A/N: Ahh, sorry this update took so long! My laptop can't be fixed for another week, and I've been having difficulty finding a computer to type up chapters. Thanks for continuing to read and review. It really means a lot to me. :)
Also, I believe there are going to be two more chapters left after this one. So, our story is coming to a close! Enjoy chapter 7:
Chapter 7
Carlos sneaked a spoonful of soup into his mouth. It was warm and thick, with tiny brown chunks floating in the broth. He wasn't quite sure what those things were, but they were chewy and delicious.
"Carlos," Kendall chided. "Stop eating your lunch."
Carlos groaned and let his spoon clatter to his tray. "But I'm so hungry," he whined.
Kendall frowned and handed his friend a banana. "Here."
"Yay!" Carlos eagerly tore off the peel and stuffed half the fruit in his mouth. His stomach thanked him.
Logan looked up from carefully pouring his soup into the plastic bag on his lap. "Do you really think this is going to work?" he asked Kendall.
"Well, I'm hoping that - James! What did I just get done telling Carlos?" Kendall reached across the table and snatched James's spoon out of his hand.
"Come on," James protested. "Just a few bites isn't going to matter."
"Yeah," Carlos agreed. "Can't we just eat a little bit?"
Kendall shook his head. "We need to save our soup." He leaned down and revealed two more plastic bags from his backpack and handed one to Carlos and James. "What's more important? Your stomachs, or teaching Taylor a lesson?"
Carlos rubbed his chin. "Well, if I don't eat I'm going to starve, and then I won't be able to help you get Taylor back. So…"
"Just eat your banana," Kendall said, failing to hide an amused smirk.
Carlos shrugged and took another bite. He chewed slowly, shifting his gaze to Logan. The boy across from him pulled his backpack onto his lap and cautiously secured the bag of soup inside. He took a deep breath, then looked back to the blond.
"Kendall, do you think this'll work?" Logan asked again, hugging his backpack to his chest.
"No," Kendall deadpanned.
Logan let his head drop.
"But," said Kendall, "we have to try something. We can't fight back with our fists, but there's no rule that we can't hit a girl with… whatever this stuff is." He peered into his own bag of soup and made a face.
"It's good," Carlos argued. He finally finished his fruit and tossed the peel aside. He sighed as he decided he might as well conform to the plan and not eat any more yummy soup.
Carlos opened the bag Kendall had given him and positioned his Styrofoam bowl over the top. The soup plopped into the bag, and Carlos nearly dropped it, surprised at the weight.
James did the same, trying to be discreet. A group of girls walked past the lunch table and gave him a look. James turned away, blushing slightly. Carlos waved at them. He didn't see what the big deal was. Carlos and James were just pouring some soup into Ziploc bags. It wasn't the weirdest thing they'd ever done in public.
"But what if it backfires?" Logan said, fidgeting in his seat. "What if this only makes Taylor mad? What if this makes things ten times worse?" He suddenly looked close to tears.
Kendall put his hand on Logan's shoulder. "If it doesn't work, then we'll just think of something else. I promise, Logan, if she ever lays a hand on you again, I'm going to make an exception to the never hit a girl rule."
The corner of Logan's mouth curled upwards. "Okay."
Carlos sealed his bag and handed it to Kendall, grinning lopsidedly. "This is so cool!" he exclaimed, bouncing up and down. "She'll never see it coming!"
James reached over the table and let Logan accept his bag of soup. "I know! I can't wait!"
"Okay, okay," Kendall said. "Let's go over the checklist." He patted his backpack. "We have the soup. James, did you get the Silly String?"
James zipped open his own backpack and held up two cans, flashing Logan an encouraging smile. Logan smiled back.
"And Carlos? Did you bring the eggs?" asked Kendall.
Carlos snapped his fingers and grabbed his blue backpack from his feet. He unzipped the top and looked inside. His stomach dropped to his feet and his grin vanished. "Oops." He poked a finger at the sticky yolk dripping over his history textbook.
