Something else [Rae & Disney]

[DisneyGirl]

Melanie;


I could have blamed it on the alcohol, or on the peer pressure, but who was I kidding? Ten minutes ago, I would have said, "No way Jose."


But now? I was addicted to thrill, adventure, and danger. Besides, Rae was my best friend. She deserved all the sea lions her little heart wanted.


"I say let's do it." I said, grinning.


Zach looked terrified, so I took his hand in mine and whispered, "It'll be all right. I'm here, okay?"


"C'moooon, Zach. Don't be a chicken." Josh said.


"Yeah," Jared replied, before doing the chicken dance...and making chicken noises.


"Bawk, bawk, BAAAWK!" He and Josh cried, which annoyed me a bit, but at the same time, I wanted to have fun and do something crazy as much as they did.


"Okay?" I repeated to Zach.


"Listen to your girlfriend!" Jessica told him, causing Isabella---who was barely able to stand---laugh.


I wrapped my arms around him and leaned my forehead against his, making the guys go "Ooooh!".


"We can ditch 'em later. Then it'll be just you and me." I whispered, and then, before I could stop it, I added, "I like you a lot, Zach."


"Are you lovebirds coming or what?!" Jared whined.


Max;


"Uhh...I...umm.." was all I could say, mostly because this woman had a huge and hairy mole on her face that made me want to gag.


But this was perfect. Absolutely perfect.


"Ma'am, actually you're mistaken---" I started, because even though I needed Rae gone for a few hours, I couldn't afford to not at least make it look like I was trying to save her from this crazy lady.


"Step aside, buddy!" The woman said, pulling out a pink pepper spray container. "Or I'll spray ya!"


"Well, I can't argue with that," I said, holding my hands up, as the woman dragged Rae away like she was being sentenced to prison.


"I'll---I'll figure something out, honey!" I called out, as she looked at me, hopelessly and probably a little pissed off.


As soon as they were gone, I quickly made my way to the info booth and asked an employee how long Rae's class would be.


"It runs from 6:30 to 8:30, sir." The tiny woman behind the desk told me.


"8:30." I said, thinking. "That gives me barely enough time to---"


Tiny raised an eyebrow.


"To...go see a movie." I choked out, laughing nervously. "Anywaysthanksforyourhelpgottagoseeyabye!"


And I was off, dialing Zach's number in the process.

 

[Raerae]

I'm that moment, I was acutely aware of three things.


One, Max was a crazy bastard.


Two, always have your phone switched to video cam to record your friends making asses of themselves.


Three?


"Pass me a beer," I whispered, and with one hand curling around Melanie's waist and the other lightly cradling her head I pulled her in for a kiss.


I'm in love with her.





"Atta boy, Z!" Jessica shouted, and then Josh tossed me a can to which I effortlessly downed in just a few audibly gulps.


"You should see him in a drinking contest, he puts more beer away than an alcoholic," Jared said with a pride that shouldn't have been associated with that tidbit. With one long, muscled arm swung over Melanie and the other around me, he steered us in the direction of the aquarium, My voice gradually becoming excited and youthful whilst I explained what little knew about the plan.


"Operation Redemption, under way!" Isabella giggled, and we all energetically trekked towards Coney Island.


...


When AC/DC's "Back in Black" filled the air, I was quick to answer my phone, ignoring the incredulous looks of my peers.


"Maaaax, how's it going??" I sounded somewhat like a roused baseball fan, a pumped up Hawaiian surfer, and a hippy spending Friday night with his bong. Yeah, just try to mix all that. "Operation Temptation is under way!"


"It's redemption, dumbass!" Bella laughed vociferously.

 

[DisneyGirl]

Max;


Anxious, I listened to his phone ring, praying he would answer. One ring...two rings...three rings...


By the seventh ring, I was about to hang up and call again, when he finally picked up.


"Bro!" I cried, so freaking happy he answered. I didn't know what the hell he meant by Operation Temptation, but whatever.


"Listen, thanks so much for your help. I so owe you one! Anything you want man!" I told him, stoked beyond belief.


"How about some Poptarts? I could go for a Poptart right now!" Some guy in the background yelled.


"Shut up, Josh!" A girl yelled back.


"You shut up!" He replied.


"No, you shut up!"


"No, you!"


"You!"


"YOUUU!!! Ow, she's pinching me!"


There was a loud squealing sound, coming from the guy, and then the sound of maniacal laughter.


"Zach?" I said, worried. "Zach, are you okay, buddy? Speak to me, Zach! SPEAK TO ME!!"


Mel;


Giggling, I grabbed the phone from Zach. I could hear Max freaking out on the other line, so I said, "Max, it's okay. We're going to help you."


"Mel?" He said, like a little child being reunited with his mother after getting separated at Target. "Mel, forget about me. Zach needs our help. There's a crazy woman with him who's pinching people!"


"That was Jessica, doofus." I replied, rolling my eyes.


"Oh, okay. Wait, who's Jessica?" He replied, suddenly calm again. That was Max. Freaking out over nothing one second, then totally cool as a cucumber the next. How Rae dealt with him, I didn't know. But I guess it had something to do with true love. Hmm, maybe I would interview Max and Rae for my True Love article. But right now, we had a sea lion to catch.


"A friend." I said. "Anyways, we'll be at the aquarium in a few minutes."

 

[Raerae]

The trekk had been a series of stumbles and one obnoxious, cramped taxi ride, but somehow we'd managed to spit out the information, arrive at the Aquarium virtually unscathed, and lose a hundred dollar bill in the process; mine, might I add.


But with the haze of the oncoming wave of alcohol and the ice cold fuzz that spread through my chest like a subtle electricity, mixed with potent, suddenly twice as intoxicating scent that was Melanie's, I couldn't bring myself to worry about what may or may not be lost on the way. So long as we kept an eye on each other, right?


So there we were, trying, to collect ourselves in some way or another to not be thrown out of the establishment on the spot. Up in entry, we were all immediately engulfed in the dim blue glow from behind the thick glass that, at first, held only odd, multicolored little fish; but as we continued down the corridor, giggling and shushing Jessica as she shouted for Max, the confined spaces displayed more and more exotic creatures.


I dialed up Max's number, albeit irritable as my fingers clumsily tried to type on my touch screen. Finally, it rang his number.


"Hey, we're here. Which way to you? This place is huuuge-- DON'T AGITATE THE SHARKS, JARED."


"Why? Jackass can't get me- Can you?!" He made a gesture as if to 'come and get me' at a shark that circled the glass wall. He obnoxiously mocked it from behind the glass, but abruptly fell back when the predator promptly whirled around and rammed into the wall. "DAMN!"


"Idiot," Josh offered a hand and pulled the taller male to his feet. "He's an asshole when he's drunk."


"Piss off," Jared sneered, hands in his pockets whilst he stalked off forward. "Serve that shit up on a platter."


"Ha! You wish! It'd eat you alive," Isabella countered with a sneer of her own, though it was considerably more playful, as if she were trying to get him to not storm off.


"...Right. So, where ars you? Signs say... Penguins... to the left. Octopus... to the left."

 

[DisneyGirl]

Max;


"I'm by the Sharks." I told Zach, walking around in circles. The signal here sucked, so I had to constantly keep moving in order to be able to hear what Zach was saying. "Buddy, you keep breaking up, but you would not believe the idiot I am watching right now! Dude is actually trying to start shit up with the sharks. What an idiot!" I said, laughing.


And then I saw a guy who looked exactly like Zach, next to the idiot.


"And you won't believe it! There's this guy he's with who looks exactly like you, and the girl he's with looks exactly like Mel! That is so---oh."


Trying to act cool, I hung up and made my way over to Zach and Mel, who looked like they picked up the cast of Real World or Jersey Shore on their way over here.


"Yo! You Max?" Shark boy asked me, putting his arm around me, before introducing himself and his…friends.


"Listen, my man. We are going to help you get your woman a baby sea lion. Right guys?"


