Parting Ways

Parting Ways is the fifty-first episode of Sodor High School: Thomas and Friends Tales, and the penultimate episode of Season 2.
==Synopsis==
James and Molly's friendship is strained thanks to outside interference, and Percy races to clear things up when James vanishes as a result.
==Plot==
Molly had just finished putting the last number of her lock code into her lock and was going to open the door, when she heard someone calling out to her. She looked and saw Gordon heading her way.
"Oh, hello, Gordon," greeted Molly, "It's a beautiful day, don't you think?"
"Oh yes, indeed it is," replied Gordon, "Now, correct me if I'm wrong here, but I heard that someone in our dear school has been accepted into a Veterinarian course?"
Molly was surprised, "You know about that?" she quizzed, "How did you hear?"
"Let's just say I have my ways of learning these things."
"Right," The shy blonde-haired girl said, puzzled. She could only guess he had somehow overheard her conversation with someone at some point, "Well, either way, it's still in the submitting stage, but I got a good feeling about it."
"It'll be a shame to lose you and your family," Gordon sighed in an exaggerated manner.
"Oh, my family isn't moving away, it'll just be me," clarified Molly, but still remained in a good mood, "So if you're worried about the comic store, don't be."
"I'm sure it'll be fine—though there is something I need to ask of you," requested Gordon.
"And what would that be, Gordon?" asked Molly.
"Well…" began Gordon, as he narrowed his eyes as he looked at his friend, "Now, Molly, you look like a real smart girl," His tone hardened even more, "That said, what in the name of Gresley made you decide to go out with James? Do you not know what he's done?"
Molly shook her head and lifted up the index finger of her left hand, causing Gordon to stop and let her speak her mind.
"First of all, I'm not going out with James; we're just friends," corrected Molly. She lifted the index finger of her right hand, "Second of all, I'm keenly aware of his actions involving Percy, but I've learned to give him another chance—which is more than can be said for others. Take my advice, Gordon, and do the same."
"Okay, okay, I'm not here to argue with you. I was just curious," groaned Gordon, raising both his hands in defense. He then managed to put on a small smile, "Anyways, I'm off. Good luck with finishing up your application," While walking away, the smile left his mouth and his eyes narrowed once more and, when he was sure Molly wouldn't hear him, he muttered something under his breath, "We'll see if she'll want to give him any more chances soon enough."
(later…)
At the Russell residents, James and Molly were finishing up another study session. The radio station they were playing was currently going through some old Christmas songs. As James zipped up his bag, ready to leave for home, Molly was re-reading the filled out application form for her veterinarian course; making sure there were no errors. James took notice of that.
"Last minute checks?" he asked with interest.
"Yup," confirmed Molly.
"Don't worry, you'll be fine," reassured James confidently, "That course can't exist without you."
Molly giggled sheepishly, "And you have your recommend letter to add to it?"
"All done up and ready to go. We can send the full thing off at school tomorrow during lunch break," James answered.
"Sounds like a splendid idea!" praised Molly.
She then went silent as she heard a soft tune begin on the radio. Relaxing her eyes, Molly began to slowly sway side-to-side to the rhythm. When James raised an eyebrow, Molly knew just how to explain; she, with some surprising courage, took hold of his hands and pulled him to his feet.
"It's my favorite Christmas song," confessed Molly, "I always dance to it around the holidays."
James smiled, "It is?" he teased, getting an idea, "In the case… shall we?"
Molly blushed slightly at his gesture, but accepted as they held hands, and began to slowly dance around the room. Both of them felt a nice sense of warmth in each other's arms as Molly rested her head against James's shoulder, with him gently nuzzling up to her. As they broke away and looked into each other's eyes, both of them suddenly got butterflies in their stomachs. As the song began to reach its peak, they found themselves slowly leaning in…closer… and closer…
"No," refused James, turning away at the last second.
"Huh?" blinked Molly, before blushing madly as she realized they were about to do, "O-Oh my…"
She quickly turned off the radio. For a few seconds, the two teenagers stood in awkward silence, Molly shuffling her feet in embarrassment and James rubbing the back of his neck nervously.
"Uhh… sorry…" mumbled James, "Don't really know what came over me…"
"Oh no, um… no need to apologize…" Molly responded, "Perhaps we just got…caught up in the moment…?"
"Maybe…"
The red-haired boy then shrugged with a smile, trying to clear the awkwardness between them. Seeing the response made Molly chuckle slightly. With his stuff packed away, James took his bag, looked back at Molly, and waved goodbye.
"See you tomorrow, James," The voice of Molly stated.
"You know it," winked James, as he left the bedroom.
(outside…)
Outside the house, as James walked down the path, the memory of that close moment continued to race in his mind.
"What 'was' that?" James whispered to himself, "Do I…?" Shaking his head, he suddenly looked up very determined, "I have to tell her. She deserves to know."
And James ran down the sidewalk for home, resolute in telling Molly how he felt about her as soon as he would be able to.
(elsewhere…)
The next day in the grounds of Sodor High School, Rosie and Emily were having a conversation with Molly.
"James is also sending a letter, and you asked him to do it?" pondered Rosie.
"I did," said Molly, "The reason I asked him is because I have to add a recommendation letter to my application, as they stated that it must be written by someone who isn't a family member."
"I guess that makes sense…" Emily mused, "Families do tend to have a more biased opinion on other family members."
"Is that so?" The voice of Gordon echoed, getting the attention of the three girls as he watched them innocently, "I never knew that."
"Hi, Gordon," greeted Rosie, "What's up?"
"Oh, nothing much," shrugged Gordon, before checking his watch, "Uh-oh! Would you look at the time? I'll see you three in class!"
And he ran inside in a hurry, leaving Emily, Rosie, and Molly looking very confused as Leonardo and Raphael, both equally confused by what they saw happened, walked up to greet them.
(inside…)
When he entered the homeroom classroom, Gordon sat down at one of the lone computers and began typing something on a random document file he entered, grinning deviously all the while. He believed his plan was genius, pure, unadulterated genius thanks to Molly unknowingly giving him the idea, and it was sure to teach James a lesson for humiliating him in gym class—he (Gordon) just needed to finish writing it up before James was finished with his (James) own. Unfortunately for him (Gordon), Percy was watching with curiosity. He first thought Gordon was rushing some unfinished homework, but the look on his face got Percy quite concerned.
"What on Earth is he up to?" Percy thought to himself, "Whatever it is, I don't like where this is going," As he (Percy) remained in his thoughts, Gordon continued working on his (Gordon) plan, "Maybe I should keep an eye on Gordon just to be safe."
(elsewhere…)
Later inside the school's library during lunch hour, Molly was seated at a computer with James standing by her side, making a few final adjustments to the application. Just as it was fully finished and ready to be sent, they heard a crashing sound from one of the exterior entrances, alongside a loud hissing sound.
"What was that?" gasped James.
"I don't know," Molly replied, equally surprised, "But it sounded like an animal."
"Let's go check it out," offered James, standing up, "We shouldn't be gone for very long."
They both then left the computer alone and exited the library to find out what was the problem. As soon as they were gone, Gordon entered the library, whistling innocently as he approached the computer James and Molly were using. What he was reading was the letter James prepared to send along with Molly's application.
"So this is what James wrote to help Molly," read Gordon, before shaking his head with a humorless chuckle, "Too bad…" He held up a memory drive and plugged it in, "…this here is what he'll be sending, instead."
With that said, he set to work.
