So here's the actual chapter 14.

You know what, I'm getting rid of that author's note already.

Enjoi.

Oh, and I'm bringing Wally's accent back so all spelling mistakes inside quotations are intentional.

PS: There are about two more chapters of the bet… D:

I don't own "Black Christmas," "Music and Lyrics," "Fast and Furious III: Tokyo Drift," or Pacific Sun Clothing Co., or DVS skate team/ co., or Volcom skate co.

Chapter Fourteen: The Bet

There were two missions, then Valentine's Day was two days away.

One mission, Count Spankulot and the Toilenator teamed up to rob a tasty cake factory to win first prize for the Adult Only Bakery Contest. To sum it all up in Wally's point of view, they're both losers who have never won any contest their whole lives and that includes this cruddy Bakery Contest. Wally would have known why they wanted to win it if he hadn't been calming down after the beating he gave them.

The other mission, they had to stop the Delightful Dorks from destroying the Hendrie Middle School Valentine's Day dance. Wally didn't understand why they had to protect the teens and beat up the Delightful Children, but again he missed the vague explanation Abby gave.

Every punch Wally threw was made with Danny's face in his mind. He hated that kid more than Micheal Phillips, which was very bad because he hated him so much even after beating his sorry face.

So two days before Valentine's day, Wally and Hoagie made a trip to the local Blockbuster to traditionally grab the three Friday night movies to watch with the others.

The two boys were walking down the sidewalk, having just crossed the final street their destination was on.

"Did Kuki and Danny break up?" Hoagie asked, breaking the silence in the air between them that Wally was perfectly comfortable with.

"Wot?" Wally snapped to attention and looked squarely at Hoagie's profile. His hands were in the pockets of his beige slacks, as his face angled towards the sidewalk.

"Well, he hasn't been around for a while. Haven't you noticed that?"

"Yeah…" Wally said, processing this piece of information. He hadn't told anyone about their confrontation at the movies the other day. "Uhh… Hoags…" Wally began sheepishly.

"Yeah?" Hoagie replied, looking up from the ground.

"Oi caught him with anotha girl at the movies the otha day…."

Silence. "What do you mean?"

"It wasn't Kuki."

Hoagie stopped walking, and stared hard at his Australian friend.

"Are you serious?!"

"Yeah… Oi still haven't told Kooks about it."

"Wow….—wait, you call her Kooks?"

They began walking again.

"Oh please, ev'ryone does!"

"Aha, Danny doesn't." Hoagie grinned at Wally.

Wally rolled his eyes and barged through the Blockbuster double doors.

"So, one horror, one romance, one action?" Hoagie confirmed.

"As usual," Wally replied.

The two scoured around the aisles of DVDs, and ended up choosing "Black Christmas" for the scary movie, "Music and Lyrics" for the romance, and "Fast and Furious III: Tokyo Drift" for the action.

As Hoagie and Wally walked up to pay for the rentals, he heard a familiar laugh. A cursed laugh.

"The devil 'imself…" Wally muttered.

"I think the saying is 'speak of the devil,'" Hoagie chuckled.

"Not in this case…"

Wally spun around towards Danny Cantonelli. Stupid Italian charm….

"Numbuh Four! D-didn't expect to see you here…" Danny began, a look of pain and fear, even startlement on his face. He was there with some other kids, who he walked away from for the moment.

"Mm." Wally grunted. He gritted his teeth in rhythm, crossed his arms across his chest, and narrowed his eyes. Hoagie set his elbow on Wally's shoulder and tucked one ankle behind the other as he leaned over.

Danny sighed. "Okay. Did you tell her?"

"Tell who wot?" Wally shot quickly.

Danny rolled his eyes. "You know who and what."

"Oi think you should refresh moi mem'ry." Wally uncrossed his arms and began rolling up his sleeves.

"Okay, alright!" Danny stepped in closer towards Wally. He peered at Hoagie to go away.

"He can hear woteva Oi can."

