"So DeeDee-" Kenny was interrupted by Dawn tugging his ear. He twitched.
"What's my name?" she asked innocently, brandishing her trademark grin. Kenny gulped.
"U-um, Dawn?"
"Very good." With that, Kenny's ear was released from her grip. He sighed in relief and stepped away from her. She smirked.
It was quiet. An awkward silence arose; everyone else had gone home.
"Dawn? Your mom just called, it's time for you to leave." Keira called from the kitchen.
"Oh! Alright," Dawn said, heading for the door. "See ya, Kenny."
"See ya, DeeDee. Wouldn't wanna be ya," Kenny grinned, knowing he was out of range of her ear-tugging fingers. Dawn twitched, but let it pass, and left.
"So May, Misty, I've been thinking—you know how Kenny always calls me DeeDee?" Dawn said from her spot on the bed.
"Yeah," they replied simultaneously.
"Well, in order to get him to stop, we need to find an embarrassing nickname for him!" Dawn grinned.
"I like where this is going..." Misty mused.
"And while we're at it, we could even come up with some for Drew and Ash!"
"Hell yeah!"
"Well, let's start thinking, then!" exclaimed Misty.
"Alright. Hmm...I wonder if his mom used to call him anything...? I'll call her and ask." Dawn grinned, leaning over a bit to grab her cell phone from her nightstand. She dialed Kenny's home phone.
Ring...
Ring...
Ring...
"Wazzap, DeeDee?"
Dawn sighed. "Hi, Barry. Is Kenny's mom there?"
"Nope, ya just missed her," Barry grinned from the other side of the line.
"Dang... Do you know when she'll be back?" Dawn asked.
"Nope, but what do you need?"
"Do you know of any embarrassing nicknames Kenny's mom used to call him?"
"Ah, the past...such great times...Like when-"
"Barry. Stay on topic please?"
"Okay, fine. How's 'Kenny-poo'?" Barry suggested.
Dawn grinned. "Perfect. Thanks."
"You're welcome. See ya," he said.
"'Kay, see ya." Dawn ended the call and looked at her friends' curious (more like demanding) faces.
"Well?" May and Misty said in unison.
"I think I have a surprise for Kenny-poo," Dawn beamed.
"Kenny-poo?" Misty giggled. May was entirely focused on trying not to laugh her head off. In the process, her face had gone red.
"Alright, let's start thinking for Ash and Drew... Speaking of Drew, I've always wondered... Is that his real hair color?" May giggled.
"Probably not!" Misty laughed.
Misty and May continue to giggle and Dawn laughed nervously.
"Hmm...I kinda want to give him a nickname that relates to his hair color," May mused. "...and I got nothing."
"I'm sure we'll come up with something," Dawn reassured her. May merely nodded, still feeling defeated.
"So what about Ash? I'm not sure what I could base his on..." Misty frowned.
"Maybe it could relate to how dense he is?" May suggested.
"Hmm...Maybe..." Misty giggled.
"I got nothing else," May admitted sheepishly.
"Let's just keep thinking..." Dawn said.
"Hey, DeeDee, wait up!" called the voice Dawn knew all too well as she approached the school.
She grinned. It was time for him to get a taste of his own medicine.
"Yes, Kenny-poo?" Dawn said innocently, spinning around to face him.
"W-what did you call me?" Kenny's face was one of pure shock and horror.
"Something wrong, Kenny-poo?"
'How did she...'
"How did you..."
"Oh, I have my sources. Sources I certainly will be thanking later," Dawn finished her statement with a laugh that she normally didn't use. It sounded...evil. Kenny shuddered.
"Who told you?" he asked; face a unique shade of red.
"Oh, nobody," Dawn sang, before skipping off to class. As soon as she was out of earshot, Kenny burst into laughter. Even though he attracted stares from quite a few people, he didn't stop.
"Breathe, Kenny!" came Lucas's voice. Kenny snickered once more before putting his laughter to a stop.
"What's so funny?" Barry asked as he approached them. Kenny clapped a hand on Barry's shoulder.
"You've done well, young lad."
"She actually bought it?" Barry asked incredulously, eyes wide.
"Indeed she did, my friend," Kenny snickered again.
Not a moment later both Barry and Kenny were doubled over, laughing.
"Uhh...could someone please fill me in?" Lucas asked.
Barry managed to gather enough breath to speak first.
"Kenny had a feeling that one day Dawn would try to find a nickname for him. And he figured she'd try to get one out of his mom. So he told me if Dawn ever called the house phone, to answer and say his mom left. Then tell her that his mom used to call him a certain name. And since his crush on her is obvious-"
"Barry..." Kenny warned.
"-we decided on 'Kenny-poo'." Barry finished.
"In all honesty, I didn't think she'd buy it at all," Kenny smirked.
"Yeah, me either. I thought she was smart."
"She is...in a way..."
"Anyways, it's gonna be so much more interesting now. I bet you every time Kenny calls her DeeDee from now on, she'll call him Kenny-poo," Barry smirked. Lucas raised an eyebrow.
"A bet, huh? Well, I just can't say no to that." With that, Lucas held out his right hand. Barry grinned and shook it.
