AN: Sorry about the missed update yesterday. To make it up, I'm going to try for two chapters tonight, since I don't have rehearsal anyway. Time for a chapter of general household fun!

                                                                                                                                               

Race

            The sitting room was mostly quiet, with Toby in one room and Blink and Mush having run outside at top speed just a few moments ago. Austin was reading a book and simply tolerating Ace sitting beside him- today Ace was wearing skintight plaid pants and a skintight black and grey shirt, and sparkly eyeshadow. Needless to say, everyone except Skittery was thinking the same thing when he came to breakfast- Oh holy mother of God.

            The room was almost uncomfortably quiet, with Skittery and I sitting on one couch and Austin and Ace on the other. But when Ace put down his magazine and looked over at Austin with a sly smile, I knew something interesting was about to happen.

            "So…Austin…from New York, right?"

            Austin immediately took on his 'high society' air. "Yes."

            "I'll bet there are lots of hot guys there…aren't there?"

            "I wouldn't know, since I obviously don't think of other men like that."

            Ace's eyes lit up. "You know…you really should, cause you…you aren't that bad yourself."

            Austin looked up in a fury. "Why, you little-"

            He was stopped short when Ace looked over at Skittery, who was still calmly reading his magazine as if nothing was going on. Austin groaned and threw down his book, getting up and stomping out of the room.

            Without looking up from his magazine, Skittery said, "Try to contain yourself, Austin. You have a boyfriend back home."

            "No I don't!"

            "Oh, so that was another one night stand?"

            "Isn't everything another one night stand with me?"

            I looked from Skittery, to Ace, and back to Skittery. "So, were you two a one night stand?"

            Skittery finally looked up, wrinkling his nose in disgust, but Ace got to answering before he did.

            "No. I tried hitting on Skittery once at school, and he gave me a broken nose. We got to be friends in in-school suspension for that one." Ace looked over at Skittery and smiled. "He's one of the only straight friends I've got that I can actually stand to be around. He would've been a nice catch, though, if he weren't so damn violent."

            Skittery snorted and devoted his attention to his magazine once again, and I just shook my head. "Ace…really. You need therapy. Lots of it."

            Ace's eyes brightened once again. "Really?! Thanks!"

            Spot suddenly stomped in the room, shaving cream all over him.

            "WHERE ARE THEY??!! I'm going to kill them! I'll kill them both!" he screamed, wiping the shaving cream away from his eyes. I suddenly realized why Blink and Mush had run to the backyard in such a hurry.

            None of us wanted to make Spot mad, so all three of us pointed to the back door. He ran for the backyard, yelling about killing them, their mothers, their fathers, their acquaintances…and so on.  

            I sighed as I heard a few screams and two loud splashes. Spot may be small, but he certainly could fight when he wanted to. And I wasn't surprised about hearing a third splash a few moments later- Blink and Mush would never have let him get away with that.

            Toby walked in and looked out the back window, and I followed his gaze to see Blink and Mush laughing hysterically at Spot from dry land- and then Blink shoved Mush in. Mush grabbed Blink by the shorts as he fell, yanking him in along with him.

            Toby sighed and collapsed on the couch beside me, keeping a close eye on Skittery but not saying a word.

            "Hey Toby." Ace said, a huge grin on his face. Skittery shot Ace a look that could kill, and Ace slid down in his seat and crossed his arms, attempting to gain Skittery's pity to let him have some fun with Toby.

            But no one gets Skittery's sympathy. No one.

            "Race…can I talk to you? In private?" Toby suddenly asked, and I looked up at him skeptically.

            "I remember what happened the last time you talked to someone in private."

            "No, man. This is different. Please?"

            Skittery raised his eyes from his magazine and I nodded, and Toby looked over at him a bit nervously. But he didn't say a word. I followed Toby into the kitchen, where he sighed and ran his hand through his hair, leaning on the counter.

            "What can I do, Race? How can I get through to him?"

            Oh, so that's what he wanted to talk about. He wanted me to help him break up Blink and Mush. That wasn't happening; I had been one of the people working to get them together in the first place!

            "There's nothing you can do, man. They're in love."

            His jaw dropped. "But you're not gay! How can you believe they could love each other like that?"

            That comment made me angry. Very angry.

            "Have you actually watched them together?"

            "I'd rather not. That's disgusting."

            "Then you obviously haven't noticed the way they look at each other."

            He looked incredulous. Completely oblivious. "No. Guess not."

            I groaned. "You may as well give it up. They're in love. Your family can't change that, no matter how sinful it may seem to them."

            I left him in the kitchen, and I walked to the backyard, where Blink, Mush, and Spot were now lounging in the lawn chairs and about to fall out of their chairs in laughter. I shook my head and sat down, wondering what was so funny.

            "Oh, Race…you just missed the story!" Blink said, gasping for air after laughing so much.

            "What story?"

            "Reno tried to hit on Spot this morning…and he tripped her…and she fell right on Skittery and totally flipped out!" Mush explained.

            "Oh, so that's why she locked herself in her room again?"

            "That's not all!" Spot said. "Skittery didn't know I tripped her, he thought she did it on purpose. He carried her outside and threw her in the pool!"

            "I guess that's what we miss when we sleep in." I said to Mush and Blink, stifling my own laughter. The image in my head of Skittery throwing Reno in the pool…that was just…priceless.

            "Hey guys."

            We all looked up to see Penny standing in front of us- in a very skimpy bikini. A VERY skimpy bikini. In fact, she was barely wearing anything at all.

            "Hi Penny." Spot said nonchalantly. Blink raised an eyebrow, but just turned back to his conversation with Mush.

            "Have you guys seen Dutchy?" she asked, looking around the backyard.

            "Yeah. He's taking a nap. He didn't feel so good." Mush said. She nodded and sat down with us, and that basically killed the conversation.

            Penny obviously noticed the silence. "Reno's out and about again." She said.

            "God save us all." Blink muttered, and we all snickered. He was right, after all. We'd need God to save us from her lawyers when she was out of the house.

                                                                                                                                               

AN: Next chapter will be veto competition, veto, votes, and eviction. I promise. And hopefully it will be up tonight. I'm very sorry I missed a day! That makes me feel awful…oh well…back to writing!