I decided to really shorten up the author's notes here, maybe only put a couple of lines at the beginning and end tops. I don't think anyone reads them (or for the most part). Not sure bout the chapter summaries though. o_0 Anyway, here's the next chapter. I am really getting into these, I've gotta quit writing so much before becoming entirely addicted.
Disclaimer: Do we all need to put these here? 0-0
Chapter Nine Summary: Cheryl's going to be turning six soon. She wants to have the best party out of everyone in kindergarten. Can her parents give her that party and or will they actually fail? However Chad might have to work it alone with Taylor feeling under the weather.
Chapter Nine: Party Problems
"Tay, time to get up." Chad said, gently rubbing his wife as she rested under the blankets.
"Just a little longer." she moaned, her head dug into a pillow. "I'm too tired to get up."
"Tay, we've got a lot of planning to do today. Cherry's never gonna hear the end of it if we don't help her plan that 'perfect party' she wants so much." Chad said.
"You know I've been off for the past week, Chad." Taylor yawned.
"So you're a little sick, I get it." Chad said. "What did you catch anyway?"
Taylor slowly poked her head out from under the blankets and looked at him slightly. "Some stomach virus, I think. There was something going around lately."
"All I'm asking is to get up for a little while. Just a while." Chad said. "You can't lay in bed all day."
"You're right, I can't." Taylor agreed. She pushed herself out of bed and headed to the hallway. "I have to get up to use the bathroom."
"Tay..." Chad started as he followed her. He waited outside the bathroom door, sitting as quietly as he could. Chad sighed, wondering why it had to be now of all times for her to get sick. "You want me to make you a doctor's appointment?"
He heard the sound of the toilet flushing, then Taylor's quiet response. "No, I'll be alright. It just needs to pass is all."
"Are you sure?" Chad asked. He nearly jumped back after a minute or so of waiting for the answer when the door opened.
"Yeah, I'm sure." Taylor nodded, moving some hair out of her face. "Maybe I just need a distraction."
"Ok, so how about you get some cold water and saltine crackers, spend just a little while helping to plan Cheryl's party and then you can go back to sleep all you want?" he suggested.
"Well you can't do it on your own." Taylor shook her head.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Chad whined.
"Ok, I'm sorry." Taylor replied sweetly.
Chad smiled expectantly, but his face fell when there was no other response. "This is the part where you add a kiss to the apology, remember?"
"Chad, my lunch from yesterday was just making a return appearance in the toilet. I have bad breath from that. And do you really want to risk catching what I have?" Taylor replied.
"I'll take my chances." Chad replied as he put an arm around her and gave her a quick yet gentle kiss. "C'mon, the kids haven't gotten sick yet. What do I have to worry about?"
"Just don't jinx it, ok?" Taylor asked, cocking her head slightly.
"Promise." Chad nodded as he lead her downstairs.
"Mom, Dad, hurry!" Cheryl called eagerly from the couch as she saw them come down. "We got a ton of planning to do!"
"It's just one party, Cherry." Chad said as he playfully rustled her hair before sitting down with Taylor by his side.
"It's not just a party, Daddy." Cheryl shook her head. "Dante Higgins had one of the popularist parties in my whole class. It's gotta be big."
"Since when is one party the thing that decides a kid's popularity?" Chad chuckled.
"Apparently it's big with most elementary schoolers ranging from kindergarten to grade four, sixth at the highest." Dylan stated as he walked in from the kitchen.
"Huh?" Chad asked with a perplexed look.
"I heard a couple of kids in my science class talking about some weird ongoing war between their younger siblings who are starting middle school." Dylan explained. "Something about it started with a really bad party or something."
"Well even if there is some weird party contest, you don't need to worry." Chad promised Cheryl. "Your old man was pretty cool back in his day." He smiled proudly and popped his collar.
Taylor rolled his eyes. "That didn't start until late sophomore year when you revealed to the school your real athletic skills instead of taking a back seat to Troy's skills." she informed him. "Not to mention at least seventy-five percent of the time, entrance to the jock clique equaled instant popularity."
"And thanks for downgrading my cool status in front of my kids." Chad muttered, folding his arms. "Just cause you're sick doesn't mean you have to take me down with you."
"Ok, I'm sorry." Taylor apologized again. "And I'm sorry for my future mood swings that accompany this cold or whatever I've caught."
Dylan raised an eyebrow, "You feelin ok, Mom?"
"I've felt better." Taylor sighed.
"Wait, we're still having my party this weekend right?" Cheryl asked worriedly.
"Well I'm not watching who knows how many kids alone..." Chad started.
"Twenty-two." Cheryl grinned widely.
"Twenty what?" Chad gasped.
