"What time is dad getting back with Gordon?" Virgil asks in between mouthfuls of pizza, there are strings of cheese dripping from his chin, which he tries to catch with the hand that is not holding the slice.
"No idea" Scott replies with a shrug, "I just hope Gordon remembers that he is supposed to meet him at the office after training. Seeing as this is his last night of freedom before he gets grounded for the glue trick"
"Dad is never going to ground him" Virgil replies laughing, I would bet twenty bucks on him getting nothing worse than detention, and besides it would be cruel to punish him"
"You are the reason he is such a brat!" Scott declares with a laugh. "He could accidentally kill you, and you'd turn up as a ghost and defend him at the trial!"
"He izzad wrog" John says.
"He what?" Alan asks giggling having escaped from solitary to join the pizza party.
"You heard me" John replies grumpily. He has been staring the slice of pizza on his plate for fifteen minutes and has no intention of eating it, as he has no appetite or energy. His nose is stuffy and sore and he can't wait until he can leave the table and go back to bed, but there is a cat asleep on his feet so he knows that moving is not going to be a possibility!
Scott is about to interpret John's cold-speak when his phone starts to ring. Swiping his finger across the screen, his father appears on the hologram looking concerned. "Hey dad"
"Is Gordon with you?" Jeff blurts out, his voice is panicky.
"No, he was supposed to be meeting you and going to get those new trainers you have been promising him" Scott replies. "Are you sure he isn't there?"
"Yes I am sure, and I have tried calling him, but there is no answer. His phone is going to voicemail."
Scott's heart is pounding against his ribcage, he can feel the heavy hammering as bile rising up in his throat. "Oh god, not again" he thinks desperately.
"Don't worry dad, we will find him" Virgil reassures him, jumping up from the table and running for the stairs for a hoodie and his shoes so he can help with the search. Crashing through the door, he stops suddenly when he spots the gently snoring lump in the bed against the window.
"GORDON?!" He calls in surprise causing his brother to startle awake.
Virgil grabs him by the shoulders and roughly pulls him off the bed and onto his feet. "What are you doing here?"
"Huh?" Gordon replies confused; he lives here?!
"You were meant to go and meet dad in town remember, he was going to get you those new trainers you have been begging for" Virgil reminds him.
"No, that was tomorrow." Gordon replies, struggling out of Virgil's grasp, "Look" he tells him, leading him down the stairs to the kitchen where his brothers and Grandma all look at him in surprise and over to the wall calendar above the table. "See! Tuesday. Today is Monday" He says pointing to the date.
Alan joins them at the wall. "Yep Tuesday" Alan confirms. "Why didn't you go and pick him up Scott, is it because you got drunk?"
Scott starts to sink as low into his chair that he can go without sliding to the floor.
"WHAT?" Jeff thunders from his spot on the table. "Scott? You were drinking?"
"I had one glass of wine" Scott replies.
"One glass too many Scott. Room. Now" Jeff demands angrily. "I am on my way home. All of you get your homework done and get to bed, apart from you Gordon, I want a word"
Scott flees the room, followed by Virgil, John and Alan all determined to escape their father's anger.
"What happened Gords?" Jeff asks. "Are you okay? How did you get home?"
"I finished training, and no one was there to meet me. Dad you promised me that you wouldn't forget me. You promised" Gordon's eyes fill with tears.
"Gords I'm sorry, you're right we should have checked on the plans this morning. But please tell me, how did you get home?" Jeff repeats.
"Mr Morgan gave me a lift" Gordon confirms. "Then I got here and no one even noticed me come on and no one cared that I wasn't home"
"As long as you are safe, I will be home soon and we can talk about it and make sure it doesn't happen again" Jeff says.
"Can you bring me a burger, I am starving" Gordon replies, "The greedy pigs you call my brothers ate all of the pizza!"
"Sure" Jeff smiles. Happy to know that his son is safe.
