November

The hot days of August were a memory by this point. Due to the crazy weather, everyone was pulling out sweaters to wear to school in the mornings and would end up shedding them by the afternoon. The school was gearing up for football finals, so there were posters everywhere, and everyone was feeling school spirit. That was, except for Tommy. He was too worried about his friends and family. Dil was moping around the house for no apparent reason, Chuck and Kim were both depressed that their partners were away, and Phil was being all secretive. The only sane person right now was Lil, who was as bewildered at their friends' behavior as he was.

Tommy picked out a sweater that was a royal blue and matched it with some black jeans. He was admiring himself in the mirror when Dil came in. He flopped on his bed without saying anything."Something wrong, Dil?" Tommy asked. He always asked, and always got the same answer. He mouthed it with Dil.

"Nothing you can help with, but thanks for asking."

"Look, are you sure I can't help? I might not be as smart as Chuck or understanding as Lilly, but I am a good listener."

"I know. I… I don't know what's wrong myself. So how can I ask for advice?"

"Well, when you figure it out, I'm here." Tommy gave his hair one last pat and smiled at himself. "I'm going out with Lilly, so, I'll see you later."

"I'm going over Joe's house. To study."

"Oh, okay. Guess I'll see you when I see you, then." He grabbed his keys and wallet and headed downstairs.

"Hey, Tommy. Could you do your old man a favor? Just hold this part here." His dad handed him a screwdriver while he touched two wires together. The contact made the doorbell ring.

"That's the right one. Thanks."

"Okay Dad. See you later." Tommy walked out the door and cut across the lawn to knock on the DeVilles' house. Phil answered the door.

"Hi Tommy. Lil's still upstairs. You guys coming to the pep rally later?"

"Wouldn't miss it for anything." Lil came down the steps then, wearing a pink sweater and jean skirt.

"See you later, Phil. Got any plans?"

"Yeah, I have to run somewhere, but I'll be back," he said vaguely.

"Okay." Lil and Tommy walked outside. "Did that mean anything to you?" he asked her.

"Not a clue. He runs off every weekend, to who knows where. And he never tells anyone where he goes."

"Did you check the odometer?"

"Can't say that spying on him occurred to me. Anyway, I figure that he'll tell me and us when he gets ready. Oh, nice sweater."

"Thanks. Ready to go?"

"Sure."As they were about to get into the car, something occurred to Tommy. "I forgot to get something from my room. You wanna come up?"

"I guess."

Tommy relocked the car and headed back into his house. "I forgot something upstairs," he explained to his dad, who was still installing the doorbell. "Did Dil leave yet?"

"His friend picked him up a minute ago."

Lil and Tommy ran up the stairs. He ducked into his room and picked up the list he was supposed to take with them. "Okay, I'm ready." They were participating in a scavenger hunt for their junior prom fundraiser. They had to find and take pictures of everything on the list.

"Now, how come we're the only ones of our friends to do this?" Lil wondered. "It's an easy way to show school spirit."

"Who knows? Our friends have been weird almost since school started."

"Yeah. When we go away to college, promise me that we won't mope over each other if we don't go to the same school."

"Who says we won't?"

"Who says we will?" Lil countered. "At this point, we don't even have career goals, let alone college choices."

"I think I know what I want to do," Tommy mused.

The phone rang on Tommy's desk, startling both of them. He waited to see if his dad would pick up, so after four rings, he answered. "Hello?"

"Tommy? Hey, we changed our minds! Is it too late to go on the scavenger hunt with you?"

"Hey Chuck." Tommy covered the receiver. "Now Chuck and Kim want to go on the hunt with us."

"Do you mind?"

"Not really. We can make out under the bleachers at the pep rally." Tommy watched as Lil turned red and uncovered the phone. "That's cool. Do you want to drive or shall I?"

"I can drive. I'll be over in ten, okay?"

"See you then." Tommy hung up the phone. "They'll be here in ten. Any ideas on how to kill time?""Sure!" Lil sat down on his bed. "Let's practice our French verbs."

He sat down next to her. "We can practice our French, all right." Their lips met, and they were actually startled when the doorbell rang.

