“You’ve been staring at your food for like 20 minutes.”  Said Kitty.  She was sitting across from Doc in the middle of a restaurant, and he was acting despondently the whole time.  He hadn’t even taken the flatware out of his napkin, he was just looking at his food.   

“Sorry.  It’s just…I’m worried about Cooper.” He said, in a soft voice.

“I’ve already told you.  Tomboy will find him.  Now quit worrying and eat.  We planned on going on a nice date in a nice restaurant two weeks ago.  You’re here, I’m here, let’s just enjoy ourselves for once.”  She said, reaching across the table and putting his fork in his hand.

“How can you say that?”  he said, putting it back down.  “He’s out there somewhere, and-

“Yes, I get it.”

“No, Kitty, I don’t think you get it.  Cooper has been my best friend since 1st grade.  I can’t just put him out of mind.”

“Well, at least try.  We’re supposed to be out on a date and all you can think of is your friend?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact,” said Doc, his voice rising, “that’s all I can think about.  My friend is missing, and I’m doing nothing productive to find him.”  

“Doc.  Jason.  I like Cooper too.  But you have to find time to fit other people into your schedules.”

“Well, this is different.”  Said Doc, standing up.  Their table was starting to attract attention.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m going to help find Cooper.”  

“But what about me, Doc?  I love you!”

“If you truly love me, you’ll help me.”  He said, and walked out, leaving Kitty at the table.  Everybody else just pretended to ignore them and continued doing what they were doing before.  

MEANWHILE, ACROSS TOWN…

It was night out.

Tomboy walked up to the black pick-up she hadn’t seen for a while.  She knocked on the door, right across a ROGUES emblem.  Todd startled awake in the driver’s seat, reclined back almost horizontally.  He was in a wifebeater and his hair was messed up.  He swung his fists around confusedly, and then saw Tomboy by the window.  He grabbed the handle and rolled the window down.  

“Tomboy?”  he said.

“I’m ready, King.”

“Wha-…now?”

“Not quite.  I have to make the final preparations.  I’ll be ready tomorrow.  Tell the rest of the gang, and meet me here at noon.”

“Okay.”  He said, without arguing.  “You know, without half of your face being covered with bandages, you have the potential to be not half-bad.”

“What?”

“Just a little eye make-up there, and some new clothes…”

“Go fuck yourself.”  She said, walking away.  

“…Alright.  See you tomorrow, Tomboy.”  He said, rolling the window back up.

Tomboy walked down the empty parking lot.  She had changed, and she knew it.  It wasn’t love that had driven her all this way, but vengeance.  Vengeance that hung right in front of her, out of her reach and had occupied her mind all this time.  She didn’t know what she would do to King or what she was capable of doing, but she hoped she liked it.

ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF TOWN...

The sound of the door open woke Cooper up.  He was lying on his back in the middle of the floor.  A fox was standing in the doorway.  

“Well, looks like your girlfriend’s pulling through after all.  Let’s get you out of here.  King wants you to watch him beat her.”  He said.  He approached Cooper and whipped out a knife.  Cooper cringed as he bent down and, to his surprise, cut the ropes binding his hands together.  
“Up.”  The fox said.  Cooper obeyed.  He was lead out of his dank room and into a grungy, slightly less dank hallway.  He smiled, the first time in days.  

“Tomboy…”  he said.   

THE NEXT DAY…

Tomboy stood in the parking lot as more and more cars pulled up.  It was daylight now, and her Renevatio was under one arm.  The Rogues stepped out of their cars and started talking amongst themselves, questioning the one girl who stands up to the Hammers leader.  King stepped forward from the crowd and approached her.  

“You ready?”  he asked.

“Yes.”  She replied.

“You sure?”

“More than ever.”  She said.  King stared at her for a little bit.  Then, he turned around and faced the crowd.  

“Alright guys, let’s go.”  He said, and everybody got back into their cars and headed out for the skate park.  Tomboy got in King’s car.  

They rode for a while, past warehouses and then suburbs.  

“So.”  King said at last.  “You’re really going through with this?”

“Yes.”

“…you really love him, don’t you?”

“Yes.”  She said.  A short period of silence followed.

“You know, you’ve changed.  You’ve changed since we first saw you.”

“I know.”  

“When I first saw you, you were desperate, sad, alone, and afraid.  Now I look into your eyes, and I see none of that.”

“What do you see?”

