A/N: This is my first, and if all goes according to plan, will be my last true Rocket Power fic. I am, however, planning a Recess/Rocket Power crossover...hehe...that should be interesting. I've looked, and haven't found one done by anybody else. If anyone that reads this likes my writing style, and it totally bums them out that I won't be writing anymore, you could always mosey on over and check out my Recess fics, no hints, or bumps or anything...just mentioning.
Summary: This is a one-shot. When Reggie Rocket is informed that she hasn't received the kiss, she gets a little depressed, and finds herself rethinking things about her life. Otto and the guys notice this, especially since it's detrimental to the time she usually spends with them. Determined to get Reg back out playing and hanging with the guys, Otto comes up with a plan to get Reggie the kiss. But how will she take that?
ENJOY!
A Simple Kiss
Wave after tumultuous wave crashed along the beachside, drifting into the ocean, and spraying water up along the sand. A young woman sat there on that beach, eyeing the horizon determinedly, or distractedly, depending on what a passerby would determine. There were surfers out there already, riding the waves. She narrowed her eyes on that of one surfer in particular, arguably the best out there. A boy with a deep-set tan, a wiry build, and soaked dreadlocks. It was her brother, after all, Otto Rocket. The wave died down, and Otto sat down on his board, another young man paddling over towards him. A young redhead adorned with a cap and a grin. They began chatting, laughing. It was his best friend, of course, Twister Rodriguez.
"Hey, Reggie," a voice called behind her. The woman turned slightly, being the Reggie this newcomer was referring to. She smiled at the two advancing girls. Trish and Sherry, two of her close friends.
"Are you hitting the waves?" Trish asked, her surfboard held tautly in her arms. Sherry giggled slightly, and Reggie raised an eyebrow. There didn't seem to be anything funny around. Sherry giggled again, smiling nonchalantly at the sand.
"What's with her?" Reggie demanded of Trish.
"Oh, she got her kiss," Trish shrugged casually.
"She's kissed before, what's the big deal?"
"Don't you know, Reggie, the kiss?" Sherry pressed. Then frowned, at her obviously confused friend, looking to Trish and shaking her head, "She doesn't know what the kiss is."
"Uh-huh," Trish muttered, glancing at the ocean, "Otto's really tearing it up out there."
"Yeah, whatever," Reggie mumbled, her attention completely on the pertinent blonde Sherry, "What do you mean the kiss, and why do you keep saying it like that?"
"You're kidding me, right?" Sherry laughed, "Reggie Rocket, Rocket Girl of Ocean Shores, has never had the kiss, let alone, knows what it is. I would have thought you'd have had the kiss at the very least."
"Will you stop that!" Reggie snapped, "What do you mean by the kiss? I've kissed before, if you're talking about my first kiss, had it already. Done and over with. I called you and told you about it, remember? I kissed…"
"First of all, the guy has to kiss you, not the other way around. The kiss is not any ordinary kiss, or anything so immature as a first kiss. Though, some would refer to it as true love's first kiss," Sherry giggled, "It's the end all kiss! The ultimate, blow your mind, sincerely awesome, most spectacular kiss. It's the first kiss that…well…help me out here Trish."
"You sound like you're doing fine on your own," Trish murmured, then rolling her eyes, "Reg, have you ever had a kiss that left you totally weak in the knees? So weak, you couldn't even stand?"
"…um…no," Reggie shifted slightly.
"Left you so lightheaded, you couldn't see straight?" Trish continued.
"Not that I can remember, no."
"Turned your face beat red from blushing, stopped your heart for just a moment, caught your breath?"
"Definitely a no."
"That afterwards, you're tongue automatically ran along your lips just so you could lick up the last remaining taste of him!" Sherry shrieked gleefully.
"Ew, no!" Reggie spat, her face contorting with one of confusion and disgust. Both her friends exchanged looks of sympathy.
"She's never had the kiss," they surmised.
"It's alright," Sherry assured her unconvincingly, "You're still young. Though…most people have experienced the kiss somewhere in middle school, usually around sixth, seventh grade. Honestly, Reg, you're a junior this year, and you've yet to receive the kiss."
"You just got it today, didn't you?" Reggie cried. This conversation was taking its toll on her patience.
