Author's Note: I think you get to see a side to these guys that you haven't really seen in my previous chapters. This chapter was kinda fun, but there will be some drama coming up in the next chapter. Good things don't last. Enjoy!
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Part 12: A Good Escape
Lil had thought carefully about Tommy the previous night. After getting Phil home safely she sat down and spoke to him for hours, something they hadn't done in years. When he finally said goodnight and left her room, she didn't fall asleep. She thought about Tommy, about Phil and Kimi. Phil deserved to be loved and Kimi did, too. It made her want to cry when she thought of her brother being lonely. Why couldn't Kimi just be in love with him instead of Tommy? Then things would be so much easier. She sighed. But then nothing was ever really simple. Not when it came to love, it seemed.
Whatever happened now was in Tommy's hands. She would not give up on him until he told her he wanted Kimi. She just had to be patient and wait.
She sighed. For now she would have to wait for the day to be over. She walked through the halls silently not really taking in the scenes around her. Why did today feel so dull? Phil was back, unharmed and semi normal (as normal as was Possible for Phil), so why didn't things seem to be any better?
Lil spotted Kimi with Tommy and her heart clenched. Was it okay to walk up to them? Should she leave them alone? She didn't know what to do, but she did know that her approach before was wrong. It was wrong of her to rush Tommy to make a decision and it was wrong of her to have been so pushy and selfish. Phil made her realize that.
Lil watched, trying to figure out a good move.
Kimi nodded at something Tommy said and then she gently placed a hand on his arm. He looked up, a blush soft on his cheeks and a gentleness in his eyes that took Lil's breath away. She hadn't seen that in a while. How was Kimi able to do that? And then it hit her. Could Phil be right? Could Tommy be falling for Kimi.
Tears begun to well up in Lil's eyes and her heart ached. No, she thought. Please, don't fall just yet. I haven't gotten my chance.
A hand fell on her shoulders and made her jump. She turned around, swinging at the person behind her.
"Whoa!" Phil exclaimed. "Didn't mean to scare you."
Lil breathed a sigh of relief. "It's okay," she said, wiping her tears away.
Phil's features softened. "It hurts, doesn't it?" he asked, glancing over her shoulder.
Tears filled her eyes again as she nodded.
Phil sighed. "That's what I was trying to keep you from."
"I still have time," she said, trying to sound confident, but her voice shook a bit. "It's not over just yet."
Phil smiled and nodded softly. "Sure." He put an arm around her and pulled her close. "Let's go. They're looking pretty lonely."
Lil looked at him, surprised. He was helping her. She smiled and then put her head on his shoulder. "Yeah. Four's a party."
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"How're you guys holding up?"
Kimi looked over her shoulder. Phil looked at her expectantly and then over at Tommy. Lil stood close beside him with Phil's arm around her shoulder. She gave a hint of a smile. It made her feel good to see that they were becoming close again.
"Tommy recruited me," Kimi said.
Phil and Lil looked at her, confused and curious.
"She's going to help me sneak out of school," Tommy replied, looking completely serious and neither twin said a word.
"Grandpa is going into surgery right about now and I. . ." Tommy looked away. "I have to be there. If he. . .if something happens I want to be there. I want to know."
"Well, count me in," Phil said. "But only if I can come along." He smirked.
Tommy chuckled. "Yeah."
"Me too," Lil added. "I'm coming."
Tommy's heart softened as though it were exhaling all the hardened feelings that had been building up over the years.
"We'd follow you any where," Phil said.
"To the ends of the earth and back," Lil added.
"You're our leader," Phil continued. "You always have been."
Tommy looked at each one of them, grateful for the first time in years. He had neglected them and their generosity over the years. It all went unnoticed, their struggles, their compassion for him, their loyalty to him. He never noticed how much they cared until this very moment.
Kimi smiled. "We've assembled our team then," she said.
Tommy nodded. "Yeah," he said. "Let's do this."
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The four of them peered around the corner. Kimi sat on her knees, bending close to the floor, looking for an opportunity to get across. Lil hovered just above her, Phil hovered above his sister, munching on a chocolate bar, and Tommy hovered just above Phil determined to make a run for it if need be.
