"About time you got up." Tommy happily says, standing at the stove cooking, already dressed, as Dil strolls in still in his PJ's.
"I see you're uncharacteristically chipper this morning." Dil yawns, sitting at the table at one of the two plates with a glass of milk by each. "I take it you either slept well or got a visit from our alien brothers."
"I slept like a baby." He brings the pan over and serves out some eggs and bacon for Dil and himself, setting it in the sink before joining Dil at the table.
"I'm glad to see you're getting a handle on the whole situation." He takes a bite of his eggs. "And that your cooking is edible."
"Well, being as tired as I was yesterday helped." Tommy takes a bite of his bacon. "But I do feel less anxious about the whole ordeal. I mean sure, the images have flashed eight times already this morning, but it's not as bad as it was yesterday."
"See T, I told you you'd feel better today." Dil proclaims. "And I'll bet you that tomorrow morning they'll only flash half that amount."
"You sure you want to do that Dil?" He smirks. "Cause I can always force the images to flash." He laughs a little, taking a bite of his egg.
"I think we've done enough betting to last us a month." He comments, both laughing. "So what's the plan for today? It is Easter after all."
"Don't know. Might give Phil a call and see if he wants to hang at the Java Lava with Chuckie. Chuckie's dad is decorating the place and plans on dressing up like the Easter Bunny." He chuckles. "It should prove to be entertaining."
"Yeah, but doesn't Betty work today? I think Phil will want to try and avoid his mom as much as he can."
"Oh, right, Petunia." Tommy sarcastically laughs.
"So that's her name eh?" Betty says, walking into the kitchen.
"Uh, Betty, question." Dil starts. "How did you get in? We locked the door last night. Are you able to take a gaseous form and squeeze through even the smallest of cracks?" Betty laughs and holds up a key.
"House key." She grins. "Your parents left me a copy before they left. You two didn't think you could keep me out did ya?"
"I don't think a six inch steel door could keep you out." Tommy quips, him a Dil laughing.
"So Petunia's the name of Phil's girlfriend eh." Betty says, going over to the coffee maker and proceeds to make herself a cup of coffee. "I tried grilling him last night at dinner but he didn't budge an inch. Kept denying the whole thing."
"And I take it you're going to try and get information out of us, right?" Dil guesses, a wavering smile.
"Darn skippy I am." She declares, leaning against the counter. "And the two of you are going to tell me everything you know." Dil and Tommy share concerned glances.
"Look, as much fun as it sounds embarrassing Phil by telling his mom about his girlfriend," Tommy starts explaining, "we already broke our promise by telling you about her in the first place."
"Yeah, Phil stopped by yesterday on the way home and we told him we told you. He was pretty upset by that and we really don't want to say anymore." Dil adds.
"Okay. You rascals got me." Betty sighs, taking a drink of her coffee. "I won't make you break your promise." They give a sigh of relief.
"Uh, just out of curiosity, how were you planning on 'making' us talk?" Dil inquires. Betty gets a grin.
"Good ol' blackmail of course." She laughs. "You don't want your parents to know about the cup of java or the game indoors." Both of their eyes go wide, jaws dropping as Betty laughs louder. "I'm just messing with ya." They smile.
"You really had us going there." Tommy says. "Don't you have to get to the Java Lava to help with the decorations?"
"Ah Chaz and Chuckie can handle that. In the mean time I got a twin to press." She downs her coffee, setting the cup by the sink and leaves.
"Do you really think she would have blackmailed us?" Tommy asks Dil.
"Don't know." He shrugs. "Doubt it." They suddenly hear knocking and look to see Phil at the glass sliding doors.
"Guys, open up. Let me in." Phil cries out to them. Tommy gets up and lets him in.
"Phil, what are you doing here?" Tommy asks him, noticing a bit of dirt on his surprisingly clean pants.
"I used the loose board in the fence to get over here." He explains, wiping off the dirt.
"That explains the how, but not the why." Dil points out. Phil starts pacing back and forth, pulling at his hair.
"It's maddening over there." He stresses. "Dinner was a nightmare. My mom kept pestering me to tell her about my girlfriend."
