A/N: This in no way depicts truth I am not affiliated with nor do I know, nor do I have any privy to any of the people mentioned within this chapter. This is all fiction and not intended to harm or slander or be taken truthfully in any way.

Chapter 437: Tangers XLII—Not Expected

I couldn’t believe what had just happened as I watched Keane and Joe walk away down the hall. Of course I didn’t cry because that would just be embarrassing, but inside I felt bad enough to. How could anyone be so mean! Joe had to know how excited I was about this date, and he just snuck in and did this to me and Danny, and now ordering us to both be on the date? What sort of sick man had taken hold of my captain’s generous nature and twisted it to suit… I looked at Danny, and his spiky blue hair, “This is all your fault!”

“My fault!” Danny exclaimed. “How?”

I slammed the door and then hugged myself, leaning against it. “Because, because it just is! Keaner’s your roommate and he’s a bad influence on Joe and you’re probably a bad influence on Keane!” None of that really made sense, I know, but it felt better just to blame someone! And really, it had to be Danny’s fault somehow, and him giving me those sympathetic dewy lamb eyes did nothing for my mood. I mean I’m the victim here, why should he take that!

“Me a bad influence on Keane?” Dan scoffed, “Alex…”

“I know!” I cried throwing my hands in the air. “I’m just mad okay?”

“Well…. Yeah…” Danny said, “Hey I am too Tangs, I don’t want to be the one to spoil your thing with Penelope and I definitely don’t want to be seen around her if, if,” and Danny whispered, “If he’s nearby. I mean what if he is?”

“Oh make this all about you!” I snapped. “Right.” I stormed into the bathroom, and saw to my despair that yes, my hair was just as blue as ever, dark, vivid, like some sort of artificially colored children’s drink. I ran my fingers over it, and it felt dry and crackly. How could they have done this without me waking up! What did they use?

“Hey, Alex, it’s not about…” Dan said and he peeked into the bathroom. “Need some help? We can try taking it out. Maybe I can run downstairs and get a really good shampoo or something? How much time do you have?”

“A couple hours,” I said, “But I don’t know, Joe said that it wouldn’t come out for a week. I think we’re stuck with it.” I squinted and tried to find a silver lining, but no, I looked like a freak, an ugly blue haired freak. Already I imagined Penelope taking one look at me and Danny and running away back into the arms of her previous lover.

“Well, take a shower first,” Dan said calmly, and that pissed me off, him being so calm and easy, as if, as if he didn’t have any face to lose! “Let’s see how a shower does.”

“I know!” I snapped. “Get out.”

Danny scurried away and with a heavy heart I took of my clothes, took a deep breath and turned on the shower.

“Nope no good.”

About an hour and a half later my hair was still blue, at first some of the rinse water dribbled off in the shower, swirling over the drain dark and thick like ink and I felt real optimistic that it was coming off. Danny helped me when I got out of the shower, scrubbing my scalp over the sink and tugging at my hair. But the water which at first had been a dark indigo, now began to run clear, and then a light blue and then clear. But my hair, looked as blue as ever. Tragedy!

“Well, we’re at our last two options,” Dan nodded.

I sighed and peered at him through the water dribbling down my face. “And what’s that?”

“Well,” Dan grimaced, “I got a bleaching kit with the other stuff, when you were in the shower, and we could just bleach the hell outta it. Our hair would be white but at least it wouldn’t be blue and bleached is kinda trendy right?”

“Tacky!” I scowled. I didn’t want to look like a bleached punk to Penelope; she’d laugh at me for being so immature! “What’s the other option?”

Dan bent over and picked up a tall, pearly bottle of something that looked very feminine. “We can condition. Your hair might be blue but at least we can make it touchably soft?” He grinned through his teeth.

I held out my hand and Dan handed me the bottle. “Might as well, but that’s a stupid idea.”

Dan raised the corners of his mouth and his eyebrows as if to say, Yeah but that’s all we got. How depressing, cause it was! Could this day get any worse?

