*19*

"Guys, I have two days to get the rest of this stuff done or else my ass is Jack's."

Dutchy grinned, "I don't really think that would be a bad thing."

Actually, neither do I but that wasn't the exact situation I was referring to.

"Dave, would you calm down already," Skittery said. "We've got plans in the works."

"Oh, plans like what?"

"You'll see at dinner."

"How are we gonna get Oscar's flashlight and Kloppman's watch?"

Dutchy and Skittery shrugged. "We're leaving those two tasks to last," Dutchy said. "Oscar hates us and Kloppman is nice but he's sure to rat us out if we tell him just exactly why we need his watch."

I sighed and slumped against the frame of Dutchy's bed, less than two days and not even half the list completed. "Cheer up, Davey," Skittery patted my shoulder. "You hugged ruin and manage to actually walk away from the situation, feel proud of that."

"The girls are up to something," I muttered. "Mis wants me to stop by her dorm on Friday but she won't say why. I've got a feeling it's not something good." Both Dutchy and Skitts refused to meet with eye contact. They know what the girls have in store for me!

"What? What it is?" I cry.

"I dunno," Skittery shrugs. "Mis is weird, didn't we tell you that?"

"No, Specs did."

"Well, somebody did, so you were at lease warned."

"I thought you guys were my friends."

"We are," Dutchy beamed at me. "We love ya, Dave." Now I didn't like that sparkle that was in his eye. "We love and adore you."

"Stop hitting on me!"

He chuckled but winked at me, "Alright, alright, calm down."

"Guys," curly haired Mush popped his head into the room. "Dinners 'bout to be served. Could somebody save me a place?"

Skittery nodded, "Yeah. Why?"

He grinned and pointed out two very dark hickeys on his neck, "Gotta show Shortie I can out do hers."

"Lucky guy," Skittery sighed. "I haven't had a girlfriends since I came here."

"Poor guy," Dutchy patted him on the shoulder. "Need some comforting?"

Skittery scowled at him and marched from the room, Dutchy and I followed closely behind.

"You're actually coming to dinner," I remarked. "Thought you'd be busy with one of your two bed buddies."

"Yeah, well, that would be kinda hard when they're both pissed at me."

I snickered, "Oh? What happen? They asked for a commitment?"

Dutchy shivered, "Ew, God, no. No, I forgot our anniversary."

"Both anniversaries?"

"No," he shook his head simply. "The anniversary of the day we decided that I was both of their boyfriends."

"You all just agreed mutually?"

"Yeah."

"Man, where do you find these people?"

"Dude, look around you, we are in the great hall of the strange, the weird and the complicated of the world."

"It's a wonder they just don't lock us up and throw away the key."

"Dave, they already have."

* * * * *

I truly hate fish. I always have. Not only that, but I feel bad for them. How would you like to just be going along your merry way, get yanked up by your lip and then thrown on somebody's plate. Plus, the smell makes me feel ill. I push my tray as far away as possible my stomach turning several times over.

"Not hungry," Pie Eater asked.

I shook my head, "No. I hate fish."

He nodded, "Yeah. Hey, can I have it then?"

"Yeah. Be my guest."

"They were supposed to serve us pie too," he says through a half full mouth.

"Huh?"

"Pie. We were supposed to get pie for dessert, I was looking forward to that."

"Oh."

"Dude, I love sweets man. Sugar, anything with sugar."

"Aren't you too hyper for sugar?"

He nods and chuckles, "Yeah. Oh! Dude, did you see Sister Henrietta? Shit she is so hot for a nun. Maybe she's not a nun 'cause she wears her skirt so fucking short you can nearly look up her..."

I tuned him out then, mostly because I really didn't have any interest in Sister Henrietta's unmentionables, but also because of what I saw two tables away.

Jake's face was red. Really red. And sort blue too. He looked like he was trying to cough, or puke, but he more looked like a fish out of water. Like the way fishes gasp for breath because they can't breath. Like Jake was now.

"He's choking!" I jump up from my table and race over to where Jake is. Sure enough, he was choking. His eyes were big and his face was getting ever bluer. I hit him in the center of his back a few times, but he continued to change colors. By now a crowd was gathering but I was more focused on Jake. I yanked him up from his seat with more strength than I thought I could muster. I quickly and silently thanked my mother for forcing me to take those CPR classes and proceeded with the Heimlich maneuver.

* * * * *

I wouldn't of called myself a hero, but with all the attention I was getting from the girls, I'd let them say it.

"You saved Jake's life," Magic said rubbing her knee across mine from under the table.

"I just did what anybody would of done." Heroes are suppose to modest, aren't they?

"I wouldn't of had any clue of what to do if I saw him choking," Tiger said. "It was really cool you knew what to do."

"Yeah, yeah I guess it was."

"Jake totally owes you his life," Skylar said. "He would have died if you hadn't of helped him."

"Well, the nurse or somebody would have seen him too I'm sure."

"But not as quick as you did," Queenie said. "He was really turning purple."

"Blue," Dutchy said sliding into the table between two girls. "Dave dorm now."

"Oooo, booty call," Magic teased. "If you have any energy left after you're done, come see me."

"He won't," Queenie said as Dutchy and I parted from the table. "Not with Dutchy he won't."

"Whatta you want," I asked Dutchy. "Did you see how many girls were swarming me?"

"Dave, that counts as hugging Jake ya know. You've got that one checked off the list."

That eerie grin of his began to give me a creepy feeling. "Was this the plan you had in the works," I hissed. "To try and kill Jake?"

"What? No. Skitts and I stole dessert, that was our plan. We're gonna make Pie Eater focus on it and if he doesn't get up and start doing the cancan, he gets the whole thing."

"Oh," I was doubtful for a moment. "Okay."

"C'mon, I've got him, Bumlets, Swifty and Race in the room."

I froze, "Race? Why Race?"

"Because he saw me and Skitts sneaking up here with the pie. He's gonna try to snag a piece if Pie doesn't bite his hand off."

"Davey."

God that voice. That sweet-melt-me-into-a-puddle voice. I turn towards the voice, Dutchy scoffs behind me. Jack is leaning on the railing of the stairwell that goes to the floor below us. He has a scowl on his face but he still stands there cockily.

"Um... yeah?"

He motions towards the stairs with his head, "With me."

I can feel my legs turning into jelly. "Uh, why?"

His scowls deepens, "Just follow me."

God yes, the hell and back.

"You got some of your goons at the bottom waiting to beating the life outta me?"

He's already headed down the stairs, he calls back up to me, "Last chance."

I leave Dutchy in the hall and practically trip down the stairs chasing after Jack.

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Eheheheh. Yes, tis good to leave chapters so abruptly hanging.