Two Extra Eyes

Chapter Nine

Ice Cream

The next day, it was blazing in Ocean Shores! That horrible yellow ball of flame commonly known to everyone as the sun was beating relentlessly on those crazy enough to be out there. It was so humid; it felt like someone replaced all the air with glue. A small layer of fog surrounded people as they went about their business. This was caused by their sweat evaporating as soon as it touched the ground. The very ground was smoking. Plants drooped from the wretched heat.

Over at the cul-de-sac, the inhabitants weren't fairing much better. The Stimpletons felt like raisins in their home. They would've gladly jumped in their pool if it wasn't for the fact that Merv overloaded the temperature controls for it. Instead of being cold and refreshing, the water was boiling hot! The Rockets were much too drained to do anything. Their fans were just blowing hot air in their faces. They couldn't even move without setting off a flood of sweat. Even Otto and Twister were keeping completely still when they'd be doing their usual…activities at this time. As a matter of fact, they stayed away from each other for fear of being even hotter due to their body heat. Everybody in the house would've gladly gone surfing, but there was no way they'd make it to the beach before fainting from the heat.

At the Rodriguez house, poor Lars was suffering the most. At least the Stimpletons and the Rocket Dorks had a pool and fans. He on the other hand had absolutely nothing, thanks largely to his cheapskate dad. He glared at the ceiling. He didn't get much sleep at all last night. His mind was completely focused on Sam and what happened in the locker room. He was so disturbed and confused by that entire event that he even dreamt about it!

At first, they were completely harmless. For the most part, his dreams were just simple replays of what occurred. But then his mind changed the entire scenario. In some dreams, Reggie never appeared, allowing him and Sam to lock lips. It was no big deal to Lars. He knew he wanted him. But then, they got more vivid and exciting. In the last few dreams, he actually took off his and the blond's shorts and… They felt so real to him that each time he woke up, he half expected to find Sam wrapped in his arms. Instead, he would be spooning his pillow.

After that last dream, he was unable to get back to sleep. He just stayed up for the rest of the night, thinking about everything Sam's done for him, as well as the two mess ups he's had. He had to tell the younger boy the truth before he winds up doing something he'll regret. He nodded to himself. He'll tell him everything by the end of the day. This was at about six o'clock in the morning, just as the sun rose. Lars rolled over and tired to get back to sleep. But then…

'That stupid sun!.!.! It's too freaking hot to go back to sleep!.!.!' He roared to himself.

He tore the covers off himself and prepared himself for the day. His clothes were drenched in sweat almost from the moment he put them on. Even his glasses were steaming up on him, forcing him to take them off and clean them with his shirt every so often. As he stepped into the kitchen to have breakfast, he vaguely wondered if his goggles would resist his sweat. He shrugged. Most likely, but he couldn't be bothered to go back in there. The sun was currently hitting his room after all. He got a bowl out of the cupboard and had some cereal.

It was about noon before Sam arrived at Lars' house. His night wasn't good either. His heart was plagued with sadness. He was happy that he discovered Lars loved him, of course, but he was also bummed that the brunet didn't say anything to him. Although, he was also at fault for not saying anything as well. He really should've said something after Reggie's intrusion yesterday. No, he actually should've said something after that kiss on the very doorstep he was standing on. He should've let Lars know right then and there. He should've grabbed his arm and never let go. Anything to avoid letting the brunet escape from him before telling the truth.

He spent most of the night dwelling on this. He knew in his heart that the older boy was the one. He wanted so desperately to tell him this and more. But at the same time, he wanted Lars to tell him everything he wanted to hear and then some before he even uttered a word about his own feelings. By the time he decided this, the sun had already risen. He had a troubled sleep afterwards. His fantasies regarding the brunet attacked him with full force. It was like they were conveying a message. It was almost as if they were screaming, "Tell him already, ya idiot!" When he woke up at eleven o'clock, he was glaring at his thoughts. He nodded to himself and pledged that he'd tell Lars the truth today, one way or the other. He then got dressed.

Now here he was at Lars' front door. He sighed, thinking about the boy that was waiting for him. With a determined nod, he reached up and rang the bell. Lars soon answered the door with his own decisive look. They both stared at each other intently. It was almost like one was trying to burn flames into the other while the other tried to freeze the first. A couple of minutes passed before Lars walked out and closed the door.