Danny whispered under his breath and rolled his icy-blue eyes. "Did you tell Kuki about the movies?"

"Wot about the movies?" Wally smirked.

Danny sighed. "That I wasn't with her."

"You weren't?" Wally dropped his jaw dramatically and faced Hoagie, who did the same and shook his head in mock shame towards the playa.

"No. I was with Rebecca Brown."

"Wow. It's weird you would tell me this all of a sudden, Danny! Because, y'know… Oi do tend to get a little violent when it comes to people who break moi friend's hearts." Wally leaned in as he said this.

"Oh, please, Wally, you couldn't take me." Danny held out his palm straight and it zoomed about three inches about the top of Wally's head.

He suddenly lurched forward, but Hoagie automatically grasped him by his arms.

"HOIGHT AIN'T NOTHIN' COMPARED TO STRENGTH, YOU LITTLE PUNK!"

Wally squirmed and whipped around under Hoagie's grasp.

People were starting to stare at them.

"You know Wally, I'm not the only one who treats her wrong."

Wally relaxed and Hoagie released him. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh yeah, she tells me all the time about how you're always so mean to her."

"What?"

"No lie. Yeah, figures."

"What figures?"

"You are a pretty violent kid. Girls hate that. No wonder she'll never go out with you."

Wally's jaw dropped, for real this time.

"She… she would, too!"

"I bet you wouldn't even ask her out for Valentine's Day."

The store stood still.

Wally and Hoagie's eyebrows both perked up.

"You bet?"

"Shit, I dare you to ask Kuki Sanban out for Valentine's Day."

Hoagie interjected for a moment. "You know, he never turns down a bet or a dare." Wally nodded coolly as he stated so.

"Not unless he can't ask her out for Valentine's Day."

"I'm no chicken," Wally said in a dangerously low tone.

"Yeah, okay, I didn't say that, but I also didn't say it's not possible for her to already have plans."

Wally's lips parted in shock.

"Does she?!" Hoagie blurted.

"Absolutely. With yours truly." Danny smirked easily and slithered away in stride. His posse of friends followed and sent Wally snobbish scowls.

Wally's eyes searched around helplessly for a few moments.

Hoagie clapped him on the back supportively, and said, "You could steal Kuki Sanban from any other guy, especially that dork, like this," then snapped his fingers.

"You think so?" Wally asked, unenthusiastically.

"Sure! With a bit of a makeover…. And some new clothes… and maybe even some romance lessons, you'll be perfect!"

"Where can I get all that done?!" Wally asked.

"Yours truly." He said in a mocking tone, and they both laughed and checked out the three DVDs. "And maybe Abby can help too."

"Ehh…"

"Wally, she already knows you like Kuki."

"I don't like Kuki." Wally stated plainly as they walked out of the store.

Hoagie bit his lip and smiled slightly at Wally, then bobbed his head and the comfortable silence returned.

"Numbuh Five knows you ain't playin' her, right?" confirmed Abby.

She was standing with her arms crossed, weight shifted to one hip, and a look of slight disbelief on her face.

Wally and Hoagie stood in front of her, nodding simultaneously in response.

"Boy, I can't believe it takes you a bet to ask your girl on a date!"

"Yeh, okay, Numbah Foive, Oi get it. Now can yeh help me do it?" Wally pleaded. He seemed embarrassed.

"Sho'. Anything for a friend." She smirked.

"Okay, so what first?" asked Hoagie.

"Spin around."

Wally looked at her blankly.

"Do it, boy, or Numbuh Five is out."

Wally rotated around lousily, pouting.

"Okay, first off, we need to work on your look. Now, I know you got some money saved up from Christmas, so ya better go fetch that."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait," Wally said, thrusting his hands up. "Oi thenk Kooks looks me just how Oi em."

"But she'll like you even better if you just change yo' clothes!"

Hoagie snickered.

"Ugh… fine…"

Two hours later they were at the mall, walking around, deciding where to buy Wally's new clothes he didn't want at all.

"What's wrong with moi clothes Oi'm wearin' now?" Wally whined.

