Chapter 7
"What are you guys smiling for?" Shane asked suspiciously as Chris and Steph came down the stairs together.
Chris looked at Steph and smiled, then looked at Shane. "What? Two friends aren't allowed to smile together?" he asked. "I believe there's been a law passed that states that two friends are definitely allowed to smile together, and afterwards they can go skinny-dipping in the pool."
"When the hell was that law passed, and why are you just telling me about it?" C-Dawg asked, furrowing his brow. "Man, I could've been skinny-dipping with Torrie Wilson for all this time..."
"Dude. I was being sarcastic," Chris said, laughing at C-Dawg. He looked at Shane. "Now seriously, Steph was just showing me how your dad had the old playroom remodeled. That place is even better now than it was before!"
"Showing you the playroom, huh?" Shane asked. Chris and Steph nodded, and Shane looked at both of them. "I'll be keeping my eyes on you two this weekend," he told them, but of course he was just kidding. He didn't really expect them to be doing anything they shouldn't be doing. After all, Chris was his best friend, and he was three years older than Steph. And he had a girlfriend in Trish... So he didn't expect a thing.
"Ok," Ty said, clapping her hands together excitedly. "What are we doing first?"
"Well first, I think I need to set some rules, since I'm the man of the house this weekend," Shane said in a deep voice, trying to imitate his father. He walked three steps up the staircase, then turned around to face the five people he was now towering over. "The first rule is..."
"Rules? You know what I always say about that," C-Dawg said dramatically. "RUCK FULES!"
"Don't you mean fu-" Ames started, but Shane interrupted.
"You didn't let me finish, C-Dawg," Shane said. "Basically... There aren't really any rules, except-"
"Now that's what I'm talking about," C-Dawg said, nodding happily. He pulled out his cell phone and started dialing a number. "House party, baby! At the McMahon mansion! Be there or be square!"
"What the hell are you doing?" Shane asked, snatching the cell phone from him. He spoke into the phone. "John is just kidding with you. There's no party at the McMahon mansion, so don't come here. Thanks." He snapped the phone shut and glared at C-Dawg. "Ok, really, let me finish this time," he said.
"Why'd you hang the phone up?" C-Dawg asked mildly.
"Because, dude, my mom specifically said we couldn't have any parties this weekend," Shane explained. "Or else, she would..." His voice trailed off, and he gulped. "Steph, you tell him what Mom said she'd do if we broke her trust this weekend."
Steph gulped as well, and her voice came out low. "She said she'd hire Moolah to baby-sit us!"
"Oh my God, not that old bat!" C-Dawg said, grimacing. "She baby-sat me once when I was, like, eleven, and she kept trying to come on to me."
"When you were eleven?" Ty asked in disbelief.
"Eleven," C-Dawg said. "I've had nightmares about her for years now..."
"Enough talk about Moolah," Shane said with a shudder. He looked at Steph "Where are your girls sleeping tonight?"
"I was thinking either in my room or outside under the stars," Steph said.
"Someone sounds like a romantic at heart," Chris said in a dreamy voice, teasing Steph. "Outside under the stars..."
"Shut up," Steph said playfully, shoving him lightly. He just laughed.
Shane watched them for a minute, then spoke. "So I was thinking that us guys could camp out in the den," he said finally. "You know, watch some movies or whatever."
"Watch some movies?" C-Dawg scoffed. "No, see, I have a better idea."
"Enlighten us, then," Amy piped up.
"I propose that we all stay together instead of separating," C-Dawg said. "We can all just hang out and play some games or something."
"That sounds like a plan to me," Chris said immediately. He looked over at Steph, who was already looking at him. "Doesn't that sound like a good idea, Steph?"
"It's a great idea," Steph agreed. "We should totally do that."
Everyone looked at Shane to see if he would give his approval. He was the man of the house, after all, even if it was only for the weekend. He looked like he was deep in thought. Finally, he spoke. "I'm sure that'll make tonight a very interesting night, so we should do it," he said. "Oh yeah, and Steph? The stuff you sent me to the store for is in the kitchen on the counter."
"Even the ice cream?" Steph asked. Shane nodded. "You monkey! It's probably melting as we speak!" She sprinted away and into the kitchen, where she found the ice cream and put it in the freezer. She went back over to the counter. "Let's see... Whipped cream, chocolate syrup, strawberries, Oreos, M&M's..." She named everything out loud. She smiled when she was done. "Good. He got it all."
"Whipped cream? Chocolate syrup?" Chris asked from behind her. She turned around. "Mind telling me what you got this for?"
Steph thought about why she had gotten the stuff and smirked at him. There was no way she was going to tell him, or her plan would be ruined. "Oh, you boys will find out soon enough," she said mysteriously.
"You aren't going to tell me?" he asked.
"Nope," she said, leaning against the counter and looking at him.
"Not even if I ask nicely?" he asked, taking one step closer.
