When his dad called asking him to be home for the three-day weekend Axl Heck knew something was going on. He couldn't just quite put a finger on it, he only knew it was there and that the only way of finding out was going straight home, as much as he hated spending weekends at his former madhouse.
As he opens the door his first sight is of his dear grandma, his mother's mom. "Oh there you are handsome," the elder woman greets.
"Nice to see you, too," he greets back hugging the dear lady. "So this is the big deal?"
Frankie, Mike and Pat look at each other before looking straight back at him. "Uh-oh!" Axl senses. "I wasn't even in town, how can I've done anything wrong?" he defends himself.
"Uh son, come here and sit down for a while, will you?" Mike beckons and motions him to sit on the couch. Axl can almost feel it coming. He's in deep trouble for whatever reason. He also knows he can walk away with it because he is that awesome, so he does not panic. Not just yet.
"Well, Axl, we are...we talked and came to the conclusion that you have matured a lot since going to college so...no better way to prove that than..." Frankie makes a dramatic pause, he can feel it coming right in his face. "We want you to take Sue to her prom tomorrow." she finishes without breathing.
As expected Axl immediately jumps to his feet, "No hecking way, I'm leaving as of now!" He walks to the door and grabs his backpack that he had just stomped on the floor. "You're not gonna humiliate me in public to that point. I'd rather date a baboon than be seen with that freak of nature you guys call my sister, in public. Sue is not even human. She's like some weird lab test gone really, really wrong. Argh, what did I ever do to you? Hasta la vista, loonies!" he concludes, ready to open the front door and run to the Donahues, at least there he feels safe.
"Mike, do something!" Frankie urges. Her husband sighs and looks defeated, albeit he still tries. "Axl, hey, she couldn't find a date and...she said she's the only senior that couldn't find one, we even asked Reverend Tim Tom for suggestions, sadly, to no avail...Well, we feel it is our duty to help. We uhm, we're asking uhm, pretty please because we trust you are the best...option given the circumstances.. See, even your granny is here to...help." There, Mike thinks this will do, at least he did try.
Axl throws his backpack over his shoulder. "Good then, you wanna help? Call the zoo, I'm sure the hogs are available." He rolls his eyes and has his hand on the door knob when he hears it.
"Wait a minute, young man!" A needle hitting the floor can be heard as the room falls silent. Pat is definitively not the one, "It is your right not to want to take your own sister to her prom, but it stops there. You have no right to offend the poor girl. I have noticed for years now the things you call your sister and never said anything but enough is enough. Ah, whatever, I'm calling my friends at the church, I am sure one of them must have a nice grandson that will happily take my dear Sue."
"Phew!" Axl mocks before banging the door shut hard behind him. He wonders what the Donahues have for dinner. It takes him five long seconds for realization to kick in. What was that? He slaps himself on his own face knowing this is a life long regretting attitude but, whatever. He's the Axman, he can pull it and get away smooth. Even if Sue is involved.
He reopens the door and looks inside. They are still standing in the same position but his grandmother is in fact checking her pocket phone book. "Okay, dammit, I'm sorry, I take back all I said but a: no more than two hours and b: instruct her not to talk to me unless requested. Absolutely no exceptions." It can't be that bad, he is sure the now senior cheerleaders will be there too!
"Atta boy." Mike hugs his son. When Frankie comes to hug him too he signalizes he wont take it. She conforms and acts like it is no big deal. Pat keeps her phone book in her pocket, just in case. "I feel some hope here," she smiles weakly at her grandson.
Axl is in his old room chatting to Brick when Sue finally arrives from prom rehearsal. He has stripped to his boxers but puts on some surfer trunks out of respect to his grand mom. "Seriously, she's changed a lot these last months, like she's blossomed. I sometimes think she's a stranger walking around the house. House." Brick tells his older sibling.
Of course Axl doesn't believe his baby brother. It is Sue Heck they are discussing about. He heads to the kitchen anyway, he needs some chocolate milk and Brick can't be tricked to serve him anymore.
It is not Sue that has arrived though, it's some hot ginger with all the curves in the right places, from what Axl can see from her back. "Oh hey, there you are!" she giggles as she turns around to hug him. He has his arms widely open like he just got lucky. Then as he sees who it he steps back in total disbelief. "Sue?"
"I know, right? Braces are gone, forever now. I'll kinda miss it though, I think, they were part of me already," she cheers. Axl can't believe his own eyes. His theory of her being some crazy lab experiment hit it big time. That is not Sue. How come she became so pretty in what? Two months? Three? A decade? How long has he been away? How did this EVEN happen, to begin with. And most important, how come she doesn't have a date to prom? Who would be dumb enough not to take her wherever she wanted?