Shorty's Birthday Party
~Part 1~
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Shorty's 14th birthday was celebrated that one particular day. Her party was held at the mansion where she lived, and of course her parents weren't home (she had been given permission, though).
But Shorty didn't invite her schoolmates to her party. She didn't invite her relatives. She didn't invite her neighbours. Who did she invite?
Yep. You're right.

"Are you sure that this is the place?" Kelly asked Frida worriedly.
"It's the right address," Frida replied. She was holding a printout of the party invitation Shorty had sent through e-mail.
"It's just so... big!"
"And Shorty's just so small?" Frida teased. "Well, even if it's the wrong house - er... mansion - we can still ask directions, right?"
"HIIIII!"
"AAAAAAAAH!"
Shorty grinned at her ex-teammates. "Scared you, eh?"
Kelly and Frida didn't see the grin. "Is it Shorty under that mask, Frida?"
"I think so."
Shorty took off her monster mask. "Okay, so maybe that was a little too much." Then Shorty smiled. "So are you coming in?"
"Yeah."
"What else can we do, right?"

"Hey all, you here for the groovin' or for the food?" Heat said with a grin. He and Gas-O were in the living room (a very large one, I might add).
Gas-O, with handcuffs on his hands, was nodding his head to the beat of the music.
"Looks like some bad boys got here first before us," Frida said with a smile.
Shorty tapped Gas-O's handcuffs with a pencil. "Rubber," she said. "So don't think he escaped from jail or anything."
Gas-O shook his head. "I'm lucky to be out."
"So now that we know those handcuffs are fakes, why don't you take them off?" Kelly asked.
"I'm waitin' for the others," Gas-O replied.
"Where are my presents?" Shorty demanded.
Kelly slipped out of her skirt, revealing blue shorts. "Here," she said, giving the skirt to Shorty. "They're not wrapped, but they should fit you."
"Maybe next year," Shorty replied, holding the skirt up in front of her.
"Maybe they'll fit on me," Heat said, snatching the skirt.
Gas-O chuckled. "You're dreaming."
The doorbell rang, and Shorty jumped up and ran to the hall. "You'd better have a present too, Frida!" she yelled at Frida before opening the door.
Frida produced a small wrapped package from her handbag. "Sweets," she told Gas-O and Heat. "It's kind of a last-minute present, since I only got her e-mail last night. I'm hoping she still likes sweets."
"So what did you boys get her?" Kelly asked.
"I have trouble finding little kids presents -" Heat began.
"KIDS? She's a teen now!" Frida exclaimed.
"- so I thought I'd buy her something a bit more grown-up." Heat grinned. "A bikini."
Kelly shuddered. "Don't tell me Heat's got designs on Shorty now."
"Maybe when she's 16."
"She would never go out with you," Frida said.
"I got her something interesting," Gas-O said. He pointed to a cardboard box in the corner of the room where Shorty's presents had been kept so far. "Take a look."
Before Kelly or Frida could see what he had gotten for Shorty, Strike appeared in the room, holding Shorty up by her collar. Shorty was gagged, and was struggling to get away from Strike.
"Oh, Strike," Kelly groaned.
"Oh, damn, it's you." Strike chuckled. "You think I should let her go now?"
"Definitely," Frida said.
"I could keep her, if possible," Heat volunteered.
Gas-O coughed. "So are you sure you're not interested in her?"
Strike freed Shorty as Gas-O and Heat argued.
Shorty was ready to fight Strike, but Frida stepped in. "What did you get her, Strike?"
Strike produced a badly wrapped package from a sack he'd been dragging around.
"Oooh, what's that?" Shorty asked, curiosity overcoming anger.
"Stolen money?" Kelly guessed.
"Gold, cash, jewellry, gems..." Frida began.
Strike shook his head. "I don't steal that stuff anymore, remember?"
"What, then?" Shorty asked.
"You wait, and you'll see," Strike replied with a wink.