"Right!" His friends cheered.


"We gotchu, boo!" One girl, Jessica I think, cried out.


Boy, they sure were a friendly crowd; and even though I had no idea where they came from, or why they were even here, I was thankful to get all the help I could get.


"Alright. That's what I'm talking about. Let's do this!" I said, before I turned to Zach and said, "Zach, I love these people!"


Why weren't people always as friendly as this? The world would be a much happier place. Rae and I would totally have to have them come over to dinner sometime.


Mel;


While Max and Zach's friends made their way through the aquarium like Dorothy and her Scarecrow and Tin Man friends made their way through the yellow brickroad in Wizard of Oz, I stuck behind with Zach.


We were passing by the sea turtle section, when I grabbed him, pulled him into a corner, and kissed him with no care in the world for once. There was no anxiety, no fear. Just him, and me, and the sea turtles who watched us.


I could hear Max and the others laugh and 'shh' each other, but all I wanted to hear was Zachary breathe. There was something calming about his breathing. Something safe. It soothed me. Made me feel like everything could be, and would be, okay.


I wondered if this is how Rae felt when she fell in love with Max, and why she was so out of it during that time. Truth be told, it used to annoy the hell out of me. But now, as I fell for Zach in a way I never fell for any guy, I understood. We were falling down, down, down the rabbit hole, and I was loving every second of it.


Blushing, I giggled. "Oh my gosh, I have the hugest crush on you." I whispered. "I have, like, so many butterflies in my stomach that it's not even funny." I continued, laughing, before I pulled him in and kissed him more. For a while, it was so silent, that all I could hear was our lips meeting and the air conditioning, until---


"Zach! Mel! Get over here!"


Jared.


Ugh.

 

[Raerae]

Zachary;


"Yeah, they're not all that great," Zach relayed to Max as they'd strode down the corridor, looking like Mr. Bean as they kept alert for any security, stumbling from wall to wall, pinning their index fingers together like they had guns.


Cause that wouldn't get them arrested.


Though I'd been hell bent and determined help Max out on the ride here, like the flick of a switch my priorities had changed. And, inevitably, they all revived around Mel. It'd been too long since I'd been wrapped up in the gentle embrace of a woman, but, and it may be the alcohol talking, this time it seemed different. Like mistakes were safe, and that kind of delusion was oddly exhilarating, which overthrew the little bundle of nerves and fear deep down in my gut. She'd pulled be aside with an aggressive grip that'd sparked something in me, and never had I held someone so tightly to my chest before, could she even breath? I couldn't. But... for different reasons.


When she looked at me that way; lips tugged upwards, eyes a lot like that of a girl genuinely head over heels for me- I didn't have the strength to fight it, nor... did I want to. Not when she kissed me like this. The giggling was contagious, and hidden in the shadows cast a ways from the light of the sea turtles aquarium, we reciprocated the feeling, and I had the privilege of reminding her of how beautiful she was, especially in this lighting; whilst my fair skin turned beet red, might I add.


It'd been solitude, those few minutes that felt like they'd been stolen all too soon, as a voice that was ten times the unappealing sound for me right now rang out, and beckoned us back over. A hint of agitation showed through, and I gently cupped her cheek, feeling soft skin, smooth and blushing madly under my thumb. With my forehead pressed to hers I whispered, "You know, we can leave when you want to. I'm not saying we should go anywhere... But any where would be better than here. Long as we're together, right?"


The hell? Did that just come out of me?


"Real cute guys, come on! I found the door!" Bella skipped down the hall, Jared close behind her as they gestured towards the 'employees only' room, which, to their relief, was propped open. "I bet it leads to the rooms where the animals live!"


"Nah, I think it leads to Narnia," Josh thoughtfully responded, though the glaze in his eyes made it obvious he wasn't thinking clearly. "Aslan! Aslan DON'T DIE!"


"Oh God," Jessica, covered her face with her hands as Josh ran in, he sudden rumble of wheels and collapse of a string of objects indicating just how far he got to 'Narnia'.


"It was in a coat closet, dumbass," Jared said all too seriously, hands slipped in his jacket pockets whilst he stepped inside, too tall to even attempt to be inconspicuous. "Too bad this didn't teleport you to Atlantis."


"I thought you didn't believe in Atlantis," Jessica commented, jumping slightly as Jared yelled, "DON'T PATRONIZE ME WOMAN!"


Rae;

Meanwhile, in the marine labs on the other side of the building...


What we have here is the Info-Pacific humpback dolphin. Uniquely, the population along the Chinese coast has pink skin, and the pink colour originates not from a pigment, but from blood vessels which were overdeveloped for thermoregulation.


Found far from its roots, this one is not only an orphan, but had been engaged in some kind of struggle, presumably pirates nets or that of passing orca, resulting in the decimation of its left fin and a loss of tissue along its tail, which leads it to have to put in extra effort when swimming, or any other activities considered natural skills of aquatic life.


Intimately interacting will ease its discomfort both physically and in its new surroundings, whilst feeding it the diagnosed tablets stuffed in the carcasses of fish will power up its immune system, as well as transfer vitamins that should aid in increased tissue recovery. This is all experimental. Please remain diligent and consistent with medications and report back to us after a week.





From the crater of water within the insulted room, a pink nose poked out, subtle and curious. Rae peeked over her clipboard, baring a look of amusement as the animal looked back at her, floating effortlessly within the container.


"Hey there," She said a little awkwardly, resting her clipboard on the table and picking up one of three pill bottles. There was a bucket of fish just by the edge of the 'pool', she tried to play it cool whilst she pulled one out, wincing as its creepy eyes stared lifelessly at her. She took the pill l, rather large and grey, dropping it into the mouth and shivering as she held it over the water, "Hungry baby?"


A squeal sounded out and she couldn't but laugh, before tossing it upwards and, from the water, the entirety of the dolphin emerged, snatching it between its tooth lined jaws and then disappearing back under the water.


Now, you might ask... How does a wannabe super model aid in the recovery of a rare species within a marine lab? Simple. HER FIANCE LEAVES HER WITH A RUSSIAN WHO HAS AN UNCANNY MOLE FETTISH WHO MISTOOK HER AS A MARINE BIOLOGIST.


...So, here she is. At least she had fruit snacks. They tasted fishy, but she assumed it was either an organic brand or just the aquatic aroma getting to her. Cause it totally wasn't odd they had fruit snacks. She popped a second one in, crinkling her nose together though she was too hungry to care. It was then that she'd started to notice how the tension in her neck had died down, her fingers were having a hard time gripping the pen to right results in the packet, and she was just a liiiittle too off balance for her liking. She blinked, attempted to rise to her feet, and then, quite promptly, collapsed to the floor, blacked out and pale faced.

 

[DisneyGirl]

Max;


Jared, Bella, Jessica, and Josh continued to bicker for a while as we made our way through, and just when I thought we should give up finding the sea lions, we were sent a sign.


"Hey, guys!" Josh said, jumping and pointing at it like a little kid wanting to go on a ride at Disneyland. "Look, a sign!"


"Shhh!" Jessica said, being even louder than he was.


Yup. Literally. We were literally sent a sign.


TRAINERS » » »


"Trainers?" Josh asked, rubbing his chin. "Like work out trainers? I have one of those!"


"No, idiot." Bella said, grinning with excitement. "Animal trainers!"


"That means that the animals must be near by." Mel said, clapping happily. She didn't seem to be herself. Neither did Zach. They seemed so…giggly. In fact, everyone was giggly. Hmm. Must have been the weather here. Maybe Rae and I should move to this part of town in the future.


"There they are." Jessica whispered, trying to hold in a squeal.


We had made it to the backstage area of the Aquarium Talent Show they held for the little guys. Back here was a hang out spot for sea creatures of all kinds. Dolphins, penguins, seals, and…


"SEAAA LIIIOOONS!!" Josh screamed, jumping up and down again, scaring the living life out of the poor things who looked so content and safe in their indoor swimming pool/island.


