Date: Tue, 19 Oct 2004 17:53:02 -0700 (PDT) From: Fup Duck Subject: Under Pressure - High School 25 STANDARD DISCLAIMER: Let's see: 1. If it's illegal - don't read this. 2. If you can't accept it - don't read this. 3. If you're underage - don't read this. 4. It's mine - don't distribute without permission. 5. Characters and events bear an uncanny resemblance to people I grew up with and stuff I went through - ooops. ;-) That about covers it. Ups and downs....or in this case, downs and ups. :-) Here's Chapter 25...... Fup ****************************************************************************** FROM CHAPTER 24 "By Tuesday it'll be too late, you'll already have made your impression." "Well, hope it's good." His dad shrugged, "Jim's funny." Knowing that his dad didn't mean humorous 'funny,' David sobered up a little, already planning on how to make a good impression. He and his dad talked in the driveway for a few more minutes, then went inside to spend the rest of the evening in their normal ways - his dad napping on the sofa and his nose buried in a book. UNDER PRESSURE/HIGH SCHOOL 25 - Almost, But Not Quite "David! Get up." "Hmmmmmgggggnnnnn?" "I said get up, I want to ask you something," his mom's voice once again interrupted his morning. David opened one eye and looked at the clock. 8:30. He slowly rolled over to face his mother, who was standing beside his bed, a thunderous look on her face. "Now what?" he thought. "Wake up, David, right now." "Okay, mom, okay, I'm awake," he responded, opening both eyes fully. "I want to know what the meaning of this is?" she asked, holding something out in front of him. When his eyes finally focused on what it was, his stomach dropped to his feet. It was his 'toy.' He also observed it was still coated with vaseline. "I found this in a pile of your dirty clothes. Care to explain this? Because I don't like the explanation I thought of - not one little bit." "Ummm...," he started. "Well? I'm waiting." Then she warned, "Don't you lie to me." Not lying wasn't an option in David's mind. She'd freak if he told her the truth. He blurted the first thing that cam to his mind, "Well, you said you used it to clean yourself 'down there,' so I thought maybe I'd try it." "You expect me to believe that you didn't know what I meant by 'down there'?" "Well, I didn't!" David said. "I was bored, so I thought I'd try it, okay? Jeeez, I'm sorry I was so curious." "Don't you use that tone with me, David," his mother warned. "Mom," he sighed, playing his dangerous game, "I didn't know what you meant, really. I was stupid for even thinking what I did." Better for her to think he was stupid than "weird." "Yes, you were. So why was it in your clothes?" "Well, you sort of interrupted me," David admitted, blushing heavily. "And I just buried it in a pile of dirty clothes. Guess I forgot about it. I'm sorry." Then he rolled away from his mother, mentally crossing his fingers, and giving a sniff to complete the picture. "Well, David, don't try anything like that any more. This doesn't belong to you, so leave it alone. Because of your curiosity, I have to boil it now, so I know it's clean." David sniffed again, still turned away, "I'm sorry, mom, I'm so stupid." "Yes, you certainly can be sometimes, David. But just don't let it happen again. One of these days, your curiosity is going to get you into trouble." "I won't mom, I promise." "Well, that's better than what I was thinking," she admitted to David's back. "Not much, but better. Now get out of bed, you have some work to do." Still turned away from her, he answered meekly, "Okay." He heard his mother walk into the kitchen and start running water into a pot. He rolled out of bed with mixed emotions. He was pleased that his charade worked, but still upset about being stupid and almost getting caught. He'd really have to start remembering things better. Getting dressed, he remembered that his dad was going to take him to the plant to work on the car, and dug around for a pair of old jeans and a messed up t-shirt. Then dressed for the day's planned activity, he steeled himself and went into the kitchen where his mom was standing over a steaming pot of water. "Ummm, where's dad?" "He got called into work this morning," his mother replied, not turning around. "He said that you two would take the car to the plant tomorrow." David's excitement level dropped completely. Right now he didn't