December 20, 2013
Tim's Living Room
6:22 P.M.
"We'll be back around 9," Tim's mother reminded for the umpteenth time. "And if there's any emergency-"
"Call you on your cell phone," Tim finished. "Everything will be fine, mom."
His mother took a deep breath. "I'm sure it will."
"And you'll be okay taking care of your sister?" Tim's father confirmed.
"We'll be fine," Tim repeated, holding his sister tightly on his lap. "Don't worry about us; enjoy your night off."
Assured, Tim's father wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulder. "You heard the kid. Let's get out of here."
His mother smiled softly at the image of her children sitting together. "We'll see you tonight, Tim." She bent down and kissed her daughter on the forehead. "Be a good girl for your brother." In response, the infant gave a large grin. Though still seeming anxious, Tim's mother allowed herself to be led out of the house by Mr. Hudson, making sure to take another brief look at her family on the way out.
Once alone, Tim looked down at his sister, the calm on his face fading. "So… It's just us…" The infant cocked her head to the side.
Tim frowned. He had never babysat by himself before, and now that his parents were gone, the weight of being in charge of his sister's well-being was taking its toll. Carefully, he placed the baby on the ground and pulled out his phone, sending to his friends a brief plea for some company. Once the text was sent, he glanced down at his sister again. "We'll be fine," he spoke to himself. "As soon as they get here we'll be fine."
December 20, 2013
Tim's Living Room
8:22 P.M.
Frantically, Tim rocked his crying sister in an attempt to hush her. Regardless, the piercing cry continued to ring out. Groaning, Tim glanced around the empty room. "Where the hell are they?"
December 20, 2013
Walkerville High Cafeteria
12:07 P.M.
Absentmindedly, Phoebe watched the students crowded around the cafeteria, ambivalent to the conversation taking place at the table. Across the room, two strangers were in a tight embrace. The boy pulled back and gave the girl a peck on the cheek. The girl giggled childishly and whispered something in his ear.
Under the table, she tightly gripped the note in her hand. Every piece of her being wanted to open the page a read the neat calligraphy once more, but it was impossible around all her friends. Anyways, she had already memorized the script: I miss you. Come to my house after school? She glanced across the table to the sender. Arnold, noticing the look, cleared his throat.
"I meant to tell you guys," he announced. "We can't hang out in my basement today. I have…" He looked at Phoebe knowingly. "Homework to do." Phoebe felt her heart skip a beat and willed the school day to finish.
Keesha shrugged. "Fine with me; I still have to come up with an article for the newspaper."
"You still haven't decided?" DA asked, voice full of concern. "Isn't that due soon?"
"I still have a few weeks to get it done," Keesha explained. "I just can't think of something interesting to write about."
Carlos perked up. "How about an interview with an actual Walkerville High jock?"
"Please, no interviews," Ralphie remarked, throwing his hands up. "I'm a regular person, just like you."
Carlos jabbed Ralphie with his elbow. "I didn't mean you, jerk; you could interview me! I've been told I'm a good subject."
"By the scientists who designed you," DA quipped. Carlos glared at the blonde.
"Actually, Carlos raises a good idea," Arnold cut in, preventing the discussion from escalating. "Student council has been looking for a way to raise awareness for the soccer team. An interview with their star player just might do the trick."
"Star?"
Keesha considered the option. "I suppose that might work, though I'd hardly consider Carlos an interesting topic."
"I'm right here," Carlos pouted. "Well, I have practice this afternoon; I suppose I could fit in an interview after that."
"Fine," Keesha conceded. "But you'd better take this seriously."
December 20, 2013
5:00 P.M.
Walkerville High Gymnasium
Naturally, Keesha walked into the gym to find several members of the soccer team wrestling. From the sidelines, Carlos, along with the remainder of the team, shouted words of encouragement as they wagered on the victors. Rolling her eyes, Keesha approached her Hispanic friend. "Can we do this interview already?"
"What?" Carlos looked over in surprise. "Oh, right, the interview. One moment—James and Joey have this huge rivalry. Rumor has it the loser has to lick the other one's shoe!"
