Here you are...the 20th Chapter!

Thank yous:

Dodger, Spades, Mouse and Dreamer...thank you for the interest in the story!!!! And for your reviews

Ducky thank you for helping me write this!!!! you my friend are a life saver!

Thursday left me wanting to do more than just sleep all day, as was my custom over break. So I went into Dodger's room to greet her.

"Good morning starshine, the earth says hello!" I said plopping down on her bed.

"You really need to stop watching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." She mumbled.

"I've only seen it twice."

"Wow, if anyone ever offered a class on movie quotes, you'd get an A."

"He he, let's do something." I said bouncing up and down on her bed.

"Ugh, like what?" she groaned.

"UUUUMMMMM, like the mall!"

"I was supposed to hang out with Blink today!"

"Bring him with us!"

"Ok." Dodger said dragging herself out of bed. While Dodger was in the shower, I got the bright idea to call Media and ask her to go with us. She agreed and said that she was bringing Mush along.

2:00 came along and we all rendezvoused at Dillard's in the mall. Dodger and I walked in and saw Blink, Jack, Media, and Mush waiting for us.

"Yay, we can leave this store!" Media said.

"What's wrong, Media, don't you like Dillard's?" I asked.

"Not when I'm hungry!" She replied.

"Anyone else hungry?" Dodger asked. A chorus of yes's arose from the group and we made our way to the food court. After eating, us girls began our shopping spree, while the guys dragged behind. Soon our hands were full of bags from various stores. Dodger had found it easier to sling her purse behind her and use both hands to hold her bags. There was a crowd of people heading toward us, we moved into a single file and some doubles so that we could pass without bumping into anyone. Just then Jack twisted some guys wrist and threw him against the wall.

"What are you doing?" Mush asked.

"Jack, let the poor man go." I said, thinking that he was just trying to get me to like him again.

"In New Yawk, poise snatchin ain't smiled on." Jack said in almost a growl.

"Dodger is that your purse on the ground, by the weird guy's foot?" Media asked.

"Oh, uh yeah." Dodger mumbled. "Thank you Jack."

"Someone call security." Jack said holding the guy firmly in place.

A cashier in of the store we were in front of dialed security and said they'd be there in a minute. We waited for several minutes before Mall Security showed up, after they did, they asked if we could go to their station so that they could get our statement.

"Yeah, not a problem." Dodger said as we followed the mall cop to their station.

"Good eye there Jack." Mush said on the way. Suddenly I felt an elbow jab my ribs, looking to see who had accidentally ran into me, I saw Dodger looking at me and nodding her head toward Jack. I rolled my eyes at her before apologizing.

"Sorry for yelling at you Jack." I said somewhat reluctantly.

"It's aight Angel." He said.

After all six of us wrote our statements we resumed our mall crawl, much to the dismay of the guys.

"My feet hoit!" Blink complained.

"Maybe we should get you some new shoes!" said Media.

"Uh, I'm thinkin moh along da lines a no." Blink replied.

"Blink, you've been around me too long, you're starting to sound like me!" I said laughing.

"Please not another shoe store!" Mush protested as we walked into Payless.

"Of course, Mush, did you expect any different from them?" Dodger asked as Media and I rushed down to our size.

"If you buy one more pair of boots…" Mush cautioned.

"They make me tall!" Media replied.

"Give us a break, we're short, we like to feel average every now and then." I said, holding a pair of boots with three-inch stiletto heels.

"Wow, dose ah some boots dere Angel." Jack said when he saw them.

"Yeah, they're cute. Let's see if they pass the zipper test." I said pulling at the zipper, which came to my knee. It got to the base of my calf and refused to budge.

"And that would be a no." I said sadly putting them back.

"Aww, my little nut." Media said.

"With the huge calves!" I stated bitterly. My calves were the one thing that kept me from buying boots, and that angered me.

"Why can't you have bigger calves?" Mush teased Media.

"If not boots, I'll get heels!" Media said.

"I can't win." Mush said throwing his hands in the air.

"Get used to it Mush, you never will." Dodger said.

"Not with shoes anyway." Media laughed.

After an hour of the guys complaining, we all piled into our cars and headed back to my house. Somehow I ended up riding with Jack, because Dodger kicked me out of her car in favor of Blink. Jack and I had a fairly good conversation considering the circumstances. We pulled up into the driveway and Jack sprinted around to my side of the car to open the door for me.

"I know how ya like ta get it yaself." He said smiling.

"What happened to just friends? What I ask you, what?!" I thought as I climbed out. Soon we were all gathered in the family room debating what to do next.