really want to voice his disappointment, given his mom's mood, so he just said, "Oh, okay." "He wanted you to finish cleaning the basement today," she advised. "And remember, you're babysitting tonight." "Yeah, okay," David responded, grabbing a pack of pop tarts and a glass of milk. He finished his breakfast, then spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon straightening up the rest of the basement. His mom's mood seemed to lighten as the day went on, and soon was back to normal. David was in the back corner of the basement, sweeping up the pile of dirt, when his mom tapped him on the back saying, "Think you'll need this tonight?" Turning around, he grinned when he saw the roll of duct tape she was holding out to him with a smile. "Nah, I'll just take a gag and some rope," he laughed, relieved that things seemed to be back to normal. "Just don't do anything stupid tonight, David," she said. "Don't worry about that, mom, I won't," catching her meaning, but ignoring it. No sense in re-opening the wound. "Okay, Mrs. Murray said they're leaving about five and will be back around eleven, so you'd better get ready to go." David finished up then went upstairs to shower and change into decent clothes. He was looking forward to spending some time with Chad, he liked the kid, but it was sort of tempered by the fact that his sister seemed to have a crush on him. He really didn't know what to expect, but was still a little excited. He walked into the kitchen, ready to go. His mother smiled at him briefly, making sure he was dressed well, then they began the drive to the Murray's. "The Murray's are putting a lot of trust in you, David. Just remember that." "Okay, mom, I will, I promise." The rest of the drive was spent with his mother giving advice and warnings, then they were pulling into the Murray's driveway. Mr. Murray answered the door, and David gasped a little, making the man chuckle. Mr. Murray was a big man. Well over six feet, and looked like he was all muscle. "Ummmm, hello, Mr. Murray?" David asked hesitantly. The man laughed and held out his hand, "Yep, and you must be David. We've heard a lot about you." David gingerly shook Mr. Murray's hand, still in a little bit of shock. "Well, come on in, David and mom," he offered with a smile. His mom introduced herself, and they were ushered into the living room. "Get you anything to drink?" Mr. Murray offered. "Ummm, no thanks," David replied, his mother shaking her head. "Okay, well the boss lady will be down soon, she's giving her last minute "be good' speech to the kids. I need to finish getting dressed or I'll get another kind of talk," he laughed, winking. When he was gone, David looked over to his mother, who was smiling, "He's big!" "Well, that should give you another reason to mind your p's and q's," his mom advised. He was about to agree when Mrs. Murray came into the room with Chad and Cindy. "Hi David, and Betty," she greeted. "Well be back about eleven David, and if you have any trouble with these two, tell us when we get back, and we'll take care of it." Then she shot a meaningful glance at her children before turning back to David and his mother. "There's soda and munchies for you in the kitchen, David. The kids have already eaten, so you don't have to worry about that. I left the number of the restaurant beside the phone, and the number of the house we'll be at later in the evening." "Okay, cool," David smiled. Mrs. Murray turned to her offspring again as her husband started down the stairs, "You two be good as gold tonight for David, you hear?" She received agreeable responses from both before saying, "Now go play." Both youngsters flashed a smile at David and his mom, then went back upstairs. The Murray's gave some final instructions to David, and they and his mom headed out the door, his mom stating that she'd be back a little after eleven to pick him up. After the adults had left, David returned to the living room, not knowing exactly what to do now. Pounding feet on the stairs interrupted his thoughts and he turned to see a grinning Chad standing in the doorway. "Hey, David." "Hey kiddo," David smiled, "Whatcha doin'?" "Nothin', I'm bored. Wanna watch some TV?" "I guess, where's your sister?" "She's upstairs, playing with her Barbies," Chad answered disgusted. David laughed at Chad's tone, "Hey my sister does the same thing. It's a girl thing you know." "I guess, but