"Aaand you're an obnoxious asshole, Josh." Jared replied.


True…but I gotta admit. His reaction was funny. I would have to use some of this stuff in my stand-up act.


"Come here, Mufasa." Josh said, holding his arms out to a baby sea lion he had just woken from a nap.


"For crying out loud," Jared said, rolling his eyes. "Just because they are sea lions does not mean they are actual lions from the jungle. And Simba was the baby lion, not Mufasa."


Josh, not listening, proceeded to do the Tarzan yell, pounding his chest.


"No, no." Jared said, shaking his head. "Wrong movie. Think Finding Nemo."


"No, that's Pixar." Jessica chimed in.


"Whatever. Pixar and Disney. Same thing." Jared responded.


"No, it's not the same thing."


"Yeah, it is."


"No. It's not."


"Yes."


"No."


"Yes."


"No."


"No!"


"Yes--wait what?!"


"OW!" Josh cried, shaking his hand. "The mom bit me!"


Next thing we knew, we were about to be attacked by a mother sea lion.


"It's angry! It's angry!" Josh cried, as the mother made her way out of the pool and onto the island we were standing on.


"Somebody grab the baby sea lion!" Bella yelled.


Jessica took the initiative for that and was rewarded with mama bear coming right at her. She started sobbing and squealing uncontrollably. Er, Jessica that is. Not the mom.


"I'm getting out of here!" Bella said, before tripping on a bucket of fish.


Mel;


While Jessica and Jared began to argue about whether Disney and Pixar were the same thing, I had other things on my mind…and they didn't include baby sea lions.


Zach had said we could leave if I wanted to, and that all that mattered was that we were together. And right now, that sounded good; because all I wanted right now, in this moment, was to be with him and only him.


It was now or never.


So, in the middle of all this craziness, I kissed him, and said, "Let's go."


Laughing, I took his hand and pulled him with me, as I ran out of the backstage area, down the stairs, and into the streets with the whole night ahead of us.


As we hit the sidewalk, I stopped to catch my breath. But I couldn't stop laughing. Here I was, running off with a cute boy, and not just any cute boy, but Zach of all people. Zach, who I was absolutely crazy about; Zach, who was absolutely crazy about me, too.


And all because of Rae and Max. I would have to thank them later.


"Oh my God," I heard a voice say. Turning around I saw a group of girls, probably on their way to the club or something judging by their wardrobe, stare at Zach with huge smiles on their faces.


They reminded me of the girls who used to pick on me in middle school, the way they grinned like they knew something you didn't.


"He's so hot…" One of them, a blonde, said.


"He's also mine," I told her, pulling him in for another kiss. I was getting used to this, kissing him.

 

[Raerae]

(Why can't I remember to stay in first person for this? Sorry)


Josh clutched his bleeding hand to his chest, too drunk to be aware of just how deep the gash was. He lunged forward, looking rather valiant, like a graceful... idiot. Instantaneously he slid on the damp, slick flooring and skirted his way right past the baby sea lion, into the cold kept below zero temperatures for the arctic natives.


Jared was torn between the three- Jessica was about to be made mince meat, Josh's lungs were freezing steadily, and Bella was rolling in gutted trout- Who would he save?


"Hold on Jess!" He called, and hurried towards her, shooting Bella an apologetic glance whilst he attempted to preserve his friends life. He stood before the Sea Lion and was suddenly... not himself.


He started mimicking the animal, crouching to its level and swaying back and forth like it's flubbery, ebony body did whilst it tried to maneuver around him to get to Jessica. He reciprocated the stereotypical 'AR-AR-AR-AR!' And it responded with similar sounds. He looked like a completely moron, but it was working.


"W-Wow!" Josh's head bobbed out of the water and he gripped the ground, gasping and drenched. "I-I didn't k-k-k-know you s-ppppppp-poke WHALE!"


Bella huffed, grabbing a fish in hand, clumsily getting to her feet and storming over to Jared, shoving past Jessica, holding up the trout, and abruptly slapping it across his face, the slap of scales on skin a comedic echo within the icy cold room. In response, the surrounding animals barked in laughter.


"You ass! You saved HER?! WHAT AM I TO YOU?" She screamed, like nails on a chalk board, or silverware scratching against porcelain. "I WAS LAYING ON FISH AND YOU LEFT. HOW CAN I DEPEND ON YOU WITH OUR CHILDREN?!"


"Bells, I'm sorry-- Wait, what the hell are you talking about? YOU'RE PREGNANT?"


"YOU'RE SLEEPING TOGETHER?" Josh struggled to get out, sliding his way over, "Since when? Where? Oh, God, not at my place, right??"


(I'm assuming they leave to discuss this and maybe even accidentally lock Max in there??)


---


Running off with Melanie was the only satisfying action I'd taken today, aside form kissing her; leaving Max behind should have seemed wrong, but I only laughed with her as we ditched them all. Whatever was on her mind, I was liking it; wherever this night took us, I was ready, and loving every second towards the climax. It'd be a night to remember, from the moment we woke up till tomorrow, I just hoped we wouldn't be so out of it we forget, or only remember in fragments. Finding love whilst stealing sea lions? That was some thing to tell the kids.


Oh my God, did I just think that?





I ignored the women we passed, not even sparing a glance and instead I let Melanie claim me, it sounded right in her voice; that wanted feeling... It was indescribable. Even in this haze, I knew what I liked. ...Loved.


"So, beautiful, where are we heading?" I asked her, stopping again and pulling her close, kissing her in a dorky, affectionate way. Cause that's what I always wanted to do, and now I was safe.

 

[DisneyGirl]

Max;


And on the fighting continued. I sighed, feeling hopeless and wishing Rae was here. She always knew how to cheer me up, and she probably wouldn't care to pet a sea lion. She would be the responsible and understanding one, telling me it was okay and that I did my best and she still loved me anyway.


I wondered what she was doing right now.


"Oh, Rae!" I said, wanting to be with her now more than ever. And just when I gave all hope up, that's when I met Flipper.


At least that's what I called him. Or her. How you could tell the difference between a baby girl sea lion and a baby boy sea lion, I had no clue.


But anyway, Flipper wobbled towards me just then and looked at me, tilting his/her head like he/she was asking, "Why so sad, Maxy?"


"I dunno what to do, little baby sea lion!" I told the creature. "My family really hurt my fiance's feelings, and to make it up to her, I wanted her to be able to meet one of you little guys. But now it just seems pointless, which sucks, because I love this girl, and…I just…wanted…to make her…HAPPY!" I said, before bursting into tears. "OH, RACHEL! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!"


Before I knew what was going on, a bunch of sea lions surrounded me, and started making loud noises that sounded like they were sobbing, too.


"I'm sorry to bring ya down, guys." I told them. "I just feel awful!"


Flipper wobbled closer to me, and made a noise that sounded like, "It's okay, Maxy! I would love to meet Rachel!"


Or maybe that was my imagination.


Sighing, I got up and said to my human friends, "Let's go home, guys."


But no one responded.


"Guys?"


I ran to the door that led to the exit, but it was locked.


"GUYS?!!"


Flipper was right behind me, still staring at me.


"Great." I said, groaning. "We're locked in. No worries, I'll call Zach…"


And as if on cue, my cell phone died. The one place in the aquarium I actually had signal AND MY FREAKING PHONE DIED.


WHY?


Mel;


With my arms around him and my nose nuzzled against his, I replied, "Anywhere, as long as it's with you, Zach."


Like the typical New Yorker, I whistled (actually whistled!) for a taxi cab and hopped in, with the confidence that the world was our oyster.


"Where to, kids?" The driver, a buff looking Italian man, asked. Or maybe he was Greek. Oh, who cared?


I giggled, cuddling up to Zach and enjoying the warmth of being in his arms on such a magical night like this. What was this feeling? What was happening to me?


When I looked up at Zach, it became clear.


