Ugh this is so completely and utterly bor-ing!
That was exactly how Stacy saw the literal mountain of homework both she and Bradley had to do that night. Yeesh and they had thought middle school was bad. She sighed at the towering tomes before looking over at her best friend now total secret from her parents boyfriend who was of course goofing off as usual. Oh sure he looked as if he was working diligently, but she could see the comic book poking out from the text book in his hands. Did he honestly think she couldn't see through all his tricks by now?
She was about to berate him when she took another look at the tall stack of books looming intimidatingly over her. Now that she thought of it maybe a break would be a good idea, and she knew exactly what she wanted to do with it.
"It's time for the title match!" The announcer's voice sounded as the bedroom turned into a boxing ring. "In the red corner the current champion of the universe! Stacy 'the mauler' Stickler!"
Stacy clasped her hands together in the air and shook them left to right as the crowd cheered.
"and in the blue corner! Bradley!" The announcer yelled as the scene panned over to Bradley who was still reading his comic book.
"The title bout is about to begin! Ready? GOOOOOOOO!"
"Wait, what?" Bradley's head shot up from his comic as the bell rang. Looking over to the other side of the ring he saw Stacey slowly approaching him. "Stace? What's going on?"
"Hey B-man. You better not pull any punches." She grinned from ear to ear as she continued advancing.
"Wait! Time out Stace! What are you-" He was cut off as Stacy's lips pressed against his, but what made him more surprised was that her tongue suddenly invaded his mouth, and began batting against his own.
"OOH a left and a right and another left! Stickler is on fire!" The announcer called out as the crowd cheered as she wrapped her arms tightly around Bradley's petrified from shock body while deepening the kiss. "Just what you'd expect from the tongue wrestling champ!"
Tongue wrestling? Bradley thought to himself as Stacy continued attacking his mouth. He hadn't even heard of that. Of course he knew about arm and thumb wrestling, but this seemed like a completely new thing... That Stacy was beating him at! His mind panicked. He couldn't let her beat him.
"What's this? The challenger is fighting back!" The announcer yelled in disbelief as he went on the offensive as well. Battling her tongue with his own much to Stacy's own shock. So far in their relationship Bradley had been too dumbfounded to show any guts. This change of events plus the feeling of Bradley's own arms wrapping around her caused her to turn up the heat. As her kissing became far more rough now that she wasn't holding back. In a way he was once again thankful for nostrils as Stacy was pretty much sucking all the air from his mouth. At least he knew he wasn't going to suffocate. Unfortunately that didn't stop him from tripping over his feet causing him to take Stacy with him as he fell onto his back. Not that this deterred her any.
"And Stickler's got the challenger exactly where she wants him. Could this be the end for Bradley?" The announcer excitedly commentated only for the sound of a whistle to pierce the air.
"You better believe it." A woman with poofy red hair wearing a referee outfit declaimed in an angry tone.
"MOM?!" Stacy yelled in a panic as she broke off the kiss. The ring turning back into her bedroom as she looked towards the doorway seeing a shocked and angry Mrs. Stickler. Not only that but the position she and Bradley were in at the moment wasn't any better. They were not only on her bed but she was lying directly on top of him."Wait! Mom I can explain! This isn't what it looks like!"
But Stella Stickler wasn't in the mood to listen.
"Bradley! Out!" She commanded as she pointed out the bedroom door. Much to Bradley's confusion. He didn't know why she was so mad. As far as he knew they weren't doing anything wrong.
"But mom!" Stacy argued only for Mrs. Stickler to shut her daughter down immediately.
"No buts young lady. You and I are going to have a little talk. As for you Bradley! Move it!" She commanded again in a voice similar to an army Sargent. Causing Bradley to suddenly snap to attention, salute, and march out of the room towards the front door..
As he exited the apartment into the courtyard he sat down on the step in front of the door. He could clearly hear Stacy's mom yelling though he wasn't sure what it was about. Actually he didn't really understand what the problem was. He'd never seen Mrs. Stickler that angry before.
"Hey Bradley." A voice called out to him. As Bradley looked up he saw Stacey's father walking by.
"Oh... Hey Mr. Stickler." Bradley said. Still feeling a little down in the dumps for having gotten Stacey in trouble.
"What's up sport? You seem more in the dumps than when Mrs. Salazar is watching her soaps." Stanley responded with that cheerful smile on his face he usually had.
"Ah. Nothing really. Mrs. Stickler's just angry at us again." He motioned towards the upstairs window where all the muffled yelling was coming from.