"Yeah, but I was waiting to have the kiss with a cute guy in particular who've I only just recently gained the attention of…" Sherry giggled again. Reggie rolled her eyes, standing up, dusting the sand from her board shorts and shaking her head.
"Hey, Reggie!" a voice, undoubtedly belonging to Otto, called. She turned, eyeing the three boys racing up to her. Twister and her brother had picked up a burlesque blonde boy, Sam Dullard, along the way. She waited as they caught up. "Ladies," Otto greeted Sherry and Trish, and then to his older sister, "Did you catch me out there? Man, I owned those waves!"
"Aren't you gonna surf, Reg?" Twister asked, "I brought my camera, and I want to get footage of both Otto and you out there."
They were sophomores that year, Otto, Twister and Sam. It embarrassed Reggie, now that they were all so much taller than her except for Sam, of course, who now stood eye level with her. It was harder to hold a position of authority over two boys who towered over her. Okay, so they didn't really tower over her, but they were taller and stronger now, which she hated. Telling Otto and Twister to stop horsing around wasn't easy when all they had to do was pick her up and toss her in the ocean, which they'd done to her humiliation, on a few occasions.
"I don't feel like it. I have to go rethink my life and every relationship I've had in the past," Reggie muttered; making her way past, up towards the sidewalk and away from the beach.
"What? Rethink you're life? Wasn't it hard enough thinking about it when it was happening? Why would you go back and rethink your life?" Twister inquired, shock evident in his perplexed expression.
"I'm heading to the Shore Shack, I'll catch you guys later," Reggie called over her shoulder, taking her surfboard and jogging through the sand towards the Rocket family's seaside restaurant.
"What's with her?" Otto cried, incredulously.
"Something is obviously troubling her," Sam concluded, looking to Trish and Sherry, "And since she was perfectly fine when we arrived her early in the afternoon, I assume you two have a part in this odd behavior."
"Awesome deduction work, Sherlock Sam," Trish replied, her eyes watching the shoreline, "But I came her to surf, not to explain the many mood swings of Reg."
"Then let's surf," Otto shouted shrilly, running back to the ocean. The others shrugged, following closely behind.
-0-0-
Otto frowned at his sister's closed door. He could hear her inside, clacking at her keyboard, probably writing an article for the Zine, the magazine she put together, or e-mailing someone; maybe chatting. Either way, he was not pleased with her. She hadn't been at the Shore Shack, like she'd told them, in fact, she'd never stopped there. They were supposed to hit Madtown that evening, before having to return home for dinner, but because the gang spent most of the afternoon and much of the evening looking for her, they never made it to Madtown.
Without bothering to knock, Otto pushed the door open, leaning against the frame and crossing his arms over his chest. Reggie glanced at him, before turning back frowning at her computer monitor. She'd paused, momentarily, from typing, but continued.
"What's up, Rocket boy," she greeted.
"Where were you?" he gritted, "We've been looking everywhere, and Raymundo said you never came to the Shack, so where were you?"
"I was right here, jeez," Reggie straightened, stretching her fingers, "My mind's just been on stuff."
"Oh, well, that's great," Otto rolled his eyes, "You're mind couldn't be on stuff at Madtown while shredding?" Reggie's eyes bugged out, her mouth dropping into a gape of realization.
"I'm so sorry, Otto, I completely forgot," she said, turning to face him, "You guys always could have gone without me."
"Well, excuse us if we were worried about you," Otto groaned, shaking his head, and sighing heavily, "I guess it's okay. There's always tomorrow after school." Reggie smirked, lifting herself from the chair and heading to the doorway.
"Aw, I love my brother," she teased, giving him a quick peck on the cheek and breezing by. Otto frowned.
"Well, you're brother doesn't love you," he yelled after her, then quickly adding, "At the moment…" He followed her to the kitchen, as she pulled out different items from the fridge and cupboards to start dinner. It was her turn that evening, and Raymundo, their father, would undoubtedly be stuck at the Shore Shack late into the night. He was lucky. The difficulties of being a single parent were only eased by the responsible attitudes of his children - well, his daughter at least. Otto was a bit of a slacker; though he knew how to pull together when things needed to be done.
