Loriot: I ... don't even know. It's longer than the other three combined. It's the story that wouldn't die. Enjoy! Review?
Time: Thanksgiving, junior year
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Cricket's still not entirely sure how it happened.
She distinctly remembers sitting at her usual lunch table with Jenna from the Tech Crew, Sammy and Casey, contently munching on her turkey-and-Swiss-on-rye sandwich. They were discussing the movie they'd seen the night before - Sammy had been annoyed at the ambiguous ending ("'cause seriously, guys, how can we not know if the baddie was caught? And the girl never did find out whether she'd met her biological dad!"), Jenna had been utterly shallow ("The dude had nice abs, what can I say?") and Casey had just laughed at them both, pressing a kiss to Sammy's cheek. The next thing she knew, Hurricane Billy barreled through and she was now roped in to going to the Pratt's home for Thanksgiving dinner.
Oh, and Gary was invited, too.
Billy, her insane, possibly unstable friend (and the guy she was head-over-heels for) had invited her to Thanksgiving dinner.
Because (according to Billy) his mother wouldn't mind a random friend's older brother joining them on a family occasion.
Which is why Cricket was currently fretting over the state of her apple pie. She stood in front of the oven, twisting the oven mitt in her hands. Gary, home from college for Thanksgiving Break, clambered into the kitchen, headphones on, wearing sweats blazoned with his college's name up the right leg. Cricket groaned.
"Gary. Gary!" Cricket threw the oven mitt at him to get his attention.
"What?" He whined, pulling the headphones off of one ear.
"You're wearing that to the Pratt's?"
"What's wrong with it?"
"We're guests! At least put on jeans ... and maybe a sweater. I know you have that red one Andrea bought you last Christmas. Wear that one."
"Yeah, well ..." Gary trailed off, rolling his eyes. The oven bell dinged loudly, causing Cricket to jump and return to her former task. Gary sighed. "If it will make you feel better about the whole thing, I'll put on nicer clothes."
"Thank you!" Cricket cried, dashing over to give her brother a tight hug. "Be ready to go - the pie, I think, is done and I just need to change into my blouse."
"Right-io!"
"This it?" Gary pulled up to the curb, putting the old truck in park. He peered through the wind shield to get a better look at the house number. "2542?"
Cricket double checked the slip of paper in her hand and nodded. "Yeah."
"All right! Let's get to it." Gary pushed open the driver side door - freezing when Cricket remained still.
"Hey ... you okay, Cricket?" She nodded. "You planning on getting out of the car at any time in the near future?" She nodded again. "Okaaay ... then, shall we?"
"Is it weird that I'm nervous?" Cricket asked in a rush. Gary sat back, staring at his sister whose gaze was boring a hole into the apple pie she'd worked so laboriously on that morning.
"Well ... did I ever tell you what happened the first time I met Andrea's parents?"
"I'm not dating Billy!" Cricket glanced over at her brother, annoyed. Even if he flirted. Even if they held hands. Even if they watched movies at home, cuddled together. Even if she wanted him to be.
"No need to get defense, Sis," Gary smirked, "Regardless - meeting a friend, or more than friend's, parents for the first time is nerve wracking. I ended up spilling tea all over Andrea's mother's lace tablecloth and broke a couple plates trying help clean up after dinner. And a couple other random accidents." Cricket giggled. "I've still managed to get Ms. Patterson to like me. I'm still working on Mr. Patterson, but Andrea says he's been more open to me than other boys she's brought home. Which is a good thing 'cause ... Andrea's simply amazing. Anyway. The point of the story is that ... if I can make a decent impression on Andrea's parents being my clumsy, dorky self, then you, Cassandra Kuo, will have no problem as you're pretty freaking amazing."
Cricket smiled softly. "You've grown out of the dorky since high school, Gary. Though your motivational speeches still need some work."
Gary gave her a mock-offended look. Cricket rolled her eyes.
"Let's get going. If I know Billy at all, he's creepily staring out the front window at the truck, wondering if we're gonna come to the door."
The Kuo siblings walked up the driveway to the Pratt's front door. As Gary was reaching out to ring the doorbell, the door flew open, revealing a grinning Billy Pratt … in a burgundy button down top and black vest. Cricket raised a slim eyebrow at the unusual get up. It was dashing, attractive. The only thing remotely Billy-like was the obnoxiously large turkey hat on his head.
"Mojo!" His blue eyes were positively glowing, Cricket noted. She smiled warmly, wanting to reach out and touch his arm in greeting. But, no ... that wouldn't do, would it?