"We heard." Tommy says, sympathetically placing his hand on his shoulder. "Your mom said you kept denying you had one."
"I don't have one!" He snaps. "Besides, I couldn't think of anything to say." The doorbell rings. Phil hides behind Tommy. "I'm not here."
"Dude, don't worry. If it was your mom, she would have just walked right in." Tommy tells him. The doorbell rings again. "I'll go see who it is." He goes and looks through the peephole, seeing Lil standing there with her arms crossed and a grin. He opens it. "Hi Lil, what's up?"
"Hey Tommy. Just thought I'd come over and hang out for a while." Lil simply says. "You know, enjoy the parents free environment."
"Sure, come on in." He invites, closing the door behind her. "Me and Dil were just finishing up breakfast."
"Please don't tell me Dil cooked?" She asks with a worried expression. "His cooking is worse than Kimi's and that's saying something." The two head into the kitchen, Dil sitting at the table, eating his breakfast, Phil nowhere in sight.
"Nope, Tommy is the one who did the cooking this morning. It's not half bad." Dil comments. Tommy and Lil sit at the table and Tommy continues to eat. "And I cook bad on purpose so I won't be asked to cook."
"I'll take your word for it. I also came over to ask Phil about this whole girlfriend thing." A smirk comes across her face, Tommy and Dil almost choking on their food, coughing. "Come on Phil, get out from under the sink." She calls out. The cabinet doors swing open and Phil crawls out. "Why does mom think you went out with your girlfriend yesterday? You don't even have one."
"Hey, it wasn't my idea." He defends. He points at Tommy and Dil. "It was them. They're the ones who told mom I have a girlfriend."
"Yeah, so she'd leave you alone about why you're being so clean all of a sudden." Tommy defends. "You're the one who told us your parents threatened to ground you guys if they found out you made another bet."
"I see." Lil comments, tapping her chin. "By switching moms focus from your cleanliness to a girlfriend, there's less chance that the bet will slip up. I'd certainly hate to get grounded."
"I gotta tell her something about Petunia sooner or later." Phil paces back and forth.
"Petunia?" Lil questions.
"The name of his 'girlfriend'." Dil explains.
"Ah."
"And that's all I've managed!" Phil says, starting to get frantic. "I can't think of any details, of what she's looks like, what her interests are, nothing!"
"How about, instead of making up all these details, you just describe someone you already know." Dil suggests.
"Hey, that's not a bad idea." Tommy agrees.
"If you want, you can describe your beautiful, talented, and intelligent sister." Lil smiles, flipping her hair a little.
"If I had one I would." Phil dryly says, granting a quick scowl from Lil.
"How about Wally?" Dil makes another suggestion. "You used to date her, or at least you two mutually liked each other. It's someone you know who you could describe with the minimal chance your mom figures out it's a fake."
"Wally isn't exactly the kind of girl who would make Phil bathe regularly." Lil says.
"But, he does make a good point." Phil says with a thoughtful expression. "I do know enough about her that I could use her traits as Petunia's." He looks over at Lil. "And you're her friend, so you know plenty about her as well and could help me."
"Oh no Phillip. You are not dragging me into your lie." She declines.
"Didn't you just suggest to Phil two seconds ago that he describe you?" Tommy points out.
"Besides, Lilian, if I'm found out on the bet that means you're found out as well." Phil states. The three of them look expectantly at her.
"Oh alright." Lil concedes. "But you're telling her she has black hair, not brown, to help throw off any suspicions." She tells him. "She is on the soccer team after all."
"Now that that's all cleared up, how about we all head to the Java Lava?" Dil says.
"You guys go ahead. I'd rather wait until tonight before facing my mom again." Phil wearily says. "It'll give me a chance to prepare myself for any questions she might have." He starts to head out the back.
"Where are you going? The front door is that way." Tommy points towards the front.
"And risk being seen by mom? No thank you." He shakes his head. "If you need me, I'll be at the park."
"Steering clear of the mud puddles?" Lil asks with a raised eyebrow, sounding more like an order.
"Yes." Phil grumbles. "Staying clean, avoiding doing anything dirty or disgusting or fun." He goes out the back and climbs over the fence.