Kendall and Logan both slapped their foreheads. James gazed over Carlos's shoulder and laughed.
"That's okay," Kendall sighed. "James, give Carlos a can of Silly String."
James obeyed, handing Carlos a pink can.
"Wait, I don't want this color," Carlos said. "Give me purple."
"No, I get purple. You can have pink."
"But pink is a girl color. Come on, James! You're Juliet, remember?" Carlos made a grab for the other can, but James held it high over his head and out of Carlos's reach, sticking out his tongue.
"Oh, does it matter?" Logan scolded.
The two boys immediately ceased their petty dispute. Carlos tucked the pink can away in a side pocket of his backpack, hoping the eggs hadn't soaked through the fabric and spilled into the other compartments. He looked at the clock hanging above the lunchroom, noting it was about time to get to gym class.
"Ready to go, Logan?" he asked, hitching his backpack over his shoulder.
The pale boy nodded. "See you guys on the bus," he said.
"Bye," Kendall and James said in unison.
Logan took a shaky breath as he followed Carlos to dump their soup-less trays in the trash. As confident as Carlos was that Kendall's plan was going to be successful, he had to admit he was a bit anxious himself. It wasn't everyday he ambushed a bully with Silly String and soup.
Carlos removed his shirt slowly, unable to resist sneaking a glance at Logan. The bruises were still there, but at least none of them were fresh. Several marks on Logan's chest were beginning to yellow as they healed, but they still appeared sore.
"Um, Logan?" said Carlos. "Maybe you should ask Mr. Ross if you can sit out today." He pulled his gym shirt over his head, straightened it, then closed his locker door.
Logan finished getting dressed before he answered. "No, I'm fine."
Carlos sighed. He could still see the expression of pain on Logan's face as he dropped to the floor after being hit by the dodge ball. He wasn't sure what game they were playing in class today, but Carlos didn't want Logan to get injured again. Maybe he could convince Logan to sit on the sidelines.
As the two prepared to leave the locker room, Carlos recited in his mind what he was going to say to Logan. But his friend beat him to speaking.
"Hey, listen," Logan started, turning to face Carlos. He awkwardly scratched at his head. "I have to tell you something."
Carlos shrugged his shoulders. "What?"
Logan exhaled loudly and licked his lips. "Just… I'm sorry. Carlos, I'm really sorry." He timidly looked up and met Carlos's eyes. "I shouldn't have asked you to keep that promise. That was… wrong of me. I'm sorry I forced you not to tell and I'm sorry you're involved in all this." He sighed again and shook his head, frowning. "I'm supposed to be the smart one. I should have thought of a way out of this a long time ago."
Carlos cocked his head to the side. "Well, even smart people need help once in a while."
Logan pursed his lips, thinking.
"And when you do need help, that's what you've got me for," Carlos said with a grin. "Kendall and James, too." He thought that piece of information was pretty obvious. Maybe there were exceptions regarding smart people being smart. Maybe smart people could be stupid sometimes.
Logan nodded. "Yeah," he said, quietly. "Yeah."
They stood silently for a few moments before Carlos gestured to the door. "Ready to go?"
Logan held up a hand. "Wait." He cleared his throat. "I also, you know… Want to say… Thanks." He smiled softly. "Thanks for helping me. And for saving me from Taylor."
Carlos raised his eyebrows. Saving? As in, rescuing? Like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the Power Rangers did to their friends and fellow citizens?
In retrospect, jumping on Taylor and pinning her arms to her sides was a pretty brave thing to do. And if Carlos wouldn't have latched himself around Taylor, then Logan never would have gotten away.
And the best part was, Carlos hadn't even considered the possible consequences of his actions. He had just done it. Logan was in trouble, and Carlos would have gladly suffered a broken bone or two if it meant saving Logan from any more harm. Just like the Turtles and Rangers would do.
Maybe Carlos was on his way to becoming a superhero.
Carlos smirked. He liked the sound of that.
