Well here be the nest chapter. And I'd like to say thank you for one suggestion on the upcoming baby's gender. If no one else wants to state what they would like to see, then I already know what it's going to be. Just saying. 0=) Anyway, also thank you to the reviews so far and everything will be more typed up for the next chapter due to my laziness.
Disclaimer: Wait...who does own it? xD
Chapter Twelve Summary: In the midst of everything, Dylan is still a teenager; he wants to to be something more with his crush than just friends with benefits. So if he invites her over to eat with his family, how will it all go?
Chapter Twelve: Dinner with the Danforths
"Dude, just ask her already." Cooper sighed. "You've been like this for weeks." He slammed his locker door closed almost in front of Dylan's face.
"How can I?" Dylan asked. "I mean, things are going great with me and Kiara. I don't wanna mess anything up."
"And you're not gonna." Cooper shook his head. "Look, don't be like Grady O'Malley."
"Who's he?" Dylan raised an eyebrow. Now he knew that sometimes Cooper had a knack for making up stories. But other times they were actually true - or to an extent.
"He was just a normal teenager who went to school here, just like us." Cooper explained quietly, almost in an eerie tone. "He had it all. Popularity, good grades, and a hot friend-girl. Not a girlfriend, just a friend who was a girl with benefits. Everyone told him that he needed to ask her to be his girlfriend before it was too late. But he never did. Two weeks later she dumped him before it could even start and she ran right to the quarterback of the football team. And they lived happily ever after. But Grady...well, poor guy was stuck living it up in a shack with five cats and a parrot."
Dylan just shook his head. "That doesn't make any sense. Why would a guy have five cats and a bird?"
"That's not the point." Cooper insisted. "What I'm sayin is, you gotta ask Kiara to be your lady before she goes running off to someone better. Someone who actually pays sports."
"You really think she would do that? I mean.." Dylan started.
"You'd be surprised." Cooper shrugged.
"Look I know opposites can attract, but other times people can be together just fine when they're similar." Dylan stated.
"Yeah, if they wanna get boring. You gotta make some kinda special gesture with Kiara to make her your lady and actually get yourself a girl instead of a crush. Or you'll just be the next Grady O'Malley."
Dylan blinked, holding in a gulp. Cooper turned and headed to his next class as the bell rang, leaving Dylan alone. Now it wasn't like Dylan to believe one of his friend's stories or anything, but he thought things were going really well with him and Kiara; he certainly didn't want to lose all that. There had to be a way to turn everything around somehow.
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When Dylan walked into his house after school, he saw his father doing the dishes in the kitchen. He held in a chuckle at the sight, only believing it when he saw it. Dylan walked into the kitchen and leaned out behind the counter. "Hey Dad, can I ask you something?" Dylan asked.
"If it's about the dishes, no comment." Chad muttered.
"Actually, it wasn't..." Dylan admitted, "but while we're on the subject, why are you doing the dishes?"
"Cause your mom's upstairs talking with the contractor while they keep doing that work for the room." Chad rolled his eyes. "These just came out of the dishwasher so I'm stuck drying everything."
"What, you jealous?" Dylan joked.
"No but I swear that guy wants to make a move on her." Chad mumbled.
"You're worrying too much." Dylan said. "But really, I need your help with something."
"Hold on, let me finish with this one dish." Chad said. He wiped off the last bit of it. "Ok, now I'm ready to do this the manly way." he said. He turned around to Dylan, only to reveal a red apron around his waist.
Dylan couldn't help but chuckle. "Nice manly side, Dad."
Chad blinked. He looked down to see the apron he was wearing and tugged it off as fast as he could. "Quick, talk man stuff before I do become girlafied!"
"How does talking about girls sound?" Dylan asked.
"Bring on the talk." Chad said.
"Well..." Dylan paused so he could figure out how to word it. "...when did you first ask Mom to be your girlfriend? Like back in high school when you first went out?"
"You're trying to impress your lady friend, aren't you?" he guessed.
"Well...kinda." Dylan admitted. "I wanna see what I can do to move to the next step. To be more than just friends who occasionally go on dates. But I don't know what to do."
