I bet you all thought I died, didn't you. DIDN'T YOU?!

Well, I didn't. HAHAHA! An update! I'm sorry it's taken so long, but I've been in Florida, and band camp started, and just…yeah. Anyways, here it is: CHAPTER 12! WOO-HOO!!

MELODY

"Dude!" I said to Dave, sitting in Oral Comm the next day. "Did we have any homework yesterday?"

"You dork, we always have homework in this class. But it was just to work on your speech some more."

I breathed a sigh of relief. But I breathed too soon.

"Ms. Lizzi, would you care to tell the class what your speech is about?" asked Davis, my Oral Comm teacher.

"I could, but that'd give it away" I said, in a smart-aleck tone of voice.

"Are you always this sassy?" he asked.

"Pretty much" I said easily, flipping my white-blonde hair over my shoulder.

"OK, now I'm telling you to explain to us what your speech is about."

I sighed melodramatically. "OK! It's about how society is falling into decline because teenagers don't read enough, and the literacy rate's going down. We need to bring it up."

"Are you serious?"

"Dead serious."

"Augh…whatever."

As he walked away, I heard him mutter, "Little hellion".

"Damn straight" I said under my breath.

"So Davey" I said, after class had ended and we were headed to lunch. "How do ya like EBH?"

"It's pretty good" he said, giving me a smile. "I like the people, especially."

I smiled too. He meant Blink, first and foremost, but I was glad he liked all us little people too.

"So what's for lunch?" I asked, trying to see the menu over all the tall people in front of me.

"Umm…macaroni and cheese, pepperoni pizza, and sub sandwiches. They all sound yummy."

"So just do what everyone else does and take one of everything! And come on, you're holding up the line" said Spot behind me. I noticed Spot's nails were alternating black and neon blue today. Sigh. He always was doing stuff like that. "Your fingernails look bruised, Spotty," I said, half smiling.

"Hey! I painted them!" Liz said indignantly. "Base coat, two coats of color, top coat, and a special flash dry. I tell you, that damn manicure took 45 minutes, 'cause I had to buff, and that took 15 minutes, and the polish took 30, because they had to dry between coats. And Spot is so picky! 'You got a drop on my cuticle, that nail needs more buffing…' Blah blah blah. He's worse than a girl."

Spot punched her on the arm. "You of all people should know how particular I am about my nails."

"Oh, shut up Spot" she said laughing, and returned his punch.

"You know we're all insane!" Sapphy piped up cheerfully behind us.

"DUH!" said Dave bonking her lightly on the head. She smacked him, and picked up a plate of macaroni and cheese.

"Ugh. Processed cheese. Yet, somehow, they still manage to make it taste good" Liz said thoughtfully, also picking up a plate.

"Insane psycho lunatics" I laughed.

And so we sat down to eat.

SAPPHY

I am completely and totally bored.

Seriously. I have no date plans, no friends have called, and there's nothing good on TV tonight. Then my phone rang.

"Newsies Jail, current population:0, but working on it, Warden Sapphy speaking."

There was a silence on the other end of the phone, then hysterical laughter.

"Hey…hey Sapphy" I heard Izzy choke out between giggles. "What's up?"

"Sittin' at home being extremely bored. What's with you?"

"Wondering if you wanted to go see a movie with me, Spot, Dutchy, and Spitfire."

"Sure!" I said brightly. Someone cared! "Which movie?"

"How 'bout Shrek 2?" she suggested. "It's hysterical!"

"OK!" I said. "I loved the first one, so the second one should be even BETTER!"

So we went to the theatre, and got tickets.

"Hey" said Izzy. "There's Race behind the snack counter! Let's go say Hi!" And before I could say anything, she was off.

"I didn't know Race worked here," I said to the Secret Window movie poster. Then I trudged off after Izzy.

High-spirited little pixie.

"Hey Race" I said, coming up to the counter.

"Heya Sapphy" he said, grinning at me. "What'll ya have?"

"Ummm…a large Cherry Coke, a box of Dots, and a small popcorn."

"OK, that'll be…$8.75" he said, punching some keys on the register.

I pulled out my wallet and handed him a ten. "Ya know, movie theatres make a killing off snacks. It's SO not fair."

"Damn straight. How the hell else would I get paid?" he said, laughing.

"At least you don't have to spend $10 on stuff that only costs you fifty cents to make" said Dutchy, coming up behind me. "It's capitalism and inflation at its worst."

"Dutchy. Quit using big words. Us mere mortals have tiny brains" said Spitfire, laughing.

"Aw, Spits, your brain ain't that tiny" he said, laughing. "Now, Spot, on the other hand…" he said, gesturing at Spot.

"Screw you," muttered Spot. And we all got our snacks and files into the theatre to get seats. We then proceeded to watch the FUNNIEST movie I've ever seen in my entire life.

