"Kate, He-man could kill She-Ra so much she'd have to have multiple funerals," Colt said confidently.

"You fool," I replied.

"He's the Master of the Universe!" He kicked an empty pop can down the road. We'd finally reached Main Street, which meant only about six blocks left to walk. I bent down and picked up the can, tossing it into a garbage can.

"I'm no longer talking to you. If I beep, you may leave a message, but I doubt I will," I said, trying to sound indignant.

"But I walked all this way for you," he protested. "I could've left you on the log. But I'm kind and courteous so I generously took you all the way home, only to upset you by dissing your idol She-Ra. Are you kidding?"

"Do I LOOK like I'm kidding?"

"Kinda, yeah."

I broke out into a smile. "Oh. That's because I am."

"Good," he laughed. "So why haven't I seen you back in Hargrove?"

"We just moved," I said simply.

"Really? Why? Did your dad get transferred or through a mid-life crisis or something?"

"No," I replied, and attempted to shrug indifferently, but failed. "I was having trouble with my old school in Redding."

"Well that sucks," he said. "What kind of trouble?"

"I peed this girl off, and I swear, she's like 30, and she failed the tenth grade fourteen times. So she picks a fight with me, right, but I wouldn't fight back. She got even more pissed because she couldn't get a reaction out of me, I guess. So practically every other day I'd get the crap kicked out of me after school by her and her j.d. girlfriends." I sighed. "No one would do anything, not teachers or school officials or anything, so my dad got fed up and moved us all out to Hargrove because it's where he grew up. My brothers and sisters are kinda mad at me for making them lose all their friends and stuff."

"That sucks the fat one," Colt said empathetically. "Wait--you have sisters? I thought you just had two brothers."

"Two sisters, too. Fourteen and seventeen. They didn't come here with us because they're kinda unhappy with my mom. They still think she broke up our family…even though I guess she kinda did, what with her cheating on my father…but anyway. I don't feel like talking about that."

"Sometimes I get picked on too, but I usually retaliate if Rocky's not there to stop me and tell me to walk away. Why didn't you just kick her ass?"

"I don't believe in violence," I muttered.

"It's not violence, it's self-defense," he protested.

I sighed, desperately not wanting to get into my pacifist beliefs with a boy I'd just met, especially when that boy happened to be a ninja. "It's just that…um…it kinda goes back to 'do unto others as you would have them do unto you,' you know?" I hoped I wasn't sounding too preachy. I really liked Colt, and I didn't want him to think I was a freak or pretentious or anything.

"No, no, no, Kate. Do unto others before THEY do unto YOU," he laughed, but when I arched an eyebrow at him, he muttered, "Okay, so I'm not Mr. Yuk-Yuk's. But what if that girl really hurt you? You wouldn't have done anything to defend yourself?"

"What good is a value if you ignore it as soon as a challenge comes up?" I shot back.

"Sorry," he said. "Didn't you know you were so insistent."

"Not insistent," I said, and could just feel the blush spreading across my face. This was a stupid conversation. "I just don't like it when people get hurt."

"Neither do I," he told me. "That's why me and my brothers help people in need."

"Well good," I laughed. "I'm glad you don't point and laugh at people in need."

"Oh dear," I murmured as we approached my mother's cabin.

"What?" he whispered.

"It's quiet."

"That's a bad thing?"

"Jesse's hiding somewhere." I glanced around apprehensively. "I might die."

"I'll protect you," he giggled.

"Good luck," I said skeptically. "Jesse? I'm just going inside…please remain calm…RUN, COLT, RUN!"

He and I sprinted for the door, Jesse following close behind us, dressed in camouflage.

"What's wrong with your brother?" Colt cried, as we ran through the house, trying to escape him. "He's foaming at the mouth!"

"He's what?" I demanded. "Jesse, did you contract rabies again?"

"The name's Cujo," Jesse hollered back. "RGGHH!!! ARRGHH!! GHHAAACHH!"

"Oh my God," Colt muttered, and tipped over a chair to block Jesse's path. "Wow, Kate, I like your house, it's nice!"

"Shut up, and run, he's going to bite me!" I screamed and fell to the carpeted floor. "Jesse! Get the hell off me! Ow! You little monster!"

Colt grabbed Jesse around the waist and hoisted him off me effortlessly like he weighed 10 pounds rather than 125. For an eleven-year-old, Jesse was pretty sturdy. He was already taller than I was.

I touched the spot on the back of my leg where he had bitten me, and then warily smelled it. "Hmm. Toothpaste. Nice, Jesse."

"Thanks, Kate," he said, dusting himself off. "Who's your boyfriend? I admire his bravery." He turned around and smiled, impressed, at Colt. "Picking up a kid with rabies, man, props to you."

"I sneeze in the face of danger," Colt replied.

"Now that's just unsanitary." He giggled. "I sneeze in the face of my sister. You should do that."

"Ahh, no, that's alright."

I glared impatiently at Jesse. "His name's Colt, he's not my boyfriend, and don't you dare try to turn him against me."

"Ask her to sing the song she made up about her underwear," Jesse begged Colt.

Grinning, Colt tilted his head at me. "Would you say it was a number one hit, or just a little jingle?"

"Both of you shut up!" I cried. "I don't even remember it."

"Yes you do," Jesse teased, poking me in the ribs.

I sighed, and muttered, "Wondies…for my undies…I love you undies…soft and fun-dy…you deserve wondies…for you, undies…TIIIIIDE!"

"Tide?" Colt wondered.

"Yeah, it was an endorsement for laundry detergent," I grumbled. "My sister Mikalen and I made it up, it's for people who really love their soft and fun underwear. I was ten, alright?"

Colt and Jesse were giggling wildly.

"Jesse, piss off," I barked. "Go find some orphans to terrorize."

"You're more fun though, because you blush. And since your boyfriend is here, that makes it even more worthwhile."

"He's not my boyfriend!" I yelled, "MOM! Chain Jesse up in the basement!"

My mom called back, "Jesse, are you bugging your sister?"

"No!"

"Come here, I need help measuring the boards for this bookcase!"

Growling, Jesse sauntered off.

"Thank you, Mother," I called pleasantly to her. I looked at Colt. "Are you going to stay awhile?"

"If you want me to," he said, a playful smirk on his face.

"I do."