"Do you really find this interesting?" Keesha commented, watching the fighting with disgust.
"Sure. It's a really big rivalry."
"Whatever." Keesha sat down on the bleachers. "Can we start?"
Before Carlos could answer, Charlie wrapped his arm around Carlos. "Yo, James is throwing a groovy party right now. Ya dig?"
"Sorry, but Carlos has a prior engagement-"
"Please, Keesha?" Carlos begged. "James' parties really are groovy."
Charlie glanced at the girl. "Your friend can chill with us, if she wants."
Carlos offered a hand to Keesha. "It'll be fun, I promise."
Doubtfully, Keesha accepted the hand. "Half an hour," she bargained. "Then we do the interview."
"Deal."
December 20, 2013
Arnold's Bedroom
4:07 P.M.
Phoebe and Arnold lay together on the latter's bed, limbs entwined comfortably. Blissfully, Phoebe rested her head on Arnold's chest. Almost instinctively, he kissed the top of her head in return.
"I forgot how much fun homework could be," Arnold murmured, pulling the girl close.
Phoebe giggled. "I forgot how much fun I could have outside of your basement."
The two were just beginning a new make-out session when a knock came at the door. With a groan, Arnold regretfully pulled away from Phoebe. "Who is it?"
"Arnold," came the voice of his mother, "a friend is here to see you. Can I trust you to keep your guest out of trouble while I'm out?"
Arnold and Phoebe exchanged concerned looks. Wordlessly, Phoebe pulled herself beneath the bed as Arnold ran to the door. "Yes, mom," he called, watching for Phoebe to get comfortable. She shot him a thumbs up from under the bed, and with a deep breath, Arnold pulled the door open.
"Hey Arn," Wanda greeted, pushing her way into his room.
Arnold stared in confusion. "Wha-Why are you here? Why are you always here?" He eyed the bed. "I didn't invite you here—I didn't," he assured, hoping Phoebe wouldn't jump to some awful conclusion as to why Wanda had shown up. Fortunately, Phoebe had known Wanda long enough to expect nothing less from the girl.
Wanda raised a brow. "Since when do I need to be invited?"
"Well…" Arnold fumbled. "It's polite."
"But I'm not polite."
"No kidding…"
Wanda ignored the remark. "Anyway, I need your help with this assignment for economics."
Arnold frowned. "But we don't have economics together."
Wanda gave an unimpressed look. "Sorry, I forgot they changed the entire US economy between 3rd and 6th period."
"Huh…" Arnold looked down at the ground. "Well, like I said at lunch, I'm pretty busy right now."
She grew confused. "Working on homework… Like the econ assignment…"
Arnold's eyes grew wide. "Of course that's what I'm doing! So, uh…" He rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess I have no good reason not to help you then."
"I knew you'd say that!" Eagerly, Wanda leapt onto Arnold's bed, making the boy wince.
Phoebe's head dropped to the ground, dismayed at her new predicament. Why did stuff like this always happen to her?
December 20, 2013
Dorothy Ann's Bedroom
6:23 P.M.
Triumphantly, DA slammed her final textbook shut, at last content with the quality of her assignments. She was always so productive when her friends weren't around to distract her. With a sigh, she glanced around the room. Then again, without her friends, life wasn't very exciting.
Her phone buzzed. She quickly snatched up the device and unlocked it. From Tim was a brief message: Babysitting. Need help ASAP. At last, something to do! She ran out of her room and dashed down the stairs only to be met with a new problem—her parents had gone out to the Hamilton Country Club for the evening and wouldn't be back until late. She grumbled at her luck. Looking through her phone, she eventually picked the nearest contact (that wasn't Carlos, since he was busy with that pointless interview) and listened as the phone rang.
After a few moments, the ringing died. "Hello?" Came Ralphie's tense voice.
"Are you okay?" DA asked, acknowledging the tone. In the background, she could hear the sounds of yelling and gunfire.
"Very busy," he replied shortly.
DA put her free hand on her hip. "Playing some dumb shooter game?"
"Yup."
DA clicked her tongue in disapproval, but said nothing more on the subject. "My parents are out. I need a ride to Tim's place."