"Hey, Bil-ohmy!" Cricket jumped slightly when Billy was shoved out of the way by a small girl with white-blonde hair. Billy cried out angrily.
"Hello!" she greeted them enthusiastically before yelling, "Mom! Mojo and the Brother Bear are here!"
"Mojo?" Gary asked his sister, his eyebrows rose in amusement.
"Ask Billy," she responded. A third person approached the door. He was dressed like Billy, though his top was a striking shade of blue, his hair swept up in a faux-hawk.
"I'm sure they have actual names, Lucy." He smiled at them, his smile the same as his younger brother's.
"Oh, for the love of – invite them inside!" A tall brunette woman bustled toward the door, shoving the other three out of the way. She smiled warmly at the Kuo siblings, ushering them inside. "You must be Cricket! Billy's told us so much about you." She hugged Cricket warmly before turning to Gary. "Though your brother I'm not quite so familiar with. I'm Alice Pratt, Billy's mother."
"Gary Kuo, ma'am," Gary introduced himself politely, offering his hand. Mrs. Pratt shook it with a grin.
"Well, come on in! We're just snacking right now. Cricket, that pie looks lovely. Would you mind if I brought it to the kitchen?"
"Not at all."
As soon as the pie was out of her hands, Billy threw an arm around her shoulders. "Sorry about the monster, Kuo, but she escaped her cage a bit early." The small blonde stuck her tongue out at Billy.
"I'm Lucy, for the record." She smiled brightly before giving Cricket a brief hug, knocking Billy out of the way. "I'm so glad there's another girl in the house!" Cricket could only grin – now she understood why Billy had the tendency to be all … clingy. His entire family seemed very physically affectionate, without much of a barrier.
"Lucille, don't crowd the guest!" Faux-hawk Boy grabbed Lucy's wrist and gently pulled her away from Cricket. "I'm Foster, Will's older brother." The other Pratt sibling introduced himself.
"Will?" Cricket smirked at Billy.
"Shuddap, Cassandra," Billy muttered. She laughed. "Took me years to convince them to shorten it to Will. William sounds so … proper." Cricket rolled her eyes.
"It's nice to meet you, Lucy. Foster." She said with a smile.
"Hey, Foster! Get your butt back here – I was beating you in Mario Kart!" a voice from the next room called. Foster rolled his eyes.
"Just a sec! Gary – you like Mario Kart?"
"Who doesn't?"
"Fair point – would you be interested in playing?"
"Sounds cool."
"Great!" Foster linked arms with Gary, leaning in to whisper conspiratorially, "Miles likes to cheat. I'm fairly sure we can whoop his ass if we gang up on him. I love the man, but his ego could stand to be brought down a few pegs." Gary laughed appreciatively.
"My girlfriend is the same way with Halo, of all games."
Lucy tagged along after Foster and Gary, asking her older brother is she could play and be Princess Peach.
"So … the Brother Bear?"
Billy shrugged. "I assumed he'd be all husky and menacing when I opened the door. Parents and older brothers tend to give me the I-Have-a-Shotgun-Shovel-and-Hundred-Acres-of-Land speech when I meet them; can't fathom why – I'm harmless!"
"As the plague."
"What?"
"… Never mind."
"Whatever. Want something to eat? Mom generally doesn't let us eat lunch Thanksgiving Day so we don't ruin our appetite, even though we tried to convince her that withholding food from us could be construed as neglect. Anyway – she puts out veggies and dip … and sometimes spiced nuts. We might be able to sneak something else, even."
"I'm fine, Billy, thanks," Cricket declined, politely. She really wasn't hungry. Rather, she felt nauseous; still nervous, she supposed. Though she hadn't met his dad, within five minutes she'd met most of Billy's family. They were all very nice, but she still felt old, shy feelings returning. She shook her head slightly, trying to clear it.
"Nun-sense!" He grabbed her hand, grinning widely. "Let's visit the kitchen."
Billy led her through the foyer, the living room, and a lavishly decorated dining room before reaching the kitchen. Mrs. Pratt had set the pie on the kitchen table, Cricket noted, before returning to the task of making dinner. At the moment she was neatly cutting bread into cubes for the stuffing. It was so domestic and so reminiscent of what her mother had done in years past that she froze, Billy's hand still tightly grasped in hers. He frowned.
"You okay, Cricket?"
"Hmm? Oh, yeah, I'm fine." She shook her head to clear it, before putting on a smile. "It just smells really good in here; I don't think I've had turkey for Thanksgiving in years. Last year Gary and I ended up getting Mexican take out and played some of his old Dreamcast games all day."
