"Good news everyone." Stu says with a big smile as he enters the kitchen for breakfast. Tommy, Dil, and Didi were all sitting at the table already eating their breakfast.

"Martin Costomiris is planning a surprise viewing of his latest film here in the city?" Tommy excitedly asks.

"Nope." He smiles, shaking his head.

"The new Lipschitz book From Tweens to Teens is coming out today?" Didi happily asks.

"Uh, no." He replies, his smile fading.

"Our alien brethren have moved into that house that's for sale two blocks over and their children are going to attend school with us?" Dil enthusiastically asks.

"No." He says, with a frown and slumped shoulders. He quickly gets happy again. "I just spoke to the contractor and he said that the pool will be completed and ready for use this Friday."

"Alright!" Tommy exclaims, standing up, doing a fist pump.

"Sweet!" Dil joins him, standing on his chair, giving him a fist bump as they dance in place.

"That's wonderful news." Didi smiles. "It's been quite some time since they started it. It's nice to know they're finally finishing it, especially after we managed to get through the legal issues of the damages to the house."

"Mom, dad, do you think it'd be alright if we throw a little pool party with our friends this Friday to celebrate it's completion?" Tommy pleads with them, clasping his hands together. "Please."

"Yeah, come on. Please." Dil joins in on the begging.

"I don't know." Didi begins. "Your father and I are leaving early on Friday and will be gone all weekend at the inventors convention."

"That's fine. We'll be inviting Susie so she can be like the babysitter or lifeguard or something." Tommy quickly says. "She is a certified lifeguard I believe."

"And the pool party could double as a sleepover." Dil adds. "That way, you know, T and I won't be alone in the house on Friday at least."

"Quick thinking D." Tommy whispers to him.

"Same to you T." He whispers back.

"Come on Deed, I think they deserve a chance to look after themselves for one measly weekend." Stu comes to his sons side. Didi thinks about it for a few moments. "I think a ten and eleven year old are old enough to be responsible for themselves."

"Oh, alright." She concedes. "But I'll ask Betty and Howard to come check on you to make sure you're doing alright."

"Yes!" Tommy and Dil celebrate at the same time, fist bumping again.

"Hey dad, what invention are you showing off this time?" Dil inquires as they get back to their breakfast.

"I'm glad you asked Dil." He opens up a drawer and pulls out a pair green earmuffs with a small antenna sticking out of it. "Tada. I call it the Pickles Complete Silence Sleepmuffs." He puts them on and begins yelling, making everyone, including Spike and Spiffy, to cover their ears. "POP THESE PUPPIES ON AND YOU'LL NO LONGER BE ABLE TO HEAR ANYTHING WELL BEYOND THE HUMANS RANGE FOR HEARING, FROM 20 HERTZ TO WELL BEYOND 20,000 HERTZ! AND IT PROTECTS AGAINST SOUNDS UP TO 300 DECIBELS!" Didi gets up and takes the things off of him, glaring at him. He smiles and sheepishly laughs. "Oops."

"Wow dad, I think you just lowered my range to just 2,000 hertz with your 200 decibel voice." Tommy jokes, twisting his finger in his ear, trying to regain hearing in it. Dil plugs his nose, shoving a finger up each nostril, and blows through his nose, feeling his ears pop and regaining his hearing.

"Don't they already have earmuffs to wear for sleeping?" Dil asks, his fingers still up his nose.

"Of course, but none that block out and protect against such an extensive range of sound as mine do, nor do any others have the additional features that these do." He twists off the side of the right ear piece to reveal a screen with buttons surrounding it. "With these you'll be able to connect them wirelessly to the doorbell, a home security system, even connect to your alarm clock so you won't miss it while blocking out all other noise."

"Can I connect it to my computer, or perhaps a portable music player? And wouldn't it be easier just to have an internal alarm clock?" Tommy asks.

"Huh, I never thought of that."

"Trust me, if you fix them up to be able to do that, you'd be able to sell them as more than just a sleep aid dad. They'd become the perfect head phones as well."

