That "Love" Girl
Chapter Fourteen
By Rachel Rene
    Vicki arrived with the trays of food, and everyone licked their lips. "I'm starving," Micky said.
    "You would be." Davy muttered.
    "Alright, you ordered the salad, right Peter?" Vicki asked quietly.  He nodded and relieved her of the plate.  Then she handed Davy his salad.  "Micky?  You had... the double cheeseburger?"
    Micky laughed to himself, "Right-o, Vicki." Mary giggled and took her tray from Vicki also.
    "Okay, Kari this is yours," Vicki held out Karisma's plate of food, and then cast a glance at Mike.  "And, and this is yours, Mike." Vicki  shyly handed him his food.
    "Thanks, Shotgun." He winked at her, and she blushed again.
    Finished with their meal, the group waited for the bill.  Vicki came up and handed them the bill and some mints.  Kari made sure to leave an extra tip.
    "Thanks for coming, guys." Vicki lulled.
    "Hold on, Vick." Kari said, "We're not leaving yet.  I have to talk to Jake, and you're coming with me."
    Vicki began to object, but Kari grabbed her hand and dragged her to where Jake was.  "Jake?" Kari called.
    "Yeah babe?" He turned around.
    "I think Vicki has something to tell you." She pushed Vicki in front of her, and Vicki felt like Kari did that morning, unwilling and uncomfortable.
    "Um, I, Wayne... baby... me," she couldn't speak straight.
    "What are you trying to say, Victoria?"
    Kari raised her eyebrows, she didn't know that was Vicki's whole name.
That was beside the point, so she didn't say anything.  Vicki tried to tell Jake, "Last month, Wayne..." Vicki almost started crying again, so Kari hugged her gently.
    "It's okay, Vicki, I think I know what you're trying to tell me.  But why didn't you come to me sooner, when I could have prevented it from happening again?"
    Then Vicki started weeping. "I know, I should have.  I didn't know he would go after her so fast.  I didn't want her to get hurt, I promise,  but I was afraid to say anything."
    Jake softened his expression. "I'm sorry, Victoria, I know you meant well.  It's alright.  But Wayne is never setting foot in this place again, believe me."
    "Tell him the other thing, too, if you can, honey," Kari aimed.
    "I can't tell him..." she said, looking at Kari and telling her to tell him for her.
    Kari looked at Jake questioningly, "Did you know Vicki has been living in the boxes behind the restaurant?"
    Jake looked sharply at Vicki, "You have?"
    Vicki just nodded, burying her head into Kari's shoulder.  Kari continued while patting Victoria's back, "I invited her to live with  Mary and me, and we'll also help support her.  She ran away from home."
    "I wish you would tell me these things, Vick, so I could help."  Jake
sighed.  "But it'll be okay, at least you told Kari.  It's nice to have a friend you can trust."
    Vicki nodded, and asked if she could take the rest of the day off as well, so she could figure out the living arrangements.  Jake said she could, but he needed both of them to work again tomorrow, "I can't have my whole staff taking the day off one-by-one!" he kidded.
    "Hey, you told me too," Kari smiled, "I offered to work."
    "Just get outta here before I change my mind."
    At Kari's and Mary's (and soon to be Vicki's) pad, the seven of them filed out of the car.  "Man, I thought we'd never run outta room in the Monkeemobile," Micky laughed, "but it looks like at the rate we're multiplying we're gonna hafta take Kari's car too, pretty soon!"
    "Well," Kari said as they walked inside, "This is it, Vick.  You can look around, ask any questions, whatever you want.  Do you have anything to bring over here?"
    Vicki nodded, but didn't say anything as she glanced around the house in awe.  Finally, she turned back to Karisma, "I have some clothes and a bag still at the restaurant.  Thank you so much, Kari, you saved my life."  She hugged Kari, and Kari smiled, hugging her back.  "I don't know what I'd have done in a few months."
    "Hey, friends are meant to look after friends.  I'm just glad you told me.  I'm sorry I didn't try to get to know you better, Victoria."
    "It's alright, I didn't try so hard to know you, either.  I'm very shy... especially after what happened."
    Kari shrugged, "I think I just got more outgoing after my incident."
    "Let's go get your stuff, honey." Mary said, "It's gonna be so much fun, with just the girls.  We could have a party tonight to celebrate!"
    "Just the girls?" Mike raised his eyebrows.  "What 'bout us boys?  We like a good party just as much as any girl."