*TB*
Scott can not believe that he got it so wrong. How did they mess this up? How did he think that it was tonight? Vowing never to drink again, Scott sits down at his desk and opens up his laptop and makes a start on his homework. If he is about to get grounded then he can at least try and get out of his father's radar.
"Scotty?" Alan says coming into his room. "I'm sorry Scotty, I didn't meant to get you into trouble"
Scott rolls his eyes. Days like today make him wish he were an only child.
"Go away Alan, come back when I have calmed down and before I list you on eBay" Scott tells him, not turning around.
"But Scotty, Daddy said you can't do that remember, Gordon tried!" Alan reminds him.
"OUT!" Scott screams, throwing a cushion at Alan's head, causing him to flee the room in tears.
Scott knows that Alan did not deserve that, and immediately feels guilty. Getting up from the desk he goes to find his youngest brother, who has run downstairs and is tattling on him to Grandma.
Alan is sitting on her lap, crying his eyes out while she strokes his hair. "Th-th-then he s-s-said I was g-g-going on eBay" he wails hysterically.
Scott edges into the room, slowly approaching the sofa. "Allie?" he asks quietly.
"FUCK OFF!" Alan screams back at him angrily.
Despite everything that has just happened, Scott bursts out laughing with shock.
"ALAN!" Grandma admonishes loudly. "Where did you learn language like that?!" she too is trying hard not to laugh.
"Daddy" Alan replies, finally lifting his head from Grandma's shoulder. His cheeks are streaked with tears.
"You know better than to repeat what your daddy says" Grandma tells him sternly.
"Are you g-g-going to tell him?" Alan asks fearfully, hiccupping and rubbing his eyes with his hands as he tries to get his tears to stop falling.
"No, as long as you don't tell him I was mean to you" Scott tells him, sitting down on the sofa next to him and lifting him from Grandma's lap and onto his own.
"That is blackmail" A voice interrupts from the doorway, "and what are you not going to tell me?"
"DADDY" Alan shouts, breaking out of Scott's grip and jumping down from the sofa before running to his father. "Scotty was really mean to me"
"I got that, but what else are you not supposed to tell me?" Jeff says amused.
"Nothing daddy, I didn't do anything wrong" Alan insists.
"Of course you didn't. Scott a word in the kitchen please" Jeff replies, putting Alan back on the floor and walking out of the room, Scott follows him reluctantly.
"Dad, I am sorry. I know how you feel about under aged drinking and I promise you it won't happen again" Scott says, not giving his dad a chance to start shouting at him.
"See that it doesn't. I am very disappointed with you Scott."
"I really am sorry" Scott repeats as he resolutely stares at the floor.
"It's okay Scott, I know you are. Just make sure it doesn't happen again." Jeff briefly places his hand on Scott's shoulder before leaving him alone in the kitchen and going to find Gordon.
*TB*
"Virgil no, not that one. You'll die. See I told you. Give it to me!"
Jeff enters the room to find the two boys sitting on Virgil's bed playing the latest version of Zombie World. He waves the bag of food in front of Gordon's nose to get his attention. Gordon grabs the food with a grin.
"Thanks dad" Gordon says happily as he tears open the paper bag. "Ooh Mozzarella sticks too, you must be feeling guilty!"
Jeff squeezes in between Gordon and Virgil, and grabs a mozzarella stick from the bag.
"HEY!" Gordon squeaks indignantly.
"Sorry Squid, but I am starving too!" Jeff tells him.
"Get your own" Gordon replies with his mouth full.
"I paid for them" Jeff reminds him.
"For me." Gordon says, stuffing another into his mouth.
"Are you okay?" Jeff asks deciding to stop arguing and get to the point.
"Uh-huh" Gordon replies. "But dad, I thought you had all forgotten me and when I got home no one even cared that I was here" he can't help it as tears form in his eyes again.
"I am sorry Squid. We should have checked the arrangements this morning, and your brothers and grandma weren't worried because they thought you were with me. You should have seen their faces when they realised that you weren't." Jeff reassures him.