"Yeah. Put a microphone in it and I could use them to search for and possibly communicate with any local alien activity with no outside noise to disrupt my concentration." Dil muses with that use.

"Yes, and I could also hook it up with the phone as well, so you'd be able to hear it ring and answer it all without getting out of bed." Stu smiles. "These are great ideas boys. I've got a lot of work to do before Friday." He downs his cup of coffee, burning his tongue in the process, downing a glass of milk to soothe the pain before racing off down into the basement.

"You two better finish up your breakfast, the bus will be here soon." Didi tells them, taking her dirty dishes over to the sink.

"This is so totally awesome." Dil exclaims, finishing up his own breakfast.

"Tell me about it D." Tommy says, bursting with anticipation, also finishing breakfast. "Not only are we having a pool party this Friday, but we get the whole house to ourselves for the whole weekend." They both get up and grab their backpacks. "Later mom."

"Adios madre."

"Bye dears. Have fun at school." She calls out to them. They get outside and start heading to the bus stop. As if by clockwork Phil and Lil come walking out of their house, joining them on their short walk to the bus stop.

"First of all, ew." Lil says to her brother. "And second of all, there's no way you'd be able to shoot a jellybean out of your nose further than I could." Phil holds up his hand, a bag of jellybeans sitting in it.

"Well than Lillian, why don't you put your nose where your mouth is." He goads her.

"Didn't she already embarrass you once by managing to spit all the way across the road, further than you could Phil?" Tommy questions with a smile.

"Yeah, I remember that." Dil chuckles. "She made you her personal slave for a whole week after losing that bet."

"She only won that one because she's got a bigger mouth." Phil laughs. Lil playfully elbows him in the ribs. "But my nasal passages are narrower, allowing for maximum distance and smellage."

"I'm surprised they're not wider than the Grand Canyon with how often you stick your finger up there." Lil jibes, Phil pausing in the middle of picking his nose, removing his finger, wiping it on his pants. They all share a laugh as they reach the corner, Chuckie and Kimi meeting up with them at the bus stop.

"What's so funny guys?" Chuckie asks.

"Phil here is challenging Lil to another distance contest. This time it's a jellybean from the nose." Dil explains.

"Oh sweet, Phil being your personal slave for another week sounds delightful." Kimi muses. "Getting a foot massage while just laying out in the sun, drinking a smoothie, giggling as we talk about what embarrassing thing to make him do next."

"Speaking of soaking up sun." Tommy interjects. "Our pool is finally going to be finished and be ready for use this Friday, and we're throwing a pool party." They all start buzzing with excitement.

"So, that pathetic excuse for a pool is just about done huh?" Angelica's voice rings out as she approaches the group, crossing her arms. "You weren't thinking about excluding your coolest and most favorite cousin from your little party now were you?"

"The thought had crossed my mind." Tommy dryly says. She scowls at him.

"Angelica, please placid you pickled prune." Dil steps forward, talking in a calming manner. "It wouldn't precisely be placed as a Pickles pool party if we pushed a Pickles off the plank."

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea." Phil whispers to Lil, both snickering. Angelica gives Dil a strange look for a moment before smiling, satisfied, as the bus stopped by.

"Of course. It wouldn't be a party without my beauty and popularity to liven things up." She tells them as the gets on the bus.

"We got to go shopping for new bikini's." Kimi says to Lil as they sit down.

"Totally. I think it's about time I traded in my old one piece anyways. It's a little small for me now." Lil agrees.

"I told you not to go for that third cookie last month, that it'd go straight to your thighs, but nooo you didn't want to listen me." Phil jokes. Sitting behind him, Lil kicks his seat, causing him to jump. "And you better not forget the jellybeans. We have a score to settle."

"More like Lil's got a lead to increase." Kimi grins.

"Alright, if you're so insistent on losing again, we'll do it at the party." Lil accepts his challenge. "We'll set the terms then as well."

"That way no one cool from school sees you doing it, right?" Chuckie asks his rhetorical question.