"Let's play poker!" Mush suggested.

"No, let's play phase 10!" Media countered.

"How about a movie?" I asked.

"No, Media will want to watch Batman and drool on the carpet." Said Dodger.

"Just because I want to, doesn't mean we have to!" Media argued.

"Let's play Halo." Exclaimed Jack.

"Dey'll be bohed dough." Blink said pointing to us.

"So, we've been bohed all day!" Jack countered.

"How bout us guys play Halo, and the girls can do what they want to do." Mush said being the peacemaker.

"That sounds good." Everyone agreed. So while the boys immersed themselves in Halo, Media, Dodger and I began rummaging through the DVD collection.

"Oh, let's watch Just Friends!" Media suggested. I put my hand on her forehead.

"You want to watch a chick flick?" I asked. "Who are you and what have you done with my cousin!"

"It's not the stereotypical Chick flick, though." Dodger said.

"Oh, Return of the King!" I said seeing the blue box sitting in the DVD case.

"No, you have it memorized already!" Media moaned.

"Do not!" I argued.

"Ok, finish this line, 'You're what 3' 6" at the most.'" Dodger started.

"Whereas me, I'm pushin 3'7", 3'8"!" I finished proudly.

"See what I mean?" Said Media with her eyebrows raised.

"Ok, so, what about a musical?"

"No"

"Narnia"

"No"

"GRRRR"

"You did not just growl at me."

"Grawr"

"Ok, get up you hobbit." Media said standing to her feet.

"Elbit thank you very much!"

"Ya created ya own race?" Jack asked from in front of the tv.

"Yep, what do you want, dwarf?" I taunted Media.

"This!" she said flicking my nose.

"Ya call dat a fight?" Jack taunted from his position in front of the TV. I walked over to him, put my hands on his shoulders and leaned down to look him in the face.

"Yes Angel?" he asked innocently.

"You are dead." I said calmly.

"I'se still breaddin ain't I?"

"Not for long."

Jack stood to his feet as I backed away giving him room, he tossed the remote control to Spot as he walked toward me. I brought up my fists to my face in a fighting position.

"Whaddaya gonna do, hit me?" he asked as I decked him in the eye.

"Ah, whad is it wid da Conlons?"

"Hehe" I laughed.

He then picked me up, tossed me over his shoulder and dropped me on the couch.

"You did NOT just do that!" I said getting up.

"Whaddaya gonna do, Angel, ya two feet shotah dan me." He said taunting me yet again. That got a reaction, I charged him preparing to hit him in the ribs but he moved to the side at the last second letting me run on by.

"Keep it movin shohty."

I turned around and started stalking toward him, when Media distracted him for me.

"Hey Jack, how about I mop the floor with you again?" she asked.

"Whaddid ya say?" Jack asked turning around to face her, giving me the advantage. I lightly kicked the back of his knee catapulting him to his knees. I pushed him the rest of the way down and kept him there with my knee in his back. Placing my hand on the back of his neck, about to declare the victory, he squirmed and laughed.

"Dat tickles!"

"Oh, I think I found his weak spot." I said tickling the back of his neck even more.

"Aight, I give in, ya won."

"Thank you" I gloated as I got up and walked off.

"That wasn't very nice of you Media, letting her win." Mush started to argue.

"I was helping her." Media said smiling.

"You're the one who's gonna need help." He said poking her.

"Is that a challenge?"

"Indeed,"

They stood up and walked to a spacey area in the room Media was getting ready to attack when Mush yelled,

"Media look out there's a rat in the corner!"

"Ew where?!" Media gasped as Mush rushed her and pinned her arms down.

"Mush!" Media shrieked when she got that evil glint in her eye and bit Mush on the shoulder.

"Ouch, you vampire!" Mush said letting her go.

"Oh, you wanna see vampire?"

"Not really." He said as Media ran at him, as she approached Mush lifted her by her waist and flung her on the couch landing on top of her. He promptly began to tickle her feet, which spurred Media to push him off of the couch. She then straddled him declaring,

"I win."

"Nope" Mush said as he rolled over pushing Media on to the floor beneath his back. He started tickling her feet again before she started to tickle his sides.

"It looks moh like a tickle fight dan an actual fight." Blink said.

"Oh shut up" Media snapped at him. She then squirmed out from underneath Mush and they both leapt to their feet. She went to tickle his sides again, but he grabbed her wrists.

"That was cheap." She said.

"I learned it from you babe." Mush said smirking.

"How bout this?" Media said as she broke out of his hold and tried to put him in a chokehold, which resulted in Mush grabbing her wrists again in front of her this time.