"Oh I see..." Stanley frowned a bit as he looked up towards the window before back down at Bradley. "What did you two do this time?"
"That's just it Mr. Stickler! I don't know what we did wrong! One second we're up in Stacy's room, and the next thing I know Stace's mom is on the warpath." Bradley exclaimed as he raised his arms towards the sky. A moment of silence passed between them before he broke the silence once more. "Um... Stacy's dad can I ask you something?"
"Oh sure kiddo! You can ask me anything." He responded as his cheerful smile returned.
"How would you feel if me and Stacy were... together?" He uncomfortably asked as he got to the point of the matter.
"That's silly. You two are always together. Why I've never seen a closer pair than you and my pumpkin." Stanley laughed at the triviality off the question.
"No. I mean together, together... as in dating." Bradley once again asked.
"Hmm..." Mr. Stickler rubbed his chin as he thought about this one. Only for his addictive smile to return as he answered the question. "I think I'd be alright with it."
"Really?" He asked not expecting that response at all.
"Why sure. You and Stacy have been together for so long that I'd be more shocked if she hadn't chosen you." Stanley responded good-naturally allowing Bradley to breathe a sigh of relief. At least he had one person on his side.
It was just then that the door to Mrs. Sticklers apartment burst open as Stella marched into the courtyard towards Bradley.
"Mom! I'm telling the truth! Bradley didn't do anything wrong! I'm the one who started it!" Stacy desperately argued as she chased after her mother only for Mrs. Stickler to turn around and face her daughter.
"Stacy. I know your mind is emotionally confused right now so don't try to protect him. As a man he needs to learn his place." She glared daggers at Bradley. Then at her semi husband who happily waved at her.
"Hi honey!" He happily said.
"Stanley I'm glad you're here. I need you to side with me on something important." Stella informed him only to be interrupted.
"Oh you mean about Bradley and Stacy dating? Bradley just told me all about it, and I think its swell." He grinned.
"Is that so? You've been talking to HIM about this huh?" Stacy felt her mother once again giving death glares to her boyfriend without any way to stop her. "Well did he also tell you about..." She leaned in and started to whisper into Mr. Stickler's ear.
"Making out?! In her room?! On her bed?! My darling princess?!" each revelation shocking him more than the last until he turned back to the dark skinned boy with a face full of anger and disgust. "Bradleeeeeeeey!"
"C-C'mon Mr. Stickler. You aren't going to side with her are you? I mean you just said it was okay that me and Stace were dating." Bradley suddenly felt his entire body break out into a sweat as he laughed and grinned nervously.
"That was before I learned you were taking advantage of my daughter's maidenhood." Stanley responded matter of factually causing Stacy to blush and turn away in embarrassment.
"I can't believe this is happening!" Bradley protested towards the sudden change.
"Actually it's not so hard to believe Bradley." A small girl around twelve with red hair tied into three pigtails wearing a yellow shirt and skirt as well as a white lab coat approached dragging her faithful yellow poodle behind her. "Male figures tend to become overprotective of their female offspring in many cases of mating rituals involving a person or persons of the opposite gender."
"Yeah! What she said!" Stanley proclaimed.
"Gee... Thanks Polly." Bradley replied sarcastically and sighed as Stella grabbed Stanley by the shoulders.
"Listen Stanley. You remember what we were like at their age right?" Mrs. Stickler said in a concerned voice.
"Of course." Her semi husband nodded.
"Then you also remember what happened around that time right?" She shook him a little as she spoke frantically.
"Ohhhh yeah..." It took him a second to get where she was going with this, and as for Stacy she was nothing less than appalled. She didn't like to make assumptions but she could have sworn they were looking at her when they said that. She wondered what they were trying to insinuate.
"Then you know what we have to do right? It's obvious that Bradley doesn't care about his future." She looked him in the eyes
"Hey!" Bradley interjected but was completely ignored.
"But Stacy still has a future. One that we just can't allow her to throw away on a whirlwind romance." She continued to say before Stanley took her hands in his.
"You're absolutely right." He agreed and smiled.
"Then its settled. Young lady you are never to see Bradley again. Do you understand?" Stella looked down into her daughters eyes.
"WHAT?" Both teenagers exclaimed at the same time.
"You heard your mother young lady. Until you graduate you two are not allowed to talk or go places together alone at any time."Stanley stood just as firm as his semi wife.
"But mom! Dad!" Stacy loudly protested.