"Ready to go?" Sam asked. Lars turned to him and nodded.

"Yeah. Let's move."

They walked down the stairs and started down the hill side by side. As they walked, Lars looked over and noticed to his surprise that Sam was only just beginning to sweat. He raised an eyebrow at him as he wiped his sweaty brow. It was at least a hundred degrees out here! How on earth could the blond not be sweating bullets!.?.! Wiping his hand again and rubbing it on his shorts, he decided to get to the bottom of this.

"Sammy?"

"Yeah?"

"You do know it's like a hundred out here, right?"

"Oh?" Sam gave Lars a curious look as they stopped. "Is that how hot it is?" He wiped his forehead. "Whew… It definitely feels that hot…"

"Uh-huh…" The brunet raised an eyebrow. "So tell me. Why aren't ya sweating waterfalls? It's been burning all morning!.!.!"

"Well, that's the thing…" Sam rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I sorta have an air conditioner in my room and…"

Lars gaped at him before glaring. "I wish you told me about that sooner…"

"Heh, heh…"

"When we get back, I wanna chill in your room."

Sam's eyes widened in disbelief. "Wh-wh-what d-d-did y-y-you say…?"

Lars smiled coolly. "I said when we get back from the amusement park, I wanna chill in your air conditioned room. That alright with ya?"

Sam's mind went blank at that. Lars, the hottest boy in the world, was going to be in his room later today! The boy of his dreams in his room with him, alone! It was like a dream come true! His body trembled as he tried his best to contain his excitement. Was it alright!.?.! It was downright lovely to the blond! To think, he'd be all alone with him for at least an hour! Lars smirked when he noticed the other teen's excited expression.

"I'll take that as a yes." He said as he started walking.

'Heh, this'll be perfect.' He thought with a snicker. 'I'll be able to get him all to myself and no one's gonna mess this up. I'm gonna tell him everything!'

'Yes! Yes! Yes!' Sam cheered in his mind as he caught up with Lars. 'I'll tell him how much I love him tonight after we get back! I just hope Mom won't be around.' He giggled inwardly.

The pair continued on their way. As they traveled, the sun wasn't showing any mercy. The entire trip down to the pier felt like walking though a desert. It felt like there wasn't any relief in sight. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky, so shade and rain were out of the question. The sticky air made their shirts cling to their bodies like a second skin. They were so sweaty; it looked as if they had been swimming with all of their clothes on. Once again, Lars was reduced to having to take off his glasses to rub out the steam. He looked at the panting blond and gaped.

His glasses weren't steaming up at all!

"Hold it!" He yelled, grabbing Sam. He made him face him.

"What now?" The confused boy asked.

"Why aren't your glasses steaming up like mine?.!"

Sam shrugged. "Smudge resistant." He then raised an eyebrow. "Did your mom get you any kind of special lenses?"

Lars returned the shrug as he let the smaller one go. "If she did, she never told me."

That was when he realized something important.

'My family is crazy and cheap!' He slapped his head as they walked onward. 'I swear, if I ever adopt any kids or they come up with some way to make a guy pregnant, I'm gonna buy them whatever they need, no questions asked!'

Soon, they reached the pier. They were both wobbling under the dreadful heat. It felt like if they didn't get any refreshment soon, they would fall like a ton of bricks! They needed something cool. They needed something tasty. They needed… They needed…

"Huh?"

Both boys looked towards the sound of a bell ringing and kids laughing. There, by the entrance to the pier, they saw the answer to their prayers.

An ice cream truck!

"Yes!.!.!" They both cried as they ran with newfound energy to the truck. "Ice cream!.!.!"

They waited in the moderately short line for a couple of minutes. When they reached the truck, they made their orders. Sam ordered a vanilla cone with rainbow sprinkles while Lars ordered a rocky road cone with chocolate sprinkles. When the man told them the total, Sam made to pay for his cone, but Lars stopped him.

"My treat, Sammy."

"Huh? You sure Lars?"

"Yeah, I'm sure." Lars winked at him, causing him to blush in response.

"O-ok…" He bubbled, taking a lick of his ice cream.