"Sweetness. Let me go get changed real quick." Dil races upstairs. Tommy picks up their empty plates and takes them to the sink.
"Tommy?" Lil says, her cheery disposition replaced with concern. "Do you mind if I ask what was bugging you Friday?" She asks. Tommy almost drops one of the plates but gets his grip on it, going unnoticed by Lil. "You were acting so weird and I was worried." He smiles and sits at the table with Lil.
"I was just weirded out from seeing Angelica is all." Tommy answers, the image quickly flashing. "But Dil help set me straight."
"I know how that feels. It was really weird when Phil saw me in my bra." She shudders at remembering that. "Though yesterday, Susie called me to go out shopping with her, Kimi, and Angelica. Susie said it was to help Angelica get over her embarrassment, and told us to make a few jokes about it."
"And did you joke about it?" He inquires, intrigued.
"We made a few, yes. And surprisingly she didn't get angry in the slightest." She responds. "In fact, she actually joked along with us."
"Well I'm glad you and Kimi decided not to make me join you." He laughs.
"We... weren't exactly shopping for clothes we'd want you to see anyway." She comments, slightly embarrassed.
"Oh... I uh, see." He coughs. Dil comes sliding into the kitchen.
"Let's go you two. Java Lava awaits." Dil cheerfully says.
"So Chuckie, how did you enjoy your double shift yesterday?" Kimi asks with a grin, sipping on a smoothie Chuckie had just made for her. Chaz was standing on a chair by the door, putting up some decorations on the wall.
"Oh, you know. Got yogurt on a girls shirt, got a face full of smoothie, dad doubled my allowance for the month. The usual." Chuckie nonchalantly replies. Kimi gasps, coughing up some of the smoothie onto the counter, Chuckie promptly cleaning it up.
"Dad what?" She asks, disbelieving. Chuckie grins.
"Oh, yeah, I told dad I was taking your shifts for the month, so he decided that since I'm going to be working twice as much I should get twice as much." He smirks at her. "Makes you wish Phil won instead of Lil, don't it."
"As if." Kimi regains herself. "That would mean I'd also have to be Tommy's servant for a month. Besides," She takes a sip of her smoothie, "you covering my shifts still gives me plenty of extra free time. And I wouldn't want you to be too miserable." She laughs. Chaz starts to lose balance on the chair as Betty walks in. He falls off and Betty catches him.
"Oh, thanks Betty." Chaz says, adjusting his glasses.
"Having a little trouble with the decorations?" Betty asks.
"No, that was the last of them." He stands, pushing on his back to stand straight, cracking being heard. "You mind helping me with the Easter Bunny costume? I have a little trouble after I get the sleeves on."
"Sure thing there Chazzy. And I can tell you about how weird Phil's been acting since he got a secret girlfriend. Well, weird for Phil." They both head into the back, Kimi and Chuckie hearing everything.
"Did you hear that?" Kimi turns to Chuckie, both in disbelief.
"Phil has a girlfriend?" Chuckie says. "When did that happen?" Just then Tommy, Dil, and Lil come walking in.
"Hey guys, what's up?" Tommy greets.
"Lil, did you know your brother has a girlfriend?" Kimi blurts out.
"Phil does not have a girlfriend." Lil states.
"Then why did we just hear your mom telling our dad that he does?" Chuckie asks, practically demanding. "She says he's been acting all weird." Lil, Dil, and Tommy exchange looks before laughing. "What? What's so funny?"
"If you guys know something, tell us." Kimi insists. They're laughter dies down.
"Phil doesn't have a girlfriend." Tommy says with a smile, wiping his eye. "Me and Dil told his mom that so she'd leave him alone about why he's being so clean."
"That's what she meant by acting weird." Dil adds.
"We don't want my mom to know he's being clean and not disgusting because of the bet." Lil explains. "If she found out me and Phil had been making bets again she'd ground the both of us for at least two weeks."
"So he's going to make up a fake girlfriend to explain it." Kimi understands. The door to the back swings open as Chaz, in an Easter bunny suit, falls through it.
"You okay there Chaz?" Betty asks, helping him up.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Cracking is heard. "At least, I think I am."