"Well then. How much are you two betting?" Kenny inquired.
Barry and Lucas looked at eachother and shrugged.
Kenny sighed. "How about this, then. The first day, it's five bucks. Second day, it's ten bucks. Third day, it's fifteen bucks. Get it? So the longer the bet goes on, the more it's worth."
Barry grinned. Lucas grinned.
"It's a deal then."
School was school. Boring classes, lots of homework, quarreling best friends.
"DeeDee."
"Kenny-poo."
"DeeDee."
"Kenny-poo."
"DeeDee!"
"Kenny-poo!"
May laughed. "This is quite amusing. I'm glad Barry told us when he did."
Misty nodded in agreement.
"Hey! Hey, Misty, May! Psst!" Barry whispered to the girls in front of him.
May twitched but said nothing. Misty completely tuned him out.
"I got something to tell you..."
Still no response from the teenage girls.
"...It's about Kenny and Dawn."
Both redhead and brunette turned their heads instantly, with a look that clearly said: Tell us.
"If any time in the future Dawn mentions the nickname Kenny-poo to you, pretend it would work against Kenny. Okay?"
Puzzled, the girls nodded. They glanced at eachother, shrugged, and turned to face the front of the class again.
The redhead and brunette giggled again before turning to the squabble again.
"Are you really doing this again?" Dawn exclaimed.
"Are you really doing this again?" Kenny mimicked.
"Don't start..."
"Don't start..."
"Why, when I'm through with you..."
"Why, when I'm through with you..."
"Ugh...I need to get my stuff..."
"Ugh...I need to get my st- mmfgh!" Kenny was cut off by the jacket stuffed in his mouth, courtesy of Lucas.
"C'mon, don't make her too mad..."
"Can I aggravate her again later?" Kenny put on his best puppy-dog look. Lucas laughed.
"We'll see."
Kenny barked happily, earning another laugh from his friend, and then laughed as well.
"Hey, Dawn! Come here real quick!" Ash yelled from Kenny's porch. Dawn raised an eyebrow quizzically, but approached him nonetheless.
"What is it?" asked the blunette.
"Barry and Lucas wanted to see you for something."
Slightly suspicious, she followed Ash. Inside the house were Kenny, Drew, Barry, and Lucas...all playing a video game.
She sighed. "What is it, Barry? Lucas? You could have just called me."
"We could have, but that would require using a hand," Barry said, his gaze not leaving the television screen that was currently showing the video game they were dueling each other on.
Dawn sighed. "So what do you need?"
From the moment Barry and Lucas briefly shared a knowing glance and nodded, she knew something was up. And boy, was she ever right.
"You two take Kenny, we got Dawn!" Lucas called, to which Ash and Drew nodded, making their way over to where Kenny sat on the couch, inching away from them.
"W-what are you guys doing?" Dawn exclaimed, backing away from the grinning teenagers.
"Nothing..." they both answered, before darting forward, each gripping one of her arms, and lifting her into the air.
"Hey! Put me down!" Dawn struggled, only to earn laughs. Kenny was in a similar situation. Barry, Lucas, Ash, and Drew carried them down the hall, laughing like maniacs.
"Hmph. Those guys are really making me mad," Dawn huffed, crossing her arms.
"You're not the only one..." Kenny sighed.
"They locked us in the closet! And it locks from the outside! We'll never get out!"
"Dawn..."
"They'll forget about us! They will, I just know it!"
"...Dawn..."
"Then we'll end up starving and dying! I'm too young to die!"
"DeeDee!"
"Huh?"
Kenny sighed. "You're losing it already, and it's only been five minutes."
"Oh...sorry..." Dawn said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head.
"Hey guys, can you hear me?"
Dawn frowned. "What was that?"
"I don't know. Let's try and find the light first."
After another five minutes of stumbling around in darkness, Kenny managed to find the light switch. Flipping it up, the closet was immediately illuminated. Both teens blinked multiple times to adjust their eyes.
"Psst! Hey guys! Can you hear me?"
"What on earth..." Dawn stopped her question short when she saw the air vent. For right inside it were two walkie-talkies. One had duct tape around the talk button, and the other didn't.
"Why that..." Kenny twitched.
"BARRY!" they both yelled simultaneously.
"Barry speaking, how may I help you?"
"Why did you lock us in a closet?" Dawn hissed. Kenny winced; she didn't sound too happy. Not happy at all. But then again- why would she be?
"Oh, that. Look on the third shelf." Barry ordered through the walkie-talkie. Raising an eyebrow skeptically, Kenny, who was closer, glanced at the shelf beside him.
'Junk, junk, junk, more junk, junk...wait...'
Kenny picked up a piece of paper, scanning it as he did so. As soon as he finished, his face flushed bright red.
"Find it yet? Eh?"
"Barry, when I get out of here, I swear I'll..."
"You'll what? Hm?"
Defeated, Kenny handed the paper over to Dawn.
She also, upon finishing reading, turned red.
"Barry...what are you getting at?"
"I thought I was pretty clear. You're not getting out of here 'til you kiss."
"WHAT?"