"Dude, she already said, if you get new clothes, it'll give Kuki the message you actually want to go on this date!" Hoagie replied.

Wally scoffed.

"Okay, this store is cool. We just need one outfit…" Abby said.

They walked inside of the Pacific Sun clothing store they stumbled upon. Kelly Rowland's (feat. Eve) song "Like This" echoed through the store.

"Ahh!" Abby squealed, and began swaying to the beat.

"Abby, CONCENTRATE," Hoagie said after he ogled her moves for a moment.

"Right, right." She snapped still again, but then began humming her song. She clutched Wally by the arm of his current orange hoodie and led him over to the men's half of the store.

"Abby, this is a teenaga store!"

"It don't matta, as long as their clothes make ya look nice!"

Wally scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"How much money did yah bring, ag'in?"

"100$" he replied.

"Okay, we outtah keep the size one biggah then what ya actually wear so that ya mom don't freak when you grow outta these clothes."

"Alroight."

"We'll get yah a shirt, hoodie, jeans, and them shoes ya wore to the Snowball. They wah cool."

"Thanks.." Wally grumbled.

First, they looked through the shirts. They picked out this blue t-shirt with a Volcom stone logo on it in a scratchy style, which cost $19.95. It took a lot of debate for the shirt, because there were many to choose from, but that was the final choice after they went through the process of elimination.

Next, Abby choose a normal pair of faded, light blue jeans for him to wear, and Hoagie found him a hoodie on sale for $25. It was a black zip-up hoodie with the DVS logo screened across the chest in white. With the jeans being $39.50, there was $15.55 left for some accessories.

There was this blue and black Zoo York belt that matched perfectly, but it cost $3.50 more than the rest of Wally's money, so Hoagie lent Wally $5, including tax.

When Wally tried the clothes on in the fitting stall, he found that the small T-shirt was regularly baggy for a boy, and the jeans were about four centimeters longer than his legs, and looked baggy, too, clinging from his skinny legs, but fit with the belt. Then the hoodie looked baggy in the same way as the shirt, and Wally even tucked in the front of his T-shirt so his belt could be seen.

He walked out of the dressing room and Hoagie and Abby applauded.

"Looks pretty cool, man."

"Yeah, you do look cool, Wally."

They paid for the clothes and left the mall, traveling back to the tree house in the S.C.A.M.P.E.R.

It was unanimous that they go practice the 'gentleman lessons' as far away from Numbuh Three's room as possible.

Wally dressed back up in all of his new clothes, as well as his white DVSs, which only had scuff marks on the toes, as the trio stood around in a room behind a bolted door that was behind a chained up door that only Numbuh Two was allowed to hold.

"Alright, we all know you are not good with girls, Numbuh 4," Hoagie began, snickering.

Even though that was all he said, Abby snatched her hat from her head and whipped him on the arm with it.

"WHAT?! I was just going to explain—"

"Okay, well you got no place explainin' to Numbuh 4 that he is not good with girls because he's not the only one!" Abby placed her hat back atop her head and adjusted it, clearing her throat.

"Now, Numbuh 4." She said, turning to him and Hoagie scoffed and rolled his eyes in disagreement.

"What?" Wally said dully. He was sitting on a crate pushed against a wall.

"How do you greet a girl?"

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah, Numbuh Five ain't wastin' no time on stupid questions! What do you say to a girl when you first see her?"

"Umm… Abby, Oi don't even say anehthing to girls."

Abby looked down, and squeezed the bridge of her nose. "This is gonna take a while…" she muttered.

"Okay, Hoagie, could you show Numbuh Four how to greet a girl?"

"Sureee…" Hoagie said, in a suave tone that reminded Wally of Danny. Hoagie stepped closer to Abby, got down on one knee, and took her hand. Slowly, he lifted it to his lips, kissed it softly, and purred, "Hellooo," grinning dazzlingly.

Abby looked at him as if he had just sprouted an extra eye or took off his pilot's cap (both very rare, strange things to happen) for a while.