"Man, just when this was starting to get fun," Tommy said as they separated.

"Well… never mind."

"No, what?"

"Nothing. We'll talk later, kay? Now let's answer the door before our friends get mad and drive off."

"They wouldn't, if only because we have the list." Tommy grinned and ran down the stairs.

00000

Chuck was still in his car, with Kim in the front seat. "Hop in; we got pointless things to find."

"Hey, no fair calling our fundraiser pointless!" Kim slugged Chuck on the arm.

"Rule number one!" Chuck grumbled, rubbing his arm.

"Sorry. I forgot the 'no hitting Chuck while he's behind the wheel' rule." Kim tried to sound apologetic but had a hard time doing so, considering that she was smirking a mile a minute.

"So, what's the first thing on the list?" Lil asked.

"We have to…" Tommy scanned the paragraph quickly. "Either we can take a picture of ourselves standing next to an old couple, or one of us kissing a baby. Who thought these up?"

"A very demented, unimaginative person." Kim thought a moment. "Who knows some old people?"

"My grandparents are way too far away to come just for a picture," Tommy said. "Lil?"

"Do I have grandparents? No. Don't know any other old people, either. What about you guys?"

"Same boat."

"Well, how about a baby? Do we know any?" Tommy asked.

"None of our parents are having any more." Chuck looked thoughtful, then turned sharply. "Hold on."

Minutes later, they were standing at a day nursery. Each of them was holding a baby, and one of the staff members snapped their picture as Kim's baby spat up on her.

"Thanks, Tamela. I'll tell Susan you said hi," Chuck said as they walked back out.

"You got the hook up, Chuck!" Tommy said teasingly.

"Yeah, because I really need a hookup for daycare." Chuck grinned.

"The way you and Susan are going, you might," Kim pointed out.

"What about you and Tim?" Chuck countered.

"Don't forget Tommy and Lil here." Kim turned to them, making them both blush.

"Um. Well, on to the next thing!" Tommy pulled the list from his back pocket. "Let's see… we need to take a picture of a farm animal."

"It's November! No one's going to have their animals outside." Lil protested.

"Well, they didn't say that it had to be a picture of an actual animal…" Chuck thought aloud."That's devious… I love it!" Kim grabbed the list and examined it closely. "We can just find pictures of the things on the list!"

"Where's the fun in that?" Tommy protested.

"Well, if we do it this way, we'll have some time to hang before the pep rally today," Lil reasoned.

"Well, okay, I guess," Tommy said. "Lead on, Kim!"

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They finished up around an hour later. As stated before, the person who came up with the list had no imagination, so they had no trouble finding anything. They went to grab a bite before stopping back at their houses to change for the rally. Kim came back to Lil's house instead of changing.She sat on Lil's bed, laughing as Lil sorted through her clothes. "Lil, you do realize that we're probably going to have to perform some stupid and messy stunt at this thing."

"Yeah, I know, but… oh, wait. I know I kept it for way too long, but here's your book back." Lil reached under her mattress, pulled it out, and handed it to Kim.

"Oh, so that's where you keep your diary!" Kim said teasingly. "Was the book… helpful?"

"Yeah it was. You know what?" She sat down next to Kim on the floor and lowered her voice. "I'm going to the clinic next week."

"For what we talked about?" Kim looked stunned and Lil didn't blame her.

"Yeah. I decided that I'd rather be prepared than to not be and get a surprise in nine months."

"Um… can I go with you?"

"I want you to go. How am I going to get this without you?" Lil hugged her. "And… I haven't talked to Tommy about this yet, so I'm going to need moral support."

"Tim and I… I want to over Thanksgiving break," Kim blurted out.

"That's only a week away!" Lil said. "My appointment is only on Wednesday."

"I know," Kim said. She was blushing, a rare sight. "But I didn't decide until a couple of days ago that I wanted to."

"Did you and Tim talk about that?"

"We did before he left. He said that it was my decision and he wouldn't pressure me." Kim looked thoughtful. "But I thought about something. We've been together since I was fourteen. I want him to be my first."

"Oh. I guess I didn't put that much thought into it, except that Tommy and I have been dating since forever and we've had our ups and downs, but there's not another guy that I'd rather be with."

