"I spy with my little eye… ummm… an adding machine." Homestar said.
Strong Bad let out a muffled groan from underneath the cushions.
"Yeah, youw wight. That was a bad one. Umm… I spy…" Homestar looked up. "Teddy Gwams."
Strong Bad sat up and ferociously chucked the cushions toward Homestar, who stood there as they passed right through his incorporeal form. Then he got off the couch and tromped into the next room where Mike, Matt, and Homeschool were working.
"That tickled." Homestar remarked, following after Strong Bad.
"Why is it that I have to be the only one to hear him! WHY?" Strong Bad demanded, death-glaring Homeschool.
Homeschool set down his pencil and removed a pair of glasses. "You really want to know?"
"Yeah, I would sort of like to know why my life has suddenly become a living nightmare." Strong Bad fumed.
"All right. You are essentially Homestar's nemesis. Therefore, you and Homestar are opposites… exact opposites, so your minds lie on the same frequency of thought. Since you are both on the same wavelength, so to speak, you alone are able to hear him in his current predicament. Now can I get back to my work?" Homeschool tapped his pencil on the table.
Homestar wandered over to peer at Homeschool's paper full of equations. "Those awe some weiwd doodles. Is he doing a wowd pwoblem?"
"No, Homestar… he's working on getting rid of a problem. And he'd better hurry up about it." Strong Bad replied. Suddenly there was a crash.
"I thought you said you had it!" Mike flared at Matt, tossing a pliers to the floor.
"I did… it slipped!" Matt defended. The orange iMac was laying on the floor with a large crack in its plastic casing.
"Please tell me that can be fixed." Strong Bad hoped.
Matt lifted the iMac back to the table. A web of cracks had spread across the screen, and the power button appeared to be jammed at a funny angle. Something inside rattled as he eased it onto the table. Mike turned away, rubbing his temple.
"I don't want to be the one to break this to The Cheat." Strong Bad shook his head.
"Homeschool, you think we could get by with using Strong Bad's laptop?" Matt inquired hopefully.
Homeschool winced. "I'm not so sure. I wish there was another computer we could use…"
"How about that one that fell on my head?" Homestar suggested. Strong Bad stared into empty space in the direction of Homestar's voice.
"A computer fell on your head." Strong Bad repeated incredulously.
"Yeah, last time I came back from my adventuwe." Homestar added.
"What did he say?" Matt and Mike asked simultaneously.
"He says a computer fell on his head." Strong Bad shrugged.
Homeschool brightened. "Of course! The computer from the office… where is it, Homestar?"
"I sold it to Bubs fow a Cwackle baw. I think he still has it." Homestar replied.
"He said he got ripped off by Bubs so it's over at the concession stand." Strong Bad translated.
"Yeah… I shoulda got two Cwackle baws fow that thing." Homestar complained.
Matt and Mike left the room and came back fifteen minutes later with a dented computer tower and a beat up monitor. They removed the destroyed iMac from the table and set the only slightly less-broken machine in its place.
"Back to square one, I guess. At least we know our way around this one." Mike sighed, picking up his pliers. The brothers returned to work, and Homeschool returned to his calculations. Strong Bad enjoyed about thirty seconds of silence.
"So now what?" Homestar asked. "Can we go visit Marzipan?"
"No." Strong Bad replied flatly.
"Aww, come on Stwong Bad…"
"No." Strong Bad walked back to the couch and turned on the TV.
"Okay. I guess I'll sing some mowe then." Homestar decided. "It's a smaw wowld aftew all, it's a smaw wowld aftew all…"
"NO! Is it completely impossible for you to be quiet for five minutes!" Strong Bad pleaded.
Homestar was quiet for a few seconds. "I wanna go visit Marzipan."
"FINE. We'll go see Marzipan, but then will you shut up!"
"Okay." Homestar agreed.
Strong Bad hopped off the couch and Homestar walked along behind him over to the stick. Marzipan was standing aside, talking to Coach Z. The Cheat came running up as they approached.
"Mimeh mimimime meh!" He said, waving a handful of money at Strong Bad.
"Whoa, you won that from Bubs? Way to go! I just hope we'll be around long enough to spend it…" Strong Bad low-fived The Cheat.
"Memeemi meh?" The Cheat inquired.
"Oh, uh… I guess they're doing pretty well… they're working hard over there on… uh, the compy…" Strong Bad nervously scratched his head. "But I'm sure that new one you're gonna get is gonna be way better than your old one."
"Stwooong Baaad… come on…" Homestar urged impatiently.
"Shut up!" Strong Bad hissed.
"Mih?" The Cheat gave Strong Bad a funny look.
"Don't ask, man. Listen, I gotta go talk to Marzipan for a second. I'll be right back." Strong Bad left The Cheat and walked over to Marzipan and Coach Z.
"I swear, I didn't mean it thart way, Marzipan." Coach Z explained apologetically. Marzipan looked very disgruntled.
"Am I interrupting something?" Strong Bad asked.
"No, Coach Z was just leaving." Marzipan replied forcefully. Coach Z took the hint and wandered off. "What is it, Strong Bad?"
"Homestar wanted me to tell you something, apparently." Strong Bad waited. He cleared his throat.
"Oh, sowwy. Tell hew… um… hi, Marzipan." Homestar instructed.
Strong Bad stared into the empty air. "That's it?"
"Say it!" Homestar urged.
Strong Bad grumbled.
"It's a smaw wowld aftew-"
"All right, all right. Homestar says hi." Strong Bad spat.
"Hi Marzipan." Homestar corrected. "Say it…"
"He says 'Hi, Marzipan.'" Strong Bad corrected murderously.
"Oh…" Marzipan responded.
Strong Bad shifted uncomfortably. "Okay, well… I'm gonna go back to-"
"I'm not done yet." Homestar remarked.
"Wait…" Marzipan requested simultaneously. "He can hear me right?"
"Yeah." Homestar replied.
"Yes." Strong Bad said. "But that doesn't mean he actually listens."
"Homestar, since I don't know if we'll get out of this mess, I just wanted you to know... I forgive you for being late to lunch." Marzipan said.
"And I fowgive you fow bweaking up with me again." Homestar responded.
"…well?" Marzipan looked at Strong Bad, who was looking extremely out of place.
"He forgives you for breaking up with him again." Strong Bad muttered.
Marzipan smiled. "Homestar, sometimes you can be such a jerk… but you can be a real sweetie too."
"Does this mean we're going out again?" Homestar inquired hopefully.
"Oh jeez…" Strong Bad moaned. Marzipan looked at him expectantly. "He wants to know if you're going out with him again."
"I suppose." Marzipan replied smugly.
"Whoo-hoo!" Homestar danced around invisibly. "Wait a minute… what about Scott?" Homestar asked suddenly.
"He says 'What about Scott?'" Strong Bad conveyed.
"Scott was evil." Marzipan frowned.
"Yay!" Homestar pranced around again.
"Can I go now?" Strong Bad pleaded.
"Nope, I'm gonna say her a poem now." Homestar beamed. Strong Bad scowled and walked away. "Hey where are you going?" Homestar ran after him.
And now, a brief intermission. Please feel free to head to the lobby for popcorn, candy, or REVIEWS. The fanfic will continue shortly.