by R. J. Ross
“You didn’t fix them?”
“I was too busy yelling after the boys,” she admits, her eyes flashing angrily. She pauses as her phone dings and pulls it out, checking the text. “Okay, go get your tea party dress on,” she tells me. “We have to be there in fifteen minutes.”
“But—but—that’s too soon!” I say, shocked out of the argument. “I still haven’t decided between the chiffon and the taffeta!”
“Chiffon, sweetie, you’re going to be outside, the lighter material will be nice in this weather,” Mama says.
“Oh, you’re right,” I say, realizing how obvious this is. I run off to my bedroom and tap on my closet, which opens to reveal all my special dresses. I sort through them quickly and pull out my favorite chiffon dress, smiling brilliantly as I hug it. I finally get to wear it! I wanted to wear it to school, but I also wanted to wear that one and that one and—
“Are you ready yet?” Mama calls in.
“Almost!” I yell back, getting changed. “Oh no! I can’t find the matching shoes!” I call out, starting to panic. She comes in and soon we have everything just right, thankfully. She even piles my hair up with my favorite flower pin! I feel like a princess!
“They had better not throw sand at my favorite dress,” I say, my eyes narrowing on my reflection in the mirror. “Wait! I need to bring a dress for Evie!” I say, rushing back to my closet and digging through it. “This one will go with her eyes!” I decide, pulling one of my other favorites out. The image of her wearing it just makes me SO happy! She’ll look so pretty! “You can make it fit her, right, Mama?”
“I can make it fit, but are you sure you want to give that one away?” she asks.
“Yes, this is good,” I say. “I only have ONE best friend, and she’s it!” I mean, I like Cubby and Robo, but they’re not Evie!
“Then we’ll see if she likes it,” Mama says, “and I’ll make you one just like it in a different color later.”
“We could MATCH!” I say excitedly as we head out of the house. Mom locks the door as I climb into my special seat in the car. I’m strapped in and fidgeting excitedly by the time she gets in, herself. The trip to the playground seems to take forever!
“Mask on, honey, just in case,” she says over her shoulder. I dig out the mask I have to take everywhere—well, one of them.
It’s only when Mama’s parking the car that I suddenly feel my stomach jump into my throat and my hands grow clammy. What if they’re not here? There are people in the parking lot; I don’t recognize any of them. I see some rough looking teenagers sitting at a table over there—one of them lets out a snort of laughter as I get out of the car, and I feel my cheeks turn bright red.
“I changed my mind,” I say, turning to get back into the car. Just as Mama turns to say something, though, the kids at the table start shouting in excitement.
“Hey, now,” I hear a familiar rough voice say from above, “I got all dressed up for this, you know. Ya gonna just bail on us at the front door?”
I turn, seeing Jack on his surfboard overhead, wearing a dress shirt and a pair of jeans. He gives me a grin and lands, bowing to me in a clumsy manner. “Oh, right,” he adds as I start giggling. “I’m your waiter for today.”
I don’t care, I think as I race forward, jumping into his arms. He picks me up, sitting me on his arm. “You look pretty,” he says, only to stop as the teens that had laughed at me race forward. He looks at them, and I lean against his shoulder, looking at them, as well. They don’t seem so rough, now. In fact they look kind of little from up here…
“Is she your sister?” one asks eagerly.
“She’s SO cute!” another says, and I realize it’s a girl. But they had been laughing at me… right? I curl in closer to Jack, not sure what to believe.
“HANA!” I hear Evie shout. I squirm in Jack’s hold, looking behind him. She’s riding on her big brother’s shoulders, waving wildly at me. She’s wearing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, just like I thought she would be.
“EVIE!” I shout back, waving both arms just as wildly. “I brought you a dress for the party!”
“You’re having a party?” one of the teens asks, looking confused.
“See this lil’ princess?” Jack asks, reaching up and taking my hand. “She says she wants a tea party, so that’s exactly what she’s gettin’. Now, if you’d excuse us,” he adds, heading for Rocco and Evie. The two bump knuckles in greeting as I reach for Evie for a hug. We’re at different heights, but I don’t care. She’s the best thing I’ve seen today!