"Twenty-two." she repeated. She shrugged innocently, "It's my entire class, not including Corrie, Justy, and Timmy."
"What, no Travis?" Chad asked sarcastically.
"What's a one-year gonna do with a bunch of six and five-years?" Cheryl asked, thinking about her friends, who happened to be Troy's and Gabriella's kids and compared them to Ryan's and Kelsi's son, who was just over a year old.
"Told you she took after you." Taylor muttered to Chad.
"Gee, thanks." he rolled his eyes. He shook his head and thought again at the real issue. "I can't handle that many kids on my own, and how am I supposed to ask Dylan to help when he's just there for his sister?"
"I can still help." Dylan offered.
"Keep outta this." Chad replied. He looked at Taylor, "If you're not up to it we can make it next weekend or something..."
"No it's fine." Taylor shook her head. "We've still got planning to do so let's just start planning and then I'll go back to bed."
"Great!" Cheryl cheered. "We gotta make it real big. With a moon bounce! And a ton of food. And a really big cherry-flavored cake! And gift bags with video games!"
Chad and Taylor exchanged glances and then looked back at Cheryl. "Ok, we need to set limits." Taylor said right away as she rubbed her head. "Can we simplify things a bit?"
"How much?" Cheryl asked.
"We can get the food and we can get a cherry flavored cake," Chad started. He quickly turned to Taylor for backup. "We can get those, right?" he checked.
"Yeah." Taylor nodded.
"We can get those." Chad repeated more confidently as he turned back to Cheryl. "But we can't put something like video games in there. Why can't we put it something more like candy and lip gloss for the girls and toy bouncy balls and finger puppets for the boys?"
"Ok those goodie bags are making me sick." Cheryl said, pretending to look like she'd throw up.
"Cherry, that's impolite." Taylor scolded. "Maybe your father can take you to the store later and see if you two can work something out."
"Ok, but what bout the moon bounce?" she moaned.
"A trampoline, maybe. But no moon bounce." Chad shook his head.
"But my party's gonna stink!" Cheryl moaned.
"Cheryl you can deal with what we can get you." It was Chad's turn to scold her. "And if you're gonna put up a fit about this then maybe we should rethink any kind of party." Cheryl gasped, but he quickly turned to Taylor. "Too harsh?" He wasn't exactly an expert on being the super tough parent.
"It was fine." Taylor said. She sighed and clutched her stomach. "Stay here, I've got a meeting with the toilet again."
Chad nodded as Taylor went back upstairs.
"What bout the party?" Cheryl repeated.
Chad moaned. How was he going to handle this? Had he spoiled her that much? Or did she take after Chad when he was her age? Chad shuddered at the thought, hoping that wasn't the case.
Dylan left his father to deal with Cheryl. The teen knew he wouldn't be much help when it came to a little girl's party...except for maybe setting everything up. He headed upstairs to check on Taylor, knowing at least for today she wouldn't be able to completely focus on helping plan for the party. Dylan stopped in front of the bathroom door and gave a single knock. "Mom, you ok in there?" he asked.
"I'll be right out." Taylor faintly moaned from inside.
Dylan raised an eyebrow as he patiently waited. She seemed rather cranky lately, and she had been throwing up for at least a week. Maybe Taylor really was sick. But what if it was something else? He looked up at her - just barely - when she came out of the bathroom after two more flushings.
"You sure you're ok? Maybe you should go back to bed." he suggested.
"I should, but I need a distraction from this thing." Taylor replied. "And some water and crackers might help, too."
"But what if it's not that easy?" Dylan asked.
"Very funny." Taylor said sarcastically.
"No, really." he replied. "What if it is something else?"
"Ok Dylan, I know you're taking Health class and learning about the things both men and women go through when they start growing..." she started.
"Well, that's not exactly what I was thinking." Dylan admitted.
"Ok so then where are you going with this?" Taylor asked, hoping it wouldn't go on much longer.
Dylan sighed, hoping it wouldn't come out the wrong way. "Mom, are you pregnant?"
"Dill, I think I would know if I was." Taylor replied. "Trust me, it's that stomach virus or whatever it is that's going around." She rubbed her head, figuring she'd deal with any family drama in a few hours.
Dylan followed her towards her bedroom. "But what about the throwing up? And the stomach pains? And the mood swings?"
"Also signs of an illness." Taylor pointed out.
"But..." he started.
"Can we talk about this later?" Taylor asked as she walked into the bedroom. "I need to go back to bed for a while." She sent him an apologetic look, then closed the door.
-CT-CT-CT-CT-CT-
"You think we got enough stuff to satisfy everyone?" Chad wondered later that afternoon after he was convinced to take Cheryl out and look for party favors for everyone.
