Beauty and the Xweetoks: Part Four

     How long is it going to take Summer the 'genius' to find out that Skittles is at Vanilla's house? she thought.

     She could barely sleep, for even though they were separated by dividers, she could still hear sniffles and sighs. May finally thought to herself – This home has more than one cool bedroom. By tomorrow, she could have Summer (or her) moved into a five room penthouse on the third floor.

     How long does it take contractors to build a new room? May wondered.

     ~*~*~*~

     Tess wondered if this would all work out as she lay in her speckled canopy bed that night.

     She and May had been friends ever since primary, when they were both baby Unis. May had let Tess borrow one of her new crayons, and they laughed so hard when they both were colouring the same picture of Fyora. Ever since then they'd been inseparable. Then the other Xweetoks joined. Then Angela came along.

     This all traced back to Angela. If Angela hadn't moved into the Crystalline family's guesthouse, then May wouldn't have taken it upon herself to morph her into a Uni, and then Tess wouldn't have been forced to choose.

     Did she really want to destroy her best friend for the sake of popularity?

     Of course she did!

     ~*~*~*~

     Nicole was the first face May saw that morning. May wasn't in a bed, she was on a sleeping bag and one pillow, which was a plain white one. Bella was next to her on another pillow.

     "What is going on?" May asked.

     "You're going to a different bedroom," said Nicole, "and I thought you might want to say goodbye to Bella before we send her to the petpet boarding academy."

     "Well, at least I get more rooms," May sighed.

     "No, May, you get one room. You can use a family bathroom and a wardrobe. Summer has already taken everything she wanted from here to the penthouse," said Nicole.

     "Then I should get this room," May said.

     "No," sighed Nicole, "you don't deserve it."

     May was moved to a wood room three rooms down from hers.

     A regal oak wood bed, a wooden chair, a wooden desk, a Kauvara dresser and purple wardrobe, a blue paper lantern, two small table lamps, a shell mirror, a full length mirror, a pink rug, two round green tables, a Techo clock, a large patterned window, shell curtains, a tropical ceiling fan, a red pot, a pink coral coat rack, a hat stand, and a talking tombstone alarm clock were the only furnishings in the room.

     There was ugly wallpaper and rough dirty carpeting in the room. The family bathroom had four stalls separated by smoked glass dividers, each containing a plain toilet, sink, bathtub, petpet bathtub, and a full length pink mirror and a shell mirror. All of the 'necessary' cosmetics, towels, toiletries, and bathroom stuff were kept in a wicker cloth lined basket next to the red pot trash can.

     May didn't have a lot of clothes left – Summer must have good taste. What she did have left were seven outfits, five pairs of shoes, a backpack, a handbag, and all of the 'necessary' accessories. Bella had three suitcases packed with the 'necessary' stuff and May's list of instructions that she had secretly added to the third suitcase along with some more items.

     Nicole broke down and bought Summer a new (third) Skittles, and May was in 30,000 Neopoints of debt. Summer got her own study, lounge, bedroom, bathroom, and closet. She divided her room in half so Skittles could have a room, too. The lounge had a kitchenette in it.

     "But I deserve more," said May. "I'm the good one."

     "Not according to Summer," said Nicole, "and Faerie Sky will be tutoring you for three hours after school."

     "You know that look I give – " May began. But Nicole was already gone.

     ~*~*~*~

     "We need a plan," Tess said to Tammie during their private chat the next morning.

     "I told Tori to make sure Starr and Stripe are totally oblivious to the fact that we only hired them because we needed more Unis." Tammie nodded. "I mean, seriously – they're unfashionable middle-class wannabes."

     Tess knew that May would never have a one-on-one talk about Crew business, but in this case it was best to leave the others out of it. Tori was loyal but just plain dumb, and she certainly couldn't include Starr and Stripe in this important discussion, given that Tammie had just mentioned the condition of their membership.

     "I say we – " the faerie Uni began.

     "Wait... what's going on over at the park?" Tammie interrupted.

     "I am NOT going to the park." Tess stood up. "The park is for losers... like... like..."

     "May, her owner, that Usul, and the other Xweetoks?" Tammie asked.

     "Not even THEY would stoop that low," Tess assured the brown Uni.

     "You sure?" Tammie asked.

     "Positive," Tess replied. "Why?"

     "Because May's shouting something into a megaphone." Tammie pointed to a pink Xweetok with a purple cone in hand.

     "Let's go check it out," Tess smiled, "but we'll need a disguise."

     Within minutes, two Unis in curled blonde wigs, triangular sunglasses, Wellington boots, garden gloves, wool scarves, and drab grey trench coats were on their way to the park.

     "Sign up for the Super Duper Pets Club!" May shouted.

     "Can I join?" asked a ghost Aisha. "My name's Anthea."

     "Sure," May said through clenched teeth, "BECAUSE AT THE SUPER DUPER PETS CLUB, EVERYONE IS A FRIEND!"

     "No need to yell," Anthea replied as she phased through the crowd to put her name on the list.

     "I am so sorry," Princess whispered to Angela.