“Where are Cubby and Robo?” I ask the guys.
“On the way,” Rocco says. “They weren’t nearly as eager to get dressed up as you were, I bet.”
“Boys,” I say with a huff.
“Hey, now, I happen to LIKE looking good,” Rocco says, posing. “But where’s this dress? We didn’t have time to find one for Evie, so thank you.”
“Mama has it!” I say, pointing to where Mama is getting the dress out of the back of the car. She’s already set up the cloth changing room, and everything!
“Evie!” Mama says, “Hana picked out one of her very favorite dresses for you to wear, but only if you want to.” She holds up the dress as I’m about to protest. She has to wear the dress! She’ll look perfect for the party!
Evie stares at it in wonder and nods. I feel smug, because I knew I had picked the right dress! “Now if you would just come into my magic room,” Mama says, opening the curtain of the changing room. Rocco lets Evie down and she heads in. We hear her giggling a second later, and then she comes out, looking BEAUTIFUL!
“Absolutely perfect, sis,” Rocco says as she gives us a shy look.
“I’ll put up the magic room!” I say, hopping out of Jack’s hold and waving a hand with a flourish. The cloth room collapses, shrinking into a small hoop, which I pick up and take to the car. I can hear people whispering, but I ignore it. I’m not alone, or with just Mama right now. They can talk all they want, I don’t care!
“Now, ladies, if you would come this way,” Rocco says, bowing and motioning us forward. I head forward, only barely restraining from running as the park changes around us. The change seems to move at our speed, the trees blooming with flowers, and ribbons connecting pretty light poles that hadn’t been there earlier. As we reach the picnic tables that Rocco had indicated, they change, turning into fancy ones straight out of a restaurant, with pretty little chairs surrounding them.
Ace shimmers into sight, wearing a colorful outfit and top hat that has a tag with numbers on it sticking out of the brim. “Ladies,” he says, bowing and motioning us forward, “we welcome you to… your tea party,” he says, peeking up at us with a grin from his bow. “And since none of the snacks I would make are real, we had some brought in.”
I look both ways and then go over to whisper, “Tea parties ARE imaginary,” to him, because he clearly doesn’t understand.
“Then I have a leg up on the whole thing!” he says, making me laugh. “But we can’t bring Liberty boys here and not have real cookies.” I nod, because that makes perfect sense. I glance over to see that Jack is nodding, as well. He’s also wearing a strange pair of bunny ears… I wonder if he realizes that.
“Now, you two, keep the clothes on until after you’ve eaten the cookies,” I hear Trent say. I turn, surprised to see that HE’S the one with Robo and Cubby, wearing a Panther T-shirt, a mask, and a baseball hat—that changes into a set of mouse ears for some reason. I look at Jack, who shrugs.
“I never learned to tie a bow tie, so Trent got the boys,” he admits. I nod, because now it makes perfect sense.
“Cubby! Robo!” I call out, excitedly. “They brought REAL cookies and tea—I don’t like tea,” I whisper to Jack, as soon as I realize the problem.
“We brought Kool-Aid,” he tells me.
“Kool-Aid!” I say, excitedly.
“And,” Trent says, pulling something out of his pocket, “Bobby had to work at the hospital, so Clinky dec
ided he wanted to come in his place.”
“So let’s get this party started, shall we?” Ace asks, tapping a spoon to a glass that I swear he hadn’t been holding a second earlier. “May we all have a very merry unbirthday!” I start giggling as the tea pot on the table lets out a tweet. He grins, and then turns slightly.
“Ah, here’s Cubby and Robo’s mom, Amara, thank you for gracing us with your presence,” he says. I look behind us, seeing a woman in the most beautiful dress I’ve EVER seen—who’s giving sharp looks to Cubby and Robo as they try to sneak out of their vests.
“I wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity!” she says, and then nods to a woman with a camera. “You don’t mind if we photograph this, do you? I’ve already arranged all the technical things.”
“It’s a photo shoot?” I ask, almost fainting with joy.
