Saturday, February 27, 2010

Cool With A "K" PART 18 - CHAPTER 8

Angie?...... Are you feeling alright?..... Angie..... Someone get some syrup.... What? Did you say syrup, Mouse?.... Yeah, it's in my backpack.....
"What?" I blinked, glancing stupidly from Leo to Alice to Mouse. I shook my head, "Oh, no. No syrup, I'm fine."
Mouse looked a little disappointed and Leo said with concern, "You're okay? Oh, thank heavens! I was so scared for a second." He beamed at me, "I'm glad you're okay."
I scoffed, "Nice try, Leo."
"What was wrong?" Alice asked, looking concerned and confused.
I then remembered that I had been thinking about Chris's bulimia attempt and shivered. I was pretty sure the whole thing was over, but one can never be too sure.
"I'll tell you outside." I said softly to Alice.




I walked with Alice, along the running track outside our school. She said, "So, what was the problem in Study Hall today?"
"The problem?" I said, laughing stupidly, "Oh! The problem... You mean the reason that I was all spacing out, right?"
Alice nodded and I cleared my throat, "Um.... Okay, you know that diet Chris has been on?"
She nodded again and I continued, "Well, it hasn't been going so well and...." I sighed, "I caught him with his finger down his throat."
Alice's eyes widened and she said, "Oh my goodness, are you serious?"
I nodded and Alice started babbling, "Oh, dear! Chris? Really? Oh, no! That's awful! Do you know how serious bulimia is, Angie? It's very serious! He hasn't been using laxatives or anything, has he? Oh, dear! This could be very very bad!"
"Alice!" I put my hands on her trembling shoulders and turned her to face me. I said slowly, "Alice, calm down. I think the problem is probably solved, I just want to make sure Chris will be okay. Alright?"
Alice swallowed and nodded slowly, mumbling, "Oh, dear. Angie, what if this gets serious? You and Chris are my best friends! What if he gets really sick- What if Chris dies? Oh, dear, that would be just dreadful! Oh, no, what should we do? Should I try to talk to him-"
"Alice!" I said again, starting to lose my patience, "Stop. Chris is not going to die, okay? He stuck his finger down his throat once. Th-that doesn't mean anything.... Right?"
Alice's whole body started trembling and she said grimly, "Oh, it does. It does, Angela! This could get serious! Bulimia can lead to Anorexia and Anorexia can lead to starvation and starvation can lead to death! Oh, goodness....."
I shook my head. I wondered if I should be sorry for telling Alice at all, but she was someone who I trusted, someone I could talk to. She was the one I always came to for help, next to Chris.
I sighed and said, "So, can you help me with this or not?"
Alice nodded, trying to calm down, "Yes, I can and I will. How about we take Chris to the library this weekend?"
I cocked my head to the side and said, "The... Library?"
Alice nodded, "Yes. The library has tons of books on medical conditions. I bet you anything they have books on bulimia and anorexia and other eating disorders. As you know, Chris is very squeamish." Damn right. "I'm sure that if we.... Er, you, we.... Showed him some books about these conditions, it would scare him out of the whole thing."
I thought about this and a grin broke across my face, "Alice, that's kind of genius."
Alice smiled and shrugged, "I try."

Cool With A "K" PART 18 - CHAPTER 7

No one was home, except for Chris; This was his chance. He rushed to the bathroom and closed the door behind him.                   
Chris stared at himself in the mirror above the sink, a serious look on his face. He took a deep breath and whispered to himself, "Okay, Chris. Be brave, this is your chance..... Just do it..."
Something inside Chris was telling him that it was a bad idea, but he shook it off. 
He had to do it.
Breathing in again, Chris reluctantly opened his mouth and stuck his finger down his throat. He gagged, coughing.




I came home from the book store, tossing my bag onto the couch. Chris was nowhere in sight. Hmm.... He was probably in his room, playing with Ger10 or talking on the phone or something. Suddenly, I heard a revolting coughing sound, coming from the bathroom. I cocked my head, listening more closely (which was not a very pleasant task). I slowly crept toward the bathroom, gently pushing the door open.
Chris was bent over the toilet, coughing and throwing up. I stared at him in shock, my mouth hanging open. "Chris! Are you okay, Sweetie?"
As if I had caught him by surprise, Chris looked up quickly, taking his finger out of his mouth. His face was really pale and he looked as if I had scared him to death. 
"Chris?" I said, my voice shaking as I put the pieces together. Oh, no...... I thought, He's not that stupid..... Or is he?
My hands shook as I slowly walked over to my brother. I said gently, "Did you just....?"
Chris didn't say anything, he just stared at me with a look of shock and perhaps fear in his eyes. He basically looked like some poor kid who had no idea what he was doing.
I shook my head, raising my voice a bit, "Oh, Chris! Are you an idiot? You can't just-"
I ran my fingers through my hair, unable to believe the whole situation. 
Chris moaned, "Oh, Angie! I promise I'll never do it again! I swear! It's horrible!"
He started bawling and threw his arms around me. I hugged him back, but said firmly, 
"Chris, why would you do that? Do you even know how stupid that was?"
Chris wailed pathetically, "I'm sorry Angiieeee. I won't do it again, it was ickyyyyyy!"
I sighed, shaking my head at my brother. "Chris, you moron...."
"Don't you think I've suffered enough?" Chris exclaimed.
I said firmly, "Well, Chris, I didn't tell you to make yourself throw up. That was really stupid."
"So, Angie, it was stupid of me?" Chris huffed sarcastically.
I sighed and said, "Chris, why did you do something like that?"
Chris didn't say anything and he tucked his head into my shoulder for comfort. I gave him a hug and said, "Okay, okay. I'll lay off for now, but later, you will explain to me why you did that. Now go wash your hands."
Chris sniffed and nodded, walking to the sink.
I went into the living room, sitting down on the couch with my head in my hands. I went over the previous situation over and over in my head. Why would Chris do that? It doesn't even make sense! He's usually so.... Not like that.