(outside…)
Outside, Molly and James were searching for what made that noise when James spotted a lone fresh cucumber on the ground. He picked it up with a raised eyebrow.
"Odd place to find one of these…" James stated, perplexed.
"I don't think that was it," Molly pondered, as she heard a very faint *meow* from behind a bin, "Hm? Over here, James."
Peaking around, the two found a stray cat that looked as though it had been spooked by something.
"It's a cat!" realized James.
"Oh, and she looks so scared," sympathized Molly.
When the cat saw the cucumber James was holding, she hissed in distress again. Molly immediately knew what was the matter and quickly turned to him.
"James, get rid of the cucumber!" Molly requested urgently.
"Why?" questioned James, confused.
"Cats have an unnatural fear of cucumbers and pickles, as to them, they closely resemble snakes."
Getting the message, James quickly threw the offending vegetable into a nearby dumpster and out of the cat's eyesight. James dusted his hands clean upon doing so. Getting down on her knees, Molly tried to comfort the poor animal.
"Shh, it's alright," soothed Molly, "It's all over, you're safe."
The cat, feeling the soft hands petting her, settled down and started purring in a calmer, happier tone.
"Not bad," grinned James, impressed, "You seem to have the magic touch with animals," Molly looked up while petting the cat, "You sure you don't have, like, the element of kindness in your heart or something?"
Molly giggled a little bit over the harmless little crack, and James joined in the laughter for a few seconds. Suddenly, Molly remembered something.
"Uh-oh! I didn't get the chance to send the application or letter!" she exclaimed.
"Not to worry, you can leave that to me!" offered James.
Molly was relieved, "Thank you, James," she accepted without hesitation, "I knew I could trust you."
(inside...)
Back in the library, Gordon was all finished with his line of work—but to make sure James didn't find out, he (Gordon) deleted the letter.
"Aaaaand delete," Gordon chortled proudly, observing his hard work, "They'll never know the difference!" He folded his arms, "Let's see James talk his way out of this one!"
Not planning to hang around any longer, Gordon quickly removed the memory drive, kissed it with affection, and made sure to leave the screen how it was when Jame and Molly left, before smoothly making his exit. It was then James returned, looked around, and found the computer. He sat down and looked everything over, smiling when he finished.
"Everything looks to be in order," James told himself, "Steps are complete, my letter's attached; just need to send it."
He moved the mouse towards the 'send' icon and clicked it, sending the application and letter. Leaning back in the chair, James sighed, knowing that it was all up to fate to see if Molly would be accepted. While that was going on, Gordon peeked through the library entrance and snickered to himself, knowing that by sending the letter with the application, James had just doomed himself.
(elsewhere…)
That night, it was very peaceful outside the Russell residence.
(inside…)
Inside her room, Molly was busy looking over a few things on her computer when she heard the phone ring downstairs. Two minutes later, there was a knock on her bedroom door.
"Yes?" called Molly.
The door opened carefully, and there stood Mrs. Russell looking very dismayed.
"Mom?" blinked Molly, becoming worried, "What's the matter?"
"Molly," groaned Mrs. Russell, "We need to talk."
And that was all that was said as Mother and daughter sat on the bed and had a long conversation. As they spoke, Molly's expression slowly changed from worried to heartbroken.
(elsewhere…)
Inside the Hughes residence the very next morning, James was in bed asleep when…
"JAMES HUGHES!" The voice of Mr. Hughes bellowed from downstairs, "Get your lazy butt out of that bed and get ready for school!"
Waking up and getting out of bed, James ignored his Step-Father yelling at him and started to get ready at his own pace.
"Man… I wonder if Molly has heard anything from that Veterinarian course," James wondered to no one in particular, as he combed his hair, "Oh well, I'll ask her when I see her."
Feeling happier than he had ever been since he started bonding with Molly, James believed nothing could go wrong between him and her.
(elsewhere…)
Once he was ready, James emerged from his bedroom ready for school. He rushed downstairs and left the house without saying goodbye to Mrs. Hughes and Mr. Hughes. He was in such a rush that he didn't grab anything like an apple or donut to eat. Despite that, James didn't mind, as he was just looking forward to seeing Molly again—and could always grab a quick bite to eat at the cafeteria. All in all, he was in a great mood.
(elsewhere…)
But things were about to go wrong. Upon his arrival at school, James was immediately met with angry stares from students like BoCo, Donatello, and the likes. The worst of which was actually coming from Molly herself.
"What's going on?" fretted James, "Why are you all staring at me like that?"
Rather than answer, Molly simply walked up to him; her eyes were puffy and tears were streaming down her face like she had been crying. Before James could ask what was wrong, Molly raised up her right hand and smacked him across the face.
"How could you!" yelled Molly, heartbroken.
"How could I what?" stammered James, surprised, "What did I do?"
"You know exactly what you did!" Molly accused tearfully, "I trusted you so much, and yet you… after everything I did for you…"
She couldn't finish her sentence and instead fell to her knees to cry her eyes out. Feeling bad for Molly, James wanted to comfort her, only to be pushed back by Thomas and Henry when he (James) reached out to try and touch her, while it was Rosie who ultimately comforted Molly.
"I don't understand," protested James, completely out of the loop, "What's going on around here?"
"You've only gone and caused Molly to lose everything she worked hard for!" snapped Henry.
James was horrified, "What the-?!" he exclaimed, "But I did no such thing. Molly, you know me better than that."
"I thought I did," The voice of Molly rebutted, as she (Molly) and Rosie then glared at the guy she used to call a friend, "But now I'm not so sure."
"Guys, I really didn't do anything," insisted James, as he continued to get angry stares from his friends and the other students alike, "I honestly have no idea what's going on!"
But no one said a word. Molly continued to cry, and all eyes glared at James. The intercom then came on, and Sir Topham Hatt's voice could be heard booming through in a quiet sort of way.
"Attention… Could James Hughes please report to the office at once?" The voice of Sir Topham Hatt uttered coldly.
More confused and frightened than he ever was before, James walked past the group. He hated leaving Molly like that, but he knew he'd be in big trouble if he ignored the announcement. As poor James walked through the hallway, different teachers and students continued to glare at him, except for Diesel, 'Arry, Bert, Dennis, and Percy. The former four seemed to be nodding their heads with admiration at whatever it was that James seemingly did to warrant such a call of cold fury from Sodor High School's principal—but, at the same time, they were glad it wasn't them who was about to get into serious trouble. On the other hand, Percy was instead focused on something else entirely—or, to be more specific, someone else.
(elsewhere…)
Before long, James soon found himself sitting in the one place he didn't want to be in; the chair inside the principal's office. Both Mister Percival and Sir Topham Hatt were very cross.
"James, do you know why we called you in here today?" began Mister Percival, trying to look as calm as possible.
"At this point, sir, I can only guess. No one's really telling me anything, other than something got ruined for Molly—which I didn't do," gulped James, trying to speak up in his own defense. Even so, Mister Percival and Sir Topham Hatt listened carefully if also unconvinced, "Sirs, I would never hurt Molly like that or in any way! Why would I after everything she's been doing for me?"
"You tell me, James," responded Sir Topham Hatt firmly, as James dreaded was about to be revealed, "But from what we've been told by Molly and Gordon, you sabotaged her application by attaching a fake letter of recommendation, telling the course 'not' to accept her, among other things."
"WHAT?!" James shrieked, having never heard of anything so shocking in his life. He covered his mouth upon doing that, "Err… sorry for the shout, but listen, I would never do that. I know how much this means to her."