"So Chuck, since you're working today, how about whipping up some smoothies for us?" Dil asks him, leaning on the counter, twirling his finger in the air.
"That depends. Have you paid off your tab yet?" Chuckie raises his eyebrow.
"Come on. You know my parents took my allowance away for a month after I set the school copying machine on fire." He begs. "I'll pay it next week, I swear."
"I think Chuckie could cover you this time, seeing as his allowance has been doubled." Kimi tells them.
"Really? Dude, how did you manage that?" Tommy congratulates his friend, giving him a fist bump.
"Dad decided to double it for the month since I'm taking Kimi's shifts for the month." Chuckie explains, smiling.
"Sounds like your bet backfired Kimi." Lil laughs.
"With Chuckie at least. But Tommy is still our fashion slave for a year." Kimi grins, her and Lil giggling. "And don't forget, you better-"
"Not make any plans for Tuesday, I know." Tommy finishes for her. "Lil only reminded me like, a hundred times on the way here."
"Which reminds me. Tommy, do you think that this apron is dorky?" Chuckie asks, getting to work on the smoothies. Kimi and Lil cast him a glare. "What? I'm being serious here." He holds the blender in front of him in defense.
"It's a regular white apron with the Java Lava logo on it. It'd only be dorky if it was multicolored or had stripes or something." He says.
"What's up with you two?" Dil asks Kimi and Lil. "You two seem to get all protective whenever someone makes fun of Tommy's taste for fashion."
"It's a girl thing, you wouldn't understand." Kimi dismisses, drinking her smoothie. Meanwhile, right outside the Java Lava.
"Do I have too?" Angelica whines to Susie.
"Things are already smooth with Kimi and Lil. And the sooner you face the guys, the better." Susie encourages her. Angelica looks through the window to see the five of them in there.
"Whelp, Phil's missing. Guess we'll have to try some other time." She excuses and starts to walk away. Susie grabs her and stops her.
"Angelica." She gives her a 'you're gonna do this whether you like it or not' look.
"Oh alright." She groans, slumping her shoulders. "Let's get this over with." The two of them enter and Tommy notices Angelica first, his heartbeat instantly quickening. Before anyone else can notice them, though Dil does notice, he excuses himself to the restroom.
"Hey guys, what's up?" Susie greets, her and Angelica joining the group, minus Tommy.
"We're just trying to figure out why Lil and Kimi are so defensive of Tommy whenever anyone makes fun of his talent for fashion." Chuckie explains.
"Sounds riveting." Angelica dryly says, rolling her eyes.
"Where is Tommy anyways?" Susie wonders. "We saw him here before we came in."
"He's in the restroom. Might be in there a while." Dil covers, knowing what Tommy's really doing: hiding. "Stomach was acting up last night, and I think it's caught up to him."
"Oh, well I just wanted to tell you both that I had a lot of fun Friday." She tells him, smiling. "I think it'd be cool if we did that again sometime."
"Totally." Kimi agrees. "And maybe Angelica can show us how to do that amazing dive she did."
"I would love to learn that." Lil gets a sly smile. "Though I think you should skip teaching the landing." The four girls giggle, Angelica a bit uncomfortably. Dil and Chuckie exchange confused looks.
"Are they joking about..." Chuckie trails off.
"It would seem." Dil thoughtfully says, rubbing his chin, a grin coming across along with a thought. He puts an arm around Angelica's shoulders, laughing, the four girls no longer giggling and giving him confused looks. "That dive sure was something. But do you think you could have flirted with Chuckie in a more subtle manner?" Dil goes back to his seat, still grinning, though it fades when he notices both Chuckie and Angelica, along with Lil, Kimi, and Susie, all had wide eyes and dropping jaws. He uneasily looks at them all. "I, uh, thought we were joking about it... was that a bit much?" Angelica blinks, snapping out of her shock.
"As if I'd flirt with Finster." She crosses her arms, smirking. "I wouldn't flirt with him even if he was the last boy on Earth." Everyone aside from Dil switch their gaze over to Angelica now. Dil gets his smile back and quickly plays off her comment.
"Ah, you're right, my bad. Phil's more your type."