she wants ME to play with her, so I thought I'd come down to watch TV." They sat on the sofa, Chad turning on the TV and flipping through the channels to find something to watch. He finally settled on a channel showing a western, and came back to sit on the sofa with David. The boys were on opposite ends of the sofa when Cindy came downstairs. "Hi Cindy," greeted David, smiling. "Wanna watch with us?" "Hi David," Cindy returned his greeting shyly. Then she started toward the sofa. Chad slid over toward David, giving Cindy a place to sit on the end. The three sat there watching TV, until Cindy got bored with the gunfights and stated she was going back upstairs. Chad made shooing motions with his hands, and gave a sigh when she had left the room. "You know, she likes you," he said, grinning. "Yeah, I get that idea," David agreed. "She talks about you all the time." David shrugged, then smiled. "I understand someone else does too." Chad blushed slightly, "Well, I like you too. Not the way Cindy does though," he added. "Awwww," David teased, "C'mere and give me a kiss." "No way," Chad laughed. "Awww, c'mon Chad," David grinned, moving closer to Chad. Chad giggled, then leapt off the sofa. He stood in front of David, who was still sitting, and smacked him on the head. David dramatically collapsed on his side, closing his eyes and groaning. "Dave, you okay?" he heard the worried voice. Chad started moving closer. He moved so he could shake David's shoulder, "You okay?" David moved quickly, sitting up and grabbing Chad, pulling him onto his lap. Chad's surprise turned into peals of laughter as David dug his fingers into his ribs. Chad squirmed, trying to escape the tickling fingers and ended up on his back, draped across David's legs face down. David relented his tickling a little, then stopped all together. Chad laid there for a few seconds, then rolled himself over, looking up at David, red-faced. "I'm pretty ticklish," he admitted. David rubbed Chad's stomach a little. "Yeah, I would say so," he agreed, then poked Chad's stomach with his finger, causing Chad to curl up and roll onto the floor. "What are you guys doing?" Cindy asked from the doorway. David curled his fingers, and shot a friendly glare toward her. "The tickle bandit is here." Cindy laughed then ran back up the stairs. "Don't even try it," she shot back over her shoulder as she slammed her bedroom door. David looked over at Chad, raising his eyebrows. Chad grinned, nodded, and both snuck up the stairs, waiting outside Cindy's door. They didn't have to wait long before Cindy's curiosity at the silence got the best of her and she opened the door. Chad lunged into the room, followed by a grinning David. The younger boy pounced on his sister, tickling her ribs until she was breathless with laughter. "Okay Chad, let her up," David said laughing. "I think she's had enough." Chad gave her one last poke then rose to his feet. Cindy sat up and smiled. "I thought you guys were gonna ignore me." "I'm here to watch both of you," David said. "So that's what I'm gonna do." "Let's get some munchies and watch TV some more," suggested Chad. The three of them raided the kitchen, chips and soda in hand they returned to the living room and settled back on the sofa, one on each side of David. Cindy shyly kept her distance, but Chad snuggled up to David, who draped an arm across his shoulders. "He's a big baby," Cindy scoffed. "I am NOT!" David gave Chad's shoulders a squeeze. "Ease up, okay? I don't want to have to take you guys to the hospital." The two settled down again, watching the tube and digging into the bag of chips, finishing off the sodas and chips as the show was ending. Cindy excused herself to go to the bathroom and David made a move to slide away from Chad. Chad grabbed his hand and almost yanked it back across his shoulders. He grinned at David, "S'ok, Dad and I watch TV like this a lot." "Well, as long as you don't mind," David answered. "Nope," Chad grinned in reply. Cindy came back into the room and sat in one of the chairs across the room, once again turning her attention to the TV. David was getting sort of fidgety, he didn't watch a whole lot of TV, and was getting a little bored. "Let's do something else," he suggested after a few minutes. "Like what?" asked the boy beside him. "I dunno, like a game or something. It's getting close to you guys' bedtime anyway." "Let's play Life