Friday, September 9th.

When they moved to Santa Monica, Jack's parents bought a brand new color television set. This novelty set Larry, whose family had the same old tv since 1955, into a frenzy, which is how Jack ended up spending his friday night on the couch, watching Charlie's angels alongside his new and only friend.

"So, which one?" Larry asked Jack, ungracefully stuffing pop corns in his mouth with the palm of his hand.

"You first." Jack replied, doing the same.

"Kelly. She's hot, and badass. Did you see her jump on that motorcycle last week?"

"Yeah, that was cool."

"So, which one?"

"Uhm, Jill." Jack lied, opting for the most obvious answer. In truth, his favorite was Sabrina. She was sweet and brainy, but tough when she had to be, with big dark doe-eyes you could get lost in. In many ways, she reminded him of Janet, and he really didn't wanna admit to being so pathetically smitten to the point of pining for a fictional version of his real life crush.

"Oh, yeah, Jill's hot too." Larry replied. "Now, If a girl had Jill's body and Kelly's personality, that would be my ideal woman."

Jack was about to speak again, when their conversation was interrupted suddenly, the sound of keys unlocking the front door making them turn their heads.

"Hey, honey!" Mrs. Tripper entered the living room followed by her husband, who was carrying a gym bag. "Hey, Larry. You kids having fun?"

"Yeah, mom." Jack replied. "How did it go?"

"Why don't you ask your brother?" Mr. Tripper smiled widely.

As if on cue, Lee appeared on the doorstep, carrying a large trophy.

"First place at the all-city-ballroom-dance competition. My baby!" Mrs Tripper proudly kissed her oldest son on the cheek. "Can you believe that?"

"Not me." Jack replied sarcastically.

"Regionals, here we come!" Mr. Tripper exclaimed excitedly.

"So, when's that?" Jack asked.

"Next week, the seventeenth." his mother told him.

"But, that's my birthday."

"Honey, I oughta know when my own son was born." she replied matter-of-factly. "Besides, I thought you would like to have us out of your hair for a day. You could even throw a little birthday party with your school friends."

At this, Lee snickered. He knew all too well Jack had no friends besides Larry.

"I could get some sodas and snacks," Mrs. Tripper continued. "And you could bake one of your cakes, unless you want me to buy one?"

"No, I can do it."

"Anyhow," Mr. Tripper jumped in. "All the way from Fresno, we shouldn't be home later than nine-thirty, ten at most. You kids will have the whole afternoon to yourself."

"That's neat." Larry commented, not too excited.

"An afternoon party?" Larry told Jack once they were alone. "That's social suicide."

"Forget it. I'm not having a party. Who am I even gonna invite beside you?"

Larry thought it over for a second. "Jill, Kelly, and Sabrina?"

Jack could only roll his eyes.

Just like they did every friday night, Janet's parents had gone to their weekly church committee meeting, leaving her alone to babysit her little sister Jenny. The two girls had spent a quiet evening at home, playing scrabble, eating pizza, and watching television, before Jenny retired to bed around nine, and Janet curled up on the couch with a mystery novel. Somewhere along the line, though, she must have fallen asleep, because she was suddenly roused by the sound of branches hitting the living room window. Sleepily, she wiped some drool off her face and put her book down on the coffee table, before getting up to check out the weather outside. To her surprise, though, she opened the curtains to find a perfectly clear sky, with no trace of wind whatsoever. What she found, instead, was a heeled foot precariously dangling off a tree branch, struggling to find support.

"Jenny!" she whisper-yelled after opening the window, looking up at her sister.

"Hi." Jenny awkwardly waved a hand, holding onto the tree with all her might.

"Get down, now!"

"A little help?"

"Alright." Janet conceded, helping Jenny to perch on the windowsill and getting her inside.

"Now, what were you doing hanging from a tree at ..." she looked at her wristwatch. "Midnight???"

"Relax, I was just out with a friend."

"At this hour? With heels and makeup on???" Janet rubbed her sister's rouged cheek. "…You weren't out with a friend, you were out with a boy!"