I was in love.


"Well?" The cab driver asked us.


"Where to, Zach?" I asked, lost in those beautiful green eyes.

 

[Raerae]

(Like x1000. Max and Flipper!! Lol.)


Zachary;


Where the hell could an intoxicated almost couple go this late at night? I gazed at the window, one arm squeezed around Melanie's waist, the other rubbing my neck as I bared a sheepish look. My mind was fuzzy, as was the rest of my skin as she cuddled close; anyone else I'd've flinched and shoved off, but I just couldn't get enough of the proximity. It was as if I'd been starved of affections; she kind of held me the same way mom did, though she held all the appeal of a breathtakingly attractive, endearing woman.


"...The hotel," I told him, flashing a twenty. It was the only place I could think would be the best area, at least if we did something stupid, it'd be close to 'home'.


"Is... That alright with you? We could... watch a movie," I gently pulled her in for another kiss, though inevitably it'd worked itself up into a little more passionate than I'd intended; nether of us were complaining though, and I had to wonder just how far this night was fated to go.


But with her? I didn't have a lot of faith in my self control at this point. Did she? How was she feeling? Similar? Or too drunk to tell the difference between me and Jared?

 

[DisneyGirl]

Max;


I couldn't stay miserable forever. Not with these guys. They just wouldn't have it. After two hours of sobbing like a big fat baby (but not too fat, since I do like to exercise), I did the only thing I knew how to do in times like these: find the humor.


When you have an audience, you have an audience. Doesn't matter if it's a crowd of hecklers, or a crowd of sea creatures.


So like a true stand-up comic, I told my jokes.


"And then I told Vinny, 'No, you're the crazy one!'" I said, finishing up a story about this crazy old man I used to know a few years ago.


Besides, I had to do a stand-up show. Flipper had brought his pals of other baby sea lions, and who could say no to those precious little faces? Plus, the applause from the seals was just too addictive.


"Thank you, thank you." I said, blushing and bowing. Really, they were too kind.


Then, there was the sound of the door being broke down.


"What the hell is going on in here?!" A voice shouted, and when I turned around, I saw it was a cop.


"Officer, thank goodness you're here---" I started, before the officer next to him grabbed me and said, ,"You're under arrest for attempted kidnapping."


"Under arrest?!" I shouted now, as he handcuffed me. "But…but…!"


"Save it for the judge, kid. And by the way? Your jokes suck." He told me.


"Okay, really? That was just rude." I said, but when he pulled at me, I gave up. "Ow, ow, ow. Sorry! Sorry!"


The sea creatures all cried, with Flipper trying to follow me out, almost succeeding, until the officers shut the door in his face.


"Flipper!" I called out, hearing his cries. "I'll always love you, little buddy!"


I spent the night in jail, locked up with a gangster, a drug addict, and oddly enough, a mime who ironically chattered away non-stop until the gangster punched his mouth shut.


When the morning came, and not just any morning, but the worst morning of my life, the first person I called was Rae.


Mel;


And on the morning of my 20th birthday, everything was rainbows and unicorns. I was all giggles, and even the over and easy eggs and pancakes I was making seemed to smile back at me.


When Zach and I first woke up that morning, sure, we freaked out about what happened last night, but the fear of taking our friendship to the next level didn't last for long until we both burst into laughter; and we were still laughing.


Best. Morning. Ever.


"Oh my goodness," I said, not being able to breathe because I was laughing so hard. We were going through the dorky selfies we took on my iPhone the night before, when we stumbled upon a video of Zach in the taxi cab singing Elvis Presley's "Burning Love" way off tune.


"You are too cute," I told him, catching my breath, and then I heard myself sing along with him, which was not cute.


"Hey!" The cab driver, off-camera, said. "Shut your mouth or I drop you off at next light, eh? Oh, great, now you're doing the kissing. Again…"


"That poor cab driver," I said, shaking my head, but still grinning.


We looked through more pictures, some of which included Zach doing his "smolder" look for me.


"Oh, I like these. Very handsome." I told him, leaning my head on his shoulder. The next picture was of me winking and making kissy faces at the camera like a twelve year old girl.

 

[Raerae]

The odd buzzing in my pocket had been what'd woken me out of what, quite honestly, felt like a coma. I blinked furiously, attempting to open my eyes though they felt clumped together by the lashes, and I could hardly clear my blurred vision. Around me, the cacophony of giggling children sounded, and when I finally managed to tear my eyes open, albeit seemingly pulling out some lashes in the process, I realized I wasn't near the pool anymore, nor was I back in the hotel, or anywhere even remotely familiar.


"Oh, look, she's waking up-"


"-She's so pretty now!"


"Yeah, she looks a lot better!"


I cringed, my head shooting up, though I realized at that time I couldn't move my arms- they were bound? With what?! I wriggled with agitation, and what the hell did they mean I looked better now? I met their gazes, and they were suddenly less giggly with the death glare I emanated. I started to say something, only to feel my lips quite literally mashed together-- They taped my mouth shut??


"Oh, her phones ringing, better get that. You have bad taste in music, this guy sounds gay," A mop of blonde hair commented, and for that remark I nearly flipped over in the vanity chair they'd bound me to, ready to round house kick her for such a comment towards my music tastes. "Why's his contact name 'Baby?' Is he your maaan?"


They all giggled, and then a bolder, bronze skinned girl grabbed the phone, holding it up to her ear and making a snide face. Her fake stud earrings shone cheaply, whilst her Justice top sported flowers in hideously vibrant hues. "Hello? Yeah, I don't care. If you want our Barbie back, you're gonna have to comply, baby."


She held the phone down for a minute, "What should I ask him for?!"


"I don't know, give him a riddle thing! Like mad libs!"


"Tell him we want all the stuff in that candy shop in Central Park!"


"Forget candy, ask for phones!"


"Mmmmmm!" I whined, my brows furrowed and I attempted to scoot my chair forward, but only ended up screeching like a wild animal as I fell to the side, smacking my head against a doll house and cringing as the Barbie voice started baking in the fake oven, explaining the process in an annoying, ear piecing frequency. I was so scared Max would hang up, and of what they'd done to my face. Little did I know it wasn't my face they'd permanently ruined.


---


"Oh, God, I didn't even know I knew all the words to an Elvis song," I told her, attempting to play it off; though in secret, I'd learned them all off of Rae's premium spotify account, which I tapped into for free music all the time- But that's on the downlow.


I laughed, my grin boyish and sheepish as I pulled her into my lap, arms resting lightly around her waist whilst my chin rested on her shoulder- She smelled so sweet, did she even know how intoxicating her perfume or whatever it was had been for me?


"Handsome? Yeah, yeah," although I rolled my eyes, the compliment sent a warmth rushing along my skin- Long as she thought so, I wouldn't deface her opinion on my appearance. Slowly, I slipped my fingers into hers, my hand warm over hers which held the phone up to flick through the gallery.


"Please don't delete that one, you model better than Rae," following the plead was a genuine chuckle, those kissy faces were going to be my new screensaver. The way we were goofing off after such a milestone of a night had to mean something, right? God, tell me I wasn't getting excited over nothing. Wasn't there a pause button for these moments?


"Or that one, or... Mel... wait! Don't delete it!" I pleaded, snatching the phone from her and sending it to mine lightning speed, pinning her down and kissing her deeply afterwards.

 

[DisneyGirl]

Max;


Instead of Rae answering my call, some little Valley girl did.


"The hell? Who is this?" I asked, frowning.


And why was she calling Rae 'our Barbie'?


And how many girls were with her?


And what had they done to my Rae?


"Where is Rae?"


"What do we get if we tell you?" Asked the little devil oh-so-innocently.


"Give her back!"


"Not so fast, amigo. You'll have to pass our test first."


Dang it. The little kid was going to give me a test, which meant I had to think, and I wasn't good at thinking. But for Rae, I would do anything. Even math.


"Bring it." I challenged her.