The brunet smirked at him as he handed a couple of dollar bills to the ice cream man. The pair then walked towards the amusement park, happily licking their cold treats. The confections didn't do much to cool them off, but it was certainly a good start. Sam walked very close to Lars. It was apparent that he was very grateful for the ice cream. Although it was burning, it was quite an experience to be walking along the pier with the one he loved. What would've made it even better would be if the brunet held his hand, but he wasn't complaining. He was enjoying himself. Nothing can ruin this moment.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!.!.!" Raucous laughing was heard up ahead. Sam and Lars looked up and groaned.

Walking towards them were the two Lopez Brothers. They were the second most notorious group of evil doers in Ocean Shores (the first being the Lasers, of course). It seemed like they were walking from the Shack. The cups they were holding had rockets pictured on the sides so it was easy to figure it out. Both of the siblings actually seemed to be rather happy. Even Izzy, the angrier and more destructive of the two, was having a good time.

"Ha ha ha!.!.! Hee hee hee!.!.!" The smaller of the two, Iggy Lopez, giggled.

He was thirteen years old. He was about five feet tall, pretty close to Sam's head. He had a light tan and a bush of black hair, most of which was covered by his purple plumber's hat, which had a purple I in the middle of a white circle on its front. He was wearing a light green shirt that had a picture of a video game character named Yoshi on it. It was covered in sweat. Finally, he was wearing a pair of khaki shorts and dirty white sneakers. There was a toothy grin on his face as he sipped his milkshake. Of course, this wasn't different from every other day. The boy was quite simply happy and hyper most of the time.

"Heh, heh! Wait til ya hear the punch line! Ha ha ha ha ha!.!.!" The taller brother, Izzy, laughed.

He was two years older than his sibling. He was close to a foot taller than Iggy, a few inches shy of Lars' height in fact. He had a dark tan and spiky black hair that jutted out from under his blue bucket hat in various directions. He was also wearing a purple shirt, red vest (both of which were drenched in sweat), and black baggy shorts as well as a pair of white sneakers. Normally, he would have an evil, conspiring scowl on his face, not to mention an intense glare that warned all but his brother to watch out. But today, he was strangely happy. There was an uncharacteristic grin on the normally sour puss's face.

"So anyway, I tell the soldier, 'Tanks for everything!'"

Both brothers laughed hard at that. As they walked down the pier, the other people cleared the way lest they accidentally trigger the dark one's horrible rage. Once their laughter ceased, they both took a long, satisfying sip of their milkshakes before sighing.

'Ugh! I knew it wasn't going to last…' Sam thought, slapping his head.

'So much for that…' Lars sighed.

"Wow Izzy, today's been so much fun!" Iggy commented excitedly, looking at his brother. "I mean going swimming with me at the beach, making sandcastles, playing at the arcade, and then buying these milkshakes! You've never been so happy before! Normally, you're always so grumpy, especially when it's real hot like today. You're actually smiling for a change! How come, big bro?"

Izzy glared at him, causing him to flinch. The older brother then chuckled before taking another sip.

"Ahhhh… I'm smiling because I'm happy, my dear brother!"

"There's a first…" The shorter brunet muttered, making his brother glare again.

"Anyway, I'm in a good mood because I haven't seen hide or hair of that blond idiot for days!"

"How'd I know it was gonna involve Sammy-Sam?"

Izzy rolled his eyes before grinning. "It's been so great these past few days! Without that fool around, I can actually have fun for once! I've actually been nailing my moves for a change instead of beefing! Ha ha ha!.!.!"

"Ya know what they say about bad karma, bro…"

"Pffft! Like I care about that dork!" The older brother scoffed. Lars and Sam glared at him for that one. "He could fall in a ditch for all I care!"

The blond gritted his teeth and stood in the brothers' path. The brunets continued towards him without paying any attention.

"But Izzy…"

"Drop the subject, Iggy." The taller one warned. "I'm in a good mood and I don't wanna talk shop. As far as I'm concerned, I'm on a vacation. Now let's—"

It was then that he bumped into Sam. The force of the impact caused his milkshake to tip backwards and land on his shirt. Eyes widening, Izzy looked down and gasped in horror.

"My shirt! My precious shirt!" He glared and looked up. "Who did this!.?.!" He roared. He gasped again when he saw the roadblock in the orange shirt.

"That would be me." He said, glowering at Izzy, who gave a glare of intense hate.

