Playing video games with Tum tum, I had to wonder what that girl's angle was? There was just no way someone could be so grateful that they'd stop by with brownies to say 'thank you' for something as simple as a ride to and from school. Unless she's some new breed of human that's actually kind and considerate to others. Naah. Seems impossible. She's definitely out for something. And I'm nosy enough to wanna find out what that something is.

...

"So, that girl Nissa.." Tum tum started talking to Colt around the frothy toothbrush in his mouth. "Do you know her?"

"What do you mean?" Colt brushed his hair so the sweep of it is to the right, giving himself a once over glance, before he returned it left.

"What's her story?"

"Her story?" Colt chuckled. "Mom gave her a lift. She's in my health class. That's as far as I know about her, and it doesn't strike me as a story."

"I'm just wondering if you like her or anything."

The brush stilled in Colt's hand, and his brows furrowed. "Why would I like her? And why would it matter if I did?"

Tum tum shrugged then leaned over and spat the mint scented foam into the sink bowel, turning on the faucet he washes it down the drain.

"What?" Colt teased, the light in his eyes portrayed that he could have got on the boy for a while. "Her brownies were that good you wanna marry her or something?" Giving the back of his little brother's head a playful slap, he walked out of the bathroom laughing.

"Yeeeah right." Tum tum called out after him. Picking up the brush he ran it through his hair, inspecting how he looked before leaving the bathroom. "Hey Colt?"

"Hey Colt, hey Colt... What is it with you tonight? Suddenly I've got all the answers, go bother Rocky."

"Because Rocky is out on a date with Emily- well," He corrects himself as he flops down on his bed, reaching for his stash of Mike and Ikes under the pillow. "She thinks it's a date." Rolling over so that he's looking at the underside of the bunkbed, he drops a few gummy fruity candies into his mouth, chewing thoroughly before emphesizing the rest of the situation of their older brother. "Rocky, Benj, Carlotta, Allen, and Marisol all wanted to see Mortal Kombat Annihilation, and even though she hates fight movies, Emily tagged along after overhearing them at Benj's locker, deciding they wanna go."

Scoffing, Colt leans over his bed to look down at his brother. "And how do you know all that?"

Tum tum gave a shrug. "Rocky told me, when I asked him why he was changing his clothes."

"That, or you were eavesdropping again."

Colt's seen Tum tum spying on him and Rocky plenty of times. They could be on the phone, chatting somewhere close to the house, or even talking to each other in the bedroom and Tum tum will perk an ear to it. Little brothers can really be pests.

"I really wasn't this time."

Getting out of bed, the younger boy walks over to the dark blue beanbag chair placed in the corner of the room and drags it over to the television. He wanted to lie around eating snacks until bed, but he figured video games would be much more fun.

"Come on, Colt" He set up the Nintendo 64. "Play with me, it's the weekend." Plugging in the second controller, he waves it in his brother's general direction. "No one to tell us it's a schooool niiiight."

Colt huffed out a laugh. As if he needed persuation to play video games. He is a living breathing teenager afterall, he's been gaming since Sega, nothing could hold him back. Hoping down from his bed, and after a quick bounce off the mini-trampoline, he sat down on floor beside his little brother; leaning one arm onto the beanbag for comfort.

The pair zombied out over a game of Tetris Champion, laughing at the little man, who they're supposed to help to the bottum of the screen by clearing the tetris pieces from around him, whenever he drops to a lower level because he let out a comical "Ooch!"

An hour had passed before Rocky showed up; and he walked about the room going through the night routine of changing from his street clothes into his pajamas after a shower, brushing his teeth and hair. He watched his brothers play for a moment, before getting on the can-phone with Emily.

"Wasn't it cool the way there were so many Reptiles?" Rocky began the conversation; he's still buzzed over how cool the movie had been. He loves that sort of thing. "I wonder if they've got plans for why they killed Johnny Cage, the guy's a main character and they... Aaand you don't really care about this, do you?" He laughed hearing Emily's response.

