Awakening: Third Stage

Chapter Five

"Breakfast Spread"

Saturday

"Okay," Tino said, looking out over the Katsufrakis' back porch, "I'm impressed." And it wasn't an exaggeration. Tish had prepared a breakfast of varying courses. Eggs over easy looked inviting; Tino arched an eyebrow, wondering if Tish had ever considered eggs taboo. A small platter of French toast sat at the center of the table, beside it laid a small wooden board which two fancy scoops of butter and a small syrup server rested on. There was also a bowl with slices of honeydew melon and cantaloupe. Finally, the display was punctuated by a carafe of orange juice and a pot of tea, presumably filled with Tish's conversational beverage of choice.

"Do you really like it?" Tish asked, feeling anxious.

"I love it." Tino smiled. "I wish I could start most mornings like this. It's a little unsettling when you never know what's going to face you at every meal."

"I don't always get away clean." Tish added. "My parents have put some strange in front of me at times."

"Um, Tish, you're a vegetarian. Eating strange and unappealing stuff kinda goes with the territory."

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that." Tish shot back, inflecting her voice to reflect her displeasure, further illustrating her point with a snoot.

"Y'know, you're the only one of us that can do that." Tino grinned.

"Do what?"

"That, that thing you do where you lift your chin up into the air."

"I do not have a 'thing' with my chin, thank you."

"You do too! I've seen you give it to Carver when he's being a typical guy! Which happens a lot, I've noticed."

"Tino, I consider Carver to be a very good friend, but sometimes I really have a lot of issues with him. Sometimes he just makes me so mad; it's all I can stand!"

"Because he can be shallow?"

"Duh!" Tish sighed. "Look, it's not like I don't want to be his friend. It's just; it hurts me inside when I think about it. I keep feeling like I've failed him, somehow. As his friend, as Lor's friend, as your friend. . .I'm supposed to help you guys, like we all help each other. I know that Carver is shallow but he doesn't have to be. Part of my job is to help him get past that. I want to help him be a better person, the way you guys help me to be a better person. You know, like how we're all different, but we also balance each other out and learn things from each other."

"I think it's safe to say that we've all bailed each other out of something or other at some point." Tino smiled.

"Exactly! But it won't always be that way, Tino. Someday, we'll be in different places. Maybe we'll be in college or working, but we're not always going to be able to see each other every day. I'd like to think that when all is said and done, we'll have made a difference in each other's lives, that the four of us will be well-rounded."

"I don't think we have to worry about being boring, Tish."

"I guess not, it's just. . .I try to appreciate what I have. I don't know what my life would be like if I hadn't met you all."

"Some questions are better left unanswered, Tish. Um, your food is probably getting cold."

"Right." Tish smiled, motioning for Tino to take a seat. "Help yourself, I'm sure I overdid it a little."

"I thought you usually liked to talk over just tea."

"Yes, but that's usually in the evening. I thought this would be a nice change."

"I like it."

"I'm glad."

Tino smiled and began eating the breakfast Tish had prepared for him, which was, to his surprise, better than he had expected. While Tish wasn't exactly lost in a kitchen, there was no one in their group who really excelled at cooking either. That was what parents were for. Or the pizza place. "This is nice, Tish. We haven't done anything like this in awhile. Maybe we should do it more often. I mean, besides as an excuse to talk."

"We aren't doing very much. Of it" Tish said sheepishly. "I just. . .I wanted to get a feel for where we are, you and I. You seem a bit different to me lately."

"I don't feel any different." Tino shrugged. "Anything in particular you noticed?"

"Maybe I'm only imagining it." Tish sighed. "I just feel like. . .things are different between you and me lately. Not really in a bad way, I don't mean that I feel neglected or anything like that. I don't know."

"Has anything changed between us?" Tino asked. "I think we're okay. You're not upset with me about anything, are you?"

"No, no. I just. . .I'm probably just being silly. I just wanted to be sure we're both in the same place."

"We've been friends for a long time." Tino chuckled. "And we've been dating for almost three years now. I think it's safe to say that no one knows us better than we know each other. Well, okay, except my mom. Nobody knows me better than my mom."

"Don't blame me if I keep trying anyway. There's something else, though."

"Homecoming?"

"Mm-hmm. It's kind of formal and at the risk of sounding selfish, I'd like to do something besides stand against the wall with you and Lor, drinking punch."

"Hey, don't knock it until you try it! It's been getting me through dances since we were in seventh grade!"

"Maybe, but it's not exactly an improvement. C'mon, Tino, I want to be able to dance with you this year!"

"Usually I make it a habit to dance only in the solitude of my room where no one can laugh at me."

