I am so sorry! I know I haven't updated for a long time, but school was just piling up on me! However, now that it's Winter Break, I can get back to writing! Everybody rejoice!
IMPORTANT NOTE: There's a special thanks for people that have helped me with the fic so far. Don't freak out, this isn't the end, we still have a ways to go.
Disclaimer: No, I still do not own MASH.
Quote of the Day:
Radar: My father didn't have me till he was sixty-three. The first time we played peek-a-boo he had a stroke.
Chapter 10 (IT'S A MIRACLE! I ACTUALLY MADE IT TO CHAPTER 10 ON A STORY! GOD IS SMILING DOWN UPON ME!!!!)
All Hell Breaks Loose Part 1
I gripped my pillow tightly to my chest, watching the screen with wide eyes asthe film student's tentwas suddenly attacked from the outside, thus freaking the 3students out. It freaked out everyone in my living room out as well.
"Holy moly. . ." I heard Radar whisper. Either the movie was seriously scaring him, or he just realized that all of my friends were clinging to him like magnets to a refrigerator.
"Jesus, they let you kids watch these things?" I heard Trapper murmur from beside me. "We aren't that young," I mumbled. I was sandwiched between him and Hawkeye, Frank and Margaret were gripping each other as if the world was about to end, Henry and Klinger were hiding behind the same blanket, Radar had his eyes squeezed shut tightly, and Father Mulchay was mumbling something that sounded like a prayer from under his blanket.
Suddenly, the college girl (whose name escapes me) in the movie suddenly screamed, "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!"
Needless to say, that freaked everyone out—and it didn't help that the thunderstorm outside had gotten so bad that the wind was howling.
Hawkeye and Trapper screamed and grabbed each other—unfortunately, since I was between them, I was in the middle of their embrace. Radar and the girls all screamed, and then the girls yanked him down—of course, I'm not really sure they were really scared in the first place.
Frank got so scared he high-tailed it out of the room, leaving Margaret to bodily attach herself to Klinger. Henry dove under the blanket that Father Mulchay was cowering under.
Outside, thunder crashed. I think God had fallen off of his throne and was rolling around heaven laughing maniacally at the position I was caught in.
Many minutes later, Hawkeye, Trapper, and I were all clutching the same pillow, watching the college girl open the package that was filled with her missing friends teeth. Frank was still missing—I think her ran up to the bathroom or something. Radar was whimpering—I couldn't tell if he was whimpering with fear of the movie or pain from having all of my friends piled on top of him, like he was a football player with the ball and the girls were the opposing tacklers.
Klinger—now sporting a nice red handprint on his left cheek after Margaret discovered him hugging her—was camping out with the good Father and Henry under the blanket. Margaret was gripping the back of my shoulders rather painfully and peeking out from behind.
The rain outside continued to poor down mercilessly. On the TV, the girl screamed, and for some reason, I had the urge to scream with her.
I'm still not sure how, but we made it through both the movie and the night in one piece, and I soon found myself bidding my friends adieu.
"I love you too," I said sarcastically as I watched my friends cling to Radar, sobbing.
"Oh! Uh, yeah, love ya girl," Cindy said quickly, reluctantly pulling herself off of Radar. "Yeah, great party!" Brittany added, also pulling away. The rest of them pulled away as well.
"Is Radar—er, and the rest of your cool family gonna be here next time?" Jen asked. I fidgeted.
"Er, maybe. It sorta depends, you know?" I said.
And so, finally, my friends left—but not without hugging Radar about a million more times and asking Klinger whether or not you should wear green with pink or yellow with orange.
"Well, that was fun," I sighed as I collapsed onto the couch.
"Thank heavens those noisy girls are gone," Frank said as he sat in Pop's chair.
One of my eye's twitched—earlier that morning, Frank and I had been the only two up and he was complaining to me about every single one of their faults, from the pitches of their voices down to the very last zit on Brittany's chin.
"Frank, if you don't quit bad-mouthing my friends, I'm gonna take my foot and shove it so far up your ass that the water in my knee will quench your thirst!" I hissed. Hawkeye and Trapper snorted while Frank sulked.
Granny came in through the back door, carrying freshly cleaned sheets from the basement—the entrance to the basement is on the side of the house, so there's no other way to get in.
"What's with the sheets?" I asked/yawned, rubbing the back of my head.
"Mark is visiting for the week, remember?" Granny reminded.
I groaned as she walked back upstairs, humming. For a minute, I was sulky, watching Hawkeye and Trapper sip at their glasses of gin.
Then I remembered my little plan.
"He he he he. . ." I chuckled evilly. Both surgeons looked at me, but didn't say anything. I ignored them and continued to giggle. "He he he he he he he. . ."
