All Grown Up copyright Viacom

Chapter 9

Posted: 31 Mar 2008

When Chuckie awake a short time later, he found that his memory was a little hazy.

Did he really get a kiss from Angelica?

It didn't seem possible, yet he remembered distinctly getting that kiss from her lips.

At least he had awakened on his own bed this time, he reflected. Unlike some other times he could recall. Still he wondered.

How had he gotten that kiss in first place?

It hardly seemed like something that he would do; yet it was definitely something that he knew that he had done. If he only remembered how he had managed that trick, he might very well repeat it in the future.

Still he could see why Angelica had knocked him out.

He bolted up. He wasn't alone. But he began to breathe a little easier when he saw that it was Lara who was sitting next to his bed. "Lara, what are you doing here?"

"I was waiting for you to wake up, Chuckie."

Still a little groggy, he asked, "How long were you waiting there for me to wake?"

"Since your dad tucked in you last night."

"Last night!" He bolted up and looked at the clock. It was 7:00. In the morning. Just about time to go to school in fact.

But before he did, there was something that he had to do….

He picked up his phone and began pushing buttons. It took a few rings first, but the call was eventually answered. But not by the one he had expecting. "Pickles residence. Drew speaking."

Chuckie took a swallow before continuing. "Hi, Mr. Pickles. Is Angelica home?"

"Oh hi, Chuckie. No, she isn't. She'd already left for school. Did you want her for something?"

"No, that's all right. Thanks anyway."

After say goodbye, they broke the connection.

After he replaced the phone to its carriage and turned to his new friend. "Say, Lara, how is Angelica?"

She lowered her gaze. "I don't know, Chuckie. I was kinda more worried about you. You were the one that got hit."

"Oh." That was a little off-putting. Especially after he had treated her just before the big flare-up. "Thanks."

"It's only what you would have done for me."

"I don't know about that…." He didn't want Lara to get more involved, especially after what had happened the previous night, but it seemed like he didn't have a choice in the matter. "But could you do another favor for me?"

Lara smiled. "What is it?"

"Do you know where Angelica went?"

She nodded. "Yes. Why?"

"We're going to visit an old friend."

-OOO-

Angelica still stewed over what Chuckie had done to her at the Java Lava. "How dare kiss me like that!" she huffed to herself for hardly the first time that morning.

So she had found herself going over to Lil's house at five in the morning just because she couldn't sleep and wanted somebody to talk with. She couldn't have gone to Suzy's. She had made Angelica promise not to.

She wondered why.

Lil, on the other hand, was a little more accommodating and let her right in. Lil was such a good friend. "Kimi is already here," Lil said as they met in the living room. "So I figured why not one more."

"She's what!" Angelica took in deep breath and asked again in a calm voice. "What is she doing here?"

"She's here so that we can discuss what to do with Chuckie."

Angelica pouted. "And you didn't invite lil ole me?"

Lil shrugged sheepishly. "Oops. Sorry. I guess that we forgot to invite you, didn't we?"

"Yes you did."

"Do you want to help us with Chuckie, Miss Angelica."

Angelica smiled. At least Lil knew how to treat a lady. "You know I do."

Lil invited Angelica up to her room where Kimi awaited.

Kimi sat up on Lil's bed and her face brightened up when she saw Angelica enter. "Ah. Now with Angelica here we can make some real progress."

Angelica smiled back. "Finally. Someone who actually appreciated me and my ideas for once."

Lil scowled at her but said nothing.

"Now," Angelica was saying as she sat down at the foot of the bed, "have either of you two come up with any ideas?" Kimi and Lil both exchanged glances before shaking their heads. "I thought not." She clasped her hands and leaned forward. "So what have you two discussed so far? Inquiring minds want to know."

They each told her of what they had come up with. After Angelica had heard what each of them had to say, she nodded before saying, "So you haven't come up with anything, have you?"

"Yes, we have," Kimi said. "We have been discussing this pretty seriously."

Angelica smirked. "But you haven't got any ideas, now have you?"

Kimi looked away, clearly crestfallen.

"Oh yeah?" Lil said as she sat at her desk. "What do you suggest then?"

Angelica smiled. "Just leave it up to me."

Kimi scratched her head. "Yes, but what exactly are you going to do?"

Angelica patted her knee. "Just trust me on this, will you, guys?"