We sit down, only to start laughing as Clinky jumps right into the bowl of sugar on the table, and I pick up my teacup of Kool-Aid, taking a moment to force my pinky up, properly.
“Welcome, everyone, to our tea party!” I say, grandly. “Now LET’S EAT!” Because I’ve eaten lunch with the boys, they have NO manners, so why bother forcing them to? Those sweets look too amazing to worry about pinkies!
Cubby and Robo look at each other, surprised, and then dig in. What? I might like things to be beautiful and perfect, but that’s only for MATERIALS! I only have four real friends, I’m going to do my very best to make sure they… that they still like me when we’re older. Plus, this cookie is SO good! And if we don’t eat fast, the Liberty boys will eat them all!
***
Kim and Amara watch the children eat as Bella, their photographer, takes pictures of the party. “This was a brilliant idea,” Amara says to Kim.
Kim sighs, looking at the norms watching from all directions. “Not… exactly what I was thinking, but the kids always do things up big,” she admits.
“What happened?” Amara asks, looking at her.
“My daughter is… I adore her, and I know exactly how she came to be what she is, but she’s a bit of a diva,” Kim admits.
“She’s adorable,” Amara says. “That chiffon dress is absolutely gorgeous. So is Evie’s! Did she pick them out?”
“Oh, no, she didn’t just pick them out, she designed them,” Kim says. “You should see her work room, she has designs for up until she’s twenty already sketched out.”
“I want to see that, desperately,” Amara says, much to Kim’s surprise. “Please invite me over? I have trouble keeping pants on my boys, and my daughter turns into a panther whenever I try to get her in heels. Let me bask in the loveliness of a girly girl.”
“I would LOVE to,” Kim says. “I should invite Evie and her mother over, as well. I’ve never seen Hana look so happy out in public.”
She looks at the three teenage villains, because they’re right in the middle of this. Trent she could understand, but these three—she shakes her head with amusement as Ace and Rocco tap their cups together and chug down Kool-Aid, just like the little kids, although Ace has his pinkie up.
“And there go the vests,” Amara says with a sigh. “I saw that coming. Cubby, the tie stays for five more minutes!” she calls out, earning a guilty look. “Okay, three,” she gives in, shaking her head.
“Look at that,” Kim hears someone say, which is followed by a snort of laughter. She feels her temper flare, memories of her daughter’s last attempt at a tea party flashing through her mind. Since when has it been— “I never thought I’d see COLD STEEL at a tea party. Are those bunny ears? That’s awesome!”
“Who are those little girls? They’re so cute!”
“Look at the guinea pig! It’s drinking out of the teacup!”
“I’m so sorry I’m late!” Ashlynn calls out from behind them. “I had to get ready for Monday’s picture day, which is astonishingly more complicated considering they have uniforms—”
The two mothers turn and grin, greeting her cheerfully.
“How about a ‘mother’s only’ get together sometime, as well?” Kim asks. “I’ll have my dad take Hana for the afternoon.”
“I will be more than happy to bring the cookies if you provide the tea,” Amara agrees.
“Tea?” Ashlynn asks blankly. The other two start to laugh, pulling her into the group.
***
*That night*
“Mama! Okaa-san!” I yell, “I’M ON THE TV!”
“I’m coming, I’m coming!” she calls from the back, bustling into the room with pins sticking out of her mouth. She pulls them out, looking guilty. “Don’t walk around like Mama just did, sweetie, it’s dangerous.”
I giggle, but only a little because I’m ON THE TV! I point, practically vibrating with excitement. “Look!”
On the TV is a reporter, who’s standing near the park where the party is—I can see myself and Evie and the boys and everyone behind her. We look FABULOUS! Around the reporter are the teens that had scared me. The girl that had said I was cute is talking.
“So first this little girl in a dress gets out of the car, which isn’t that big of a deal,” she says, “I mean, the dress was really pretty, so—”
“Melly here thought she could wear something like that,” a boy says, bursting out laughing.
“I could TOTALLY pull off a dress like that, I just don’t,” the girl says, her face red with embarrassment and anger.
