Chapter 13

He woke up early the next morning to pick him up and headed to the house to get their job lists. He thought Benson would have a new personality because of last night. However, he seemed to be at his regular temperamental temperature. Yet in a way, Skips could tell he was in a better mood because of their talk. Seeing that, he left it at that and choose to let things move at their own pace.

In another incredible change of pace, the park began to see more people walking around, going to the snack bar, what they usually do. The park employees had their hands full trying to take care of it. Raymond and Carl jumped in to lend a hand too. After the work day ended, they were all pretty sore.

Herman had a very happy attitude. "I hope we get another day like today. If so I could finally catch back up in my paper work and perhaps we could have extra money in our budget." He pulled out a calculator and began punching the numbers to check his theory. Skips asked Benson if he wanted a ride home before the gumball machine even started heading out the door.

"Oh, ok." he responded. Nodding he took out his keys and they headed to his van. He drove him to his apartment then returned to the house hung out with the others then went to his shack and went to bed.

Benson had decided that he needed to trash his bike completely and tried to convince Skips that he could just take the bus, but he wouldn't hear it. He figured it would be better to just keep with the usual routine. He told him that when he comes to the point where he can get his own car and is able to pay for it, then he can pay him back for the rides. He agreed on that and it was settled.

Then as it turned out it started to be a usual system for him. He would pick him up, they would all work, they would sit and relax awhile, then he would drive him home and hang with either him or the others, and lastly his home to bed. It went on till the middle of summer hit with the heat and summer showers.

After dropping Benson off one night he decided to hang with Pops and the others that night. When he got there he skipped up the porch and was at the door when he saw the three faces of Herman, Raymond, and Carl in the window with smug looks. He opens up the door and goes inside then stands in the doorway of the living room that connected it to the hall. "What's with that?" he asks.

They grinned further. "You've been getting pretty 'buddy buddy' with our little Benson you know..." slyly says Raymond and Carl in unison.

"I don't think I've ever seen you hang around with someone as much as you've been hanging out with him," Herman pitches in. "And didn't you once say that you didn't like him? That the most you two could be was rivals?"

Skips just sighs and shrugs. "Well what do I say? You told me so?"

"Something like that," he mews at him. Then he stands up. "So what you want to do tonight?"

"WE'RE BORED!" whined the two nut jobs as they rolled over onto the floor. Skips skips(of course he skips. That's all he does! WAHHHH! I'm sorry! I love Skips, but I'm going crazy with the whole skipping thing! I won't change him just to let everyone know, I just... really needed this moment. Huh. Okay now! Take two for this paragraph.)

"WE'RE BORED!" whined the two nut jobs as they rolled over onto the floor. Skips skips over to them and leans above them using both his first two fingers on each hand to poke their eyes. They grunt in shock. Standing straight up again he shakes his head at the two and sits on the couch with Pops. "What am I to do with those two."

"They are quite the babbling balderdash duo," agreed Pops. They flip back up and Ray jumps over the back of the couch landing in between them. "Aw! I'm glad you love us so much!" he purrs. "Me and Carl were thinking we might stay longer after the mysterious people thing passes." Hearing that Skips picks him up off the cushion and throws him behind the couch.

Carl laughs hard and annoying as the cheetah-man whines about how mean the yeti was. Pops kind of giggled at him as well. Herman looks toward them with a game in hand then sighs. "Am I going to have to separate you guys?"

"Oh what game you got there, hairy man?" Ray says. The lion-man pushes it into his face making him make a funny noise as he pretends to faint in the place he had been thrown earlier. "Did you get the clue?" He got a thumbs up from him and he set the game on the table. They set up the board then characters and picked out what they would be. They decided since the game wouldn't be split evenly they picked teams. Herman was with Pops and Ray with Carl and Skips with himself(loner...Jk!).

As they began a thought occurred to the lion-man. "Have you guys actually ever seen the movie for this game?" They all gave him a look. Then Ray and Carl tipped their heads to the side. "They made a movie from this board game?" asked Skips.

Herman's smile slowly fades. "I guess I'm the only one whose ever seen it." Then his mood got gloomy. The others just ignored it and played the game. In the middle of the game Skips looks through the notes he gathered so far. He was trying to go easy on the others since he was good at these kind of games, but he was getting pretty tired of it. After all, he practically already solved it when they started playing. And by the look of things they aren't going to figure it out anytime soon.

He calls out the killer, the weapon, and the room. Everyone screams out their disappointment as he looks at the cards and sure enough he was right. "You set us up for failure!" cried Carl at Herman.

"I thought he would at least let us have a fighting chance!" he complained back.

"You guys take too long," Skips says flatly. He shakes his head at them then stands and stretches. "Alright I'm off to bed." They all say goodnight as he leaves the house and goes on his way home. When he got there and pulled the door closed, he heard a little shuffling of tiny feet on the floor. Looking around he spotted a mouse trying to escape, but there was nowhere to go. Feeling bad for it, he lets it out his front door and it squeaks joyfully as it leaves. He glances around the room for any mouse holes or scat, but saw none. With that he yawns hops in bed and fell asleep.

Again, I very much apologize about my break down in this chapter...