"Thanks," Logan said again. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Carlos, pulling him close for a hug.
Carlos's eyes widened, and he held his hands up. "Um, can I hug you back?" he asked.
Logan laughed and squeezed him tighter, resting his chin on Carlos's shoulder. "Don't worry. It doesn't hurt anymore."
Carlos grinned with relief and relaxed into Logan's embrace. "Good."
They pulled away several seconds later. Logan gave Carlos's shoulder a friendly slap. "Let's go play."
Carlos liked seeing Logan all smiley and happy.
Gym class went smoothly. The class played tag football, which Carlos had expected to go badly. He was on Logan's team and stuck close to his side the entire game, watching out for any kid who got too aggressive and decided to tackle.
But it was fun. Carlos and Logan's team ended up winning, and Logan even managed to score a touchdown.
Gym class ended, and after some congratulatory high-fives from other classmates, Carlos changed his clothes and made his way to his remaining classes of the day. For a while, he had been so lost in the excitement of gym class sports that he had completely forgotten about what was going to happen after school. Until he had to go to history class, that is.
The teacher told Carlos he would have to pay money for damaging the textbook. Then she asked him how he had possibly managed to spill raw eggs on it in the first place.
Carlos didn't want to lie to his teacher, so he told her the truth. "I put some eggs in my backpack because I was going to throw them at a girl, but then they broke because I kind of forgot that eggs do that."
She asked to speak with Carlos after class. Unfortunately, that couldn't be arranged, because he had to get on the bus to meet the guys as soon as he could. Carlos felt kind of bad, running out of the classroom before the teacher had a chance to call him over. But rescuing Logan from Taylor was much more important than listening to the teacher lecture him about responsibility.
Carlos hurried out of the building and to the school bus. He was surprised to see Kendall, James and Logan already on board. Logan didn't seem as cheery as he had been during gym class. Carlos understood that Logan was nervous about the plan, but Logan should understand that Kendall had promised him that if Taylor ever hurt Logan again, Kendall was going to make an exception to the no hitting girls rule. And when Kendall said he promised, he meant it. No exceptions.
Carlos made his way down the aisle of the bus and slid into the seat next to James. The taller boy had his can of Silly String in his hands, frowning as he attempted to find a way to conceal it on his body.
Kendall flipped around in his seat as Carlos fished around his backpack for his own can. "Put it in your pants," said Kendall.
James looked up and made a face. "What?"
"Well, not in your pants, but along the top part."
Carlos actually understood what Kendall was trying to explain. "Oh!" he cried excitedly. "Like bad guys do with their guns on TV."
"Ah," said James, nodding his head. He lifted the tail of his shirt and tucked the can of Silly String in the waistband of his jeans. Then he pulled his shirt back down. If he were to stand, the can would hardly be noticeable.
Carlos did the same. He wondered if his dad ever went undercover. This was probably what it felt like. Except they weren't about to shoot Taylor with a gun, they were going to use a item commonly sold at party stores.
A few more kids filed onto the bus before the engine rumbled and the vehicle began to move.
"How are we going to hide our soup?" Logan asked Kendall. The top of his backpack was unzipped, and he poked a finger inside.
"James and Carlos can shoot the Silly String first," Kendall said. "Taylor will probably be caught off guard, so while she's freaking out we can get the soup out of our backpacks."
"Okay," Logan agreed. He still looked ill at ease. "But, um, what if it doesn't work?"
Kendall gave Logan his famous 'trust me, I got this' look. "Oh, Logie. So pessimistic."
Carlos wasn't sure what that word meant, but Logan thought it was funny, so Carlos laughed too.
The light mood gradually dissipated, and agitation crept in as the bus drew closer to its destination. Carlos craned his neck to see out the window as the vehicle turned a corner. He could see Taylor standing at the bus stop, standing calmly with her arms over her chest like the first time they had met.