"Did you want chicken or fish for dinner?" Reggie asked, peering at Otto.
"I'm in the mood for chicken. Besides, you always dry out the fish," Otto commented, then, leaning on the counter, "What's wrong, anyways?"
"Nothing. Why would something be wrong?"
"Because the waves were totally wicked this afternoon and the Rocket girl I know and love would never pass up the opportunity to rip with her friends."
"It's nothing, alright, just something Sherry and Trish said got to me," Reggie mumbled, turning the oven on to preheat.
"So, Sam was right, it was their fault. What'd they say?"
"It's not their fault. There's no fault to be had. I just…well, something they said bothered me," Reggie opened the package of chicken breasts, laying them out on a baking sheet.
"What?"
"Apparently," Reggie snapped, trying to maintain some sort of composure, "I haven't had the kiss."
"What?" Otto scrunched his nose, "This is about a kiss. Haven't you had your first kiss already? I've seen you kiss guys before…sucking like jellyfish…" He went into mocking her, closing his eyes and puckering his lips, "Oh…oh…I'm Reg, and I like kissing boys…"
"OTTO!" she cried, smacking his arm lightly. He stopped, chuckling. "I can't believe I thought I could talk to you about this. You're so immature!"
"Okay, okay, I'll be serious," Otto snickered, grinning, "What does that mean, that you haven't had the kiss?" Reggie eyed him skeptically, before sighing and continuing.
"Apparently every kiss I've had up to this point in time was nothing because it didn't make me act all goofy in the head."
"How 'bout we end this? I'll kiss you, and that'll make you act goofy," Otto suggested.
"It can't be my brother, Otto," Reggie rolled her eyes, "That's too weird."
"Oh, it has to be that kind of kiss. I'll go get Twister and…"
"NO!" Reggie sighed, pushing the tray of chicken into the oven, "I'm over it, Otto. I don't care." Otto sighed with relief, slumping slightly.
"So you want to go to Madtown with us tomorrow, then?" he asked. She shook her head.
"No. I think I'm just gonna go home after school and work on the Zine," Reggie muttered. Otto's eyebrow perked at this. She definitely was not over it.
"I'm gonna go practice some new moves on the half-pipe," Otto told her, picking up the phone. She eyed him curiously. "I'm just seeing if Twist can come over and hang."
"I'll call you when dinner's ready," Reggie said, returning to her cooking.
-0-0-
It only took a few moments for Twister and Sam to slip into the Rocket's back yard where Otto was sitting on his skateboard rolling back and forth distractedly. They all lived on the same street, within a few minutes of one another. It was nice, being so close; it only made them feel more like family, able to rush over when one of them needed aid.
"This better be as important as you made it sound on the phone," Sam began, skipping the formality of a pleasant greeting, "Because I had to sneak out of the house to come here and if my mom finds that I'm not in my room like I'm supposed to be…"
"It is important," Otto cried, "Reggie's acting way whack!"
"What do you mean? Is she okay?" Twister asked, Sam and him turning on Otto with concern written along their faces.
"Yeah, yeah, she's fine," Otto shook his head, "She's moping around because she hasn't gotten some stupid kiss."
"A kiss?" Sam's brow furrowed, "But hasn't she already had her first kiss?"
"That's what I said," Otto whispered harshly, "But it wasn't the right kiss, or whatever. I don't know, but, man, Reg is out of it. She didn't want to surf today, she spaced on Madtown, and tomorrow she doesn't want to shred at all, she just wants to work on the Zine. Tell me, is that really more important than…than…us?"
"Now, Otto, I really don't think that it's so much being more important than us, then really something just on her mind," Sam attempted to sooth the convictions racing through Otto's head.
"All this because of some kiss?" Twister muttered, still back at the beginning of the conversation, "Girls. I'll never understand them."
"You and me both, bro," Otto conceded. His eyes lit up suddenly, a look that both his friends knew to take as trouble. "I got it. We want the old Reg back, right?"
"I don't see anything different about the Reg now…" Sam started, but Twister just grinned giving a yelp of 'right'.
"So, she has to have this kiss thing," Otto went on, "Then she can stop moping around the house and get back to hanging with us, right?"
"Uh…right," Twister sounded less enthusiastic than his previous agreement. Sam simply rolled his eyes.