"Yeeeahh.. Wally, never do that," she finally said, then added, "Numbuh Five needs herself some hand sanitizer…"

"OH, COME ON!" Hoagie bursted. "That was perfect!" Then he turned to Wally and said, "Trust me, Wally, ladies dig that,"

Wally watched all of this in amusement, though he wore a dull, royally bored face.

"Okay, Numbuh Four, to greet a girl, just say 'hey'."

"Hey? You say 'hey'?

"Yes, and don't over do it and act like a professional sugah daddy like somebody" She directed her gaze at Hoagie, who again rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Try it."

"Hey…?" Wally said in a tone that sounded like a question.

"No, really, say it like you're sayin' it to ya date."

Wally hopped from the box, and said in the most casual tone he could put on, "Hey." He even curved his lips into a crooked grin like the guys in the chick flicks do.

"Yeah! That's perfect! Wow, a lot betta than Numbuh Five expected!"

"Yeah, yeah, nice," agreed Hoagie.

"Aww, well, ya know.." Wally responded, leaning back on the crate.

"Alright, now let's teach 'im how to talk," said Hoagie.

"Oi know how to talk!" piped Wally, offended.

"No, he means how to make convasation," Abby explained.

"Ohhh,"

"Alright, Numbuh Five is gonna let y'all know the secret to what girls like talkin' 'bout," said Abby. She leaned in towards them intently, as Hoagie leaned in eagerly. "Themselves."

Hoagie's mouth dropped. "Girls like talking about themselves." He repeated in disbelief. "Figures."

"Yep, it's true. So to start off a conversation, all ya gotta do is talk about the girl. Compliment her or somethin'. Or talk about somethin' you heard she did, but make sure it ain't a rumor, ya get it?"

Wally nodded, processing her words.

"So, what would you say?" asked Hoagie, who now sat on the crate beside the one Wally leaned back on.

Wally thought about it for a moment. "Oh, c'mon gois, this is so embarrassing!" he squealed.

"Well, we're only doin' it 'cause we know how bad you want Numbuh Three!"

"What?! Oi don't want her!"

"Well, do you want to be her boyfriend?"

"No, Oi just don't want that two-timin', scumbag, fake ass punk datin' 'er!"

"Why not?"

"'Cause! He's a lia'!"

Of course, Wally knew he wanted to go out with Numbuh Three. He was just lying about it still…

Abby and Hoagie exchanged glances.

"Wait," said Abby, "do you have a crush on Numbuh Three, or not?"

Wally looked back and forth from Hoagie to Abby, who both wore puzzled, inquiring expressions at him.

"Oi…. Do. Yes. Oi do. Oi have a crush on Numbuh Three."

Abby and Hoagie's jaw dropped and they began cracking up.

Hoagie pulled a square device out from his back pocket, pressed a button, squeaky noises were heard, then pressed another button on the top.

"Oi…. Do. Yes. Oi do. Oi have a crush on Numbuh Three," said the device.

Abby fell on the ground laughing, as Wally lunged for the device. Hoagie was too busy laughing to get a good grip on the tape recorder, therefore Wally snatched it, slammed it to the ground, and began stomping it to pieces violently, then stomped those pieces to pieces, and those pieces to insignificant crumbs.

"YOU JERK!" Wally screeched as the two other operatives wiped tears from their eyes.

"Man, Numbuh Five wouldn't have let him do anything with it," said Abby as she rose to her feet and dusted herself off.

"How can Oi be so sure?!"

"'Cause, we friends! He just did it fo' kicks, anyway. That was pretty funny."

Wally rolled his eyes and looked at the two with a pouty face, then said, "Okay, what else are ya teachin' me so Oi can foinally leave?"

They spent the next hour teaching Wally what else to say to Kuki, how to compliment her, when he should hold her hand, when to smile, when to laugh, and the words to say to steal Danny from her.

"Whoi do Oi need ta tell her?" Wally whined.