"We got tons of stuff for evry bag." she shrugged. "And I picked em all out, they should be good. I hope."
"You worry too much." Chad shook his head. He sat down on the couch and started organizing everything - to the best of his ability. "Ok so the red goody bags are for the girls and the orange for the boys. For the girls we got fun packs of m-n-m's, pink cell phones with candy, a hair scrunchy, a rubber bracelet, a panda or puppy keychain, and a mini Barbie doll from Burger King." He filled one of the bags with said items. He looked at Cheryl, who nodded to show Chad he had gotten everything right. Chad turned back to the other supplies. "And for the dudes we got some hard candy, a small pinball game from Wendy's, a fake rubber bug, a little army man, and a small bouncy ball."
"Yay, everything's not lame!" Cheryl cheered.
"Uh-huh..." Chad nodded slowly. Yup, he spoiled her too much. "Ok, so I'll head out during the week and see what kind of decorations we can get for the backyard. Then on Friday we'll go get the cake." He eyed her carefully, "That'll stay in the fridge until we bring it out for the party on Saturday."
Cheryl nodded. "Ok Dad." She gave a big smile and hugged him before skipping outside. "Thank you!"
As soon as she was out of earshot, Chad sighed and hit his head.
"You ok, Dad?" Dylan wondered as he walked in.
"Dill, I need an honest answer from you but give it to me straight and gentle." Chad said right off the bat. "Do I spoil Cheryl?"
Dylan paused for a minute to think about how to put it easiest. "If by spoil you mean spend a lot of time with her, always show her the right way to play basketball, melt every time she asks you for her favorite ice cream, and give in when she wants to stay up an extra fifteen minutes to watch her favorite show, then yes."
Chad moaned and hit his head again. He did all those things! "I'm a dead man."
"You could be deader." Dylan shrugged, trying to lift Chad's spirits. "How was it shopping with her?"
"I think I'll leave most of the shopping with Cheryl to your mother from now on." Chad admitted. "Especially with clothes, that girl dragged me through so many shirts while we were at the outlet."
"Like what, dresses and stuff?" Dylan quirked an eyebrow.
"No, boy's shirts." Chad shook his head.
Dylan blinked. "Since when does she...?"
"Don't ask. Please don't ask." Chad begged, clearly stressed. "Just tell me when raising a six-year-old got so hard."
"It's a new generation. New kids. Maybe there's more competition." Dill offered.
"That's not very encouraging." Chad shook his head.
"Sorry." Dylan apologized. "Need a snack bar?"
"Nah, I had one at the store." Chad shook his head. He saw a stare from his son and Chad automatically defended himself, "I paid for it first!" He saw Dylan nod and then Chad sighed. "Hey, how's your mom feeling?"
"She was asleep for almost two hours." Dylan answered. He was deciding against telling Chad about his theory. Besides, what proof did he really have? And there was a cold going around, after all; Dylan knew, a few kids in his class got it last week. "You sure you don't wanna switch the party to next weekend?"
"I think we can handle it." Chad nodded.
"You sure?" Dylan asked seriously.
"Ok when did you become my father?" Chad chuckled. "Calm down, kiddo. There's nothing to worry about." He pushed himself up from the couch. "I'll finish filling up the goodie bags while dinner's making later. Keep an eye on your sister?"
"Sure." Dylan nodded. He headed outside into the backyard to try and keep up with Cheryl as she started playing with the basketball again.
Chad stayed where he was for a minute and sighed. When did everything become so complicated? Hey, who was he kidding? It wouldn't be too long before Cheryl would be a teenager and then they'd have to have the talk. It was so much easier to go through with that with Dylan...but then again he was a guy. That was supposed to make it a little easier, right? Snapping out of his thoughts, Chad pushed himself off the couch and headed upstairs. He stepped cautiously into the bedroom and then sat down on the bed beside Taylor, gently rubbing her back once more. He saw her twitch a little, probably from the sudden touch while she was sleeping.
"'S just me." Chad said quietly. "Got home about ten minutes ago."
"What time is it?" Taylor asked sleepily.
"About two." Chad estimated. "How ya feeling?"
"Tired. And my stomach hurts." Taylor replied.
"Just go back to sleep then. I'm staying in the rest of the day." Chad promised. "Need anything?"
"Not right now." she managed to shake her head. "Did you get everything?"
"As far as goodie bags go, yeah." Chad nodded. "But who did she get the cross-dressing from? Cheryl was looking at a ton of guys' shirts."
"Tell me that again when I stop being sick. I'm too tired to worry." Taylor said.
"Ok." Chad nodded. "You want me to get you some water?"
