Chapter 1
"2 years later"
"Knock, Knock."
A voice came from the entrance to the Brooklyn Lodging house.
Icy Conlon turned around, a smile lighting up her face as she saw who it was.
"David! How ya doin'?" she said, rising. Tall, dark-haired David Jacobs walked over to her, a shy smile across his lips and his sapphire blue eyes sparkling.
"Ok, I guess. I mean, I was doing some business for Jack over here and decided to stop by."
"It's kinda late," Icy said. "I mean, I'm glad ta see ya, really glad, but aren't your parents worried?" She took David's hand and blushed when he laced their fingers together.
"Nah," he said. "I'm staying over at the Manhattan LH tonight, you know, with the guys, and my parents don't care as long as I get 'decent sleep'."
He imitated his mother's voice perfectly on those last two words, and Icy couldn't help but giggle. David glanced around the front room.
"Is your cousin here?"
Icy sighed. Her cousin Spot Conlon had been insufferable all day.
"Yeah, he's in the back room with da othah boys. De're playin' pokah again or somethin'."
"You know, as long as you've been around these boys, picking up on their habits and such, why haven't you ever learned to like poker?" David asked. "It's a great game."
"I don't know, it just seems like a waste of time. T'ink about it, Davey, ya could be doin' so many othah things dat mattah. Oh well," she said resignedly, "You're a guy, an' you'll nevah change. At least not when it comes ta pokah. Go on, go on, I know ya wanna go play," she added, playfully swatting him towards the back room.
David smiled as charmingly as possible and started walking, pulling Icy along with him. Their presence was ignored upon reaching the back room, as the boys there were heavily involved in their game. It seemed to almost be over, which made things that much more intense. A groan of disbelief came from the circle of poker players as one of the boys laid his cards down with a smirk. The handsome ash blonde with the startling blue eyes knew victory was his.
"Read 'em and weep, boys," he said haughtily. David laughed at the boy's expression, as well as those of the others gathered in the room. The winner looked up and his face lit with recognition.
"Heya, Davey-boy, what brings you heah?" he said, rising and walking over to where David and Icy stood.
"Not much, Spot, just bumming around, I guess. Seeing your cousin, doing some stuff for Jack. The usual."
The two spit-shaked.
"Well, c'mon in," Spot said. "We'se is just playin' us a nice, friendly game of pokah. An' I know dat you wanna play."
"Don't mind if I do," David said, smiling broadly.
Icy rolled her eyes.
"Boys. They're horrible," she said to a small pale girl sitting in the room. The girl smiled, showing off a pretty grin that reached her green eyes, and stood.
"Yeah, no kiddin'." She laughed and tossed her waist-long auburn hair. "I mean, when even da educated ones is playin' it, it kinda makes ya wondah, ya know?"
Spot smirked again, as he always did.
"Knock it off, Icy. Just cause you an' Thundah don't have enough sense ta win means nothin' ta us." He laughed as Icy pretended to rush him. "You are so strange, Icy. David, make sure dat ya keep 'er undah control."
The rest of the boys laughed as David took hold of Icy's arm and mockingly said, "Yes, sir! Your wish is my command. Or your command is my wish. Cause there is no way I can keep THIS girl under my control."
"An' dat's da way it should be!" Icy and Thunder chorused.
Icy removed her arm from David's grasp and slipped it around his waist, quickly going up on her toes to give him a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Have fun playing, boys!" she said, turning and leaving as Thunder followed her.
David stared at the door. Spot rolled his eyes and cleared his throat, catching David's attention.
"C'mon, Davey, let's play. Hurry up."
David smiled and walked over to the table. As he sat down, a tall slender boy with white-blond hair, just long enough to sweep over his eyes, whispered, "You've got it bad, huh?"
David glanced down at the cards he had received and shook his head. "Yeah, maybe, but you have it worse than I do, Keaton, and you know it."
Keaton's light blue eyes sparkled. "Yeah, well, for a good reason. Thunder's really something." He breathed out a mock sigh and batted his eyes. David's laugh was interrupted by Spot's voice from the other side of the table.
"Hey, pay attention down theah! We'se is playin'!" David and Keaton laughed and joined the game.
_-_-_-_-_-_
Outside, Icy and Thunder were talking. The general theme of their conversation was one of humorous sarcasm about the boys, and half of their time was spent laughing. After one of their laughing fits, Icy said, "Well, pokah or no pokah, I'm glad dat David is my boyfriend. He's really good ta me, ya know? Not too presumptuous--"
"Whoa, whoa!" Thunder interjected, holding her hands up in front of her face. "Since when did ya start usin' words like dat?" Thunder watched her friend's face as it turned scarlet, then amused.
"Well, I do have an educated boy, an' I guess dat I must be a hidden genius! Ya know dere's nothin' like someone like youseself ta bring out da same qualities!"
Thunder punched Icy's arm.
"Ouch!"
"Ha ha, didn't see it comin', huh?" Thunder teased. Icy rubbed her arm. "Yeah, I guess not. So, uh. how's it goin' wit' Keaton?" she asked about her best friend.
Keaton and Icy had known each other for a long time, and she was glad to see that he not only was making friends with David, but that he had a girl of his own, too. He had been so miserable for the past few months, ever since his girlfriend had walked out on their relationship, and now that he had Thunder, he was back to feeling better. In fact, he was seemingly happier than he had ever been before.
Thunder blushed. "Well, uh, it's goin' pretty good, I guess. Da othah day 'e told me dat 'e loved me."
