Disclaimer: I could only hope to own something this good.
"I can't believe we just pulled that off!" Tanis laughed excitedly. She was strapped into the back seat with Cameron and Adena. The day couldn't have been more perfect; clear blue sky, sunshine and very warm.
"It was an inspiring performance! You totally got Bates, he was eating it up!" Cameron insisted, putting his arm around Tanis.
"I don't know, Cody's outfit was pretty impressive. I especially enjoyed the mole," Squib pointed out.
"Oh shit," Cody giggled as she realized she was still wearing it, reaching up and peeling off the fake mole. Squib began removing his own moustache and hat.
"SQUIB!" Cody yelled.
"Both hands on the wheel please! Nothing can happen to this car if you want me to still be alive tomorrow!"
"Whose car is this anyway?" Cameron asked, giving the interior the once over.
"It's my father's baby," Cody said.
"He barely ever drives it himself, which is why we have to take such good care of it! Any scratches or dents or…anything and I amdead! He'll notice for sure!"
"Will you relax," Squib insisted, patting her leg.
"The car will be fine, I promise."
"So, what's up first on the list?" Adena asked as the outline of the city appeared in the skyline.
"Oh don't worry, the whole day is planned," Squib grinned.
"Squib, we can't leave the car here," Cody whispered harshly, her eyes wide as she peered around the garage.
"Of course we can! I'm going to give this upstanding gentleman here a little incentive to keep a special eye on the car," Squib said, sticking ten dollars in the greasy man's hand. He gave them a crooked smile and took the keys.
"Don't worry, the car is in good hands," he smirked, driving it around the corner and out of sight. Cody watched it disappear forlornly.
"Cody, it's going to be fine, I promise," Squib slipped his hand into hers and squeezed it lightly.
"You've made an awful lot of promises for one day Mr. Furlong, are you sure you can keep them all?" she turned to face him, searching his face questioningly. He merely shot her one of his trademark smiles.
"Absolutely."
"Are you guys coming?" Adena called from the entrance.
"Common," Squib said, tugging on her hand and leading her towards the entrance.
"The first stop of the day was something I planned especially for you."
Cody couldn't help but smile as he pulled her along, his warm hand grasping hers. She was powerless when it came to Squib. One smile and she was gone. Adena skipped down the street, laughing giddily the whole way.
"I can't believe that I am out here in the sunshine right now and not playing tennis, this feels so good!" she chirped.
Tanis laughed and Cameron shook his head at her, even though he was secretly thinking the same. They followed Squib up the street and around the corner to a big stone building.
"An art museum?" Tanis questioned, doubt present in her tone.
"We are going to do everything today, it's part of the experience," Squib reassured her. Tanis still looked unsure, but followed him inside anyhow.
"Oh look, a tour group, excellent," Squib pulled Cody over to a group of little school kids all holding hands and preparing for a tour. Tanis, Cameron and Adena followed closely behind, trying to keep up with Squib, who grabbed the hand of the nearest kid and smiled at him.
"Hello there young sir, do you mind if we join your group?" The little boy shook his head no slowly, staring at Squib with a blank expression. Squib immediately crouched down so that he was at a level height with the boy.
"My name's Squib, what's yours?"
"Eric," he answered shyly, shuffling his feet.
"Well Eric, my best friend Cody here really likes art," Squib gestured behind him to Cody, who smiled and gave a small wave.
"And I'm sure that together we can show her everything, we'll be museum buddies. How does that sound? Cool?" Squib asked, putting out his hand. Eric looked at him and smiled.
"Cool," he slapped Squib five and gave him a toothy grin.
"Alright," Squib laughed, ruffling the little boy's mop top brown hair as he stood up. He went to turn back to Cody when he felt a small tug on his sleeve. He turned back to Eric who motioned with his finger for Squib to come closer. Bending back down, Eric leaned closer and whispered something in Squib's ear that Cody couldn't make out. Squib glanced over at Cody and turned back to Eric.
"I completely agree my friend, you have great taste," he said and once again joined Cody.
"What was that about?" Cody asked.
"Eric thinks you're very pretty," Squib grinned and squeezed her hand causing Cody to blush as they all followed the line that started to move into the first exhibit.
Meanwhile, back at Cascadia…
Rick glanced over the attendance list. Gary Furlong…absent, Tanis McTaggart…absent, Cody Myers…absent, Adena Stiles…absent, Cameron White… absent. A sinister smile crossed his face.
"Busted Myers."
In his office, President Bates called Tanis' home phone number listed in her file.
"Hello, you've reached the McTaggarts, we're not here right now, but please leave your name and number and we'll get back to you as soon as we can," came the voice of Tanis' father. How was he to know if that was actually her father's voice, he'd never spoken to the man before. Bates slammed down the phone angrily just as someone knocked on the door.
"Ah, Nurse Hanley, come in," President Bates smiled, beckoning the young nurse into his office.
"You wanted to speak to me President Bates?"
"Yes, it's about Gary Furlong."
"Oh, yes," a sympathetic look crossed her face.
"The poor boy was extremely ill this morning. He had a dreadfully high temperature, sweaty palms, a headache, a stomach ache; he was practically hallucinating when I came in to check on him this morning!"
"You're sure," President Bates asked sceptically.
"Of course," Nurse Hanley looked slightly offended that her skills were being questioned.
"Because he's been known t-"
"President Bates," she interrupted angrily.
"If you are implying that with a medical degree I cannot assess a student who has a temporary illness then maybe you should find yourself another Nurse!"
"No, no, no!" Bates insisted.
"It's just…Mr. Furlong…has ummm…recently been ill quite, uh, frequently."
"Well, I assure you, he is very ill this time," Nurse Hadley said, making her way to the door.
"We'll see about that," Bates muttered.
Author's Note:
AHHH! I'm sooooo sorry it took so long! I have been very busy and having some friend emergencies. Okay, so I am momentarily un-dedicating this to Zach since he is an ass hat for being so mean to Miranda while they were in France. Nobody treats my bestest friend like that and gets away with it! I heart you Miranda, he's a moron! And Charlotte hates him by association, so it's all good! Anyhow, I hope you guys like it! I have a feeling that the updates are going to be less frequent just for the next week or so, as I am exceptionally busy this coming week. I will try my best to update as often as possible, so please be patient! I appreciate all of the feedback and support! I really love reading all of your stories, it's very fun and relaxing, so you should all update asap! You guys are awesome! Well, enjoy!