"All right, Angelica," Lil said. "But what exactly happened between you and Phil and Chuckie last night? I heard some things and saw some things. But I still don't understand what went wrong." Pause. "Please tell that it wasn't your fault.

"It wasn't my fault."

"Okay." Lil nodded. "Whose fault is it then?"

"Ah." Angelica laid back on the bed and rested her head on her hands on one of Lil's pillows. "So you want to hear all my fabulous date with Phil, do you?"

Kimi and Lil looked at each other before nodding.

"Fine." She rolled her eyes, but she was eager to the story with her two little friends. She wasn't about to let Chuckie of all people ruin her newfound relationship with Phil. And she had so much to get off her chest too.

As she related to the tale she began to feel to a lot better. "First," she began, "Phil took me to the Java Lava for drinks…."

-OOO-

"What are you doing here, Finster?" Chuckie inhaled sharply. It was a little off-putting hearing himself being referred to by his last name by Phil in the same manner as Angelica did.

Which concerned him more than a little.

He took a deep breath before answering. "I'm come by to apologize, Phil."

Phil crossed his arms over his chest and nodded. "Okay, Chuckie." He didn't budge an inch.

"Can I come in or not?"

"No." Phil hadn't bothered to take the time to consider the question in the slightest bit.

Chuckie was beginning to have more than enough of this. "Why not?"

Phil sighed. "I'm still waiting for that apology, Chuckie."

"Oh…." Chuckie winced. He hadn't thought at all of apologizing to Phil. Though he probably he should. He had been hurt by Chuckie's actions that night too after all. Maybe even more than Angelica had been. "Just what did I do?"

"You know what you did," Phil replied.

"Not really," Chuckie said, abashed. "My memory is a little hazy about that moment actually."

"Uh-huh…"

Phil clearly didn't believe him, so Chuckie went on. "I was sort of knocked out during the whole thing."…."

Phil interrupted him. "You do realize that I was Angelica's date, right?"

"Right."

"And as Angelica's date, anything that you do to her, you do to me as well?"

"Huh?" Chuckie had no idea that Phil felt that way.

"As a lady's man, it's the least that I can do."

"You a lady's man," Chuckie snorted. "You couldn't even get a date with Lizzie McGee." Lizzie was the least popular girl in school.

"Hey, I got a date with Angelica, didn't I?"

"No, Phil." Chuckie poked Phil in the chest. "She got a date with you."

"What's the difference?"

"I would say that there's a big difference actually."

"Don't see how. We both got a date last night. And it was a school night to boot."

Chuckie sighed. As much as he hated to admit it, all those things were true. And still had that date with Nicole tonight. So why was he going after Angelica with such zeal?

Phil didn't look too happy with Chuckie just then. "Don't you have school to get ready for?" He then slammed the door shut in Chuckie's face.

Oh well.

Time for Plan B.

-OOO-

Tommy and Dil met Lil, Phil and Kimi outside the high school just before the school day started. As they headed for the front door, Tommy spoke first. "I think Chuckie has a problem."

"Oh, you think?" Phil huffed.

"Now, Phil," Lil chided, "I'm sure that it isn't his fault."

"He was the one started all the trouble, Lillian."

"I know that." She exhaled. "It's just that I got the feeling that Chuckie likes Angelica more than you do."

Phil scowled. "He has a lousy way of showing it."

"I don't why," Kimi said. "He doesn't usually act that way."

"That's because he's in love!"

"Oh not that again, Lillian."

"Tell me how they aren't, Philip."

"You know that I don't know anything about love and romance and junk like that."

Lil had a self-satisfied smile on her face.

"I just hope that Benny doesn't mind too much," Tommy said.

"It doesn't matter," Dil said. "He's dead now."

"He's what!" Everyone stopped.

"He got killed fighting terrorism overseas." He looked thoughtfully at the horizon. "I wonder if Angelica knows."

"Of course she knows," Tommy said. "I mean, how can she not? He is her boyfriend after all. But why hasn't she told us, her friends?"

"I don't know." Dil shrugged. "Maybe she doesn't trust us."

Lil shook her head. "She never trusts us. But can't be it. Not when it's so easily found out."

"We never found out," Dil pointed out.

"Oh. Right."

Nobody spoke for several minutes.

Tommy sighed. "I guess we will have to trust her judgment on this."

Nobody could argue with that.

So they went inside.