"'He he he'. . . You're giving me the creeps!" Hawkeye said loudly, breaking into my thoughts. "Huh?" I said, looking up and blinking stupidly.
"What's the evil plan today kid?" Trapper asked, an evil glint in his eye. Hawkeye's ears literally perked up as soon as he heard the words "evil plan".
I motioned for them to come closer. Once they were close enough, I whispered, "Ok, so you know how my cousin Mark is coming over, right? Well, there are two things you should know about him—a), he's gay, and b) he absolutely LOVES patriotic men." I watched their faces closely. Their eyes were shining.
"Frank is VERY patriotic," Trapper said, his voice sounding a bit odd. I nodded.
"He he he he he he he he he he. . ." Hawkeye said, copying what I did earlier.
Soon, Trapper and I joined him.
Later that day, I was outside watching for Mark's car. My stomach was growling but I ignored it. I hadn't had any breakfast or lunch. Not even a snack! I kicked a small stone on the ground. It bounced for a bit before hitting a tree root and coming to a stop.
I guess I had been too busy thinking about my plan to really think of my stomach. I yawned idly and sat down on the grass. I looked around.
It was a really nice day. It was probably around 12:30, and the sky was a clear blue with only a few departing clouds. The leaves on the trees were all reds, oranges, yellows, and golden-browns. A slight breeze was blowing, and it felt good.
But it didn't make me feel happy—it made me feel sad. Because I was in this very spot on the day I learned my parents were dead, and that day was just like this one.
"You ok, kiddo?"
I looked up to see Henry. I forced a smile.
"Yeah, great. I'm fine. Hawk, Trap, and I have another wonderful prank planned for Frank, the sky's a brilliant blue, Granny's cookin' fried chicken, why should I be unhappy?" I asked, grinning as cheekily as I could manage. Henry wasn't convinced.
He sat down beside me, the medals on his hat jingling. I scooted over a little to give him room. "You're a terrible liar," he informed. "Only when I wanna be," I countered. He shook his head.
"Vicky. . . You're a good kid, even with your sarcastic remarks and R-rated language. Crazy as it may seem, some of us are getting kinda fond of you, including me. Now tell me what's wrong," he prodded. I sighed and leaned back.
"I was seven when my parents died," I murmured. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him stiffen a little. I continued.
"Every Sunday, after lunch, we'd go for a drive. But that day I was sick, so I was left at home with Granny and Pop. And. . . they never came back."
"What happened?" Henry asked quietly. I shrugged.
"What does it matter? It happened eight years ago. Besides, they wouldn't have wanted me to dwell on things that had happened in the past," I said, waving my hand dismissively.
For a moment, we were both silent. Then Henry stood up. "You need to talk to someone, Vicky. You can't avoid it forever," he said. Then he went back to the house.
'Easy for you to say,' I thought darkly. I waited for Mark's car for about 10 more minutes, then I stood up and brushed my pants off. I began walking to the house, when someone—a male someone who was in incredibly good shape—suddenly grabbed me around the waist and hoisted me into the air from behind.
Ta-da! The 10th chapter finished. I'm sorry it's a bit crappy, but I'm a little rusty. I'm kinda dragging out the thing about Vicky's parents death as the story goes on, so you're just gonna have to collect the little tidbits of information as we go.
The reason why I didn't do the movie MASH is because I've never seen it, even though I really want to.
Also, the reason why this chapter was a bit. . . blegh is because my best friend was sent to a mental faculty because she was crying and scratching her wrists with a safety pin. She's suicidal, ya see. She'll be out next week and the doctor's are gonna put her on a anti-depressant.
Oh, and Kooshball? I'm not so sure about my story being more popular than yours. Yours was a true masterpiece—I was reading it as I wrote this chapter! It always makes me feel all. . . tingly inside.
Special Thanks (so far) To:
Kooshball—For all the great ideas and the wonderful support! And your reviews helped me get off my lazy butt to write this chapter! You're awesome!
Trivette Lover Heather—You're still reading the story! Thanks for the terrific support and the swell reviews—they also helped me get off my butt to write this chappie.
Hawkeye's Martini—You're still reading this, too? Wow! Thanks for the ideas, support, and reviews, they've helped a lot!!!
MicroChips—Another loyal reader. Thanks so much! You rock!
bluesparkle123—(sobbing happily) SO MANY LOYAL READERS!!! Thank you! Love the support, ideas, loyalty, and reviews!!!
melbo18—THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!
Intelligent Witch 1—You rock. Thanks so much!
And much love, gratefulness, and thanks to all of my other reviewers! This fic may not have survived without your support and helpfulness!
Happy Holidays! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!