"We have to get some guy to kiss Reg," Otto declared.
"Oh, well, now, I really don't think…"
"Come on, Squid," Twister pleaded, completely engulfed in the picture of a moping, unhappy, and not-wanting-to-hang-out Reggie that Otto was painting, "We want the old Reg back…"
"I don't see any difference between the new Reg," Sam protested.
"How can you not see a difference? It's so obvious! It's right there in front of your face! It's…hey, Otto-man, what's the difference between the new Reg and the old Reg?" Twister turned to his best friend confusedly, his eyes wide and brimming with their usual innocent naivety, willingly waiting for his best bro to clear the fog for him and give him direction.
"What's the difference?" Otto cried, in disbelief at what he was hearing. How could they not see it? "Tell me something, Twister, what's the difference between surfing with Reg, and surfing without her? What's the difference between shredding at Madtown with Reg and shredding without her? What's the difference between meeting at the Shore Shack with Reg, and meeting without her?"
"Oh, I know this one," Twister beamed triumphantly, then meekly answering, "Reg?"
"Exactly," Otto nodded and Twister's grin broadened.
"That doesn't prove anything," Sam stammered, staring between the two boys in shock. He could understand how Twister was buying into it, but could Otto really think that? The back door opened and Reggie's outline filled the entrance.
"Otto, dinner," she called.
"Hey, Reggie," Sam and Twister greeted and she smiled half-heartedly to them.
"Reggie, I was thinking of coming by to show you my new layout program tomorrow, InDesign. It'll be great for putting the Zine together," Sam suggested.
"I don't know, Sammy," Reggie replied, "I'm gonna have a lot of homework to do tomorrow…and I was going to be working on something else, anyways."
"Oh, some other time, then," Sam mumbled. Reggie nodded.
"You coming, Otto," she said, attention back on her brother.
"I'll be just a minute," Otto told her, and she nodded again, slipping back into the house. Sam turned to the other two boys determinedly.
"How do we get the old Reggie back?" he demanded. Otto and Twister grinned.
"First thing we have to do is figure out what guy we want to pucker up to Reg," Otto explained, "Make a list tonight, of possible candidates, and we'll talk about it tomorrow at school, during lunch." The other two boys nodded agreement before breaking up and heading home.
-0-0-
Reggie sighed, tapping her desktop. She looked into the vanity mirror situated on the wall, studying her reflection. Kissing was a mystery to her. Boys were a mystery to her. Hell, liking boys was a mystery to her. She never understood why her heart pace quickened when certain guys gave her attention, never understood why girls suddenly felt the constant need to talk about boys and kissing and dating and hugging. She never understood why getting a boyfriend all of sudden seemed so important. She thought she was starting to understand how things worked. And then Sherry and Trish kindly pointed out to her, unwittingly of course, that she wasn't.
"All that's missing in my life is a kiss?" Reggie muttered, "A simple kiss?" She'd never felt all those things described when guys kissed her, when she kissed guys. Was she incapable? Was that it? Was it possible that Reggie Rocket was incapable of love? She had never understood the big deal about kisses, turns out she's been doing it wrong all along.
There was a picture in the corner of the vanity mirror. Reggie sighed. She knew what the picture was of, the smiling face of her mother. She didn't blame her mother for not being there, death wasn't something you could lay blame on. It was hard, growing up without a proper mother to explain things to her. She went through puberty on her own, practically. She couldn't discuss it with her father, who himself didn't want to believe his little girl wasn't a little girl anymore. And there was no way, not a snowflakes chance in hell; she could talk things out with her brother. Sam and Twister were ruled out in much the same reason and fashion that Otto was. Sherry had too big a mouth to discuss such private matters with and Trish wasn't the type to get too personal often. It was isolating.
"This is stupid," Reggie announced, "It's not like I'm cold hearted, it's not like I can't feel or anything…" she sighed. Was it?
-0-0-
"Michael Prichard," Sam was reading off his list; which contained a great deal of names from his computer classes and club.
"His lips are covered in zits, man," Twister said with disgust, sticking out his tongue, "A toad wouldn't want to be kissed by him for fear of getting warts!"