or something, then," Cindy suggested. The game was set up on the dining room table and they spent the next hour or so absorbed in making and spending money. David looked at the clock. "Okay guys, your parents said 9:00 was bedtime. You'd better get going." His suggestion was met by the typical moans, but the two tromped upstairs to get ready for bed. A few minutes later, giving them time to get changed and into bed, he walked upstairs, checking on Cindy first. She was already in bed, and rolled over when she heard David say his good night. "Night, Dave. It was fun." David grinned back, "Yeah, it was, night." "Close my door, okay, not all the way, but so the hallway light doesn't shine in." David did as requested, then walked down the hall to check on Chad. When he walked in the door, he was met by the sight of a brief-clad Chad, digging through his bureau. "Hey kiddo, whatcha lookin' for?" Startled, Chad turned, then grinned at the older boy. "My PJ's, mom mustn't have washed 'em yet." "Just go to bed in your underwear," suggested David. "Ewww, isn't that like weird?" David laughed, "No, I do it all the time. Am I weird?" "Well, yeah a little, but okay," Chad giggled, then slipped under the covers. "Thanks for watching us Dave, I had fun." Then he yawned. David smiled at the boy, then walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. "Yeah I had fun too, kiddo." He ran his fingers through the boys hair, then said, "We'll hafta do it again sometime." "Yeah, maybe you can be our regular sitter," Chad suggested. "Well, I always heard that only girls babysit," David said. Chad frowned, "Whenever mom and dad get a girl, she always spends more time talking 'girl talk' with Cindy." David chuckled, "Poor little guy." Chad punched David's leg, "So ya wanna talk 'guy talk'?" "Like what?" "I dunno, what do you and Kelly talk about?" "Different stuff," David blushed a little. Catching the blush, Chad teased, "Betcha talk about girls, huh?" "Sometimes," David admitted, then grinned. "But when we do, it's a short conversation." "Huh?" "Never mind," David grinned, "you'll know what I mean when you get older." "That's what everyone says," Chad complained. "Yeah, I know, sorry. I got the same thing when I was your age, 'Wait til you're older,' and all that." "So what do you mean?" asked Chad. "What? About girls?" "Yeah." "Well, they're confusing..." "Dumb, ya mean." "Nah, just different," David shrugged. "Weird," Chad agreed, seriously. David laughed, "Yeah, you could say that." "So have you tried to make babies yet?" Chad asked. David chuckled at Chad's choice of words. "Nah, got plenty of time for that. I'm only 15, so I've got a long time to wait before I do that." "Oh," came the disappointed reply. "What's wrong?" "Nothing," Chad answered. "I just thought you could tell me what it's like, that's all." David shook his head, "Sorry, man, can't tell ya." "Okay, didn't mean to be a pain." "Chad, you're far from being a pain. You're pretty cool, for a little guy." Chad sat up and punched David's arm hard. "I'm not little, you said so yourself." David rubbed his arm, then grinned, "Guess not, you pack a heckuva punch." "Can we talk some more?" "Yeah, but some other time, okay? Time for you to get some sleep, don't want your parents to think I'm a bad influence or anything," David grinned. "Okay," Chad sighed. Without thinking, David leaned over and kissed Chad's forehead, "Night kiddo." "What'd ya do that for?" David blushed a little, "Sorry, didn't mean to." "S'ok," Chad said, then grinned. "I don't mind." Then he sat up and kissed David's cheek, "Night." Then he giggled at David's expression of surprise and laid back down, rolling over onto his side, facing the older boy. David shook his head, ruffled Chad's hair, then stood up. "You're full of surprises, you know that?" Chad just giggled and snuggled down further under the blankets. David started walking out of the room, "Want me to close your door?" "NO!" Chad responded emphatically. "Okay, man. No sweat. I'll leave it open." Then he turned of the bedroom light, and left the boy to his dreams. ***************************************************************************************************** Okay, so I'm a tease....lol The evening is not over yet. Stay tuned. David finds out something that Chad's parents forgot to warn him about. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or feedback. email: fupduckmd@yahoo.com AIM and Yahoo: fupduckmd Fup STANDARD DISCLAIMER: Let's see: 1. If it's illegal - don't read this. 2. If you can't accept it - don't read this. 3. If you're underage - don't read this. 4. It's mine - don't distribute without permission. 5. Characters and events bear an uncanny resemblance to people I grew up with and stuff I went through - ooops. ;-) That about covers it. Ups and downs....or in this case, downs and ups. :-) Here's Chapter 25...... Fup ****************************************************************************************************** FROM CHAPTER 24 "By Tuesday it'll be too late, you'll already have made your impression." "Well, hope it's good." His dad shrugged, "Jim's funny." Knowing that his dad didn't mean humorous 'funny,' David sobered up a little, already planning on how to make a good impression. He and his dad talked in the driveway for a few more minutes, then went inside to spend the rest of the evening in their normal ways - his dad napping on the sofa and his nose buried in a book. UNDER PRESSURE/HIGH SCHOOL 25 - Almost, But Not Quite "David! Get up." "Hmmmmmgggggnnnnn?" "I said get up, I want to ask you something," his mom's voice once again interrupted his morning. David opened one eye and looked at the clock. 8:30. He slowly rolled over to face his mother, who was standing beside his bed, a thunderous look on her face. "Now what?" he thought. "Wake up, David, right now." "Okay, mom, okay, I'm awake," he responded, opening both eyes fully. "I want to know what the meaning of this is?" she asked, holding something out in front of him. When his eyes finally focused on what it was, his stomach dropped to his feet. It was his 'toy.' He also observed it was still coated with vaseline. "I found this in a pile of your dirty clothes. Care to explain this? Because I don't like the explanation I thought of - not one little bit." "Ummm...," he started. "Well? I'm waiting." Then she warned, "Don't you lie to me." Not lying wasn't an option in David's mind. She'd freak if he told her the truth. He blurted the first thing that cam to his mind, "Well, you said you used it to clean yourself 'down there,' so I thought maybe I'd try it." "You expect me to believe that you didn't know what I meant by 'down there'?" "Well, I didn't!" David said. "I was bored, so I thought I'd try it, okay? Jeeez, I'm sorry I was so curious." "Don't you use that tone with me, David," his mother warned. "Mom," he sighed, playing his dangerous game, "I didn't know what you meant, really. I was stupid for even thinking what I did." Better for her to think he was stupid than "weird." "Yes, you were. So why was it in your clothes?" "Well, you sort of interrupted me," David admitted, blushing heavily. "And I just buried it in a pile of dirty clothes. Guess I forgot about it. I'm sorry." Then he rolled away from his mother, mentally crossing his fingers, and giving a sniff to complete the picture. "Well, David, don't try anything like that any more. This doesn't belong to you, so leave it alone. Because of your curiosity, I have to boil it now, so I know it's clean." David sniffed again, still turned away, "I'm sorry, mom, I'm so stupid." "Yes, you certainly can be sometimes, David. But just don't let it happen again. One of these days, your curiosity is going to get you into trouble." "I won't mom, I promise." "Well, that's better than what I was thinking," she admitted to David's back. "Not much, but better. Now get out of bed, you have some work to do." Still turned away from her, he answered meekly, "Okay." He heard his mother walk into the kitchen and start running water into a pot. He rolled out of bed with mixed emotions. He was pleased that his charade worked, but still upset about being stupid and almost getting caught. He'd really have to start remembering things better. Getting dressed, he remembered that his dad was going to take him to the plant to work on the car, and dug around for a pair of old jeans and a messed up t-shirt. Then dressed for the day's planned activity, he steeled himself and went into the kitchen where his mom was standing over a steaming pot of water. "Ummm, where's dad?" "He got called into work this morning," his mother replied, not turning around. "He said that you two would take the car to the plant tomorrow." David's excitement level dropped completely. Right now he didn't really want to voice