"What if I was?" Jenny challenged her, crossing her arms. "Not everyone wants to spend every friday night playing board games and going to bed at nine like a grandma."

"You're thirteen!"

"And three quarters."

"You're too young to date. You don't even know the first thing about boys …"

"Look who's talking. You only had one boyfriend and he dumped you." Jenny flipped her long, dark hair behind her back.

"One is enough to know." Janet rubbed her temple, trying to calm down. "… I just can't believe you sneaked out behind my back like that."

"Would you have let me go out if I asked you?"

"Of course not!"

"See? You forced me to do that! What choice did I have?"

"Going to bed?"

"And miss out on the biggest party of the year?"

Janet rolled her eyes. "I know it's hard to believe now, Jenny, but one of these days you'll realize there's more to life than boys and parties."

"Of course you think that ... you're perfect little Janet, aren't you?"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're too proper to ever do anything wild or fun."

"You make me sound like a goody-two-shoes!"

"You are a goody-two-shoes."

"I am not! And I never said I was perfect!" Janet sighed in frustration.

"You don't need to! You're always going around criticizing everyone … Jenny, chew slower. Jenny, clean your room. Jenny, your skirt's too short. Well, I'm not a kid anymore, and you're not mom!"

"You're right. I'm not mom." Janet put her arms on her hips, trying to gain back an air of authority. "I'll go wake her up right now and let her deal with this."

"No, you won't."

"Watch me." Janet said through gritted teeth.

"Think about it. You're gonna get in trouble too if you tell them. They trusted you to watch over me, and you didn't even notice I was gone. Who do you think they're gonna blame?"

As much as she was mad at her sister, she had a point. Her parents would have never forgiven her if they found out she let Jenny out of her sight, and she most likely would have ended up being punished as well.

"Alright … go to bed, but if I ever catch you trying to sneak out again, I'll tell."

"I knew it. You're so predictable." Jenny said, shaking her head.

"Bed, now!" Janet hissed under her breath.

"Fine." Jenny replied, before disappearing up the stairs towards the second floor, leaving Janet confused and unsettled.

Saturday, september 17th

"Come on, open it!" Larry urged Jack, who was holding a hastily wrapped gift in his hands.

In the end, the two friends had decided to spend Jack's birthday together, playing at the arcade all afternoon before going back home for some pizza and handmade cake in front of the tv. It may not have been a big, fancy celebration, but not too shabby either, all things considered.

"Alright, alright!" Jack ripped off the paper excitedly.

"It's not much, mind you, just a silly little thing."

"No worries." Jack replied. He knew about Larry's parents financial situation, so he made a point not to embarrass him or make him feel inferior.

"So, how do you like it?" Larry asked, as Jack opened the gift.

Jack stared at him, mouth agape, unfolding the yellow Beatles t-shirt. "This is exactly like the one I lost the other day. Where did you get it?"

"In the gym's lost and found bin. I thought it was your kind of thing."

"It is my kind of thing, because it's mine!"

"Hey, you're welcome." Larry shrugged, unfazed.

Just then, the phone rang, and Jack got up to answer, while Larry grabbed a slice of pizza from the half empty-carton on the coffee table.

"Hello? … hi, mom …. yeah, It's fine, everybody's having fun … so, how did the competition go? … go figure ….yeah, sure, I'll be fine. No big deal …. yeah, alright, mom, bye. See you tomorrow."

"What was that all about?" Larry asked after Jack hung up the phone.

"My parents got caught in a rainstorm so they're staying at a motel for the night." Jack replied, sitting back next to him on the couch and beginning to munch at his own slice of pizza.

"Alright!" Larry rubbed his hands. "Jack, it's your lucky night."

"Uh?" he asked, mouthful of food.

"We're having a party."

Jack furrowed his brows, cleaning up his mouth with a paper towel. "But, how?"

"Don't worry, just let your friend Larry take care of everything."

"… Alright." Jack conceded. "How do we do this?"

"You got twenty bucks? Oh and some dimes too."