"Yeah, if I feel like throwing up." She comes back, the two of them laughing. Soon the others realize that Angelica isn't going to blow her top and join in their laughter. Shortly thereafter Angelica leaves, saying something about hanging with Savannah.
"Wow. When you said that Dil, I thought for sure you were dead." Susie says, astonished.
"So did I." He laughs, relieved.
"I was already halfway to calling an ambulance." Kimi jokes, holding up her cellphone.
"I was ready to hold her back and tell you to start running." Lil jests.
"I was about to run and scream in terror, hoping you'd follow my lead." Chuckie says, completely serious. Tommy then enters through the front.
"Uh, hey guys. What did I miss?" He asks, trying to act casual.
"Tommy?" Lil says, confused. "I thought you went to the restroom."
"Oh, uh, yeah, I-I did. But the, uh, door got stuck and I had to climb out the window." He lies. What he really did was go to the restroom, climb out the window and wait outside until Angelica left. The others look at him strange but believe him, except for Dil who knows the truth.
Phil was laying in the grass in the shade of a tree, head resting on a root, sighing as he stared up at the clouds. He looked at his watch and shook his head, being nowhere near the time to head home. His head was swirling with thoughts, trying to pin down the different traits of Wally and apply them to Petunia but failing miserably.
"Whacha doing?" A voice asks. Phil looks up to see none other than Wally herself standing over him.
"Watching the clouds, thinking about... stuff." Phil answers, laying his head back down.
"Mind if I join you?" Wally asks.
"Pull up a root." He invites her. Maybe by having Wally here he can pin down the details better. She sits down next to him, leaning her back against the tree. A memory comes to Phil, about the last time the two of them watched the clouds together, when they liked each other. That was a good time, but he was kinda glad that they were just friends now.
"Whacha thinking about?" She interrupts his memory.
"Lost a bet to Lil and now I need to come up with a fake girlfriend to explain to our mom why I'm going to be clean for a month. That way we won't get in trouble for making bets again."
"You? Clean?" She skeptically says.
"That's not fresh air you're smelling right now, that's my shampoo and deodorant." He sarcastically replies. She sniffs the air.
"You're right, that's... Lil's herbal shampoo?" She looks at him funny.
"What? It was the only shampoo nearby." He defends.
"Does that mean you're not allowed to play soccer?"
"Huh." Phil furrows his brow. "I never thought of that. I suppose I still can, so long as I shower and change afterwords to appease the overlord." Wally giggles at his joke.
"I'm certain she's not that bad." She smiles. He tilts his head back and looks at her, upside down from his point of view.
"She made me change my pants, before finishing breakfast, for spilling a small amount of syrup on them." He flatly explains, putting his head back. She raises her eyebrows.
"Okay, that's definitely worthy of overlord status." She laughs. "So how's this fake girlfriend coming along?"
"I've got a name, hair color, that we'll break up after the month is up, and... that's about it." He shrugs.
"Don't you think it'll be easier to come up with details if you practice describing her to someone for when you tell your mom?" Wally suggests.
"Mmm." Phil nods his head. "That's not a bad idea."
"I've got some time to kill. You can describe this 'girlfriend' of yours to me." She volunteers.
"Sounds good. First off, her name is Petunia." And Phil starts describing the fake girl to Wally, or more precisely describing Wally to Wally. After about an hour or so of descriptions and questions from Wally, he finishes.
"Wow." She expresses. "You've come up with a very real sounding girl."
"I... didn't actually come up with her, I'm just describing someone else I know, replacing the name and hair color." He admits. Wally warmly smiles.
"You must really admire her, with the way you described her."
"Yeah. We used to spend a lot of time together. We were really close. We still are close but we realized that sometimes we need to give each other space." Phil says, slightly embarrassed, thinking that Wally figured out it's her.
"Lil's lucky to have a brother like you." She happily sighs.
"Yeah... wait, what?" He sits up and looks at her confused.
"Lil, that's who you were describing, right?" Wally asks.
"Uh, yeah, right." He agrees, laying back down.
"Well I better be getting home. See ya later." She stands, waves goodbye and heads home.