"Dill let me tell you something." Chad explained. "From what I've learned, you don't always need to do something to impress a girl. I learned that the hard way. As long as you appreciate them and show them a good time, that usually makes them happy."
"So how did you get Mom to be your girlfriend?" Dylan wondered.
Chad thought back to high school for a minute as he went into the living room and sat down on the couch. "Well we just went out for a couple of months before I actually asked her. All I knew was that I like her for a long time and I wanted to go out with her. And when I wanted to ask her to be more than friends, I got nervous at the thought cause I didn't know how to ask her and we were so different, there was a high possibility of being rejected."
"But you don't get nervous." Dylan shook his head, sitting down next to him. "And what about not knowing if you'd be rejected unless you put yourself out there?"
"That is true," Chad nodded, "but you see, I didn't get the advice on girls from my dad. I got them from my mom. My dad didn't exactly approve of Taylor. He kept saying how basketball and brains didn't mix and thought she'd just be some kind of distraction to more 'important things' or that I needed someone who knew what I went through with sports and all. And her parents...well, her mom didn't approve of me at all. She would say how I wasn't good enough for Taylor and how I should stay away from her. And her dad...well, he had a mixed attitude. Some days we would get along and talk about a few things and other times it was the whole 'Ok you're getting under my skin, don't date my daughter' attitude."
"So what'd you do?" Dylan wondered.
"Well we were at the beach one night and we were trying to see who could push who in the water first. We ended up swimming after each other and I ended up catching her and spinning her around in the water. And I looked at her, and I asked her if she wanted to be my girlfriend." Chad said.
"Asked or stammered?" Dylan inquired.
"Little bit of both." Chad admitted sheepishly. "And at first I thought she was gonna turn me down. I mean there I, a wannabe entertainer, jock, crazy guy was with a smart, caring, beautiful girl, and I thought I didn't have a chance. But then she said yes. I got swept up in the moment...and then I kissed her."
"You're just a secret romantic aren't you, Dad?" Dylan asked with a smile, only a faint joking tone in his voice.
"Sometimes, maybe." Chad shrugged. "But if you wanna ask that to your lady friend then you gotta do it when you feel it's right, when you're ready to take that next step. And if she wants to wait, then you need to be able to realize that you could wait as long as you have to for that girl. It doesn't matter where you are or what you're doing. You do it when you feel it's right."
Dylan nodded. He placed his hands in his lap and looked down for a minute, contemplating what to do.
Chad could see some uneasiness with Dylan. Maybe there was a way to fix that. "Hey, how about you invite her over to dinner one night?" he suggested. "We can get to know her a little better."
"I don't know..." Dylan said slowly.
"Well if you know that we'll have no problems with her then maybe that'll make it easier on you. Just think about it. See if she wants to come over tomorrow night." Chad offered. "At least offer the idea. We'll be on our best behavior."
"Oh, it's not the 'we' I'm worried about." Dylan shook his head with a smile.
Chad raised an eyebrow. "What do you...?" He stopped when he picked his head up, seeing Taylor come downstairs with the contractor.
"Ok so we can continue doing the work tomorrow at noon?" the contractor was asking.
"No, there's not going to be anyone around at that time. There really should be someone in here to keep an eye around." Taylor shook her head.
"Right." he nodded with a smirk. "So how about I come over when you get home from work? You can watch me all you want."
Chad could feel his blood boiling. What was this guy thinking? Chad wasn't about to see anymore of it. He got up from the couch and walked over. "I think you've done enough here for the day." Chad told the contractor, slipping his arm around Taylor. "Because we have a family to feed and we have a baby to prepare for. So if you don't mind, you can leave me and my wife alone for the night so you can go back to your mother."
"At least my mother appreciates me." the contractor muttered as he walked out the front door.
Taylor raised an eyebrow and turned to Chad. "That was a bit rude, you know."
"Yeah, but I can't let some forty-five year old man hitting on you. He had that look in his eye." Chad said.
Taylor just shook her head. "You worry too much. I can take care of myself." she told him.