"Yeah. What do you need it for?"

"I'll take care of the alcohol and the people." Larry got up and shrugged his coat on. "You take care of the food and the music."

"Sure."

"It's seven-thirty, so I'll see you back here in … an hour?"

"You got it." Jack replied, taking out his wallet from his jeans back pocket and giving Larry the money.

"Thanks, pal." Larry waved the cash in his hands, dashing out the door at the speed of light.

"Good evening, beautiful people!" Roland Wood waltzed into his living room with a spring in his steps, before grabbing Mrs. Wood and kissing her on the lips. "And hello to my beautiful wife!"

"What's gotten into you?" the woman asked, flabbergasted, but not at all displeased at the sudden display of affection.

"Girls, go get ready!" the man told his daughters, who were lounging on the couch. "I'm taking you all out tonight!"

"Out? Where?" Mrs. Wood asked.

"I won first prize at the work ruffle," Mr. Wood replied, fishing four tickets out the inside of his jacket. "We're seeing Steve Wonder at the Hollywood Bowl! third row!"

Janet, who was a big fan of the musician, jumped up from the couch, unable to contain her excitement. "Oh, my God!"

"Oh, darling, that's wonderful!!" Mrs. Wood kissed her husband on the cheek, before sobering up. "… oh, no, wait, we can't go. The telephone."

"She's right." Jenny echoed. "The phone's broken and the repairman's coming tonight."

"All of us? It only takes one person to open the door." Janet said, not wanting to miss the concert for anything in the world.

"You're right, Janet." Mr. Wood told her. "You can take care of it."

"Yes, you can always count on Janet." Mrs. Wood agreed.

"But, why can't you stay, dad?"

"I'm not letting you girls go out alone at night. And surely, we can't leave Jenny home alone, now, can we?"

"What about mom?"

"Janet, don't you think she deserves a little fun after all she does for us?"

"Yes." Janet replied meekly, rubbing her foot on the carpeted floor.

"Don't worry, Janet, we'll bring you back a t-shirt." Jenny said.

"You don't mind, do you darling?" Mrs. Wood asked Janet.

"Mind? She loves doing things like this. Good old reliable Janet." Mr. Wood smiled at his daughter, pinching her cheek. "Now, Ruth, Jenny, let's go get ready or we'll be late!"

"Good old reliable Janet?" the girl pondered out loud, once everyone had gone upstairs.

Is that who she was? a dull, boring, pushover? Truth be told, she was getting tired of being taken for granted, getting the short end of the stick while her sister always got away with everything on account of being the baby of the family … well, enough of that. After all, why should she sit on the couch the whole night, while the others where out there having fun?? She would go out tonight, she resolved, everybody be damned. She was young, pretty, with a lively personality … she could have as much fun as anyone else, if not more. She only had to figure out how … after letting the phone repairman in, of course. She wasn't completely irresponsible, after all.

"Larry, how did you get all these people here???" Jack asked, mouth agape, as he watched a hoard of high schoolers walk past the porch into his house.

"I got my ways." Larry replied smugly, and Jack raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"… Alright, I told everyone there was a party at Lee Tripper's house."

"He's not even here!"

"Don't worry, there's so many people nobody will notice. Besides, this is his house ... I never said he was gonna be in it."

"Alright. Let's bring the drinks inside." Jack pointed to the cases of beer and large jug filled with punch on the ground.

Once they were in the kitchen, Larry began putting the bottles inside an ice cooler, while Jack poured the punch into a bowl.

"God!" he reacted, as soon as the pungent smell hit his nostrils. "What did you put in there?"

"I call it the Larry blaster. It's a secret recipe."

"And it should stay that way." Jack commented, handing the bowl to Larry. "Put this on the dining room table, I'll finish here."

The repairman, whose nametag read Roy, smiled up at Janet as he reattached the cord to the electric socket. "All fixed, young lady."

He didn't even have time to finish his sentence, when the phone started to ring.

"Looks like it." Janet commented with a laugh, then payed the man his fee and quickly sent him away with a thank you.