"This will be different. Tino, I want you to let me teach you some basics. I don't expect much, but it would mean a lot to me. Please?"

Inwardly, Tino groaned, fearing that Tish's request would end up making him look like a fool. "This is important to you?"

"Yes."

"Important enough to pay me back by dressing up in a Fusion Femme costume for me?"

"No."

"Worth a shot." Tino sulked.

"I'll. . .go with you to the next Captain Dreadnought convention."

Tino lit up again. "Deal! But you have to let me take a picture of you with your arm around Junior Dreddie."

"Deal." Tish sighed.

"Y'know, I'm starting to enjoy these little talks of ours."

"Eat your breakfast." Tish stuck her tongue out at him.

"You're in a playful mood!"

"I wanted to spend time together. You know that we're going to get swamped with all sorts of reports as soon as Thanksgiving is over."

"Unfortunately we're not in a lot of the same classes. Just science, geometry, and gym."

"Yeah, but I talked to Mrs. Dering about next semester. We're both doing well in that class, and I asked if when she redoes the lab assignments if you and I could be partners. Unless you don't want to."

"No, that would be great! Then we could do our lab reports together!" exclaimed Tino.

"And since we're already pulling A's on our own, I figure if we work together we can completely ace the course. Not to mention lighting up our college applications." Tish developed a far away look in her eyes as the sentence rolled off her tongue.

"Tish, you've been thinking about going to college ever since you graduated from kindergarten!"

"I try to set goals and then reach them." She smirked.

"My biggest concern is usually making it to the weekend. Oh, and then through whatever shenanigans one of us usually gets into."

"Speaking of which, it's been awhile since we've spent a weekend deprogramming you."

"I've been working on my obsession patterns. Maybe it's because of that child psychology class I took."

"I still think it's completely unfair that you got into that class and I didn't."

"You'll get in next year!"

"Yeah, but it throws off my entire high school plan. I wanted to have my psychological studies entered into my college portfolio this year so I could focus more on the arts as a junior."

"Didn't you once try to tell me about the need to embrace change?" Tino queried.

Tish stuck her tongue out at him. "Eat your breakfast." Tino dropped his eyes back to his plate and resumed eating the meal Tish had put so much work into. "Tino, do you think I'm crazy?"

"No more than me. Well, okay, maybe a little. But I wouldn't have you any other way."

"Thanks Tino."

"Don't mention it."

"We'd better eat our breakfast if we want to meet up with the guys."

"Pass the French Toast." Tino smiled . The couple at the rest of their meal in quiet conversation, enjoying good food and good company.

"Can you believe it?" Carver asked as he sat up in the Big Tree, Lor resting on a thick branch slightly above him. "My parents decided to tell us this morning that they're thinking about having another baby! Man, I thought I was going to hyperventilate! Having Todd was bad enough. I gotta find a way to convince them not to do it."

"Dude, don't you think you're overreacting?" Lor countered from above.

"No."

"Carver, you're talking to someone who has thirteen. . .no wait. . .fifteen. . .sixteen?" Lor tried in frustration to keep track of her brothers. "I have more brothers than I have fingers!" She called, untying her left shoe to gain access to her toes.

"Please tell me you're not doing what I think you're doing."

"What?" Lor asked, removing her sock and resuming the tallying of her siblings.

"You use your toes to count?"

"Well duh! Ten fingers aren't enough, Carver."

"It's okay. I get it. You have a lot of brothers."

"Yeah. So why would you think I'd feel sorry for you?"

"Because I'm not used to it! It's hard enough being caught in the middle of Penny and Todd! I have to fight for my place."

"What do you think I do at home, rule with an iron scepter? Sometimes I wish I was Tino. Being an only child has gotta have some perks." Lor smiled dreamily.

"Yeah, except you'd have to eat the stuff Tino's mom makes." Carver shuddered just thinking about it.

"Good point. Okay, so I could trade places with Tish."

"I don't know, that girl has set some pretty high standards for grades. Don't you have enough problems living up to your Dad's expectations already?"

Lor fixed Carver with a look. "Way to ruin a fantasy, Carver."

"Well, I don't want you getting to be an only child without me."

"Hey, I've earned it! I've been at the bottom of enough dog piles in my time."

"And I've spent enough quality time running after Todd and being belittled by Penny."

"Fine, so we're even. But I still say should have to live at my house for a week." Lor pouted.

"Maybe we can swap sometime."

"Yeah, like you could ever survive at my house while unescorted."

"Oh, is that a challenge?" Carver rose to the occasion. "I know you did not just challenge me!"

