It's Gonna Take A Little Time... A Little Time To Think Things Over...

Chapter 22: Love Potion N. 9

BRENDA
I stood up, brushing sand residue off my orange soda pop heels. Pamela stood up and started pacing back and forth. She did that whenever she was deep in thought. My heels clicked the floor sharply as I walked to the bathroom door.

I pushed it open gently, my violet acrylic nails tapping the door in the process. I saw Jackson and Timothy crying dramatically, but laughter also spilled from their mouths. Jolie was trying not to laugh as she had her arm around Timothy, and Ken had his arms wrapped around Jackson's neck, laughing.

They looked so happy, I felt bad. As I glanced at Ken, I wished I was allowed to mingle with Jackson's friends, but Exer had told us to stay awake from them. Well, sorry Ex, I'm going to break those rules today.

Jackson opened his eyes from laughing and saw me. He wiped his eyes and flashed me a small smile. "Are you feeling better? Does your head hurt?" He asked. I smiled. "I'm feeling lovely." I smiled at Jackson and turned my attention to the boy next to him. "Ken, is your nose alright?" I crouched down next to Ken and touched his cheek.

"I-I'm fine. My nose is a little bruised though." Ken stuttered and blushed. She hadn't heard him stutter before and flushed crimson ll. He blushed back. "Mhm. I see what's going on here." Jolie squinted her doe eyes and put her hands on her hips, glancing at me, then Ken.

"Huh?" I faltered and Ken started whistling and looking at the ceiling. Jolie cleared her throat and stood up, heaving Timothy to his feet and looking at Jackson pointedly. As they walked out of the restroom, Jolie muttered under her breath and looked at me. "Hurt my best friend and you'll see what happens."

I jumped and Jolie stopped glaring and gave a, 'go on' nod. I sighed as the bathroom door swung closed. It was just Ken and I.

EXER
David and I are sitting on a bench on the outskirts of town, and David is whining dramaticly, hands over his pale face.
"Day." I shook his shoulder and gave him a 'really dude? ' look when he peeked at me through his fingers.

"Stop freaking out. We will find them." I sigh and stand up, hands on my hips. I decided to think about this. If I was Jackson Smith, in the past, where would I be? Well, not at home, because it would be someone else's house. Maybe a library? No. Cafe? Probably not. He was a vegetarian.

School? Who would want to be there on a weekend?! Well Jackson might. I think that was the best option. I grabbed David's hand and pulled him to our highschool. I saw the big sign that read 'Jeanes High School' before I walked to the front door and gave it a tug.

It was locked. Obviously. I glanced around and then proceeded to stick my hand out and concentrate on the door, I saw emerald, and click! The door unlocked and I pulled David in. I walked down the hallway and glanced around. They weren't here, but maybe they were in another year. Which year was the question.

I looked at the pictures on the wall for each year and decided to see how far back it went. It went to the year nineteen-fifty-five. There it is. They must be in that year! I think. Maybe. I glanced at David, and saw him inspecting the pictures. He gasped and jumped back. I looked at him.

"What?!" I asked and he pointed at the reflections on the picture. And I saw it. Instead of seeing my beautiful face, I saw the group, minus Brenda, leaving the bathroom behind us. I looked behind me, but they weren't there.

David looked at the reflection of another year, and it was normal. "They are in nineteen-fifty-five!" He exclaimed, touching the smooth glass. I touched the glass, and it felt warm. Cool green light emitted from my hands and the glass vibratrated.

I touched the glass and my hand went through the picture.

BRENDA
Ken stood up and sat on the oddly pristine sinks and glanced at me, eyebrows raised. "Ken, I want to ask you something." I started to speak, and noticed my voice cracked. Ken started fiddling with his fingernails, which were painted a matte sooty black.

"What is it Brenda?" He asked, and it sounded like he was... Nervous? He brushed a strand of dark hair out of his eyes. I sighed. I wanted to ask him about his life, but instead this spilled out of my mouth.

"Will you go on a date with me?" I blurted. Ken went a rosy color. "Really?" He asked skeptically, but when I nodded, he jumped up and a humongous smile spread across his pale face. He hopped over to me and picked me up off the ground, squeezing me tight and spinning me in a circle before putting me don.

"Of course m'lady, I'd go on a date with you any day!" He smiled happily. "You can't tell Jack." I added quickly. He looked confused. "Exer and Jackson don't want our friend groups to mix." I explained, linking my fingers together.

"I... Okay." He nodded, took my hand, bent down, and kissed it. Then he smiled at me and left. When I opened my hand, there was a little slip of paper, of which had the time and date of the date. I was confused how he wrote it without me noticing until I flipped it over and it read, In case Barbie ever asks me on a date.

I felt my heart skip a beat as I smiled and pocketed the paper. Good thing my dress has pockets. Ken quickly opened the door and yelled: "Barbie! There's an arm in the picture!

I jumped out of the bathroom and saw what he meant. A smooth, bronzed arm was sticking out of the painting. "Jackson touched it and disappeared!" Ken warbled. The group was looking nervous and Ron touched the hand, and got yanked into the picture. What. The. Hell?!

I recognized the arm. "It's Exer!" I exclaim, and grabbing Ken's hand, I yanked him to the picture and grasped Exer's fingers. He jerked my arm and I felt myself go through the picture. It felt like when you jumped into water, except I was dry, could breathe, and it was pitch black.

I remerged on the other side, my hand still holding Ken's, who hopped out a moment later. I saw Jackson and Ronald, along with Exer and David. I let go of both boy's hands and flung my arms around my twin's neck. He squeezed me back.

"Brenda! You're okay! I was so worried!" David let go of me and smiled, but he saw Ken and glared. Then he looked at me and back at Ken. "Don't touch her! She's my sister, not your fiance!" He hissed, and we both looked at each other, confused.

"We haven't even gone on a date! Yet." I added the 'yet' under my breath, but David heard it and started flipping out. I was used to his rare tantrums and he was mumbling incoherently to himself, occasionally flipping the laughing Ken off, and shaking my shoulders, trying to shake some 'sense into me' as he put it.

Exer eventually pulled his boyfriend away and started tsk-tsking at him and telling him to stop freaking out, and David was whining. I don't think he's gotten a lot of sleep lately.

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