About half an hour later, Shorty and Gas-O were dancing, Kelly and Kitty-N were looking through some magazines (belonging to Shorty's mother), Heat was watching a videotape of the BaM tournament from the previous year, Strike was examining some guns in Shorty's father's gameroom ("Very expensive bullets, but no good for shooting," he is known to have said), Frida was playing DJ and Hamm was drooling over the food in the kitchen.
"You know!" Shorty yelled at Gas-O over the music. "It's getting late! We should start the activities now!"
"Isn't dancing an activity!" Gas-O yelled back.
"Besides dancing!"
Frida, hearing the yelling, turned down the music.
"You're right!" Gas-O shouted.
Frida walked over to him and Shorty. "You can stop shouting now, I've turned the music down."
"Oh yeah, right."
"Where's Comet?" Shorty asked.
"She said she'd be here as soon as Sushi Planet closes."
"She told me that Sushi Planet's closed today, but she'd be a little late."
"What could she be doing?" Gas-O wondered.
Hamm burst into the room. "Can we eat yet?!"
"Games first," Shorty replied. "Is everyone here?"
"You mean besides Comet, Bi-O, Tsutomu, Pinky, Hiro, Capoeira and Strike?" Heat asked.
"Where is Strike?" Shorty asked.
"Here," Strike said, walking into the room. He had noticed the silence (after Frida turned the music down) and went to investigate. He sat down on a gigantic chair nearby, not noticing Hamm's burger.
"My burger!" Hamm whined.
"Squashed burger, new on Shorty's menu," Strike joked. He picked up the remains of the burger and disposed of them. "There's other food you can eat," he told a crushed Hamm (not literally, mind you!).
"So what're we going to do?" Kitty-N asked, sitting on the floor as cats do.
"Uh..." Shorty stopped and thought for a moment. "Musical chairs!"
"A kiddy game," Strike groaned.
"Can I share a seat with you?" Heat asked Shorty.
"Do you know how the game goes?" Shorty asked back.
"Yeah."
"Someone's hitting on Shorty..." Gas-O said with a grin (although nobody saw the grin).
"Shut up, already!" Heat yelled. He got ready to attack.
"Can we start soon?" Frida asked. "I think Heat's going to 'burn down the house'."
Shorty disappeared into the kitchen and emerged a few minutes later with a chair.
"Just one chair?" Kelly asked, confused.
"I can't carry more than one chair, you know!" Shorty yelled as once again she went into the kitchen.
"Guys, go help her," Frida ordered.
"Food!" Hamm exclaimed.
"Except you," Kitty-N said as she stepped on his foot - hard.
"Ow."
Strike, Gas-O and Heat followed Shorty into the kitchen. They all dragged at least two chairs each back into the room.
"I'm playing DJ!" Shorty exclaimed.
"Something fast, if you please," Heat said.
"How polite of him," Strike observed.
"Nah." Shorty selected a selected a CD from the CD rack. "My song."
"'Waratte PON'?" Hamm asked, for once forgetting about food.
"'Hizashi-no-oku-no Happy Heart'."
"Damn," Heat muttered. Shorty responded by sticking out her tongue at him.
Everyone took their positions. Then Shorty played the song.