"I told him he was getting jealous." Dylan chuckled. "So how's it going up there?"
"We don't have much to do. The room is going to be a little smaller than we wanted, but there should still be enough room for everything." Taylor said, turning to Dylan. "As soon as the entire room is done we can start filling it up. No later than in a couple of months or we'll be procrastinating again. So what have you two been up to down here?"
"I was just giving him some more girl advice." Chad said.
"And should we be concerned?" Taylor quirked an eyebrow.
"Not unless you're worried about Dill getting himself a little girlfriend." Chad chuckled.
"Really?" Taylor blinked. She smiled at her son, "Dylan that's great."
"Tell me that when I actually ask her." his face fell. "I'm not even sure how to do it yet."
"I suggested that he invite her over to dinner tomorrow." Chad told her. "How does that sound?"
"That sounds doable. I'd love to meet her." Taylor agreed. "Ask her tomorrow, Dylan."
"Yeah. Like I said, we'll be on our best behavior." Chad nodded.
"And like I said, it's not the 'we' I'm worried about." Dylan said as he got up from the couch and went up to his room.
Chad raised an eyebrow. "What's he talking about?"
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Dylan took a deep breath as he stood in front of his homeroom the next day. The warning bell had just rang and he was trying to will himself to walk in. And he knew he had to, before it was too late. Not only would be then technically be late for class, but he'd have to miss out on his chance talking to Kiara. Finally letting out one more breath, Dylan stepped inside. He head over to the other side of the classroom, where she was setting up her books.
"Hey..." he greeted.
Kiara picked up her head and looked at Dylan. "Hey." she replied with a smile. "What's up?"
"Well, I was sorta kinda wondering..." Dylan started.
She raised an eyebrow. "What is it? Everything ok?" Her expression softened, "You didn't throw up again did you?"
Dylan chuckled a little, remembering his little incident when he first tried asking her out. "Not exactly. I just wanted to talk to you about something."
"Well, the bell's about to ring..." she stated.
"I know." he nodded. "But it's kind of important..."
And as soon as the bell rang, Dylan was cut off. He couldn't help but let out a sigh.
"We can talk after class." Kiara suggested.
"Ok." Dylan nodded in agreement. He walked over to his seat and could only, in between taking notes and listening to the teacher, count the minutes until homeroom was over. Even though it lasted forty-five minutes, Dylan couldn't help but feel impatient. He had to ask before he lost the nerve or confidence to. His head jumped up as soon as the bell rang and he scattered out of his seat. He leaned up against the hall and waited for Kiara to get out. As soon as she did, the two headed down the hallway together.
"So what did you want to talk about?" she wondered.
"Well, it's a Friday. And since we don't have school tomorrow, I was wondering if you wanted to do something tonight." Dylan said.
"Another movie?" Kiara inquired.
"Not exactly." Dylan rubbed the back of his head. "My parents have been hearing a lot about you. They wanted to know if you wanted to join us for dinner tonight."
"I don't know." she shook her head. "Isn't that something couples do?"
Dylan could hear a car crashing in his mind. It was telling him, 'you messed up'. He bit his tongue, trying to figure out what to do. "Well...like more of a friend thing." he tried covering. "I mean, if you don't want to..."
"I never said that, exactly." she shook her head.
"So what did you say?" Dylan asked, becoming slightly confused now.
"Is this really a good time for us to meet each others' parents?" Kiara inquired politely. "We're friends, Dill. Friends with benefits. You don't think it's too early in the game to meet the parents?"
"No, not really." Dylan shook his head. And there was no way he was telling her what he was thinking of. "I just wanted to know if you wanted to come to my house for dinner."
"So is that you inviting me, or your parents?" she giggled.
"Both, I guess." he smiled and shrugged sheepishly.
Kiara looked like she was thinking for a minute. She was silent, as was Dylan. She stopped at her next class and turned to face him. Kiara raised an eyebrow, almost as though she were studying him. Dylan wasn't sure; he just was hoping that it would end well.
Then a smile crept across the girl's face. "What time should I be there?"