They sat there quietly for a while. Then Lil leapt up and looked at her clock. "We have all of fifteen minutes before Tommy's picking us up!" She grabbed a t-shirt and jeans and went to the bathroom, only to find the door locked. "Who's in there?"

She could hear the shower running, so she turned back around and went into her room. "Sorry Kim. Someone jumped into the bathroom. I'm going to change in here."

Kim looked highly amused. "It's your room." She picked up the book and started thumbing through it while Lil hurriedly changed.

"Okay, I'm ready. Want to walk next door?"

"Sure." They stood up and ran into a towel-clad Phil in the hall. Lil watched as both Kim and Phil turned red.

"Hey, when did you get home?" Lil asked curiously.

"About a half hour ago. Can I get dressed now?" Phil hitched his towel a little more securely."

Oh, sure. We're going next door," Lil said hurriedly and ran down the steps, with Kim right on her heels.

As they walked out of the house, Kim commented, "That is more of your brother than I ever wanted to see."

"I wonder why he was taking a shower, anyway. He had just gotten ready before he had left anyway."

"Guys. Can't understand em."

They laughed as they knocked on Tommy's door.

00000

Wednesday found Lil and Kim waiting nervously at the teen clinic. They were eyeing a girl there who was their age but was heavily pregnant. By the time that the doctor called, they were nervous wrecks.

"So," the doctor said, as they were sitting in the examining room, "What can I help you with today?"

"I want to get birth control," Kim said, her voice shaking a little.

"And what are you here for?" she asked Lil.

"The same thing. And for moral support," Lil replied, sounding more scared than Kim.

"I see. Can you answer a few questions?"

"All right," Kim agreed.

"Okay. What kind of protection are you using now?"

"None. I… does abstinence count?"

"Yes it does. What made you decide to get birth control?"

"Because I want to become… active with my boyfriend and better safe than sorry." Kim knew her face was as red as Lil's, but at least she didn't fall off the table like she thought she was going to.

"I see. Have you discussed this with your parents?"

"If I say no, does that mean that I won't be able to get the pill today?"

"No. It's just that sometimes, talking about this will help you see your options."

"Okay. Well, my mom and I have talked about the subject, but she doesn't know that I'm here today."

"Do you think that she would approve of you being here?"

"She would rather see me here for this than coming to you for a pregnancy test," Kim said honestly.

"I see. Well, before I write you a prescription, you need to have a physical exam to make sure that there's nothing wrong, okay?"

"That's my cue to cut out." Lil stood up. "I'll be in the lobby."

"Don't go far," the doctor warned Lil. "You're next."

00000

"So, what kind did you get?"

Kim pulled a small package out of her purse. "The doctor said that these pills can help acne, too."

"But you don't have a problem with that," Lil said

."And now I'll continue not to. What did you get?"

"The shot." Lil winced at the memory. "It's cool because I don't have to carry anything or think about it for three months."

"So… we're all set. When are you going to talk to Tommy?"

"This weekend."

00000

"Hey, cover for me, I need to run next door," Lil whispered to Tommy. At the moment, all of them were at the Pickles' house, having a reunion of sorts.

"Sure thing. Want me to come with?"

"Nah. I just have to grab something." She walked outside, shivering a little at the air temperature, and went inside her house. She dashed upstairs to grab something out of her room. When she got up to the top of the stairs, she heard a soft sound. Knowing that everyone was next door, she grabbed a baseball bat out of the upstairs closet and tiptoed around until she found the source of the sound- Phil's room. Hefting the bat, she swung the door open and three voices immediately screamed.

"Oh my God!" Her brother was on top of… someone with long blond hair, someone Lil had known all her life. Angelica.

"Um…" Too surprised to articulate, Lil backed out of the room.

"Wait. Phil, go talk to her." Angelica sounded a little sad as she sat up and tucked the sheets around her. "I'm sorry, Lil."

Lil went into her room and waited. In about five minutes, there was a knock on the door."Come in."

Phil walked in, wearing a pair of boxers and a t-shirt. "I'm sorry you had to find out like that."

"Why didn't you tell me?" She tried to keep the hurt out of her voice and failed.

