Commercial nowadays are ridiculous. Even if he was tempted by something dumb, a tin of cookies, or maybe a box of toaster waffles, (it was mostly food that caught his eyes, and computer commercials,) he had to admit that the product, while well worth it's while, was misrepresented with computer animated graphics and bright lights.

Or something like that.

Mikey appreciated computer graphics. But mascara didn't warrant them.

His best-- technically first as well, as he met her when he was nearing six and she had just turned five, both of their siblings at the ripe old age of seven-- friend, Emily really liked these high energy advertisements. The seventeen year old turned to her nineteen year old companion after a movie ad.

"Did you see that, Mikey?" She asked excitedly, "It said July 18th. That's tomorrow, right? We need to go see that."

"No, today's the 18th." He said, watching as the long-last lipstick recommendation from a pretty girl switched to a used car commercial. "Do you think that guy actually works there?" He nodded at the screen, where an older looking man with a combover screamed about "the greatest deals in the county."

"I bet. I'd hope so. If I ever get a car from there, I need to have him sell it to me." She said, studying the wrinkles on his face, (it was a large TV) as it switched to back to the show they had been watching. Some generic sitcom, complete with canned laughter and a fat husband.

"So... Y'wanna go see that movie?" She asked after a few minutes of pointless banter between the teenaged daughter and tween-aged son.

He shrugged. "I guess. Should we ask Carlos and your sister?" He looked up at the ceiling pointedly.

She shook her head. "They're either doing what we think they're probably doing," she paused to shudder a little, "Or they'll just gripe at us for bugging them."

"Or both." He shrugged. "I'll go check the times in the newspaper." He said in mid turn.

"Okay. I'll go grab your keys." She grinned, starting up the stairs to bug their older siblings, who had the van keys, seemingly forgetting the conversation they had not a minute ago.

Banging on the door to her room, she said three things. "Mom says you need to keep the door open, I need your keys, Carlos, and Mikey an' me are gonna go see a movie." Then she banged on the door again.

Dorothy Ann, opening the door and looking a tad bit dishevled, shirt buttoned up all wrong, shoved the keys at her. "Don't tell mom we were up here with the door closed." She said, in an almost pleading tone.

Emily looked her up and down. Then at the keys in her hands. Plucking the keys from her hand, she shrugged nonchalantly. "I didn't even know you were home." And turned on her heel to trollop back down the stairs.

Reaching the bottom of the steps, Mikey rolled up to her, "There's a showing in thirty minutes, so if you want to stop at the gas station to load up on candy, we need to go right about now."

She jingled the keys and pulled her shoes that were, convieniently, set besides the coatrack, which was by the stairs, onto her feet. "Okay," she replied, holding open the door for him as he wheeled out and she shut the door behind him.

After loading up the car, they stopped at the E-Z Mart and Emily ran in to grab whatever candy she could get her hands on. After paying, they shoved them in the bag on the back of his chair.

After pulling into the parking lot, which was mainly deserted, (While it was summer vacation, it was still noon on a Wednesday) and they went up to the ticket booth. The booth girl kind of scoffed when they asked for the tickets to a movie titled "The Longest Life."

They found out why. The movie was awful. They walked out half way through laughing and eating milk duds hand fulls at a time.

"Oh-- Ricardo?" Emily quoted, gasping for breathe in between lines, "I... could swear you died in an... accident!"

"No! That was my identical brother, Diego! Oh," he clutched a hand to his chest, "I have come back, from my hide out in the Alps, Selena!"

"Oh, Ricardo!" She bubbled with laughter, pushing through the doors and then holding it open for him. Finally calming down, she managed to get in a sentence without gasping for air, or giggling, "So. We have an hour to spare. What do you want to do?"

He shrugged, popping a few skittles in his mouth. "Ice cream?"

She nodded. "Ice cream."

Luckily, the plaza where the movie theatre was also had an ice cream shop, along with an arcade, a karaoke place, and several small restaurants.

So they went and had ice cream.

Then they went back to Emily's house.

"Should we go check on them?" He asked, propelling himself into the house.

She thought about that for a second, "No."

He shrugged. "Good plan. Want to watch TV?"

She returned the shrug. "Nothing else to do, Ricardo."

"Whatever, Selena." They snickered to themselves and she hit the power button.

It was a commercial for the movie "The Longest Life."

They were still laughing when the show came back on, five minutes later.

After a few hours of television, Emily's... creative commentary making those hours well worth it, Carlos and DA, looking as fresh as ever, and sat down on the couch, leaning against each other and watching the TV-- and eachother.

Mikey tossed Carlos the keys.

"What did you guys go do, anyway?" He asked, snaking his arm around DA's waist.

Mikey shrugged. "Went to see a movie. Got ice cream. Came back."

Carlos replied. "Boring date, little bro."

"Good thing it wasn't a date then."

Carlos rolled his eyes.

From the defensive tone, the slight darkening of his already dark cheeks, and lack of eye contact, Carlos could tell.

Another Ramone boy fell for another Parker girl.

Judging by her gleeful look just watching the television, he swore, just like her older counterpart years ago, she was, too, blissfully unaware.

Drats.