Sir Topham Hatt growled, "James-"
"Sirs, please believe me when I say I didn't do it!" James ranted on, "I owned up for what I did to Percy, I was willing to take the punishment for fighting back against 'Arry and Bert, but to hurt Molly, it's not me!" Unfortunately for him (James), both Mister Percival and Sir Topham Hatt only shook their heads in disagreement, "Y-You both don't believe me?"
"I'm sorry, James, but you're right about that," frowned Mister Percival, "Bertram and I don't believe you, given your record."
"I'm telling you the truth!" James flailed about, "I mean, when would I have had the time to write such a letter? Molly saw the letter I did for her!" A faded clip of him and Molly working on the letter was superimposed over him for a few seconds, "She knows what I wrote! We were going to send the application together yesterday!"
"You 'we're'?" Mister Percival questioned, being suspicious of the choice of words James used.
"Well, we were distracted by a scared cat outside, and while Molly was calming it down, I went back inside to send it off. Everything was how we left it, so I just did," James detailed, before ruffling his hair in frustration, "Molly should have been accepted, and that's all I know!"
"I honestly don't know what to believe, James, but you were the last person who saw it, and all evidence points to you," said Sir Topham Hatt, before using his right hand to massage the side of his head in regret, "I'm sorry, but I've already phoned your parents, they're coming to get you," While he (Sir Topham Hatt) gave out the punishment, James could do nothing but listen in sorrow, "As of now, you are expelled from Sodor High, effective immediately."
"What?! Please, sirs, don't do that!" begged James in desperation, "I didn't do anything wrong, I swear!"
But with no one to back him up this time, and the two men just looking at him with the angriest stares they could ever give, James knew that, without anyone to jump to his defense this time, he was done.
"It had to be done, James," murmured Sir Topham Hatt in disappointment, "I'm sorry to have to expel you like this, but you left us with no choice."
James shook his head for a moment, wanting to believe that what was happening to him was a bad dream, but, alas, it was no dream, it was all real. Then without any warning, he got up and ran out of the office.
(outside…)
Outside the office, the voices of Sir Topham Hatt and Mister Percival all shouted at James to come back, including his parents as they arrived on scene. However, James didn't stop running. He just ran as fast as he could out of the building, wanting to get away from the principal and vice-principal, his parents, and people who used to be his friends. He wanted to get away from everything. Watching from the sidelines, Gordon, with his arms folded, did nothing but smirk triumphantly, thinking it all worked out better than he thought. Meanwhile, as the eyes of everyone else was focused on the direction that James fled in, Percy, who had heard everything from outside, made his way into the office.
(inside…)
"Excuse me, sirs, but is there a chance I could see this letter James sent?" wondered Percy.
"What for?" quizzed Mister Percival.
"Something stinks," Percy answered, "I feel that someone's set James up to take a fall or something," Sir Topham Hatt and Mister Percival were surprised to hear such a thing, "I want to find out if that's true."
(elsewhere…)
Once he was given permission by his teacher, Percy, now doing some detective work, visited the library and sat down at the same computer that James and Molly used to finish editing and sending Molly's application along with the letter attached to it. When he opened the folder with the application, he checked out the letter that was attached. When he finished reading it, Percy knew something wasn't right.
(elsewhere…)
Outside the school, while that was going on, several police officers, as well as the fire department led by Belle Billinton and Flynn Oshkosh, all searched the area for James, but he seemed to have disappeared. Day soon changed to night, but James Hughes was still nowhere to be found. They even checked with other family members across town and other homes in the area, but no such luck. When daylight came, James was still nowhere to be seen.
(inside…)
Inside the cafeteria two days later (on Friday), Molly and Gordon got some breakfast and sat down at a table, with Molly still in a depression that she had not been accepted into that course—it had been her lifelong dream, and now that's what it all was, a dream.
"Maybe it's good he's gone," sighed Molly, "I can't believe I used to trust and treat him like a friend."
"Hmph! Well it's not like someone didn't try to warn you," comforted Gordon, as he sat close by, "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get a chance elsewhere."
But Molly didn't believe that.
"I have to agree with Molly," cut in Emily, remembering a few things, "From what we saw when they were hanging out, James had been so kind to her. It just doesn't seem like him. It's more like something Diesel and his friends would do."
"Except this time it wasn't them," corrected Leonardo.
Raphael frowned, "Although I wouldn't put it past them to do something like it in secret," he grouched, before slamming his right fist on the table, "Man, those guys really tick me off!"
"Raph, 'everything' ticks you off," Donatello pointed out.
"Not everything!" denied Raphael aggressively, but, after a beat, sighed in defeat, "Alright, everything."
"If you want my opinion, James was just jealous that Molly was getting accepted into such a high honor," snapped Gordon, making it seem like he was hiding something, "And from that jealousy, he did it, and that's final,"
It was then Thomas started to have his doubts like Emily did, though he didn't say anything, given his own experience with James Hughes—including the time they got into a fight at the railyards. Just then, a frantic-looking Percy arrived with a sheet of paper in his hand.
"Whoa! What's the emergency, dude?" greeted Michelangelo.
"Everyone! It really wasn't James!" he panted, waving the paper in his hand while bringing all eyes to him, "I have proof that he's innocent!"
As soon as he heard the word 'proof', Gordon suddenly became nervous-looking because he remembered he forgot to do something. Percy then presented the paper to everyone. Everyone was puzzled at first, but Molly's eyes suddenly widened upon seeing what was written on it.
"It's a piece of paper," deadpanned Raphael, clearly not getting it, "What exactly are you trying to show us?"
"It's my letter of recommendation! The one James wrote for me!" gasped Molly.
"Say what?"
"Is that what James wrote to support your entry into that program?" wondered Donatello, which earned him a nod from Molly. He (Donatello) then looked at Percy, "Why are you showing us this?"
"I found it in the recycle bin on one of the library's computers!" revealed Percy, "I then printed it out. It must've been deleted by someone."
"Humph! Doesn't prove anything," Gordon claimed with a huff, trying his hardest to hide his guilt, "He could've just swapped it out with the fake using his memory drive."
"But he never uses his memory drive at school," corrected Percy, "We all know he 'never' takes it out of his house to avoid losing it," He then reached into his pockets, "Not only that…"
Another printed out letter was revealed and placed on the table, the one that Gordon wrote to try and prevent Molly from being accepted into that course and frame James.
"Take a look at this!" ordered Percy, as everyone got a closer look at the letter, "This was the letter attached to Molly's application. See all of the lies and horrible things said in it?"
"So you're saying someone framed him?" asked Thomas, looking up in shock.
"I knew something wasn't right with this situation," frowned Emily, "I mean, what would James gain by doing something like that?"
"And when I looked at when the files were created, the fake one was dated Monday at 9:00 PM," Percy wisely stated, showing the information on a picture he had taken with his phone, "See here?"
"And James was with me at that time…" whispered Molly, as the truth started to sink in, "We were having another study session…"
"So how could he have created that fake letter at that time if he was with you?" pressed Percy, delivering an Armor-Piercing Question.
"Oh man…" fretted Raphael.
"How could we have failed to realize it?" bemoaned Donatello.
Molly looked horrified, "And I slapped him because I thought it 'was' him," she realized with guilt, "I feel so awful having done that. But then, who wrote the fake letter? And why?"
"I still think it was Diesel and his cronies doin' it for a cheap laugh!" grunted Raphael.