The line was quiet for a second. "Why?"
"He didn't text you?"
"Hold on…" DA could hear the boy fiddling with his cell. Clearly he had been too caught up in his game to check it in the first place. "Oh shit, he needs our help." In the background, Dorothy Ann heard Ralphie's mother complain about the language.
"So can you give me a lift or not?"
"Let me ask." DA sat down on her couch, waiting for Ralphie to pick up the phone once more. Eventually, his voice returned. "My mom said sure."
DA grinned. "Great. I'll see you soon."
December 20, 2013
James' House
6:23 P.M.
Keesha was sitting against the wall in annoyance when her phone began to ring. She glanced down and quickly read the text. Relieved, she stood up and approached her friend. "We have to go, Carlos."
"One more minute," Carlos replied, just as he had done each time Keesha asked for the past hour. Currently, Carlos's humorous anecdotes were the center of attention, and Carlos was enjoying the limelight. Keesha, meanwhile, just wanted to leave already.
"Tim needs our help" she elaborated, dragging Carlos out from the crowd. She held up her phone for the boy to read. "So can we leave?"
Carlos sighed. "Fine. Let me grab Charlie."
Keesha watched Carlos walk across the room to Charlie. The two talked for a few minutes before both returning to Keesha. Charlie nodded in acknowledgement. "Carlos tells me you're ready to depart." Keesha nodded. "See, I'd be down with giving you a ride, but the vibes in this room are so mellow. You don't feel that?"
"No, I don't feel any vibes!" Keesha exploded. "I feel a pounding headache coming on, and my urge to punch you is increasing steadily, but I feel no vibes!"
"Are you saying you won't give us a ride back?" Carlos clarified with concern.
Charlie ran his hand through his long hair. "Dudes, I'll take you home later. Now try to experience this moment as it is. Relax." With that, Charlie wandered back into the crowd.
Carlos shrugged. "Looks like we'll just have to enjoy ourselves." Furiously, Keesha punched Carlos in the shoulder. "Good start."
December 20, 2013
Arnold's Bedroom
6:23 P.M.
Simultaneously, Arnold and Wanda's phones jolted at the arrival of Tim's text. For the first time, Phoebe breathed a sigh of relief for having sold her phone.
Arnold read over the message. "Well, we'd better get over to Tim's house."
Wanda cocked her head. "Why? Someone else will help."
"We don't know that!" Arnold stood up. "And I think it's very important that we get out of this room."
"You're acting weird, Arnold," Wanda commented. "And for you, that's saying something. Anyway, we can't go yet—I still don't get the assignment!"
"I'll explain it to you on the way," Arnold exclaimed, pulling Wanda up from the bed. Forcibly, he dragged Wanda to his door and pulled at the handle. However, it was now that Arnold discovered that his door, from Wanda's slamming it upon her entrance, was jammed.
Wanda watched Arnold fiddle with the handle with amusement. "You do know how doors work, right?"
"Damn it!" Arnold smacked the door. "Why now?"
Wanda strolled back to the bed. "It's no big deal, Arn; someone else will help Tim. Now, talk economics to me!"
"We should be trying to get out!"
"Your dad can force it open, right?"
Arnold sat at his desk tersely. "He's not going to be home until 9!"
"So we chill until 9." Wanda flipped her hair behind her shoulder. "What's the problem? We're all friends here."
Arnold glanced at the bed dismally, but saw no way to get the Asian girl out of his room. With a sigh, he gently sat on the bed beside Wanda. "The economy is really very simple to understand…"
December 20, 2013
The Tenelli's Car
6:44 P.M.
The car ride to Tim's house was a long, quite one. Several times, Ralphie opened his mouth to start a conversation with DA, but each time words failed him. It wasn't that he didn't like DA—she was one of his best friends—but they rarely spent time alone. The truth was, he found the blonde intimidating to talk to. She was poised, intelligent, put together; Ralphie was a goofball, to say the least. He glanced out the window dismally, hoping to get to Tim's house soon.