Later that night, I knocked on Chris's door. "Chris?"
Chris looked up from his book and said quietly, "Come in."
I came in and sat on my brother's bed, taking his hand in mine. "You washed your hands, right?"
Chris raised an eyebrow at me, "What do you think?"
Teasing him, I quickly let go of my Chris's hand acted disgusted. Chris laughed and I said gently, "So, Chris. What made you decide to make yourself throw up?"
Chris was quiet for a second, but he said softly, "I... Um..... The veganism thing wasn't really working out and.... I want to be thinner.... I did it to lose weight."
I stared at him, trying to keep my mouth from hanging open, "So..... You tried bulimia?"
Chris nodded, "I wanted to lose weight."
I bit my lip, "Chris...."
Chris and I said at the same time, "That was really stupid."
I pointed a finger at him, "Hey, that wasn't funny."
"I know, I know, I was stupid." Chris said softly, "You said that already. You're kind of predictable sometimes."
I nodded, trying to be nicer, "Chris, I'll tell you right now that I don't approve of you dieting. But if that's what you want to do, I can't stop you." Geez, this was hard. Where was Mom when I needed her? 
"There are much easier and safer ways to lose weight than bulimia, Chris...." I went on, but Chris groaned and said, 
"Okay, enough. I get it, Angie. Gee whiz...."
I grinned, mocking Chris, "Gee whiz."
He raised an eyebrow at me and said, "You're hysterical."
"So," I said, "Should I tell mom? She can probably come up with some better solutions...."
Chris shook his head anxiously, "No, don't. Please don't, Angie. If you tell mom she'll give me a whole long lecture and she'll just freak out.... But I don't know...."
"I won't tell her, then." I said, "Night, Chris."




"Night...."

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Cool With A "K" PART 18 - CHAPTER 6

Last week, Chris and I forgot that there were no after-school classes and had to stay and watch the cheerleaders practice. Gee, that sounds fun!
We sat in the bleachers, bored out of our minds. This was before the cheerleaders even started practice. 
Kathy came over to us, "Hi, Angie!" She smiled coyly at Chris, "Hey, Chris."
Chris backed up a little and took hold of my jacket sleeve. I patted his arm and whispered, "It's okay, Buddy."
Kathy groaned, "Crap! I forgot my cheerleading bag!"
She whipped out her cellphone and said into it, "Hi, Lunky!" Her brother, Lunkwill.
"Yeah.... You know what would make you the nicest brother in the whole wide world?" Kathy's voice had a sickening sweetness to it, "If you brought me my cheerleading bag!.... Yeah, I forgot it at home..... Well, you're not busy, are you?..... Of course you're not. Now, come on, Lunky!..... Pleaaaaaaaassssseeeeeee?" Kathy beamed suddenly, "Thank you, Lunky!"
She closed her phone and announced, "Lunkwill is coming to bring my bag!"
Chris and I nodded uncertainly.
About fifteen minutes later, Kathy's twelve-year-old brother, Lunkwill, arrived with Kathy's bag. "Here you are, Princess." He said flatly, handing the bag to Kathy.
Kathy beamed and hugged Lunkwill, "Thank you, Lunkkyyyyyyy!"
"Stop calling me that." Lunkwill muttered, squirming out of Kathy's hug.
Kathy smiled more, "You're so nice, Lunky!"
Lunkwill nodded half-heartedly, "Well, I now have nothing to do, so I guess I'll stay here."
Kathy's face suddenly lit up, as if she had an idea. "Hey, Chris! You should come with me!"
"Uh-" Chris stuttered, but Kathy took his hand and lead him onto the field.
Lunkwill gestured to the seat on the bleachers next to me and I shrugged. He sat down and we sat in silence for a while.
"Hello." I said stupidly.
Lunkwill looked a little surprised that anyone had decided to talk to him. 
"Hello." He said back.
Leaving Chris with the other cheerleaders (Never a good idea), Kathy frolicked back over to us and smiled.
"Hey, Lunky! So, I see you met Angie!" She said cheerily, "You know, Lunky, she's too old for you. Leo might like you! He's nice enough."
I snorted at the thought of Leo's reaction if a guy flirting with him.
Lunkwill blushed bright red and said through gritted teeth, "For the last time, Kathy, I'm not gay!"
If he was, what would that have made me according to their previous conversation?
Kathy said to him with big innocent doe eyes, "Lunkwill, it's okay to be gay. You don't have to hide it. It's okay to come out of the closet...."
Lunkwill gaped at her, looking offended, "But I'm not!"
Putting her hand on her brother's shoulder, Kathy said gently, "Lunkwill, straight guys don't memorize the dance to 'Freak Out.'"
"Le Freak. Get it right." Lunkwill said flatly. He shook his head, "B-but it was just for fun! Don't be sexist, Kathy!"
"I'm not, it's just..."
"You're being sexist, Kathy." Lunkwill said, shaking a finger at her, "That's a no-no."
I felt out of place and didn't know whether to leave or not. I decided to stick around and watch them argue, which was a little awkward, but leaving would be rude.
"I'm not gay, Kathy! Will you stop telling everyone that?" Lunkwill hissed at his sister.
Kathy shook her head pitifully, "Lunkwiil, don't lie to yourself. It's bad for you, I'm sure of it."
Lunkwill scowled and didn't say anything. Kathy smiled and said, "Chris is gay, he might like you."
Well, at least Kathy knew Chris was gay....
"He has a boyfriend." I said, clenching my teeth as I plotted to kill Geoffry..... Ha ha ha! I'm just kidding! I'm so funny! Ha ha ha ha.....
Lunkwill looked uncomfortable and Kathy shrugged casually, "Oh, never mind, then. You can just be cute little gay buddies!"
"Kathy! Will you please shut up?" Lunkwill gritted his teeth, blushing more.
Kathy blinked, "Oh, I'm sorry, Lunky. Did you not want Angie to know that you're-"
"Kathy...." Lunkwill chuckled impatiently, "Stop... calling... me that."
Kathy smiled, "Okay, Lunky! Hey, I have to get back to practice. I'll see you later!"
She patted her brother's head and skipped off to the kitchen. Lunkwill and I stood in place awkwardly for a while and Lunkwill held out a hand to me, looking at his feet. 
"Lunkwill Parker." He said quietly.
I blinked and shook his hand. I thought Chris was the only teen who greeted people with a handshake. "Angela Harper."
"Nice to meet you." Lunkwill said, refusing to look at me, "Don't listen to my sister, she's nuts."
I know. I wanted to say, but it wasn't necessary. Kathy's sanity kind of spoke for itself.
"You too." I said awkwardly. It seemed so weird, talking to someone who was four years younger than me. I usually stuck to my own age group.
I nodded and he let go of my hand. We stood in silence for a few moments longer before he said, "You didn't believe her, did you?"
"What?" I said, confused.
"That I was gay? I'm not."
"Um.... No." I said stupidly.
Lunkwill nodded and sighed, "Good..... Who's Chris?"
"My brother." I said, glancing hatefully across the room at Geoffry and Chris.
Lunkwill blushed and said, "Your brother? Well, being gay isn't a bad thing, I'm just.... not."
I nodded, "Yeah..."
I pointed to Chris, who was being beat up by Mouse, and said to Lunkwill, "There, the guy."
Lunkwill nodded, "He's cute.... Like, kid cute. Not-"
"Yeah, I know." I said, trying not to sound impatient. This kid sure was defensive. I wonder what his family is like. Oh, wait, I already know! The poor kid.
"How old is he?" Lunkwill said curiously.
I grinned, "Fifteen."
Lunkwill laughed hollowly, "Really? "
I nodded, grinning, "How old did you think he was?"
"I don't know, like thirteen." Lunkwill chuckled.
I shook my head, "That kid is crazy. He's really little for his age, but he's on a diet because he thinks he's fat. Ah, what will I do with my little brother?"
Lunkwill shrugged, "You said he has a.... Er... boyfriend... right? Well, um.... Isn't that enough for him?"
I paused to hate Geoffry for a second before answering, "Should be. Not to mention his sister who saves his ass in every bad situation he gets himself into."
Lunkwill nodded awkwardly and I realized I was probably confusing the heck out of him.
"Well," I said, "Nice to meet you, Lunkwill." I held out my hand again and he shook it.
"Nice to meet you, Angela." Lunkwill stuttered.
We stood in awkward silence for a bit longer, before Lunkwill simply got up and headed home. I decided it would be a good idea to go save Chris at this time.