"It wasn't them, Raph," Leonardo rebutted, looking very thoughtful, "The guilty party behind the framing had to have been someone who knows James extremely well," He closed his eyes, "But who? The only people who would know him really well are Henry and…" Almost immediately afterward, he opened his eyes, realizing the truth, "Oh my…"
His eyes, followed by the eyes of everyone else (except Percy) at the table, turned towards Gordon (the guilty party), who tried his hardest to look and act innocent.
"That's a good observation there, Leo," answered Percy, as he narrowed his eyes and looked around the cafeteria, "It's as you just said; it would have to be someone who's known James for a long time, and has learned so much from him. Even going as far as to write something that would guarantee to get him into trouble," He (Percy) looked across the table back at the frightened-looking Gordon, "Isn't that right, Gordon?"
"M-Me?!" freaked out Gordon, but quickly recovered, "My goodness, little Percy, I'm afraid you're mistaken."
"Am I now?" Percy responded sternly, "I actually saw you looking sneaky on the computer in our homeroom classroom soon after talking with Molly," A thought bubble then materialized as what he revealed played out, "And when James was called into the principal's office, you just stood there smirking as though you were enjoying it," The bubble popped, and he then delivered the final nail, "And as if you couldn't be any more sloppy, you forget that the main library entrance keeps track of whoever enters and exits with our student I.D. passes. After James and Molly, 'you' were listed as the one who entered afterwards, and you were out in less than three minutes. James may have been the last person to see the application, but 'you' were the second to last."
Gordon gasped once, then gritted his teeth over being found out. Michelangelo, Emily, and Donatello each glared, Thomas, Leonardo, and Raphael were furious, but Molly was confused and hurt as to why Gordon would do something so horrible to not only James, but even towards her.
"Dude, that was so cold of you," scowled Michelangelo.
"But why, Gordon?" pressed Molly in disappointment, "What did I ever do to you?"
"Is that what you're asking?" sneered Gordon, with the jig now fully up, "Because although you're a smart girl, you can be so naive," He (Gordon) looked at Percy for a second then back at Molly, "James almost killed one of our own, and you have the gull to be friendly with him," Despite having been found out, he remained very confident and cocky in his admission, "Now, it may hurt your future, but if it teaches you to stay away from troublesome fools, then so be it!"
"Troublesome fools? Geez, just how big of a hypocrite can Gordon be?" Michelangelo whispered to Thomas.
"Plenty big, I'm afraid," Thomas whispered back.
"You call 'me' a hypocrite?" Gordon argued, overhearing the comments, "The rest of you have bounced between hating James, crawling back to him, and suddenly hating him again the first chance you got! What does that say about 'your' moral standing?!"
"Shut up!" screamed Raphael, suddenly rushing over and grabbing Gordon by the throat with both hands to lift him (Gordon) up with surprisingly good strength, "The thing about you is that you're a way worse hypocrite who hurt Molly and someone who used to be one of your best friends!"
Many eyes from the other students throughout the cafeteria were now staring (initially just at the table where the argument was going on, but now all eyes were on him), but Raphael didn't care about that and just wanted to beat the living tar out of Gordon for doing something so horrible. Luckily, Leonardo and Donatello were able to get their hot-headed friend to settle down and let Gordon go before any damage was actually done. Even so, a very angry Emily wasn't going to let Gordon off the hook; she stood up from her seat, walked over, and slapped him across the face.
"You disgust me, you despicable jerk!" snarled Emily.
It was right then Thomas placed a hand on Emily's shoulder to help calm her down, then looked towards Gordon, where he (Thomas) had plenty of things to say to him (Gordon).
"You've really hit an all time low now, Gordon," said Thomas severely, "I can't believe you would frame your own best friend and ruin Molly's one chance of getting accepted into something she's been waiting so long for! And all…" Despite being slapped by Emily and almost choked by Raphael, a bored-looking Gordon remained unfazed, "…for what? A pathetic grudge that you had nothing to gain from other than to satisfy your stupid ego?!"
"If I were you, I'd immediately turn myself in and clear James's name," added Percy, before noticing someone approaching and grinning darkly, "Besides, it would save you from getting expelled if Sir Topham Hatt or Mister Percival heard about this."
Gordon folded his arms, "I will do no such thing," The older blue-haired boy declined haughtily, not realizing he was about to be landed in very hot water, "After all, it's 'your' word against 'mine'."
"Then it's a good thing 'we' heard it all," A familiar voice (male) interrupted.
With his eyes widening, Gordon gulped and looked behind him to see Sir Topham Hatt, along with Mister Percival, standing there. Originally showing up to grab some coffee, they both witnessed an argument between Gordon, Molly, and Thomas, Raphael nearly attacking Gordon, and then Emily slapping Gordon. They ultimately overheard the whole thing.
"Well now, Peregrine, I'm actually glad we came down to the cafeteria for coffee," frowned Sir Topham Hatt, calling Mister Percival by his real name while speaking sarcastically, "Now we know who the 'real' culprit is," As he (Sir Topham Hatt) finished speaking, Gordon shuddered with fear, "Don't we, Gordon?"
"Can I say I'm completely innocent?" peeped Gordon meekly.
That didn't work in the slightest.
"Gordon Gresley! Bertram and I are very disappointed in you," scolded Mister Percival firmly, as Gordon closed his (Gordon) eyes and silently admitted defeat, "For your actions of sabotage, bullying, and other devious schemes, you will be suspended from school for two whole months, effective immediately."
"TWO MONTHS?!" screeched Gordon, "But that's too long, and what about my classes?! Won't I fall behind?"
"We can have either your parents or your friends send you your schoolwork and notes on Fridays when school is done for the day," corrected Mister Percival, "That way, you can keep up with your studies."
"And besides, you should have thought of that before framing James for a crime he didn't commit!" thundered Sir Topham Hatt, not only very angry with Gordon but also angry with himself for mis-blaming James, "What he did regarding Percy was horrible, but what you did was just as bad!" As the scolding went on, Thomas, Emily, Rosie, and Michelangelo all appeared to visibly flinch over how intense the words were, "There is 'never' an excuse to ruin a person's life like that, no matter how badly they behave!" With heavy amounts of restraint, he resisted the urge to completely lose his temper, "When we get to my office, I will personally call your parents and inform them of what you've done. They'll then arrive to take you home so you can serve out your suspension."
"Y-Yes, sir," stammered Gordon, feeling small and powerless, "That's fair…"
"Very good!" Sir Topham Hatt accepted heatedly. He (Sir Topham Hatt) turned to leave, but stopped before turning to face Gordon one more time with another punishment in mind, "And in addition to said suspension, you are hereby barred from all school-related sport functions until I say otherwise!"
"WHAT?!" Gordon wailed, who thought that the sport-barring punishment was even worse than being suspended, "You can't bar me from sports! They're my one true joy in this school!"
"Any more out of you," threatened Sir Topham Hatt, not taking any sort of nonsense from Gordon, "and your suspension will become an 'expulsion'! Do I make myself clear?!"
This caused Gordon to bite his tongue and back down.
"Let me ask you this, Gordon," Mister Percival put in, and then threw in an Armor-Piercing Question of his own, "Why can't you be more honest and humble like your older brother when 'he' was attending this school?"
Gordon was speechless, "D-Did you just mention-?!" he began, but stopped and face faulted in humiliation, "Oh, the indignity!"
With nothing more to say, Mister Percival then pointed to the exit of the cafeteria leading into the hallway. With all eyes from various students glaring at him for his frankly disgraceful, disgusting, and despicable trick, a disgraced Gordon walked off miserably towards the principal's office to face the music, with Mister Percival and Sir Topham Hatt both beginning to follow.