    Karisma rolled her eyes, "Alright, you guys can come, if ya want.  But we will have some slumber parties that you guys aren't gonna be invited to.  So we can talk girl stuff."
    Mike sighed, pretending to be disappointed, "Oh, okay.  But we're comin' o'er tonight if ya like it or not, got it, Valleri?" He said, pointing his finger at her.
    "Valleri?" everyone exclaimed at once.
    Shrugging, Mike drawled, "It just came out.  Her middle name is Valleri, ya know."
    Davy tossed it around in his mind a while, "I like it.  Valleri.  You don't mind if I call you tha' now, do ya?"  Kari shook her head.  "Okay, Valleri."
    "Alrighty-tighty," Karisma Valleri said, counting heads, "We've got one, two, three, four, five, six."  She scratched her head, "We're missing one."
    Mike rolled his eyes, "You fergot to count yerself, hon'."
    A sheepish grin crept across her face, "Oh... yeah.  Sorry.  Okay, we're all here, babe." She turned to Davy.
    "Thanks, Valleri." Davy said, and Kari smiled, "Now, did ya get the food, Peteh?"
    "Food?" Peter winced, baffled.
    "It's a good thing I figured he wouldn't remember," Micky mentioned, holding up a bag of chips and other goodies.  "This should be enough for just tonight."
    "You're a life-saver, babe!" Mary smiled, giving Micky a slight wink.  He beamed back at her.
    Mike clapped his hands together, "Let's get this party goin'!"
    Vicki had already unpacked her small bag of the few items she had, and everyone was in the living room.  "Okay," Karisma said, "Now that everyone's here, and we have all of the snacks, what do y'all wanna do?"
    "I say we go see dancing," Micky suggested, and Mary immediately agreed, saying it was a great idea.
    "Two votes for dancing.  Anyone else?" Kari surveyed the crowd.  Vicki whispered something, and Karisma asked he if she could repeat it a little louder.
    "I said," Vicki said, her voice barely elevated from before, "That I think it would be nice to go dancing."
    Kari smiled pleasantly, "Okay.  Three votes.  Anyone else?  I think I'd like to go dancing, too.  If you don't want to go, speak now or forever hold your peace."  No one mentioned any back-up plan or complaints with the first one, so they decided to go dancing.
    "Even when I tell ya to take the day off you guys show up.  You must really like it here, you can't seem to stay away." Jake joked as he noticed them walk once again into the Orange Ballerina.  "Man, this place must really be a groovy joint, eh?"
    "We're here to celebrate, and you're the only place with dancing that we could afford.  So don't flatter yourself."  Mary winked.  Jake shook his head and walked back behind the counter.  Mary was holding Micky's hand, and together they walked to the dance floor.  "These guys aren't nearly as good as you, babe." Mary said, referring to the band currently playing.
    Micky grinned, and they started dancing to the slow song, "But at least with them playing I have a chance to be on the floor with you."  Mary couldn't help the girlish giggle that escaped as she stared into his eyes.  Even though they were used to each other's company, and they both knew they dug each other, Mary blushed.
    Meanwhile, Mike had held his hand out and asked politely, "May Ah have this dance?" It took Vicki a while to realize he was serious.  She accepted his offer, but looked deliberately back at Kari, who encouraged her to dance with him.
    "So, how long you been workin' here, Victoria?" Mike asked, purposely looking straight into her deep brown eyes.
    She stared nervously back into his, "A month I think," replied Vicki.
    "You have beautiful eyes," he murmured quietly, and Vicki blushed deeper.
    "So do you," she softly answered back, "And I like your wool hat."  She finally smiled.
    "Really?" He smiled too, "Ya wanna wear it?"
    Vicki blinked.  Why?  She thought.   Oh well, she determined in her mind, it wouldn't hurt.  "Okay."
    Mike pulled the green wool hat from the top of his head and set it on Vicki's.  She bit her bottom lip and blushed even more, causing Mike's smile to widen.  He pulled her closer when they danced, and she put her arms around his neck.  The song was almost to the end, and by the time it hit the last note, Mike bent down to kiss Vicki gently.
    Pulling away suddenly, Vicki turned her face to the side, away from Mike.  "Wait," she mentioned.  Mike looked intently at her, asking what the matter was.  "I can't - I don't know, I just can't."  With that, she dropped her arms from around his neck and dashed off the dance floor.

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