They were about halfway to their destination when Dr. Tenelli's phone rang out. As she pulled over and answered the call, Ralphie and DA looked to the front anxiously. After talking for a few minutes, Dr. Tenelli hung up the phone and turned to the back. "Bad news, kids. The hospital needs me to run in for an emergency surgery, and I don't have time to take you home."
DA frowned. "What does that mean?"
"It means you'll have to come with me to the hospital," Dr. Tenelli explained. "You and Ralphie can wait in the lobby. Ralphie can show you where to go."
DA nodded unsurely, though internally she was panicked. Since she was a child, DA had never liked hospitals. There was no real reason for her aversion to them, but she knew only bad things happened in them. The last way she wanted to spend her evening was in awkward silence with Ralphie in the middle of one.
Ralphie looked out the window sadly. He'd wanted to hang out with the baby.
December 20, 2013
Tim's Living Room
7:09 P.M.
Tim had only been watching his sister for an hour, but he was already finding it impossible to care for her. About two minutes after texting his friends for help, his sister had begun crying out. Tim had already tried changing her diaper and feeding her, but still the crying remained.
"What do you want from me?" He whimpered. "Can't you just go to sleep?"
In response, the crying grew louder. Tim moaned. "I guess not…" Looking to his phone again, he was dismayed to find no responses. "This is ridiculous…" Taking a moment to gather his courage, he sent out another desperate text. Only time would tell if it would pay off.
December 20, 2013
James' House
7:11 P.M.
"Come dance with me!" Carlos begged, trying to get the sulking Keesha out of her seat. "This music has, dare I say it, a great vibe to it!" He quickly dodged another smack from Keesha. "Okay, there's no need for violence!"
Keesha glared at him. "You promised me an interview two hours ago! I shouldn't be stranded at some stranger's house—I should be at my house working on this damn article that decides whether or not I get onto the newspaper committee! So excuse me for being a little tense!"
Carlos threw his hands up defensively. "No need to yell; I was just trying to lighten things up."
"I know you were," Keesha snapped. "That's all you ever do! I knew I shouldn't write about you—you don't have any substance! You're just the happy-go-lucky, see the bright side of things, lovable, goofy guy! I just thought that maybe, for once in your life, you could take something seriously, but evidently your fun is way more important than my dumb old article!"
Carlos stared at his friend for a few seconds, face expressionless. Keesha, having vented her feelings, began to calm down. The guilt of what she had said rushed over her, and she opened her mouth to apologize. Before she could speak though, Carlos sat down beside her. "I'll be serious," he spoke monotonously.
Keesha's shoulders slumped. "Carlos, I shouldn't have said-"
"You're right," Carlos interrupted. "I promised you an interview. Now, give me the first question."
"You're sure? You don't have to."
Carlos nodded. "I want to." Keesha looked back unsurely. "I promise."
December 20, 2013
Arnold's Bedroom
7:26 P.M.
Arnold growled as Wanda continued to stare at the homework in confusion. "It's been an hour, Wanda—how can you still not understand the social class pyramid?"
"It's complicated, Arnold!"
"It's a pyramid!"
"But what kind of pyramid?" Wanda flumped down on Arnold's bed. "Is it a square pyramid? Triangular? Is it a pyramid pyramid?"
Arnold's face contorted in confusion. "It's a 2 dimensional image-"
"Then how can it be a pyramid?" Wanda cried.
"I-" Arnold paused. "Huh."
Wanda threw her assignment to the side. "Can I be honest, Arn?"
"You always are. Even when it hurts."
"I didn't come here to talk economics," Wanda confessed.
Arnold relaxed. "So you do understand the social class pyramid?"
"No, I just don't give a shit."
Arnold sat down beside Wanda. "Then why are you here?"
She took a deep breath. "I felt like we needed to talk about the whole Hide-and-Seek thing, just you and me." From underneath the bed, Phoebe rolled her eyes. Of course Wanda wanted to have this conversation right now.
"Wanda, I've moved past that whole thing," Arnold replied in concern. "I'd rather just leave it in the past."
"But I almost kissed you!" Wanda leapt up. "Did that mean something?" Phoebe began to wonder, if there was a God, why he delighted in tormenting her so much.
