The Woods (On Pause)

Chapter 17-GET THIS! Raspberries Are SOUR! MIND. BLOWN.

Chapter 17-GET THIS! Raspberries Are SOUR! MIND. BLOWN.

Not edited.

"So what are you wearing for the gala?"

"Oh that's a whole month away, I've got time to decide."

Robyn paid no attention to the two girls that sat in front chattering away. The shopping trip had been hell for her.

She didn't understand how people's taste in clothing had changed so much from when she was just a kid. Now 'fashionable clothes' were basically strips of fabric that covered the private parts.

Damn.

Tony hadn't made the trip easier for her either. She kept scolding Robyn when she apparently "picked the wrong outfit" and even snapped at Robyn when she called her Tony, saying," That's Antonia to you."

Kathy on the other hand, took it as the beginning of a wonderful frienship and sat back throughout the entire trip.

On the brighter side, she thought. I've got an entire wardrobe of clothes to take back to the cabin when one month's done.

Robyn's greatest fear however, was meeting all those people. What if her parents' murderer was among them?

They would recognize her immediately if she used her real name.

No.

She had to tell Kathy to lie about her identity. But she couldn't do it in the presence of Ton-Antonia.
She had to find a way.

In no time, Kathy parked in a smallish parking lot outside an apartment block and got out, Antonia (yes I finally got it right!) in tow.

"What are you waiting for RobRob? Right, sorry. I won't call you thay again." She quickly added when Robyn winced.

"Um, can I talk to you? Alone?" Antonia rolled her eyes and caught to bunch of keys Kathy tossed with ease before sashaying- yes sashaying- into the building.

"What's wrong," Kathy sat back in the car. "You can't tell anyone my real name." Robyn blurted out.

Kathy's brows furrowed in confusion. "But why n--"

"HEY!!"

Both girls jumped in surprise when a girl with wine coloured hair seemed to appear out of nowhere and launched herself onto Kathy's windscreen.

"HI KATHY!" came her muffled greeting. Robyn and Kathy came out as the girl began to unpeel her grinning face from the glass.
Two other girls walked towards them.

"Hi Kathy! Hi New Girl I Don't Know From A Hole!" The redhead gave Robyn a full blown grin. Slightly dazed, Robyn waved meekly.

"Hey Berry, Jo." Kathy smiled at the redhead and one other girl with dark hair, but her smile faded into a fake one when she turned to the other girl, who mirrored Kathy's expression.

"Shirley." Kathy hissed through gritted teeth. "Katrina." The girl, Shirley, smirked. "What are you doing here? I didn't invite you. "

Shirley opened her mouth to reply, but she was cut off by the redhead, Berry. "Tony invited her and yelled at me to let her join Jo and I on the walk here!" She said chirpily.

Does this girl have some sort of illness that limits her to one expression only?

"Oh," Kathy mumbled and there was an uncomfortable silence. Until, of course-- "Well howdy stranger!" Berry chirped, seeming to forget she'd already greeted Robyn.

"You must be our project for the month! What's your name?"

Project for the month?

Robyn and Kathy exchanged glances before blurting out names in unison.

"Rosa!"

"Birdie!"

They exchanged worried glances and tried again.

"Birdie!"

"Rosa!"

Jo raised an eyebrow and Berry asked with uncertainty, "Your name's... Rosa Birdie Birdie Rosa?" She looked genuinely puzzled and flabbergasted. Shirley slapped her forehead.

"Um...no," Robyn laughed nervously. "My name's...uhh..."
Just then two big trucks passed by.

The first one had 'Gramma Bella's Bakes and Cakes: Life's a bunch of Doughs and Donuts!' written on it.

And the second had, 'Sausalito Bros. Orchard Deliveries: One bite and you'll be apple-y going about your lives! '

"It's B-Bella...uh...Applesauce!" This time it was Kathy that facepalmed.

"I-I mean, I don't a-actually remember my surname?" Robyn's face resembled an overly ripe tomato, as she made a feeble attempt to clarify.

Looking as confused as can be, Berry started slowly, "Okay, but why Applesauce? "

"W-Why Berry? Huh?" Robyn countered quickly, desperately trying to avert the attention from her embarrassing fake name. Berry gave her a weird look before breaking into the World's Widest Grin.

"You finally asked!" She pulled a startled Robyn into a tight hug.

Yup, definitely has some sort of disease.

"My real name isn't Berry. I changed it when I first tasted raspberries. Oh I remember it like it was yesterday..." she trailed off, a dazed expression on her still smiling face.

"It was yesterday, you idiot." Shirley rolled her eyes. "Apparently she thought all berries were sweet and when she did taste the raspberries, she called everyone and told us to call her Berry from then on because apparently, "she felt a connection and a deep bond between the berries and her and her life's purpose had been finally fulfilled." " Shirley rolled her eyes.

"So anyway I tasted the berries," Berry started, having suddenly snapped out of her dream state. "And get this! Raspberries are SOUR! MIND. BLOWN."

"Uh-uh...yaaay you?" Robyn fistpumped meekly, unsure of how to respond.

"Right? So, what's your story?" She questioned brightly. "Uh-th-uh...I l-love apples? A-and s-sauce?" Robyn's statement ended in a question but Berry seemed to be buying it, as she stared at Robyn with wide eyes and an awestruck expression.

"Woah." She breathed.

"Okay! So it's getting pretty late, the uh meeting was supposed to have started thirty minutes ago, mosquitoes are starting to bite and uh I'm pretty sure I saw everyone else arrive, so why don't we just go inside and start this?" Kathy clapped.

Berry nodded and gave Robyn a giddy grin- gums and teeth on display- before dragging Jo and Shirley with her into the building.

Once they were inside, Kathy burst out laughing and Robyn went from tomato to beetroot in 0.10 nanoseconds Just.Like.That.

"Bella Applesauce? Seriously? Where did that even come from?"

"Birdie? Really? Where did that even come from?" Robyn snapped back with narrowed eyes.

I am really getting good at this countering thing.

She huffed and marched towards the building, with a new found courage.

Picture of Kathy on the side ~>

It took 4 hrs to write this chapter. No joke!

Qotd: If I'm not back in five minutes, wait longer.
-Ace Ventura: Pet Detective