"YOU!.?.!"

"Eeeeee!.!.!" Iggy shouted. "SAMMY-SAM!.!.!" He ran head-on towards the blond, throwing his milkshake in the air. It landed with a sickening splat on Izzy's head. The already livid boy shuddered in anger when he felt the cold and sticky liquid dribble all over him.

"M-m-m-my hat…" He hissed through gritted teeth.

"I missed you!.!.!" The younger sibling cheered, embracing Sam. The sudden crash caused his ice cream to go flying. Izzy's eyes widened when he noticed its path of flight.

°SPLAT!°

Vanilla ice cream and rainbow sprinkles covered his face as the cone fell off his nose. Izzy's fists shook at his sides while smoke literally came out of his ears! This was apparently caused by a combination of the heat and his volatile rage. A deep and sinister growl left his throat seconds later.

"Heh, heh…" Sam said in an embarrassed tone. "Hey there, Iggy…"

"Sammy-Sam, where were you all week? It's been so boring without you!" The younger Lopez Brother asked, rubbing the side of his face against Sam like a kitten looking for affection.

The blond put on look that said, "Somebody get this kid offa me…" Lars, meanwhile, gave the little boy a look of extreme jealously. Only he was allowed to hug Sam! He would've gladly removed the kid from his crush, but Izzy beat him to it. The enraged teen, without removing the ice cream from his face, reached out, grabbed the back of Iggy's collar and pulled him off Sam. He then made the boy face him.

"What the hell are you doing!.?.!" He demanded, wiping the ice cream off his eyes with his other hand. "He's the enemy!"

"Aw man!" Iggy pouted. "You're grumpy again! You haven't been that happy since that you got with that pineapple boy from Hawaii last year!"

Sam and Lars raised a freaked out eyebrow when they heard Izzy sigh lovingly. They didn't even know he was capable of love!.!.!

"Ohhhh… Keoni… He was so hot and handsome… We still email each other every day… I wonder what's he doing—" He caught himself and glared at Iggy with a strong blush on his face. "Who told you, ya little—!.?"

"Ya sure didn't do a good job of hiding it!" Iggy spat. "I mean I saw you two kissing on the doorstop almost every night!" He then smirked. "I even took some sweet pics that I put on my website."

Izzy gaped. "You put pictures of us together on your site!.?.!"

"Yep!" The younger boy smiled.

"And it's on the Web!.?.!" Iggy nodded again. "Are you crazy!.? I never gave my permission and I sure as hell would never agree to that!"

The smirk returned to the shorter brother's face. "Well, that's the thing about us photographers; we don't have to ask permission. Besides, Pineapple Boy gave me his permission so there." He stuck his tongue out at Izzy, who growled.

"When I find that camera of yours, I'm gonna tear it to shreds! Shreds you hear me!.?.!"

"Heh, you'll have to find it first." Iggy crossed his arms.

"Oh don't worry." Izzy smirked evilly. "It'll only be a matter of time."

"Yeah right." The little teen's eyes brightened. "Ooooohhhh! Is that ice cream!.?"

Without warning, Iggy licked a glob of Sam's ice cream off his big brother's nose. He hummed in bliss before licking every last bit off Izzy's face. The taller brunet just out and out lost it right there. His eyes bulged in complete and utter disbelief, disgust, and rage. His eyes turned dark red as he gritted his teeth so much that they cracked slightly. As the teen proceeded to slam and beat up the boy, Lars went red in the face. He would've loved to do the same exact thing to Sam. He looked at his quickly melting ice cream then at the blond. He considered splattering it on his beautiful face for a moment before shrugging and going back to watching the brawling siblings. It was hot out and his ice cream was the only source of relief. But he did put that on top of his to do list after he confesses to Sam.

"NEVER do that to me again!.!.!" Izzy roared, stomping on his brother. "Ya hear me!.?.! NEVER!.!.!"

"Got it…" Iggy coughed. His eyes were moving around dizzily. "But it was so worth it…"

"Ugh! Now that that's taken care of…" The being of darkness turned towards Sam and approached, punching his right hand. "You've ruined my favorite shirt and vest Blondie…"

"Isn't that your only shirt and vest?" Sam remarked, smirking. "I've never seen anything else on you for as long as we've known each other."