Arnold grew thoughtful for a while. "Maybe…" Phoebe's mouth fell open. "I think it meant that we were both scared."
Wanda scoffed. "I don't get scared."
"We were scared of being in relationships," Arnold elaborated. "You with Ralphie, me with Phoebe."
Wanda's eyes widened. "You were scared?"
Arnold nodded. "Sure. I was only 15; how could I know if I was ready for a serious relationship?"
Wanda nodded. "Sounds familiar…"
"We weren't going to kiss because of some 3rd grade crush. We wanted to test our own relationships, try to figure out how much they mattered to us."
"Did Phoebe matter?" Wanda asked, surprisingly serious.
Arnold smiled softly. "Yes, she mattered."
"And I ruined it." Wanda's shoulders fell. "I'm so sorry."
"You have nothing to apologize for." Arnold glanced down at the bed. "Believe me."
December 20, 2013
Walkerville Hospital
7:41 P.M.
Uncomfortably, Ralphie drummed on the arm of the chair. DA shot him a glare, and he immediately stopped.
The past hour had passed by even more slowly than the car ride. DA had been snapping at him constantly ever since they'd arrived at the hospital, so Ralphie had been resigned to sitting motionless. He sighed.
"Do you have to be so loud?" DA whispered harshly.
"Sorry…" He toed the floor. "Why are you being so mean?"
DA looked aghast. "I'm not being mean-"
"You just yelled at me for breathing!"
DA hushed the boy. "I'm just trying to be respectful. There are people here having the worst days of their lives."
Ralphie frowned. "You know, not everyone at a hospital is miserable."
"They're dying, Ralphie; even if they act fine, they're terrified."
"Or maybe you're terrified," Ralphie murmured thoughtfully. "Are you scared of dying?"
"Of course I am!" DA replied immediately. "Life is predictable, researched, understood; death is…"
Ralphie placed his hand on DA's. "There's someone I think you should meet."
December 20, 2013
James' House
7:15 P.M.
"Let's start simple." Keesha skimmed through the list of questions she had prepared in advance. "What's your full name?"
"Carlos Antonio Ramon."
Keesha smirked. "Antonio?"
"Is there a problem?" Carlos raised a brow.
Keesha shook her head. "No problem. Just never heard your middle name before." Carlos shrugged, and Keesha looked back to the list. "Well… How long have you been playing soccer?"
"Most of my life…" Carlos thought about the question. "I think I started in kindergarten."
"And what do you do in your free time?"
"You know the answer to that one." Keesha simply stared at Carlos, and with a groan, he continued. "I hang out with my friends, obviously. I play video games, study for school… All that stuff."
Keesha nodded while jotting down some notes. "Great. What do you consider the most important moment in your life?"
Carlos was silent for a long time. Keesha nearly considered repeating the question just to make sure he heard it when he started answering. "When I was 5, my mom and brother were in a serious car accident."
Keesha tensed. "You don't have to talk about that Carlos-"
"My mom was fine," Carlos continue, disregarding Keesha's comment, "but my brother was paralyzed from the waist down. My parents were distraught, and my mom was furious at herself. But one night, when my parents were crying in the living room, I walked down the stairs… I made some dumb joke. And they laughed—harder then I'd ever seen them laugh. And I realized that I could make people happy." Carlos eyed Keesha for a second. "I guess that's why I work so hard at soccer, and why I make so many jokes and goof off so often… I just want everyone to be happy." He sighed. "I'm sorry I made you so angry; I just wanted you to enjoy the party."
Keesha put down her notepad. "Carlos… You do a great job making people happy."
Carlos looked surprised. "You think?"
She nodded. "But, if you're always cheering other people up, whose around to cheer you up?"
"What do you mean?"
Slowly, Keesha stood up and offered a hand to Carlos. "Let's go enjoy the party."
Carlos gave a small smile. "You want to party?"
She shrugged at the comment. "I've heard it has a pretty good vibe."
Feeling uplifted, both Keesha and Carlos wandered into the crowd to enjoy the music and the company.
December 30, 2013
Walkerville Hospital
7:52 P.M.