"Hello?" she finally picked up the receiver.

"Janet!" Terri's voice echoed from the other side of the line. "Where were you??? I've been trying to call you for the past half hour."

"The phone was broken. What's up?"

"Are your parents home?"

"Ugh, don't even get me started." Janet sighed, preparing herself for the beginning of an epic rant. "They've gone to see Stevie Wonder with Jenny! Stevie Wonder! And they left me home alone to wait f-"

"Nevermind. You'll tell me the whole story later. I'm going to a birthday party tonight."

"Whose?"

"I don't know. Some guy in our school. I heard it from Cindy who heard it from Linda who heard it from her boyfriend. So, are you in?"

"You know what?" Janet pondered for a second "I am."

"Great! I'm picking up Cindy and then I'll swing by your place in … twenty minutes?"

"Deal."

Janet, Terri, and Cindy were fashionably late to the party, but if anyone noticed, they didn't seem to care. The house was more crowded than an airport on Christmas, with people coming and going all over the place.

"Well, hello ladies." Larry popped out seemingly out of nowhere, startling the trio.

"Oh, it's you." Terri rolled her eyes.

"Consider me your host for tonight." Larry patted his chest proudly. "If you ever need anything, I will be at your disposal any time."

"So, Is this your house?" Cindy asked, looking around the foyer.

"No, it's Jack's. You know, the new kid from Angelino's class?"

"Oh, the one who's in love with Janet." Terri replied with a smirk.

"Terri!" Janet admonished her with an embarrassed look on her face. "He's not – you know what? Never mind. I'm gonna go get a drink. Cindy, wanna come with?"

"Yeah, sure." the girl followed Janet, and they headed arm in arm over to the dining room.

"Alone at last." Larry smiled mischievously at Terri. "So, tell me, Terri, is there anything I can help ypu with tonight?"

"Actually, there is." she replied in a teasing manner, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, yeah?" Larry stepped closer, anticipating some heavy flirtation.

"Yeah." Terri breathed out. "… I need to pee. Where's the bathroom?"

"Upper floor, second one on the left." Larry replied, dejected, his ego shrunken by a size or two.

"Ugh, this is disgusting." Cindy scrunched her nose, sipping on the punch.

"Yeah," Janet agreed. "… Pour me another one."

As Cindy did just that, Terri came back from the bathroom, joining them at the table.

"Janet, just so you know, I just saw Peter Van Horn-y by the stairs with his latest victim." she said, using the nickname she usually reserved for the creep. "So be on the lookout."

"Terri, I told you, it's alright." Janet reassured her. "It's not like I never see him in school anyway."

"Sure, but just in case." Terri reached for Janet's neckline and lowered it. "Just to give him something to miss."

"I don't want him to miss me." Janet fixed her dress, then took another sip of the punch from hell. "I don't want him, period."

"Suit yourself." Terri shrugged.

Jack was just coming out of the kitchen with more snacks, when he spotted Janet by the dining room table, chatting with her friends. She was wearing a peasant blouse and a tan skirt with a belt at her waist, and he couldn't help but notice her slim legs. She always wore pants at school, and thank God for that, he thought, or he would have failed all his classes.

"You alive, Jack?" Larry snapped him out of his trance.

"Yeah, I'm just … would you mind getting these on the coffee table?" Jack distractedly handed him a bowl of pretzels.

"Oh, I see ..." Larry gazed in the girls' direction. "Go, tiger. I hope you are luckier than I was."

"Thanks, pal." Jack replied, raising up the collar of his dress shirt before heading towards his target.

He was already halfway through the room and gaining speed, when he collided with a busty blonde in a tight blouse.

"Hurt me." he mumbled, finding himself almost nose to nose with the beautiful girl.

"Hi. You're Larry's new friend, right?" she asked in a sultry voice, not moving an inch.

"Yeah." he replied, moving his head laterally to gaze at the drinks table.

"I'm Gretchen."

"I'm Jack."