"He's a nice guy," Sam scoffed, straightening his glasses indignantly at the insult to one of his friends, "Alright, what about Chris Maiden."
"Lame-o," Otto muttered with disinterest. He'd listened to Sam's entire list since they'd taken up occupancy at their usual lunch table in the cafeteria and quickly dismissed each suggestion made.
"Eddie Valentine?" Sam suggested, half-jokingly. The other boys looked at him blankly.
"No comment," Otto finally said and light chuckles broke out amongst them.
"You've shot down every name on my list," Sam sputtered, "I guess it's Twister's turn." Twister livened up at the mention of his name, pulling from his back pocket a folded napkin with scribbling across it.
"Okay, my first one was…" he squinted at the writing, unable to read his own chicken scratch, "Matt Phelps."
"Who?" Otto demanded.
"He's a senior…I went through the yearbook," Twister shrugged.
"Brilliant," Sam shook his head, "But how do we approach someone we don't even know and ask him to kiss someone he doesn't even know?"
"Seemed like a good idea at the time," Twister whined.
"Do we know anyone on your list?" Otto asked. Twister gave it a once over before shaking his head. "Alright, fine, let's get to my list then." He opened his notebook where a few names were written along with a lot of doodles and some math scratch, "Hm…Vernon Stickler."
"He's denser than helium," Sam said, "Twister's smarter than him."
"Yeah, I'm smarter…hey!"
"But have you seen the guy with a hockey puck?" Otto argued.
"Next," his two friends said in unison.
"Alright, alright, what about Kurt Briggin?"
"What about him?" Sam groaned.
"He's a great skater, for one thing…"
"He's a bully," Sam protested, "I'm sure he's an awesome skater, Otto, but it's kind of hard for me to tell when he's shoving me in my locker!"
"Alright, fine," Otto frowned, "Dallas McCarty? Now that guy can get serious air on the slopes."
"No way, he sat on my backpack once and crushed my camera," Twister protested.
"Otto, are we picking someone out for you to kiss, or your sister?" Sam teased and Otto slumped in his chair.
"I just think that…you know, he should be someone cool, instead of a lame-o like all the guys on your list," he spat. Sam pouted. They were taken by surprise when a shady young man slinked up behind them, taking a seat next to Twister and Otto and wrapping his arms around their shoulders.
"Now, I just heard that you dork…er…I mean, not-so-dorks were looking for some guy to plant a juicy one on Reg. I just thought I'd mosey on over and tell you, I'm your guy," the young man grinned. Otto scowled at him, tossing his arm off.
"Get lost, Lars," he sneered, "We're looking for some guy, not some monkey."
"Yeah, Lars," Twister growled, following Otto's example and pushing the arm away, "Go away. We're looking for someone to sweep Reg off her feet, not send her running to the nearest toilet!"
"Whatever," Lars growled, "Rocket dork. Your sister would be lucky to have a kiss from me." He stormed off, giving them one final glower over his shoulder before leaving the cafeteria. Otto turned a wary eye on Twister.
"How does your mongoloid brother know what we're doing?" he demanded. Twister chuckled nervously.
"He wanted to know why I was writing down names and what I wanted his yearbook for…" he explained, then grinning goofily, "Doesn't matter anyways. If Lars ever tried to kiss Reggie, she'd whomp him for sure."
"If Lars ever tried to kiss my sister, I'd whomp him," Otto growled, then, taking a moment to regain his composure, he looked back over his list, "There's always Trent."
"Hey, that's a pretty good idea," Sam spoke up, snapping his fingers, reminded of the attractive young man from New Zealand, "We all know that Reggie likes Trent, and the other way around, and that they get along well."
"Nope," Twister muttered, and the other boys turned to him.
"Why not?" Otto demanded, "He's a primo surfer, and I guess all the girls like him." Needless to say, Otto didn't like admitting anyone was better at anything, especially with the "ladies" than him.
"I don't like him," Twister shrugged, "I don't know why, but he seems…I just don't think he's right."
"Jeez, Twist, when you put it that way…" Otto mocked, shaking his head, "I think we should go with Trent."
"Alright, alright…it's because he's too macho, too suave, too many girls hang around him," Twister spat, "He looks like the kind of guy who's kissed hundreds of girls and broken all of their hearts. Do you really want to do that to Reggie? Do you? Do you?"