"Okay," Kimi said and the others looked down, listening carefully. "This lady is a-"
"Bitch," Lil finished.
"Uh. . .sure," Kimi said hesitantly, "but I was going to say 'strict old lady'."
Phil snickered above his sister. "She won't let us by if we're not seniors-" Lil shoved her elbow into Phil's rib cage as Kimi spoke "-and she'll personally walk us to the principle's office to make sure we get in trouble-" The pain was instant in Phil's rib cage, causing him to choke out his chocolate bar.
Kimi stopped speaking when Lil squealed above her. Lil quickly moved away, pushing Phil back. The chocolate fell and Kimi moved just as quickly when she saw something coming from the corner of her eye. Phil lost his balance and fell back, taking Tommy and Lil, who grabbed Kimi, down with him.
The four lay sprawled across each other, trying to carefully remove themselves from each other.
Phil sat up, holding his candy bar. He laughed. "I don't think we've had this much fun since we were all in diapers!"
Lil snatched the candy bar from his hand. "No more candy bars!"
"Shh!" Tommy shushed them.
They all quickly closed their mouths and carefully made their way to the corner.
Kimi lay on her belly, peeking over the corner.
Tommy carefully peered over above her. "It's a good thing she's practically def."
"Her hearing aid must be on the fritz again," Phil said. He paused a moment and then said, "We could take her."
Lil rolled her eyes. "She's an old lady!" she whispered harshly. "We're not going to tackle her!"
"It would make for a good escape," Phil pouted.
"We'd bust her hip or something," Tommy whispered.
Phil snickered again. "Sweet."
"I've got an idea," Kimi said. "Make a quick get-away when I'm through."
They nodded and Tommy moved away as she stood up. She was about to walk around the corner when Tommy pulled her back.
"What about you?"
She smiled. "Don't worry." She cleared her throat and walked toward the old woman's desk and then. . . she tripped. She took a huge spill and her hands slammed against the old woman's desk before she fell to the floor.
Tommy made a move to run after her, but Phil pulled him back and nodded toward her.
The old woman sprang to her feet, frightened and immediately rushed to help the fallen girl. "A-are you alright, sweetie?!" she asked.
Kimi rolled over and winced. Her arms shot around her leg. "It hurts!" she shouted. "I think I broke my leg!"
"O-okay," the woman panicked. "We just got to get-" she put an arm around Kimi and attempted to lift her as she spoke "-you up and to the nurse-"
Kimi screamed. "It hurts too much to stand!"
The woman looked horrified. "I'll go get the n-nurse," she said. "You just wait for me here, deary."
"Please, hurry," Kimi said, her voice pitiful and her eyes wet with tears.
The old lady nodded and quickly shot off down the hall. Phil, Lil, and Tommy watched until the woman was no longer in sight. They ran toward Kimi when the coast was clear.
Phil laughed a patted her on the back. He wiped away her stray tears and laughed harder. "You liar!"
"What awesome acting skills you have," Lil said with a grin as Phil withered from laughter beside her.
"The better to use to escape with," Kimi replied. She gave Phil a high five and Tommy a bashful smile.
"Now," Tommy said, "Let's go." Phil and Lil were the first ones to run through the doors. Tommy followed, but stopped when he noticed Kimi was not following him. "Come on."
Kimi smiled softly as she shook her head. "Dil will need someone."
"Come on, guys," Lil called.
"Dil doesn't have to know right now," Tommy said. "And Chuckie is here."
Kimi shook her head. "Dil will need someone to lean on and Chuckie won't know what to do." She looked away. "Plus," she added, "Chuckie'll worry if he doesn't see me after the bell. Big brothers." She shrugged with a light smile. "I'll keep an eye on Dil for you."
Tommy looked at her. He really wanted her to be there with him. He felt so much more at ease with her around, but he was grateful to have someone like her stay for Dil. She would comfort him and really keep him in line. Dil needed that.
"It's okay, really," she said. "You better go. The others are waiting."
He walked toward her.
"Guys!" Lil called again.
Tommy took Kimi in his arms and her heart raced and she could feel something thump, thump in time with her own. Was that Tommy's heart beat? "Thank you," he whispered and tenderly kissed her cheek before pulling away. "Take care of him till I get back."