"Mom's stuffing is the best! You'll think you've died and gone to heaven," Billy responded enthusiastically.
"I wouldn't say it's that good, Cricket, but I'm partial to the recipe." Mrs. Pratt laughed brightly. Her eyes lingered on Cricket momentarily, a spark of concern lighting her eyes.
"Do you need any help with dinner, Mrs. Pratt?"
"That's very sweet of you to offer, hon, but I think I'm covered for the time being." Mrs. Pratt looked over at Cricket with a smile. "Though, I would greatly appreciate it if you and Billy would set the table. The room's decorated, but I didn't have time to set out the linens and plates."
"Yeah! I can do that."
"Billy, show her where everything is. I'll let you sneak a couple of cookies as a reward."
Billy gave a victorious fist pump before dragging Cricket out of the kitchen and up the stairs to their second floor.
"Everything's in the linen closet – at the end of the hall."
The hallway was dimly lit, even after Billy flipped one of the switches. The hallway was long, a few hallways jutting of the main. One door was painted a periwinkle blue, bearing Lucy's name silver. Foster's door was right next to her's – basic white in color, his name in script was a bright blue (Cricket was pretty sure she'd be able to guess his favorite color, if ever asked). But she didn't see any door that screamed Billy. Odd.
"Where's your room, Billy?"
"Hmm? Oh, down the hallway on the left, why?"
"I didn't see anything that was obnoxiously you on any of the doors."
"Wanna see it? I mean … I've seen yours, so why not return the favor?" He pulled a deep crimson and gold table cloth from the closet before joining her. "Come on."
Cricket shrugged and followed him. The door was oddly bare – just his name in green block script. He pushed the door open and stepped aside, allowing her to enter. She stepped inside the room, the room bathed in twilight. Billy tossed the tablecloth and his turkey hat on a chair in the corner before flicking on the light. Surveying the room, Cricket just had to grin.
Each wall was a different color – blue, lime green, white, and pale orange. He had a lofted bed; his desk situated underneath. A few t-shirts were scattered across the floor along with a few miscellaneous DVDs. There was a bookshelf in the far corner, stuffed with books, magazines piled nearby. Action figures sat on top of the shelf. Cricket was pretty sure that she stopped a Woody doll in the mix. There were posters of bands on Billy's wall, but play advertisements were the predominate decoration. A few of which she'd designed for the school plays.
"You still have stuffed animals?" Cricket picked up a worn stuffed bear carefully. The ribbon around its neck was frayed.
Billy blushed. "Captain Thad's been around for as long as I can remember … Casey still likes to make fun of me for it. But—" Billy leaned toward her slightly. "He's got a giraffe he named Cornelius when he was five. I refuse to let him live that down." Cricket laughed and put the captain back on the chair, giving him a fond pat on the head.
The pair stood in silence for a few moments. Cricket wasn't entirely sure if she was supposed to be making commentary on his room, give a generic praises, or what? The first time Billy saw her room, he'd jumped on to the bed and made himself comfortable as Cricket tried to find her chemistry book, making Billy-esque remarks about the stars on her ceiling and distinct lack of posters on her pale green walls.
"Will! Where'd you disappear to? Dinner will be done soon!"
"Guess we ought to go finish what we started. Do you know how to fold napkins?" Billy grabbed the table cloth. "Coming, Mom!"
Dinner was loud. There was really no other way to describe it. While Billy and Cricket had been upstairs, Dr. Pratt had made it home from the E.R. As enthusiastic as his son, Dr. Pratt greeted his son by putting him in a headlock before asking Billy to introduce Cricket. She quickly spread the table cloth out, laughing at the pair – Mr. Pratt acting bored, while Billy refused to cry "uncle."
Cricket busied herself, finishing the table settings and putting food out on the table with Mrs. Pratt – turkey, potatoes, stuffing, green beans, cranberry sauce, some form of casserole, and sweet potatoes baked with cider and maple syrup. By the time she carried out the final tray, Billy had managed to reverse the situation – "How do you like them apples, Old Man!" "Letting you build some self-esteem, boy-" Billy caught her eye, winking rakishly.
"Break it up, guys, seriously. If you break any of the china, Mom'll have an aneurism … and not the good kind," Foster joked, pulling Billy off of their father. Gary and Lucille came into the dining room closely followed by a blonde guy in a preppy sweater. Cricket decided he must be the elusive Miles.
Conversation flowed during dinner. Billy, in some ways, was mild compared to the combined forces of his family members. Obviously Miles was used to the environment, throwing in as many quips and jokes as he possibly could.