"Well… I wasn't sure how you would react."

"Who else knows? How long has this been going on?"

"Susan knows, and Chuck. And we've been together since July."

"You really could have told me, Phil! Am I that evil where my own twin can't tell me who's he seeing?"

Phil sighed and looked down. "It's not that. It's just that we didn't think that it would be a lasting thing, you know? But it is." He looked at her, ready to be defensive.

"Okay, then." Lil stood up. "But you do know that you're going to have to tell everyone now. I can't keep a secret like that from Tommy."

"Okay. Just, don't be mad, okay?"

"I'm not mad. C'mon, it's Angelica. She's cool, and she's one of the family." Lil involuntarily made a face. "Ew. I think I've just squicked myself out!"

"I always say that our group is incestuous."

"Yeah, we all hooked up with each other. Except for Dil..."

00000

"So, how was your Thanksgiving?"

"It was good. My cousin Angelica and my friend announced that they were seeing each other, which totally came as a surprise to all of us. All of the college kids were back in town, and it was good seeing everyone. How about yours?"

"Same old, same old." Joe stretched and slumped on the couch. "My sister told our parents that she was dropping out of school with only five credits to go. My older brother is trying to move back in. You know, in my family, I'm the normal one."

"Imagine that," Dil teased. At the moment, they were sitting in Joe's basement, watching television. They were discussing the show that was on.

"Look, there's another one of those looks. This scene is full of HoYay! It's so HoYay, it's almost HoNay!"

"Now, why is that?"

"It almost negates itself. My brain almost can't take it!" Joe mock groaned and clutched his stomach.

"Well, then you probably shouldn't look at… that." On the screen, the two guys were close enough to each other that it looked intimate."I see what you mean. Invasion of personal space is definitely a sign."

After the show was over, Joe said, "I better run you home now. My mom wants me to go to the store for her, so… unless you want to tag along…"

"Sure!" Dil replied quickly. Then he added, so as not to appear too eager, "I need to get something, anyway." Then he thought, 'Damn! Now I have to remember to actually buy something.'

"Okay then, let's get going."In the car, Joe turned on one of his cd's. This one was a group that Dil had never heard of. "Who sings this?"

"Oh, it's underground. Dyke seduction music."

Dil listened closely to the lyrics and promptly blushed. "Oh."

As they walked through the store, Dil spotted a comic book stand. "Ooh! I wonder if they have the latest issue of…"He thought of something that Joe had said about his favorite comic characters and blushed again. He snatched his hand back as if he had been burnt.

"What were you going to say?" Joe asked curiously. He grinned at Dil's red face.

"N… nothing. What did you need to pick up?"

"Just some milk and some breakfast for tomorrow."

"Okay." They got the requested items and got out of the store.

"Dylan? Can I ask you something?" Joe said, when he pulled in front of Dil's house.

"Sure."

"You've been kinda distant the last couple of weeks. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. Sorry."

"No need to apologize. I just wondered if I made you upset."

"Nah. I've just had a lot on my mind."

"Okay, then. If you need to talk, you can come to me, alright?" Joe smiled, and Dil could see the white flash of teeth in the dim light. "See you tomorrow."

"See you." Dil got out of the car and watched as Joe drove away. He went to his porch and sat down on the stoop, not noticing the coldness of the concrete. He looked up at the night sky, hoping it would hold the answers that he was looking for.

Joe's words replayed in his head. 'You've been kinda distant.'

'I just wondered if I made you upset.'

'No, Joe, you didn't upset me,' Dil answered mentally. 'It's just that I have the biggest crush on you, and you're my best friend, not to mention male, and it's hard to look at you and not tell you how I feel.'

He sighed and went into the house.

00000

"Mom, Dad, I've decided. I'm going to SFAA. They've accepted me and I want to go there instead of becoming an engineer."

A soft knock sounded on Chuck's door. Kim poked her head in. "Are you still rehearsing?"

"Yes. How do you think they'll take it?"

"They'll be fine. I mean, it's not like you have no artistic ability. Half of the pictures on the walls are done by you. So I think it will work out. And I do have your back." Kim smiled and tugged on his arm. "Let's go downstairs."