That "Love" Girl
Chapter Ten
By Rachel Rene

    The other four had just gotten back by the time Micky and Karisma walked through the door.  Karisma muttered a goodnight to the rest of the Monkees, and walked to her house with Mary.
    When the girls left, Mike asked Micky, "So what'd ya have ta say ta Kari so bad that we had to be kicked out of the house?  That Mary had ta be kicked out?"
    "It was about Mary.  I just needed someone to talk to, and you guys were no help." Micky replied and left the room to go to his bed.  Mike just shook his head and followed him up to their room.
    Davy had been grooming, and practicing his good dental hygiene.  Peter didn't go upstairs immediately.  He stayed one the first floor, on the couch.  He didn't say anything to anybody, not even goodnight to Kari before she left.  He just stared at the ceiling while lying on his back.  Eventually he got up and walked up the steps to his room, trying not to wake Davy as he crept in bed.

    A few houses down, Karisma couldn't sleep.  She stared up at the ceiling, thinking silently to herself.  She heard a knock on her bedroom door.  "Karisma?" It was Mary.
    "Come in, Mary." Kari called.  Mary opened the door silently and gently closed it, running over to Kari's bed.
    "Can I talk to you?" Mary asked.
    "Sure," Kari put up some pillows and propped herself up, patting beside her for Mary to crawl under the covers.  "What'd ya need, babe?"
    Looking at her hands folded in front of her, Mary answered, "I don't know... I just thought that we could talk about lot's of stuff." She looked back at Kari, "You probably don't feel like talking after what happened tonight, but I thought maybe you needed to get something off your chest or something."
    I can't say that Kari wasn't surprised.  She had expected Mary to come to her like Micky had, to ask her to help with her problems.  But she didn't.  No, Mary came to Kari to ask if she needed anything to say.  No one had really done this to Kari, and she felt good to know that Mary really does care about her.  "Thank you, Mary.  That really makes me feel better."  After a pause, Kari added, "There is something I wanted to say."
    "Fire away, Kar." Mary smiled encouragingly.
    "Well," Kari started, "I'm worried."
    "About what," Mary asked when Kari didn't continue.
    Looking at Mary, she replied, "About Peter."
    "Peter?" That wasn't the answer Mary had expected at all.  "Peter's fine, why are you worried about him?"
    "He didn't say goodnight to me.  I know it sounds silly, but he always says goodnight, always gives me a hug or a kiss... and after tonight, I think if I ever needed one, it's now.  But he just had this look on his face."
    "He must have been just as upset about Wayne as you were." Mary suggested.
    "I don't think that was it... I think he knows." When Kari said this, she looked into Mary's eyes with a pain that made Mary want to look away, but she couldn't.
    "Impossible." Mary tried to comfort, "How could he know?  He couldn't have heard us, and you aren't..." Mary drifted off.
    "I know." Kari snuggled deeper under the covers, pulling them right under her chin.  "But what if he does?  What am I gonna do?"
    "I don't know, Kar.  He really loves you, he'll understand."
    "Yeah.  But I just wish I could've told him myself instead of him finding out."
    "That's why you have to tell him.  All of them... you need to Kari.  I won't because it's not for me to tell them, but you absolutely need to or else you'll wind up with a big mess."
    "Okay... I'll tell them tomorrow.  But I need your help, Mair."
    "Of course I'll help you.  Let's go over to their house in the morning."
    "Sure, why not?  Oh, and Mary?"
    "Yeah, hon'?" Mary smiled down on her.
    "Will you stay with me tonight?"
    "Sure, babe." Mary said, and slid under the covers.  "Goodnight, and good luck tomorrow."
    "I'm gonna need it.  'Night Mair."

