After being debriefed on what pep rallies were, learning some new slang, and listening to the tales of the previous adventures with the DeLorean Jack and Rose arrived at the courthouse around eight o'clock. Christine and Gary were there along with three of their friends, a tall, Mediterranean looking kid named Ricky De Rossi, and a blonde freshman named Joey Baines, and the Dawson's twelve year cousin Lizzy Calvert.
"Sorry we couldn't get much a crowd." Gary shrugged.
"Wanna get high man?" Joey asked Gary.
"No. My little cousin's here anyway. Jesus Christ man! And with you even the God damn cat burglar could get caught."
"Dude, you're so gonna end up in Juvie." Ricky teased Joey.
"You'll have to excuse little freshman here. He's not really a bad kid. He just strays a bit and *always* gets caught."
"Shut up Chris. And don't call me freshman!" sneered the freshman.
"Okay Freshman." said Lizzy.
"Now you've got the sixth grader calling me freshman!"
Everyone else just laughed.
"Well," said Gary, "it's either that or Jailbird Joey."
"Let's go already." sighed Christine.
"And where are we going?" asked Rose.
"Peabody's lot. It's abandoned now. Crazy old man used to breed pine trees. Went all the way crazy after he claimed a UFO drove through his barn."
***
Peabody's Lot
The group walked through the entrance passed a lone pine tree.
"Alright kids," said Gary, "we got marshmallows, hotdogs, the works. Who wants what? Joe, you brought the matches right?"
"What matches?"
"Dammit Jailbird!" Ricky huffed.
"Sorry."
"Now what?" Lizzy raised an eyebrow.
"Guess we could just eat the marshmallows." Joey sighed.
"You guess." sneered Christine.
"That's what happens when hang out with freshmen." Lizzy commented.
"SIXTH-GRAD-ER." Joey enunciated for her.
"Well, comparatively, Lizzy's a lot cooler than you are." Gary smiled.
"But everybody knows I'm the coolest." said a new voice. Butch Tannen.
Rose and Jack exchanged glances. *Perfect.*
"Screw off Tannen." Gary snapped, "Nobody wants you here."
"So why aren't you rejects at the pep rally?"
"Why aren't you, asshole?" Ricky retorted.
"It's my job to drive around and make sure everybody goes."
"Make sure everybody goes? It's not required, Neanderthal." said Christine.
"I've got a message for your brother." Jack declared.
Everyone turned to him. Neither Jack or Rose had opened their mouths since the courthouse.
"Did you say something to me new kid?" Tannen seemed almost offended.
"I said I've got a message for your brother." Jack glowered. He had a low tolerance for bullies.
"What message?"
"Tell him we know Calvin Klein and we know what he has."
"Huh?" said Tannen.
"We know Calvin Klein. Yeah we do."
"Are you deaf?" Rose elaborated. "He said we know Calvin Klein. And we know what he stole from Dr. Brown. Please tell Biff that if it is not returned immediately there will be serious consequences." Butch laughed. "Do you want me to write it down darlin'?"
A perfect impression of Margaret Brown, Jack thought. He wondered if she ever considered acting as a career.
Everyone looked at the two of the shock. After a silence Gary spoke.
"Piss off Tannen or we'll have Ricky put a pine tree through your skull."
"Fine, but I'll be back in an hour. I better not see you when I get back...oh, wait. I forgot I've got a *from* message Biff." They all raised their eyebrows. "Baines, he says `say hi to your sister for me.'"
"Shoo Tannen!" Christine yelled.
"Call me Dawson! You know you want me!" he winked at Christine.
That was enough to get rid of him. He stomped off.
"Was he talking to you or me?" Gary asked Christine. They all broke out in laughter.
"Where was his usually band of goons?" asked Joey.
"Who knows." said Ricky. "And how do you guys know his brother?" he looked at Jack and Rose.
"We don't really, but we know he broke into Doc Brown's house this morning." said Rose.
"We've got to follow him." Jack whispered to Rose. "if--"
"I know where he lives!" Joey interrupted. He'd overheard them. "He still lives at home with his grandma."
"Loser." Christine laughed.
"Actually all those guys he used to hang with too." Gary added, "what were they're names?"
"Skinhead, 3-D, and Match," said Joey, "the four of them still try and bother my sister and brother-in-law. But they don't do much good. My brother-in-law's a pretty cool guy now. Apparently he was some huge dork in high school. But they're all dorks."
"Jesus, don't any of these guys have normal names." Jack asked.
"Hey, why don't we go bust Tannen?" asked Christine. "Now that our anti-pep rally's essentially ruined."
"Hey, I wouldn't say ruined." Joey defended.
"Listen guys, I don't know if that's such a good idea." Rose said uneasily, "I mean all of us just going in there."
"We're professionals McCoy, don't worry." Gary smiled.
Rose looked at Jack. He shrugged. There wasn't much else they could do. Besides, how much could a little help hurt?
***
The seven of them snuck through town toward the Tannen house.