"Sorry Carver, but I don't have enough time to train you. I'm too busy. Don't forget, I've got to make sure that Thompson can acclimate to my family."

"Did you just say 'acclimate?"

"Tish has been helping me study for my PSAT."

"Uh-huh. You have no idea what that word means, do you?"

"No, but I heard Tish use it when we were talking about Thompson, and that's good enough for me."

"Speaking of her and Tino, I think that's them now." Carver smiled, waving at two approaching figures. One minute later, Tish had climbed onto the back of the bench and begun scaling the tree, Tino right behind her. "What took you guys so long?" Carver asked. Lor started making little kissing noises in the background.

"Why is it that whenever Tino and I go somewhere, you always assume we're just making out?" Tish queried in a frustrated voice.

"Were you?" asked Carver.

"Some," Tish admitted, blushing. "But that's not the point."

"There's a point to this? I thought it was just, y'know, fun to tease you guys." Lor laughed.

"Tish grumbled to herself while Tino stretched the girl by her shoulders to calm her down. "So, uh, what'd we miss?" Tino asked.

"Just Lor and me yakkin' about our families. I'm in the middle of a potential crisis, Tino!" cried Carver.

"Carver, why are you such a wimp?" Lor mocked him. "I thought we went over this."

"What are you talking about?" Tish wanted to know.

"Well, I-" Carver began but found himself completely cut off by Lor.

"Carver's afraid his parents are going to have another baby." Lor rolled her eyes.

"Carver, that's great!" Tish exclaimed. "Congratulations! So what do you think? Will it be a member of the fairer sex this time?"

"Congratulations Carver!" Tino grinned. "Man, I never had a brother or sister. I missed out on so much. Maybe I should make up for it while I get older; start a big family, live on a big ranch with a dog named Shep. . ."

"Hey, don't be getting too many ideas there, Tino!" Tish stamped her foot in Tino's direction."

"That is too funny!" Lor laughed. "I'm picturing you two out in the country with a bunch of kids running around.

"Lor?" Tish sighed. "You just described the Old Country. Minus the livestock. And why are you encouraging Tino's fantasies?"

"Because it's fun? Tino grinned

"Can we please get back to my problem here?!" Carver shouted, waving his arms to attract everyone's attention.

"How is this a problem, exactly?" Tish asked the question on most of their minds.

"She's got a point." Tino agreed. "It's not as though it would affect you very much. You're fifteen now. Aside from the occasional babysitting. . ."

"Are you kidding?" Carver vehemently disagreed. "Penny's gonna be moving out this year! That means all the responsibility will fall to me!"

"Dude, you don't even know if it's happening yet. You said yourself they're still talking about it. Just give them some time. They might decide not to have another kid. There's always the risk it'll turn out like you."

"Oh, ha ha. Very funny."

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking when I said it."

"Oh enough already! Can we at least go do something to take my mind off it?"

"Tesla Park?" Tino offered.

"That's perfect!" Tish agreed.

"Count me in!" Lor said thirdly.

"Now you're talking." Carver grinned. "C'mon, let's catch the bus."

"Yeah! Last one there's a marm!"  Lor called, jumping straight down and running toward the bus stop, with her friends scrambling to follow. A day at the greatest (and only) amusement park in Bahia Bay was not something to put off.

We've come once again to the end of the chapter, my friends. It took me a lot of work to hammer this one out, there were just a lot of different approaches I wanted to try. I'm still not entirely sure what this finished product you're now reading is, but it feels complete to me and I'm glad that I was able to deliver it to you a mere 48 hours behind schedule. I've been working through a lot because I'm preparing for my weekend in Las Vegas that starts on March 5. And it's been a big priority for me to finish this chapter on time, get it out before this week came without rushing it. I'm largely pleased with the final product, though I don't feel it's perfect. Of course, if I ever release a chapter that is perfect, I'll probably have to stop writing, as there's always room for improvement.

With the release of this chapter, I'm finally moving towards the more adventurous aspects of this stage. So you keep reading and I'll keep writing. Oh, and if it's not too much trouble, let me know what you think of my work. Nothing better than reading an honest and thoughtful review.

Lastly, it appears that spacing is still an issue over here at FFN. I've tried to put in some makeshift space breaks so you can at least tell when I'm shifting scenes. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be anything else I can do in the meantime. If anyone gets truly confused, send me an IM or e-mail and I'll try to respond to it.

As always, send your questions, comments, compliments, complaints, love letters, death threats, marriage proposals, and ransom demands to:

Lord Malachite

02/29/04

10:40 PM, EST

E-mail: rangerwriteryahoo.com

AIM: Asukaphile26