"Hey, Mousey! Get off of Chris's back!"

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Cool With A "K" PART 18 - CHAPTER 5

I came home from school today, only to find Chris, Alice, and.... Kathy? Um, okay. Only to find Chris, Alice, and Kathy in the kitchen, making some sort of unidentifiable.... substance.
I came into the kitchen and stared at them until Kathy noticed me, "Oh, hi, Angie!"
I stuttered, "Uh.... Hey, Kathy. W-what a surprise, seeing you here."
Kathy beamed at me with that famous freaky grin. I got ready to make a run for it but, as usual, Kathy didn't hurt me. 
Just then, Chris's cat, Ger10 (A.K.A. Kathy's long-lost daemon), came trotting into the room. It looked at me with that weird, cheeky look it had; With its eyes partially closed and its ears pricked up happily. That cat really bugged me and I don't know why. It's just weird.
"GER10! Come here, Sweetheart!" Chris cried, picking up Ger10. I hated it how he and his cat always seemed to have the same expression when the cat came in.
Chris held Ger10 up to Kathy cheerily and she started petting it, "Oh, how cute!" 
Yeah, in an evil demon cat sort of way.
"Isn't he cute, Angie?" Kathy beamed.
I shook my head, "No, not really.... And it's Angela."
Kathy shrugged, "Chris calls you Angie."
"He's my brother." I said shortly.
"And Alice calls you that too...." Kathy said slowly.
I sighed, "Fine, call me Angie."
Kathy grinned, "Okay, Angie!"
Alice smiled and petted the cat too. Finding the situation boring, I left the room.


They made all this vegan crap and Chris kept trying to make me taste it. I eventually did and, to my great surprise, it was amazing. I didn't know you could make food taste good without eggs, meat, or dairy!
Chris went down into the basement yesterday (which is pretty weird for him, he's usually terrified of going down to the basement by himself) and he found this weird vegan cookbook. Sadly, he insisted on making some of the recipes. Alice and Kathy totally went for it. Big mistake. They made this weird vegan tomato paste jello stuff and tried it. Chris threw up- Oh, there goes Alice!.... Hmm.... I guess Kathy just has a strong stomach. Well, one thing was clear to me; I would die before I'd let them shove that crap down my throat.
The next one they tried was this weird vegetable soup with fake bologna in it. Gross! They made the soup and, when deciding who should taste it, all turned to me.
I held up my arms in defence, backing up slowly, "Hey, guys, don't be that way.... You know what? If we're all scared of it, then just throw it out!"
Chris, Alice, and Kathy all looked at each other, shrugged, and dumped the soup into the sink with no further talk of it.
When Mom came home, she offered to help them cook, but was politely turned down. Feeling the slightest bit rejected, Mom came to sit by me and watch them cook.
I patted her shoulder and said, "Don't take it personally. They're kids."
Mom nodded, "Oh, I know, Angela. Why are you suddenly so wise?"
I grinned stupidly to myself, "Wise, eh?" I chuckled, "I'm wise.... Cool."
Mom studied me and said, "You kind of wrecked it."
"I know I did." I laughed.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Cool With A "K" PART 18 - CHAPTER 4