"That was really cool how you guys stood up to Butch like that." Lizzy said to Rose. "You didn't just tell him off, Gare and Chris do it all the time, but you guys really scared him. I don't know how you did it but you did."
"Well, thanks."
"You guys are the coolest. Can I come live with you?"
"Sorry we couldn't get much a crowd." Gary shrugged.
"Wanna get high man?" Joey asked Gary.
"No. My little cousin's here anyway. Jesus Christ man! And with you even the God damn cat burglar could get caught."
"Dude, you're so gonna end up in Juvie." Ricky teased Joey.
"You'll have to excuse little freshman here. He's not really a bad kid. He just strays a bit and *always* gets caught."
"Shut up Chris. And don't call me freshman!" sneered the freshman.
"Okay Freshman." said Lizzy.
"Now you've got the sixth grader calling me freshman!"
Everyone else just laughed.
"Well," said Gary, "it's either that or Jailbird Joey."
"Let's go already." sighed Christine.
"And where are we going?" asked Rose.
"Peabody's lot. It's abandoned now. Crazy old man used to breed pine trees. Went all the way crazy after he claimed a UFO drove through his barn."
***
Peabody's Lot
The group walked through the entrance passed a lone pine tree.
"Alright kids," said Gary, "we got marshmallows, hotdogs, the works. Who wants what? Joe, you brought the matches right?"
"What matches?"
"Dammit Jailbird!" Ricky huffed.
"Sorry."
"Now what?" Lizzy raised an eyebrow.
"Guess we could just eat the marshmallows." Joey sighed.
"You guess." sneered Christine.
"That's what happens when hang out with freshmen." Lizzy commented.
"SIXTH-GRAD-ER." Joey enunciated for her.
"Well, comparatively, Lizzy's a lot cooler than you are." Gary smiled.
"But everybody knows I'm the coolest." said a new voice. Butch Tannen.
Rose and Jack exchanged glances. *Perfect.*
"Screw off Tannen." Gary snapped, "Nobody wants you here."
"So why aren't you rejects at the pep rally?"
"Why aren't you, asshole?" Ricky retorted.
"It's my job to drive around and make sure everybody goes."
"Make sure everybody goes? It's not required, Neanderthal." said Christine.
"I've got a message for your brother." Jack declared.
Everyone turned to him. Neither Jack or Rose had opened their mouths since the courthouse.
"Did you say something to me new kid?" Tannen seemed almost offended.
"I said I've got a message for your brother." Jack glowered. He had a low tolerance for bullies.
"What message?"
"Tell him we know Calvin Klein and we know what he has."
"Huh?" said Tannen.
"We know Calvin Klein. Yeah we do."
"Are you deaf?" Rose elaborated. "He said we know Calvin Klein. And we know what he stole from Dr. Brown. Please tell Biff that if it is not returned immediately there will be serious consequences." Butch laughed. "Do you want me to write it down darlin'?"
A perfect impression of Margaret Brown, Jack thought. He wondered if she ever considered acting as a career.
Everyone looked at the two of the shock. After a silence Gary spoke.
"Piss off Tannen or we'll have Ricky put a pine tree through your skull."
"Fine, but I'll be back in an hour. I better not see you when I get back...oh, wait. I forgot I've got a *from* message Biff." They all raised their eyebrows. "Baines, he says `say hi to your sister for me.'"
"Shoo Tannen!" Christine yelled.
"Call me Dawson! You know you want me!" he winked at Christine.
That was enough to get rid of him. He stomped off.
"Was he talking to you or me?" Gary asked Christine. They all broke out in laughter.
"Where was his usually band of goons?" asked Joey.
"Who knows." said Ricky. "And how do you guys know his brother?" he looked at Jack and Rose.
"We don't really, but we know he broke into Doc Brown's house this morning." said Rose.
"We've got to follow him." Jack whispered to Rose. "if--"
"I know where he lives!" Joey interrupted. He'd overheard them. "He still lives at home with his grandma."
"Loser." Christine laughed.
"Actually all those guys he used to hang with too." Gary added, "what were they're names?"
"Skinhead, 3-D, and Match," said Joey, "the four of them still try and bother my sister and brother-in-law. But they don't do much good. My brother-in-law's a pretty cool guy now. Apparently he was some huge dork in high school. But they're all dorks."
"Jesus, don't any of these guys have normal names." Jack asked.
"Hey, why don't we go bust Tannen?" asked Christine. "Now that our anti-pep rally's essentially ruined."
"Hey, I wouldn't say ruined." Joey defended.
"Listen guys, I don't know if that's such a good idea." Rose said uneasily, "I mean all of us just going in there."
"We're professionals McCoy, don't worry." Gary smiled.
Rose looked at Jack. He shrugged. There wasn't much else they could do. Besides, how much could a little help hurt?
***
The seven of them snuck through town toward the Tannen house.
"That was really cool how you guys stood up to Butch like that." Lizzy said to Rose. "You didn't just tell him off, Gare and Chris do it all the time, but you guys really scared him. I don't know how you did it but you did."
"Well, thanks."
"You guys are the coolest. Can I come live with you?"