Hey! Roxy Goth here, this is my first time writing for Nicky, Ricky, Dicky and Dawn. This story takes place during October when they're High-School Freshmen.
I do not own Nicky, Ricky, Dicky and Dawn.
"Quad meeting." Dawn announced.
Dicky and Nicky, who were sitting at the kitchen table, Dicky texting and Nicky pouring over a recipe immediately looked up. Dicky put his phone in his pocket and got up.
"Woah, woah, woah." Dawn grabbed him by his shoulders and pushed him back into his chair. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Getting Ricky?"
"Yeah, last time I checked a quad meeting usually involves four of us." Nicky said, sarcasm edging along his voice.
Dawn shot him a glare before explaining. "Not when the meeting is ABOUT Ricky it doesn't, which means we've only got about half an hour before Ricky finishes his homework. Now." She sat down. "Since starting High School has anyone else noticed changes about Ricky?"
"He smells a lot more." Dicky said, trying to be helpful.
Nicky let out a small groan and Dawn face-palmed. "Not those sort of changes, Dicky. I meant changes in his behaviour. How he acts and stuff. Especially at school." She leaned back in her chair. "He seems alright at home…"
"Mmm. He has been a little more nervous lately." Nicky said, thoughtfully. "Last Thursday when I have cooking and he had Japanese after school he seemed really…on edge."
"Like, how?"
"I don't know how to describe it…" Nicky leaned forward and linked his fingers together. "It seemed almost like he…didn't want to go…"
"But he loves Japanese." Dicky pointed out, arms folded. "And Maths. And English. And Science…"
"We get it, he loves academics, does this have a point?" Dawn asked, patience running out.
"Yes." There was a silence.
"Well?" Nicky asked.
"Well what?"
"What's the point?"
"Of what?"
"Ricky's loving academics!"
Dicky held his hands up. "Alright, alright, no need to shout. My point is he got a 98 in his science paper at the end of September and he was really pleased about it remember?"
"Oh we remember." Dawn said, smiling a bit. Ricky had been over the moon about it, while at the same time rubbing it in their faces that he had the highest score in the class. They'd had a mini-argument about it resulting in Dawn rubbing the fact she had the highest track record in Phis Ed in Ricky's face. Ah, good times.
"Well the week after his mood just changed about it. He seemed nervous whenever anyone asked about it. Miss Morgan said she was going to put it on the board of achievements for that week."
"I don't remember seeing that." Nicky said, concerned because he was sure that if that had happened Ricky would have dragged them over to it to show them.
Dicky nodded. "That's because he said he didn't want her to. Miss Morgan never puts anyone's achievements on the wall if they don't want her to."
There was a pause as Nicky and Dawn looked at each other. "How do you even know this?" Dawn asked. "You two aren't even in the same science class!"
"True, but one of my friends is. He told me about it."
"This is weird." Nicky leaned backwards and folded his arms. "It's like he's changed his whole attitude to school."
"Doesn't that usually mean there's something wrong?" Dicky asked. "Like Dawn dancing wrong?"
Nicky let out a small snort as Dawn said, pointedly. "I'll let that one slide. And yes, yes it does. Which means…"
"Aliens have come and taken over Ricky's body?" Dicky said eyes wide.
Dawn and Nicky looked at their brother in confusion before Nicky said. "No."
Dawn leaned forward and said, slowly. "What I mean is there's a chance he's being bullied." As soon as those words escaped Dawn's mouth the air suddenly felt heavier and they each digested the information.
"He can't be." Dicky said, after about a minute's pause. "He'd…tell us, right?" Getting no reply, the long-haired boy said. "Right? I mean, we're quads! We tell each other everything!"
"Well, not everything." Nicky said, mind working overtime.
"Yeah, okay, but we tell each other everything important!"
"Yeah we do so..."
"He must be scared to…" Nicky said, cottoning on.
"Which means there's a reason he's scared…?" Dicky said, slowly connecting the pieces.
"Which means he could be getting threatened?" Dawn finished.
There was another pause. Then Dicky pointed out. "But Ricky doesn't really care about what people think of him. That's one of the things I like about him."
Dawn and Nicky nodded. "Yeah but, we're in high school. Completely different environments." Dawn said.
"Plus who said they're threatening him?"
Dawn and Dicky looked at each other before looking at the youngest quad. "What?"
"What does Ricky care about more than academics?"
"Us." Dawn and Dicky said together.
Nicky gave a thumbs up. "Exactly. As Dicky said, Ricky doesn't really care about what people think of him, but he cares about us and what people think of us. I mean, I'm just theorising here, Ricky might have since August started caring more about what people think of him but I can't help thinking if that was so, we'd have noticed."
Another pause and then Dawn banged her fist on the table. "Ugh. There's too many possibilities."
"So what are we going to do?" Nicky asked.
"Ask him?" At Dicky's siblings stared at him he shrugged. "What? It makes sense. He's the one living his life; he knows what happening to him. Who better to ask?"
"What if he denies it?"
"Then we tell mum and dad what we think and they can do something about it. But I don't think he will. Deny it I mean, if it's been going on since August he probably either consciously or unconsciously wants someone to notice. If we ask him, gently and with tact then he'll probably tell us. I don't know how he'll actually react but…what?" Dicky asked, seeing his siblings just staring at him.
"How do you…?"
"I'm not just a pretty face, you know. I could be a Sociologist!"
"You mean a Psychologist." Dawn corrected.
"That to!"
Nicky shook his head. "C'mon." He got up. "Let's go speak to Ricky."