"In a one-story pink house, there was a pink person, a pink cat, a pink fish, a pink computer, a pink chair, a pink table, a pink telephone, a pink shower– everything was pink!


What color were the stairs?"


Shit!


"Um…um…" I said, searching for the answer in my brain. "Oh! Oh! I know this one! I know this one---wait no…"


On the other line, a bunch of little girls giggled. Aha! She had minions.


"There's no stairs, 'cause it's a one story house." The little girl replied, and I could almost see her roll her eyes as she said, "Duuuhhh."


Then we did a few more riddles, and even a freaking mad lib, all of which I failed at.


"Geez, Barbie, your boyfriend is dumb!" She said, and I was about to give her a piece of my mind; but in the corner of my eye, I could see the cop give me a one minute warning.


"Listen, kid, you better give Rachel back..or...or…or else!" I tried. I wasn't that much of a tough guy, though, so I didn't end up scaring her one bit. But boy, did she scare me.


"Oh, we'll give her back…with a form of payment from you, of course."


Uh-oh.


"What do you want?" I asked, afraid to even ask.


"Just the usual. Six pounds of candy, a boat load of make up, a couple of orders of pizza…"


Ugh. But…not too bad. Still sorta doable.


"All the One Direction CDs available at Wal-Mart, all the Barbies in the Toys R Us aisle including an Edward Cullen doll, ten iPhones, clothes from Hollister and Abercrombie & Fitch, an adorable puppy…"


"WHAT?!!"


"20 seconds." The cop warned.


"McKenzieee!" I heard a woman on the other line call out.


"Not now, mom! I'm busy!" The little girl yelled back. McKenzie, eh?


"But I made you and your friends some cookies."


"COOKIES? Yay!" McKenzie aid, before returning to our conversation, and saying in a serious tone, "I'll be texting you a list. We got a deal, baby?"


"How am I supposed to---"


"15 seconds." The cop said, a little more annoyed now.


"Fine! It's a deal!"


How on earth was I going to pull this off?


There was only person I could call in a time like this.


"Can I make one more call?" I asked the cop. "Technically, I have 15 more seconds left."


The cop squinted at me for a second, like he didn't trust me, but he gave me the benefit of the doubt anyway.


I called Zach, praying he would answer.


Mel;


I had to admit, I was enjoying…whatever it was Zach and I were doing. He had me blushing and giggling non-stop, although I did playfully smack him on the arm when he dissed Rae's modeling skills.


What I didn't expect was him wanting my pictures so badly, sending them to himself before pinning me down and kissing me so passionately like that.


It made me wonder…what exactly were we now? Was he my boyfriend? Was I his girlfriend? Or were we just friends having a good time? What would our relationship be like after we went back home? Would it ever go back to being the same? Would we ever be the same?


After I got done squealing with joy (and kissing him back), I said, "Whoa, Zach! I guess I should take more pictures of myself. Oh! That reminds me..."


And swiftly, I grabbed my phone back and told him, "Rae has this photographer friend who took some photos of me a few months ago, so he could get some stuff for his portfolio. It's nothing much, but well, what do you think?" I asked, showing him the photos.


But, really, what were we to each other now? Would he define it, or would I have to ask him? Or would we not define it at all?

 

[Raerae]

I loved Max more than life itself; but he was, irrevocably, an idiot.


I'd been so relieved when girls mother called that I'd practically killed over when the woman only stood at the door, and never actually came in to see me held hostage. The children squealed and left, but only one stayed behind, still staring at me, which annoyed me to no end. Behind glasses that seemed like they should belong to some senior woman with nine cats, timid, hazel eyes watched me, the kids rounded face puckered in an expression of contemplation, her hand me down sweater being tugging on by the ends out of a supposed nervous habit.


What the hell did she want?


I groaned audibly, and rolled over, thanking myself for those forced yoga sessions that gave me enough core strength to sit up. Getting a better look at the room, I nearly gagged- Too feminine, too... screaming of adolescence.


I observed my surroundings, trying to find anything to strip me of my binding, when the duct tape on my mouth was suddenly torn off, resulting in my inevitable whimper. I forced a calmness and looked to the meaty red head that just kept staring at me.


"Okay, are you mute or something?" I asked sarcastically. "Or did you and your pep rally destroy my face?" It was then that the possibilities entered, shaved eyebrows, fake mustache, plucked all my eyelashes, permanent scaring or some bad candy mask that'd ruin my skin. One particular consequence hadn't struck me yet. If it had, I'd have screamed.


"I don't want to get in trouble. If my dad finds out what I did with McKenzie he'll send me to band camp again. I hate the violin."


As she said that, the mixture of guilt on her face became my ammunition. No, I was not above manipulating a seven year old into doing my bidding. "Ah... Well, if you untie me, I won't tell anyone. About this or how he punishes you by giving you those God-Awful sweaters."


"I LOVE THESE SWEATERS!" She screamed, and smacked the tape right back onto my mouth before she stormed off towards the door, stole my two hundred dollar heels on the floor, and left.


SHE. WAS. TOAST. If I ever get out of here.


---


When she'd handed over the product of her photoshoot, my skin grew considerably warm. That photographer had done an incredible job of capturing the moment- make up and fashion trends I could care less about, but those eyes? I found myself grinning, peeking up from the photos every so often as a reminder that same woman was curled up beside me. She made Alice look like a real mistake on my part, but that went beyond looks- Even if whatever this was, wasn't something Mel wanted to pursue, I knew it was genuine, from the time we'd given it a shot up until now, and hopefully, for a while longer.


"And you seriously haven't posted these on your Instagram?" I asked incredulously, and handed the phone back over to. "At least send me one for your caller ID?"


Alice had found it annoying that I'd been so attentive, which had confused me as I'd figured women love attention. Apparently, that only went so far, and in the words of the last three I was 'clingy and intrusive'. Did my enthusiasm for her... everything, make her think the same?


Before I knew it I'd realized for a good fifteen seconds I'd just silently gazed at her, leaning back on my elbows and just wondering, questions silently awaiting their chance to escape my mouth. But just when I'd mustered up the courage to let one loose, Max had caused, inevitably causing me to catch my breath.


"Max, about last night..."

 

[DisneyGirl]

Mel;


They were pretty pictures, but they were also just a favor for Anthony, the photographer.


Truthfully, I never thought them to be much, but when I saw how thrilled Zach was to see me strike a pose for the camera (all learned from Rae, thank you very much), I just had to show him these.


"I'll for sure send you a pic or two," I said, giggling and texting them to him.


This was so weird. This was Zach, my friend; and here I was, sending him cute photos of me like a girlfriend would do for her boyfriend. I knew he liked me, especially after what happened last night, and I knew I liked him.


But I was also afraid we were taking this too far, getting way too close and being irresponsible with our relationship.


What if we got hurt?


Most people would just start dating and see if it worked out. If it did, great; if it didn't, they would move on.


We weren't most people. We were roommates whose best friends were about to get married, and if this didn't work out, I didn't want that to ruin Rae and Max's happiness.


What if it did work out?


Zach would be the greatest thing that has happened to me since Rae. If we worked out, we could have a great life together. We could get a place together, where he could paint, and I could write, and we'd be happy. Some part of me wondered if Zach would ever propose to me like Max did with Rae. It wondered if maybe, someday, we could get married and start a family together, too. Maybe this was the start of our love story…


Ugh. I was crazy. Marriage and kids? Me, getting married and becoming a mom?


That was for lucky girls, like Rae. Not me.


I needed to lay off the romance novels.


Zach had been staring at me for a while, and I wanted so badly to know what he was thinking. Before I could ask, Max called.


Oh my gosh.


Max!


Max;


As soon as I heard Zach's beautiful and angelic voice on the other line, I took in a huge gasp and said as quickly as I could, "Zach, buddy, I need your help. I'm in jail for attempted sea lion kidnapping, and Rae got abducted by these evil ten year old girls who won't give her back until I get them iPhones and pizza and other things, so I really need you right now! Also, I have a really bad wedgie. My butt hurts so much right now, man!"


