The Bet Chapter 5: Friday Night, a codename: kids next door fanfic

'Ello! Thankies for any reviews. I know the updates are getting pretty slow, but sixth grade is being more overwhelming than I thought it would be… Plus, I've been sleeping for four hours everyday when I get home. I'm sorry if I made any of you think I stopped or something… OMG I FINALLY OPENED MY LOCKER! OOOHHHMEEEHGAAAWSH! I AM SOOOOO HAPPY!

I'm too irresponsible to own the Kids Next Door. And I don't. I shouldn't either, because the show would suck if I did.

Proceed in your reading nn:

Chapter Five: Friday Night

That clock just kept ticking and tocking. It's interesting how the clock moves for you. If you're feeling excited, or extremely anxious, the clock slows down. It runs at such a gradual pace that every tick of the second feels longer and stretched out dramatically. Yes, eventually the time comes, but it depends on your emotion to say how much you need to wait.

Then you may be feeling extremely unwilling for the clock to roll on. In that case, as if it dislikes you, the clock will run faster and maybe even before you realize it, the time to accomplish whatever it is you must do arrives. But it's only in your head, after all. Maybe you can trick the clock! Make it think the other way around, see? No. That doesn't work, because the speed of the clock is only in your head, and you know the truth about what may be to come for you. Whether it's good or bad, the time always comes.

There sat Numbuh Four, watching the clock helplessly as it ticked on. Despite he was watching it, that clock, plastered on the wall of Mrs. Thompson's classroom above the chalk board, would not stop rotating. Around and around it went, how many times, he didn't count.

You see, exactly one week ago Wally was given the dare as a result of the bet he lost. And tonight was the night he must perform it, at the school foot ball game. The downside was that this dare was more like a stunt, and he was risking his neck, literally .What exactly was Numbuh Four sentenced to do, you ask? Fling himself through field goal, which isn't exactly the sharpest idea if you're trying to prevent a visit to the hospital. And Wally isn't that crazy, just daring, but he is a boy. Boys at that age will do very ridiculous things, for their own desired reasons.

To take his attention off of the time, he began to doodle on a sheet of paper. But, the clock was still ticking, and Numbuh Four had been watching it for so long that he memorized the tempo. Out of boredom and anxiety, he began scribbling the pencil point across his paper in a rapid state.

Throughout the week, his whole fainting catastrophe faded away into old news. This is a good fact, because Wally was ready to beat the stuffing out of the next person who was going to whisper about him. Even if it was a girl, and incase you didn't know, when your attending elementary school, for a boy to fight a girl was just vulgar.

Soon Wally was done scribbling nonsense on a quarter of the lined paper. Then the school bell began ringing over the teacher, who was reviewing that day's lesson. Mrs. Thompson's class flooded out of the room as if they were a pack of famished wolves that all caught a scent of fresh meat.

Numbuh Four, however, followed behind groggily. Not that he wanted to linger behind at school, which was one of his least favorite places to be at, but he wasn't very excited about his plans for later today. He walked down the hall until he reached his locker. At least people weren't staring at him and whispering like the beginning of the week.

He shoved his books into his back pack and followed the route to the building's entrance. No one accompanied Numbuh Four on his walk to the tree house. While he got his books he decided to try and think things through, since he only had three and a half hours to prepare his fortitude. A long, thick stick crossed his path, so he chose to pick it up, and began running it across the fences beside him as he kept walking.

Well, there were a few thoughts rushing through his brain. Wally wasn't the type to think outside the box; he wasn't the brightest star in the sky, if you will. But the Aussie did have at least a tint of common sense, or a conscience, right?

'Stupid Numbuh Two… What's up with him anyway? He's bein' all snappy and crud… He probably wouldn't have made me do this in the first place if he wasn't in such a bad mood last week… Why do we even have these stupid bets anyway?' Wally's inner voice said.

A rock tumbled ahead of him from the force of his sneaker pushing it. 'I would look like a wimp if I backed out... How do you think of catapulting yourself through a field goal anyway? I don't think I'll ever bet anythin' with another person ever again… '

That probably wasn't true, since Wally's temper usually did speak before anything else got a word in. He considered simply not going through with it, since it was extreme after all. An unusual stunt, some would say. Being catapulted through a field goal? What kind of nonsense was that? Not only was the idea of completing such a thing the meaning of foolish, but the idea in general was rather odd. How did Hoagie come up with that? That boy and his imagination… well, that's probably what you get for having to create all of the crafty vehicles that Sector V uses to their fullest.
Not to mention the way Hoagie was acting was very strange compared to his goofy, up-beat, humorous character. His poor appearance, negative attitude, lack of jokes (which his teammates find rather dull), and how he was being delayed by some mysterious event should mean he's up to something. What could that be? The others couldn't help but wonder, and whenever Numbuh Two was asked he'd always say 'nothing', which didn't silence their investigation, but only add to it.