"Not a chance," she replied.
"Not even if I do this?" he asked, closing the distance between them. He put one hand on the counter on one side of her, and the other hand on the counter on the other side of her. He gazed down into her eyes and smirked. "Care to tell me now?"
"N-no," she stammered, looking up into his eyes. She couldn't bring herself to look away. His blue eyes were hypnotic... "I'll never tell you," she said after a minute. "No matter what."
"What if I did this?" he asked, leaning down until his lips were what seemed like just millimeters away. He looked at her for a minute, then closed the distance between them and kissed her right on the lips. He removed his hand from the counter and placed one arm around her waist. The other hand made its way up to her hair...
Although she was surprised at first, she responded immediately. How could she not? After all, this had been her dream, her fantasy, for years now. She put her arms around him and kissed him back, wishing that it could last forever.
"Stephanie," he whispered, breaking the kiss for an instant. He closed his eyes and brushed his lips over hers again, then leaned his forehead against hers. He pulled her close to him. "Steph..."
"What'd you do that for?" she whispered back. "You have a girlfriend, remember?"
"Yeah... But I adore you, you know that?" he asked softly, opening his eyes. He softly touched her hair as he looked at her. "I truly adore you."
"Really?" she asked, looking at him. "I adore you, too..."
"Now what did you get all that stuff for?" he asked, smiling a little smile.
"I'm not telling you," she replied.
"Maybe I'll just have to kiss it out of you," he said in a low voice. "Or squeeze it out of you...or something..." He kissed her cheek, then right near her lips...
"Steph! Shane says..." Ty's voice trailed off as she entered the kitchen and spotted Chris placing soft kisses on Steph's face. "Wow," she said, not believing what she was seeing.
"And that, Steph, is the way you...uh...massage a giraffe," Chris said brightly, improvising and trying to cover up what had really just happened. That didn't work too well, he thought. Massage a giraffe? Way to go, Chris. He let Steph go, smiled at her, and then hurried out of the kitchen, blushing the whole time. Steph turned to face Ty.
"Well," Ty said in a grave voice. "There's really nothing to say about this situation. What do you have to say for yourself?"
"Ok, I know you're probably kind of mad at me right now," Steph began. "I mean, he's your sister's boyfriend and-"
"Oh, please. Who's thinking about Trish?" Ty asked, giggling. "I only want all the juicy details!"
"And I'll give them to you," Steph promised, smiling. "But first we have to put this stuff up, go get Ames, and go up to my room for a little girl talk."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Ty asked. "Let's go!"
Steph and Ty quickly put the food and things up, then went to find Amy. She was talking to Shane, which wasn't very surprising. They looked like they were deep in conversation. C-Dawg and Chris were leaning against the wall near the stairs talking about something.
"You think we should interrupt their conversation?" Ty asked, looking at Shane and Amy.
"That depends," Steph said.
"On what?" Ty asked.
"On how much you really want to know the juicy details," Steph replied, raising her eyebrows.
"Oh Ames," Ty said in a singsong voice, walking over to her. She grabbed her arm and started to pull her up the stairs. "We need to have a girl talk. Now."
"Seriously? But I'm in the middle of..." Amy's voice trailed off when Ty leaned over and whispered something into her ear. "Oh," she said, starting to smile. "Yeah, let's go."
"Where are you girls going?" C-Dawg piped up. He and Chris had stopped talking and were both looking over at the three girls. Chris was staring particularly hard at Steph and unconsciously licking his lips.
"We're going upstairs to talk strategy," Steph said, looking at Chris, then at Shane. "You see, Shane...whether you know it or not, that stuff you brought me back from the store will serve a very...sweet...purpose tonight."
Shane looked at her, confused. "What are you talking about?"
Steph smiled sweetly at him, then looked at Chris. "I'll never tell," she said. She watched Chris smile slightly at her comment before she turned and headed up the stairs, followed by Amy and Ty.
"I wonder what she was talking about," Shane said.
"She was being all cryptic, yo," C-Dawg said.
Chris tapped his chin thoughtfully, then looked at the two other guys. "Know what? I think I have an idea..."
In Steph's Room
"Ok," Amy said, closing the door to Steph's bedroom. They all climbed onto Steph's bed and sat Indian-style. "Give us all the details about what happened in the kitchen!"
"Here's what happened," Steph began. "I went in the kitchen to put the ice cream in the freezer, and when I was looking at the other stuff, Chris came in."
"You know, he said he was going to the bathroom," Ty cut in. "But obviously that was just an excuse to go in the kitchen with you..."
"Yeah, I guess it was," Steph mused. "But anyway, he wanted to know what I got all that stuff for."
"You didn't tell him, did you?" Amy asked worriedly. "Because then we wouldn't be able to go through with that brilliant plan you told us about when you called us earlier to tell us that Shane was picking us up."