I broke into sobs right then.


The wedgie another problem altogether. This morning, the gangsters gave me a wedgie because I wouldn't put up with them making jokes about my mama. Then they called me a wimp. And then they stole my cold oatmeal.


I hated jail.


"We got to help Rae, Zach! We just gotta!"


"Five seconds!" The cop warned me.


"But---" I said.


"Four. Three."


"Hey, you're counting too fast!"


"Two…"


"Wait---"


"One." He said, smirking. "Time's up, wedgie boy."


I really hoped Zach would come rescue me outta here. Where did he and Mel go anyway?


"I'LL HAVE MY LAWYER BE CALLING YOU!" I shouted at the cop.

 

[Raerae]

"Max. Max. MAX. I- Oh my God," I absolutely couldn't get a word in, he was blurting everything out so fast, my mental notepad was in flames by the time he'd finished. Well, been cut off- who the hell was he talking to? Had Rae's turbulence finally caused him to snap?


"OkayIllTry-" I squeezed in before the call dropped, and I sat there, mouth agape and my eyes distant as I tried to gather what I could from the ridiculousness my best friend had just thrown at me.


My eyes fell to Melanie and I exhaled sharply, "So... Evidently. Max was arrested, he didn't say which jail though, so I'm assuming we'll have to call around." I grunted as I pushed myself off the floor, and onto my feet; then extended a hand out to Mel, pulling her up for a playful kiss, though my thoughts were gradually jumbling into worry mode.


"And he said Rae's been... Get this, abducted by evil, black mailing ten year olds," I reciprocated the incredulous look she gave me, and although I wanted to laugh, I had to wonder if Max wasn't totally high right now. Never have I known him to even look at drugs, I don't think his relationship with Rae would have lasted if he did; but this was outrageous.


"No idea where to go from there, I say we... bail him out first. I haven't gotten my latest paycheck yet, so well have to swipe one of their credit cards, which Rae will claw my eyes out for but... oh well." I grinned boyishly, though it didn't quite reach my eyes.


"I can't believe he got arrested. Max hasn't ever been arrested, gotten a ticket, pulled over, or... anything. That I know of. Rae usually cleans up his messes, anyways. How'd they even get separated...?"


I kept wondering things out loud as I reluctantly distanced myself from Melanie to go get changed, rummaging through my packed clothing and pulled out shorts, a tee and decided to slip on my denim jacket. After freshening up in the bathroom, combing my hair to its tousled perfection mostly, I tugged a beanie over it, and realigned my left ear piercing. (I think it was left :| )

 

[DisneyGirl]

Mel;


The story sounded pretty crazy to me, too, but knowing Max the short time I did, I shouldn't be surprised by anything at this point.


After I changed out of Zach's AC/DC tee shirt, which was more like a dress on me, I put on a white tank top, a red flannel jacket, baby blue jean shorts that I saved for hot days like these, and a pair of white converse.


Then, I made a few calls and was able to locate Max…at a jail that was on the other side of town!


"Oh, Max…" I said to Zach, after I told him where the goofball was. "The things he will do for Rae. The things we will do when we're in love."


And even though this was a serious issue, and partly our fault, I couldn't resist wanting to see if Zach noticed the shorts I had on, or my newly tanned legs. Ha. Max and (maybe Rae?) were in trouble, meanwhile I was desperate for Zach to be amazed by me again.


"Aside from Max getting arrested, and Rae getting abducted by little girls, last night was definitely the best night of my life," I said, grinning at him like he hung the moon.


Max;


"Why you hitting yourself? Why you hitting yourself?" Said Marco, the gangster that was slapping me with my own hand.


"Ow! Ow! Ow!" I cried, wondering when the hell Zach was going to get here. He didn't even know which jail I was at, so I very well could be stuck with these jerks for another night. And who knows what could happen to Rae.


"Hey, who is this??" Oscar, the other gangster, asked. He was holding up a picture of Rae modeling on the beach, playing in the ocean while wearing a little white sundress.


Shit. It must have fell out of my pocket.


"That would be mine!" I said, grabbing for it.


"No way," Oscar said, with a mischievous smile. "Damn, she's hot."


"She's also my fiance." I told him.


Marco, Oscar and the other gangsters stared at me for a second, before bursting into howls of laughter like those hyenas in The Lion King.


"She---your---fiance---?" Marco said, before becoming overwhelmed with laughter again.


"Fine. Whatever. I don't care." I said, looking away and crossing my arms. They could laugh at me all they wanted, but it was true.


"I think I'm gonna keep this," Oscar said.


"THAT'S IT! GIVE IT BACK!" I said, tackling Oscar to the ground like a wild animal.

 

[Raerae]

"Aside from Max getting arrested, and Rae getting abducted by little girls, last night was definitely the best night of my life."


That'd been when it hit me- So this absolutely wasn't entirely one sided, by the way she was glowing, it was obvious she was completely genuine when she'd admitted that.


"...Same here, Mel," I wanted to elaborate, but I'd ended up grinning bashfully like an idiot and looking away, due to both my reciprocated feelings and the jean shorts that beckoned my attention. That was on purpose!


"Room key... wallet..." I patted my pockets, hearing the jangle of metal, and then feeling the credit card that always popped it of the top of my brown, leather wallet for my convenience.


"Alright, ready babe?" The affectionate name had come so naturally, as did my gesture of casually slipping my arm around her waist.


---


It's... right... there... UGGGGH.





To my luck, the little wench had actually set my phone on the nightstand decorated like a tower of a castle. I'd managed to (albeit comically) crawl over to it and, with a shaking core, attempting to inch my way into some odd position that'd enable me to knock the phone onto the floor, where I could pretend I knew what to do from there. Thank God Max and I got the I-Phone upgrades, a keyboard would be absolutely suckish right now.


With a ruler perched in between my lips I whacked my cellular device till it slipped off the table, landing on the floor with a thud and then it was just a matter of texting. I couldn't see it while I had it in my tightly bound hands, until I noted the full length mirror and realized, of I could just read backwards, I could get a message to Melanie.


Okay... contacts! Got it... send message- Nope! No, no, no, don't call my agency... Okay, okay... Melanie... Create message...





"What do you think you're doing?"


I saw one of the demons heads peek in and then she strode inside, blonde mop of hair bobbing as she came around, grabbed my phone and took it with her.


"I think I'll play some.Frozen freefall. I'm sure you have this linked up to your credit card, right?"


Oh my God when I get out of here I'm shaving HER HEAD.

 

[DisneyGirl]

Mel;


He called me babe.


He. Called. Me. Babe.


HE CALLED ME BABE.


Okay, calm down. I told myself, but honestly, how could I? He called me babe, which is something couples called eachother, which meant…


And then there was the way he slipped his arm around my waist, claiming me.


The logical Melanie wanted to hit the pause button on this and scream, "WHAT ARE WE DOING?!!"


But the madly in love Melanie wanted more and actually had the nerve to wrap her arms around his waist.


Cliche as it sounded, it just felt so natural. So right. For once in my life, I felt safe and cared for. I felt wanted, appreciated, and…loved.


When Rae and I were little girls, we'd watch those Disney princess movies on repeat all day, every day, that I'm surprised those VHS tapes didn't break. We would sing songs like "Someday My Prince Will Come" and "Once Upon A Dream", dreaming about the day we'd meet our own prince.


When Rae fell in love with Max, especially so fast, I thought she had lost her mind; but I tried to remember those days, hold on to those precious memories of Rae singing and dancing to the Beauty and the Beast soundtrack.


I tried to understand, and I couldn't really,


until I met Zach. Now I knew exactly how Cinderella felt when she danced with Prince Charming at the ball.


Rae had found her prince, who was more of a Flynn Rider than a Prince Charming, but, Rae loved him all the same even if her family and friends thought she would end up with more of a Matt Damon type than a Jim Carrey.