     Two unfamiliar Unis (one brown and one blue or faerie) approached them.

     "Excuse me," the blue one said to them in a high-pitched voice, "um, like, what is this?"

     "This is the Super Duper Pets Club," Angela explained. "May's owner is making her do it. We used to be the Xweetok Crew – you should see what they did to her clubhouse. Don't join, I promise you, it's totally lame."

     "We have fun with you not make fun of you!" May shouted the irritating slogan into her megaphone.

     Somebody threw a tomato at her.

     "That's not very friendly," she said, trying to sound cheery.

     "Loser," the white Eyrie coughed.

     "YOU'RE A BIGGER ONE!" May shouted as the Eyrie stormed away.

     "May Crystalline, that is no way to talk to a friend!" Nicole scolded.

     "He's not a friend! Look what he threw at me!" She held the tomato up for her owner to see.

     "Everyone is a friend," Summer explained, "here at the SUPER DUPER PETS CLUB!"

     "Wanna join?" Celia walked over to the two unfamiliar Unis.

     "Might I ask why you're wearing an outfit that disguises your beautiful features?" Nicole asked, reaching for the brown Uni's sunglasses.

     "Don't touch!" She swatted the owner's hand away, forgetting her disguise voice. "We need these. And no, we will not be joining, because this club is the stupidest – "

     "Aren't you Jen's cousin?" Nicole asked.

     "Huh?" the brown Uni asked. "Who is this Jen of which you speak?"

     "Hey, guys! We found out a way to ruin the Xweetok Crew!" Starr, Stripe, and Tori waved in the distance.

     "There is no more Xweetok Crew," Summer explained. "That club was mean and wrong. It's now the Super Duper Pets Club where everyone is a – "

     "Tess?" May asked.

     Tess had never seen May like this – baggy sweatshirt, wrinkled jeans, dirty running shoes, no makeup or accessories – it was scary.

     "Um, who is this Tess?" Tess asked.

     "My friends at the XWEETOK CREW and I know exactly who you guys are!" May pointed to Jen, Angela, Vanilla, Arabella-Sara, Heygates, Berry, Princess, Cupcake, and Mizzy.

     "They're not Xweetoks," Tori pointed to the Lupe, Wocky, and Usul.

     "They're honorary members on pending for a morphing potion," May lied.

     "No we're – " Cupcake began, but Angela covered his mouth with her paw.

     "You're the Uni Crew!" Heygates shouted.

     "You live next door to us!" Arabella-Sara shouted at Starr and Stripe.

     "You can't do a co-ed crew!" Tammie shouted at them.

     "Wait, you have... eight?" Tori asked, "Man! Now we need five more."

     "Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!" Tess shouted at the royal Uni.

     "What'd I say?" Tori asked.

     "You are just a stupid waste of space!" the faerie Uni shouted. "You don't know anything! I'm starting to wonder how you're even in second grade!"

     "But I helped you find those two that you call wannabes – "

     "What?" Starr asked.

     "Oh, see, we only hired you two because we needed more Unis," Tori explained, "but I hear Tess and Tammie calling you unfashionable wanna – "

     "Then consider us QUITTING!" Stripe shouted.

     And just like that, the two Unis were gone.

     "Me, too!" Tori shouted.

     "Why?" Tammie asked.

     "Because you just insulted me in front of all these people!" She stormed off.

     "A club of two makes us look bad." Tammie shrugged before walking away.

     And just like that, Tess was alone.

     "Where'd May go?" Mizzy asked.

     "I think I saw her leave," Arabella-Sara said.

     "Her bike's gone." Heygates motioned to the missing pink bike from the bike cage.

     "MAY!" the Xweetoks called and ran towards the Crystalline home.

     Tess thought for a moment – she could either seem like a loser and apologize to May, morph into a Xweetok, lose her 'unconverted' status forever, and be in the Super Duper Pets Club, or she could be alone forever and look like a loser.

     In five seconds, she was running after the Happy Parade of Xweetoks.

     ~*~*~*~

     A pink Xweetok sobbed into a plushie armchair in the Super Duper Pets Clubhouse. Not only was her life completely ruined, but seeing Tess get stood up like that made her heart ache. She couldn't understand it – she was supposed to hate Tess. But something about the memory of them laughing over a colouring book in primary made her regret everything she'd said about Tess since the Crew split.

     "MAY!" a series of voices shouted.

     "Go away!" she shouted, trying not to sound like she'd been crying. "I just want to be alone."

     "We found out a way to get your life back," Berry explained.

     "Let us in and we can help," Tess said.

     They had thought something up on their way to the clubhouse.

     "Tess?" the pink Xweetok asked.

     "I can explain everything," the Uni replied.

     May slowly opened the was-pink-now-rainbow door.

     "Wow," Vanilla shuddered, "you weren't kidding when you said your owner destroyed the clubhouse."

     "Not helping." May wiped away tears.

     "That was a poor choice of words, V," Jen pointed out.

     "Just tell me," Berry sat on a rolling chair at the Snowmuncher side table, "do you think Summer has a secret?"

     May thought for a moment.