his disappointment, given his mom's mood, so he just said, "Oh, okay." "He wanted you to finish cleaning the basement today," she advised. "And remember, you're babysitting tonight." "Yeah, okay," David responded, grabbing a pack of pop tarts and a glass of milk. He finished his breakfast, then spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon straightening up the rest of the basement. His mom's mood seemed to lighten as the day went on, and soon was back to normal. David was in the back corner of the basement, sweeping up the pile of dirt, when his mom tapped him on the back saying, "Think you'll need this tonight?" Turning around, he grinned when he saw the roll of duct tape she was holding out to him with a smile. "Nah, I'll just take a gag and some rope," he laughed, relieved that things seemed to be back to normal. "Just don't do anything stupid tonight, David," she said. "Don't worry about that, mom, I won't," catching her meaning, but ignoring it. No sense in re-opening the wound. "Okay, Mrs. Murray said they're leaving about five and will be back around eleven, so you'd better get ready to go." David finished up then went upstairs to shower and change into decent clothes. He was looking forward to spending some time with Chad, he liked the kid, but it was sort of tempered by the fact that his sister seemed to have a crush on him. He really didn't know what to expect, but was still a little excited. He walked into the kitchen, ready to go. His mother smiled at him briefly, making sure he was dressed well, then they began the drive to the Murray's. "The Murray's are putting a lot of trust in you, David. Just remember that." "Okay, mom, I will, I promise." The rest of the drive was spent with his mother giving advice and warnings, then they were pulling into the Murray's driveway. Mr. Murray answered the door, and David gasped a little, making the man chuckle. Mr. Murray was a big man. Well over six feet, and looked like he was all muscle. "Ummmm, hello, Mr. Murray?" David asked hesitantly. The man laughed and held out his hand, "Yep, and you must be David. We've heard a lot about you." David gingerly shook Mr. Murray's hand, still in a little bit of shock. "Well, come on in, David and mom," he offered with a smile. His mom introduced herself, and they were ushered into the living room. "Get you anything to drink?" Mr. Murray offered. "Ummm, no thanks," David replied, his mother shaking her head. "Okay, well the boss lady will be down soon, she's giving her last minute "be good' speech to the kids. I need to finish getting dressed or I'll get another kind of talk," he laughed, winking. When he was gone, David looked over to his mother, who was smiling, "He's big!" "Well, that should give you another reason to mind your p's and q's," his mom advised. He was about to agree when Mrs. Murray came into the room with Chad and Cindy. "Hi David, and Betty," she greeted. "Well be back about eleven David, and if you have any trouble with these two, tell us when we get back, and we'll take care of it." Then she shot a meaningful glance at her children before turning back to David and his mother. "There's soda and munchies for you in the kitchen, David. The kids have already eaten, so you don't have to worry about that. I left the number of the restaurant beside the phone, and the number of the house we'll be at later in the evening." "Okay, cool," David smiled. Mrs. Murray turned to her offspring again as her husband started down the stairs, "You two be good as gold tonight for David, you hear?" She received agreeable responses from both before saying, "Now go play." Both youngsters flashed a smile at David and his mom, then went back upstairs. The Murray's gave some final instructions to David, and they and his mom headed out the door, his mom stating that she'd be back a little after eleven to pick him up. After the adults had left, David returned to the living room, not knowing exactly what to do now. Pounding feet on the stairs interrupted his thoughts and he turned to see a grinning Chad standing in the doorway. "Hey, David." "Hey kiddo," David smiled, "Whatcha doin'?" "Nothin', I'm bored. Wanna watch some TV?" "I guess, where's your sister?" "She's upstairs, playing with her Barbies," Chad answered disgusted. David laughed at Chad's tone, "Hey my sister does the same thing. It's a girl thing you know." "I guess, but she wants ME to play