Mouse was ridiculously happy that Leo's mom had been able to find almost the exact same fabric as her cheerleading uniform, which was a pretty impressive feat because the uniform was orange. Mouse was relieved because even if the fabric had clashed terribly, Leo's mom would've used it anyway. That would be embarrassing- Wait, was Mouse really thinking this? She shook her relief from her head and tried to forget about it all. 
To her embarrassment, Mouse found herself beaming when she saw Lydia. Mouse didn't know what she liked about Lydia, she just did.
Mouse approached Lydia, but didn't say anything. Instead, she waited for Lydia to notice her. Lydia looked up from tying her shoe, "Oh, hi, Mouse."
"Hey, Lydia." Mouse said, trying to sound tired and casual. She looked around, "Where's Stephanie?"
Lydia shook her head, standing up, "Oh, sh-she should be here b-by now."
Mouse thought about Lydia's stutter for a second. She must have been pretty bored to sort through such a useless subject. Mouse noticed that when Lydia stuttered, sometimes she just drew out the first part of a word instead of stumbling over the whole word like she usually did. 
While completely spacing out, Mouse didn't notice Stephanie and Melonie walk over to the bleachers, where she and Lydia were sitting.
Melonie cleared her throat rudely and Mouse blinked. "What?"
Melonie said shortly, "Time for practice. New uniform?"
Crap. She had noticed! Mouse gritted her teeth, "No. Why do you ask?"
Melonie and Stephanie exchanged a glance and walked onto the field without further explanation. Mouse mumbled to herself and followed them, Lydia right behind her.
After practicing their cheerleading routines, Mouse and Lydia sat down in the bleachers.
"I hate cheerleading." Mouse said flatly.
"Then why did you j-join?" Lydia asked. 
Mouse thought about how to answer and said, "You dared me to, remember?"
Lydia was quiet for a second, but said, "I'm s-sorry. You know you d-didn't have to do that j-just because I d-dared you to..."
Mouse shrugged, "Yeah."
Lydia didn't feel that her question had been answered, but she didn't pry any more. Mouse felt like apologizing for being harsh, but that's not how she rolls.

Cool With A "K" PART 18 - CHAPTER 3

Angie...... wake up, Angie..... come on, rise and shine!..... Anggiiieeeee, wake up!.... I'll put Ger10 on your bed....
My hand shot up and I grabbed Chris's hair, "If you put that cat on me, I will kill you."
"No need to bring violence into this." Chris said calmly, "Now get up."
I groaned and sat up. Chris instantly put a spoon in my mouth and said excitedly, "Try this!"
"Okay." I said, removing the spoon from my mouth and thinking over the taste of the odd substance that was now in my mouth whether I liked it or not. It was kind of grainy, but really good.
"What is that?" I asked and Chris beamed.
"Tofu pudding." He said, "Alice and I made it."
I cocked my head to the side, my hair hanging in front of my face. "What? Is she here?"
Chris nodded, "Yeah. She said she would help me with the whole vegan thing." 
Oh, crap, he still remembered that. I was hoping he would forget.
I got up and told Chris I would be right out. I changed and went into the kitchen, only to see Alice and Chris making smoothies. Hmm....
Dad was sitting at the kitchen table and he didn't look the least bit happy. When he noticed me, he gestured for me to come to the table. I walked over to Dad and he whispered, 
"Can I talk to you?"
I nodded and we went into the living room. His voice low, Dad said to me, "Where did this whole vegan thing come from? Was it your idea?"
I shook my head, "No way, Dad. It was not my idea. Chris just came to lunch yesterday...." 
I hesitated. Should I tell Dad? I thought, He might get mad.... 
Dad nodded for me to go on, his face softening. I sighed and said, "He claimed to be on a diet... because he thinks he's fat."
Dad sighed heavily, running his fingers through his hair. He didn't say anything for a moment, but eventually said, "Chris?"
I nodded.
"My Chris?" Dad said, trying to figure out the hidden puzzle beneath the obvious (which could be somewhat difficult, saying that there is no hidden puzzle), "My boy.... is on a diet.... because... he thinks he's.... fat?"
I nodded slowly, "Yeah. That's often why people go on diets."
Dad glanced into the kitchen, where Chris and Alice were making smoothies.... What? Brown smoothies? Yuck!
Chris turned on his ipod and Lady Gaga started playing. Predictable much?
Dad gritted his teeth, the way I do sometimes. 
I studied him and said cautiously, "Hey, you okay, Dad?"
He nodded and said, "I'll see you later, Angela."
He patted my head and walked through the kitchen and past Chris. 
I called after him, "Hey, doesn't Chris get a head pat?" I don't know why I thought that was important, I just did.
Dad looked at me, at Chris, and back at me. He smiled suddenly and walked over to Chris.
"Hey, Chris." He said.
Chris turned around, a little surprised, "Hi." He said cautiously.
Dad hesitantly hugged Chris, but looked happy to hug his son, maybe even a little nervous. Surprised, Chris hugged him back. Looking at me, Chris mouthed, What did you do?
Dad broke away and smiled awkwardly, "I'll see you later, Chris."
He tousled Chris's hair and glanced at me for approval before he left for work. I almost laughed and I nodded.
Once Dad had left, Chris stared at me, "Did you drug him?"
I laughed, shaking my head, "Nope. You know, in some households, hugs are quite common."
Alice shook her head, smiling a little, "Not in mine."
I thought about this. I thought families were supposed to do things like give out hugs and make scrapbooks and go to see Santa Claus at the mall (We have actually gone to see Santa before. For twelve years in a row, actually. I stopped enjoying it at about age eight, but Chris insisted on going every year. Which was a little stupid because he would cry every single time).


Chris, Alice, and I walked to school together that morning. I half expected Geoffry to appear out of nowhere and ruin everything, but he didn't.
In homeroom, I looked around for Mouse, but didn't see her. In English, I asked Leo where she was and he said, "Oh, she's not sick or anything. I think she's playing Hooky again or something...."
Mouse came to school during third hour (math). She complained about Leo's mom not letting her skip school because she was going to be late anyway.
"Why were you so late in the first place?" I whispered to Mouse. She shook her head and said, "Not important."
A kid sitting nearby grinned and he said, "On a date with Lydia Wood?"
Mouse turned around and threw a math book at the kid's head and was sent to the principle's office. What a shock.
I sighed. Thanks, kid, I didn't need to talk to her at all. Well, it's not like it's that unusual for Mouse to be late, so I shouldn't have to pester her about it. I thought.
I sat down by Chris at recess and, before I could ask for his therapy, he said, "She had Jessica fix her uniform."
I blinked, "What?"
Chris looked up from his book, "Jessica? That's Leo's mother. 
When I still stared at him blankly, Chris said, "Mouse was late today. You were going to ask me why I thought she was late, am I correct?"
I closed my mouth, thinking this over. He had totally nailed it. 
Chris nodded, "Leo told me, I'm not psychic."
I nodded stupidly, "Okay...... Wait.... Leo's mom can sew?"
Chris shrugged, "Who knew? What surprised me is that she was willing to do something for Mouse."
I nodded again, "Yeah.... So Jessica made the uniform bigger?"
Chris raised an eyebrow at me, "No, she made it smaller." 
I shrugged, "I don't know. How'd she do it?"
"Beats me.... What kind of question is that?"
"Trying to make an interesting conversation."
"Good luck with that, Ange."
"Thank you. I'll need that."
"Clearly."