"Our decision is final!" Both of her parents said in a firm tone. Causing Stacy to look at the ground in despair. She and Bradley had just gotten back together and now she was losing him all over again. Slowly she looked down at the green colored gravel and began to walk back to her moms apartment.
"No way!" Bradley's voice cut through the air causing her to look back up and turn around towards her best friend in shock. "I've been standing here taking the brunt of this the entire time, and I just can't do it anymore. We've already been apart for such a long time, and now that we're finally together again you're both trying to split us up again? It's not right and its definitely not fair!" Bradley argued at the limits of his patience.
"Well nobody said life was fair." Stanley argued solemnly.
"Actually if I may. Bradley does have a point. As you two are making blind assumptions on the future of two people based on your own life experiences, and while I can appreciate as well as support you both trying to be cautious of your daughters purity. I would also like to argue that there is no real proof that Bradley and Stacy couldn't have a bright future as well if they did stay together." Polly objected as she approached the group again.
"Man I don't know what you said, but thanks Polly." Bradley smiled as the twelve year old smiled back and gave him a thumbs up. He then looked back at the Sticklers. "Anyways. Don't you trust us?"
"Oh sure. We trust Stacy completely.." Stanley smiled and nodded
"It's you we don't trust." Stella continued pointing accusingly at Bradley once more.
"Oh come on! You've both known me for years! Not only that but back when we were nine you both allowed us to have sleepovers all the time. I would have thought that meant you trusted me." Bradley argued as he raised his voice.
"That was then, and this is now." Mrs. Stickler again pointed out.
"But again. You guys have known me for years. Have I ever seemed like the kind of person who would hurt Stace or make her unhappy?" Bradley argued as Stacy watched him with a shocked look on her face. She never could have imagined that Bradley would stand up for them so vehemently. For a while she had been worried that he didn't really like their relationship, or that he just didn't feel the same way as her, but seeing this version of Bradley made her heart skip a beat.
"He is right you know." Mr. Stickler looked at Mrs. Stickler as she sighed.
"I know he is... Stanley... Maybe we were wrong to judge them based on how things turned out for us. After all if anything we should be happy that it's Bradley she's with instead of someone we don't even know." Stella looked back with a tone and gaze that expressed great personal guilt for having accused them.
"I agree. We've been thinking of them as kids for so long that... We forgot that they've grown into fine adults who can make their own decisions." Stanley nodded with the same guilty look on his face.
"Does that mean you'll allow me and B-man to stay together?" Stacy put a hopeful smile on her face.
"If you two really are truly happy together, and as long as it doesn't affect your future. Then I suppose we could accept it." Mr. Stickler commented with a grin on his face.
"After all we just want the best for you." Mrs. Stickler added.
"I know." Stacy happily hugged both her parents,
"Well you two have fun then. I have some stuff to fix around here." Mr. Stickler waved and went on his way.
"And I've got to get ready for work." Mrs. Stickler added before heading back to her apartment. Only for her to turn around and face the two teenagers half way there.
"Oh and Bradley? One more thing. If either of us ever hear you tried to hit a home run with our precious Stacy. Not only will you be out of the game, but you'll be banned for life... GOT IT?!" She said in that commanding tone that sent chills down Bradley's spine.
"Ma'am! Yes ma'am!" He saluted as his body shook.
"Good." She broke out into a smile. "You two have fun then."
"By the way. You don't need to worry Mrs. Stickler. Stace said I couldn't hit a home run to save my life." He called after her and waved just for Stacy to look at him in annoyance.
"She wasn't talking about baseball you know..." Stacy crossed her arms over her chest.
"Really? Then what was she talking about?" Bradley looked at her confused causing Stacy to rub her temple in response. How could someone at his age be so naive and innocent about such obvious things? Though she found the annoyance dying pretty fast since that same naivety and innocence were just more things that she loved about him.
"Anyways. I have to say you were quite smooth B-man." She smiled at him genuinely impressed with his fortitude.
"Yeah! I was great wasn't I?" He grinned and laughed only for Stacy to thwack him upside the head.
"Don't get cocky." She glared at him before she grinned mischievously. "You know. Now that everything's okay we've got some unfinished business."
"We do? I don't think we forgot anything." Bradley did his best to think if there was something they had forgotten when he suddenly landed on his back in the gravel. With the grinning form of Stacy above him.
"it's time for round two B-man." She said before diving in for the attack.
The tongue wrestling championship match continued uninterrupted this time.
THE END