"Okay, jeez, calm down," Otto cried, glancing around nervously at their peers intently staring at them with curiosity and surprise, "We won't go with Trent." He shook his head, closing his notebook, "That's everyone on my list. That's all the guys we know?"
"Well, there's always us, actually," Sam mumbled, removing his glasses and cleaning them awkwardly, before placing them back on his nose.
"So, it's between us," Otto mused, then grinning, "It can't be me."
"Why not?" Twister demanded, and both Sam and Otto gave him odd looks, "Oh…"
"It can't be Twister either," Otto decided receiving a bemused look from the other boys.
"Why?"
"Because, he's almost like Reggie's brother, and back at home she sounded really against kissing him," Otto explained and Twister looked only slightly hurt, before becoming intently preoccupied with eating his sandwich, "Besides, Twist is like my best bro and Reggie is my sister. It would be weird if they kissed…hell, it'd almost be like him kissing me." Twister nearly choked on his sandwich at that, hacking up the swallowed bit of food and gasping for breath.
"Don't say that kind of stuff, Otto, I'm trying to eat here," Twister cried in disgust. They broke into laughter.
"That leaves the Squid," Otto finally managed to say through his mirth.
"M-m-m-me?"
"The Squid?" Twister scrunched up his nose, "Are you kidding me? Why him?"
"He's all we got left," Otto explained, "Give me a good reason why he shouldn't be the one?"
"Because he's against it," Sam piped up, and Otto glowered down at him.
"Because the Squid's never kissed a girl before," Twister argued, "Because it would be weird, because it…"
"We've turned down every other guy. It's either the Squid, or Trent," Otto snapped. Twister frowned, pouting at his half-eaten lunch.
"Alright, fine, the Squid'll do," he finally sighed.
"Does the Squid get any say in this?" Sam cried.
"Come on, Sam, good buddy, best bro," Otto begged both him and Twister turning, pleading, puppy-dog eyed, whimpering, "You have to. For Reg, man." Sam sighed heavily, looking to his own food with a beleaguered frown.
"Okay," he gave in.
"Great," Otto grinned triumphantly, "After school, today, my house. Reg says she'll be working on the Zine, but I bet she's just going to be sitting around in her room moping."
"Great," Twister agreed, smiling broadly.
"Great," Sam muttered, feeling slightly sick.
-0-0-
As Otto had predicted, Reggie was relaxing in her room after school. She lay on her bed, headphones blasting music in her ears. Sam knocked, shifting slightly. The door was open, but he felt it was better to wait until she invited him to come in. Of course, she couldn't hear his light tap on the door, and her eyes were closed, so an invite wasn't happening anytime soon. Otto, pacing the hall anxiously, passed Sam and gave him a slight push forward.
"Otto," Sam hissed, but the commotion caught Reggie's attention, and she sat up, removing her headphones and turning off the music. Otto took a seat next to Twister, down the hall near the stairs where they couldn't be seen.
"Sammy, what are you doing?" Reggie demanded, smiling at him pleasantly.
"Looking…ahem," Sam winced; his voice was a nervous squeak. He entered the room, shutting the door behind him, "I was looking for you."
"Oh, what's going on?"
"Um…well…I was…hoping to…" Sam stepped forward, sitting slightly at the end of Reggie's bed and edging closer. Reggie's eyebrow perked.
"You okay, Sammy?"
"I just…was…going to…" he leaned in, pressing his lips together. Reggie moved back, staring at him in slight fear and shock.
"What are you doing?" she demanded. Sam's head slumped.
"I was going to give you a kiss, so that…oh, it's ridiculous," he moaned, "I'm so sorry, Reg, but you see…we were all worried about you and Otto came up with this idea of how to make you feel better, and…I'm sorry to say, I went along with it, regrettably, and have you seen when Twister and Otto beg? It's not something you can turn down! It's like they double-teamed me!" Reggie crossed her arms over her chest, scowling.
"Explain, now."