with her, so I thought I'd come down to watch TV." They sat on the sofa, Chad turning on the TV and flipping through the channels to find something to watch. He finally settled on a channel showing a western, and came back to sit on the sofa with David. The boys were on opposite ends of the sofa when Cindy came downstairs. "Hi Cindy," greeted David, smiling. "Wanna watch with us?" "Hi David," Cindy returned his greeting shyly. Then she started toward the sofa. Chad slid over toward David, giving Cindy a place to sit on the end. The three sat there watching TV, until Cindy got bored with the gunfights and stated she was going back upstairs. Chad made shooing motions with his hands, and gave a sigh when she had left the room. "You know, she likes you," he said, grinning. "Yeah, I get that idea," David agreed. "She talks about you all the time." David shrugged, then smiled. "I understand someone else does too." Chad blushed slightly, "Well, I like you too. Not the way Cindy does though," he added. "Awwww," David teased, "C'mere and give me a kiss." "No way," Chad laughed. "Awww, c'mon Chad," David grinned, moving closer to Chad. Chad giggled, then leapt off the sofa. He stood in front of David, who was still sitting, and smacked him on the head. David dramatically collapsed on his side, closing his eyes and groaning. "Dave, you okay?" he heard the worried voice. Chad started moving closer. He moved so he could shake David's shoulder, "You okay?" David moved quickly, sitting up and grabbing Chad, pulling him onto his lap. Chad's surprise turned into peals of laughter as David dug his fingers into his ribs. Chad squirmed, trying to escape the tickling fingers and ended up on his back, draped across David's legs face down. David relented his tickling a little, then stopped all together. Chad laid there for a few seconds, then rolled himself over, looking up at David, red-faced. "I'm pretty ticklish," he admitted. David rubbed Chad's stomach a little. "Yeah, I would say so," he agreed, then poked Chad's stomach with his finger, causing Chad to curl up and roll onto the floor. "What are you guys doing?" Cindy asked from the doorway. David curled his fingers, and shot a friendly glare toward her. "The tickle bandit is here." Cindy laughed then ran back up the stairs. "Don't even try it," she shot back over her shoulder as she slammed her bedroom door. David looked over at Chad, raising his eyebrows. Chad grinned, nodded, and both snuck up the stairs, waiting outside Cindy's door. They didn't have to wait long before Cindy's curiosity at the silence got the best of her and she opened the door. Chad lunged into the room, followed by a grinning David. The younger boy pounced on his sister, tickling her ribs until she was breathless with laughter. "Okay Chad, let her up," David said laughing. "I think she's had enough." Chad gave her one last poke then rose to his feet. Cindy sat up and smiled. "I thought you guys were gonna ignore me." "I'm here to watch both of you," David said. "So that's what I'm gonna do." "Let's get some munchies and watch TV some more," suggested Chad. The three of them raided the kitchen, chips and soda in hand they returned to the living room and settled back on the sofa, one on each side of David. Cindy shyly kept her distance, but Chad snuggled up to David, who draped an arm across his shoulders. "He's a big baby," Cindy scoffed. "I am NOT!" David gave Chad's shoulders a squeeze. "Ease up, okay? I don't want to have to take you guys to the hospital." The two settled down again, watching the tube and digging into the bag of chips, finishing off the sodas and chips as the show was ending. Cindy excused herself to go to the bathroom and David made a move to slide away from Chad. Chad grabbed his hand and almost yanked it back across his shoulders. He grinned at David, "S'ok, Dad and I watch TV like this a lot." "Well, as long as you don't mind," David answered. "Nope," Chad grinned in reply. Cindy came back into the room and sat in one of the chairs across the room, once again turning her attention to the TV. David was getting sort of fidgety, he didn't watch a whole lot of TV, and was getting a little bored. "Let's do something else," he suggested after a few minutes. "Like what?" asked the boy beside him. "I dunno, like a game or something. It's getting close to you guys' bedtime anyway." "Let's play Life or something, then," Cindy