"Huh, did I really describe Lil? I thought for sure I was describing Wally." He shrugs. "Oh well, guess I'll just have to go with it, even if it is weird that I'm creating a fake girlfriend that's basically Lil." He continues to watch the clouds for a while, until a caterpillar falls out of the tree, landing on his face. He sits up, grabbing the caterpillar and holding it in his hand. A thoughtful expression crosses him. "When was the last time I ate a bug?" He asks himself with a grin.
"Four days ago." Lil's voice comes, startling him. She walks from behind the tree. "And that time better extend to thirty three days if you know what's good for you." She crosses her arms, slyly smiling. Phil sheepishly laughs.
"I-I wasn't going to eat it. I was just wondering." He swears. He places the caterpillar on the tree. "See, he's nice and safe now, not in my stomach." He stands up, hands up in defense. Lil just shakes her head, laughing lightly.
"Come on, it's almost dinner time." She tells her brother, the two of them start walking. "So how's Petunia? You finally get a good picture using Wally?"
"Not sure." He honestly says. "Guess we'll have to see tonight."
"Let's just pray mom doesn't want to meet her." Lil laughs. Phil's eyes go wide, mouth agape.
"Crud! You're right! What if she does want to meet her?" He panics.
"Don't worry." She reassures him. "If that happens we can make plans for a time after the month is up and say she broke up with you once the month is up."
"Why does she have to break up with me?" He points his thumb at himself. "Why can't I break up with her?"
"It's more believable that way." She simply explains. Phil stops and looks at his sister walk away.
"Hey, wait, what do you mean by that?" He chases after her. Later, after dinner, some light grilling from his mom and faked embarrassment mixed with real embarrassment by Phil.
"Not bad. You really brought Petunia to life." Lil says, impressed. "But she doesn't sound much like Wally at all." She nudges him with her elbow. "You decide to come up with your ideal girlfriend?" She teases.
"Nah. She's just some girl I know." He vaguely responds.
"Oh, who is it?" She questions with a teasing smile. "Is it a girl you like at school?"
"You'll just have to figure that out yourself." Phil smiles.
"Come on, you can tell me." She insists. "I won't tease you... much."
"Alright, I'll tell you... after the month is over." He laughs and continues to deny Lil an answer as she begs.
"Fine, be that way." Lil crosses her arms in a huff. "But I will figure out who it is." She pokes him in the chest before going into her room. "And you better not forget to shower before bed!" She yells through the door. Phil goes to his own.
"Good luck with that." Phil chuckles to himself, grabbing his pajamas, heading to the bathroom.
"Alright you two. Try not to burn the house down." Betty tells Tommy and Dil as she leaves.
"They're microwavable dinners. I don't think you have to worry about that." Tommy assures her, locking the door behind her. He returns to the kitchen where Dil was in the process of microwaving his dinner. "The Betty factor is gone." He announces.
"Good, I've been waiting for a chance to talk to you all day." Dil says.
"What about?" He skeptically asks.
"About you." He states. "What was with you at the Java Lava today?"
"W-what do you mean?"
"Don't play dumb, you know what I mean. Why did you run and hide when Angelica came in like she was some brain munchin zombie?" The microwave beeps and he ignores it, waiting for Tommy to respond. It beeps again.
"Aren't you gonna get your food?" He hopefully asks, trying to change the subject. Dil quickly opens and shuts the microwave, ceasing the beeps.
"I thought you were getting over the whole Angelica thing."
"I-I am." Tommy claims. "It's just that... when I saw Angelica I kinda... panicked." He admits.
"Dude, you're going to have to face her sooner or later. And I think Susie made her go to the Java Lava to hang with us for a bit is so that she could face us and get over it herself."
"I know." He groans, sliding against the fridge, sitting on the floor. "But I don't think I'm ready to face Angelica. The moment I saw her I instantly imagined her standing there... topless." Dil sits down next to his brother, placing a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. "I think seeing her has ruined all my progress."
"Tommy, come on. You were going to see her at school tomorrow anyways." Tommy looks at him.
"Yeah, but then I would have had another day of preparation and dealing with me." He brings his knees up and wraps his arms around them. "Now it's ten times worse. I can't stop seeing her and feeling so... weird and wrong."
"It's just going to take some time. The feeling will diminish and you'll get over it."