And me? Well, I hoped Zach would be that guy for me, especially with the way he was acting now. I could only hope he wouldn't find another girl and leave like my Dad did.


I hoped I, and I alone, could make him happy. Rae could make a man happy, but of course she could. She was gorgeous, driven, successful. Rae was on her way to becoming the world's biggest supermodel, and I didn't even have the courage to post my fiction on my blog. Did anyone even read my blog anymore?


There were more important things to worry about at this point. So I just took a deep breath in, and rested my head against Zach's chest, as we made our way to the streets.


Max;


Jim Carrey has always been my favorite comedian of all time. He's been my inspiration, my hero, ever since I first saw Liar, Liar as a kid. I wanted to be just like him.


My wish came true. Just like what happens to Jim Carrey in his movies, I was screwed.


Good news was, I got Rae's photo back. Bad news was, I got a nosebleed and a punched lip that was swelling now.


"Hey, Fat Lips, why don't you tell us some jokes?" Marco suggested, laughing.


"Jokes?" Oscar asked. "Man, he is the joke!"


The rest of the guys burst into laughter again, before Oscar pulled out the bloody toilet paper I had stuffed in my nose.


"Ow!" I cried, scrunching my face in pain.


"Hey, whatcha do to get in jail, anyway, homie?" One of the guys, Hector I think it was, asked me.


"Attempted kidnapping."


"Attempted kidnapping of what? Your 'fiance'?"


"No! A baby sea lion from the aquarium…for my fiance."


Again, another pause, and another loud burst of laughter.


"Man, are you crazy, man???" Marco asked, making circles with his finger.


"Hey, let's give him another wedgie," Oscar said, grinning.


"No!" I yelled out for mercy. "I will not take another wedgie!"


I must have been desperate by that point, because I started squirming like a worm on the ground, kicking and punching at air like a toddler throwing a temper tantrum.


"I! Will not! Take! Another! WEDGIIIEEE!!" I cried out, sounding like a demon when I said "wedgie".


Needless to say, I didn't like this side of myself. But I couldn't take it anymore.


"You want a joke? You want a joke?!" I asked them, maniacal now. "Here, I'll give myself my own wedgie!" I said, grabbing my underwear and doing the job myself. If anyone was going to humiliate me like this, it was going to be me.


And with all the strength I could muster up, I did it right in front of their faces. My face was as red as a tomato, and I was sweating like crazy, but I did it no matter how much my butt hurt!


"That's right! Feels amazing! HOW YOU LIKE ME NOW?!!"


"Max…?"


And that's when I turned around and saw Mel, with Zach and one pretty disgusted police officer.

 

[Raerae]

"That's right! Feels amazing! HOW YOU LIKE ME NOW?!!"


Melanie and I had been directed to one of the cells, less dramatic than that of a county prison, but a cell never the less. My initial boy reaction was to be impressed, I mean, it was awful, but kind of an adrenaline rush. Max could say he'd lived through jail, and...


My admiration had plummeted as we were guided down the hall, and I could hear the distinct shouting of that idiot all the way at other end. I trotted up to the cell, "Max! What the hell man?"


But when he turned around, bloodied and bruised, there was a sudden flush to my skin and a spark inside of me. "Open the fucking gate," I told the officer. "And get him out of there."


"You think you're real tough?" I asked, venomously and glared menacingly at the men that I knew had ganged up on Max. Wait until I-"


"Do you want to get thrown in there, too? Back off, I'm already doing him a favor bailing him out cheap." The cell door screeched open as the guard messed with the door, and I beckoned for Max to come over.


"What're you gonna do now, tough guy?!"


"You better hope he dont end up back in here!" Another one shouted, flipping me off in the process.


"You're lucky there's a guard here," I told them, gritting my teeth. Just give me five seconds, I'd have the big one unconcsious! And then I thought about it, they better hope Rae doesn't come back here. If she doesn't kill them for touching her husband, she'd find a way to sue the county. She was scarier than a prosecuting attorney sometimes.


"Come on, man. Let's go," I told Max. "Enjoy your probation period, genius!"


The officer growled and demanded we head back towards the office. Another man sat behind the desk, bored and older.


"Do me a favor, get her a puppy instead. And don't ever, ever, give yourself a wedgie again. I understand, but... Yeah." We hovered by the desk as the man pulled out a box with Max's belongings.


"Five hundred if you want to leave, six if you want this wiped off you're record. Otherwise, you ain't leavin'," he said dully, and I looked to Max and shrugged.


"Max a credit card, or I can split it wrh you. I owe you anyways," I grinned, though it faltered as I noted the blood that'd dried on his face. "Rae's gunna thow a fit. So, elaborate on these ten year olds, will you? Looks like your wallets gunna pay today."


"One for your blogs, right babe?" I kissed her temple, holding her tight to refrain from heading back there and...

 

[DisneyGirl]

Mel;


Indeed, it was one for the blogs; which made me wonder…did Zach read my blog?


Seeing Zach pissed off troubled me, so when Max wasn't looking, I held Zach's hand and gave him a kiss on the temple myself.


And, as soon we bailed Max's sorry ass out of jail, we were off.


The girls had sent Max a long list that included things like a brand new Wii and tickets to see Wicked. Oh, and a giant teddy bear with Justin Bieber's face stitched onto its belly.


Honestly. What even?


Rae's freedom seriously depended upon a Justin Bieber teddy bear?


We spent literally the whole day running around town and splitting our money on this stuff, and just when I thought it couldn't get worse, the puppy happened. That little white cottonball of a poodle who wouldn't stop barking, chomped on my shoes, and peed on my leg like I was a fire hydrant. Not to mention, Max was getting a black eye from his beating earlier, and he had some broken or just straight up missing teeth. Sheesh, what did those guys do to him?


"Max!" I said, trying to control the pup, as she tugged on my ear with her teeth. "We are going to go BROKE. We got everything these little girls wanted. What else more could they possibly want?"


Max;


Mel was right. We'd gotten these girls the best of the best, and they just kept sending more stuff to buy; but now, it was time to pay up.


"McKenzie here," said the little devil on the other line.


"All right, McKenzie," I said. "We got the stuff. You got my girl. Time we trade."


"Hmmm…I don't know…"


"WOMAN, DON'T PLAY WITH ME." I said, sobbing again. "My wallet is CRYING thanks to you."


She sighed.


"Fine. Let's meet up."


Getting to the kid's house wasn't the hard part, considering she was only a mile away. The hard part was getting inside her house.


"My parents can't know you're here, so you're gonna have to climb the window to my room." McKenzie explained on the phone, as Mel, Zach and I stood outside her house with BOATLOADS OF SHIT!


But, I had to save my Rae. So like Prince Eric, or whoever climbed a tower for some Disney princess, I manned up and climbed that tree that lead to her room, with Mel and Zach right behind me.


When we finally made our way (well, fell our way) into the bedroom, the first thing I noticed was Rae.


"What the hell? Rae?! Is that you?"


"Oh. My. Gosh." Mel added.

 

[Raerae]

​

I know it seemed over dramatic, but after that devious brat had slammed the door, and I realized Max may not be able to find me, I just... broke down. Crying whilst bound with duct tape across my mouth was difficult, which just fueled the tears more. I felt the mascara on my eyelashes loosen, likely staining my cheeks in dramatic, black lines. And my fingers felt numb by this time, twitching and cold.


I'd just started to really lose it when there was a cartoonish thud to my right, and then I heard my finances heavenly voice, followed by Melanie, and then a low whistle from Zachary; to my dismay, however, they were seemingly shocked, if not disgusted. I winced, looking up through my tear dotted lashes, humiliated with the possibilities of what they'd done to me. But i was genuinely happy to see them, that was, until I got a load of Max's face...


And then I was in hysterics, eyes wide with fear and I struggled to get free, sobbing behind a taped both. What'd happened to my baby?!