Now Colt and Tum tum are getting interested in this, and pause the game to eavesdrop. They often listen to Rocky, but he's never usually saying anything, most of the time it's all Emily's end and he's just adding his two cents in.

"Then why'd you go?" Rocky asked, not noticing that he's being spied on, because the games' music continued to play even with the game on pause. Listening to the girl's response, he shook his head. "But we see each other all the time, you can't seriously mean that."

Colt and Tum tum glance knowingly at each other. Emily's could have only said one thing: I want to spend time together alone. But the question is, was she that bold to admit to wanting to be alone with Rocky, or would she dance around it, as he dances around the fact that he doesn't have romantic feelings for her.

"Alright, alright... I understand. We can see a movie together, anything you want- just as long as it's not a chick-flick."

Colt and Tum tum snicker behind their hand. How can Rocky be so naive?! Colt would never fall for such pityful female tactics. He's got girls figured out. He's pretty sure that all of them are manipulators and liars. That reminded him...

"Hey Rocky," He calls to his brother, who's capping the can-phone to cut communications with Emily. "Can you believe this kid..."

"Shut up, doof!" Tum tum shoves Colt from his lean on the beanbag. "It's not true!"

"What's not true?" Rocky asked though he seemed somewhat disinterested, as he's reaching for a comic to read since the game system is in use.

"He thinks he's got a shot with that Nissa girl."

Rocky's brows rose in surprise, and his jaw dropped enough hit his lap. "Are you serious?" He snickered when seeing Tum tum's turning read. "Tum tum, Nissa's gotta be fifteen years old... You can't date her."

"Says who?" The boy shrugged. "And any way, I never said I wanted to date her... It's just cool that a girl hung out with me and didn't just come over for one of you clowns. I thought if one of you were dating her then I could hang out with her again."

"Don't say that," Colt laughed. "It sounds like you're shopping for a babysitter."

Rocky didn't wanna tease his little brother, but what Colt said was pretty funny. And it's funny seeing his little brother interested in girls, it's almost kind of sweet. Even if he doesn't have a chance with her.

"Would you shut up?!" Tum tum whined. "Rocky, make him shut up." He stood from the beanbag and chased Colt about the room.

"You can't control him, Tum. Believe me, I've tried whenever he would sing those idiotic songs about Emily and me."

As if reminded of mockery through song, Colt bounced on the trampoline and up onto his bed. Then he began to sing from his perch, when Tum tum began to bop him repeatedly with his pillow. "Tum tum wants Nissa to sit in his tree, and up there she's baby-sitting." He laughed hysterically when the pillow bashed him in the face. "First comes games, then comes stories, next comes Nissa telling him she's sorry." Rocky's laughter only egged him on. "That's not all, that's not all, he'll ask her out 'til the artic thaws."

Tum tum stopped his pummeling, deciding just to growl at his brother. "Spaz." Was his only line of defense. Retiring to his bed with his candy, he blushes fiercely hoping that no one saw.

Noticing the silence, Colt shook his head. "Don't be mad, Tum. And if you actually do like Nissa it's cute at your age." Leaning over the bed, he looks down at his little brother receiving the stink-eye. "And if you bag her, you get bragging rights over your friends."

"Colt," Rocky felt it was time to step in. "it was fun for a minute, but give it a rest." Getting off his bed, he turned off the video game console then the bedroom lights.

"I think she likes one of us,"

"And by 'one of us' you're referring to yourself, right?" Rocky climbed back into bed.

"I'm six to four, Rock'."

Rolling his eyes the older male muttered to himself. "Why are you keeping score with something like that?" A little louder he says. "It's immature."

"Immature, but true." Colt laid back on his pillow, arms behind his head he stared up at the ceiling. "I'll be gentle and sweet, though, when I turn her down. She's a nice kid but, more Rocky's type."

The last thing Rocky wanted was to fan the fire of a one-man conversation, but he heard himself mutter into the moonlit darkness. "I don't have a type."

"Sure you do, you like sweet girls- like Nissa." He turned his head in Rocky's general direction. "You like girls who won't treat you like crud when they break up with you."