"Of course we care about you, you're the irritating little worm we all love!" John tells him from the doorway where he, Scott, Alan and Grandma are all standing, listening to the conversation.
"You promise?" Gordon asks, his voice barely above a whisper now.
"We promise" Scott answers and they all run into the room and pull him up from the bed and envelope him into a hug, squashing him into their embrace, keeping him safe and secure for several minutes before he scrambles free.
"Johnny can we go and sort out our project now?" he asks hopefully.
"Sure come on into my room and we will have a look" John tells him leaving the room with Gordon on his heels.
"Project?" Jeff asks before deciding that he doesn't really want to know and turning to Alan.
"So Allie, let's talk about superglue."
Alan gulps. "Th-th-that wasn't m-m-me!" He stammers nervously.
"I am aware, Gordon and Billy framed you, I will sort it out. I have spoken to Mr Morgan and he confirmed that Gordon confessed on the way home. Looks like your big brother is going to spend thanksgiving in his room grounded" Jeff tells him.
"You can't do that. Thanksgiving is family time" Scott interrupts. "He needs to be with us, and our guests"
"Guests?" Jeff asks, as he doesn't remember inviting anyone!
"Scott, that was supposed to be a surprise remember!" Virgil says with a face palm.
Jeff smiles. "I promise that I will act surprised boys, but Gordon is grounded for a week starting next Monday"
Virgil knows that their father would have forgotten all about this by Sunday and that his brother wont actually do any time!
*TB*
Even though he knows that he is innocent and that Mr Morgan and his father know that he is innocent, Alan can't help but feel nervous the following morning as he climbs into the back of his father's car. Virgil and John having gotten a lift with Scott to avoid the awkward journey with their father. Gordon is sitting in the front seat, without a care in the world, he has been in this situation enough times to know that nothing really bad is going to happen!
Jeff doesn't say a word on the drive towards the school, choosing to complete the journey in silence.
Gordon leaps out the car the second Jeff has found a parking spot and tries to make his escape over to his gang.
"GORDON, GET BACK HERE" Jeff shouts finally breaking his silence as he helps Alan out of the car seat.
Gordon maybe an incurable practical joker, but he does have some sense, and he knows that running away from his father is a terrible idea! "Okay, fine. I'm coming" Gordon calls back and follows his dad and youngest brother across the car park and into the main building towards the office and his impending doom!
Mr Morgan is already at his desk waiting for them when Jeff ushers the two boys into the office.
"Mr Tracy, have a seat" Mr Morgan says, pointing to the comfortable squashy arm chair in the middle of two hard plastic chairs provided for Alan and Gordon.
Gordon jumps into the comfortable chair before he has the opportunity to sit.
"Move Squid" Jeff says sternly.
Gordon ignores him, choosing instead to stretch his arms above his head and let out a yawn.
"Sit on him dad!" Alan suggests giggling.
"Okay fine have the good chair" Gordon says getting back up and sitting down on the other plastic chair.
"So Gordon now we are all sitting comfortably, please tell me why you did this" Mr Morgan asks.
"I didn't. Alan did" Gordon replies.
"No, we all know that isn't true." Mr Morgan tells him.
"Okay fine, how many hours of detention do I have" Gordon says rolling his eyes.
"How many hours of detention do you think you deserve?" Jeff asks curiously.
"None, it is not my fault Alan was dumb enough to get caught!" Gordon tells him.
"ALAN DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" Jeff roars losing his temper and causing Alan to jump in shock.
Mr Morgan has heard enough. "I think a two-week pool ban will be sufficient punishment, what about you Jeff?"
"No way. Can you not suspend him or something? Hey, wait Alan doesn't swim" Gordon interrupts.
Jeff nods. "I agree, maybe this will teach you to behave Gordon."
Gordon is disgusted with the way this has turned out, and Alan is going to pay for being stupid enough to get caught!