Finny's NEW Best Friend
**
"Ah, there's nothing like a long, enthusiastic day of working out, eh, buddy?" Finny wondered of Gene.
Gene rolled his eyes. "For never-tiring immortal people, maybe." He wiped the sweat from his face, and had to wring out his towel from all of the perspiration it gathered. Gene sighed. "Well, back to the dorms, I guess, Finny?"
"And spoil this beautiful sunset?" Finny demanded. "Not a chance. It's still warm outside. Let's take a walk."
Gene Forrester had no intentions of doing anything else remotely strenuous that day. But, he wasn't about to say no to Finny, either. So, he chose the less involved route-the one that didn't involve confrontation with Phineas.
The pair of best friends walked from the school's gym toward the pool house, as Finny had hoped to get in a few laps before dark. They slowly passed beside a row of bushes, talking and laughing, when Gene heard a noise from one of them. He glanced at the bush and saw it rustling.
"AAH!!" he shrieked in fright. "It's a snake!!!!"
"Really, where??" Finny exclaimed, excitement bursting from his face.
Gene backed away, pointing at the rose bush. Finny knelt by the bush, almost hoping that it was a snake so he could tame it and keep it for a pet. He leaned in closer until his face was almost touching the bush.
"Meow!!"
"Ack!" Finny fell over backwards, in surprise.
"Watch out for its venom!!!" Gene cried.
Finny watched in amazement as a small, black and white kitten slowly slinked out of the bush. He and Gene stared at it, unbelievingly.
"Well," Finny said, looking at Gene with a sly grin, "there's your snake."
**
"This is such a bad idea...." Gene said for the fifth time. "They are gonna know that we have a cat-"
"Kitten," Finny corrected him, rubbing its stomach.
"Well, WHATEVER!!" Gene carried on. "The point is as soon as the maids come in tomorrow morning while we're in Latin, they'll find that kitten-"
"Finnymins."
"What?"
"His name is Finnymins," Finny explained. "He's my little buddy."
"B-but....." Gene stammered. "I thought I was your lil' buddy.....and how do you know it's a he, anyway?"
The blond shrugged. "I don't."
Gene rolled his eyes. "We are going to be in so much shhhh-"
Finny quickly covered Finnymins' ears. "Don't curse in front of my baby!"
"Finny, you know animals aren't allowed on campus!" Gene wailed, exasperatedly. "And you never made people stop cursing in front of me!"
"No offense there, Gene, but you're not my baby."
Gene stopped in his tracks, while Finny kept walking, tickling the kitten. "I'm not???"
**
"Finnymins," Finny said, sitting on the floor next to the kitten, "I want you to have something very dear to me." He reached into a duffle bag and felt around in it for a moment.
Gene rolled his eyes from his position on the bunk beds.
"Aha!" Finny pulled out a small green ball. "This catnip ball," he said, Finnymins already beginning to jump for it, "belonged to Mr. Scruffles. He was my baby before you, but unfortunately, he was hit by a bottle rocket that I, unfortunately, set off. Now, it's yours. I trust that you will treat it as if it belonged to your father."
Finny rolled the catnip ball towards his kitten. Finnymins chased it into the closet, and began to wildly spin around it.
"Isn't that sweet?" Finny asked Gene.
"Oh, so you're acknowledging my existence now?" Gene asked, sarcastically.
"Not really," Finny replied. "I was just kind of blankly asking the world around me."
"You like Finnymins more than me now, don't you??" Gene demanded, standing up.
"Who's a pretty kitty? Who's a sweetness?" Finny cooed, holding the black and white kitten and stroking it, pointedly. He held it up to the mirror, and said, "Do you know what a pretty kitty looks like? There's one! That's you! Aren't you a pretty kitty?" As Finnymins began to slip out of Finny's hands, he got restless and decided to see what Finny tasted like. "Ow!" the jock exclaimed, though he was giggling when he said it. "Who's a meanness now?"
It was more than Gene could stand to watch, so he rolled over to face the wall. He could still hear them, though. Finny really does like that cat more than me, Gene thought, grief-stricken. And pretty soon, it won't be, "Hey Finny! Hi Gene! How are you guys doing?" It'll be, "Hey Finny! Hey lil Finnymins! Aren't you a cute kitty?"' They'll forget all about poor, lost Gene. "Hey, Brinker, whatever happened to Gene?" "Oh, that guy that we stopped noticing? He died, I think." "Oh, yeah."
"I won't let that happen!!" Gene cried, standing up again.
"Could you keep it down?" Finny inquired. "Finnymins is trying to go to sleep. And, by the way, could you take the top bunk? I don't want Finnymins to fall off and hurt himself."
"But," Gene sniffled, "you always took the top bunk so I wouldn't fall off."
"Yeah, but, Gene, Finnymins is so much littler than you and I don't want him to DIE or anything...."
"Why don't you ever call me Gennymins?" Gene pleaded.
"Because people would talk," Finny said, simply. "Now, good night." Finny sidestepped Gene, and crawled into the bottom bunk with Finnymins, who was sound asleep.
Gene slumped and disappointedly climbed up the small ladder to the top bunk and lay awake in mental anguish.