"So who all exactly is coming to the party to watch Lil wallow in the pool in defeat." Phil asks Tommy, who is sitting next to Chuckie across the isle.

"Just the usual group." He shrugs. "You, Lil, Chuckie, Kimi, Dil, me, Angelica, thanks to Dil," He casts him a quick look, "and Susie." He then looks around the bus. "Speaking of Susie, where is she?"

"Didn't she have to go in early to rehearse for some assembly we're having today?" Chuckie asks.

"Right, they're having her sing some sort of song about fire safety or something like that." Lil informs them.

"At least it gets us out of class for an hour." Kimi shrugs, trying to see the bright side. "And better to have Susie sing than Angelica."

"I don't know about you guys, but this whole fire safety assembly thing seems just a little salmon to me. The whole thing is a conspiracy I tell ya." Dil states, narrowing his eyes, darting them back and forth.

"Salmon?" Tommy asks, holding in a laugh. "Do I even want to know?"

"Things are to strange here to be considered just fishy, so I upgraded to salmon."

"Strange is right." Phil remarks.

"Says the guy who let mold and fungus grow on his dirty socks for a science project." Lil adds.

"Which won first place, if you recall." He retorts. "And they were your socks."

"First clue; calling fire safe." Dil continues. "Everyone knows that fire is anything but safe. Why have a seminar on safe fire when fire isn't safe?"

"It may have something to do with how you set the copying machine on fire last month." Tommy deadpans. "Getting detention and being grounded for two weeks."

"I was trying to decode the hidden alien message in my mashed potatoes." He defends. "It's not my fault earth technology is too primitive to handle their signals." The others just laugh some and continue talking until they reach school.

"So it's a pool party and a sleepover. Awesome." Kimi surges. "When was the last time we all got together for a sleepover?"

"Four weeks and three days ago." Chuckie says.

"Couldn't you have just said a month?" Kimi teases.

"Huh, I suppose that is a month." Chuckie realizes, everyone laughing.

"Yeah, we played Mountain Man for so long the night rules kicked in." Lil recalls.

"That was kind of an unplanned one, and it was only the five of us." Tommy adds in.

"That's why we had so much fun." Phil says, stretching. "Angelica wasn't there."

"We better get headed to class before we're late." Lil says, as they all start to head inside to their lockers. Tommy spots Susie walking across the common area.

"I'll meet ya there, gotta go tell Susie about the party."

"Better hurry up T. If you're late again and get a detention, mom might ground ya and put a stop to our shared water aerobic extravaganza before it even starts." Dil warns him.

"I got ya D, I won't be late." He runs over to Susie, calling her name out to catch her attention.

"Hey Tommy, what's got you all huffy?" Susie greets him, raising an eyebrow with a smile.

"Stupid bag..." He breaths. "Must have put... too many books... in here..." He catches his breath. "Weighs like a ton of bricks."

"Uh huh. I'm sure you didn't 'race' on over here to talk about how heavy your bag is." She teases.

"And here I thought it was such a diverse and entertaining topic." They share a laugh and Tommy gets to the point. "Anyway, our pool is finally going to be fully operational this Friday so we're having a little pool party/sleepover to celebrate. And not to put pressure on you or anything, but unless you come, the party is a no go. Parents going out of town for the weekend. You know the drill."

"Sounds like fun. It'll be nice to get paid to relax by the pool for a weekend." She laughs.

"Yeah, you'll only be 'sitting' us for the pool party/sleepover. Dil and I get the whole house to ourselves for the rest of the weekend."

"So eleven years old is when your parents give you the responsibility to take care of yourself huh?" She asks.

"Sorry Susie. Looks like your best customers won't be needing your services anymore." He sympathetically puts his hand on her shoulder.

"That's okay. It's good to see they're trusting you with the house." Her smile gets wider. "However, nothing says I can't come over and keep an eye on you as a friend, while enjoying the new facilities." She grins.

