Chapter 10
Chapter 10
"Well how many?" asks Louie. Ever since The Princess has left, she has been talking more and more, but to no one's real surprise. She walks over and sits beside Sammy and reads over her twin's shoulder. "129? How many can the Den hold?"
"150 people, Lou," says Trace, rolling in an office chair. Her boots click as she tugs herself alongside of Louie, near a slab. A huge grin covers her face. "I think we have enough."
Jack snaps her cell shut. "Add seven more. Will ya, Sam?" she asks as she thinks on something (or someONE else) and smile. Then she asks, "Can I invite one more?"
"Sam, how many would that be with the 'guest' that Jack speaks of," asks Louie.
"Including us?" asks Sammy. She adds it up in her head and writes it down. "143 if we accept the last person."
Tracey and Louie nod. Tracey speaks, "Yeah, that'll be good.
"Also we have to keep in mind some are going to be skating and hanging out outside IF we happen to gain more than expected," adds Jack, "So, may I?"
"Yep," says Tracey.
Jack nods and walks away from the other three as she dials on her phone.
Alex and Darren walk up to the group of three. Alex takes her usual stride; while Darren takes an anxious stroll. "Have we got everything set?" he asks as he sits on a nearby empty slab. Alex hops up next to him.
"Yeh," says Trace. "She's calling in one last guest."
"Odd," says Alex. "Only one?"
"You don't suppose she has a new boyfriend," says Lou.
The last three who have spoken now turn to Sammy.
Sammy automatically says, "You know she HAS been extraordinarily chipper."
"Oh, don't play that!" says Trace. "You know who it is."
"Just give us the name," says Alex. "I mean you tow had to tak about SOMETHING on the drive here!"
"True," says Sammy. Her usual grin as returned.
"What?" asks Trace. "His name is Tru?"
"You know a guy named 'True'?" asks Sammy in a pseudo-confused tone and grins onece more. "What an odd name... of course, his name COULD have been 'False'..."
"What's his name?" ask Louie. Now, she's even ralled up.
"Whose name?" asks Sammy. She's having fun with this now.
"HIS!" says Alex
"His?" asks Sammy as she points at Darren. "That's Darren. YOUR boyfriend. Pretty bad when you can't remember your own boyfriend's name. Are you brain-dead?"
"Are YOU?" mutters Trace.
"Am I what?" asks Sammy. Now she's "innocently" smiling.
Jack walks back to sit beside Sammy. She says, "Mark said he'll be able to do us a big favor."
"Is his name Mark?!" asks Louie to Jack. Her chocolately eyes grow bright.
"Well, that's what I-- " begins Jack. She stops and faces Sammy with a disappointed look.
"I didn't tell them, SIs," says Sammy. "YOU did."
"No, HIS name is Dean," says Jack.
"Ah," say Tracey, Louie, and Alex almost simultaneously.
"He's a stunt double," says Jack.
"Stunt double?" asks Louie. "Not a skater?"
Jack looks over at Sammy who once is grinning. "And you're NOT twins?!"
"So, who's Mark?" asks Alex as she cuddle closer Darren.
"HE is a skater who does DJing," says Jack as she places her phone up in her left front pocket of her pants.
"You better not be cheating on Dean with Mark!" jokes Sammy.
Jack shoots her a "What the heck?" look.
"We like Matt!" says Sammy. And the rest NOD.
"Dude, you've just got to know OF him," laughs Jack.
"Yeah," says Tracey. "But--" She laughs, "He's not a skater!"
"OH, YEAH!" begins Jack. "He could be a total jerk to puppies and not like oreos, but HEAVEN FORBID I hookup with another skater... You know the lack of skating doesn't make him a better person! It surely wasn't the case with Bob!"
Sammy nods and adds, "Heck. If he was a skater probably wouldn't have wound up like he is now..."
Now, usually awkward situations are broken by Jack and/or Sammy... But even those two were speechless... It was Alex who said, "You mean, he would've died earlier?!" and punctuates it with a bright smile. She hops up and hugs Jack tightly... "So," she begins and squeezes tighter, then in a squeaky voice, "When are we going to meet Deany-boy?!"
"Okay, you're not riding with me on the way back," Jack laughs.