Cool With A "K". PART 5 - CHAPTER 3

I sat next to Chris on a bench during our 10-minute recess. He was looking at that kid, Harold, who was always eating his lunch in the bathroom. "What do you think of him?" I asked, "Cute?"

"No, not really. A little I suppose." Chris observed, turning to me, "Why do ask?" I shrugged, "I don't know, I'd like to get to know him...."

"As what?" Chris asked, "A friend? Or...." 

I shook my head. "Of course nothing more, I don't even know the kid." 

Chris grinned. "Okay then, why did you ask me if I thought he was cute?" he pried.

He was teasing me now. "I don't know! Stop lecturing me!" I practically shouted. Chris laughed. When we looked back, Harold was gone. "Damn, he's gone!" I said, sighing. Chris raised an 

eyebrow at me. "Would this be considered stalking?" I asked. Chris thought about that. "I don't 

know." He said. "It most definitely applies to you. Me, however, I'm just answering questions. I thought this theory over. Hmm... he's got a point. I looked back to where Harold had been standing earlier, he was back! "Chris!" I whispered, hunching down. "It's him!" I pointed to Harold. I made Chris duck down, I was completely unaware that everyone could still see us, clear as day, sitting on a bench in the middle of the park. "Chris, that's him!" Even though I wasn't looking at Chris, I could tell that he looked at me like I was a complete idiot, which I probably was at the moment. "I know that, Angie." "Shh! He's walking right this way!" I shrieked in a half whisper. Chris looked at Harold and saw that he had noticed us and was now walking toward us. We quickly sat up and starting talking. So did you see any good movies lately? Oh yes, there was this zombie movie I saw- You didn't like that Chris, you cried! *Shh! He's coming!* Oh. Harold was standing in front of us, the poor kid looked so confused. "Um..." he said, "Am I interrupting?" Chris and my dialog overlapped with a series of Oh of course nots, No ways, come join us, elbow to Chris's stomach. Fake laughter. Straight faces. "Uh, no. I-I'm fine." Harold said, trying to sound polite. We smiled at him and it must have been creeping him out because he stepped back. "Hey, uh-" Harold began, "Were you guys.... watching me?"

"No." Chris and I said at the same time. Oh crap. Harold nodded and walked away, looking back at us every few seconds, speeding up until he was jogging away.

'Oh, by the way, Harold, you're out of eggs and milk." Chris said, doing a rather good impression of my voice, I scowled at him. "I... am NOT.... stalking this kid!" I said, separating my words to show him how angry I was. Chris giggled and I cocked my head at him and he gently grabbed my cheeks, shaking my head back and forth. "You're so cute when you're angry!" he fake-squealed. I turned away so he would stop. Crossing my arms and pouting. Chris leaned over to try to look at me, a smile on his face, but I turned away. "Angieeee." he said. I looked at him and pouted. He held up an imaginary microphone, "And how do you feel about that?" Chris held the invisible microphone up to me and I laughed. "What are you, like some reporter-therapist or something?" he laughed too. I love Chris's laugh. Everyone in our family has a rather nice laugh, but I think Chris's is the best. The bell rang and kids started stampeding to the door of our high school. Alice and Leo caught up to us, Mouse soon to follow. "So, what were you guys doing at recess?" Alice asked. Leo cocked his head, "Were you stalking that kid that always eats in the bathroom?"

"No!" I said a bit too defensively. Chris shook his head to agree with me. My friends studied us for a minute, as if we were some new experiment they wanted to try, and then shrugged and kept walking. I leaned closer to Chris, "Thanks, little brother."

"Don't mention it. Keep in mind, they were talking to me too." Chris said and we went to lunch.