Gee, my brother and I have such interesting conversations.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Cool With A "K" PART 18 - CHAPTER 2

Mouse heard a knock on her door and quickly stuffed her cheerleading uniform under her bed, taking out a bag of chips from her drawer and sprawling lazily on her bed. 
"What?" She said loudly. 
Leo opened the door and stuck his head in, "Hey, what's up?"
"Eating." Mouse said, turning on the T.V. and trying to look busy. 
Leo studied her for a minute and came into the room, sitting on Mouse's bed. Mouse continued watching the T.V., ignoring Leo. Noticing that he hadn't left yet, Mouse turned to him,
"What?"
Leo studied his step sister's face for a bit, looking her in the eyes.
Feeling extremely uncomfortable, Mouse said, "What?" 
When Leo didn't answer, she said, louder, "What??"
After a few seconds, Leo blinked, stood up, and left the room. Mouse blinked and went back to her T.V. show. Well, that was weird. She thought.
A few minutes later, Leo poked his head through the doorway again and said, "So, Mousey. Are you going to cheerleading practice tomorrow? You can't go unless you fix that uniform."
Without looking away from the T.V., Mouse picked up the remote and pointed it at Leo. She pressed the power button on it (She had pretty much memorized all of the buttons and therefore did not need to look at the remote to carry out this action).
"Why won't you go away?" Mouse said, sounding annoyed and hitting the remote, "Stupid remote!"
Leo smirked and said, "So, practice tomorrow?"
Mouse sighed and reluctantly stood up, walking toward Leo. She gestured for him to bend down so she could whisper in his ear.
"If you don't stop asking me about that," Mouse whispered, "Then I'll send a virus to your computer."
Leo stood back up and studied Mouse, "Yeah?"
Mouse nodded, her eyes wide, "Pretty cool secret, eh?"
With that, Mouse went back to her bed and continued watching T.V. 
Seeing no other opportunities for information, Leo left the room, feeling like a failure. He hadn't made Mouse uncomfortable, he hadn't gained any useful knowledge, and he hadn't been hit in the head or crotch with anything.




Well, there was still time. He could try again tomorrow.

Cool With A "K" PART 18 - CHAPTER 1

Leo was walking through the hallways of a school when he saw Kathy running after the History teacher, holding a flower pot with flowers in it. Hmm.... Okay? Leo thought, confused. He was suddenly in a big, fancy dining room. Three people were sitting at the polished wood table in the middle of the room. Two well-dressed adults (a man and a woman) and Chris. The weird thing was that Chris was wearing a pale blue dress and he had a headband in his hair. He almost looked kind of cute, Leo thought, shaking his head, Wait, what did I just say? N-not like that! Cute like a little kid. Yuck...
Geoffry was standing in front of the table, in a suit, holding a radio and looking nervous. He set the radio down on the table and Chris clenched his teeth, saying, "No, Geoffry, don't."
"B-but I have to...." Geoffry said nervously, pressing the button on the radio.
Chris looked down at his lap, blushing and whispering something to himself. Geoffry started singing 'You're Having My Baby' by Paul Anka.
The man and the woman at the table looked at each other and then back at Chris. In the middle of the song, the man stood up and turned off the radio, glaring at Geoffry. Why was this so familiar? Why was this even happening? Why was Chris wearing a dress?
Leo opened his eyes, staring at the bedroom ceiling. Ohh, it was a dream. Okay. Leo sat up, recalling what that dream had been based off of.
"I am never watching Glee again." He said out loud. The night before, Leo had gone to Chris and my house and we watched Glee with Chris and Alice. A situation extremely similar to Leo's dream had happened in episode ten.
Leo got dressed and went into the kitchen. Mouse was sitting at the table, playing her Nintendo DSI. Leo's mom took the DSI out of Mouse's hands as she walked by.
"Hey!" Mouse said loudly, reaching for the game. Leo's mom easily held it out of Mouse's reach.
"Give it back, Jessica!" Mouse yelled, annoyed that she had to jump to get anywhere close to getting her game back.
Leo's mom shook her head, "Nope. You spend too much time playing these digital games, Missy."
She studied the DSI, looking confused, "You kids think this is fun? What do you do with it?"
"Here," Mouse took the DSI from her hands and began showing her step mother how to play the game.
I think I'll take breakfast on the road today. Leo thought, grabbing an apple and heading for the door.
"Hey, Mousey." He said, "Time to go."
Mouse turned around, handing Leo's mom the DSI and grabbing her backpack. She stuffed a piece of bread in her mouth and followed Leo out the door.
Leo looked down at her (Which wasn't hard to do because of her height). He grinned and said, "So, are you going to be one of those freaks who lives in their parents' basement for their whole life, just playing video games? No job, just a thirty-six-year-old women living her life in a world of internet games."
Mouse scoffed, "Shut up, Leo."
"Well, think about it." Leo said, "You're not that far off. You always wear that weird belt with all those pockets and wires...."
Mouse looked down at her belt that was indeed filled with pockets and USB cords, computer mouses, flash drives, and the like.
Leo took the piece of bread out of her mouth and said, "And stop eating. You're gonna be a balloon soon if you keep eating like that."
Mouse huffed, "You sound like my mother. No, you sound like your mother."
Leo grinned. Mouse was right, he was acting like his mom. Leo and Mouse were step siblings. Mouse's dad married Leo's mom, who already had Leo and his sister, Mary. Leo's mom was always nagging at Mouse about how she was so lazy and she had no skills except for eating and ruining things, which wasn't completely true. What Leo's mom didn't know was that Mouse was very good at two things: Computer hacking and cheerleading. Cheerleading isn't something one would usually expect Mouse to do. It required work, most of the cheerleaders were preppy fembots, and it took up precious video game time. 
Mouse snatched the bread from Leo's hand and ate it, "Stop tellin' me what to do." She said with her mouth full.
Leo grinned. Mouse couldn't diet if her life depended on it. He thought.