"I know, I know." He sighs. "I just... I need to avoid Angelica until I feel comfortable about this."
"Well then how about some microwavable fish sticks to help you get comfortable?" Dil nudges him with is elbow. Tommy gets a slight smile.
"I thought fish sticks had hyper advanced mutant probes that invade your mind, stealing your knowledge?"
"That's only the fish sticks at the school cafeteria." He laughs. The phone rings. "You get that, I'll prepare the sticky fish." They both stand and Tommy goes out to the living room and answers the phone.
"Hello, Pickles residence. Tommy Pickles speaking." He greets.
"Hiya champ." Stu says on the other side of the phone.
"Hey dad. How did the convention go?"
"Oh it went great!" He exclaims. "My animatronic rabbit blew up but a representative of an international company happened to be trying out my earmuffs at the time. He was so impressed by them he wants me and your mom to fly out to New York this week to make a deal."
"That's great dad." Tommy excitedly says. "Does that mean Dil and I get the house for the whole week?"
"What? We get the house for the whole week? Sweet!" Dil cheers from the kitchen.
"No. A week by yourselves is longer than we feel comfortable with. Since Charlotte and Drew are going to be out of town on business this week as well, Angelica is going to be staying over for the week to keep an eye on you."
"W-wha..." Tommy whispers, eyes go wide as his grip on the phone loosens.
"Hey T, are we getting the house for the week or what?" Dil asks, joining Tommy in the living room. He notices Tommy's shocked state and the phone dropping out of his hand. Dil dives and catches the phone before it hit the ground.
"Tommy? Tommy?" Their dad's voice comes over the phone.
"Uh, hey dad." Dil answers. "Tommy's gone catatonic. You mind telling me what's got him?"
"I told him that we'll be gone for the next week and Angelica is staying with you during that time cause her parents will be out of town as well." He's greeted by silence, Tommy still standing there with shock, Dil with concern for his brother. "Dil? Everything alright?"
"Uh, yeah, everything's fine." He shakes his head. "It's just that, do you think it's such a good idea to leave Angelica in charge? I mean, wouldn't it be a better idea for us to stay over at Lil and Phil's or Kimi and Chuckie's while Angelica stays over at Susie's place or something?"
"Sorry, but we already discussed it with Drew and Charlotte. Besides, she won't actually be in charge. It's more like you three are watching each other." Stu reassures him.
"You know she won't see it that way." Dil says.
"Well you'll just have to make due. Betty will still come over to check on you. Take care, and make sure you wake up for school tomorrow." He bids him farewell, hanging up. Dil hangs the phone up.
"Tommy? You in there?" He tentatively asks, waving his hand in front of his brothers face.
"A week... a whole week... in the same house..." He weakly says, almost like a whimper.
"If I didn't know the reason you're freaking I'd suggest that aliens were currently trying to take control of your mind." Dil tries to joke. In a zombie like fashion, Tommy moves over to the couch and falls onto it face first, laying there.
"I... I can't do this... I can't..." Dil kneels down by his head.
"Listen to me T." He starts lecturing his brother. "You can do this. You can and you will. Nobody is as determined and strong willed as you are. You've never let anything stop you or get in your way before and I won't let this stop you from functioning at your normal level of capacity, which is way above average human capacity. Do you know why? Because you are Tommy Pickles, the bravest kid I know. You are a natural born leader. Nothing can ever fell you. You're smart, charismatic, quick on your feet, and you've always got a plan." Tommy lay there listening to his brother rant at him. "We've been through much worse than this. You've gotten us through much worse than this. Who lead us when we drove the ostriches and faced those rustlers? Who got Susie to New York in time for her show when everyone else lost hope? Who's the super talented director and screenwriter with an eye for fashion? Not Chuckie. Not Lil. Not even me. It's you." Tommy sits up, determination burning within him.
"You're absolutely right Dil." He stands, confident. "I can and I will do this."
"And why is that?"
"Because I'm Tommy Pickles!" He shoots his fist into the air and Dil starts celebrating, dancing around, making dolphins sounds. Tommy gives him a look. "Dil, please, you're ruining the moment."
"Sorry."