"It's easier to use on Jack." Media whined.

"That's because he's a weakling," Mush said barely above a whisper.

"Only compared to you." Said Media in a hushed tone.

"Whaddaya mumblin bout ovah dere?" Jack asked.

"Nothing." They both said.

Media struggled against Mush's grasp again, but couldn't get free.

"Acorn, help."

"Sorry Media" I answered.

Media and Mush stumbled around for a few more minutes before Mush drug her to the floor and sat on her once again going for her feet. In her attempt to get free, she accidentally kicked Mush in the jaw.

"Ow" he said.

"Sorry babe."

"You win."

"Aww," Media cooed. Much to the guys dismay, they started to snuggle on the floor.

"Aw, ya wah s'posed ta fight, not make out!" Spot groaned.

"They haven't even kissed yet Spot!" said Dodger.

"Yeah, I didn't hear you complaining when you and Ace were making out." I said nonchalantly.

"Ya saw dat?" He asked grimacing.

"Which time?"

"Everybody saw that Spot." Media said.

"Yeah, but then we followed suit." Said Mush as he rubbed his jaw.

"I'm hungry." Media thought out loud.

"Yeah me too." Mush agreed.

"Yeah" replied a chorus of voices.

"I'll get a snack or something started." Dodger said as she got up to go to the kitchen. When she said that Media's eyes got as big as saucers.

"I wanna help!" She said running after Dodger.

"While you guys are doing that, I'm gonna go feed the horses." I said getting up and heading out the back door. I walked out to the barn and started to feed the horses when my thoughts again overtook me.

"It was so much fun wrestling with him. Hehe, I finally got to hit him. And pin him down and find his little ticklish spot; that could work to my advantage. Hah, that little laugh of his, wait, why am I thinking about his laugh? I like his laugh, oh good gravy, not again Angel not again!!!!!!!!! We are friends, friends can have tickle fights and what ever that was that we just did, right? Yeah, Media and me do it all the time, and that would just be awkward otherwise. I mean granted, Media can't throw me onto a couch, thankfully, or even throw me over her shoulder for that matter. Man his so strong, dang it I'm thinking about him again!!!! Snap out of it girl!!!!

No chance, no way
I won't say it, no, no
(You swoon, you sigh
Why deny it, uh-oh)
It's too cliché
I won't say I'm in love

I'm not, I'm not I'm not!!!!!"

"Heya Angel!" I heard Jack say behind me.

"Crap, ah, breathe breathe breathe." I told myself.

"Hey Jack" I said turning around.

"Ya okay, Angel, ya look a lil flushed."

"Yeah, I'm fine, why wouldn't I be fine."

"Ah, Media and Dodgah sent me out heah ta come get ya."

"Oh, I'm almost done, just gotta feed Shoni." I said walking over to his stall. Shoni poked his head out and nickered happily when he saw me.

"Hey Shoni Baby, who's my shoni boy? Huh? Yeah he's my Shoni, yes he is." I said stroking his nose.

"I take it dat one's yahs?"

"Yeah, he's my baby. I love my horsey" I said smiling.

"I can see dat."

"Ok, I'm ready."

"So, uh how'd ya know about da ticklish spot?" Jack asked.

"Lucky guess."

"No seriously, who told ya?"

"I am being serious I was just lucky. I was really just trying to keep you down."

"Go figgah."

"Yep." I said feeling an awkward silence coming on.

"So uh, da past two days have been pretty fun." Jack said.

"Yeah, they have."

"Dat'd be cool if we kept havin fun."

"Yeah"

"So uh, I dunno," Jack started to say nervously.

"What don't you know?"

"Uh, I was wonderin, if it's okay wid you a coise, if ya'd wanna go out sometime?" he asked shuffling his feet.

"Um, Oh look a bunny." I said pointing at a rabbit scurrying away. "He reminds me of Skittery."

"Yeah, dat was a pretty fun game."

"Yes, groups are fun!"

"Whad does dat mean?"

"That means a double date maybe."

"Double date?"

"Just understand where I'm coming from okay?"

"Okay…"

"Like with Mush and Media or Dodger and Blink, or Mouse and Bumlets, definitely not Spot and Ace."

"Yeah, I really like me vision, I'd like ta keep it."

"He's just over protective."

"No, interrigatin is ovahprotective, jumpin me in da break room is psychotic!"

"That's my brother you're talking about."

"I'se just gonna pull my foot outta me mouth now, and stop talkin."

"Wise decision. Come on, if we don't get back soon, they'll start talking."

"Aight Angel" he said following me back up to the house.