Kimi nodded, unable to open her mouth. Tommy smiled one last time and then rushed out the door to meet up with the other two. She could hear their questions. "Where's Kimi?", "Isn't she coming?"
Kimi stood there until she couldn't hear their voices anymore, until she was finally able to move again.
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Lil looked at Tommy expectantly. What had that been about? Her heart raced. What was going on between those two? It was killing her.
"Why didn't Kimi come along?" Phil asked.
"She stayed for Dil," Tommy replied.
Lil and Phil looked to one another. She really knew how to get to him, didn't she? Though, Lil knew she wasn't doing it as some ploy to get him to take notice of her. It wasn't part of Kimi's plan. Kimi didn't plan out these types of things. She was just being her caring, thoughtful self and Lil hated her a little bit, to be honest. So far, Kimi was the only one who was able to make Tommy react so. . .different.
"Well," she said aloud, trying to put those thoughts aside. "How are we getting to the hospital?"
"I defiantly don't want to walk that distance," Phil said and then his face beamed. "Taxi!"
"Yeah, that'd work," Lil said. "I have five dollars." She made a face. "You have more?"
Tommy took out all the money he had from his pocket and handed it to Lil. "Two dollars," he said.They looked at each other skeptically and then at Phil, probably expecting too much.
Phil shrugged his shoulders, a little embarrassed as he pulled his hand from his pocket and held it out to his friends. He opened his hand only to reveal. . . "Twenty-five cents," Phil said in a small voice.
Lil rolled her eyes as Tommy sighed. "Great," Lil said. "We have seven twenty-five."
"That's not even enough for one of us!" Lil paced about, thinking of something they could do.
Phil turned around, looking about. Maybe there was a car they could hijack or something. They'd bring it back, of course, but he doubted Lil and Tommy would break the law. Or maybe they would. He opened his mouth as he began to turn toward them again, but a girl caught his eye. He looked up and the girl saw him.
"Tiff," he said.
"What?" Lil asked. "What is that?" She looked at Tommy quizzically. He shrugged.
"I never heard of that," Tommy replied.
Phil walked toward the girl he had seen before. She looked different then he had last seen her. For one, she was wearing glasses and she looked sadder up close, prettier.
"You're that kid," she said, looking back at him.
"Kid?" Phil asked. He shook his head. "Call me Phil."
"Tiffany," she said, extending her hand. "But, I guess, you knew that already." She smiled faintly.
Phil shook the offered hand and nodded. He remembered her friend calling her by name and Phil had not forgotten. She must have remembered it too, but the two remained silent then.
"Phil."
He glanced over his shoulder. Tommy and Lil stood waiting. "Oh," Phil said. "This is my sister Lil and my friend Tommy," he introduced to Tiffany. He turned to his friends. "Guys," he said. "Tiffany."
They took turns shaking hands before starting up another conversation. "So you guys heading out?" Tiffany asked.
"Yeah, but, uh. . ." Phil adverted his eyes as he rubbed the back on his neck. "We only have seven bucks and twenty–five cents between the three of us."
Tiffany laughed. "Well, where you headed?" she asked. "I can take you guys. really don't mind. I wasn't going to go any where anyway. I was just going to sit in my car till this period was over."
"That's great!" Phil said.
"Thanks a lot," Lil said with a smile.
"It means a lot," Tommy added.
The girl led them to her car. Phil walked beside her. "So. . .uh, how is it going with you and, uh. . ."
"Travis," she said knowingly. Ever since that day they locked eyes, they'd been connected. They both felt it. They had an understanding between them that might have seemed weird to others, but they felt they knew each other now even though no real information was shared between them. Through their tortured feelings of their unrequited love experience and drama, they were connected in a way that no one else was.
"You know." She shrugged and he did. "You?" She looked at him expectantly.
"Uh," he glanced behind him. Lil and Tommy whispered amongst themselves, no doubt about Phil and this girl, but he figured they were too engrossed in their gossip anything else, so Phil leaned close and whispered, "Kimi." He looked down. "And. . .same."
"It sucks," she said as she opened the door to her car.