suggested. The game was set up on the dining room table and they spent the next hour or so absorbed in making and spending money. David looked at the clock. "Okay guys, your parents said 9:00 was bedtime. You'd better get going." His suggestion was met by the typical moans, but the two tromped upstairs to get ready for bed. A few minutes later, giving them time to get changed and into bed, he walked upstairs, checking on Cindy first. She was already in bed, and rolled over when she heard David say his good night. "Night, Dave. It was fun." David grinned back, "Yeah, it was, night." "Close my door, okay, not all the way, but so the hallway light doesn't shine in." David did as requested, then walked down the hall to check on Chad. When he walked in the door, he was met by the sight of a brief-clad Chad, digging through his bureau. "Hey kiddo, whatcha lookin' for?" Startled, Chad turned, then grinned at the older boy. "My PJ's, mom mustn't have washed 'em yet." "Just go to bed in your underwear," suggested David. "Ewww, isn't that like weird?" David laughed, "No, I do it all the time. Am I weird?" "Well, yeah a little, but okay," Chad giggled, then slipped under the covers. "Thanks for watching us Dave, I had fun." Then he yawned. David smiled at the boy, then walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. "Yeah I had fun too, kiddo." He ran his fingers through the boys hair, then said, "We'll hafta do it again sometime." "Yeah, maybe you can be our regular sitter," Chad suggested. "Well, I always heard that only girls babysit," David said. Chad frowned, "Whenever mom and dad get a girl, she always spends more time talking 'girl talk' with Cindy." David chuckled, "Poor little guy." Chad punched David's leg, "So ya wanna talk 'guy talk'?" "Like what?" "I dunno, what do you and Kelly talk about?" "Different stuff," David blushed a little. Catching the blush, Chad teased, "Betcha talk about girls, huh?" "Sometimes," David admitted, then grinned. "But when we do, it's a short conversation." "Huh?" "Never mind," David grinned, "you'll know what I mean when you get older." "That's what everyone says," Chad complained. "Yeah, I know, sorry. I got the same thing when I was your age, 'Wait til you're older,' and all that." "So what do you mean?" asked Chad. "What? About girls?" "Yeah." "Well, they're confusing..." "Dumb, ya mean." "Nah, just different," David shrugged. "Weird," Chad agreed, seriously. David laughed, "Yeah, you could say that." "So have you tried to make babies yet?" Chad asked. David chuckled at Chad's choice of words. "Nah, got plenty of time for that. I'm only 15, so I've got a long time to wait before I do that." "Oh," came the disappointed reply. "What's wrong?" "Nothing," Chad answered. "I just thought you could tell me what it's like, that's all." David shook his head, "Sorry, man, can't tell ya." "Okay, didn't mean to be a pain." "Chad, you're far from being a pain. You're pretty cool, for a little guy." Chad sat up and punched David's arm hard. "I'm not little, you said so yourself." David rubbed his arm, then grinned, "Guess not, you pack a heckuva punch." "Can we talk some more?" "Yeah, but some other time, okay? Time for you to get some sleep, don't want your parents to think I'm a bad influence or anything," David grinned. "Okay," Chad sighed. Without thinking, David leaned over and kissed Chad's forehead, "Night kiddo." "What'd ya do that for?" David blushed a little, "Sorry, didn't mean to." "S'ok," Chad said, then grinned. "I don't mind." Then he sat up and kissed David's cheek, "Night." Then he giggled at David's expression of surprise and laid back down, rolling over onto his side, facing the older boy. David shook his head, ruffled Chad's hair, then stood up. "You're full of surprises, you know that?" Chad just giggled and snuggled down further under the blankets. David started walking out of the room, "Want me to close your door?" "NO!" Chad responded emphatically. "Okay, man. No sweat. I'll leave it open." Then he turned of the bedroom light, and left the boy to his dreams. ***************************************************************************** Okay, so I'm a tease....lol The evening is not over yet. Stay tuned. David finds out something that Chad's parents forgot to warn him about. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or feedback. email: fupduckmd@yahoo.com AIM and Yahoo: fupduckmd Fup