"I wonder if Jimmy and Cindy have said they liked each other yet?" Dani said… leaning against Andy toward the girls, who were playing cards and talking about Cindy and Jimmy.
"I hope so… they're little pranks are starting to get a lil out of hand. Got a two?" Stacey said.
"Go fish. Yea… that last one could have seriously hurt Cindy. I know that wasn't the intentions… he just wants her attention. Have a King?" Shayna asked Dani.
"Darn it!" Dani said handing over her king. "He has her attention, he just doesn't know it. Have a seven?"
"Man! You two must have God on your side! I know, but as smart as he thinks he is, you'd think he'd notice! Got a queen?"
"Man!" Shayna said.
"Yea! I got one!" Stacey said hoping up and throwing her cards all over the place! Andy couldn't help but laugh at Dani and her friends. No matter how long they'd known each other, he still found their hyperness and unpredictability amusing.
"Stace, you're not supposed to let us see your cards!" Dani said laughing so hard she could barely sit up straight. Soon Shayna started laughing and the three of them were in a heap on the floor laughing as if there was no way to stop.
"Ok, so I was trying to watch the movie." Andy joked.
"Sorry sweet… tea anyone?" Dani said. Stacey and Shayna just laughed all the more. "Guy's Andy said to be quiet, this is his favorite part in the movie!" Dani said trying to make them be quiet before they gave anything away.
"So… Andy thinks the whole entire movie is his favorite!" Stacey said. Dani rolled her eyes then grabbed the blanket Andy was using and forced him to share.
"I'm cold too!" she complained.
"Sure…" Stacey said. She had no idea how Andy could believe that one because Dani had just gotten off the floor from being in a group pile of laughter, and that surely was not cold.
"So, Dad was watching Seven Days After, huh? That explains why you 4 have the whole couch to yourselves and Dad and Mom left a note saying they went to the hospital to check on Sandlake's daughter, and to behave ourselves?" Jimmy said 5 minutes later just as Dani was about to fall asleep on Andy's shoulder.
They did? Dani thought tiredly. "He had to leave… so we restarted it for Andy." Dani said yawning.
"And what about you falling asleep on Andy's shoulder, that had to take at least… um an hour, meaning Dad was never watching the tape."
"He's a good friend, and you know when I am tired I fall asleep easily!"
"Whatever sis, but just to let you know, Cindy and I are not going out." Jimmy said, his head dropping just a little, just enough for Dani to tell.
"I never said you were."
"That's what this was all about. Oh, and tip, next time, be a little more creative than the old leave them alone, we're smarter than that you know?"
"Told ya so!" Stacey said triumphantly.
"Stace, who's side are you on?"
"Yours and Andy's."
"Just checking."
"Yea… I'm getting kind of tired." Stacey yawned.
"Me too… I'm going to have to call mom and tell her I'm spending the night. Remember how happy our parents were when they found out that we were all who we said we are?"
"Yea! Wish they could have stayed that way. The whole week they took me seriously if I told them something, now whenever I talk to them on the Internet, well. It's always, 'haven't you outgrown that yet?' Like they can't take me seriously."
"You know, Stace we should finish our book, the parental guidebook, remember?"
"Yup! We made it up to number 20! That was SO much fun!"
"Hello??? You are not the only ones here, Cindy and me are here too you know?"
"Yea… but you two have unresolved issues, so you go figure those out, and we'll go back to watching the movie." Dani said, now sitting up.
"And Jimmy's room would be the ideal place… Goddard might be able to help… but just solve it, ok?" Stacey said. Dani and Shayna gave her a 'what was that about' look. "What? Just a suggestion."
They all went back to watching Seven Days After, even though the girls, besides Dani who'd seen it SO many times before, had no idea what was going on. This being so, it was not long before Shayna and Stacey were on the floor, playing handclap games and laughing hysterically when they messed up. They kept doing this until about five minutes before the movie was over. In which time they decided to turn around and giggle at Dani, who was asleep next to Andy, and Andy, who was about to fall asleep, himself.
"Ok, all Goddard did was keep playing back scenes from the fifth grade where we were nice to each other." Jimmy said reentering the room.
"Yea, like he showed us the Brobot clip, when we were in space, in the dungeon, the party we had in Egypt, and a bunch of other scenes that we lived through!"
"Maybe that in it's self is what Goddard thinks is the deal?" Stacey suggested. "But Dani told me not to let Cindy leave till you've resolved your issues."
"You can't do that!" Cindy said… "Not that I have any issues to resolve."
"Called your mom, told her you were spending the night as my guest. She said to behave, and she'll see you tomorrow, after work, me and Dani are teen-sitting you!"
"Where am I supposed to sleep?" Cindy said.
"Well, Jimmy could give up his bed, or you could sleep downstairs in Dani's bed, since looks like her and 'prince charming' are sleeping there." Stacey said.
"I can't believe your doing this, I have no 'unresolved issues!' Cindy practically yelled. But it didn't matter Jimmy, Shayna, Cindy, and Stacey were the only ones awake to hear.
"Did you hear that?" Shayna said yawning?
"No, what?" Stacey asked.
"When Cindy yelled I heard Andy say, 'Dani, honey quiet those kids.' Then, a little louder, I heard Dani reply, 'In a second sweetie.'"
"Oh… Man, I always miss that type of stuff!" Stacey cried. "And as your sort-of-in-a-weird-kind-of-twisted-way sister I'm telling you to get to bed. And Cindy, your other option is to sleep on Jimmy's floor. Now get to bed, both of ya!"