Billy's career as an actor was brought up a few times, in particular, Billy's stint as a female bar tender as an eighth grader ("I still don't know how you found out about that," "the principal, dear," "I've never been prouder, little brother.") Cricket snorted into her drink when the kiss he gave Heather was brought up. She quickly chimed in with a camping story and the rattlesnake ("only you, Will," "really, son?").
Miles and Foster, as it turned out, both attended UCLA – Miles history, pre-law; Foster psychologhy and communications. They'd met their freshman year. Lucy was a elementary school student who was suffering through her teacher's preconceived notions of how a Pratt would behave ("thanks so much, Will.").
At some point during Lucy's interrogation of Cricket regarding what high school girls thought was cool, the conversation took a sharp turn to the Kuo siblings. Gary got to talk about his college experience and how much he adored his girl friend ("dude, just propose already," "sis? I love you but shut up"). Cricket, with a lot of coercing from Billy, discussed her love of painting and the elaborate scenery she was currently working on.
As the meal was closing, Mrs. Pratt asked, "What were your favorite Thanksgiving traditions growing up?"
"Growing up?" Gary repeated quietly. He glanced over at Cricket who was staring at the wall a bit blankly. Billy reached out, lacing his fingers with hers, showing silent support. She smiled softly, squeezing his hand gently. "Dinner, obviously. And we always watched a couple Charlie Brown movies after dinner. Mom always insisted, saying it was her favorite part of Thanksgiving. Right, Cass?"
"Oh, yes," she sighed. "Also – "
"Star gazing!" The Kuo siblings grinned.
"Mom was a big astronomy enthusiast," Cricket clarified fondly.
"Well," Mr. Pratt said, pushing his clean plate back, "though I can't do much about the star gazing, we do have a collection of Charlie Brown movies."
Cricket smiled widely, tightening her grip on Billy's hand.
Mrs. Pratt shooed the boys to watch football while she cleaned up after dinner. Mr. Pratt refused to leave, flirting shamelessly with his wife as they cleaned up. Lucy and Cricket helped out, giggling together over the adult's antics.
"Hey, Cricket," Lucy said suddenly, as she spooned leftover stuffing.
"Yeah?" Cricket paused, glancing up from the plates she was stacking.
"Do you like, Billy?"
Cricket laughed, "Of course- he's one of my best friends. And he's kept me well fed."
Lucy sighed. "No – like in a girlfriend sort of way."
Cricket felt her stomach churn, surprised by the blunt statement. Lack of tact? Also a family trait. Blinking rapidly, she placed the last plate on the pile. "Oh …"
"I mean … Billy likes you, I know that, but he's obviously not gonna do anything about it. 'cause he's a wimp." Crick blushed a deep shade of pink.
"H-how can you be sure that Billy likes me like that, Lucy? I mean … he flirts with everyone. And I mean everyone. Even our homeroom teacher."
Lucy rolled her eyes. "Well, yeah, but he's never brought anyone else over before. Not even that Sammy girl that he's friends with. And he talks about you constantly … in a not joking way, which is weird for him. And he invited you to our Thanksgiving dinner – which is a big family thing. Miles only got invited after dating Foster for a year. And he was staring at you during dinner."
"... I don't know, Lucy."
"Yeah, don't listen to the kid," she sighed. "And you never answered my question."
"That's got nothing to do with it. And ... I mean … I really do like him," Lucy gave a squeal, "but he's such a flirt. Jenna –"
"From what I know about her – she's nice but doesn't always have the best opinion of the actors in the drama club, usually for no good reason." Cricket quickly gathered the forks and knives left on the table.
"I dunno. But whatever, Cricket. Just visit more? You're kinda awesome." Lucy shrugged. Picking up a few of the leftover containers, Lucy left Cricket in the dining room, alone with her thoughts.
Once clean up was complete, pies and other desserts and warm drinks were brought out to the living room. Dessert was served and Billy produced the Peanuts DVD collection. As the Pratts (and Gary) settled in to watch the Thanksgiving and Christmas Charlie Brown specials, Cricket gently tugs at Billy's sleeve.
"Can I talk to you?"
Billy nods, following her through the dining room, back to the kitchen. The dishwasher was humming in the corner; the scent of pumpkin pie still lingered in the air. Cricket leaned carefully against the island. Billy frowned, unsure of what was up. She didn't appear to be upset, but she had a foreign look in her eyes. Kinda sad, kinda soft.
"So, what's up?" Billy asked, trying to appear as if the situation wasn't making him nervous. She stared at him for a long minute.