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Around six, Dylan opened the door as soon as he heard a knock. He smiled when he saw Kiara standing in front of him. "Hey." he greeted.
"Hey." she replied with a smile. "Can I come in?"
"Of course." Dylan grinned. He moved out of the way so she could walk in, and then closed the door. "So, you bring your appetite?" he wondered.
"Yeah I did." she smiled. "May I ask what's for dinner?"
"We'll find out soon." Dylan shrugged.
"If they're selling more girl scout cookies we don't want any!" Chad called from upstairs.
Dylan chuckled. "It's Kiara, Dad." he replied. "She just got here."
"Oooh..." was his slow reply, only to be followed by an "ow". Dylan chuckled at the sound.
"What was...?" Kiara started.
"Don't worry. No one gets hurt in this house." Dylan grinned.
"Gee, thanks." Chad said sarcastically as he came down the stairs. "Guess I'm a no one then." He glanced at Kiara. "This is your 'friend' huh?"
"Dad..." Dylan started.
Kiara giggled. "No, it's ok." She extended her hand, "I'm Kiara. Nice to meet you, Mr. Danforth."
"Chad's fine." he told her, shaking her hand. "Trust me, I was lucky enough to answer questions at a job interview when they called me that. So should I get started on dinner?"
"Only if we're having mac and cheese." Dylan said. He whispered to Kiara, "It's the only thing he can make without doing something wrong."
"Hey don't insult my cooking skills." Chad joked.
"Trust me, hon, there's plenty to insult." Taylor stated as she walked into the room. "Culinary skills is at the top of the list."
"Thanks for the support." Chad said sarcastically.
Taylor smiled and rolled her eyes. "So Dylan, are you going to introduce us to your friend?"
"This is Kiara. Kiara, this is my mom." Dylan answered, surprised he hadn't turned red yet.
Kiara smiled and shook Taylor's hand. "Hi Mrs. Danforth."
"Hon, there's no need to be so formal." Taylor shook her head. "You can call me Taylor."
When are we having dinner?" Cheryl called as she ran into the house. "I'm hungry!"
"And who's this little cutie?" Kiara asked, eying the six-year-old.
"This is my little sister, Cheryl." Dylan answered.
"Who is filthy." Taylor observed, looking at Cheryl. "What were you doing out there?"
Cheryl looked up at her. "I was playing basketball in the back and then it bounced off the net and rolled in the dirt. So I chased after it." she answered.
"Go up and change." Taylor told her.
"I don't want to." Cheryl moaned.
"Cheryl. Change. Now." Taylor repeated.
Cheryl moaned and headed upstairs.
"Oh yeah, she was asking for that." Chad said to himself with a chuckle.
Taylor folded her arms and raised an eyebrow at him carefully.
"I'll go get some pasta going then." Chad decided right away as he headed into the kitchen.
Kiara raised an eyebrow. "How did you...?"
"When you've known Chad for as long as I have, you know what gets to him. And trust me, all men have that weak point." Taylor stated. "So, make yourselves comfortable. I'll start setting the table." She walked into the kitchen and gathered some dishes.
Kiara turned to Dylan and smiled. "I like them. They seem really nice." she observed.
"Yeah, they're not that embarrassing." Dylan chuckled. "So, you wanna watch a little TV until it's time to eat?"
"Sure." Kiara nodded.
Dylan sighed with relief as Kiara walked over to the couch, him right behind her. Maybe tonight wouldn't be that bad.
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"So how's the food?" Chad asked Kiara as they sat down to eat. "Be honest, I can handle it."
Kiara giggled. "It's good. I don't see how anyone couldn't like it."
"Girl's got good taste." Chad whispered to Taylor.
"Well someone has to, because your family's never going to compliment your cooking." she teased.
"If no one wants to finish their food, can I have it?" Cheryl asked eagerly.
Kiara giggled and turned to Dylan. "Any more sisters we should know about?"
"Not yet." Dylan shook his head.
"So how is school?" Taylor wondered.
"It's good." Dylan said. "We had a test in Economics today."