He realized that he was much more excited than frightened for the projected encounter. Though, he wasn't sure if it was the thought of revenge that incited his emotions, or just the awareness that he was about to do something generally disproved of. It was hard to imagine his father, who worked to bring criminals to justice, running around with bags of soup and cans of Silly String.
Carlos and James exited the bus first. Both boys gave Logan a reassuring slap to the back as they left. The moment the spring air hit their faces was the moment they locked eyes with the girl standing on the curb.
There was more good in people than bad, and Carlos was blind to everything besides the positives. He liked everyone. With one exception, of course.
Taylor looked exactly as she had yesterday. In fact, she wore the same clothes. She had the same smug look on her face, and stood with the same cocky posture.
Carlos took a few cautions steps forward with James at his side, hoping that Taylor didn't notice the slightly protruding cylindrical can cloaked by his shirt.
Footsteps on the pavement behind alerted him of Kendall and Logan's presence. Carlos and James never tore their stares from Taylor as they listened to the school bus start off for the next stop. The loud rumbling of the engine faded into the distance before Taylor finally spoke.
"Gonna try to run away this time?"
Carlos didn't flinch, despite the iciness in her tone. His fingers were itching to whip out the Silly String and cover her face in pink, tacky foam.
"No," Logan replied stonily.
She smirked. "Good." Then she cracked her knuckles, as if trying to intimidate the four. It wasn't going to work on Carlos. "So which one of you am I going to get to pound first?"
Kendall didn't sound the least bit nervous. In fact, his voice was steady and confident, which only relieved Carlos more. "Before you pound us," Kendall said, "can you at least tell us why you're picking on us?"
Taylor nodded towards Logan. "Because he's annoying."
Carlos raised his eyebrows, unable to resist sharing a glance with James.
"And," Taylor continued, "it's fun to beat up know-it-all geeks like him. And since three more of you losers keep showing up, I figure I might as well make the best of it."
Carlos didn't like that answer. And if he didn't like the answer, then Kendall probably hated it.
Nonetheless, his friend sustained his nonchalant composure. "Okay."
Knowing what was coming next, Carlos felt a tiny smile tugging at his lips. He concentrated hard to prevent himself from bouncing up and down on his feet.
Taylor narrowed her eyes in suspicion. But she caught on too late.
"Fire!" Kendall cried.
Moving quickly, Carlos removed the Silly String can from the waistband of his pants and uncapped the top. He took aim and fired, ropes of pink and purple simultaneously making contact with their target.
Carlos and James were giggling uncontrollably as Taylor screamed and held up her hands to shield her face from the string. Carlos maneuvered to the side to get a new angle, hearing the rustling of Kendall and Logan's backpacks as they fumbled for their bags of soup inside.
"You are so dead!" Taylor screeched. Ignoring the colorful substance draping over her hair and clothes, she lunged forward, reaching out to grab Carlos.
"Ah!" he cried in alarm. He sidestepped away and pressed the button on the top of the can, sending pink string to cover her face.
Taylor gasped and spun around, clawing it away. Carlos began laughing again as he gave her back a nice coat of pink, letting James go to the other side of Taylor and spray her torso and face.
"Taylor!" Kendall shouted.
She blindly swiped at James, missed, then whipped around to Kendall.
Splat!
The plastic bag exploded. Chunks of cold, thick soup spattered her front, lumpy bits caking in her hair and most probably ruining her black shirt.
Taylor screamed again, followed by some more naughty words that Carlos was never allowed to say. She brought her fists up to rub her eyes clear of the school's lunch, seemingly ignoring Carlos and James, who continued to empty their cans.
Then, a second bag soared through the air. Taylor gasped in surprise before it smacked her right on the side of the head, bursting open and oozing down her body.
Kendall cupped his hands around his mouth. "Retreat!"
Carlos and James immediately abandoned their Silly String cans and bolted away, following behind Kendall and Logan. Carlos laughed harder when he saw that Logan was in stitches.
