We Bare Bears: The Truth Or Never Again Chapter 13 Panda & Lucy

Lucy took much longer than she thought she would, after taking many different trails in the forest to find Panda. She may not be strong enough to carry everything after walking for nearly thirty minutes, but she isn’t too exhausted. All that matters is to find Panda before the day is out. While walking through the trail with the sun shining through the trees, she saw a way out of the trail. But all this leads is into a bigger trail with the trees farther away.

Then Lucy saw bear pawprints on the grass which made her feel a bit relieved. She thought Panda would be much further away from the whole group in the forest, but now she can find him by following his trail. After following them for about ten minutes, she heard the sounds of a lake in the distance. When she looked straight in front of her, Panda was still sitting alone, not moving, while still crying.

Lucy took out Panda’s phone and the message icon is still on it. She brought Panda’s things for a reason, but she’d made sure that she would never show this to him. Although addressing him to change it will be the first step to work it out with him. She took a deep breath while slowly walking up to the bear.

Panda heard someone walking up to him from behind. He slowly turned his head left to look over his shoulder and eventually saw Lucy. When she saw the look on his face, she felt much more upset with herself, with more tears streaming down Pandas face. No one during her childhood would burst and sink into tears after she lashed out on them. It was the first time she had ever seen him like this ever since she first met him.

“You know…” Lucy said, making the first move. “We’re not gonna be swimming here since Lake Anzo is empty today. And there’s a toxic sign there.” She pointed at the sign.

“The bigger lake isn’t cheering me up.” Panda responded. “I haven't even stepped foot into this lake since I got here.”

Lucy took a look at the lake itself and it isn’t all that bad. With the water clean along with a tire swing hanging from a tree, it felt harmless just like Lake Anzo. She placed the bag on the sand while taking off her backpack. Panda didn’t notice the stuff inside of the bag and backpack until Lucy sat next to him.

“Panda, I’m sorry for lashing out and overreacting about your secret.” She replied while wrapping her arm around his shoulder. “It was a massive misunderstanding from the way Clifford told me everything about your babysitting.”

Panda didn’t think Clifford would be the one who would cause her sister to come up to him about his secret. “I was too paranoid and was trying to enjoy this camp more than telling you how I really feel. This whole day was supposed to be for you and Kale.”

“Just because this is somewhat of a date between me and him, doesn’t mean it’s all about me and him. I would thank you since it’s your idea, but camping is a lot more than a date.”

Panda would agree with her but in the hours since the trip began, it was a day he had significant trouble with and would rather forget. “I was jealous with him back at the limo, but today, I can’t even hang out with him involving activities without thinking about-”

Lucy placed her hand on Panda’s mouth. “Please...don’t keep to yourself anymore.” As she moved her hand out of the way, she let go of him. “Everything you did for me explains a lot about your secret.”

“So do I really need to-”

“It’s no longer a secret anymore.”

As Panda looked at the lake itself, he couldn’t imagine how everything would feel when his friends saw him again. “Soo...what’s in those bags?” He pointed.

When Lucy looked at the backpack and bag, she took one item from the bag and it’s the Miki-chan body pillow which took Panda by surprise. “Grizz, Ice Bear, and Chloe took me, my brother and Kale back to their place and...we went into your bedroom.”

It caused Panda to blush, even if his brothers asked permission for anyone to look at his property. “Even when I keep my personal belongings, it’s never safe when my day gets worse.”

“We only looked through your things so we can get to know you more.” She then gives him the body pillow. “Is this Miki-chan?” Panda nodded in response to Lucy's question. “What do you do with her?”

Panda looked away while his face slowly turned red. “I hug her when I’m sleeping...I saved her from getting destroyed from a building destruction...and I call her my girlfriend.”

Seeing him being completely honest, Lucy looked at the body pillow again. She knows Miki-chan isn’t real and for the most part, she was just like Panda when she was in middle school. “When I was watching television, I...even fantasized about hot boys in cartoons. But back in the 90's, body pillows of cartoon characters weren't as common or as accepted in comparison to today's standards.” This causes Lucy to also blush. “Sometimes when I’m in bed...I kiss my pillow.”

Upon hearing her confession, Panda is no longer embarrassed. “I thought you would have more dignity than that.”

“Well it’s embarrassing yes, but just because you call her your girlfriend doesn’t mean you're the only one.”

Panda didn’t think Lucy would keep her embarrassing moments to herself, just like him. But then a question came to him. “What did Grizz show you?”

“He showed me...that you’re trying to get dates from girls online…”

Both of Panda’s paws, both collided into his face. He would talk out all of his problems with his brothers when he meets them, but even if that, he learned that a relationship with a girlfriend requires more work than he ever expected.

“Maybe I can’t decide what’s better for me more than anyone.”

Lucy knew he would say that as she takes another one of his hobbies out. She reached into the bag and took out one of Panda’s DVDs. “Let me show you this.” The dvd in her hand is a romance movie like all the other romance movies Panda watches. “Grizz brought you this movie during Christmas because you adore every bit of it, right?”

“Yes. It may be on demand, but after watching the movie from beginning to end, I wanted it for myself so I don’t have to worry when it’s gone from demand.”

This gave Lucy a smile, remembering her dvd collection back at home. “I have movies I’ve watched over and over again because of what type it is. Sports is one of my favorites, and it inspired me to be a jogger.”

“Well that explains how fast you are.” Panda giggled. “Let me tell you when we watch a movie so many times, it shows how much we adore a specific genre.”

Lucy would agree with him completely but at the same time, she’s getting off track. “Sorry to say this but if this movie involved a character who’s...like you well...Let’s just say...”