Icy squealed with delight. "Oh, Thundah, dat's so great! I can assure ya, e's NEVEH said dat ta anyone else before!"
"Really?"
"Yeah, really!" Icy threw her arms around her friend. "I'm so happy for ya! I really am."
"Ya know, Icy, I'm really glad ta heah ya say dat, cause when I foist came 'round heah, I didn't know if ya were gonna like me at all," Thunder confessed.
"Why would ya say dat?"
"Oh, no real reason," Thunder said, playing with her hands. "Just really cause. well. youse is really good friends wit' Keaton, an' I'se liked 'im, evah since I saw 'im, really, an' I thought dat YOU might like 'im. And lots of othah t'ings, cause you have your friends already, an' I just kinda showed up."
"Oh, Thundah, ya shouldn't have worried like dat!" Icy said. "A few months ago, I was mean and everything. I'm sure dat ya hoid about my cousin Benny an' everyt'ing." Thunder nodded as Icy continued. "Well, I was pretty uptight about dat, an' even though I was already wit' David at da time dat you came heah, I was still havin' pretty big trust issues. But you've made a difference in Keaton's life already, an' dat's all I could ask for. Youse is a great friend, an' I really t'ink dat we always will be."
Thunder laughed softly. "Dat's good ta heah."
The two girls sat in silence for awhile, listening to the comforting and familiar noises of the city street. Their reverie was interrupted by David, Keaton, and Spot as the three boys came outside, talking away and just generally acting like guys. The two girls sighed simultaneously and rose.
"Who won?" Thunder asked, slipping over to Keaton and placing her arms around his waist. He kissed the top of her head and said, "Not me, that's for sure."
Icy laughed loudly. "Judgin' from da expression on your face, my deah cousin, you didn't win, eithah!"
Spot just grunted in his annoyingly powerful way, so Icy came up to him and gave him a hug.
"I still love ya, even if ya are a sore loser."
David and Keaton laughed good-naturedly at this, making sure they could be heard by Spot.
"Well, uh, Spot, it's good to know that someone loves you, right? Even if it's only family," Keaton said, nudging David with his elbow.
"Hey!" Spot shouted. "Lots of people love me! Like uh… um. like da boys heah! Yeah! All dere sistah's are in love wit' me!" He seemed genuinely proud of his 'accomplishment.'
David shook his head. "Just keep telling yourself that, Spot, just keep telling yourself." Before Spot could counter that one, David spoke to Icy.
"I've got to get back to Manhattan now, but I'll see you later, ok? Tomorrow's Sunday, so maybe I'll stop by in the afternoon."
"Don't bothah," Icy said. "Just go ta Tibby's an' I'll be dere. I promise." She leaned up to kiss him quickly then gave him a hug. "I'll see ya tomorrow den, ok?"
"Ok," David said, smiling and feeling completely wonderful. Spot rolled his eyes in an extremely exaggerated manner.
"Oh, gag!"
Icy shot him a look and punched his arm, then smiled sweetly at David. David just laughed and walked away, looking back over his shoulder.
"G'night!" he called, then turned his head back around.
Thunder watched David's retreating back. "I really should go, too," she said.
"I'll walk ya home," Keaton said quickly, causing another rolling of the eyes from Spot. Icy took note of that and wrote herself a mental note to address it later.
"I never could undahstand why ya'd want ta live in a goil's LH," she said to Thunder. "I mean, it doesn't sound exciting at all, if ya ask me."
Thunder shrugged. "I dunno, it's not really excitin', but a lot of da time ya get ta see cat fights when all da goils get all noivous an' stuck on demselves. Dey fight ovah da stupidest things, it's kinda amazing how stupid it can get."
"Exactly my point!" Icy said. "I'm so glad dat I'm related ta Spot, cause dat makes it ok for me ta stay heah. Wit' da boys, I mean, I'se known dem all my life, ya know?"
Thunder smiled. "Yeah, I guess so. Well, see ya tomorrow for sellin', ok?"
"Yeah, ok!" Icy answered.
"Hey, you can come ta Tibby's too, if ya want to."
"Sounds great!" Thunder said brightly. "Well, see ya!"
She and Keaton walked off, arms around each other.
Spot threw a disgusted look at the backs of his friends as they walked off. He turned to face Icy, muttered something under his breath about mushy romance garbage, and jerked his head to let her know it was time to get inside.
Icy studied her cousin as they walked back inside the LH, knowing that it might not be the best time to say anything, especially after his losing the last poker game of the night. Loving to tease her only known relative though, she decided to take her chances.
"Spot, why are ya so blasted bittah when it comes ta me an' Davey, an' Keaton an' Thundah, an' basically relationships in general?"
"Cause it seems like an act, dat's why!" Spot said, whirling to face her. The amused expression on his cousin's face did nothing to pacify him. "I just don't t'ink dat it's possible for two 18 year olds ta be in love. An' Keaton an' Thundah are even youngah. An' look what Quicksilvah did ta ya! I dunno. It just doesn't make sense."
Icy's face registered slight pain at the sound of Quicksilver's name, but she recovered quickly, saying, "Since when did ya take the side of bein' rational? Oh, an' by da way, it ain't supposed ta make sense. Just wait till it happens ta you, Spottie-boy. I have a feelin' dat youse is gonna be da mushiest one of us all!"
She dropped a kiss on his cheek.
"G'night!" She skipped up the stairs, leaving Spot glaring at her.