"Umm, sirs, I have a quick question," called Thomas, getting the attention of Mister Percival and Sir Topham, "Have you heard anything about James?"
To his disappointment, both Sir Topham Hatt and Mister Percival shook their heads, making it clear they didn't know.
"The police called us earlier. They've been searching since he ran off on Wednesday and still they've found nothing," sighed Mister Percival, "It's almost like James just vanished off the face of Sodor."
"According to the information you gave the police and the fire department, they even checked out the places we know James would normally hang out at, but he's nowhere to be found," added Sir Topham Hatt, "Where in the world has that boy gone to?"
Everyone at the table became stumped. Once again, however, it was Percy who had the answer.
"I think I know James's latest hiding spot," The green-haired boy admitted, "But first, we'll need…" He (Percy) looked at Sir Topham Hatt, "…permission to leave school for a little while."
"Say no more, Percy," replied Sir Topham Hatt, "I'll be glad to take you where you think James is."
(elsewhere…)
Ten or so minutes later, Sir Topham Hatt's car pulled up to the office of the China Clay Pits, and getting out were Sir Topham Hatt, Thomas, Emily, and Percy. It had been closed down following the avalanche, so no one was there to greet the group this time. Percy walked over to the main office and looked all around.
"Do you really think James would hide out here?" Emily asked cautiously.
"Of course, he would," nodded Percy, "It's the place where it all went wrong for him. I only hope he 'is' here..."
He then noticed the door to the ruined office. It had scratches on it, indicating someone had forced themselves inside. Percy gave a light knock at the door.
"James?" he asked softly, "It's only us. We just want to talk."
No response came. Taking the initiative, Emily climbed on top of a small rock pile and peaked in through the broken window. The whole interior of the office was dark, with only the light coming from outside. Despite that, she could see a figure slumped against the door with his head facing downward. It was James. Looking very worse for wear. He seemed skinnier, his skin was looking rather pale, his hair was messy and had almost lost all of its red color, his clothes were filthy and she could faintly make out some small cuts and bruises on his hands. Seeing James in such a state greatly unsettled Emily as she slowly climbed back down. Thomas could see the distressed look on her face.
"I-Is he-?" wondered Thomas.
"He's in there," Emily confirmed gravely, "But he looks terrible—like he hasn't slept, spoken, or eaten since we last saw him days ago…"
Percy, now very worried, knocked on the door again, hoping to get James to come out and speak to at least him (Percy) if he (James) refused to talk to Thomas, Emily, or Sir Topham Hatt.
"James? James, please," Percy called out, "We know what happened. We know you were innocent. Things can be okay, now."
Still there was no response from James, to which Percy sighed dejectedly. Thomas and Emily watched silently, knowing that if not even Percy could get through to James, they certainly wouldn't be able to.
"What do we do?" pressed Emily.
Thomas pondered, "Hmm…" he mused, "Maybe we're not the ones James needs, right now."
Emily and Percy knew who Thomas was referring to and they, including Sir Topham Hatt, all nodded in agreement.
(elsewhere…)
Back inside the principal's office at the school, Sir Topham Hatt, with Mister Percival standing by his (Sir Topham Hatt) side, sat at his desk waiting for the person he called down to show up. In the nearby seats, Percy, Thomas, and Emily each waited as well. Soon the door opened, and revealed Molly.
"You wanted to see me, sir?" began Molly uneasily.
"We found James," revealed Percy.
Molly's face lit, "You have?!" she exclaimed, "Oh, thank goodness! Where is he?"
"That's the reason we came back here," Thomas pointed out, "He wouldn't respond to any of us…" Almost immediately, Molly went from relieved to downcast when she heard the news from him, "…when we found him."
"Which is why we need your help for this part," explained Percy.
"Me?" repeated Molly.
"Maybe you're the only one he'll listen to?" Emily suggested.
Molly looked uneasy, "I… I can't," she declined, "He won't listen to me—not after I yelled at and slapped him like that."
"Molly, you'll never know unless you try!" pressed Thomas, before taking Molly by the hands and speaking more calmly, "Please, we need you to help us."
There was no immediate response from Molly; she was thinking about her fallout with James before it was revealed Gordon had been the saboteur of the letter attached to her application. After what seemed like forever, she looked at her friends and principal with resolve.
"Okay, I'll talk to him," vowed Molly.
(elsewhere…)
Back at the China Clay Pits, Sir Topham Hatt's car pulled up a second time, and getting out were Thomas, Emily, Percy, Molly, and Sir Topham Hatt. Percy led Molly to the main office, where James currently was. Approaching cautiously, Molly gently knocked on the door.
"James…?" peeped Molly quietly, "James, it's me, Molly. Are you still there?"
There was no immediate answer, but from inside the office, James perked up slightly at hearing Molly's voice again, though didn't say anything. Despite the lack of response, Molly didn't give up trying to get James to say something to her.
"James, please come out so we can talk," said Molly more loudly, "I know everything about what happened. How you weren't responsible. That Gordon framed you," She trailed off slightly before continuing, "Please… I just want to talk. I'm sorry I accused you. It's bad enough I almost lost my dream job; I don't want to lose my best friend as well…"
Suddenly, the door began to creak slightly. Everyone else looked over as Molly backed away. The door then stopped, leaving a small gap for them to see inside, but not enough for anyone to get through.
"You guys…believe me?" whispered James on the other side of the door.
"We do now," confirmed Emily, gently pushing Percy forward, "It was Percy here who figured out it was Gordon who sabotaged the recommendation letter you wrote for Molly."
James was silent for a few seconds, before responding with a question of his own.
"Of course…" sighed James dejectedly, "Who else would it be?"
"Indeed, it was," answered Sir Topham Hatt, "It seems that he was jealous of the attention Molly had been giving you."
"That, and he was cross over you humiliating him in that basketball game," added Emily.
"And that he believed what you did to me here was not worth forgiving," concluded Percy.
The sound of James uttering a short grunt from inside the office was heard. Molly knelt down by the door, placing her hand on the wood.
"James, please come out," implored Molly, who knelt down by the door and placed her hand on the wood, "It's over now."
Everyone waited anxiously for a response…only for the door to shut again, followed by the lock clicking. Molly was stunned.
"James?" she asked worriedly, before banging on the door with her fists, "James?!"
There was no response. Shutting her eyes, Molly slumped against the door with both her hands resting on it, and openly wept.
(inside…)
Within the office, James, with his back against the door, felt that his mind was at an impasse. After spending days in solitude, and suddenly being informed that everything was okay now, he had no idea what to think. Such emotional whiplash had left him at a loss. The only sound occupying his head was Molly's disheartening sobbing from outside.
"Ple-e-e-ease, James!" The voice of Molly begged through her tears, "I'm so so-o-orry!"
(outside…)
Everyone else looked on with despair at the events unfolding. Just when it seemed things were turning around, it was ripped away in an instant. Molly had turned around and sat with her back against the door, with her face buried in her hands as she continued to cry. For a few minutes, everyone just stood in place, having no idea what to do. Eventually, Molly stopped crying long enough to look at the door, feeling as though James deserves to hear what she will be doing next with her life.
"James… If you're still listening… know that I am so sorry for doubting you…" soothed Molly. There was still no response from him, but she continued on, "I…got accepted in…to the course… My Mom immediately contacted them… They were very understanding of what happened, and gave me a second chance after they read the letter 'you' wrote for me…" Unfortunately, she still got no response, and so closed her eyes and decided to drop the bombshell, "I'm leaving for the mainland tomorrow night. I…hope you'll at least come and see me off."