Mouse stomped into the lunchroom, her hand clamped around her orange cheerleading uniform.
I cocked my head to the side, "Hey, why aren't you wearing your uniform, Mousey?"
Mouse scowled at us and, hesitating, said shortly, "It doesn't fit."
Leo and I exchanged a look. "Really? Too small?" I said.
Mouse nodded and sat down at the table, stuffing her uniform into her backpack. "Well, screw it, I don't care."
Alice said, "Why don't you just ask for a bigger one?"
Mouse scowled at Alice and said, "There is no bigger size. Cheerleaders are typically size Barbie."
Typically. That was a pretty big word for Mouse.
Chris came over to the table and sat down, "Hi, guys."
I was surprised (but thankful) that Geoffry was sitting with one of his other many groups today. I noticed that Chris didn't have a lunch today, just a bottle of 1% milk.
I sighed, "Oh, did Daniel take your lunch money again, Sweetie?"
Chris shook his head, "Nope." Well, then.
I looked around at my friends and said stupidly, "Okay, then. Why no lunch?"
Chris looked at me and said, "I'm on a diet."
I managed not to laugh, but Mouse didn't hold herself back. I said cheesily, "Okay, and just why is that, Chris?"
Chris sipped at his milk, "I'm too fat. I need to lose weight."
Alice and I exchanged a 'sure' look. Chris was tiny, he in no way needed to lose weight.
I sighed. I hadn't expected that I would have to have this talk with him, "Chris, that's ridiculous. How much do you weigh?"
"One seventeen."
"One hundred seventeen?" I asked.
Chris sighed, blushing, "I know, it's awful."
I shook my head, "No, Chris, that's not very much." 
"How tall are you?" Alice asked him, looking concerned.
"I don't know," Chris said, "63, 64 inches or so."
Leo snorted, "Dang, you're short." 
Nice self-esteem pep talk, Leo.
Chris put his head in his hands, "Just stop, you guys. I don't care if you think I'm underweight. That's what's ridiculous here! I. Am. Fat."
I groaned, at loss for words. The whole scenario was silly, Chris is really little for his age and it's crazy for him to think he's fat. Maybe I can just try to make him forget about it.
"Well, Geoffry still loves you." I said stupidly. Maybe that wasn't the best thing to say. 
Chris sighed sadly, "Not for long. Fat people just aren't attractive, it's a fact."
Mouse threw a dinner roll at Chris, hitting him in the head. He said flatly, "Sorry."
Chris ran his fingers through his hair and, after about three seconds, broke down right there. "WHAT IF GEOFFRY DOESN'T LOVE ME ANYMORE???"
Chris grabbed my sleeve and cried into it. I unhooked him from my arm and looked around at the people staring at us. I sighed, "Chris, no offence, but you're being really stupid right now."
"Saying 'no offence' doesn't cover for that." Chris whimpered.
"You know, Angie's got a point." Leo said. Having noticed that Leo just used my nickname, which he doesn't often do, I glared at him. You aren't seriously trying to be cute with that, are you? I thought.
"Um..." Leo said awkwardly, trying to back me up, "You, uh... You aren't fat, Chris."
Confused, Chris cocked his head to the side and Leo looked at me for help. I gestured for him to go on. 
Leo said, "Um.... If Geoffry is a good person, he'll still love you even if you don't think he will."
I smiled at Leo, I knew how hard that was for him. That was pretty deep, man.
Chris blinked, "Um.... Are you feeling alright, Leo?"
Leo sighed and went back to eating his lunch.
I turned to Mouse, "So, what are you going to do about the uniform?"
Mouse shrugged, "Oh, I don't know. Maybe Jessica can fix it.... I-it's not like it's important."
"Well," I pried, "It seems like you might think it's kind of important. Put the soda down, Mouse."
Mouse let go of the soda can that she had been involuntarily crushing in her left hand.
She huffed, "Shut up, Angela." I was a little bit surprised that Mouse said that to me, she usually wouldn't.
I pointed a finger at her, "That is proof that you're mad about it. Pure proof." 
Mouse groaned, "What's wrong with you guys? If I do or say anything different than usual, you all give me crap for it!"
Chris stopped filing his nails and said to Mouse, "Well, Alice and I haven't said anything rude to you yet. By the way, lay off the doughnuts. They're pretty much just fat and sugar. You are going to get diabetes. There, your turn, Alice."
Mouse scowled and chucked another dinner roll at Chris. She yelled, "Lay off the Glee! You sound like Kurt!"
Leo grinned, "You watch Glee, Mouse?"
Chris crossed his arms as I tried not to laugh. He smoothed his bangs and said, "Kurt and I are nothing alike. He is so stupid! I mean, episode four was just dumb. You know, when he put on that tacky unitard and taught the football team the single ladies dance? Uhg, what a moron."
I almost burst out laughing, "You would so do that, Chris!"
Alice shrugged, "Also, you're kind of a spitting image of him, Chris."
Chris looked offended, "Now you girls are just being ridiculous. I do not look or act like him!"
"You sing show tunes." I said.
"You have almost the same exact hair as him." Alice said.
"You have the same adorable baby face." I said, smiling.
Chris smiled modestly, blushing a little, "Well, well, Angie. Adorable? That's a pretty strong word..."
"You're gay." Mouse said flatly, "Shouldn't Kurt be kind of like your T.V. idol?"
Chris scoffed, "Stereotyping! Plus, he obsesses over Finn waaay too much! And he is so.... We're nothing alike."
I laughed, "Let it go, guys."
Mouse said, pointing to Chris's nail file, "You're filing your nails. I swear, when you do that, you look just like Kurt in episode six right after Finn comes in, all hyper from those pseudoephedrine pills Terri Schuester gave him."
We all stared at Mouse for a second before Leo and I busted out laughing.
"Mouse! You are such a gleek!" Chris exclaimed, giggling.
Mouse looked at him like he was an idiot, "Gleek? Seriously, Chris?"
"Glee-geek. Duh." Chris said excitedly, "Who's your favorite character? I like Mercedes!"
"You would." Mouse snorted, "They're all freaks. Puck is cool. He is always throwing Kurt in the dumpster, we have a few things in common...."
Kathy suddenly came and sat down next to Mouse, "You watch Glee, Mouse? So, Puck is your favorite? Oh my god, he is, like, so hot! Did you see the episode when...."
Chris, Kathy, Alice, and Mouse started babbling about Glee; A stupid T.V. show that Chris is obsessed with. I was really surprised Mouse watched Glee. It's about all these high school kids and this glee club and they sing and it's really stupid.
Eventually, Kathy left and I tried to change the subject, "So, Mouse. Uniform problem. What are you gonna do? You can't be on the team if your uniform doesn't fit."
I know I sounded a little rude, but Mouse was almost always rude and I wanted to see what she was going to do about the uniform.
"You can become a vegan," Chris said, "Like Alice and I. It's really good for-"
"Woah, woah, hold up, little brother." I said, "Like Alice and you? Did I miss something?"
Chris nodded, "Notice how cute and skinny Allie is?" He said, gesturing to Alice's hips. 
She blushed and chuckled modestly. "Chris...."
Chris smiled and continued, "Well, I figured being a vegan would help me lose weight, so...."
"Chris," I said flatly, "You are not becoming a vegan. Dad would kill you and, trust me, that is not something that you should look forward to. Alice is a vegan because she believes it's wrong to hurt animals and she thinks meat and eggs are yucky. Chris, you drink milk every day." I was on a roll now, "When you're a vegan, you can't eat meat, anything with eggs in it, ice cream."
I turned to Chris dramatically and said, "Yogurt."
A look of horror slid over Chris's face and he paled, "N-no..... Yogurt?"
I nodded, "No yogurt."
Chris turned to Alice and I wondered if he would back down right here, right now. He whispered something to Alice and she nodded.
Chris turned back to me and, a serious look on his face, said, "Bring it."
Wow. I was sure the yogurt thing would get him, vanilla yogurt is my brother's favorite food. Crap, now mom would have to work so much harder to feed him, at least if she went for it. I was a little scared for her because she always tried to do as much as she could for us and this would just make her life harder. Not to mention how dad was going to freak.
I turned back to Mouse and, without saying anything, raised an eyebrow at her. Chris, Alice, and Leo looked at her too. 
Seeing that all eyes were on her, Mouse groaned and said, "Guys! Stop staring at me!"
"So, what are you going to do?" Leo said.
Mouse looked like she was about to punch Leo in the face. She hissed, "Why do you guys keep asking me that?"
"If you answer the question, we'll stop." Chris said, childishly fighting back a grin, "Oh, and while you're at it, why are you still on the team? Do you..." He gasped dramatically, "Like being on the cheerleading squad?"
Mouse narrowed her eyes at him and said, "No, I don't like being on the cheerleading squad. Cheerleaders are stupid."
"Did you just say Lydia was stupid?" Chris pried grinning smugly.
Mouse shook her head, her face flushing a bit, "I never said that! I-I said the cheerleaders were stupid! You're putting words in my mouth."
"That's called categorizing, Mousey." Chris said, beaming, "Lydia is a cheerleader."
Mouse sat in silence for a few minutes and we went on talking about other things. 
Mouse stood up, chucked one last dinner roll at Chris's head, and stormed off.
Chris picked up the dinner roll that had been thrown at his head moments ago and said, "How many dinner rolls has she thrown at me today? Enough rolls. More variety, please."
"Three, I think." Leo said, grinning as Chris took a bite of the roll.
"I shouldn't be eating this." Chris said guiltily, "Carbs."
"Don't be stupid, Chris." I said, "Shut up about the diet already."
Leo nodded in agreement. He hadn't said so himself because he was completely fine with agreeing, but he knew to keep his mouth shut in case he would make Chris cry (Which isn't a hard thing to do).
"I'm not listeniiiing." Chris said, covering his ears, "You just can't tell when people need to diet. You're too nice, Angie."
"Did you watch Mean Girls last night?" I asked my brother.
Chris looked at me and said, "Nope, I didn't. I watched a movie.... about high school girls, b-but it wasn't that one."
I sighed, "Oh, of course. You didn't watch Mean Girls, you watched some other movie about high school girls, diets, teen drama...."
"Well, as you know," Chris said, "I have a rather large collection of those movies."
"Chris," I said, "Face it, you couldn't lie if your life depended on it."
Chris shook his head, "I'm not lying."
I sighed. This was a stupid conversation and, even though I knew I could win if I tried, I let it go.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Cool With A "K" PART 17 - CHAPTER 8

