Reunion

        It was a breezy afternoon in Azmarin. Emerald, Drayven, and Bosko were strolling around looking for a nice place to have a snack. Bosko was off telling some usual bad joke, but it still always made the two laugh. The team was caught off guard when they heard a girl scream. The gang rushed around the corner. They saw a back-facing girl with a green beanie, blue overall shorts, and two lengthy braids which danced in the wind. She stood fists on her hips, chest puffed staring down a man who attempted robbery. The team looked confused.

       "Don't ever let me catch you here again! Now git!" Yelled the girl in thigh-high socks. 

She turned her around. Her braids twirled around her. 

Bosko's eyes widened. "Is that…" 

"...Ginger…?!" Called out Drayven. The girl stood confused for just a moment before the three ran up to each other. Ginger was in tears. Emerald stayed behind a little befuddled. 

"I can't believe it! I'm so happy to see you!" Exclaimed Drayven.

"Yeah, we both thought you were dead!" Chuckled, Bosko slightly choke-hugging her.

"How have you been?!" He released her and held onto her shoulders.

    The orange cat fixed up her hair and tried to control her racing heart. "I've been great! I've been working as my father's right hand at his mechanic shop. I also run his junkyard in the Timberglen outskirts!" Bosko and Drayven looked at each other. 

"Y-you found your father?" Asked Drayven.

"Well, no, I mean my adoptive father." 

"You got a family?" Asked Drayven even more confused. 

"Okay, hold on, this is a lot to process. How about you come with us? We were about to go find something to eat you can tell us all about it over lunch! My treat!" Yelled out Bosko. 

        Emerald was really beginning to feel left out now. She could feel her insecurities creeping up on her. She felt awkward. She didn't really know what to say. Who was this girl? Was she an ex-girlfriend of either Drayven or Bosko? Why were the boys so happy to see her? And now they didn't even ask if it was okay for her to join them. Em felt like she had no say. But she didn't want to seem like she was dampening the mood. She decided to just stay quiet and in the background for now.

        The group decided to eat at one of Azmarin's well-known diners. It was a family-owned business but the service was friendly and the food was great. Not wanting to take advantage of their kindness, Ginger only ordered a tea. Bosko ordered an order of chicken dumplings which the team would then split amongst themselves.  Em finally decided to speak up. "So... how do you know Bosko and Dray, Ginger?" 

Her face lit up upon hearing Em's question. "Why, we were childhood besties of course!" She blushed a little. 

"Oh...I didn't know you guys knew each other since way back then..." said Em feeling a little cautious. 

"What happened that day Ginger? When we got back you were being taken away. We couldn't stop them."Ginger put down her tea. Her shoulders dropped as she let out a small sigh.

"Stop who??" Asked Em. 

        "When the Boys and I were younger, we met on the streets of Timberglen. I was only seven when the boys found me. I had no home. I was starving and was searching the alleys for scraps of food. I was lucky that someone had thrown out a sandwich, but then the boys snatched it right out of my hands. The boys were maybe eight or nine at the time. They picked on me, stealing my doll and pulling my curly hair. I got so mad that I bit and scratched them to defend myself." 

  "Still really sorry about that." Said Bosko stuffing his face. 

"No, no, it's fine. Really, we were all just doing our best to survive... Anyway, the boys liked my 'spunk' as Drayven called it. They took me into their little group and we tried to survive together. We were, in our way, our own little family abandoned or separated from our parents. Sometimes I would distract the shop owners while the boys went in and stole food."

    Emerald began to feel bad. And while most of her insecurities went away, she still had a slight feeling of doubt in the pit of her stomach. Ginger took a sip of her tea before she proceeded to continue her story.

"After a year or so of being with the boys, I grew incredibly ill in the winter. I came down with a burning fever and shortness of breath. The boys went out to find some medicine for me. But when they left I almost passed out. I was lucky that someone walking near our spot saw me and called the ambulance. I was sure I was going to die that day. "

"We tried to fight off the paramedics. We thought you didn't want to be an orphan..and we never saw you again....we thought you lost the battle with your illness...we thought....you were dead. We blamed ourselves. Our guilt and grief were so bad we vowed to never speak of that day again..." Said Drayven after picking up another dumpling off his plate. 

"I'm sorry I caused ya' both so much pain... but I didn't know how much better it would be being adopted. When I woke up in the hospital that first time I was met with a really kind couple. They paid for my hospital bill and told me if I wanted to stay with them. See they had been struggling to have children of their own. And they knew adoption was the best they could do. I couldn't refuse the opportunity. They took me in and treated me like their own. About a month or so later, I had returned to the hideout to see you guys and let you know I was alright, but ya’ll weren’t there anymore...I went back often that year. I gave up after a couple of months of trying." 

"I think it was about a week later when we packed up and moved with Acher." Said Bosko talking with his mouth full. 

"Who's Acher?" Asked Ginger. 

"Eh, just some fucking asshole, don't worry about him." Bosko waved his fork around as he spoke. 

"Well, I'm just happy to have you both back in my life. Said Ginger reaching out to touch Drayven's and Bosko's hands. 

"Me too I'm really happy knowing you're okay, Gin." Said Drayven as they looked into each other's eyes. 

"Mmhmm!" Said Bosko horking down the last dumpling. "Don't ever scare us like that again. Look I even got this tattoo a few years ago in your memory!" He lifted his sleeve and showed off his tattoo by flexing. The three went on talking and laughing. Em was deep in her thoughts. She just heard muffled chats and laughs. She usually wasn't the jealous type. Why was this affecting her so much? 

"Em!" She was brought back to reality when Drayven called out her name. "Ginger asked you a question." 

"I'm sorry, I'm a little distracted." She tried to act cool. "What did you ask again?" She rubbed her head. 

"I asked how you're related to the boys!" She looked at the boys who were smiling at her. 

"Well, they live with me in my shrine. I took them in when we met a year ago. Bosko is my friend... Drayven is my boyfriend." 

       B o y f r i e n d? Ginger's heart began to pound. She tried to make herself seem like her heart wasn't cracking on the inside. No one knew about her love for Drayven. Since she was young, she had a closer connection to Drayven than she did with Bosko. She had a crush on Drayven, and back then, it was obvious he liked her too.

    Drayven wouldn't mind holding her hand when her hands were cold. He'd be sure to steal candy and sweets for her on their runs and even go as far as to cuddle with her for warmth in the winter. Feelings were never confessed, but Ginger's love for Drayven never faded even after all these years. She was happy to see the boys again. But she was mildly upset knowing her childhood crush was no longer up for grabs. She was actually jealous too. 

    Ginger didn't realize she was so lost in her emotions that Em had been talking for almost three minutes straight. Ginger admitted to herself she no longer wanted to stick around. When Em finished her story, she kindly thanked the boys for the tea. She exchanged phone numbers with her friends then she hugged the boys and pecked Drayven on the cheek. Em was furious on the inside. She walked off. Drayven blushed but tried to calm himself so Emerald wouldn't notice. 

"It was nice to see her again." Said Bosko watching Ginger fade into the distance. "I hope we get to see her again really soon…"