"Come on, Molly," requested Percy softly, placing a hand on the despairing Molly's upper right arm, "We should go, now."
"So that's it…" groaned Thomas, defeated, "Even Molly couldn't convince James to come out."
"We should probably give James a little more time," suggested Sir Topham Hatt. He then faced the door and said something to someone he greatly misjudged, "James, if you can hear me, know that you're no longer expelled from Sodor High," He felt his eyes watering a little bit, "Peregrine and I are truly sorry for blaming you for sabotaging Molly's application. Just take as much time as you need."
There was still no answer from James, and so, Sir Topham Hatt, feeling worse than ever before, turned and walked with Thomas, Percy, Emily, and Molly back to his car to leave the China Clay Pits and return to the school.
(inside…)
Inside the office, a severely depressed James slumped back down onto the floor, listening to the sound of his principal's car before it got fainter until nothing was heard. For a long time, he sat in his spot, wondering what to do next. As far as he was concerned, he had nothing left: his friends had turned on him, his family life was terrible, he was expelled from school, despite Sir Topham Hatt's words that it was no longer the case, and now the only person who showed him any form of kindness was leaving. As he sat there, the last words Molly said were still buzzing around in his head. Sitting upright, with a resolute look on his face, James Hughes finally knew what to do.
(elsewhere…)
The next night on Saturday, at Vicarstown station, it was very crowded as passengers were coming and going while it gently snowed. Among the passengers preparing to leave was Molly Russell. Seeing her off were her own parents, six of the eight members of who were now nicknamed 'The Steam Team' (Thomas, Edward, Henry, Percy, Toby, and Emily), along with Mavis, Rosie, and the four ninja teens (Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael)—Gordon had been grounded by his parents, so he wasn't able to go, and was not welcomed to come even if he wanted to join. To make up for it, Rosie invited Stanley to come along, which he accepted in a heartbeat. Despite his jealousy of Stanley getting close to Rosie, Percy managed to keep everything to himself so as to not spoil Molly's departure. There was only one person missing.
"The train will be here soon, Molly," advised Mrs. Russell, "Are you feeling okay?"
"No, Mom…" replied Molly sadly, "I miss him…"
"I'm so sorry, dear," Mr. Russell said in a consoling tone.
Everyone kept looking out everywhere they could.
"Where is he?" fretted Rosie, "He was obviously told when the train would be here."
"I guess…we just couldn't get through to him…" sighed Percy.
Rosie exhaled dejectedly, "Ugh, how could we be so stupid?!" she bemoaned, "How many times is something like this gonna happen?!"
Stanley put a comforting hand on Rosie's shoulder as she slowly leaned against him, sniffling and resisting the urge to break into tears. Meanwhile, Thomas knew Rosie was right. Had they not jumped to conclusions again, perhaps things would've been different. They waited another five minutes, but there was still no sign of James.
"I'm sorry, but we can't delay any longer," sighed Mrs. Russell, looking at the sad-looking Molly, "You have to get on the platform, Molly."
Molly said nothing, but agreed that she would need to be on the platform when the train arrived. Even so, she first wanted to say goodbye to all of the friends she's ever made. She looked at her friends one last time.
"I guess this is goodbye for now," Molly remarked, tearing up.
"We'll really miss you," agreed Emily, also in tears.
"Be sure to write to us," finished Rosie.
The three girls shared a hug while weeping softly, as the boys and Mavis all watched solemnly before Molly broke away and followed her parents towards the platform to wait for the train to arrive. Just then…
"MOLLY!" A familiar voice (James) howled from the distance.
Everyone flinched, wondering if that voice belonged to who they were hoping it'd belong to. Turning around, they looked in the direction the shouting was coming from.
"MOLLY!" James cried out again.
Running into the area was none other than James Hughes, with a large duffle bag hoisted on his shoulder and being almost out of breath. Molly was beside herself, and immediately rushed towards him herself. Once reunited, they embraced tightly.
"James! You came!" Molly sobbed with relief.
"Of course, I did," panted James, "Anything to see you again."
Thomas smiled, "I guess," he was saying, looking at Percy and Emily, "Molly did get through to him."
It was then James and Molly broke away from their embrace, and the latter, who initially had paid any attention to her friend's appearance, finally got a look at the state of the former, much to her horror.
"Oh my goodness!" wailed Molly, taking a step back, "W-What happened to you?!"
"You look horrible!" gasped Mrs. Russell.
"You look like you haven't eaten or slept for days!" added Mr. Russell.
"I've been doing a lot of thinking," James answered in depression, before addressing Molly more fully, "Molly, there's something I've been wanting to tell you for a while now, and after everything that's happened, I thought I lost my chance for good," He took a deep breath and smiled hopefully, "I'm in-love with you."
Molly gasped and blushed at the confession.
"You've been my ray of sunshine in the darkest point of my life, and I had to let you know," finished James sincerely.
It took her a few seconds to process what James just told her, but Molly, while very flattered, knew she had to set the record straight.
"James, I really appreciate you telling me this," Molly admitted, but then frowned sternly, "But…I can't say that I love you in the way you wish, not yet," While struggling to find the next set of words to say, she twiddled with her fingers, "But please don't take this the wrong way; I do like you, but not in the same way that 'you' like 'me'. It's nothing personal, but, right now, I just don't feel like I'm ready to start a relationship with anyone," She then twirled her hair nervously, "I know that's probably not what you wanted to hear, but-"
"No… but it's what I 'needed' to hear," accepted James, "Thank you for being honest."
Molly smiled, glad that James was being so understanding.
"James, what's going on?" Henry cut in, finally getting James's attention as he (James) and Molly turned to face him (Henry), "Why are you carrying a big bag with you?"
"And what's it full of?" put in Toby.
"Come on, man, out with it!" requested Michelangelo.
"Well, no time like the present as they say," sighed James, looking at Henry, Michelangelo, and Toby for a second before addressing everyone else, "I'm leaving."
"WHAT?!" The group, except for those who knew, exclaimed.
"That's right, I'm not coming back to Sodor High, because I'm leaving the Island of Sodor for good!" James stated boldly, before looking back at Molly, who was wondering if it was possible, "Molly, I want to go with you to the mainland."
"What?! You want to go with our daughter?" cried Mrs. Russell, "But your home. All of your friends! Your education!"
"There's nothing left for me here," rebutted James, before thinking back to how he was treated ever since the first major incident, "Despite what Sir Topham Hatt told me, I've been expelled from school already. Plus, everyone wanted me gone anyways, so I won't be missed."
"Dude, we're all really sorry!" flailed Michelangelo with regret.
"I've heard that before, but this time I don't believe you," James shot right back. He eyed Molly and her parents again, "And I also want to be with the one person who didn't turn their back on me at the first chance."
"James-!" protested Edward.
"I don't know, James," frowned Mr. Russell, "Do your Mother and Step-Father even know about this?"
James was about to answer, but said answer instead came when a car pulled up near the railway tracks, and coming out of the vehicle were Mrs. Hughes and Mr. Hughes.
"There you are!" Mrs Hughes called out in an exasperated manner, before turning to her husband, "I told you I'd find him. It's a Mother's instinct."
"Instinct? He left us a note," Mr Hughes pointed out, holding up a piece of paper and reading what it said, "'I'm leaving. I'll be at Vicarstown Station'."