"Well, Shrek and I, we drank some magic potion, and, well, now we're SEXY!" said Izzy in a really bad Eddie Murphy impersonation. We all cracked up.

"That was one of the funniest movies I've EVER seen!" said Dutchy, taking off his glasses and wiping his eyes.

"Anybody need a ride?" asked Spot.

"Nah, I've got my car" I said. "But thanks, Spot. This" I said, turning to the group and putting my arm around Spot, "Is why we keep Mr. Conlon around."

Spot looked at me with pronounced amusement. "Why, Sapphy, I do believe you're turning into a fag hag!" he said, laughing and giving me a kiss on the cheek.

"I've been a fag hag," I said, laughing and returning his kiss.

Gawd, I love Spot.

BLUE

"Maria! Yadda yadda, yadda yadda, yadda yadda! Duh, duh-duh duh-duh, duh-Oh, screw it!"

There's no good way to vocalize Maria unless you actually know all of the words.

My phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hey, Kate" came Braid's voice down the line. "Whatcha up to?"

"Not much. Trying to sing scat to Maria. You?"

She laughed. "Hopefully you aren't as bad as that chick on American Idol, who tried to sing scat to 'Rt. 66' and ended up totally botching it." She laughed again, and so did I.

"No WAY I could be as bad as that chick, but William Hung was the WORST! Can you believe he actually put out a CD?!" And we proceeded to have a long conversation about all the pros and cons of the contestants, past and present, on American Idol.

"Katherine! Get off the phone, other people need to use it too, you know!" my mother yelled up the stairs at me.

"Gotta go, Braids, the maternal unit needs to use the phone. Talk to ya later."

"See ya Monday."

I hung up the phone, and took it down to my mother. "There, mother! Happy?!" I said in a voice of mock-anger.

She just rolled her eyes at me. I grabbed a Coke, made myself a bologna sandwich, and headed back up to my room. I turned on my computer and signed on to AIM, but no one was on, so I signed off again.

I flopped onto my bed, wondering why the hell my life was so boring.

"Well" I said to my walls, which were plastered with band pictures, "I guess I'll have to make my own fun."

So I turned on the T.V.

END CHAPTER

SHOUTOUTS:

Elvenrarehunter: Glad you liked your character. I didn't put a whole TON of thought behind it, but there was some nonetheless. I also like the way Skittery keeps popping up whenever he feels like it, very interesting. Me likee. LOL, thanx for the review!

Depends Solomon: I dunno if ANYONE should read all 11 chapters at one sitting, your brain might blow up, or something. I'm glad you liked it, half of it doesn't make since to me, and I'M the author! Gah, FINALLY, someone who believes me when I say that Blink and Dave are ALWAYS next to each other in group shots. That's actually what gave me the idea for the paring. Wild, huh? LOL, love ya, thanx for reviewing!

SATURDAY: My dear, you have repaid me for that 'hysterical shoutout' as you called it so wonderfully, by shoving Dutchy in a box for me. Granted, he was a little rumpled, and kinda pissed off at you when he came out, but now he's all better. ((grins evilly)) Ahem. Love ya, latah, thanx for reviewing!

P.S. Dutchy says if you EVER stuff him in a box again, he's going to hunt you down with your own spears that you used to threaten me with when I didn't update. LOL! He's a little over protective, but it's cute, dontcha think? LOL

Erin Go Braugh: Actually, I found it means 'Ireland Forever', since I'm in a really technical mood today. LOL, j/k! SUBITO!! I love it! Our band has this whole thing where our director lists the five points in line, and we have to respond, then the whole thing ends with "How do we carry ourselves?" And the whole band shouts back, "WITH PRIDE!!" "HOW?!" "WITH PRIDE!!" Gah, marching bands are weird. LOL, thanx for reviewing!

Sapphy: Spot says you may most definitely paint his toenails any time you please, just call him up, he's got EVERY polish color known to mankind, so you don't bring nothin' but you.

Spot: HEY! You make me sound like…well…like a goil!

ME: Well…gay men are really feminine!

Spot: Aw, shut up and let me enjoy my pedicure! Sapphy, how 'bout the black and orange every other nail?

Sapphy: ((starts singing 'Defying Gravity')) Oh, you mean me! Sure!

Love ya, thanx for reviewing!!

Sorry this took so long, band camp, the youth gathering, everything…sorry, but on the upside, I downloaded 'Defying Gravity' form Wicked, and I've fallen IN LOVE with it, it ROX MY SOX!!! YEAH IDINA MENZEL!! WOO-HOO!! ((clears throat)) Sorry. Hope you guys liked, please review, but no flames, por favor. ((starts singing)) "And nobody, in all of Oz, no Wizard that there is or was, is ever gonna bring me down!!" A flame would be like finding out RENT wasn't coming to my town after all, it was just an elaborate joke put on by the people at the Lied Center to get my hopes up and then dash them again. Anyways…yeah…

Latah, love ya, bye!