"No, I'm ok." she answered with another yawn.
"Do you want some company then?" Chad wondered.
"Company would be nice." Taylor smiled.
Chad smiled and laid down beside her. He wrapped his arm around Taylor and pecked her on the head. "Night Tay."
Taylor yawned as she felt Chad nuzzle into her hair. "Night Chad."
They might as well get some sleep while they could. It was going to be a long week.
-CT-CT-CT-CT-CT-
One week later it was time to get everything set up. Well, it felt like a week to the Danforths. It had gone by so slowly. It was really just the next Saturday, as in the day of Cheryl's party. The backyard had to be set up perfectly, everyone had to get there on time, and the cake had to remain in the refrigerator or else if it was out for too long it'd melt, being an ice cream cake. So that morning, Dylan made sure to take Cheryl out and keep her occupied. Having his license, he was able to borrow Taylor's car to take Cheryl around town. That was around ten a.m. And around that time that Chad woke up. He looked around for Taylor beside him but the bed was empty. Chad got up and walked over to the bathroom door, figuring that she was in there.
"Tay?" he asked quietly, knocking on the door. "You ok in there?"
The toilet flushed and then Taylor walked out, taking a few tic-tacs to clear her breath for the time being. "Yeah, I'm ok. Just getting over the last of it."
"You sure?" Chad asked, feeling her forehead to double check.
Taylor couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Yes, I'm sure. You know I went to the bathroom a little less in the last few days. I think I'm getting over it."
"You do look like you got some color back in your face." Chad observed. "And you don't feel as warm as you look." he added with a cheesy grin.
Taylor smiled and rolled her eyes. "Save it for later, Chad. We've got a lot of work to do."
"But you're sure you're up for it, right?" Chad asked.
"Yeah. I'm positive." Taylor nodded. She was about to say more, but then she held up a finger. "Give me two minutes." She started heading back into the bathroom.
"What's wrong?" Chad asked, concerned.
"Two minutes." Taylor repeated as she ran back into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her.
Chad sighed, hoping that it was the last of it. He could tell Taylor was feeling a little better, but the trips to the bathroom were still just a tad frequent. He decided to head downstairs and get a plate of crackers and a glass of water set out. He looked up as he put some toast in, seeing Taylor walk into the living room. "Got it all out?"
"Yeah, I think." Taylor nodded. "I even brushed my teeth five times afterward. And after I eat something I'm brushing them five more times."
Chad had to chuckle. "You worry too much. I'm sure your breath's fine."
Taylor just shook her head. "Don't make me counter that." She picked up a cracker from the plate and took a few baby bites. "So, we'll start setting up after we eat?"
"Yeah." Chad nodded. "Streamers are in one of the drawers in the dining room, there's a few balloons that need to be blown up, the cake is in the back of the fridge, candles are in the cabinet in here..."
Taylor giggled. "You think of everything?"
"Well...almost." Chad admitted sheepishly. "Everything except how to set it all up in the back."
"How about you set up and I'll direct?" Taylor suggested.
"And then I blow up the balloons and you tie them?" Chad added with a smile.
"Only if you put up the streamers where I tell you to." Taylor finished, grinning.
"You got a deal." Chad smiled. He took a bite out of his toast and then threw it on the ground. "Ow!" he gasped. Taylor raised an eyebrow and looked at Chad, and he replied in almost a whining voice, "It was too hot."
"Oh was it?" Taylor teased. "Whatever do we do?"
"Make it un-hot?" Chad asked hopefully.
"Well...just for one minute while we have the chance." Taylor agreed. She placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed herself more up to his level, then kissed him deeply. Chad returned it and accepted rather quickly. He wrapped his arms around her and could feel her bangs brush up against his forehead. He kept one arm around her waist as he gently rubbed her back and she moved a few bangs out of his face. They remained in each others' arms for more than just a minute until they slowly pulled apart.
"Ok are you taking something I need to know about?" Chad joked with a smile. "Cause I cannot remember when the last time was we kissed like that."
Maybe in the back of her mind Taylor had an idea; but even if she were to tell Chad she wouldn't give it away so easily. "Maybe it's just been too long already."
"Well then we really should continue this later." Chad smiled, even though he was already leaning in for another kiss.
Taylor smiled and shook her head, gently placing her hand in front of him. "Later means later, Chad. We have breakfast to eat and a party to set up...we have to make sure it goes well. Whether you have a spoiled daughter or not."
"Don't you mean we?" Chad asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"She takes after you, remember? You athletic skills, your knack for getting into trouble, your loudmouth, your appetite, and your selfishness." Taylor informed him.
"Yeah but she got your looks." Chad stated. "And she's a girl like you. And she got your stubbornness."