"Dorothy Ann, meet Brandon."
Confused, DA glanced down at the kid in the gurney. He looked to be about 12, and was pale from his toes to his small, bald head. He shot her a smile. "Nice to meet you," he greeted, voice hoarse.
Dorothy Ann nodded, but no words come to her mouth. Ralphie turned to Brandon. "Dude, how about that rematch you owe me?"
Brandon giggled. "You're on!"
"What rematch?" DA frowned.
Ralphie and Brandon exchanged a knowing look. "Watch this," Ralphie exclaimed. He rushed to the counter on the other end of the room and set up a small, plastic cup. He then grabbed a bag of cotton balls and two tongue depressors and returned to Brandon. Brandon grabbed a depressor and balanced a cotton ball on the end of it. Then, pulling down the back end, he catapulted the cotton ball through the air, landing it just an inch short of the cup.
"Shoot," Brandon cursed. "I'm out of practice."
"What, the nurses won't play cotton ball-basketball with you?" Lining up a shot, Ralphie launched his own cotton ball into the air. This one landed right in the cup. "Tell them Ralphie says you need some practice." Ralphie glanced up at DA cockily. "I'm kind of a big deal around here."
"As if!" Brandon laughed, watching Ralphie deflate. "Dr. Tenelli is a big deal—you're a pest!"
"A pest with charm," Ralphie corrected. He turned to DA and held out his tongue depressor. "Take a shot," he encouraged.
DA glanced at Brandon with concern. "Are you sure he's up to this?" she whispered, voice full of concern.
Brandon, unfortunately, heard the comment. "I'm not dead yet, am I?" he smirked.
DA blushed. "I didn't mean to-"
"It's okay," Brandon assured. "Look, I'd rather spend my time enjoying a game of basketball than worrying about where I'll be in a few years."
"Today is a gift," Ralphie concurred. "That's why it's called the present."
Brandon rolled his eyes. "Dude, does all of your wisdom come from cartoons?"
"All of it," Ralphie and Dorothy Ann replied simultaneously. With a confident grin, DA snatched the tongue depressor from Ralphie and shot a cotton ball. It went straight into the cup.
"Nothing but net," she bragged. Enthusiastically, all three began shooting the cotton balls into the cup, all concerns now dropped.
December 30, 2013
Arnold's Bedroom
8:19 P.M.
Internally, Arnold was ecstatic when his father arrived home from work early. He was sure Phoebe must be tired of hiding by now, and conversation with Wanda had grown weird. As his father swung the door open, Wanda turned to the redhead.
"Do you think we could ever fall for each other for real, Arn?"
Arnold glanced between the door and Wanda a few times before replying "Nope!" and shoving her out the opening and shutting the door behind her.
Relieved, Phoebe finally reappeared from under the bed. "I'm so grateful that your bed is clean," Phoebe enthused.
Arnold dashed over to the girl and pulled her into a big hug. "I'm so sorry you had to listen to all that."
Phoebe pulled back enough to look Arnold in the eyes. "You have nothing to apologize for. Believe me."
With a grin, Arnold lifted Phoebe in his arms and carried her to his bed. Putting her down gently, he then crawled beside her. "I feel like this whole break up is finally behind us."
Phoebe grabbed Arnold for an intense kiss, and soon all was back to as it should be.
December 20, 2013
Tim's Living Room
8:36 P.M.
Tim had just gotten his sister to sleep when the doorbell rang. Once making sure the child was secure in her bed, Tim tiptoed to the door and opened it softly. "Thanks for coming," he greeted quietly as his guest entered.
With a grin, Janet looked at him. "Seems like you didn't need me after all."
Gesturing for the girl to follow him, Tim led the way to his sister's room, and the two stood in the doorway watching the girl sleep for a few minutes. Janet rested her head on the doorframe. "She's cute, Tim."
Tim nodded. "The cutest."
"What's her name?"
"Andrea. Andrea Jane."
Janet looked back to the infant. "Nice to meet you, Andrea Jane Hudson."
Tim watch Janet taking in her sister and smiled gently. Of all the people he'd texted that night, he was glad she was the one to come.