**
"Ah, there's nothing like a long, enthusiastic day of working out, eh, buddy?" Finny wondered of Gene.
Gene rolled his eyes. "For never-tiring immortal people, maybe." He wiped the sweat from his face, and had to wring out his towel from all of the perspiration it gathered. Gene sighed. "Well, back to the dorms, I guess, Finny?"
"And spoil this beautiful sunset?" Finny demanded. "Not a chance. It's still warm outside. Let's take a walk."
Gene Forrester had no intentions of doing anything else remotely strenuous that day. But, he wasn't about to say no to Finny, either. So, he chose the less involved route-the one that didn't involve confrontation with Phineas.
The pair of best friends walked from the school's gym toward the pool house, as Finny had hoped to get in a few laps before dark. They slowly passed beside a row of bushes, talking and laughing, when Gene heard a noise from one of them. He glanced at the bush and saw it rustling.
"AAH!!" he shrieked in fright. "It's a snake!!!!"
"Really, where??" Finny exclaimed, excitement bursting from his face.
Gene backed away, pointing at the rose bush. Finny knelt by the bush, almost hoping that it was a snake so he could tame it and keep it for a pet. He leaned in closer until his face was almost touching the bush.
"Meow!!"
"Ack!" Finny fell over backwards, in surprise.
"Watch out for its venom!!!" Gene cried.
Finny watched in amazement as a small, black and white kitten slowly slinked out of the bush. He and Gene stared at it, unbelievingly.
"Well," Finny said, looking at Gene with a sly grin, "there's your snake."
**
"This is such a bad idea...." Gene said for the fifth time. "They are gonna know that we have a cat-"
"Kitten," Finny corrected him, rubbing its stomach.
"Well, WHATEVER!!" Gene carried on. "The point is as soon as the maids come in tomorrow morning while we're in Latin, they'll find that kitten-"
"Finnymins."
"What?"
"His name is Finnymins," Finny explained. "He's my little buddy."
"B-but....." Gene stammered. "I thought I was your lil' buddy.....and how do you know it's a he, anyway?"
The blond shrugged. "I don't."
Gene rolled his eyes. "We are going to be in so much shhhh-"
Finny quickly covered Finnymins' ears. "Don't curse in front of my baby!"
"Finny, you know animals aren't allowed on campus!" Gene wailed, exasperatedly. "And you never made people stop cursing in front of me!"
"No offense there, Gene, but you're not my baby."
Gene stopped in his tracks, while Finny kept walking, tickling the kitten. "I'm not???"
**
"Finnymins," Finny said, sitting on the floor next to the kitten, "I want you to have something very dear to me." He reached into a duffle bag and felt around in it for a moment.
Gene rolled his eyes from his position on the bunk beds.
"Aha!" Finny pulled out a small green ball. "This catnip ball," he said, Finnymins already beginning to jump for it, "belonged to Mr. Scruffles. He was my baby before you, but unfortunately, he was hit by a bottle rocket that I, unfortunately, set off. Now, it's yours. I trust that you will treat it as if it belonged to your father."
Finny rolled the catnip ball towards his kitten. Finnymins chased it into the closet, and began to wildly spin around it.
"Isn't that sweet?" Finny asked Gene.
"Oh, so you're acknowledging my existence now?" Gene asked, sarcastically.
"Not really," Finny replied. "I was just kind of blankly asking the world around me."
"You like Finnymins more than me now, don't you??" Gene demanded, standing up.
"Who's a pretty kitty? Who's a sweetness?" Finny cooed, holding the black and white kitten and stroking it, pointedly. He held it up to the mirror, and said, "Do you know what a pretty kitty looks like? There's one! That's you! Aren't you a pretty kitty?" As Finnymins began to slip out of Finny's hands, he got restless and decided to see what Finny tasted like. "Ow!" the jock exclaimed, though he was giggling when he said it. "Who's a meanness now?"
It was more than Gene could stand to watch, so he rolled over to face the wall. He could still hear them, though. Finny really does like that cat more than me, Gene thought, grief-stricken. And pretty soon, it won't be, "Hey Finny! Hi Gene! How are you guys doing?" It'll be, "Hey Finny! Hey lil Finnymins! Aren't you a cute kitty?"' They'll forget all about poor, lost Gene. "Hey, Brinker, whatever happened to Gene?" "Oh, that guy that we stopped noticing? He died, I think." "Oh, yeah."
"I won't let that happen!!" Gene cried, standing up again.
"Could you keep it down?" Finny inquired. "Finnymins is trying to go to sleep. And, by the way, could you take the top bunk? I don't want Finnymins to fall off and hurt himself."
"But," Gene sniffled, "you always took the top bunk so I wouldn't fall off."
"Yeah, but, Gene, Finnymins is so much littler than you and I don't want him to DIE or anything...."
"Why don't you ever call me Gennymins?" Gene pleaded.
"Because people would talk," Finny said, simply. "Now, good night." Finny sidestepped Gene, and crawled into the bottom bunk with Finnymins, who was sound asleep.
Gene slumped and disappointedly climbed up the small ladder to the top bunk and lay awake in mental anguish.