"She got that from you too, Chad." Taylor replied. "And trust me, there's more where that came from." She stepped away and picked up her water to take a sip.
Chad tilted his head in confusion. "I don't get it. Am I missing something?"
"Maybe I can tell you later." Taylor offered. "But can we get through today first?"
"Yeah." Chad nodded. He picked up his toast and took another bite. Time to end the long week with a long day.
-CT-CT-CT-CT-CT-
Cheryl glanced around the backyard, looking over every detail as everyone jumped out to surprise her. Streamers were falling down from the basketball hoop, balloons were hanging from the swing set and by the windows and tables, the tables were decorated in lacy table cloths with food on plates covering them, small gifts rested under the table and neatly wrapped, a radio sat in the corner by the fence playing childish songs - yes even more childish than for a six-year-old, at least in her opinion - board games and chairs sat all over the grass, and people were actually wearing party hats. Who wore party hats anymore?
Dylan raised an eyebrow as he looked down at his sister. "Hello, earth to Cherry. Come in Cherry." he told her.
Cheryl shook her head rapidly and spun around to Dylan. "Please tell me we're at some other kids' party and not mine!"
Dylan raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "Not unless they did their backyard just like ours."
"But this place looks so...so..." she started.
"Not fun?" Dylan wondered. No way she could actually be thinking that....
"Worse than not fun! Lame!" she gasped.
"How can this look lame?" Dylan asked. "Have you seen all the stuff you can do back here?"
"But it's all wrong! It was supposed to look cool, not baby-ish!" Cheryl insisted.
"Ok if this party thing really is a competition, then you're getting way too competitive." Dylan noticed.
"I am not!" Cheryl yelled.
"Whoa, calm down." Chad said as he and Taylor walked over. He looked behind him to see how the guests were doing, and luckily the girls were just talking and the boys were running around the small basketball court looking for a ball or something. Chad turned back to Cheryl, "What's the problem?"
"How could you throw a party like this? It's so lame!" Cheryl replied.
"Hey, we worked all morning on this. What happened to," Chad started and then changed his voice into a high squeaky one, "'Oh thank you Mom and Dad, this party looks so cool. Thank you for all the hard work you put into this.'"
Cheryl rolled her eyes. "So you want the other kids to make fun of me for a boring party."
"You didn't even do anything yet and you're already making assumptions." Taylor said. "Imagine saying that about someone else's party. Do you know how rude and disrespectful that would be?"
"Yeah but this is my party!" Cheryl replied.
"That we worked hard to put together all morning. That's rude and disrespectful to us, young lady." Taylor reprimanded.
"I don't care. But I'm not sticking around to see them laugh and point at me!" Cheryl insisted. She moaned nd stormed back inside and up to her room.
"And she was in such a good mood when I distracted her five minutes ago. Before we got home." Dylan said half sarcastically. "What are we gonna do?"
"Try again next weekend and hope for the best?" Chad shrugged.
Dylan raised an eyebrow but Taylor sighed and shook her head. "Let's just play this out and see how it goes." she suggested. "If we're lucky enough, the kids will have fun and as soon as Cheryl hears that, she'll come down and want to be a part of it."
"So we're not gonna force her to come to her own party?" Chad asked, confused.
"Not if she's going to act the way she just did. It's her party and if she wants to miss out on it, her loss." She turned and walked back over to the guests.
"Is that some kind of reverse psychology thing?" Dylan wondered, looking at his father.
"If it is, let's hope it works." Chad replied.
O3---- Balloons O3----
Two hours into the party and everyone was getting ready to grab a little food before digging into the cake. They seemed to be having fun, for the most part, but Cheryl still refused to come out. So for the past two hours they started eating and playing games without her. It even got to the point where some of the guests (most of which happened to be girls) started chasing Timothy around the yard because he was older - and because Corrie started it. But with everyone sitting down to eat, it seemed to quiet; there was even any music in the background to fill the atmosphere.
Dylan walked out into the backyard for the third time that afternoon after trying to get Cheryl to come down. "Well, I've still got no luck." he sighed. He stopped and looked around at the yard. "Please tell me this party is still alive."
"If it is, it barely has a pulse." Taylor sighed. "I can't believe Cheryl actually thinks we gave her a boring party."
"I can't believe she doesn't think we're cool. Or have a cool party." Chad added.
"Should we just count our losses and start calling parents?" Taylor wondered.
"But it's only half way over. We can't call now. The parents will think we're boring, too." Chad said.
"Too bad you can't entertain everyone while they eat and get them into more of a party spirit." Dylan sighed. "At least maybe then if they start cheering then Cheryl will get curious and come out which will hopefully get her to join in on the fun."