"So, Jack, what do you say we go somewhere cozy and get to know each other?" she asked, running a hand up his shoulder.

"Oh, boy." he sighed, feeling her move up higher to his hair and gently caressing his scalp. " … believe me, I would loooove to get to know you better, another time, but I got something to attend to ..."

He grasped the girl's hand, struggling to untangle her greedy paws from him. "Please, I gotta -"

"... Ugh, forget it!" she pouted, then crossed her arms and stormed away in a huff.

When Jack finally reached the dining room table, there was no trace of the girls anymore, just a few drunk jocks engaging in a pretend fistfight.

So much for being a tiger. He felt more and more like a lost kitten by the minute.

The next couple of hours kept Jack busy, between breaking out fights and making sure nobody damaged the interior of his house, cleaning up spills, and preventing an eager couple from consummating right on his parents bed. The fact was, everybody always talked about how fun parties were, but nobody ever mentioned how exhausting it was to be on the other side.

In that particular moment, he was cleaning off a condensation ring from a wooden chest, when he noticed the majority of the guests had swarmed in the other room.

"What's going on over there?" he asked a kid who just happened to pass by.

"There's a drunk girl stripping in the living room!"

"What???" Jack's eyes widened, not sure if he was more worried or titillated. He had to see this for himself.

When he entered the living room, a large group was gathered around the big table, shouting and howling as a brunette struggled to remove her belt.

"That's not a girl," Jack whispered as he got closer and her face came into focus. "That's Janet!"

As he said that, the belt finally came off and hit him face first. "Ow!"

"Who's a goody two shoes now????" she shouted, beginning to unbutton the front of her top.

"Janet, stop!" Terri was yelling, trying to reach for her legs to no avail.

"Let her be!" Larry laughed, looking forward to the peep show.

"Shut up, Larry!" Cindy turned around to face him in an unusual display of temper.

"You wanna have fun??" Janet giggled, already a couple buttons undone. "I'm gonna give you some fun!"

She was dangerously close to exposing her lingerie, when she started losing her balance, wobbling back and forth on her heels.

Cindy and Terri shrieked in terror as they watched her slip and fall backwards into the crowd.

"Hey." Jack told Janet, after catching her in his arms bridal style. "Are you alright?"

"Hi." she replied, a little dazed. "You're awful cute. What's your name?"

"Wow, you're really out of it. Let's get you out of here." he carried her away while a chorus of disappointed people booed.

Once they were in the kitchen, he gently rested her on two chairs with her legs propped up. "There you go."

"Don't leave me!" Janet held onto him, pulling at his clothes as she tried to drag him down.

"Whoa, Janet!" Jack squirmed in her arms, trying to get out. "You're drunk, Come on."

"Party pooper." she mumbled, as he removed himself from her.

"Now, I'm gonna make you some black coffee and then we'll get you home, alright?" he told her.

"I don't wanna go home, I wanna have fun!" she whined, trying to sit up but realizing she was too dizzy to actually do that.

"You had enough fun for tonight." Jack opened the cabinet to get the coffee mix out. "There will be other parties."

"You!" Terri burst into the kitchen, startling Jack and almost making him drop the pot in his hands. "This is all your fault!"

"Mine?" he pointed to himself, confused.

"Yeah," Cindy said. "You and your lethal punch. What did you put in there? She only had four and she's drunk as a skunk!"

"I don't know." Jack shrugged. "Larry brought it here."

"Of course." Terri rolled her eyes, before kneeling down to face Janet. "How are you feeling, honey?"

"A little woozy." the girl bobbed her head left and right.

"You'll feel better soon, I promise." Terri caressed her hair.

"Stay with her, will you?" Jack told the girls after putting the pot on the stove. "I'm gonna get rid of the party out there."

"Alright!" he yelled, standing on top of the coffee table so everyone could hear. "Party's over! You have ten minutes to leave. Thank you for coming."

Despite some complaints, people started to disperse, some getting out right away, while some continued mingling in the hallway, waiting for friends and significant others. Only Larry stayed behind to clean after the mess.

