"God Karyn, where are your manners?" Gladys remarked with a hint of displeasure, as the chomp chomp of the bubblegum echoed across the lunch table.
"Besides, I thought you hated gum."
Karyn looked at her quizzically, as she slowly twirled a lock of hair around her newly french manicured finger. She could remember saying something like that before, only now was different. She couldn't get enough of it! The sweeter the better, too. She never left home without three things stuffed away in her purse; wallet, cell phone, and pack of gum. Today was cotton candy - the best!
But as she chewed, Karyn's brow furrowed. Didn't she just give some girl a hard time about chewing like a Valley Girl the day before? She couldn't remember. Shrugging it off, she guessed that it didn't really matter, either. Who knew bubblegum was so good? No wonder all the Valley Girls chewed it.
"Hello Earth to Cosmonaut Black." Gladys just sat, looking expectantly Karyn's way, like she was waiting for something. "So?" she said again.
Karyn quickly snapped out of her trance.
"Uh, what was the question again?"
"I asked if you were planning to watch Battlestar Galactica tonight with me and Leonard. Gosh, it's like that blonde hair color of yours is seeping straight into your head."
Gladys was right, she had been acting a little spacey lately. It was probably because she had a lot on her mind. About her future.
"Fu-nny, Gladys. I bet you'd rather be friends with Mandi, right? That girl would give you a whole lot of good conversation. It's almost like they stuffed all her brains into those double D's. They could hang a room for rent sign of the front of her bra!"
Leonard used the joke as a good excuse to stare at Mandi's chest from across the lunchroom as they all snickered at the joke. Gladys let it slide. Karyn noticed too, and was about to dish out a great peeping tom jab, but before she could say anything, a wave of dizziness overtook her.
"You OK Karyn?"
"Yeah, maybe you should go see the nurse, you aren't looking too hot."
Karyn's normal expression was slowly replaced by a vacant smile. "Uh, as if, guys! Like, I can't believe you would say that I'm not like totally hot right now. Gotta go, kay bye!" She blew the two a kiss as she grabbed her books and minced off to class.
Leonard and Gladys just sat there, trying to comprehend what they had just seen. They just knew something was going on with Karyn, and it couldn't be natural. Hypnotizing, brainwashing, the return of Zuul, whatever it was, Leonard and Gladys were going to get to the bottom of things.