--


She's blond!


"Calm down, calm down," I tried to tell her, absolutely shocked with the change in her appearance- and with the way she was acting when we looked at her, her eyes wide, which they usually were when she was genuinely innocent or oblivious, I had to wonder- did she have any idea what they'd done to her hair? Make, we could wash off. But her hair...


Rae always bragged cause it was straight up 'virgin hair', whatever that meant.


When I neared to try and unbind her, she'd managed to kick me right in the gut, and I exhaled as the wind was knocked out of me. "What the hell was that for?! You want help or not?!"


I reared back, and gestured for Max to move forward in a cough from my bruised abdomen, "She's in some kind of demented shock, I think you should untie her. We'll lay out the... negotiations."


I winced as I listened to her sobbing, which sounded muffled and dramatic behind me as I set out everything we'd bought, all of which had left a permanent hole in my wallet for God knows how long. Free lance artist didn't mix well with maniacal children and their individual sweet tooth and video game addictions.


"This is nuts. No more beer," I told Melanie, but kissed her sweetly, discreetly, in addition.


(When Max unties her, he can turn a mirror towards her, and she can flip. Haha. It's a big deal for her, as Zach stated. Her hair aids in her popularity for being untouched, but the girls dyed it blonde and chopped it all to her shoulders, when it was past her hips before.)

 

[DisneyGirl]

Max;


Rae loved her hair. One thing I learned since I've known her is that her hair had a personality and life of its own. It was pratically a member of our little family, being such a huge part of Rae. She adored her locks so much that it was almost like she had a love affair with it, honestly.


And God Bless the poor soul who interrupted my baby while she was shampooing and conditioning.


Gently, I untied her from her misery, and reluctantly, put a little pink mirror in front of her face.


It didn't look that bad, really. While her cut was, well, atrocious, Rae did look incredibly cute as a blonde. Hopefully, she wouldn't freak out too much?


Mel;


Meanwhile...


After Rae kicked Zach, I was at his side instantly. He seemed to be fine, although the anxiety in me worried about him. Making sure Rae and Max weren't watching, which they probably weren't given the situation with Rae's hair, I rubbed his stomach and gave him a sweet kiss on the cheek.


Yes, I was a little pissed at Rae for being so mean to Zach; but I suppose I couldn't blame her too much, because of all she had been through in the past 24 hours. What kind of psychotic little freaks were these girls??


I laughed at Zach's comment, as we organized the toys and gadgets.


"Tell me about it," I agreed, kissing him back. "Okay, seriously. I definitely need some alone time with you, maybe a makeout session, when we get back. It is my birthday, after all."

 

[Raerae]

Though the sight of myself had literally shocked me, I gently put the mirror down, wiping furiously at my make up till the cheap, greasy lip stick was smeared away and the blush had blended in a little less dramatically. Then I cupped his fave, gently prodding at his bottom lip, feeling the tears form in ny eyes again, but this time, it was for him.


"We look hideous," I choked out, but pulled him in for a gentle kiss, on the corner of his lips so it wouldn't hurt too much. "I wanna go home now, okay? You have to carry me. But you can tell me who did this to you, and we can call our lawyer."


Although I said it slowly and gently, it held all the foreshadowed threat a woman could muster.


"Not so fast!"


The bedroom door flung open, causing all of their to whip around and feast their eyes upon the devils at work. The four girls strode in like they owned the place, McKenzie's face scrunching up at the sight of Max. "Ew, are you baby? What happened to your face?"


"Don't you dare talk to him!" I snapped, clinging onto him as he helped me in my feet. "I should have all four of you adolescent nuisances apprehended for being totally psycho!"


They all just stared at me, like I'd lost them at adolescent. My fists clenched and bit my tongue, ohhhhh my guns were fully cocked!


---


"I know," I flashed her a bright grin, setting the Wii U on the night stand, reluctantly so as I'd been the one to pay for it. That's three hundred dollars I'd never get back. "You've got me all to yourself after this, love."


And then the girls came in. I'd never considered Max to be lying, I just hadn't expected him to be so... spot on. For some reason, despite me being several feet taller and totally willing to take out three gangsters in a jail, I felt protective and had moved in front of Melanie, lips puckered in a sour expression as their beady little eyes met mine.


The way Rae sounded off when she was pissed was the equivalent of verbal ammunition, and I couldn't help but crack a smile as she intellectually tore down the kids in the room. It was all incredibly ridiculous, but at least she didn't take shit- unless you bound her. But when Max came around? She was just as big a baby as he was, begging for his attention and to be doted upon by only him.


Did Mel feel that way towards me? Did she want to be babies and carried like that? Or did she want something electric and spicy? I tilted my head towards her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. Trial and error, I guess. She'd let me know, one way or another, right?


"Look, we've got what you wanted, stop playing Kardashian and buzz off."

 

[DisneyGirl]

Max;


McKenzie rolled her eyes, as if she didn't have time to argue with me. Huh. She was taller than I imagined, taller than Mel. But then again, Mel was like, what? 4'9? Okay, so more like 5'2.


"But we're not done with her makeover!" Said a blonde girl with big, sleepy blue eyes.


"Shut up, Piper!" McKenzie said, before saying, "But we're not done with her makeover."


"Makeover?!" I replied. "She looks like---like---"


Look. There was no denying Rae's haircut was hideous, alright? But I knew better than to actually admit it. Rae loved me, but I wasn't going to risk getting my ass kicked. I already saw what she did to Zach.


Although, it was kind of hot….


Damn, I missed that woman!


"She looks just fine, beautiful the way she is." I said, my voice in a high tone.


McKenzie took one look over at the toys, but she wasn't impressed. "Nope. We want more."


"WHAT?" Mel yelled. "But we got you a freaking poodle!"


But McKenzie didn't want the toys or the poodle.


She wanted Zach.


"Hubba, hubba." She said, her eyes wide with excitement. "Hello, husband."


Mel;


Ew. No.


"Husband?" I said, standing next to Zach. "You have gotta be---"


"MOVE!" McKenzie said, pushing me into the pile of toys. My face hit an open box of pizza one of the little girls had opened, and now I was covered in pepperoni and cheese.


Oh, hell no.


"Forget Barbie, you can have her." McKenzie said, grabbing Zach's arm. "We want Ken."


"He's sooo dreamy," said a redhead, sighing.


"Let go of him!" I yelled, grabbing onto Zach's other arm.


It was stupid of me to be jealous of a ten year old, but I actually sort of was. No way were they taking Zach away from me!


"Get her!" McKenzie screamed. "Get all of them!"


On cue, the other little girls charged, squealing and fighting Rae, Max, and me, while McKenzie held onto Zach's leg.


As if the fighting couldn't get any worse, it did, when the puppy poodle decided she wanted to get in on the fun.


If Max thought wedgies were painful, he had no idea how painful a dog's bite could be.


After an ear-piercing scream, and a few cuss words, Max cried out, "IT BIT ME! THE LITTLE MONSTER BIT ME ON THE BUTT!"


Really, it was quite a sight to see. Me getting pizza and candy thrown at my face; Zach with McKenzie around his leg; Rae with a bunch of little girls pulling at her hair, and Max with an evil poodle biting his butt and refusing to let go.


"What in the world is going on in here?" A woman said, opening the door. She had a man, just slightly shorter than her, next to her.


"You," the man said, narrowing his eyes at Max. "Not bad enough I arrest you for trying to kidnap a baby sea lion, but now you're trying to kidnap my little angel?"


Like lightning, the man ran after Max, and Max, being the idiot he was, screamed like a little girl and literally crashed through the window.


Through the window.


"OH MY GOD, did he just--?" Asked the cop, in awe.


"Is he even alive?" I asked, freaking out.


"I think I need a band-aid!" Cried Max from wherever he was.


"Yeah, he's alive." McKenzie said.


"McKenzie, what did mommy say about kidnapping grownups?" The woman asked her daughter. "It never ends well."