Chad blinked as he thought about it for a minute. "Entertainment, huh?" he asked. He snapped his fingers and grinned. "Dill, I think you're on to something!" He spun around to the two quickly. "Quick, what entertains kids besides TV?" he asked eagerly.
"You're not seriously asking for my opinion, are you?" Taylor asked doubtfully.
"Why not?" Chad shrugged.
Taylor sighed. "Stuffed animals, toys, books..."
Dylan thought for a minute before contributing, "Movies, food, coloring, music..."
Chad snapped his fingers again. "That's it! We'll go with music. Like karaoke!"
"You're joking, right?" Dylan asked. "No offense Dad, but do you really think little kids want something to do with karaoke, let alone listen to adults or teenagers sing?"
"They listen to it on TV don't they?" Chad shrugged.
"I hate to admit, but that is a point." Taylor said.
"So what then? We get up and do karaoke and then get everyone else to join in and take turns while they eat?" Dylan asked.
"Sure. We got plenty of instrumental CD's somewhere in the house. We can make a song out from those." Chad said. "C'mon Dill, you can go warm them up."
"I'd rather not unless they were listening to me while I was in the shower." Dylan shook his head, having a bit of stage fright.
Chad looked at Taylor and she nodded and folded her arms. "Well, I guess they'll never be able to hear you sing. All they'll be able to hear is the rumors about your voice but they'll never hear it for themselves." she said slyly.
"Ok, I'm not getting tricked this time." Dylan insisted, remembering how she fooled him when they practiced driving.
Taylor just shrugged and continued. "And then it'll turn out that one of them will get a world famous record deal when you could have been the one that went up first and it will haunt you forever. All because you were too scared to pick up a microphone and sing to some music..."
"I'm not scared of music." Dylan muttered.
"Just afraid of a few melodies escaping a radio or stereo system and not being able to open your mouth only once. And when almost everyone you grew up with not only can sing themselves but also know that you can sing. But there's no point in forcing you to get over your fear. I suppose we'll just have to call someone else to entertain the kids. Maybe if we're lucky we can call Troy and Gabriella over and they can entertain everyone instead...."
"No way!" Dylan gasped. "I can entertain them just fine. And that's no fair, Troy and Gabriella have way more experience..." Dylan's mouth dropped open as he stopped in mid sentence and saw the look on Taylor's face. "Oh man, I got tricked again." he moaned. He hit his head and then headed over to the group of kids reluctantly.
"Oh you're good." Chad smiled at Taylor.
"I know." Taylor shrugged with a nod. "Let's go get those CD's."
As they walked into the house, Dylan started getting everyone's attention and as soon as all eyes were on him, he gulped. He picked up a toy microphone, one that looked like it came with a toy karaoke set or something, and saw his parents load a CD into the radio. As soon as the music started, Dylan had no choice but to sing. There was no backing out now. He started singing the first song that came to mind.
"Life is good, I can't complain
I mean I could but no one's listening
Your image overwhelms my brain
And it feels good, good, good"
The kids started picking up their heads at the singing. They heard the song earlier and seemed to enjoy it, at times only a couple started dancing to it. But there was no dancing with it this time. They were too busy listening to Dylan singing. And quite frankly, he still had the song stuck in his head from before.
"Like a roller coaster ride
Holding on my knuckles white
Whoa, whoa
Every time I'm like
Up and down and side to side
Whoa, whoa"
He just did a shorter version of the song, but everyone seemed to like it. The one disappointing thing was that when Dylan looked to see if Cheryl had come out, she wasn't there. But Dylan had to snap out of his thoughts as he felt someone tug on the end of his shirt. That's right, the song was over; he had to let someone else have a turn. Good, let someone else be the entertainment for a few minutes. It was a lot easier to please kids than Dylan thought...no wonder he wanted to end it now!
"My turn, right?" Justina asked eagerly as she pull on his shirt.
"Yeah, sure." Dylan nodded with relief as he handed her the toy mic. He walked away from the kids as Justina started singing and the others cheered her on. Dylan moved some hair out of his face as he walked back over to his parents. "I'm getting a drink from inside." he decided as he walked back in.
Chad raised an eyebrow. Dylan sang so well, but he wanted to get out of there and just get some soda or something? He turned to Taylor with a puzzled look. "Am I the only one who's getting the feeling that he just took entertainer of his 'what I wanna be when I grow up' list?"