Penelope called as I just got out of the bathroom, and just briefly, I thought about canceling it with her but I couldn’t think of a good enough excuse to give her. At best she’d think I was afraid, and at worst she’d think I was uninterested in her. I closed my eyes, “Yes Penelope, breakfast is still on, yes that sounds like a great place to meet….” And she said great and I hesitated but before she could hang up I cut in. “Would it be okay if I brought a friend?”

“A friend?” Penelope asked, and I could hear her startled voice, the words sounded almost like a gasp escaping her lips. “Well…”

“He’s real lonely,” I said quickly, “I feel kinda bad for him, so I thought it might be nice if I bought him some breakfast, you know?”

“Ooo how sweet!” Penelope breathed and my heart soared with unexpected accomplishment. It didn’t occur to me that I could use Danny’s presence as an advantage! “You take care of your friends, how nice! Of course you can bring him, poor man, is he lonely? I cannot wait!” She hung up and I sighed. Okay with that out of the way…

“Great now I’m a charity case?” Dan scoffed, his cheeks blushed.

I smiled. “Hey it’s better than a chaperone, now that would make us both look weird eh?”

Danny grimaced. “Good thinking. Hey and now she might look at me kinda like puppy dog, heh heh, watch out Tangs!”

I pointed at him. “Don’t even try it buster!”

Danny laughed. “Woah hey!” He said, “I got an idea,” He went to his duffel and began to root through it. “How about a hat?” He pulled out a baseball cap and tossed it to me and really at that moment I could have jumped on him and kissed him, and I don’t mean polite friendly peck I mean full out making out!

“Danny,” I said and I couldn’t stop smiling as I put the hat on and crunched it around my face to make it fit. “How does it look?”

Dan pursed his lips. “Great. Hey kinda ironic eh? It’s one of Blakie’s Blue Line caps; I think I got another one too.” He pulled out another cap and put it on, effectively erasing the sight of his blue hair. “Now c’mon Tiger let’s go get her!”

Ah and Penelope looked like an angel, a dark haired, tanned angel with flashing black eyes in a gauzy, crimson skirt. I could have fallen at her feet and just grabbed her ankles and wept with joy because on her face, was a smile, a huge smile which meant she was happy to see me! I forgot instantly about my blue hair. “Hello!” I said and that seemed a word unworthy to tell her the heights of my enthusiasm.

“Oh I’m so happy you came!” She said and she grabbed my cheeks in her little hands and kissed me on the mouth, quickly and softly. My knees trembled and I almost collapsed completely. But I don’t think she’d have been able to hold up my weight in just her hands so I maintained consciousness. “And your friend, ah ha but I know him well by now eh?” She let me go and winked at Danny. “And you’re lonely?”

“Um… yeah.” Danny said.

“Aw,” Penelope tutted and she grabbed onto my hand tightly and led me into our agreed upon restaurant, with Danny following. “Well you won’t be lonely for long, my friend is late but only fashionably so, she’ll be here by the time we get our table.”

“She?” Danny asked in a squeak.

Oh boy. Well of course Penelope would want to help in any way she could I shoulda seen that one coming. Still I didn’t get much time to ruminate over that because out of the corner of my eye, just before we made it into the restaurant, I saw a group of untidy men with cameras pointed at… “Penelope are those reporters…”

“Forget about them!” Penelope said cheerfully, “They’re not allowed in the restaurant and they aren’t real reporters, pssht.”

I looked back at Danny as she talked with the hostess, “Paparazzi Danny! Real paparazzi!”

“She?” Danny said looking as if he’d been strung on a pole.

The hostess led us through the restaurant, a real nice place where all the table cloths were heavy and clean, and the air felt cool in a way that reminded you of a comfortable parlor with a cool breeze just fluttering the curtains. Now none of that compared to the looks of patrons some slack jawed, some squinting, all of them staring at Penelope, recognizing her and causing a buzz. I even heard one loud whisper, “Isn’t she with Tom Cruise though?”

I squeezed her hand in mine, not anymore!

“Eh so, heh heh who’s coming?” Danny said when we’d barely sat down.

Penelope smiled, “A friend.”