"Yep. With the pool it seems like we're going to be doing a ton more hanging out at my house, especially once summer hits." The first bell rings, warning that class is going to start soon. "Shoot, sorry to cut our conversation short but I don't want to be late." And Tommy rushes off. "Catch you later!" He waves to her.

"Ugh, remind me again why I was dragged along to help you shop for new swim suits?" Tommy groans as Lil, Kimi, along with Susie, whom they decided needed a new swim suit as well, browse through different bikini options to try on. "The party isn't until Friday anyway and that's like, two days from now."

"Well for starters," Kimi begins from inside a changing room, "we wanted to give you a preview of how hot we're going to look at the party."

"Right, is this before or after my gag reflex kicks in?" He sarcastically asks. One of Kimi's boots comes flying over the top of the changing room door, barely missing him while he laughs, tossing it back over the door.

"Also," Lil continues, also in a changing room, "we need an impartial male judge to tell us whether or not our bikini's look good."

"And neither Phil nor Chuckie fell under this category because?"

"Ew, I don't want my brother telling me I look hot in something." Kimi gags. "Besides, my brother tends to be a bit overprotective and he'd probably try to sabotage me by saying the ugliest swim suit was the best one."

"Yeah, a brother isn't exactly an impartial judge to a sister." Lil agrees.

"I heard that." Susie adds in, taking half-a-dozen choices into a changing room with her. "And I got two of them."

"And you couldn't have dragged Dil along instead?" The movement within the changing rooms stops for a moment, all three of them silent, exchanging looks over the walls at each other. "Right, forget I asked." Lil steps out first, her bikini having horizontal black and white stripes on it.

"What do you think?" Lil asks.

"Black and white?" Tommy questions the choice. "You look like a zebra with that on. You need something more colorful to match your personality." She looks at her self in the mirror.

"Hmm, you're right. I need something with a little more color." She smiles.

"Besides, I thought girls tended to avoid horizontal stripes. You know, cause they tend to make you look fatter than you are." Lil's eyes go wide and she turns to him.

"He did not just say what I think he said." Susie says, stepping out in a grass green bikini, hands on her hips.

"I think he did." Kimi says in disbelief, stepping out in a bikini the same shade purple of her hair.

"Uh, did I just say one of those things that you're not supposed to say when girls are trying on clothes?" He nervously asks.

"I would suggest making a run for it, but you wouldn't make it out the door." Kimi grins, crossing her arms. All three of them slowly inch towards him, backing him into a corner, no way to escape.

"L-look, I'm sorry." He pleads. "I-I didn't know I wasn't supposed to say anything about horizontal stripes making you look fat." He saw the fire in Lil's eyes grow as he squeezed against the corner as tight as he could, the three of them only inches away, swallowing nervously.

"Boy," Susie says, before cracking up and bursting out laughing, Kimi and Lil joining her, a puzzled look plastered across Tommy's face. "You just fell for it big time." She laughs, bending over, holding her gut.

"You should have seen the look on you face." Lil manages out between spouts of laughter. "It was priceless." Tommy started blushing with embarrassment at being fooled.

"You looked liked you were going to pee your pants." Kimi squeaks out. Tommy pushes his blush down and grins.

"Alright, alright, you got me." He admits, raising his hands in defeat. "But fair warning Kimi, that bikini looks like you fashioned it from your own hair clippings." Kimi stops laughing and looks at herself in the mirror before feigning a gasp.

"You're right! It does look like that!" And she quickly gets back into her changing room to try on a different one. Lil retreats back to her own to try out a different one.

"And what smart thing do you have to say about mine?" Susie dares, raising her eyebrow with a grin.

"Do you know why some lawnmowers have that bag attached to the side of it?" Tommy asks her.

"Yeah, to collect the grass clippings." She knew where he was going with this.

"Well yours looks like it you emptied one of those bags out and made it from the clippings." He crosses his arms and just smiles.

"Looks like you were right Lil." She says, returning to her changing room. "He does have an affinity for fashion."

"Told ya." Lil gloats.