Izzy stomped at that. "Blondie, I've had a nice couple of days without you around to mess things up! And ya took me out of my happy zone in five seconds!.!.!"

"You have a happy zone, bro?" Iggy asked confusedly. The older brother slapped his head.

"Iggy, shut up." He simply said. He then added to Sam, "You're gonna pay for this, ya blond dork!"

He advanced menacingly and with intent to destroy poor Sam. The bespectacled boy gulped and put up his hands in a defensive stance. Izzy was about to attack when Lars stood in his way, holding up both arms. The slightly shorter brunet stopped and gave the former bully a cold glare.

"Outta my way!" He demanded.

Needless to say, Lars stood his ground.

"Just back off before I whomp you, ya little shoobie!" He warned, returning the glare.

"Shoobie!.? You got some nerve, ya nerd!"

Lars and Sam's eyes widened. No one talks to the brunet in the gray hat like that and gets away with it! His stare hardened.

"Not another word…" He said through gritted teeth.

"Pah!" Izzy scoffed, enjoying this little confrontation. "And just who do you think you are? Judging by those horrid things on your face, I'd say you were a member of Blondie's fan club, though I'd love to know how he got a fan club and I didn't!"

"Oh you don't wanna know why, bro." Iggy said, standing up and dusting himself off. "Trust me, ya don't."

The other brother gave him a suspicious look. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Eeep!" Iggy quickly covered his mouth. "N-n-nothing bro…"

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

Meanwhile, Lars and Sam were looking at each other in confusion. Did the two brothers really not recognize the brunet due to his glasses? They both knew the siblings weren't the sharpest tools in the shed, but to not recognize him just because of one little detail, especially when he was wearing the same clothes he's always worn… It was just downright crazy if not incredibly dumb.

"Yo, you seriously don't know me?" Lars asked the pair. The Lopez Brothers turned towards him and shrugged.

"Nope, sorry mister. I've never seen ya before." Iggy replied.

"Hmmm…" Izzy held his chin. "You do seem somewhat familiar, but I'm drawing a blank. Now if you'd be so kind as to move, I'd like to get my revenge on Blondie!"

He made to strike, but again Lars stood in the way. Izzy shook his fists at the older teen.

"For the last time, beat it, four eyes!"

The other three boys gasped.

"Wh-what did you call me…?" Lars said in a shocked, but angry tone. The dark teen gave a defiant look as he crossed his arms.

"Ya heard me, geek! Ahahahahahaha!.!.!"

"Hey! Since when did you bust on people for looks!.?.!" Sam shouted.

"Yeah!" Iggy added.

"Heh, I always tease people on looks." The elder brother answered. "Well, aside from you, Blondie. A good rival never bugs his adversary for how he dresses, looks, etc, etc."

Sam blinked. "Then why do you always call me 'Blondie?'"

"Isn't it obvious? I can't stand saying your name, so I simply identify ya by your—Blech!—hair."

The shorter bespectacled boy glowered, feeling his hair. "And what's wrong with my hair!.?"

"It's too yellow!" His rival cringed. "Black is a much better hair color."

"Yeah, if you're Dracula." Sam crossed his arms.

"Bust! Ha ha!.!.!" Iggy laughed as he pointed at his brother. Izzy simply gave him a weirded out look.

"Newsflash dummy, your hair's black too!.!.!"

"Huh?" The smaller boy blinked. "Oops…"

"Ugh! I keep getting distracted!.!.!" Izzy stomped the ground and viciously scratched his sticky head before pointing at Lars, whose head was lowered. "Move now, blind boy, or I'm gonna—!.!.!"

"That's it!.!.!" Lars roared, bringing up his head. Both brothers paled at the immense anger in his red eyes. It looked like they going to stretch out of their sockets if it wasn't for his glasses. The veins on his neck were bulging almost to the point that it looked like they were gonna pop! Gulping, Izzy started to back up.

"Heh, heh, heh… Ya know what?" He started, holding up his hands with a nervous chuckle. "Forget about the ice cream and shakes… In fact, I'll buy some for all of us… I'll just go home and—"

"No." The bespectacled brunet growled. He then pulled up his pointing finger and made a "get over here" gesture. "Come here."

"Oh hell naw!" Izzy turned tail and ran. Lars gritted his teeth and turned to Sam.