"I like the vest," she said finally. Mentally Cricket smacked herself. That was not what she'd wanted to talk to him about.
"Oh," Billy glanced down, picking at one of the buttons. His cheeks tinged pink. "Thanks. Foster kinda forced me to wear it."
"Mmm," Cricket murmured, rubbing her arm nervously.
"So, what's up? Unless you want to talk more about my fashion choices?"
"No … I was curious," was your sister telling the truth? "Why'd you invite me over for dinner tonight?"
Billy frowned, confused. "Why not?"
"Yes, but why?" Cricket took a few steps forward, closing the distance between her and Billy. Even if she didn't ask outright, maybe she could get the answer from him anyway.
"I … I dunno. I didn't want you to be alone on Thanksgiving. Or Christmas for that matter – you're invited then, too, you know."
"Why didn't you want me to be alone?"
" … is this a trick question? … not answering, huh? … I dunno, Cass. I mean … I remember you mentioning a few weeks ago that Thanksgiving was one of your favorite holidays growing up, since your mom made it special, and I figured it hadn't been that way in years and I wanted to make this year better … somehow. 'cause I'm a dork. And a bit crazy. And I took the idea for granted that you'd enjoy the day with my family more than with your brother – I'm sorry." Billy ran a hand through his hair.
Cricket reached out, tugging at his vest. "Don't apologize, Billy. You really think I'd prefer take out over a full turkey dinner made by your mom?"
Billy shrugged, avoiding her eyes. Cricket smiled softly, thoroughly convinced she had never adored this boy more than at this moment. "I never see you like this, Pratt," she murmured, "Quiet. Nervous." And she never got to be like this with him. She was liking it – the proximity, the warmth, his hand coming to rest on her hip of its own accord.
Billy met her eyes suddenly, the clear blue stunning her briefly.
"Billy … could you please tell me, once and for all – do you really like me, or are you just being an insufferable flirt? I can live with either, I just really need to know," she whispered. "I .. it's killing me a bit, not knowing, which sucks so much, 'cause I really do –"
"Cricket," Billy hushed her gently. With a bit of a smile on his face, he bent forward slightly, brushing his lips against hers tentatively. "I may be an insufferable flirt … but I'm pretty damn crazy about you."
Cricket squeaked a little, before pulling him back to her tightly by his vest, locking her lips with his. Billy seemed surprised at first, but quickly reciprocated the kiss, wrapping an arm around her waist, gently resting his free hand against her neck.
"Hey, Billy! Could you bring out a couple extra forks?" Miles yelled from the living room, causing the pair to jump apart. Billy quickly grabbed a handful of forks from a nearby drawer before heading back toward the living room. He paused though, at the threshold, and held a hand out to Cricket. Smiling, she took it; he pulled her in, kissing her chastely on the lips before leading her back into the living room. He unceremoniously dropped the forks in an annoyed Miles' lap before sitting down on the couch. Cricket squeezed in beside him, next to Lucy, neither entirely sure if they should avoid touching or cuddle. Cricket settled on linking her arm with his, happily accepting a mug of hot chocolate from his mother.
After a satisfying viewing of A Charlie Brown Christmas, the Kuos decided to head home for the night. Mrs. Pratt loaded Gary's arms with leftovers, inviting them both back for Christmas dinner. Both siblings thanked the family - Cricket giving Lucy a tight hug and a warm smile to the rest. Mrs. Pratt gave both siblings a tight hug, wishing them well. Billy squeezed her hand tightly, whispering a promise to call her soon. Then, Cricket followed Gary silently down the driveway.
"Hey! Cricket!" Billy suddenly appeared on his front porch. Briefly glancing at Gary, who shrugged, she returned to the steps. He looped his index fingers through her beltloops, pulling her close. "Sorry ... needed to get rid of the 'rents before saying goodbye properly." He leaned in, pressing a kiss to the corner of her mouth. She smiled.
"I think," she murmured, "That soon we need to talk about this. Us."
Billy nodded soberly. She cocked her head to the side, touching his cheek gently.
"But, for now, I'm just saying goodnight."
She kissed him, soft and still a bit unsure, hand resting awkwardly on his bend elbow ... but it was something new and wonderful and they had all the time in the world to figure it all out later.
She turned away and walked down the driveway, where Gary was waiting in the car.
"I thought you said you weren't dating, Cricket," Gary accused as soon as she set foot in the car.
"I wasn't earlier ... now I'm not so sure."
Loriot: Labels ... 'cause you meet the otherwise unnamed family members of Billy ... and the Billy/Cricket line has yet to be defined for them, I guess.