Bassie's World - Chapter Three

Instructions

[ Shelly, 11:05 AM, Shelly's Floor ] Worry clawed at my mind. I just wanted Sprout to not be upset at me anymore. It's been three days, and Cosmo isn't back. Until he comes back, I suppose I won't be forgiven. Just then, I remembered. I was supposed to help Cocoa move boxes, at 11:00 on the dot! If I hated anything, it was being late. Panicked, I ran over to grab my satchel. It not only carried my fossil tools, but also a book filled with conversation starters that Shanon gave me before Gardenview closed. I snatched it, and hurried towards the elevator. I stepped in and repeatedly pressed the button for Cocoa's room until the door fell down, making the whole shaft shudder violently. I pulled the book I previously mentioned out of my bag and began flipping through it. I took note of some stuff, and just after, the elevator reopened, signaling that with a loud dinging sound. Cocoa leaned against one of the walls. Seeing me, she smiled. "Took you long enough." Anxiously, I smiled back. "Sorry. I, uh, was thinking about something." "Right, well, those boxes won't move themselves." She sat up, and started walking out of the hallway, and down the steps to the main part of her room. I supposed I was a bit jealous of Cocoa's room. She got one of the largest and most complex rooms, while mine was just... a big dinosaur. That's all that really was interesting. Though, I suppose, being the "best friend" character guaranteed you wouldn't have any other gimmicks. "Shelly, what's eating you?" Cocoa asked, stepping back over to me. "You seem even more distracted than usual." "It's Sprout." I crossed my arms. "Cosmo's gone, and I tried to help him find him, but he just got really mad and yelled at me. I'm not even that good of a friend with Sprout, yet I still feel terrible when he's angry with me." Cocoa frowned. "Well, you were just trying to help!" she chirped. "It seems a bit rude for him to get so upset because it didn't go his way." "Well, his best friend is missing, so it's valid for him to be angry." I muttered. "But not for him to take it out on you!" Cocoa retorted. "Shelly, you're one of the kindest Toons I know." Flattered, my eyes widened. "Really?" "Yup!" Cocoa winked. "Now, come on, we really need to start with these boxes." She began hopping away. "After this, I have to help Teagan set up for her tea party, and then I have to help Tisha clean up a HUGE mess, then... Well, you probably don't want to hear about who I'm helping at all, huh." "Ah, haha. I don't really mind if you ramble." I replied softly. "Oh, goody!" Cocoa smiled. "Now, let's go along and move this one first, hm?" "Right." She rested her caramel-colored paws on a box, prepared to push it. I put my hands on the box too. "Into the storage section we go!" Cocoa hummed as we pushed the box over. We passed by the bonbon-making station as we worked. Inside were tons of kitchens. On the counters lay small white and brown piping bags, and a bag of flour. I sighed. It must have been so fun to teach all those kids, even just to be one of the kids learning. If only... "Uh, Shelly?" Cocoa called out. I turned to face her, realizing I had frozen in place. "Ack, sorry." I mumbled, embarrassed. "Y'know, if you'd like, I could teach you how to make them!" Cocoa said. "Thanks, Cocoa, but..." I haltered. "that's not really why I was distracted." "Then what was?" Cocoa queried. "Well, I just feel... weird." I laughed. "It's so stupid. I don't know what's wrong with me. I can't tell if I'm jealous of you or just confused." "But Shelly, everybody likes you!" Cocoa said. "Even Bassie likes you, and Bassie hates most of us. Well, especially me, but I don't really know why." "It's not that people like me, it's why." I looked at the floor. "It sounds silly, but I feel like people like me because I'm Bassie's best friend, and not because of who I actually am." "Oh." Cocoa rubbed her ear nervously. "I think I get what you're trying to say, but I don't know how to help. I'm really sorry, Shelly." I shrugged. "It's fine. I'll get over it anyway." "You got this!" Cocoa peeped. "Now, c'mon, we're almost there!" With a few final pushes, we managed to get the box into the storage room and headed back for the next. I looked up at a clock, and saw it was a lot later than I thought it was. "Two more!" Cocoa said, bouncing around as she ran up the steps. Smiling, I followed. With her positivity, we'd be done quick. ... [ Cocoa, 3:02 PM, Toon Rooms Floor 3 ] Steadily, I poured hot tea into Teagan's glittery teacups. "These are so nice, Teagan! However did you find them?" "Ah, I've always had them around." Teagan said, brushing a crumb off of her fluffy boa. "Hmm... have you ever broken any?" I pondered. "I'd love to fix 'em!" "I'm very careful." Teagan answered. "I haven't broken one yet." "Oh, yes, I should've known!" I said. "Yeah, yeah, yeah..." +