"Well, Otto said you were upset because you hadn't gotten some kiss, so we decided to find some guy to give you the kiss - jeez, now that I'm saying it aloud… - but um…anyways, eventually we went through all our lists of possible guys that could kiss you, and somehow it was whittled down to me," Sam sighed, "I'm here to kiss you so that we can all go shred at Madtown." Reggie pursed her lips, rolling off her bed and storming out the door, Sam following sheepishly behind.
Otto and Twister had relocated to the kitchen, forming a little picnic of snacks across the counters and along the tabletop. They were, to put it mildly, surprised when Reggie advanced on them, her hands coming down to grip each of their shoulders menacingly. They both gulped upon seeing her expression.
"You two better have a good reason as to why Sammy was trying to kiss me," she growled, "And this better be some sort of weird prank!"
"But Reggie…" Otto cried, "We were just trying to make you feel better! We thought if you had "the kiss", then…"
"We? Bro, that was all on you," Twister argued, "Reg, I'm sorry, please don't punish me…I didn't know what Otto was talking about, you know how I am!"
"Ugh," Reggie groaned, pacing back to the hallway, before stopping and turning on the three boys, "I honestly don't know what to say! Otto, how could you be so…so…immature, such a moron, coming up with this ridiculously stupid plan? Sam, how could you possibly go along with such a lame plan? Twist…well…I can understand Twist…but the both of you!"
"Hey!" Twister cried out indignantly, but fell silent when Reggie turned her glare on him.
"It's a stupid kiss, that…I don't even care about! You can't send Sammy up there to kiss me, because that doesn't mean it's going to be the kiss that I'm supposed to be getting…or…ugh! When it happens, it happens! I was just thinking things through, that's all! It has nothing to do with my having this stupid kiss or not, it's just…oh, I don't believe you guys! It can't be something you plan; it just has to be right! Jeez…I'm going to Madtown. UGH!"
"We'll come with you," Otto offered.
"No," Reggie snapped, "You three stay here and think about what you've done! I don't want to see any of you right now!" She grabbed her gear, slamming the door shut behind her.
"Awesome plan, bro," Sam sneered to Otto.
"Shut up!"
-0-0-
Reggie moved through the school halls on her way to the soda vending machine, her dollar clutched in her hand. It was lunchtime, and her mind was still on the "brilliant" plan of her brother's the day before. She hadn't spoken to him that night, eating the dinner he made in silence, giving a grunt of approval and locking herself in her bedroom. She knew it wasn't fair being mad at the boys. They'd had the best intentions in their hearts, but the way they went about it…she paused. The halls were basically empty, all the students already rushed to class or in the cafeteria eating lunch. Their was one lone figure at the machine, backpack slumped over one shoulder, skateboard in hand.
"Hey, Twist," Reggie attempted, flustered, wondering how he'd take her talking to him after the blow up the other day. He glanced, met her eyes a moment, and smiled somewhat.
"Which one did you want?" he asked, the glowing numbers an indication that he had yet to purchase his own soda.
"The coke," she replied. He punched the button, bending and handing her the drink before clinking in more change from his pocket. She attempted to hand over her money, but he shook his head.
"It's only a dollar, no huge loss," he grinned, getting his own drink.
"Thanks," she mumbled. She stared down at the soda, wondering if she should apologize. She knew that it wasn't Twister's fault, that he had a way of simply going with whatever cockamamie scheme her brother came up with, never thinking of the consequences. He was a little; well…he'd do anything for Otto, almost. He turned slightly, before she had the chance to say anything, so she made to leave.
"Reg," he caught her elbow softly with his hand, her head moving back towards him. She barely had the chance to realize what was happening as his lips brushed against hers. She knew she should protest, move away, push him away in shock. But she didn't. She closed her eyes, hadn't even realized it, and unconsciously stepped forward, deepening the kiss only a slight bit. When he pulled forward, breaking the connection, she stumbled slightly, uncertain of what to say. She tried to meet his eyes, but couldn't seem to get the room to stop spinning. She'd forgotten to breath, her heart pounding in her chest. His eyes were on the ground, his cheeks red. He had freckles. She knew that, before, but it never seemed as important as it did at that moment. "That was right, right?" he mumbled, his hand falling from her arm, to his side.