"Are you saying girls treat you like crud when they finally decide to escape your relationship?" Asked Rocky smugly.

"Very funny." Colt would have thrown something, but he doesn't have the willpower. "Nobody has a chance to 'escape me', I leave first."

"If you say so." Replied the tired blond. Glancing at the digital clock, he reads to himself that it's 10:47 pm. Closing his eyes, he thinks about Nissa. "She is pretty cute, though. If she's interested in me, I'd go out with her."

Colt found something amusing with that and decided to share. "At this point you'd date a Muppet to avoid Emily, huh, Rock'?"

"It's not like that... Emily's just not ready to accept that she and I will only be friends." Eyes open, he looks out the parted blinds into the dark sky. "We've known each other since we were three, so... I don't know, I think maybe she's just lost her confidence to look at other guys."

"Why not just explain it to her that way, I'm sure she'd get it" he interrupts himself when hearing a wrapper crumpling. "Tum tum, didn't you brush your teeth? What's with all the late night snacking?"

"That's what mouth wash is for, I ate all those gummies and now I want a honey bun." Replied the youngest of the three brothers.

Colt shook his head in disbelief. He likes sugar maybe once out of the week, preferring savory tastes over sweet.

"I can't tell Emily that, it'd be rude." Rocky says in a monotone.

"So what if it's rude?" Colt replied. "If she's your friend she should take it well. Anyway, she's being rude to you by constantly putting pressure on you for dates and a relationship."

Rocky couldn't disagree. But he won't be rude to Emily. He just can't. Tilting his head back as though the angle will help him see his little brother, he asked. "Tum tum, don't listen to Colt in the matter. It's fine to have a crush on Nissa, but don't go getting any ideas that you can date her. Dad'll flip out, and if not dad than mom."

"Believe me, I don't have a crush on Nissa." Tum tum said into the darkness of his bunk. And it's lucky that it's dark, so no one can see his red cheeks.

x x x

"This is all you could find out about her?" Colt asked his friend James, who'd just handed him a piece of paper with Nissa Tori's stats written on them. "She likes reading, baking, and cats. Only child. Speaks intermidiate French. What a catch." He hands the paper back.

Nodding that he understands Colt's disinterest, he defended his investigative skills. "Hey, I dug deep. I even went out for superficial information of dislikes and petty behavior, and nobody had anything about her that was displeasing in any way. I think she's seriously just a nice girl."

Shaking his head, Colt commented. "Weird."

The weekend had gone by without anyone in the Douglas home seeing the girl. Colt honestly waited around at home instead of going out with his friends to play basketball. And when he did leave the house he found himself distracted to the point of being unable to concentrate on playing. Waiting around for this girl to show up ruined his entire weekend.

He finally called his friend James, information station at school, and asked him to look in about her. And now they're sitting in the library during break reading over the gathered information, or what little there is of it.

"I think it's trendy among girls this year, being nice. I'll tell you one thing," James linked his fingers together and leaned over a bit, his longish dirty blond hair swayed forward just above his shoulders, and he locked eyes with Colt. "She's cute. Even if she's a geek. I saw her in gym class before the great divider separated the room from girls and boys."

"I didn't really get a look at her, it was dark in the car and when she left my house, she fled so quickly I couldn't look at her then either."

"Why'd she come over?" His voice hitched a bit like he was still going through puberty.

Colt shrugged. "She brought thank you brownies for my mom for giving her a ride to school when it rained."

"Why do you care anyway?" James asked. "You're that eager to add to your body count by giving her the brush-off?"

"No... Not really. I just don't wanna see a good girl get hurt by sniffing around me and expecting something out of it." Drumming his thumbs on the table, he said in a quiet sincere tone. "It's happened before, and I'm not strong enough to be a part of it happening again."

"That's actually kind of sweet." James grinned sarcastically.

"Oh shut up." Waving him off, Colt got up from the chair. Gathering his bag to return to class, he grabbed his friend's arm when a though occured to him. "James, your sister might be able to help me."