"Hey dude!" an intoxicated jock, who clearly could handle alcohol better than Janet, addressed Jack. "Best party ever! Whoooa!"

"Thanks."

"Hey … " the boy said, realization dawning on him. "You're Lee's little brother!"

"I am."

"Come here, string bean!" the guy dragged him into an embrace and gave him a noogie. "You know what?"

"What?" Jack said, barely breathing.

"I don't care what they say about you, you're alright in my book!"

"Yeah?" he didn't bother asking what they were saying about him. He was afraid to know.

"Yeah. We gotta do this again one of these days." The boy finally let him breathe, then staggered away with Gretchen by his arm.

"How you doing?" Jack asked Janet, returning to the kitchen.

"The room stopped spinning." the girl replied, sipping on her cup of coffee.

"That's a good sign. Say, It's getting kind of late, you girls probably wanna go home." Jack said, gazing at his driveway, but realizing there were no cars in sight across the street. "Where did you park?"

"We didn't." Cindy told him." We took the bus."

"Alright, that's it." Jack told them with resolve. "I'm driving you home."

"You don't have to." Janet waved a hand. "We can call someone to pick us up."

"No, I insist. After all, I am the man of the house," Jack proudly tapped his chest with both hands. "And this is partly my fault."

"You're wrong." Terri replied. "This is completely your fault."

"Very funny." Jack shot back, not too amused. "But seriously, finish your coffees. I'll be back in a few and then we'll leave."

"That Jack." Terri shook her head once he was out of the room. "What a character."

"He's kinda nice, though." Cindy said.

"He is, isn't he?" Janet commented, suppressing a smile as she drank.

"Thanks for the ride, Jack." Terri said, as the boy stopped in front of the row of houses where she and Cindy lived next door to each other.

"And for the cake." Cindy echoed her friend, holding up the aluminum container he had given the girls before they left.

"No worries."

"Oh, and Janet." Terri leaned close to her friend who was sitting in the passenger seat. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Get out of here, you two!" she giggled, giving Terri a playful push.

"Alright, alright. I can take a hint!" Terri winked at her, getting out of the vehicle alongside Cindy.

"That girl … " Jack thought out loud after he began driving again. "She's a little nutty, isn't she?"

"That's funny, she said the same thing about you." Janet replied, sliding further down the seat to get comfortable.

"You girls talk about me?" Jack turned around to face Janet.

"Of course." she replied. "We talk about all the boys in the school. We have a rating system and everything."

"Really?" Jack raised an eyebrow. "How do I rank?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Janet smiled mischievously, and an awkward silence fell in the vehicle.

"So, listen … " Jack spoke up. "I've been meaning to talk to you all week. I just wanted to apologize for what happened in the library. I didn't mean to offend you."

"I know. I'm the one who's sorry. I was mad about … " Janet hesitated for a second . "... other stuff, but the point is, I took it out on you, and I shouldn't have. You were actually kind of sweet."

"Oh."

"… But I still can't go out with you. You're a really nice guy, and I would love to be your friend, but I'm not ready to be more with anybody."

"... I see. Of course, we can be friends." Jack replied, shrugging in an exaggerated manner like he always did when he lied.

"Good." Janet smiled at him, before spotting her house. "Oh, this is me. Stop right there by the dumpsters, I don't want my parents to see your car pulling up the road."

Jack did as instructed, and parked the car. "So, I guess we'll see each other in school?"

"I guess we will. Thanks for everything." Janet told him, then unlocked the door and stepped on the sidewalk.

Jack was just about to start the engine again, when her heard her tapping on the passenger window.

"What?" he rolled it down, and she leaned into it.

"I forgot to wish you a happy birthday." she smiled down at him.

"Thanks." he replied, feeling himself blush a little.

"Alright. Bye, Jack."

"Bye." He rolled the window back up, and as he did that, he saw her blowing him an air kiss and wave before walking away once more. Boy, he was down bad for this girl.

"Well, well, well. Look who the cat dragged in." Jenny appeared seemingly out of nowhere as Janet entered her bedroom, startling her back into full sobriety.