O3---- Balloons O3----
The more songs that went on with the party, the more everyone started to enjoy themselves. Everyone wanted to get up and sing. Even if they couldn't sing for their lives, everyone would just laugh and joke around. And except for one kid, the kids who couldn't sing that did laughed along with everyone else. But Cheryl still hadn't come out to join the fun. What no one knew was that she had been listening in from her bedroom window and at times sneaked down to try and get a better look at everyone from the dining room, careful not to be seen. But that was the problem; she still wouldn't come out.
"Ok, this is ridiculous." Chad finally sighed. "The party ends in an hour and a half and it doesn't even look like Cheryl's party anymore. That girl is so stubborn."
"So much for your master plan." Taylor muttered.
"Well there has to be even one song that'll make her come out." Dylan said.
"What makes you say that?" Chad wondered.
"Well maybe if she hears her favorite song it'll make her wanna come out and listen to it better than from upstairs, assuming she can hear anything down here." Dylan stated.
"Ok so what song would a spoiled, overconfident, athletic, hyperactive, selfish child like?" Chad asked.
Dylan raised an eyebrow. "Those are all negative qualities."
"No wonder. That was just like your father when he was growing up." Taylor stated.
"Ok, you're not helping right now." Chad sighed.
"Hey, what about that song from last year? When we had her party at the bowling alley?" Dylan suggested.
"Which song?" Chad asked, confused. "'Happy Birthday'?"
"Or are you talking about 'Celebrate You'?" Taylor wondered.
"That's the one." Dylan nodded eagerly. "C'mon, we're talking about the girl who jumps out of the house every day looking for something to do or something to throw a basketball or toy at."
"He does have a point." Chad mumbled.
"And how she's always talking about trying to get taller than all of us." Dylan continued. "Perfect example of the song. So get up there and sing."
"Yeah, get up there and..." Chad started but paused. "What did you say?"
"You heard him. You've sung it before, even if it was just in the shower." Taylor said.
"That never leaves this spot." Chad whispered. He didn't like people knowing he sang in the shower, even if it was just his family. It was embarrassing.
"You too, Mom." Dylan said.
"Ok, how did I get dragged into this?" Taylor asked.
"Every other kid out here sang. And you two put this party together. You need to have fun here too, you know." Dylan said as he folded his arms. "Or are you just too scared to sing?"
"Ok, that is not fair. You are using my tactic against me." Taylor said.
"I know." Dylan couldn't help but smirk.
"And how do you know Cheryl won't get embarrassed if she heard us singing to her friends?" Chad asked, still looking for a way to get out of it.
"She didn't get embarrassed when you danced out of the shower that one time when her friends from school came over." Dylan pointed out. "You were rocking like Elvis Presley or someone when you did that."
"No, they just laughed at me." Chad said. Then that made him think. "Oh man, they're gonna laugh at my singing!"
Taylor his her forehead. "Chad, stop being a baby and go grab that microphone."
"I don't want to." Chad whined as he folded his arms.
"Then you can sleep in the bed alone tonight." Taylor retorted.
"I'm gonna go get that microphone now." Chad said quickly as he ran over to it.
"You gotta get the microphone, too." Dylan said as Chad ran to get it, yet Taylor remained where she was.
"Dylan you can't seriously make me-" she started.
"I can hold my breath until I turn blue, pull the guilty card, or steal something from your closet and wear it to school tomorrow." Dylan suggested almost mischievously. "Which will it be?"
Taylor folded her arms and shook her head. "Pull that one more time and the only company you'll see from school for a week are your books." she told him as she walked over to Chad.
Dylan just chuckled as soon as he was alone. "I always wanted to try that." he admitted to himself. He paused and realized something. "I'd better not try that again."
Chad sighed as he picked up the mic. "If this doesn't work, I'm locking myself in my room." he muttered to Taylor as she walked over.
"It's my room, too." she told him. "Where would I lock myself?"
"The bathroom?" Chad suggested.
"Oh, real mature." Taylor said sarcastically.
Chad sighed. He looked around to see if Cheryl had come down, but no luck. With no other choice, he had to start singing. This is what his entertainment came down to. Not reading a bedtime story or playing sports but singing for a kid's party.
"Everyday is the right day
It's easy to understand
Cause you get the chance and you take it
Make it the best you can make it
Why should you hold back?"
With no other choice and still no sign of the birthday girl, Chad continued singing and Taylor was coerced into making the chorus a duet.
"It's the time of your life
You don't want to miss out
On right here and now
There's so many reasons why
You don't wanna stop
It's your chance, live it up
Celebrate you (oh, oh)
Celebrate you (oh, oh)
As the second verse started, Cheryl was carefully watching from the dining room screen door. It was a good thing she hadn't been caught yet or else she might be forced back out there. But this was just plain humiliating now. Her parents were singing. She didn't even want to see the looks on her classmates' faces. Cheryl gulped, letting her curiosity get the better of her. Her gaze switched to the direction of her friends and they seemed to like the song, moving their heads back and forth to the rhythm of the song. They actually looked like they were having fun - and without her! As soon as her parents finished the song a couple of minutes later, Cheryl jumped outside.