"Help you how?" He followed after Colt, he had no intention of going directly to class after the fourth period break, this patsy needs a bathroom break. "My sister doesn't know this chick."

"But she could, tell her to befriend her, ask her stuff. Just be friendly... Your twins, don't you have some sort of 'do as I say' bond?"

"I don't know where you get your information about twins, but I've never been privy to this rule."

"Then what good are you?"

"Plenty. I got you this much, didn't I?" He waves the sheet of paper in the air.

Just as the pair reached the door it pulled open and a teacher walked in followed by his class. And in that class is Nissa. Colt and James froze in place and just stared as the girl all but snubbed him outright when walking past and ignoring Colt's wave by readjusting her bookbag as if she needed something from it.

James grinned from ear to ear once the reading class was out of ear shot, and patting his friend on the shoulder he laughed good-naturedly. "I think the artic is missing a cold front, because I'm pretty sure that was an icy smack in the face."

"She was nice before."

"Are you sure she wasn't just sincerely grateful for not getting drenched? Maybe it's you who's got a crush like a stalker." The bell rang, and James looked up as though he could see the silver alarm rattling away. "I'll see you after school, lover boy?"

Colt could only look after the girl, who's cruising a bookshelf for something to read for class. There was just no way. 'I'm not interested in her... I'm just curious... That's all.'

So maybe I jumped the gun on this one, and she really was innocent of her intentions and gestures. Which is why I found myself drawn to her. Is that weird? To be into somebody because they don't want anything to do with you? I mean, I went a week of school and she didn't so much as glance at me. Although, there was a moment in class that gave me another mixed signal.

"Pick a partner," Mrs. Sheldon began. "we're doing a project of good health. You are to take pictures of people you see or even yourself showing off good health. And nothing derogatory, please. And you know who I'm talking to, Bryan."

Everyone looked at the red head with snickers. They remember the last time they were asked to do a project in health class, and Bryan photo copied a picture of his butt, saying he was doing the digestive system. The assignment was to show off functions of the human body. He chose taking a crap as his theme.

Nissa looked over her shoulder locking eyes with Colt. He was sure of it anyway, but when she got up to ask him to be her partner, she actually cruised on by to ask the girl sitting behind him. He couldn't believe it! What was wrong with her?! Does he offend? He checked himself, he was fine. So then what?

'Maybe she can smell my intentions? It's like how I can tell when a girl wants to go out with me- except maybe for this one time. But... if she's not into me, maybe she's into Rocky? Ha. Guess it's six to five now.' He shook his head in thoughtful defeat. 'Well, as a good brother, it's my job to help him hook-up. He could really find the one in this strange girl.'

"I'm sorry, I've already got a partner."

"Oh, really." Nissa looked about the room seeing that everyone else was practically already paired off. "Shoot." She muttered.

Clearing his throat, Colt spoke up. "I don't have a partner yet."

"Oh you don't?" She muttered as if she hadn't wanted him to speak to her, then she looked down at the seated male, who flashed her his signature smile that more often than not makes a girl swoon. "What about Monroe?" She went to cross the room but Colt grabbed her hand.

"Come on, I don't bite." Cocking his head in gesture for her to move her desk, he asked. "Be my partner."

Taking a breath, she then nods when letting it out through a quick blow. "Alright. Let's get an A partner." She smiled at him.

Colt was disarmed by that friendly smile. James was right, the girl really is pretty. 'What am I saying. She's not interested in me, she likes Rocky- possibly. It'd be wrong to try to steal her attention away... Right?'

But all of me knew, that in order not to loose to Rocky, it was game on in trying to win over this girl.

...

Commentary: Told ya it would take time to update this, but here it is. Sorry in advance for mistakes and I'm sure there's tons but like my others I'll read it over and fix it when I can. Thank you guys for reading and reviewing if you choose to. It means a lot.

And to the guest who said "update" in "The House in the Woods" that was to be continued hon', but ok. I'll work on that, why not right? If I can, I can. See you all then and there if anyone reading this is reading that. Barnicles, I'll have to look it over though because I've forgotten what I wrote.