"Um…thanks," was all she managed to get out. She was gripping the wall, she hadn't noticed, but she was gripping the wall behind her for the support. She bit her lower lip gently; it tasted like him. She was flushed, her cheeks undoubtedly a bright red. She wasn't supposed to know what he tasted like. More importantly, she wasn't supposed to be craving his taste! He nodded, turning stiffly, and walking awkwardly down the hall towards the cafeteria, visibly shaking. As soon as the doors shut behind him, she lost all composure, her finger coming to trail along her lips, her legs giving out beneath her as she slumped to the tile floor. She couldn't help the serene smile, nor could she help the light giggling that escaped her throat.
Maybe it was fortunate that Sherry and Trish walked by that moment on their ways to the cafeteria. They paused, staring at Reggie blankly. They questioned her well being and all she could manage to get out was "kiss".
"She got her kiss," Sherry squealed, and she laughed, grabbing Reggie in a hug and jumping up and down. Trish managed a congratulatory smile.
"Cool," she breezed, "Who was it?" Sherry nodded, helping Reggie to her feet.
"Yeah. Spill. Who gave you the kiss?" Reggie shook her head. She couldn't tell them, she couldn't possibly tell them who it was. They'd laugh, at her, and at him. She wasn't sure if he wanted everyone to know, anyways. She wasn't sure what it was about. It was just a kiss, right? Just him trying to make her feel better. But they'd all read so much more in it.
"Come on," Trish pressed, "Do we know him?"
"Well, yeah…but…" Reggie shrugged, chewing her lower lip.
"Aw, come on, we're your best friends," Sherry cried.
"I can't…" Reggie saw her brother and Sam paused across the hall, staring at them oddly, "Let's go eat," she stated, leading the way over to the cafeteria.
They all walked together after school, Trish, Sherry, and Reggie with Otto, Twister, and Sam.
"We're going to the Shore Shack, right?" Otto asked.
"Definitely," Reggie agreed, "And then surfing. I heard the waves are gonna be raging this afternoon."
"Awesome!" Otto commented, looking with a grin at his sister, "Does this mean Rocket girl is back?" Reggie rolled her eyes, and they briefly landed on Twister, who was staring at his feet and walking silently.
"So, who was it?" Sam spoke up, "That kissed you?" Twister turned a particularly red shade, fumbling with his backpack in a panic, and glancing nervously at Otto. It was obvious he didn't want his identity as Reggie's mysterious kisser revealed.
"Since when is it any of your guys' business?" Reggie demanded, then, smiling slyly, "All I can say is he's a really awesome kisser."
"Really?" Twister said, looking up eagerly.
"Oh, well that's great," Otto rolled his eyes, "That could be anybody!"
"Then don't dwell on it, man," Twister told him quietly.
"It was Trent, wasn't it?" Otto went on.
"What? No!" Reggie snapped, blushing slightly at that thought.
"Tell us who it was," Otto whined.
"No."
"Come on!"
"No."
"Reggie!"
"Leave it alone, Otto."
"Yeah, Otto, leave her alone."
"Stay out of it, Twist! Reg, who?"
"It just kills you, that you don't know, huh?"
"You're enjoying this too much!"
"This could take hours," Sam surmised, with a click of his tongue. The group rolled their eyes, leaving the siblings behind staring one another down. Twister trailed back a little, a raised eyebrow, looking warily to them, rubbing his arm nervously.
"Maybe you should just tell him, Reggie," he mumbled, though it was evident that was the last thing he wanted her to do.
"No, this is fun," Reggie laughed, "Maybe later. Much later."
"Regina!"
END A/N: I apologize for the oddity of this story, I was in a weird mood. And if any of the characters were a little...well...out of character...I don't watch the show as often as I would like to (work and school always get in my way), but Twister is my favortie character ('cause he's such a cutie), and since the first time I saw the show I was convinced Twist and Reggie were made for one another, or at the very least, Twist had a thing for her.
I didn't know where to end it either.
Please excuse any grammatical and typing errors.
Now that you have read, please, go forth and REVIEW! I did my part, gave you an (arguably) awesome story to read, now the great thing would be for you to do your part, and give me a little REVIEW! Whatever you think of my story, just throw it on a little REVIEW type message, and send it and...I'm blabbering on and on about this subject so I'm gonna stop...
THANK YOU FOR READING. Peace.