"I win again!" Kitty-N squealed as everyone clapped. Gas-O was standing near the seat, grumbling.
"Three in row," Kelly said. "And Gas-O is the runner-up for the second time."
The second runner-up, Strike, was mumbling about guys in gas masks and girls who dressed like cats.
"There, there," Shorty said to him. "You'll probably get closer next time."
"Next time?" Strike growled. "Can we play something else?"
"Food!" Hamm exclaimed.
"But all we played was 'musical chairs'!" Heat whined.
"He's right," Kelly said. "What other games can we play?"
"What about 'truth or dare'?" Frida asked mysteriously.
"'Truth or...'" Heat looked confused.
"What about 'eat the food'?" Hamm said indigantly (he was getting sick of all the delays).
"I'd rather play 'truth or dare', but I'm getting hungry too," Shorty said, rubbing her tummy.
"Yes!" Hamm exclaimed.
"Cake," Shorty said firmly. "You guys wait here." She went into the kitchen.
"I thought dessert usually comes later," Frida said.
"Ice cream," Kitty-N sighed.
Gas-O stamped his foot. "I want a re-match!" he said to Kitty-N.
"Get over it," Heat said from behind Gas-O.
"I always did well in 'musical chairs'," Gas-O said huffily (?!).
"Yeah, you always did finish second."
Gas-O turned to face Heat. "Ever been in a tank?"
"Ever been flamed?" Heat shot back.
"Are you guys still arguing?" Shorty yelled from the kitchen. Out of sight of the others, she rolled her eyes.
"Hurry up!" Hamm yelled urgently. "My stomach needs the proper nourishments!"
"Yeeehaaah!"
"Oh, yeah? Flaming time!"
"You missed!"
"So did you, hah!"
"Ever been attacked by your own father?"
"Ever been in a racing accident?"
Strike stepped in between Gas-O and Heat. "Ever been shot?"
"Boys," Frida muttered.
Kitty-N turned to Frida. "Ever been in love with someone who didn't love you?"
"Ever been put down by someone you liked?" Kelly put in.
"Ever been in jail?" Strike asked with a smirk.
"Ever starved?" Hamm looked serious.
"Cake's coming!" Shorty yelled from the kitchen.
"I'm glad," Strike said.
"At least all that 'ever been' is over," Frida said with relief. "Repetitive talk of personal experiences can be irritating."
"Say what?" Heat asked.
"Never mind."
Shorty walked into the room with an ice cream cake.
"Ice cream," Kitty-N sighed yet again.
"Vanilla ice cream, to be exact." Shorty set the cake down on a table. She went back into the kitchen for plates, knives, spoons, and more food.
Heat poked his finger into the cake. He tasted the ice cream smeared on his finger. He made a face. "Why can't ice cream be nice and hot? It's annoying!"
"Hot ice cream?" Strike asked, gaping at Heat.
"What?"
"Is it okay if I make another insulting remark?" Gas-O asked.
Everyone else stared at him weirdly.
"To Heat, I mean."
Everyone else nodded agreeably.
"Okay." Gas-O turned to Heat. "There's no such thing as hot ice cream, you dope!"
"That is insulting!"Heat gasped. "How dare you?"
"Oh no, here we go again..." moaned Frida.
"Ever been flamed?"
"Ever been in a tank?"
"Why are you two always arguing?" Shorty asked as she walked back into the room.
"Because Heat is a total jerk," Gas-O replied truthfully.
"Because Gas-O is a total weirdo and I deserve better than insults," Heat said semi-truthfully.
"If not insults, would you settle for put-downs?" Frida asked him, feeling irritated herself.
Shorty had put down 20 plates, 2 knives, and 20 spoons on the table. "Now what's missing?" she wondered.
"You mean, what has been added," Kitty-N put in.
"After all, there are only eight of us," Kelly reasoned.
"What about more food?" Hamm asked.
"You're right!" Shorty exclaimed. She went back into the kitchen and returned with a a container full of Oreo cookies.
Strike looked as if he was going to vomit. "I don't think so."
"Oreos are lovely!" Shorty argued.
"No hamburgers?" Hamm said disappointedly.
"Let's eat!" Kitty-N exclaimed, hoping that no one would start arguing again.
The phone rang.
"I'll get it!" Shorty yelled before anyone could blink (well, before anyone could blink very much, anyway).
"Hello, why aren't you here at my party?" Shorty said into the phone.
"Shorty?" said a voice on the phone.
"Answer my question first."
"Well, I'm outside, actually..."
"Then why don't you come in?"
"Why don't you look outside first?"
"Huh?" Shorty looked confused.
"It's me, Comet. Bring the others outside, too."
Shorty didn't answer.
"I have your birthday present outside," Comet said, hoping that Shorty would respond.
"Okay, 'bye!" Shorty quickly hung up.
"Who is it?" Gas-O asked. Some of his hair had been burnt off his head, and Heat was in a tank.
"Comet," Shorty replied, not noticing Gas-O's condition, or Heat in the tank. "She says we're to go outside."
"Let's go," Frida said.
"What about Heat?" Strike asked.
"You care about him?" Kelly asked.
"No, I don't. But he's going to be out in a moment."
"I'm out," Heat said suddenly, appearing from behind them. "Did I hear something about going outside?"
"Let's go," Frida repeated.
Shorty was already at the door. She was gaping at something outside. "You guys..."
"Wow..." Kelly and Kitty-N murmured.
"Amazing," Gas-O said intellectually.
"I still say that my present's better," Heat said. No one took any notice of him.

PART 2?