"Nevermind," replied Mrs Hughes dismissively, as she and Mr. Hughes ran towards the group, hoping to prevent their son (also Step-son for the latter) from leaving, "James, you can't do this!"
"Don't you dare get on the train, boy!" warned Mr. Hughes.
Unfortunately, James, briefly looking away, wasn't in the mood to see his Mother nor Step-Father (particularly him).
"James!" begged Mrs. Hughes, "Please come home!"
"I'm sorry, Mom, but I 'have' to leave," James insisted softly, "As it stands, I just can't handle being here anymore. It hurts too much."
"Listen to me, boy; everyone at your school has forgiven you now that they know the truth!" reminded Mr. Hughes hotly, as Mrs. Hughes nodded in agreement, "Your Mother and I have forgiven you! For heaven's sake, what more do you want?" As he (Mr. Hughes) went on ranting, James listened with disinterest, "You think it's gonna be easy out there?! There's gonna be no one to prop you up or catch you when you fall down!" He then shook his right fist in anger, resisting the urge to throw a punch at his stubborn Step-son, "You understand that, don't you?!"
"Well, I'd rather take my chances with the one person who helped me, than to waste my whole life chasing some stupid empty validation from people who think I'm nothing but a complete joke!" James shouted right back, causing Mr. Hughes to surprisingly reel in response. Exhaling, he added something else more calmly, "I want something better than that."
When the short rant ended, Mr. Hughes initially scowled at his Step-son's stubborn attitude, but rather than completely lose his temper as he usually did when James got out of line with him (Mr. Hughes), he couldn't help but ease up and smile slightly since it kinda reminded him that he used to behave in that sort of manner when he was a teenager, meaning he actually approved of James's dedication. On the other hand, Mrs. Hughes was heartbroken to see her son was really leaving. Memories of when he first ran away after the Rail Fest came back to her.
"Please, James!" pleaded Mrs. Hughes, "We can work this out!"
"Forget it, Mom! I've made up my mind," refused James sternly, "I'm 18-years old, which means you can't stop me from making this decision."
"B-But…"
"Listen, if you really love me, you'll let me go so I can begin a new life!" The red-haired boy spat out, before softening himself up a little bit, "You know that's what Dad would have wanted for me if he were still here—alive."
Mrs. Hughes froze when she heard such a statement (especially her deceased husband) and looked down, not wanting her only son to leave. Eventually, she looked him in the eyes and said something else to him.
"If this is something that will make you happy…" murmured Mrs. Hughes, as her voice cracked from emotion, "Then I hope you find what you're looking for."
James seemed to brighten up at his Mother's blessing, to which she managed a smile through her tears—though she hoped that one day, James would come home and they could properly reconcile. Finally, Molly turned and asked the big question to her parents.
"Mom, Dad, is it alright if James goes with me to the mainland?" she pressed.
"I can find a job somewhere myself," added James, "So I can help with Molly's tuition."
Mr. Russell and Mrs. Russell looked at each other to briefly think about it. They had already arranged everything for their daughter and were going to keep financially providing for her until she turned 18 and was in a stable job, but they now had the prospect of James pledging to support her as well. They soon nodded at one another, then they looked back at James and Molly and nodded to them, signaling the answer to be…yes. James and Molly were overjoyed, but realized that their friends were watching. In fact, Percy was the first one to step forward.
"James, are you really going to leave?" peeped Percy, "And is this what you really want?"
"Yes, this is something I want," confirmed James firmly, as the group listened to his speech, "All of you have been right about me this whole time, I was never someone special; just an arrogant attention chaser. These past few months have really put that into perspective for me."
"But you and I are…still friends, right?" Percy asked, slowly and hopefully.
His answer came in the form of a smiling James approaching and pulling him into a light pound hug, just like when they reconciled for the first time ever since the incident at the China Clay Pits. Everyone else (even Mr. Hughes) smiled over the heartwarming bonding moment.
"What about the rest of us?" cut in Edward.
James looked away, "Can't say the same unfortunately," he grimly responded, "I'm done with all of you. And I mean it this time."
"What?!" flinched Toby.
"But-!" argued Donatello.
"You all originally came crawling back to me to apologize," recalled James, before remembering the very scene at school when Molly got sabotaged by Gordon. Thomas, Henry, Emily, and Rosie all listened in shock, "But then you turned on a dime the first chance you got when it seemed like I had sabotaged Molly's application," He shook his head in disgust, "Every time one of us gets accused of something we didn't do, the rest of you always jump to conclusions without taking the time to find the truth."
"But that's-!" began Henry in objection.
"I know that it's hypocritical coming from someone like me," interrupted James, admitting to his own faults before glaring at nearly all of the friends he now distrusted, "But it's still the truth, and you all know it," He looked down and closed his eyes, "As the point stands, making peace would be pointless now, as I'm 'never' coming back."
The group became filled with sorrow that, this time, James wasn't going to forgive any of them, with Percy being the sole exception since it was him who figured out it was Gordon who framed James in the first place, and was the only one who never gave up on James. It was then a loud whistle was heard… A steam engine known as a Claud Hamilton pulled into the station while pulling five Express coaches.
"Get in quickly, please!" called a stationmaster.
Passengers were getting out of the coaches, and passengers waiting at the platform started getting inside with their tickets. Molly turned to face James and nodded, signaling it was time to leave.
"Bye, everyone," whispered James, turning away and trying his hardest to not break down into tears, "It was supposedly fun while it lasted."
"James…" sobbed Mrs. Hughes.
"All I can say to you is best of luck out there, boy," encouraged Mr. Hughes, holding his right hand out, "Just try to write to us on occasion if you can, so we won't worry ourselves to death about your wellbeing."
Accepting the handshake from his step-father as a sign of newfound respect, James nodded slowly before turning around and, with Molly by his side and their respective luggage in hand, approached one of the opened coaches without looking back. The soon guard blew his whistle and the engine blasted its whistle. Thomas and Emily looked to the window of a coach, and saw Molly poking her head out the window and waving one last goodbye. The group waved goodbye back.
(inside…)
Inside the coach, James set his bag down on an empty seat and sat down next to Molly, sighing to himself about the new life ahead.
"Nervous about the future?" smiled Molly.
"Honestly, not at all," James smiled back, as he took hold of Molly's hand, "I think our future will be a splendid one."
(outside…)
Outside, the train finally moved out, and the group, plus Mr. and Mrs. Hughes and Mr. and Mrs. Russell all watched until without warning, Henry broke away from the group and ran after the train.
"Henry!" cried Rosie.
"What are ye doin'?!" added Leonardo.
"Come back!" Mavis yelled out.
"James, please come back!" yelled Henry in desperation, trying his hardest to catch up to the train, "You can't leave! What about our friendship?! JAMES!"
But by then, the train had gotten too far away for him to do anything to reach it. The only thing Henry did about that was collapse onto his knees with tears in his eyes, all fit to cry.
"He's gone…" Henry stated in anguish, "One of my oldest friends, gone! And I'll never see him again!"
"I'm so sorry, Henry," soothed Emily, as she and Mavis approached their devastated friend. She was just as sad about her own involvement in the whole drama, "I know that despite the occasional grief you guys give each other, you, Gordon, and James were still very close as friends."
Everyone else said nothing, but they had the exact same thought. But from the moment he heard the name 'Gordon' from Emily, Henry's hands balled into fists as the sad expression on his face changed to a more angry one as he got to his feet. Realizing what was about to happen, Emily and Mavis both backed away, getting a little nervous as Henry stood in his spot.