The boys flew down the sidewalk, en route to Logan's house. Carlos moved as fast as he could, sneaking a quick glance over his shoulder to see if Taylor was following. She stood motionlessly where they had left her, dumbstruck.
"I can't believe we just did that!" Logan giggled, slowing his run to a jog.
James was grinning ear-to-ear. "Did you see her face?"
"No," said Kendall, "it was covered in soup!"
More laughter.
"Hey, Logan," said Carlos. "What's Taylor's name in military alphabet?"
Logan gave him a strange look. "Huh?"
"Quick! What is it?"
"Uh, Tango Alpha Yankee -"
Carlos turned back around and faced the figure in the distance. "YOU'RE A TANGO!"
The boys somehow managed to make it to Logan's front yard before Logan collapsed to the grass, laughing so hard that he clutched his hands to his stomach. Carlos joined him moments later, his backpack hitting the lawn before his body did. Then Kendall and James were plopping down next to the two boys, and they laughed and laughed and laughed, not only out of amusement, but of relief.
"Now she knows not to mess with us anymore," Kendall said between guffaws.
Carlos rolled onto his back, unable to stop smiling. He kept picturing the shocked look on Taylor's face, as well as the soup and Silly String that layered her body so heavily that she was practically unrecognizable.
Beside him, Logan pulled himself upright, wiping away tears caused by his hysterics. "Now we just have to hope this didn't anger her even more or provoke her to rally an all-girl gang to help her beat us up again."
Kendall, James and Carlos ceased their merriment.
"What?" Logan asked them.
"Way to ruin the moment, Logan," James muttered, though he was still smiling.
Kendall shoved Logan in the side. "Pessimist."
Carlos still didn't know what that word meant.
The boys spent a couple hours at Logan's house, indulging in some of Mrs. Mitchell's chocolate chip cookies as celebration for their apparent victory. (Of course, they didn't tell her that.) They played video games in the living room for a while, until Carlos figured he had better get home in time for dinner.
He stepped inside his house and tossed his backpack on the floor, deciding to keep his helmet on for now. The first thing he noticed when he entered was that the kitchen light was off.
"Dad?" Carlos called. Still jubilant from the previous events, he skipped down the hall and peered into the kitchen. Mr. Garcia was just making his way to the light switch. He was still wearing his uniform.
"Did you just get home?" Carlos asked him. He hopped to the fridge and pulled open the door. He didn't really want to have juice, because that reminded him of Friday when he had tried to talk to Kendall and ended up crying and hiding under his bed. So Carlos settled on milk instead. Milk had happy memories.
He withdrew the carton and set in on the counter, then stopped, realizing his dad hadn't answered him yet.
"Dad," Carlos said again.
Mr. Garcia had his hands on his hips, facing the other direction. His posture was stiff and rigid, like maybe he had a bad day. Naturally, that only made Carlos more curious.
He was about to ask his father what happened to make him crabby, when Mr. Garcia finally replied to the aforementioned question.
"Yes, I did just get home."
"Oh. Okay," Carlos said. He stood on his tip-toes to reach a glass from the cupboard.
Mr. Garcia cleared his throat. "I got a call a few hours ago. Went over to the Greene's house."
The way he said it made it seem like he expected Carlos to know who he was talking about. But Carlos had never heard of the Greenes before. "Who's that?" He finally seized hold of a cup and began pouring his milk inside.
"Oh, you don't know them?" Mr. Garcia said.
Carlos capped the milk and replaced it in the fridge. "Nope. Not familiar." When he turned to look at his father, he saw that Mr. Garcia had a vein bulging on his forehead. That usually only happened if he was really angry about something. Carlos often wondered what would happen if he could poke the line on his father's head. It would probably explode like the bags of soup.
He stifled a giggle as he raised his glass to his lips and took a sip.
Mr. Garcia smiled. But it wasn't a very amiable looking smile. "Ah. Well, that's a relief then. Because you know what Mr. Greene told me?"
Carlos shrugged. "Um, no?" He took another drink of milk.