"Don't worry. I didn't tell him," Steph assured her. "But Lord did he try his hardest to get the truth out of me..."
"Details, details, details!" Ty practically shrieked. "Or I'll die!"
"Calm down, girl," Steph laughed as she looked at the bubbly blonde. "So we were talking and somehow I ended up leaning against the counter and all of a sudden he had his arms around me, and he kissed me..." Her voice trailed off and she closed her eyes, remembering how good his lips had felt against hers and the way he had tasted...
"What was it like?" Amy asked, one hand over her mouth.
"Yeah, what was it like?" Ty questioned.
"Words can't describe it," Steph breathed. "I mean, I'm sure that sounds clichéd to you guys, but that's how it felt. It was just...breathtaking...incredible..."
"Wow," both Ty and Amy said, looking at Steph.
"But then you came in, Ty, right as he was about to kiss me again," Steph went on.
"Sorry," Ty said apologetically. "It's just...Shane asked me to tell you to come in there for a minute..."
"It's ok," Steph told her. She smiled. "And besides, we have a goal here tonight, in case you guys have forgotten."
"Of course we haven't forgotten," Amy said, smiling. "The question is, when's the best time to get them?"
"Definitely when they're sleeping," Ty said. "The best practical jokes are when you get your victims while they're sleeping."
"Ok, so we'll sneak around and get them later when they're sleeping," Steph stated, grinning deviously. "Boy, the looks on their faces when we get them..."
"Shane will be furious," Amy pointed out.
"And C-Dawg won't be too happy either," Ty added.
"Relax, you guys. They all have a good sense of humor," Steph said. "Maybe they'll like getting chocolate squirted on them, or getting whipped cream sprayed on them."
"Yeah right," Amy said.
"Maybe if we spray the whipped cream on them and lick it off?" Ty suggested innocently.
Steph and Amy looked at her. The room was perfectly silent... And then they all started laughing at the same time.
"That's a great idea," Amy said.
"Agreed," Steph laughed. "But I absolutely refuse to lick whipped cream off my own brother. That's just really sick!"
Just then, there was a knock on Steph's bedroom door. Before they could say anything, the door opened, and Shane, Chris, and C-Dawg stood there with their hands behind their backs.
"Well, well, well," Shane drawled, stepping into the room. The other two followed him. "What do we have here?"
"Is this a meeting of the Powerpuff Girls?" C-Dawg asked. He turned to Chris. "What does this look like to you?"
"Looks like three girls in bed together," Chris answered. He smiled. "Now isn't that cute?"
"Um, guys?" Steph asked nervously, getting off the bed. "What are you all hiding behind your backs?"
"I have nothing behind my back that would interest you, Steph," Shane said. He looked at Chris. "But you do, don't you, Chris?"
"Yeah, I have something that would interest her," Chris told Shane. "The question is...should I give it to her now or wait till later?" He looked at C-Dawg. "What do you think?"
"Dawg, you know I'm down for whatever," C-Dawg said. "But I think we should wait... We should make them all squirm a lil bit."
"What are you talking about?" Steph asked, looking at Chris.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Chris teased. "But I'll never tell..." He winked lightly at the look on her face. He had just said the same thing she'd told him earlier.
All three guys started backing away and out into the hallway, hands still behind their backs. They looked very sneaky, to say the least. It was obvious that they were up to something devious...
"Why don't you girls join us downstairs in five minutes for a classic game of Spin the Bottle?" Shane asked them. He looked around at the guys, giving them a knowing look, then looked back over at the girls. "And after that, we can do a round of Truth or Dare."
"Followed by an old-fashioned game of Hide and Seek," Chris added. He looked at Steph, who seemed to have been silently appointed as the spokesperson for her group. "What do you say?"
"Spin the Bottle?" Steph asked. "Truth or Dare? Hide and Seek? Aren't those...kid games?"
"Not our version of them," C-Dawg said. "But you girls will find that out soon enough."
"We'll see you girls in five minutes downstairs...or else," Shane said, and he shut the door.
Steph, Ty, and Amy looked at each other. "They're up to something," Steph said. "I can feel it."
"Do you think they found out about our plan somehow?" Ty asked.
"I don't know, but it seems like they have a plan of their own now," Amy said.
"And what's up with the games they chose?" Steph asked. "I mean, I guess I could see doing Spin the Bottle and Truth or Dare, but Hide and Seek?"
"That could be very interesting, though," Amy mused. "Especially if we were on teams or something..."
"This is so exciting!" Ty exclaimed. "Let's go down there!"
"Yeah, let's do it," Amy agreed enthusiastically.
Steph nodded as the girls got off her bed and stood next to her. "Let's go," she said, and they headed for the door with excited and determined looks on their faces...
A/N: Yay! A fun chapter...no Trish, LOL! And Chris and Steph FINALLY kissed... I have a feeling that the next chapter will be really fun for me to write! Oh, I have many, many plans...