"What? I do not have an affinity for fashion." Tommy argues.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about." Kimi teases. "In fact, we just might have to bring you along again sometime when we're getting more than bikini's."

"And what makes you think I have an affinity for fashion? Or would want to spend a perfectly good afternoon critiquing whether or not this skirt goes with that shirt and blouse or those shoes, or if these earrings go with this necklace and whether or not to get a matching bracelet or pinky ring." Tommy rants. Lil steps out in a green bikini with some red flowers here and there on the top and bottom.

"I believe you just answered your own question." She lightly punches him in the arm. "So, what do you think?" She twirls around to show him.

"Looks a lot like your colorful one piece, except now your middle is showing. So it fits you." Tommy tells her.

"And again, his abilities once more shine through." Lil dramatically says. Tommy just rolls his eyes and shakes his head, smiling. Next to step out is Kimi and she's wearing an orange bikini with red straps and a red strip down both sides of the bottom. Lil goes to admire herself in one of the mirrors.

"Don't hold back Tommy. Tell me what you think." She strikes a few poses, winking at him, twirling around for him to see.

"Bright and vivid, and easy to get along with, just like you. It fits you perfectly." He critiques. He then lets out an audible groan. "Would you listen to the way I'm talking? It's like I'm some French fashion critique criticizing the clothing some runway model is wearing."

"So, you think we're runway models do you?" Kimi teases, giggling.

"No. No. That is not what I said." He defends, the girls giggling more.

"Relax Tommy." Susie tells him, stepping out in a sky blue bikini. "You've just discovered a new talent is all."

"Yeah," Lil assures him,"you're an arteest, so it's only natural you have a taste for fashion."

"I'm a film director, not some fashion designer... but fine." Tommy sighs. "You win. I have a taste for fashion. Just don't go spreading it around."

"No promises." Kimi giggles, Susie and Lil joining. Susie looks at herself in the mirror, halfway facing him.

"Now be honest, is it too much?" She asks.

"I think it's a really calm, cool, collected color, fitting you perfectly." Tommy tells her, before groaning loudly again at the way he was talking.

"Well girls, looks like we got ourselves some new bikini's, and a new fashion consultant." Kimi happily declares and the three of them have a group hug, pulling Tommy with them, who groans.

"Hey!" A voice screeches, breaking up their group hug, and they turn to see Angelica. "What do you preteens think you're doing going bikini shopping without me?" She demands.

"Well, we invited Tommy along to help us pick out our bikini's." Susie explains to her, ignoring the fact that Angelica referred to her as a preteen as well, seeing as she's thirteen. "And it would be a little weird trying on different bikini's and showing them to your cousin, wouldn't you think?"

"I know I don't want to sit here and watch her parade herself around in different swimsuits, yelling at me to tell her she looks pretty. The three of you are already a big enough headache." He laughs.

"Hmph." She huffs. "Fine, who needs you preteens. I can choose my own by myself." With that she storms off to browse through the different bikini's.

"You guys go ahead." Susie tells them. "I'll stay here with the drama queen and try on a few more, see if there's anything I like better than this, but I doubt it." Kimi and Lil go back into their changing rooms and change back into their clothes and Susie goes join Angelica.

"Thank goodness." Tommy dramatically says. "The torture is finally over!" He drops to his knees, raising his hands in the air. "Hallelujah!"

"It's only over for today." Lil states, grabbing his collar and yanking him up.

"Oh no, it'll take a lot of coaxing and bribing to get me to do this again." He asserts, shaking his head. "Monuments built in my honor. Mountains being moved to locations of my desire. Renaming of cities to honor my amazing talents! Whole DAYS dedicated to yours truly!" He dramatically waves his arms around.

"How about I treat you to a smoothie at the Java Lava?" Kimi suggests, as the three of them go to the check out and Lil and Kimi buy their swim suits, making Tommy carry the bags, leaving the store and heading towards the food court.

"Make it seven and you got a deal."

"Seven smoothies it is." She extends her hand and they shake on it.