“It’s a little girl’s—” the boy starts out.
“I think you would look beautiful in any dress,” the reporter tells her.
“Um… thanks,” the girl says, smiling, now. “But then she was about to leave, probably because she’s a super, right? She heard this jerk laugh at me!” she goes on, glaring at the boy. “And then Cold Steel showed up!”
“Are all the children wearing masks?” the reporter asks in a whisper as the camera turns towards our group.
“Yeah, I think so,” the girl whispers back.
“So we have our biggest names in super villainy hosting a tea party for future villains!” the news reporter declares, excitedly. “What good… I mean, how devious! They’re luring them to the dark side with cookies!”
I would usually laugh my head off at a line like that, but I’m too stunned. “He was laughing at her?” I ask Mama.
“I think,” she says, “he was teasing her because he likes her.”
“But that’s a terrible way to treat someone you like!” I say, getting irritated. “He should tell her that she’d be beautiful in a dress! I… I want to design her one that will make him stop talking mean!” I decide, running off to my workroom. “He’s gonna be sorry he laughed!” I yell.
“Are you certain you’re not going villain?” I hear her ask, but I’m too busy digging out my colored pencils to reply.
*A thick velvet curtain swishes closed and a sign drops down from a rope in front of it. It reads, “We now return you to the main story line”*
CHAPTER FOUR
*Monday Morning*
To the group’s surprise, Nico is in their classroom as they walk in. He’s got a cup of coffee in his hand and is having a chat with the guinea pig sitting on the teacher’s desk next to him. Cubby blinks as Robo runs over, throwing himself at Nico. Usually he would run over with his brother to join in, but…
“Cubby?” Ashlynn asks. “Is there something wrong?”
“Uncle Nico is Robo’s maker,” Cubby says quietly. “He gets first hugs.” Nico looks over at him, holding out an arm, and Cubby rushes forward, now. The look of confusion on Ashlynn’s face says she has no clue how that matters.
“Hey, kiddos, you bein’ good?” Nico asks, picking them both up.
“We’re ALWAYS good!” Robo says.
“Oh, really,” Nico says, amused. “And would your big sister say the same?” Cubby starts laughing at the question, and Nico just grins as Robo tries to come up with the right answer. “I’ve heard all about the ‘Baby Shark’ song episode, boys, don’t lie,” Nico says.
&nbs
p; “Principal Nico,” Ashlynn says, “this is a surprise! Is there something important happening?”
“There is,” he says as the little girls take their seats. He puts the boys down and motions them over to the table, and then heads there, himself. “As you all know,” he says, “my wife is going to have a baby, soon.”
The little ones nod, looking excited. “Can we meet the baby?” Hana asks.
“You can see his feed in a little bit,” Nico says. “But you can’t meet him face to face just yet—he’s still in his mom’s belly at the moment.”
“Does he kick?” Evie asks softly.
“Like a bucking bronco,” Nico says proudly. “But that’s not why I’m here. I‘m here to invite all of you to a very special baby shower today, after school is over. Oh, sure, we’ve got a boring one lined up for the adults, but we’re going to have one specifically for you and the rest of the kids in the school. And just like I did for the older kids, I’ve brought all the stuff you might need to put together presents for the baby as an art project, so… you don’t mind, do you, Ms. Ashlynn?”
“I think this is a great idea!” she says. “Kids, would you like to make gifts for the baby?”
“YEAH!” they shout, even Evie, looking excited.
“I need to see the feed,” Hana declares. “I need to see for measurements!”
“The baby isn’t fully developed yet—” Ashylnn starts out.
“He almost is, actually, my dad says he could be born without any trouble, now, even if he’s due in two months,” Nico says. “But he’s growing fast, can you work with that?” he says to Hana.
“Of COURSE I can!” she says.
Cubby, on the other hand, looks down, frowning in deep thought. “Cubby?” Nico asks. “What’s wrong, kid?”
“I can’t sew,” Cubby rasps out guiltily.
“That’s fine,” Nico says, going over to crouch down next to him. “You can do whatever it is that you think the baby might like.”