We actually didn't do much that day, we mostly sat around the campsite and listened to Chris, Geoffry, and Alice blab about pointless sh- Oh, wait, that's just me. I need to get at least one of my friends back. My brother would be a little bit harder to get back, so I think I'll try Alice first. I couldn't believe I was really thinking this, but I was afraid the only way to get Alice to snap out of Geoffry's spell would be to.... *gulp* make Chris and Geoffry closer.
That evening, we all sat around our campfire (in which Mister Wonderful had cheerily built). 
I smiled, "You know what? I think we should sing some campfire songs!" Half of me really wished this would work, half of me really didn't.
Chris and Geoffry started singing one of their stupid songs that they somehow both knew. "Sweet little bumblebee, more than just a fantasy! Dup-i-dup-i-doo la da! Dup-i-dup-i-doo la da! My heart skips a beat when you walk in the room...."
Crap, it was working. Alice smiled awkwardly and sat down next to me.
"Oh," She said, looking a little embarrassed, "I don't know that one."
Now Chris and Geoffry were taking turns singing. "I go boom boom boom you go zoom zoom zoom!" Chris sang cheerily. Gee, I wonder who picked the song! Geoffry, perhaps?
I glared a chilling glare at Geoffry as he sang, "You're my playboy, play toy, love you, my friend." 
Chris and Geoffry sang together, "I wanna be with you until the end!" Oh, please. Was there no other way to solve my problem? Their problem, actually. What were they going to sing next? 
"Hi, My Name Is Geoffry, The Creep Who Wants To Steal Your Brother"? Wow, that's a mouthfull!
Geoffry and Chris sang a few more songs that, luckily, Alice didn't know. My plan was working. I let it go on for a while, hoping Alice would get sick of them and come to my side, but I stopped the concert when they starting singing, "Milkshake" by Kelis.
I went to bed that night, eager for the morning to come so we could LEAVE THIS PLACE!!!! Oh, why did I ever agree to coming on this trip? Maybe it was that sad look on Chris's face when I said 'no'. Curse that baby face of his.