"Seven smoothies for three hours or so of our own personal fashion consultant? Now that's a good deal." Lil giggles, Kimi joining her. Tommy stops in his tracks, falling behind them, his jaw dropping and eyes going wide.

"Three hours?" He cries out. He catches up with them. "It took you only half an hour in there! What do you mean three hours?"

"That was only swimwear." Kimi grins. "We're talking skirts, shirts, blouses, shoes, purses, accessories, jeans. And three hours is a low estimate." Tommy groans again.

"What did I get myself into?" He sulks. Lil elbows him.

"Look at the bright side, you get to be the first to see us try out all sorts of new, cute outfits and see how hot we look in them." Lil smiles.

"I thought you weren't as into shopping as Kimi and Susie are." Tommy narrows his eyes at her.

"True, but that's because I'm more into sports." She shrugs. "Doesn't mean I don't enjoy shopping with them occasionally and looking pretty." Tommy then switches his gaze to Kimi.

"You tricked me." He mutters.

"How about I treat you to one of those smoothies right now." Kimi suggests.

"Uh uh, you said Java Lava smoothies, not mall smoothies. Mall smoothies are not Java Lava smoothies."

"Fine, then you'll just have to pay for your own." Lil smirks. He gives her a light glare.

"...Alright fine. But you're getting me a large green apple and strawberry smoothie, got it?" He tells Kimi, poking her with his finger.

"Whatever you say, osharena yūjin." Kimi laughs, osharena yūjin being Japanese for fashionable friend, Lil joining her.

"I don't know what that means, but I'm certain I don't like it." He groans again, prompting more giggles from the two girls on either side of him. He spots Phil and Chuckie sitting at a table, enjoying some chili cheese dogs and smoothies. Kimi goes off to buy the smoothies as Tommy and Lil join them at the table. "Hey guys, what's up?"

"Just getting our chow on." Phil comments with his mouth full, bits of chili flying out.

"For the love of-." Lil says in disgust. "Must you talk with your mouth full Phil?"

"Of course." He replies with a light chuckle, more chili flying out. "It's much more efficient this way." Lil groans in disgust as the guys laugh.

"So Tommy, since when did you go out shopping with the girls?" Chuckie questions, sucking on his straw, pointing to the bags Tommy had set next to himself.

"Tommy was helpi-" Lil starts with a sly smile, Tommy quickly covering her mouth with his hands, granting strange looks from Phil and Chuckie.

"I was just, uh, walking with them because I just happened to, uh, run into them outside the clothing store and they made me carry their bags." He quickly lies with a wobbly grin and a sheepish laugh. Lil pinches the back of his hand, pulling it away from her, still smiling slyly.

"Right. We just happened to run into him outside the store and coaxed him into carrying our bags because he's such a good friend." She snickers. Tommy casts her a quick glare, both Chuckie and Phil lost but just shrug it off as Kimi comes over with their smoothies.

"Here you go, one green apple and strawberry smoothie, osharena yūjin." Kimi laughs, setting the smoothie down in front of him, sitting next to Lil and giving her hers. Again Tommy casts a quick glare, not understanding what she said but having a general idea, and again Chuckie and Phil are lost. "So is it awesome or what that your pool is finally going to be finished in just two more days." She says, changing the subject.

"I may have to sneak on over when no one is around and have the pool all to myself." Phil says. "Ah, the benefits of living next to a friend who has a pool." He reclines backwards, tipping his chair back. Lil kicks his chair, making him fall backwards.

"Not only is that illegal Phillip," Lil starts reprimanding him, "but I'd probably already be in the pool before you got there." Phil gets up, rubbing his head.

"Nuh uh Lillian. I'd be there first." He argues with her.

"No I would." She furrows her brow, leaning forward some.

"I would." He follows suit, leaning forward some. Tommy puts his hands in their faces, pushing them both back into their seats.

"Guys, no one is going to be the first one sneaking into my pool." He tells them both before smirking. "Cause you can hardly sneak into something that I'd already be in." They all laugh as Susie approaches, already having a smoothie in hand.