    It was morning, and Karisma regretted having to get up from her comfortable blankets.  She groaned and wiped her eyes, stretching her arms and legs out.  She looked to her left and saw Mary still asleep and turned on her side, facing her.  Kari smiled for a second, then remembered what she was supposed to do today.  "Ohhhh... I don't want to," she groaned and mumbled to herself.
    Mary opened her eyes slowly, and turned to her other side, "Don't want to do what?" Then she turned over and sat up.  "Oh, yeah.  C'mon, Kar, ya have to."
    "Do I really have to?" Kari asked, not waiting for the answer.  She got up from the bed and stretched some more.  Yawning, she scratched her head and walked into her comfort room to take a shower.
    When Mary heard the shower water running, she went to her own room and took a shower herself.  Mary wondered how Kari could afford such a house, and all the furniture and other things she owned.  She tried pushing it out of her mind for the moment, maybe Kari would explain it to her someday.  Until then, she didn't want to push Kari further than she wanted to be pushed.
    Out of the shower, Mary rubbed her head with the blue towel and put on her matching robe.  Straining her ears to see if she could hear Kari's shower running, she opened her drawer and picked out her clothes.  Wearing her navy blue sleeveless turtleneck and  orange bellbottoms, Mary looked in the mirror, worrying if she looked alright.  If Micky would notice her.  Smiling with satisfaction, she turned to her dresser and put on her dangling earrings.  Then she tied her hair up in a bun and grabbed her lipstick, twisting it up.  She held the stick to her face and looked to see if she liked the color.  Mary put it back and got another one.  Yes, this one was perfect.  Humming to herself she put it on, then her eyeshadow and blush.  Turning around to see what she looked like in the full mirror again, she put her hands on her hips.  "I'm missing something..." she glanced on her dresser, and smiled to herself as she picked up the belt.  Mary looped the belt through her jeans and made sure she did it the way Peter taught her how, on the left hip.  "Perfect," she noted to herself and headed for Kari's room.
    Kari had already gotten out of her shower, and was dressed, but she tried to stall.  "I don't think I'm ready yet."
    "Well, you're as ready as you're gonna be, so just get it over with."  Mary said, trying to pull her off the bed.  "Let's go."
    "Okay... just let me make a check that I did everything."
    "Everything for what?  Stop stalling, and get up."

    Micky was still asleep, seeing as he's a late sleeper.  Peter was trying to find something to do.  He had already rearranged the cupboards in the kitchen five times.  Davy was just getting up, and was once again practicing good dental hygiene (let that inspire you all to brush and floss).  Mike was awake as well, but he was working hard on writing his new song.  He was too zoned out to hear the knock on the front door.  Peter was glad to have something else to do, and answered it.
    "Hey Pete," Kari said, trying to sound enthusiastic.  It wasn't working very well.
    "Hey.  Wanna come in?"
    "Sure!  Thank you for offering Peter." Mary smiled as she pushed Kari in before she could turn away.  "Can ya get the other's up?  There's something we- Kari has to say."
    "Okay." Peter turned towards the stairs, "MICKY, DAVY, MIKE GET UP!!!"  He turned back to the shell-shocked girls, "Anything else ya need?"
    "Uh, no.  Pete.  Thanks.  I guess." Mary shook her head.  Kari sighed and sat on the couch.
    "Whatta ya gotta go an' do a thang like that for?" Mike mumbled as he walked down the stairs, in his pajamas and robe.  "Ah was workin' on a new- Oh hi girls!" Kari got up from the couch to say hi.
    "Gee, thanks.  It's 'Why ya gotta do that, Peter?', but it's 'Oh hi girls!' to them, huh?" Peter said, offended.
    "Well, when you become a beautiful girl, Ah'll stop yellin' at you too." Mike answered as he walked past Peter and gave Kari and Mary a hug.  "'Mornin' girls.  And what brings you here?"
    "We," Mary nudged Karisma in the side, "I mean, I have something to announce to all of you."
    Mike raised his eyebrows and sat on the couch, putting his legs on the table in front of him and resting his arms over the sides of the couch.  "Well, Ah don' mind.  But, uh, Ah don' know how well Mick's gonna take ta bein' woken up so early."
    Kari folded her arms with amusement, "Well he'll just have to make the best of it, 'cause I'm only gonna say this once."

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