"Yeah, it was pretty easy." Kiara nodded.
"Sounds like Dill's got good taste then." Chad noticed. "Runs in the family."
Kiara blushed and giggled slightly.
Dylan smiled and nodded. "Yeah, Kiara helps design a ton of posters for school events." he said. "She's also in a few of the academic clubs and goes to the art club sometimes."
"Really? Which clubs?" Taylor inquired.
"Scholastic decathlon and debate team. Just the usual." Kiara answered.
"You know, Taylor was head of the Scholastic Decathlon when we were in high school. And president of the Chem club." Chad stated.
"Really?" Kiara's face lit up. "That's so cool."
"Hey, I was co-captain of the basketball team." Chad said, wanting his turn for glory.
"That's nice, too." Kiara nodded.
"Sorry Chad, I think she's more interested in academics than sports." Taylor said. "Keep dreaming."
"No, that's interesting. I'm just not much of a sports girl." Kiara said quickly. "I'm afraid I'm not very athletic."
"Well you'd better watch out for Cheryl then." Chad said. "She runs around all the time."
"Hey!" Cheryl gasped, reaching to throw some pasta at Chad.
"Cheryl, we have company over. Behave." Taylor scolded.
"No, it's fine." Kiara giggled. "She's cute."
"She's also hyper, so sometimes you have to keep your eyes opened." Dylan said.
"You sure she's your sister?" Kiara teased as she reached in to take some more pasta.
Dylan paused and bit his tongue. Technically Cheryl wasn't his sister, at least not by blood. But the only ones who knew that Dylan was adopted were his parents, their friends, and Cooper. No one else.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm sure." he nodded after a minute.
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"Dinner was really good. I loved it." Kiara said as she headed for the door a few hours later. "And your parents seem really nice."
"Yeah, they are." Dylan nodded. "My dad's the funny one, my mom's the serious one. They work well together."
"I'd say that's an understatement, Dill." Kiara stated. "Thank you for inviting me over tonight. It was nice to meet them."
Dylan blushed a little. "So...are you leaving already?"
"I don't want to overstay my welcome." she shook her head.
"Really? We were going to have ice cream for dessert." Chad offered as he poked his head out from the dining room.
"I don't want to be any trouble..." Kiara started.
"No trouble at all." Chad shook his head. "What's a couple more hours, right?"
"Um, Dad..." Dylan said, signaling he didn't want to be that bothered at the moment.
Chad nodded. "I can take a hint." he held his hands up in defeat as he walked back into the dining room.
Dylan turned back to Kiara. "So...will you be staying a few more hours?"
A smile came onto Kiara's face. "I'd really like to." she said.
Dylan smiled nervously. "So...maybe we can do something tomorrow, too? Like a real date?"
"Which is different from the previous dates how?" she inquired.
"Well...maybe something more like...what...boyfriend and girlfriends...do?" he stammered, rubbing the back of his head.
Kiara blinked and her cheeks turned pink. "Dill...are you asking me to be your girlfriend...?"
"Kinda, yeah." Dylan admitted with a squeak. "I mean if it's too sudden..."
"No, no, it's not that..." she said quickly. She took a minute, seeming to gather herself, "I would love to be your girlfriend."
"Really?" Dylan's eyes widened.
"Really." she smiled and nodded. She pecked him on the cheek, making him turn bright red. "I'm going to see what I can help with in the dining room." she said before leaving the living room.
Dylan smiled crookedly and touched his cheek. He couldn't believe that was happening. Tonight was turning out to be a great night.
"Dylan's got a girlfriend! Dylan's got a girlfriend!" Cheryl chanted eagerly as she ran past him.
Dylan just let out a single chuckle and smiled shyly. "Yeah. Guess I do."
Yup, that was the next chapter. Easy to imagine around the point at which age everyone is, right? Just making sure. And as far as baby Danforth goes, just gotta wait a little longer. Keep the suspense going, you know? And see what else can be done and all. xD Sorry, it's not time to rush just yet. And if you have any other suggestions, feel free to say. As in overall. So I will be off now, and everyone have a happy Saturday. C=