“He doesn’t get the girl?” Panda guessed which caused Lucy to flinch, trying her best to respect Panda. “I told Kale that I was jealous because I’m not like him. You know strong, a lot of tattoos, not to mention cool like my brothers.”

“Please, when you always feel down, it’s never gonna make things good for yourself.” When Lucy put the DVD back in the bag, she then reached into the backpack and took out a picture of her and Panda together as dance partners. When she showed him the picture, Panda remembered it was the only time he did something with Lucy.

“Do you think the song wasn’t the same as it was from before?” Panda wondered.

“I thought it was something friends would do but...apparently you’re the first friend who would ever consider doing this.”

Panda is proud of the song he made for Lucy, but he won’t even bother to sing the song on his own terms. “Lucy, when you and Kale entered the limo, I can’t even think of you as a friend when we never had a normal time. Do you even remember my brothers always keeping you company, while I was always being pushed back on the day we met?”

Lucy has always taken the same selfies with Grizz and Ice Bear, but never once with Panda. However at the same time, it shows Panda’s behavior more at the restaurant. “Look, I understand you keep getting pushed down but during that day, I never expected you to be that desperate.”

Panda couldn’t even bother to defend his actions, knowing how much he humiliated himself. Not to mention everything that really happened between him and Clifford. “But do you really blame me? If my brothers did come with me, you wouldn’t even talk to me.”

“I would’ve talked to you.” Lucy being serious. “Granted it wasn’t what you thought, but still. That’s all that matters right?”

The black and white bear slowly feels better while his soul rebuilt itself. He felt that the more he learns from his former crush, the less desperate he feels about Lucy. “Considering you're the only person I’ll feel too attached to, it’s a lot easier than I thought it would be.”

As she handed him the picture, Panda would’ve gotten more pictures with her, but as a friend. After almost three decades of his life, while going from country to country with his brothers as cubs, while getting older over time, it officially hit him.

“You know something Lucy.” Panda turned to her. “If you were an animal and I was a human, you would know what it feels to be me. If we had the chance to start all over from the beginning, me and my brothers would have shown you who we really are.”

Then Lucy stopped herself before saying another word. Compared to meeting Chloe and Ranger Tabes who came across the bears more often, they may know about them than her.

“What’s else that’s in the bag and backpack?” Panda asked.

“It’s mostly anime novel books along with more of your-”

“Selfies with girls? Tell me, taking selfies with girls is the same as taking selfies with celebrities.”

This caused Lucy to giggle from Panda’s somewhat sense of irony. “Okay, maybe to you, girls feel a lot more special.” She then stopped herself. “But the thing is, even if I did know everything about you and your brothers, you would probably still keep your feelings to yourself. But I will admit that what you said, being an animal in a life like yours can show where you're coming from.”

After sitting on the sand in front of the lake for a long time, Panda finally got on his feet while taking a deep breath to keep his nerves. Lucy stayed on the sand while the bear needed space for himself. But unlike how he got here, it was the first time he never felt so calm since he’s been struggling all day.

“You know, me imagining you as my girlfriend while trying my hardest to never ever let you down...wasn’t as wonderful as I imagined.” Lucy then got off the sand while feeling impressed by Panda’s words. “Even if we do know each other, nothing would have changed. Kale might have been fine with me, because he knows I can’t get a girlfriend unlike him. And it shows why he didn’t say anything about me other than handing me papayas.”

He then exhaled, all the while letting out everything he needed to come out in front of Lucy. Lucy isn’t even disgusted with Panda anymore, nor upset after everything he kept from her. His secret may no longer be private from any of his friends, but it didn’t stop her from thinking differently of Panda.

“You’re still worthy of getting a girlfriend.” Lucy walked up to Panda while he turned around with his eyes almost wide open.

“What do you mean?”

“Today was probably the day where I finally know who you really are. And after you ran away, I had to learn it from the best. And that’s from you.”

Panda turned his whole body straight to Lucy whilst being in stunned silence. He would expect his brothers to say that to him, but not someone like Lucy. “I’ve really made today a lot more memorable, even if it wasn’t exactly how it should’ve been.”

“Hey, everyone is still in the forest waiting for you. Ranger Tabes still wants the trip to be like a camping trip, minus the sleeping in tents, but we’re still having a campfire tonight.”

It was only a matter of time to get back to the group before it’s too late. Panda felt better with his soul fully rebuilt, no longer in the need to head back to the cave to be alone. “Okay, I’m willing to spend the rest of the day being part of the trip.”

“Now that’s the Panda I know and admire as a friend.” Lucy cheered.

“Thanks for talking some sense into me.” Panda replied, grabbing his arm.

“Hey, at some point, this was bound to happen at some point.” Before Lucy would take Panda with her on the way, there’s one thing she’s willing to give him. Just like after he took care of Clifford, she walked up to him, preparing to kiss him on the cheek. A gesture for the only bear she showed care towards the least. But before she would press her lips with her eyes closed, Panda slowly pushed her away, taking her by surprise.

“It’s okay.” He smiled. “It’s not that important to me. Besides I also stopped you from slapping my face earlier.”

Lucy then made an awkward laugh, remembering how much Panda defended himself back there. “You know I never kissed Grizz and Ice Bear on the cheek at all. It was the only thing I would give you to show my support.”

“Ehh, my brothers wouldn’t be jealous whatsoever.”

The two made one last laugh as they picked up his things as they left the lake. They considered heading back to the cave to return all of Panda’s belongings, but they don’t want to waste anymore time. They're sure no one would peek at it without Panda’s permission when they get back to the group. But what Panda doesn’t know is that there’s one more person he has yet to meet. Thanks to the help from his two brothers last week.