythm against his thigh while he held his cell phone to his ear. The dial tone was seemingly endless, but–him being a patient guy–he waited.Someone picked up. "Hello?"His tense shoulders relaxed. "Hey, it's me. Sorry I missed our date earlier, but I–""Wyatt, you already apologized the other day–twice!" She let out a chuckle and he could almost hear the grin behind it. "It's okay. I know how much your friends mean to you."He breathed easier now. "I'm so glad you're not mad at me or anything."She laughed again. Boy, he loved to hear her laugh. "Why would I be mad? Besides, I hung out with my friends tonight too.""That's good to hear. So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow after work?"She blew him an air kiss. "Definitely. I love you.""Love you too," he replied before hanging up. Every time he even spoke to her, she gave his heart all these warm feelings. Plus, she was such a forgiving person. He turned the key in the ignition, starting his car. Before he drove out of the lot, he thought, "This is why I love her."