"This is all Gordon's fault!" bellowed Henry, "I'll never forgive him for this! In fact, I don't ever want to see that backstabber's face again!"
With that, the older green-haired boy turned and stormed out of the station.
"Henry…" worried Edward.
"I will say this much; James and even Gordon both did make a real good point," came from Toby, "Whether we mean it or not, we always seem to turn on each other whenever the chips are down."
"I'll vouch for that," grumbled Mavis grimly.
"Not to mention Henry was right about one thing," Thomas said with heavy guilt, as he continued looking into the distance, "One of our oldest friends is gone…forever."
(elsewhere…)
Within the Gresley household while everything was going on at the station, the grounded Gordon was sulking in his room with his gaming computer, TV, and video game console all removed for the duration of his suspension. Unlike James, he refused to accept his punishment with any sort of dignity.
"The shame of it," Gordon complained in self pity, "The shame of it. Oh, the shame of it!" He looked across his near empty room of fun, "Suspended and grounded all because I was trying to do the rest of the school a favor by ridding it of that attempted murderer!" Out of disgust, he slammed his left fist into the wall, "They should be 'thanking' me, not pegging me as the villain!"
His disillusion was soon interrupted by a knock at the door. Gordon got up, went over, and opened it, finding his father holding out a letter.
"What's that?" asked Gordon.
"This letter came for you," Mr. Gresley responded firmly, handing the letter to Gordon. As he turned around to leave, he looked back once more with a look of sheer disappointment on his face over his son's recent actions, "Gordon, your mother and I raised you to be better than this."
With that said, Mr. Gresley carefully closed the door and went back downstairs. Curiously, Gordon sat back down on the bed and opened the letter, thinking it was from his older brother seeing how he (Gordon) was doing. Unfortunately, the letter wasn't from Gordon's older brother, and this was what it said:
"To Gordon Gresley, someone I used to see as, and even call, one of my best friends…
I hope you're proud of yourself for what you've done. Because of your underhanded scheme, James has decided to leave the Island of Sodor to go to the mainland with Molly, and we might never see him again. While I admit that I, too, had been cross with him for almost getting Percy killed, that is no excuse to deliberately drive everyone into hating him or sabotaging any chances he gets at redemption. Some of us had even taken Molly's advice, and tried to get over the ordeal. But while everyone else was seeing sense, 'you' wanted to keep James miserable, all because you were too bullheaded and stubborn to listen to anyone else's advice but your own. Percy, of all people, was able to forgive James for his actions. So why couldn't 'you' forgive him, too?
I hate to say this, but by framing James the way you did, you've proven to us that you can be just as nasty as Spencer's and Diesel's groups put together. Now one of our oldest friends is potentially gone forever, and it's entirely your fault. Before James left with Molly, I've had a long talk with the rest of our friends and most of our schoolmates, and, after such a discussion, we've all decided to cut ties with you completely. From this moment on, Gordon, we want 'nothing' to do with you. We will no longer value you as a friend. We will no longer acknowledge your think we're better off without James? Well I say we're better off without 'you'! Consider our friendship officially over.
Signed, Henry Stanier.
P.S. In my opinion, Sir Topham Hatt shouldn't have suspended you. He should have 'expelled' you! That would have made me feel much better!"
Gordon re-read the letter to make sure he hadn't misread anything. He tried convincing himself it was all a big joke. But, alas, it was all true… Gordon Gresley had now become the single most hated student in all of Sodor High School. All he could do now was turn and look out the window as it continued to snow.
(elsewhere…)
At the local arcade, two days after James and Molly left for the mainland, school had finished for the day, and Leonardo, Michelangelo, and their two best friends were hanging out with some of their Hockey teammates such as Paxton, Hank, and Murdoch, but they all weren't having too much fun as a result of James being gone and feeling like they were among the ones to blame for it. Michelangelo didn't even eat the large pizza with everything on it that he often ordered, showing just how sad and depressed he and everyone else was.
(elsewhere…)
Inside the Brighton household, Thomas, Percy, and Emily were watching some TV, but the program they were watching also happened to be one of James's favorites, and it made the three teenagers very solemn as they remembered all of the good times they had with him before the incident at the Chine Play Pits caused James to become an outcast that ultimately contributed him in leaving the Island of Sodor for the mainland with Molly.
"James," murmured Emily, missing her red-haired friend dearly.
"Do you think we'll ever see him again, Thomas?" Percy asked with some hope.
"I don't know, Percy," replied Thomas sadly, "I really don't know."
And, for the first time, we can say we don't know either.
(elsewhere…)
Inside a small apartment on the mainland, with their suitcase and bags opened up but not unpacked, James and Molly were slowly dancing in each other's arms. The radio was playing the same Christmas song as their last study session. After all that had transpired over the past week, they were happy to finally be reunited. The two teenagers broke away slightly to look into each other's eyes. Despite James's disheveled state, the sight of Molly's face made him smile with joy. Likewise, Molly didn't care for him not looking like his old splendid self; he was back, and they were together again. The two then slowly leaned in, their eyes closing. As the song hit its peak, they united in a kiss. Everything else melted away as they remained in their embrace. So while it would seem James had left his old life behind for good, he at least got his happy ending. But how long do you think it will take for James to ever consider returning home to make peace with his friends and family? That, we can't really be sure of.
==Characters==
* James
* Molly
* Percy
* Gordon
* Thomas
* Emily
* Rosie
* Leo
* Raph
* Donnie
* Mikey
* Toby
* Edward
* Mavis
* Sir Topham Hatt
* Mr. Percival
* The Hughes family
** Mr. Hughes
** Mrs. Hughes
** Mr. Hughes (James' real Father) (mentioned; deceased)
* The Russell family
** Mr. Russell
** Mrs. Russell
* The Gresley family
** Mr. Gresley
** Scott (mentioned; not named)
* Stanley (does not speak)
* BoCo (cameo)
* Diesel (cameo)
* 'Arry and Bert (cameo)
* Dennis (cameo)
* Belle (cameo)
* Flynn (cameo)
* Murdoch (cameo)
* Hank (cameo)
* Paxton (cameo)
* Sidney (cameo)
* Donald and Douglas (cameo)
* Spencer (mentioned)
==Trivia==
* This is the only episode to be published in 2023.
* At one point, James makes a reference to both Fluttershy and the Element of Kindness from "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic".
* Molly leaves the Island of Sodor to study her veterinarian course on the mainland and James goes with her to begin a new life, leaving on bad terms with nearly everyone except Percy and possibly his Step-Father.
* This episode reveals that Mr. Percival's first name is "Peregrine".
* James' Father, and his Mother's previous husband, is outright confirmed to be deceased in this chapter.
* For attempting to turn Molly against James, Gordon replaces the latter as Sodor High School's most hated student and is suspended for his misdeeds. Henry also cuts ties with him. It's also the first time Gordon's older brother is referenced.
* The episode ending with James and Molly dancing mirrors Steve and Peggy at the end of "Avengers: Endgame".
* The scene of James' Mother, Marlene, claiming she knew James would be at the station because her "Mother insticts" told her so and her husband reminding her that James left a note with that information is a reference to a nearly identical scene from the film "Robots".
* The Christmas song that James and Molly dance two at the start and end is "A Spaceman Came Travelling" by Chris de Burgh; which Molly reveals is her favorite.
Category:Fan Fiction
Category:Thomas and Friends
Category:Sodor High School
Category:Episodes