Numbuh Four was still unsure on whether or not to execute this challenge. He'd done things such as these before, he was certain, but that was while attending his work as a Kids Next Door operative. If Wally were to perform the dare, it would not be something he could blame on actions committed during a mission. And it would be in front of an audience. Wally didn't know why, but he imagined that would make him rather nervous. What if he was injured because of a little consequence caused from a bet between two friends?

Numbuh One wouldn't be happy with that. When you're physically damaged, that means suspension from any missions until you heal. Numbuh Four was the team's hand-to-hand combat specialist, after all. Without him, victory for the others would take a bit more effort than usual. Overall, the leader of the team definitely wouldn't approve of Wally's reason, if he did get hurt, that is.

The stick Numbuh Four was gripping one end of eventually snapped. Then it was thrown to the sidewalk, to sit there on the ground until something else happens to it. Soon the tree house came into view, but it was still seen small since it was a far distance away from Wally.

'What's the point of doing it anyway? I already made a dork of myself 'cause I lost in the first place. I'd probably just get Numbuh One seriously mad at me…and worse I won't be able to go on any missions! I won't be able to kick any adult butt… Still, it would be pretty cool… And Numbuh Two probably thinks I'm gonna back out! That jerk! He's the one who'd back out! Well, I'll prove him wrong! I'm doing it, and that's that! Nothing's changing my mind. Numbuh Two's in for a shock! '

And with that concluding thought, Numbuh Four quenched something to beat the stuffing out of.

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"Numbuh Three, there's no tea in this stupid cup!" Wally shouted, still mad at the fact he even let Numbuh Three drag him all the way to her room just to participate in a tea party. Being such a boy, he thought tea parties and other girly things were complete balderdash; didn't like them one bit. Instead, Numbuh Four would rather still be watching his super-duper action packed secret-agent movie. Just at the eruption of a full flamed explosion, Numbuh Three came and begged Wally to join her in an elegant tea party.

No, he did not wish to sit in a small chair, with that lacey-table cloth covering the table's surface and the expensive tea set organized in front of him. If so, why was he there now? How could Numbuh Three have convinced Numbuh Four, the team member most able to begin a quarrel with and easiest to pester, to do what he sincerely wished against? Well, Wally didn't know the answer to that. Not to mention how those extremely annoying butterflies that are always cramped in his stomach whenever she's around didn't ease the situation, nor did the confusion he always finds himself in around Kuki.

The tea party did not take the bet's aftermath off of Numbuh Four's mind, though. The fact was bouncing around his almost empty skull (his brain isn't taking up too much space…) non-stop.

"Of course there is, silly!" Kuki said, waving a hand which was covered by her green sleeves all the time.

"Then why don't I see it?"

"You have to imagine it!"

"Puh-leeze, when I imagine something in a little glass cup you can ship me off to the happy hotel." Wally scoffed.

"Hey! Tea parties are--" Kuki was interrupted by a faint beeping. Wally gulped. That was the alarm clock that was set when he arrived to the tree house. It meant the forewarning for his evening plans.

"I, err, gotta go. I'll see you later, Kooks," he said edgily, with his voice breaking.

"Okay! Bye Wally!" she called after Wally as he tore aside the curtains that Numbuh Three substitutes, or maybe uses, as a door.

Numbuh Four and Numbuh Two devised a plan for this whole event. Well, it was simple for Wally. All he had to do was show up at the elementary school football game. There, Wally will prepare by hiding himself beneath all different kinds of padding for protection. Then he would do the most gut- wrenching thing that he'd ever done outside of a mission. Is doing this really necessary? To Numbuh Four, it felt so.

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"Alright, got it," Numbuh Four assured, still completely nervous. His gut felt as though it was weaving tighter and tighter as each second passed. There was a lump in his throat that he kept swallowing past. And Wally's heart had to be ricocheting around in his rib cage right about now.

"Numbuh Four…you sure you wanna do this?" Hoagie asked, a little timidly. He wouldn't want Wally getting mad at him because all of this could just be a waste of time.

The two of them were crouching behind the tall metal bleachers. At half-time, the event would all come together. No, the school council nor anyone that had anything to do with the foot ball game had warning that Wally would be soaring through the field goal. Hoagie would have rather done it by surprise, incase he and Numbuh Four wouldn't be allowed to commit such insanity.

"Duh. Why would I come all this way for nothin'?" Wally answered automatically. If it weren't for the tension in that moment causing all of his emotions to become unorganized, he would have said something different. So, he mentally slapped himself for that. Then Hoagie dashed out of sight, or as fast as he could go, as it was part of the play. The sky was navy blue, but the field was highlighted by tall lamp posts around its perimeter.

Was Numbuh Four actually going to do this? He was leaning further and further towards yes. At last, he was present at the game, so since he's already here, there's no point in chickening out now.

After a few more minutes over-flowed with anxiety, a whistle blew. It signaled not only for half time, but also for Numbuh Four to hustle on the field. The audience watched as the short boy dashed out onto the grass. Over his head was a foot ball helmet, being neither team's colors. Then he wore shoulder pads, elbow pads, shin guards, knee pads, and cushions around his stomach. Somehow he was able to manage running with all of that gear.