Another Saturday Night
The four members of the Brotherhood sat around the table. Lance bit his lip, pondering what to do. "You're in charge Lance," Pietro said.
"Just give me a minute, Pietro. This isn't easy. I have to think of all the available options."
"I say go for it! Sure it's a risk but it's worth it!" Pietro told him.
"What do you think Toad?" Lance decided to ask the youngest mutant's opinion.
"Man, I dunno," the younger boy shook his head. "It sounds too risky to me."
"So what's life without a little risk?" snapped Pietro.
"Hey, if he's not careful…" Todd began.
"I know, I know. I could blow it," Lance sighed.
"I'd like to say something if I might."
"Must you Freddy?" Pietro groaned.
"Shut up Pietro. Go ahead Fred," said Lance.
"Well, if it were me…I'd do it. Or not. No. Yes. Uhhh…"
"Thank you Fred for that helpful advice!" snapped Lance.
"Just make up your mind!" said Pietro.
"Listen Lance," said Todd. "No matter which way you go it's going to be a risk. To be honest, none of us has the right to tell you what to do. But you have to decide soon. Your indecision could cost us time."
"You're right Toad. Okay. I made up my mind. Here's the plan. Pietro I'll sell you Boardwalk and Park Place for two million."
"Two million? That's highway robbery!"
"Take it or leave it."
"How about one million and two of my railroads?"
"Nope. A cool 2 million or nothing."
"Fine! Fine! Here!" Pietro handed over some play money, some of which was from the bank.
"Hey, you can't do that?" Todd protested.
"I'm in charge of the bank, I can take as much money as I want! If those guys in Washington D.C. can do it so can I!"
"Yo Freddy, where you goin'?" Todd asked. "It's your turn man!"
"I'm hungry."
"You're always hungry Blob!" Pietro snapped.
"Yeah, you can eat after your turn which is in a minute or two?" said Todd. "You think you can make it?"
"Uh…" Fred's eyes glazed over with the complexities of the enormous decision he had to make.
"Oh lord we're gonna be here all night!" Todd slapped his head.
"Couldn't you just roll the dice for me?" Fred asked.
"Fine, I'll do it!" Todd sighed. Fred smiled and headed for the kitchen. Todd rolled the dice but did not look at it. He then picked up Fred's horse piece and tapped it on the board up and down, pretending to be moving it. "Oh look, you're on chance." He pretended to read an invisible card. "Ooops, Go to jail for fraud. Do not pass go, give a hundred bucks to each player from your account."
"Aw man. We're out of Cheetos!" Fred moaned from the kitchen.
"There's more in the cupboard." Todd said taking bills from Fred's stash.
"Do I really have to give you guys each a hundred bucks?" Fred asked finding his quarry.
"No, that's Toad's idea of a joke," said Lance. "It's two hundred."
"Hey Toad, I know you're trying to help but I don't wanna cheat. Just give everyone the two hundred. Now where's the pretzels?"
"You got it," Todd shrugged handing out the play money with a smirk.
"We're out of pretzels, Fred," said Lance.
"Ah well, I'll look around in here. If I'm gonna be in jail, might as well make myself comfortable."
"Yeah, you do that," Todd rolled his eyes. "My turn." He rolled the dice. "Yes! One two three four five! Reading Railroad you are mine! Heh Heh!"
"Aw man, I wanted that!" Pietro slapped his forehead.
"Why?" Fred asked from the kitchen "Does it have a dining car?"
"Yeah Blob," Pietro sighed. "It's got a dining car, a piano bar, an arcade, a bowling alley, and a movie theater. Not to mention hundreds of dancing girls. That is why I wanted that. Lucky, lucky Toad."
" And to think, I gave up my Saturday night for this," Lance groaned.
"I thought you were grounded?" asked Todd.
"Technically, but I was gonna sneak out any way."
"Where's the soda?" Fred yelled to them.
"In the fridge, duh!" snapped Pietro. "Why are we playing this game anyway? Why aren't we playing videos and stuff?"
"Don't look at me, it was the Toad's idea!" Lance pointed out.
"Where's the cheese whiz?"
"That's in the fridge too!" Todd shouted at Fred.
"So why did you want to play this game?" asked Lance.
"Well," Todd shifted his eyes. "I never played it before. I just, you know, wanted to. I mean, I was too little to play with my folks before…and nobody else wanted to play anything else but "Toad the Punching Bag" with me. I just thought…"
"Oh lord," Lance groaned. "Family bonding with the Brotherhood. Just great! This is what my life has come to."
"Hey it's not that bad an idea," Pietro defended him. " I mean, it's good practice for when we become multi-billionaires and stuff!"
"When would that be?" Lance asked. "How are we gonna get the money?"
"We'll steal it. How else?"
"Hey what's this green stuff?" Fred asked.
"What green stuff?" asked Todd.
"This green stuff in the back of the fridge. In some kinda blue container."
"Got me," shrugged Todd.
"It's either very new cheese or very old meat," said Lance.
"Could be a sandwich," suggested Todd.
"Tastes' pretty good. Not bad as dip," Fred said. "Hey! Twinkies!"
"Oh god, Blob that is sick yo," Todd grimaced.
"This from the guy who snacks on insects," Pietro snickered.
"Hey, insects are all natural and nutritious," Todd smiled.
Fred lumbered in with a huge collection of assorted snacks in his arms. Something green was smudged on his face. He plopped the entire collection on top of the game, knocking everything over. The others protested.
"Aw man!"
"Got enough stuff there Freddy? I think you missed a crumb back in the kitchen!"
"Aw, just when I was winning!"
"You were not!"
"Were too!"
"Were not!"
"Were too!"
Mystique walked in the room. "Well well, if it isn't Saturday night's meeting of the mindless society. Lance, you're actually here? I expected you to sneak out hours ago. What happened?"
"The Toad wanted to have some quality time," Lance snickered.
"Well, as thrilled as I am that you all are not out destroying the town, I have real work to do. I left a new bacteria sample in the fridge. If this works, we may have a new weapon against the X-Men. It's in a blue container. Anyone seen it?"
Everyone looked at Fred. "What?" He asked with blank look.
Mystique put her head in her hands and groaned. "Not again! Boys you know the drill!"
"Okay, I'll get the stomach pump," Todd got up.
"I got the number for the emergency room on speed dial," said Pietro.
"Just once, Just once I'd like a week to go by without having this happen!" Mystique wailed.
"Well you're the one who leaves that kind a stuff in the fridge," said Todd. "Shouldn't you like, know better by now?"
"Shut up and hand me the stomach pump."
I own nothing. The characters all belong to Marvel. This is just a strange idea I had one night and had nothing better to do. As if you couldn't tell!