“I see anger.  I see rage.  Revenge.  One pin prick away from madness.  I see one of us.  Basically, what I’m trying to say is, seeing your loved one again may not be your number one priority.”

“Yes it is!  You think I don’t love cooper?”  she shouted.

“You see?  You probably would have been sad, before.  I’ve seen that rage.  I’ve seen perfectly good and normal people consumed by revenge.  It’s a slippery slope, Tomboy.  Don’t let it ruin your life.”

“I’m fine.  Once I see Cooper, this will all have been worth it.”  She said, looking out the window.  

“Will it?  When you finally see Cooper, will he like the new Tomboy?”  he asked.  Tomboy didn’t respond.


They arrived at the skate park making lots of noise.  The people inside of it saw and heard what was going on and immediately ran to the indoor section.  Tomboy walked through the gate instead of climbing the rickety light pole and her mob followed her.  The skate park was vacant by the time she set foot in it, and she strode across the asphalt towards the large building on the other side of the park.

Everyone was waiting in anticipation inside.  Nobody was quite sure of what was going to happen next.  Tomboy kicked the door open, and everybody jumped backwards slightly at the loud banging noise it made that echoed throughout the interior of the park.  

“KING!”  she shouted.  It echoed, like the door slamming open.  

“What took you so long?”  asked King back, his soft voice echoing throughout.  It was dim inside, the only light source coming from the sunlight streaming through the skylights and windows.  He was standing in the center facing the door with his arms crossed, everyone else in a crowd behind him, not looking as tough.  

“I take it you know what I’m here for.”

“Yes, I know all bout what you’ve been up to.”

“Then I bet you already know that you won’t keep Cooper much longer.”

“Who said anything about keeping him?  The only reason I had him kidnapped in the first place was to lure you here.  I had a slightly more diplomatic and violent plan of what I was going to do to you, but I see you’ve brought friends with you.  So, I’m afraid you have the right of way right now, but it won’t matter.  Because I know that whatever you’re going to make me do, whatever I have to defend myself against you’re still the weak, foolish girl that I saw at the skate park, oh—about a week and a half ago.  You’ll never be better than me.  At anything.”

“At any other point in time I would take offense to that.  But I’m not going to argue, I’m just going to prove you wrong.  Which is what I’ve been wanting to do since a week and a half ago.”

“Oh really?  You sound quite confident.”

“She is.”  Said Todd from behind her.  He stepped out next to Tomboy and crossed his arms, a spitting image of King except for his feather color and change of clothes.

“And, you’re consorting with my brother.  I feel so…betrayed.”  He said.  

“No, brother.”  Said King, “I think you should take her word for it.  I’ve watched her change from the way she was when you last saw her to the way she is right now.  I’m telling you as a friend and as a brother, just back off.”

“My god.  You really are on her side.”  Said King, strutting to the side and around a bowl towards Tomboy.  “It doesn’t matter.  I will beat you, no matter what you’re here for.  I will forgive your insolence because you’re my sibling.  But you...Tomboy, you…I will never bow down to.  And you can be sure of that.”  He said, getting right up to her face.  The Rogues behind Tomboy braced for her defense, but Todd put a hand up, and they backed off.  King looked into Tomboy’s eyes not with anger, but with a strange sort of longing that Tomboy couldn’t really identify.  “I could…threaten Cooper’s life, force you to tell your friends to leave the skate park, I tell my friends to leave the skate park, and we have…a little alone time together.”  He said.  Tomboy swallowed.  “But, in the interest of proving you wrong and the competitive spirit, I will humor you.  Name your challenge.  Go ahead.”  He said.  

“…skateboarding.”  Tomboy said quietly.

“What?”

“Skatebo-

“Skateboarding?  Skateboarding!?  Are you serious?”  he said, and let out an alarming and loud laugh.  Tomboy looked like her confidence was a little forced, but she stood her ground.  She just watched him laugh.  “Oh, you’re…you’re funny.”  He said.  He straightened back up.  “Skateboarding it is.  You have an hour to prepare.”  He said, still smiling.  “And good luck, Tomboy.”  He said, his smile fading, “Your friend will be watching the whole thing.  And if you lose, he’ll watch your punishment as well.”  He finished sternly.  He turned around and walked away.  “Get that bitch out of my sight.”  He said, pointing over his shoulder.  Tomboy walked out before anyone could prompt her to.