"God, Jenny!" Janet whispered, putting hand over her heart. "You scared the dickens out of me. What are you doing in my room at this hour?"

"I was waiting for you. I came here to apologize about the other day, and you weren't in your bed. I was worried … it's not like you to disappear like that."

"Now you know what that feels like."

"So, where did you go?"

"To a party, and I made a fool out of myself. Are you happy?"

Jenny grinned. "Very."

"… I thought you were here to apologize?" Janet went to her closet and started changing into her jersey pajamas.

"Alright. I guess I was a little mean to you last week. But, Janet, you have no idea how hard it is being the little sister."

"Tsk." Janet scoffed. "You call being the favorite hard?"

"I'm not the favorite. You are."

"No, I'm not."

"Come on! you're the perfect little angel and everybody loves you, and I'm just the little kid who never does anything right."

"Yeah, but you were the one who got to the concert tonight. I was old reliable Janet, stay at home daughter." Janet said. "... It's not easy being the responsible one, you know?"

"If it's any consolation, the seats were lousy ... we were in front of a pillar, and we barely saw anything. No wonder they were giving the tickets away."

"It is, a little." Janet replied. " … I'm sorry I yelled at you, too. I was really hurt you snuck behind my back, you know? I want you to be able to trust me."

"And I wanna be able to trust you."

"So, what do you say we sit down on my bed and you tell me about this boyfriend of yours?" Janet suggested as a peace offering.

"He's not my boyfriend!" Jenny rolled her eyes.

"Alright, your 'special friend'." Janet teased.

Jenny scrunched her nose, before sitting with her back on the headboard alongside her sister. "I'll tell you about David, if you tell me about the party … and the guy who drove you home."

"How -?"

"I saw you from the window."

"... Alright." Janet conceded. "So, David, uh?"

Jenny blushed as she recounted the tale of how she first met David at the ice cream shop, and Janet couldn't help but feeling a pang of sadness. Her little sister was not so little anymore, and next year she would be going off to college, leaving her alone to fend off against the world. Their fight seemed so stupid in that moment, when they had so little time left together. She vowed to never waste another precious minute arguing with her, and snuggled closer as she continued talking.

"Hey, Lar, I'm back!" Jack called his friend as he got into his house, but received no reply.

"Larry?" he called once again, roaming the hallway. "I swear to God, if you left me to clean up this mess to go off with some girl I – "

Jack stopped in his tracks at the sight in front of him. His parents were sitting on the living room couch, scowls on their faces and arms crossed, with Lee and Larry sitting on either side of them.

"Hi, mom. Dad." Jack gulped. "What are you doing home?"

"Turns out we were not the only ones looking for a room." Mrs. Tripper explained. "The motel was overbooked, so we decided to wait out in the lobby for the storm to clear until it was safe to drive again."

"Now, what happened to this house?" Mr. Tripper asked.

"I threw a little party. Like you told me to?"

"You call this a little party?" the man flailed his arms around. "It looks like Woodstock!"

"Somebody threw up in grandmother's vase." Mrs. Tripper said through thinned lips. "And don't even get me started with the bathroom."

"I'm sorry. I swear, we were gonna clean it all up."

"That is not the point." Mr. Tripper said, standing up. "Junior, we are very disappointed in you. Now, Larry, I'm gonna drive you home and have a talk with your parents."

"No, please!" Larry begged. "I will do anything. I will clean every inch of this house with a toothbrush, but don't tell them!"

"That was not a question, young man. Let's go."

"Sorry, bud." Larry whispered meekly to Jack as he followed Mr. Tripper.

"Me too." Jack replied, watching them walk away. "… So, what, now, mom?"

"For now, we go to bed. It's already late enough, and we're all tired. " Mrs. Tripper got up, followed by Lee. "Tomorrow, we will discuss punishments with your father, and you will finish cleaning this up, even if it takes you the whole day."

"Yes, ma'am." Jack replied weakly, not looking forward to the day ahead of him.