"Could ya hold this a sec?" He handed over his ice cream cone.

"Ok…" The blond blinked as he took it.

"Thanks. And feel free to have some if ya want. Ya know, since you lost your cone and all." Lars winked before chasing after Izzy, leaving a blushing Sam behind. "Get back here, ya shrimp!"

"Yikes!" Izzy screamed when he saw the brunet in the glasses gain on him. "Get away from me!"

"Ya better stop, dork! If ya don't, it'll be much worse when I catch ya!"

"Ha! Dream on, four eyes!" The taller Lopez Brother looked back and, taking a page out of Iggy's book, stuck his tongue out at him. That just made Lars mad. He increased his speed.

The chase continued for quite some time. The two brunets dashed all over the pier. They sped through the Shack, weaved around the crowds trying to get into the amusement park, darted around the hot dog lines ("Hot dogs!.?" Izzy shouted. "Who in their right mind would eat hot dogs on a day like this!.?" Lars supplied.) before coming back to Sam and Iggy, who were watching and cheering Lars on.

"Iggy you traitor!" Izzy yelled as he passed them. "What're ya doing cheering for him!.?"

"Oh like you're really gonna get away from him?" Sam remarked as the brunets passed again.

"This doesn't concern ya, Blondie!"

"Lopez!" Lars bellowed.

During this lap, Izzy decided to get dirty. When they reached the Shack, he grabbed anything he could get his hands on, which was half eaten burgers, French fry baskets, ketchup bottles, and a cup of soda. Laughing evilly, he tossed the burgers and fries at his pursuer. Lars dodged the projectiles with ease by weaving some more. The younger brunet skidded to a stop, took a quick sip of soda, threw them cup aside, and squeezed the ketchup bottles hard, sending two streams of red in the older one's direction. Lars stopped and darted, jumped, and bobbed around Izzy's attack. He even break danced when the other boy proved too fast.

"That's right blindie, dance! Dance!.!.! Gwahahahahahaha!.!.!"

"Boy, you better pray you don't get ketchup on my clothes!" Lars threatened.

"Ha! And what're ya gonna do if I do get ketchup on ya? Muahahaha!.!.!"

That was when Izzy ran out of ketchup. He blinked and tried squeezing the bottles, but to no avail. Eyes widening, he gulped and looked up at Lars, who was in a handstand. All around his hand was covered in red.

"Aw crap…" He turned and ran, tossing the bottles behind him.

"Get back here!.!.!" Lars shouted.

He pushed his hand down and sprung himself over the ketchup. Everyone in the Shack, who was covered from head to toe in filth, applauded the boy. Lars took a bow before running after his prey. He caught up and they soon ran back towards the spectators. They ran around the two boys so fast that they became a couple of blurs, causing poor Iggy to get dizzy. Sam, however, was fine. He wasn't focusing on the chase at all.

"Blondie! Help!.!.!" Izzy begged, running by.

They made another lap.

"C'mon! I'm begging ya!"

Sam simply ignored him as he took a lick of Lars' ice cream. The brunet in the gray hat noticed it and grinned at the blond before continuing the chase. Izzy continued to plead for help as the blond continued to enjoy his chocolaty treat. He happily licked it up, savoring its sweetness. He was grateful to Lars, not just for the delicious ice cream, but for defending him from his evil rival. He never thought in a million years that the brunet would save him from destruction. It was almost as if he was a damsel in distress and Lars was his knight in shining armor. Although, he could never imagine himself in a dress of any sort, the thought made him giggle.

"Please Blondie!" Izzy screamed, beginning another lap. "Call off your dog already!"

"I heard that Lopez! Now you're gonna get it!" Lars yelled after him.

As Sam finished off the ice cream and started on the crunchy cone, he realized something. He just ate something that was in Lars' mouth. Any other person would of course consider this mildly disgusting, but the blond, on the other hand, found it to be rather sexy. It was almost like French kissing the boy! Sam grinned as he finished the cone and watched Lars chase Izzy onto the beach. To think, if things go well later today, he could get another taste of Lars, and it won't be from licking a half eaten ice cream cone.

When Lars finally captured Izzy and whaled on him, Sam decided from that day forward that rocky road was his new favorite flavor of ice cream.