     ~*~*~*~

     "Summer, we need to talk!" May exclaimed.

     "NO!" Summer shouted.

     "Don't make me turn Skittles the Second into – "

     "You're a big meanie and I never want to talk to you again!" Summer yelled.

     "Look, this isn't easy for me either," May replied, "so either talk to me or I'm going to have a nice cozy sheet on my bed tonight."

     "Skittles doesn't have enough fur to – " Summer began, then looked down at her feet, noticing her favorite faux fur boots.

     May gave Summer a 'get the picture' look.

     "Mom would catch on if I weren't wearing shoes when we came home tonight," Summer replied.

     "Well, thanks to you, I won't be coming home tonight because the sleepovers on Fridays are now at Vanilla's house, as with the Xweetok Crew meetings," May replied.

     "You're not going, remember?" Summer asked.

     "Oh, yeah, I'm 'grounded for three months'," May replied.

     "Anyway, I really like the new Super Duper Kids Club," Summer said, "and I love the fact that I'm a main job."

     "Well, I don't so much 'love' the fact that you're ruining my life," May replied.

     "Well, now you know how I feel," Summer replied.

     "You're not the one who lost her luxurious room to a trash dump, you're not the one whose petpet has been sent to boarding school, you're not the one being tutored for three hours, you're not the one who's grounded for three months, you're not the one with the lousy club, you're not the one whose diet was banned, you're – " May began.

     "You didn't deserve all that stuff," Summer replied. "You're getting what you deserve."

     "When you told Mom about your two owners, I saw a look in your eye – the look that I give Mom when I'm telling a big lie," May replied, "and I want to know WHAT that lie was."

     "Lie?" Summer asked. "I have no clue what you're talking about."

     "Puh-lease, season," May replied, "how stupid do you think I am?"

     "Extremely," Summer replied.

     "1) That was a rhetorical question. 2) I've seen that look 200 times approximately and I know EXACTLY what it means – you're telling a big lie."

     "Maybe I was, but even so, what makes you think I'M going to tell YOU?" Summer replied. "You might have been smart enough to figure that out, but you're not SMART."

     "If it's the only thing I know, I know how to get a secret off someone," May replied.

     "Do your worst," Summer replied.

     "I will tell YOU a secret if you tell me yours," May replied.

     "You first," said Summer.

     "How do I know you're not going to cheat me?" May asked.

     "How do I know you're not going to cheat ME?" Summer asked.

     "I swear on Bella and whatever's left of my reputation that I won't cheat you," May replied.

     "Okay, but do you swear on the same things that you won't tell ANYBODY else my secret?" Summer asked.

     "Yes," May replied.

     "The reason my first owner put me in the pound is because all her stocks went down and she didn't have enough points to take care of me," said Summer, "but before she was really rich and had all sorts of cool things. She read me ten gazillion books and fed me about 200 gourmet foods, and we won a lot of trophies, but the only thing I got to keep was Skittles, and I still got a high class room. Then I got demoted to a kennel when my petpet stealer adopted me."

     "But why weren't you painted?" May asked. "Or your petpet?"

     "My original Skittles was faerie," said Summer, "and my owner promised to paint me any color I wanted once I was seven... but she couldn't afford to."

     "Why did she spend all her Neopoints on stocks?" May asked.

     "I don't know," Summer replied. "She said it seemed like a good idea at the time."

     "Oh," May sighed, "well, let's go to Vanilla's house."

     "Why?" Summer asked.

     "I presume you're going to want Skittles back at some point, right?" May asked.

     "I thought you – "

     "Think about it – I wouldn't eat meat because I was afraid of harming petpets," May replied.

     They both started laughing on their way to Vanilla's mansion. And Summer promised they would pick up Bella afterwards.

     ***

     "Well, we both have our lives back now," May said to Princess, Cupcake, Angela, and Mizzy as she and Summer came up to the table, "thanks."

     "Does this mean we're friends?" Princess asked.

     "NO! NEVER EVER WILL I BE FRIENDS WITH YOU LOSERES!" May exclaimed.

     Princess's face dropped.

     "Kidding, of course we are!" May laughed, "but unless you let me buy you morphing potions, I can't let you be part of the Crew."

     "We're good, but... didn't your owner ruin the Crew?" Princess asked.

     "She and Summer came up with a plan that I could have my club and they could have theirs, as long as I let Summer study with us," said May, "and did an hour of tutoring each day."

     "You can join the Super Duper Pets Club," Summer replied. "Maybe you can tag along when we go pick trash out of the Neo Grande River next week."

     "We're good," Mizzy laughed.

     The six pets laughed as they began to walk to class with Jen the spotted Xweetok, Vanilla the white Xweetok, Berry the blue Xweetok, Arabella-Sara the snow Xweetok, Heygates the starry Xweetok, and Tess the faerie Xweetok. For once, in the world of Faerie Sky Neoschool, everything was finally perfect.

The End

Author's note: Berry, Princess, and Mizzy appear courtesy of Missy_c_in_Meridell. Arabella-Sara, Heygates, and Anthea appear from needforspeed2008. Hope you enjoyed!