In the morning we packed up and got into Alice's Pinto to go home. I almost peed myself, I was so excited. Then I remembered that I was stuck with four and a half hours of Chris and Geoffry in a bite-size car..... and they would probably be singing.
After we had been on the road for about twenty minutes, I noticed that Alice was looking in the rear view mirror at Chris and Geoffry almost as much as I was. She looked sad.... almost left out. I tried not to grin to myself; My plan was working.
Alice and I looked in the mirror at the same time, seeing that Chris had his head on Geoffry's shoulder and they were holding hands. They were talking too quietly for us to hear, which is funny because Alice's car is so small that you would think you could hear a pin drop on the carpet.
"So...." I said kind of loudly, trying to make some sort of conversation, "Hey, Chris."
I turned around in my seat, beaming at Chris, who looked annoyed. Hmm... Now I didn't know what to say.
"What's your favorite color?" Crap, that was really the best I could come up with?
Chris raised an eyebrow at me and he let Geoffry put his arm around his waist. I clenched my teeth, but smiled tightly, "Mm? It's not a very difficult question, Chris. You're smart enough to have skipped a grade, you can answer this question."
Chris shrugged, "Blue? I don't know...."
I turned to Geoffry, resting my chin in my hands and fluttering my eyelashes, just because I knew it would bug Chris, "What about you, Geoffry?"
Chris looked really pissed and jealous. Perfect. Making Chris jealous hadn't originally been a part of the plan, but I figured if he got jealous, then he and Geoffry would just get closer. I hated making them closer, but it seemed to be the only way to get Alice back completely. After I had Alice back, I would try for Chris. No, I would get Chris back whether Geoffry liked it or not.
Geoffry blinked, "Um... My favorite color?"
I nodded, grinning and happy to have made Geoffry feel uncomfortable. Geoffry looked at Chris and then back at me and said, "Um.... I like blue, too. I-I guess I like green."
The smile faded from my face. Crap, green was my favorite. Time to change my favorite color.
I turned back around and said to Alice, "What about you, Allie?"
Alice glanced at me, looking confused. Chris was usually the only one to call her 'Allie'. "Um, I like pink.... and yellow."
I smiled cheerily and, taking notice that no one else had anything to say, starting singing loudly, "I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves!"
Chris, Geoffry, and Alice all sighed at the same time and I stopped singing. 
"Is something wrong?" I said stupidly.
Geoffry turned to Chris, grinning charmingly, "So, who exactly is this 'everybody' person and why does that song get on his nerves so?"
Chris started laughing and playfully slapped Geoffry's shoulder, "Oh, Geoffry! You're so funny!"
I didn't think it was that funny.
Alice chuckled and I involuntarily shot a look at her. I watched Chris laugh and I watched Geoffry smile. I must say, they were really cute together, but I didn't know why. What was it about Chris and Geoffry that made them so perfect for each other? They were nothing alike. I studied Chris's button-up shirt and knee-length khaki shorts, his perfectly combed light brown hair. I studied Geoffry's blonde dreadlocks and weird clothes. Like I said before, I don't care enough about Geoffry to really describe him, but let's just say his clothes were a lot more mismatched and a lot more skimpy than what Chris was wearing. Now, enough about appearance. They have completely different personalities! Chris is so pristine and modest and sweet and kind and lovable, while Geoffry is so.... Well, some people think he's sweet and kind and lovable, but he's not! Not in reality! As you know from the whole *shiver* speedo incident, Geoffry is not modest. They're just different. How are they together?
Well, I'm glad I had picked a mission as easy as getting Chris and Geoffry closer to each other. Breaking them up would be unbearably hard. I just can't get it through my brain how they are possibly together..... Have a made that clear enough?
I went on asking everyone weird, stupid questions. I kind of forgot my mission on and off throughout the car ride. Every time Geoffry would try to kiss Chris or put his arm around Chris's waist for more than a second or anything like that, I would do something loud and obnoxious to stop him (which, predictably, made Geoffry very frustrated and made me very happy. Geoffry did a good job hiding his anger from Chris, though). I tried to talk to Alice as much as I possibly could, discretely stealing her away from her conversations with Geoffry. I didn't mind if she talked to Chris. After all, they were best friends.
Alice also tried hard to get involved in conversations with Chris, which made my job harder because Chris spent all of his time talking to Geoffry.
After about three hours, when it was dark, Chris and Geoffry fell asleep. Chris had his head leaned on Geoffry's shoulder, which killed me a little to see him sleeping like that. That was how he would always sleep when we were little; With his head on my shoulder.
I started to nod off, but I promised Alice I would stay awake with her. 
We got home at about one in the morning. I took sleeping Chris from Geoffry's lap before Geoffry could do something stupid and romantic like carry Chris to his room. I said goodnight to Alice, who was taking Geoffry home (She's like that, always offering to do favors for people). Not wanting to wake up Mom and Dad, I carried my brother, who was sleeping peacefully, to his room and walked to my own. I collapsed on my bed, dog tired. 




And so dang thankful to be anywhere away from Geoffry.