"Susie." Kimi greats. "How did the shopping go with Angelica?"

"There was this amazing white swimsuit with silver trimming that she found, but it was a size to large and there were none in her size." She joins the group at the table. "The straps kept sliding off and I told her to get something else but she refused to listen. I swear, that girl can be so stubborn sometimes." She sighs, shaking her head.

"And you're just now figuring this out?" Tommy sarcastically asks.

"What about you?" Lil asks. "Did you find anything better."

"I found a few good looking ones, but Tommy had it dead on." Susie says. Tommy starts waving his hands in front of himself, trying to signal her to stop. "That sky blue bikini fits me perfectly. It's calm, cool, and collected just like he said. He definitely knows fashion." Tommy face palms, his elbow on the table. Chuckie and Phil look at him incredulously.

"Met them outside the clothing store huh?" Chuckie says, smirking. Phil and Chuckie burst out laughing, Tommy blushing with embarrassment.

"Hey Tommy, do you think these shoes go good with these pants?" Phil asks, putting his foot on the table, him and Chuckie howling.

"Do you think my glasses compliment my outfit?" Chuckie asks, leaning over and banging on the table. Lil kicks Phil in the shin and Kimi knocks Chuckie in the back of the head, ceasing their laughter and both of them saying 'Ow', Phil retracting his foot from the table. "What was that for?"

"Rag on Tommy all you want, but with his newly discovered affinity for fashion he'll get to see us in all our new and cute outfits and see how hot we look before anyone else." Kimi defends him, both her and Lil putting an arm around him, giving him a squeeze and a kiss on the cheek that Tommy promptly wipes off, flushing a little more.

"Provided we bribe him with plenty of smoothies." Lil adds.

"Wow Tommy, I'm soooo jealous." Phil goes on, sarcastically. "I can't believe you're so lucky. You get to see the girls prance around playing dress up and talk about boys." He and Chuckie start up their laughing again.

"You just had to say something, didn't ya Susie?" Tommy sighs, taking a drink of his smoothie.

"Sorry Tommy. I didn't realize you wanted it kept secret." Susie apologizes. Chuckie and Phil continue to make smart comments while dodging the physical assaults of their respective sisters.

"Laugh all you want guys, but at least I'm not the one who lost a spitting contest to a girl Phil, or almost went to school with my underwear on the outside of my pants Chuckie." That shut them both up, both suddenly becoming interested in drinking their smoothies.

"I remember that spitting contest." Susie remarks. "Weren't you Lil's slave for a week after losing that?"

"Why does everyone have to bring that up?" Phil asks. "Besides, that score is going to be settled between me and Lil in two days at the party." He defends. "And I've already thought up a few things for her to do when she loses."

"I'm afraid to ask but what's the deal this time?" She asks, preparing to keep control of her gag reflex.

"Phil and Lil are going to see who can shoot a jellybean the farthest from their nose." Chuckie explains. "It should prove to be quite entertaining."

"And be totally disgusting." Kimi shivers at the thought.

"And Phillip here is going to lose." Lil says with determination. "Again."

"I believe it is you who is going to lose on Friday Lillian." He responds, with just as much determination.

"Just try to keep the snot quantity to a minimum guys. Don't need the filters on the pool clogging on the first day." Tommy says, making Kimi gag and spit her strawberry smoothie onto Chuckie's shirt.

"Sorry Chuckie." Kimi apologizes, handing him some napkins.

"It's fine." Chuckie says, taking the napkins and cleaning himself off. "I'm certain the prince of fashion here will be able to pick me out a good shirt." Kimi takes her straw out of her smoothie, aiming at Chuckie and blowing into it, this time splattering his face.

"Oops, sorry. I'm sure Tommy will be able to find you a pair of glasses that look good and won't streak as much." She laughs, everyone aside from Chuckie joining in. After a few moments Chuckie joins them, cleaning off his face and glasses, streaks being left on them.