"Hey! How can you celebrate me if I'm not out here?" she moaned. "I wanna turn to sing, too."
Corrie was the first to jump out of the seat and ran over to her friend. "Yay, you're back! You didn't die!" she exclaimed as she hugged her.
Cheryl blinked and looked at Timothy and Justina.
"She thought you were gonna die being locked in your room all day." Timothy said.
"I did not!" Corrie lied as she let go of Cheryl and pointed to Timothy. "Attack Timmy!" she declared.
Timothy gulped as he ran out of his seat and started rushing around the yard, being chased by at least half of the kids. Cheryl just blinked as she watched everyone. "Hey wait for me! I wanna kill Timmy, too!" she called as she got into the race.
Dylan just blinked as he tried to avoid the running children while he walked over to his parents. "By Jove, I think it worked."
"The song actually worked..." Chad said in disbelief. "Why didn't we think of it sooner? We probably got an hour left by now or something."
Taylor's eyes widened. "The cake!" she remembered. "They still need to have the cake."
"I'll take it out and find the candles." Dylan offered as he tried to get through the screaming kids again and get into the house. Now he was liking it better when they were all sitting.
-CT-CT-CT-CT-CT-
Chad sighed with relief as the final guest left the backyard with their parents. He moved some hair out of his face as he closed the fence. "It's finally over." he breathed. "We lived through the party and are still in one piece."
"Just be glad we got through cake, presents, and dancing for a whole hour." Dylan said, still finishing his slice.
"So many kids..." Chad said to himself, trying to get over how crowded it felt. He shook his head and turned to Taylor. "How are you holding up?"
"I'm just glad it's over." Taylor admitted. "I need a nap so badly after that."
"How about you go take care of that and I'll start cleaning up?" Chad suggested.
"There's just one order of business to take care of first." Taylor said as she stopped him from kissing her by holding up a finger. She turned to see Cheryl, who was fooling around with one of her birthday presents. "Cheryl can you come over here?" she asked. "We still need to discuss your behavior today."
"Yeah." Chad agreed as he saw her get up and walk over to them. "You help give us faint ideas for your party that we can't even afford and then you call it lame and pull the 'it's my party and I'll lock myself in my room if I want to' attitude and then when the party's almost over you come rushing out here like nothing happened. What do you have to say for yourself?"
Cheryl just squealed as she hugged her parents tightly. "Thank you thank you thank you!" she exclaimed quickly. "This was the best party ever and it was so much fun and everyone loved it and thought it was so great, it wasn't even lame at all. I loved it, you're the best parents ever! I love you guys!" As soon as she let go of them, she rushed up to her room to bring in her presents so she could play with them some more.
Chad blinked from confusion once again. "Uh...what just happened?" he asked, not even understanding everything Cheryl said.
"I...actually don't entirely know." Taylor admitted, seeming a bit perplexed herself. "I think I'll head up for that nap now and see if this was all just a dream."
"Or a nightmare." Chad nodded. "I'll join you after I take care of the garbage."
"Yeah, and I'll clear some of the tables after I finish my slice of cake." Dylan agreed.
"Yeah." Chad nodded. He saw Taylor head to the back door to get inside, but he stopped her. "So you held up ok today?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Taylor nodded, turning to him.
"No stomach aches? No fever? No need to throw up?" Chad wondered, wanting to be sure.
"Not right now, I really think I'm over it." she shook her head. "I'll make a doctor's appointment when I wake up to be sure."
"Ok." Chad agreed. "Get some rest." he added after kissing her.
"I will." Taylor promised.
As soon as Chad started cleaning up and was out of earshot, Dylan walked over to Taylor. He made sure to speak quietly, just in case.
"So it really was just a stomach virus?" he wondered.
"I'll know for sure soon." Taylor shrugged. "I'm due for a checkup anyway."
Dylan raised an eyebrow. "Does that mean you're not pregnant, then?"
"Dill I would know if I was." Taylor replied.
"But you'd tell Dad if you were, right?" he checked.
"He'd be the first to know." Taylor promised. "Don't worry. I'm going to tell him."
That was the longest one so far, I think. And if I haven't said before, sorry if some of the chapters are out of order with ages and everything. If you want me to make a list of what order they'd technically be in if it was like a timline then just say so. So, thought I'd leave it at that for now, maybe just give a possible climactic feel or something. That make sense? Ok then, no sense in me saying anything else now.