"Yeah," Phil sighed as he opened the passenger side door. "It does."
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Kimi wondered if Tommy and the others had made it to the hospital yet. Probably not, she thought. We never did come up with a way for them to get there. I doubt they had enough money between the three of them to get there. And they wouldn't have any change for the bus either.
She sighed as her body slumped a little. She didn't stay to see what they did next, she ran away when she pulled herself back together after Tommy left. She wasn't going to wait around for that woman to come back with the nurse. She made a quick get away and now she was here.
Kimi sighed. She listened to the teacher talk, but she couldn't actually pay attention or quite understand the words that were coming from his mouth.
There was noise in the hall that grew louder and louder until. . .
The classroom door flew open, slamming against the wall and Dil stood outside, a woman behind him, trying to pull him back. He pushed forward, pulling away from her. "Where is Tommy?" he asked, staring straight at Kimi.
She sat up straight. "Huh?"
"I know you know where he is," he yelled. "Tell me where he is!"
"Miss Finster," the teacher said. "I do not appreciate your friends visiting my class while it is in session." Kimi blushed as every eye in the room turned to her.
The teacher turned to Dil. "Please step outside of my classroom, young man, before I personally escort you to the principle's office."
Dil did not seem to be fazed in the least, by this. Kimi quickly stood up as the teacher began to take a step toward Dil. She rushed right over. "I'm sorry," she said quickly. "His thoughts are all clouded," she explained. "He's going through a lot. I'll make sure he gets back to class. Is that okay?"
The teacher looked at her a moment and then nodded toward the door. "Take the hall pass and don't take long."
"Yes, thank you," she said. She quickly took the hall pass and shoved Dil outside. "I can handle him," she said to the woman, who looked skeptical. Kimi gave her a light smile and the woman nodded and reluctantly walked away.
"You're in Mrs. Miller's math class this period, right?" she asked, already walking in that direction.
"Just tell me where he is, Kimi," he said. "Don't play dumb. And don't avoid the question either."
She turned to him and stood there for a while. "He went to the hospital. He wanted to be there."
"I want to be there," Dil said.
"I know," Kimi said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "But I'm here and it'll be okay, you know? Tommy will come back and then-"
"I want to be there, too."
"Okay," Kimi said. "After school we'll-"
"No, right now!"
Kimi was thrown back by this. He caught her by surprise.
"What are you guys doing out here?"
Chuckie walked toward them. He looked from one to the other.
"I wan to see grandpa," Dil said. "Tommy's there and I should be there, too." For a moment Kimi thought he'd cry. His eyes fell to the floor and her heart sank. She knew she told Tommy that she'd look after him, but Dil didn't want to be stuck in school and she didn't want him to be worrying behind these walls. At least in the hospital he'd be with his parents and. . .his brother.
"How are you going to get out?" Chuckie asked. "Only seniors are allowed out."
They thought for a moment. "What about Susie or Angelica?" Chuckie suggested. "They're seniors. We could ask them to-"
"Or," Kimi began, "we could maybe. . ." She walked over to the closest fire alarm ". . .pull this."
"Are you crazy?!" Chuckie exclaimed. "If they find out it was you, you'd get suspended. At least if you were caught trying to sneak out, the most you could get would be a day of detention."
"Dil wants out," Kimi argued, "so I'm willing to take the fall, should they find out."
Kimi turned to the fire alarm again.
"Don't you dare, Kimi," Chuckie warned. "I'm your older brother and you will listen to me when I tell you that-"
Kimi pulled the fire alarm as she looked back at Chuckie, her face showed no regret as she said, "Oops."
Dil's lips spread into a smile.
"You're crazy!" Chuckie exclaimed. "Crazy!"
People started pouring out of class rooms and Dil and Kimi made a run for the doors. "You've given me no choice, Kimberly," Chuckie called out to her, trying to sound severe as he fixed his glasses. "I have to-"
Kimi ran back for him and pulled his arm and soon they were outside. She took Dil by the arm and dragged him along. They slipped throw the crowd and made it across the street. They looked back once and then made another run for it. "How much money do you have on you?" she asked. "We'll need everything we have."
Chuckie sighed in exasperation. "This is going to be one long day."