"Cin, you can have my beds, you are the guest after all." Jimmy said following Stacey's orders, just give me a sec to get into my pajamas, k?"
"Thanks, Jim. But PLEASE don't call me Cin… sounds a lil to… sweet."
"Whatever." Jimmy said. Why do I even bother? Every time I try she blows it off or says something to the effect of be quiet! "I'll call you up in a few."
"K." Why do you do that to yourself? Every time he says something that might just say he likes you, you reject it! "Dani and Andy make a cute couple don't they?"
"Yup, I can think of two other people in our group that would make a cute couple… and it's not me and Ben." Stacey said jokingly.
"Ok, so you know I like him, would you please quit mentioning it? It isn't like I have a quark of a chance!" Cindy said clearly up-set.
"Who's your competition?" Shayna asked.
"Well… no one really, but it's obvious that he doesn't like me."
"Or are you afraid of the exact opposite? Maybe, you're scared cause what you want to happen, just might happen and that scares you."
"Huh." Stacey and Cindy said with confused looks on their faces; even though Cindy knew that Shayna was right.
"I mean, perhaps it's not the fact Jimmy for sure doesn't like her that scares Cindy… perhaps it's that she's sure Jimmy does like her." Shayna explained.
"Why would that scare me? Isn't that what I want to happen?" Cindy asked, even though she knew that was exactly her problem.
"Because, like Dani, you are afraid of the past. Admitting you like him, while knowing he likes you means putting the past behind you, and face the music. Your popularity, your pride will have to be swallowed. And that's scary, I know, but your not in fifth grade anymore, your almost a freshman for goodness sake!" At the mention of her name, Dani wiggled a bit and muttered here as if someone was taking roll. The other girls giggled,
"Yea, but, like you said, I'm sacred." Cindy said.
"You can come on up, hon…k the horn fore you enter though, it… turns off the anti-girl ray!"
"K, be right up!" Cindy screamed up the stairs. "I didn't know he had an anti-girl ray."
"You seriously think he has an anti-girl ray? He has a sister… it's impossible!"
"Yea, I kind of guessed… but still…"
"Cindy, this is your very dreams coming true, do yourself a favor and embrace it, enjoy it! Your dreams don't come true all the time." Shayna said. Then in a vice that only she could hear, "I know mine don't."
Then for some odd reason, Dani whispered, "Don't give up hope Shay." Eyes closed, and clearly still asleep, because if she were awake she wouldn't have allowed herself to be hugging Andy as if he were the teddy-bear she had downstairs on her bed.
"Ok, so that was weird!" Stacey said. "And, you missy, have to be getting to bed!"
"K, and Shayna, can we continue tomorrow, like when Jimmy's not around."
"Sure... but don't put me on Stace's bad side by making you stay up a minute longer, k?"
"Right! Thanks, you're pretty cool for a freshman!" Cindy said.
"Anytime… ok so not literally anytime, because Stace might get mad, but you know! God Bless and God night!"
"Now! Get to bed now, your mother's gonna kill me!"
"Done! I'm going! Right now!" Cindy said running up the stairs and forgetting to honk the horn that Jimmy had said was there. Only when she dived into his bed did she notice that an alarm did not go off.
"You know, I didn't hear an alarm go off?" Cindy mentioned to Jimmy, who was on the floor.
"Must have forgot to set it. Your lucky." And not cause the alarm that doesn't exist decided not to go off either.
"Jimmy thanks, for giving up your bed… it's not that bad." Not bad at all! Smells like… well like Jimmy… but SO did not just seriously think that! I mean what's Jimmy smell like? "Night!"
"Night, Cindy." Jimmy said, and then fell straight to sleep. "I'm gonna marry you one of these days." Cindy heard him mutter before falling asleep. After hearing that, which was rather normal compared to Dani's 'don't give up Shay,' Cindy went straight to sleep; only to end up dreaming about her and Jimmy's wedding.
Early the next morning, around 5:00am, Judy and Hugh got home. They entered through the garage; so they had to creep pass Shayna and Stacey sleeping soundly in the beds downstairs. However going upstairs was a little bit trickier, because they had no idea Dani and Andy were asleep on the couch. "Shhh…" Judy said as soon as she saw Dani's hair hanging off the edge of the couch. Unfortunately she was to late and Hugh had already slammed the door behind them. "Oh, Hugh, look at our little Dani, remember when she was born, then when we saw her again and she was ten! Now she's a big sophomore, almost out of high school! And that nice boy friend of hers, Andy, nice kid." She said, and went to go get a cover for Dani.
"Oh, Hugh, look at them! I'd get my camera but I don't wanna wake them, I mean they're so cute!" Judy cooed when she saw Dani and Andy, lying down asleep on the couch. Dani was now substituting the teddy bear for Andy's arm.
"Yea, I remember what it was like to be fifteen and seventeen," Hugh, said a little to loudly. Judy giggled remembering how she and Hugh met, he seventeen, and she was fifteen.
"Mom, when'd you get home?" Dani asked yawning and rubbing her eyes.
"Just now sweetie, go ahead and go back to sleep."
"Wait!" Dani said realizing the position that Andy and her had literally fallen into. She quietly sat up. "How's Mr. Sandlake's daughter?" Dani asked curiously.
"We'll tell you when we tell the rest, is Cindy still here?"
"I dunno."
"K, well your father and I are going to bed, and I suggest you do too."
"I guess." Dani said resituating herself on the couch. After her parents left she happily fell asleep.