Mr. Garcia paced the kitchen floor, speaking casually. "He said he came home from work and found his daughter covered in Silly String and some strange substance that was possibly soup."
Carlos choked on his milk. He coughed and sputtered, spitting what remained in his mouth back into his cup.
"Mr. Greene said that his daughter, Taylor, was attacked by four boys," Mr. Garcia continued. With his hands once again on his hips, his biceps appeared brawny and powerful. He lifted his chin in the air and puffed out his chest, making Carlos feel about two inches tall. "But it's okay, because they gave a description."
Carlos gulped.
Despite his frightening appearance, Mr. Garcia kept speaking pleasantly. "One was blond with bushy eyebrows, one had unusually great hair, one had a pocket protector," he lowered his voice dramatically, features darkening, "and one had a helmet."
Carlos was momentarily too stunned to speak. He finally reached up and flipped his helmet off his head. "W-Well, th-that could be anyone," he stammered, forcing a laugh.
Mr. Garcia narrowed his eyes. "And why did I get a call this afternoon from your history teacher telling me you owe sixty five dollars for a new textbook?"
"Oh yeah," said Carlos. "That reminds me. We're out of eggs."
Mr. Garcia took several intimidating steps forward, his tall shadow casting over Carlos. Carlos squeaked at the look on his father's face. Mr. Garcia's eyes got that crazed look in them that only appeared when he was ready to attack a criminal. "Got anything you want to confess?"
Carlos stared at him. "Uh." He threw his milk glass over his head and screamed. "AAAAHHH!" Scooping his helmet from the floor, Carlos darted out of the kitchen as fast as his feet could move. His dad hollered at him to come back, but there was no way that was going to happen.
Carlos secured his helmet as he barreled up the stairs, shrieking the entire way up. He dove into his room and slammed the door shut.
His father's heavy footsteps were heard stomping up the stairs, like a giant monster coming to devour his soul.
Monsters!
Carlos dropped to the ground and scurried under his bed, failing to consider the possibility of sticking to the floor due to the mess underneath. His heart hammered so loudly in his chest that he wondered if his dad could hear it from in the hall.
Carlos nearly cried out as the door flew open with such force that it bounced off the wall. Mr. Garcia must have had Carlos figured out pretty well, because he immediately fell to his knees and looked under the bed, causing Carlos to scream yet again.
"Boy, you had better come out of there right now!" Mr. Garcia roared.
Carlos chuckled nervously. "See, I think that would be a bad idea…"
"Carlos!"
"Ah!" He flopped over, rolling out from underneath the bed. He popped up on the opposite side of his father, figuring that if he didn't, Mr. Garcia would just lift the bed off the floor and throw it to the side, and that would just cause more problems.
Mr. Garcia was breathing hard, obviously enraged.
"Okay, okay!" Carlos cried. "Before you scream at me anymore, you have to know that Taylor is really mean and she beat up Logan, and she's also a girl so we couldn't fight her back, so that's why we had to use Silly String and soup, because Kendall says we can hit her with those things, just not our fists because there's no exceptions to that rule, besides when Kendall promised Logan he would -"
"Wait, wait, wait," Mr. Garcia interrupted, holding up a hand. "What about this girl and Logan?"
Carlos began to relax as he saw his father's expression soften a bit. "Taylor was beating Logan up after school," he explained. "He's got bruises all over from where she's hit him. And me and Logan and James and Kendall were going to go beat her up, but then we found out she's actually a girl so we couldn't, so we got Silly String and soup instead."
Mr. Garcia stared at his son for a long moment. Carlos shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, hoping another vicious reprimanding wasn't on the way.
"Come on," Mr. Garcia said after about a minute of silence.
Carlos didn't move. "What?"
His father marched to the other side of the bed and grabbed Carlos's arm. Mr. Garcia began to tug him out of the room and to the stairs. "Where're we going, Dad?" Carlos wondered.
Mr. Garcia didn't turn around. "Logan's house."