"Because, Danny would tell her everything if you don't; and he'll make it sound bad," said Hoagie.

"Loike wha' do ya mean?"

"He'll say ya only went out with her 'cause he bet you to, but tell her you're really doin' it 'cause he's such a sleaze ball and cheated on her and ya didn't want him to go out with her."

Wally furrowed his brow. "So… what should Oi say?"

"What Numbuh Five just said: 'Danny cheated on you and went to the movies to another girl and admits it, and I wanted to go out with you before he can because he'll twist the story around and make it look like I'm the bad guy."

"Roight.. should Oi mention that he bet me to do it?"

Abby crossed her legs and arms and pondered this over for a moment. "Yeah," she decided, "it's best ta be honest."

"Alroight, Oi'll tell her then."

"What'll you say?" asked Hoagie.

"Oi dunno… Oi'm not the kinda bloke to plan this crud out. Oi'll say whateva comes to mind.

"Alright, man, well Valentine's Day is tha day afta tomorrow, so ya need to ask her now."

"Okay, lemme just change outta these clothes…"

Wally told the others to leave so he could have his privacy, therefore the two walked across the room to the heavily bolted locked door, which Hoagie unlocked and pushed open.

Then the two were out of sight, and Wally undressed, actually folded his new clothes, and changed back into his regular orange hoodie and baggy holed jeans and white under tee.

He inhaled deeply, stuffing the new outfit back into the Pacsun bag, then exited the room himself.

Then, spontaneously, he remembered something:

Numbuh Five was turning twelve in two days.

Wally found Numbuh Three drawing and coloring a picture of a rainbow and some forest animals on the couch in the TV room on the fifth floor of the tree house. There were ten floors in the whole place.

He hovered over her shoulder, as she didn't even sense him behind her.

Or maybe she did, because she chimed, "Hi Wally!" as she maneuvered the colored pencils around in different directions.

"Hey." He said simply, hopping over the couch and making her bounce up a little bit by doing so. "Nice pictah!" he piped in a completely different tone. He had to remember to compliment.

"Aw, you think so? I've only been working in it for a few minutes."

Wally lifted the single sheet of paper from her hands. "No, it actu'lly…" he gazed down at it for a few moments, then looked back up at Kuki, "… looks pretty good."

Kuki stared at him strangely. "Did you get taller?"

Wally looked at her for a moment. He didn't expect that. "Err, uhh… Oi dunno? Oi'll check latuh."

"I mean, I usually have to look down at you more… and… not really now. Here, stand up." She put down the colored pencil in her hand and stood, then grabbed Wally's hands and pulled him up along with her.

She held her hand horizontally at her brow level and tried to keep it as straight as she could as it glided to the top of Wally's forehead.

"Wait, wait, turn around.." Kuki said, spinning Wally around. She turned around as well, then backed into him softly, holding her hand at the top of her head, and grabbing Wally's hand and dropped it on top of his.

When they turned around, and looked at the gap between their hands, they saw it was about two inches. There used to be about four.

"Wow, not bad," Kuki said.

"Roight, anyway, Kooks…" Wally said.

"What?"

"Do you want to go owt with meh fah Valentoine's Day?"

No answer.

Kuki stared at him, awestruck. Her eyes widened, and mouth gradually dropped.

She stared like this for a few seconds.

"Geez, Oi mean, if you don't want tah.."

"Wait, wait, whoa, what?"

"Oi said, do you want to go owt fah Valentoine's Day?"

Kuki collapsed back onto the couch.

"Kuki?" Wally repeated after a moment's silence. He thought she fainted, and leaned over to confirm so to find her with her hands over her face and her whispering something.

She sat back up and looked at Wally wearily. "Wait, you know I'm going with Danny! What are you doing?" Kuki asked suspiciously.

Wally sighed. He had to tell her the truth. He sat down next to her on the couch.

"Danny is…" he paused to think of the words, face towards the ceiling while searching.

"Danny is what?"

"He's cheatin' on yeh with this sheila named Rebecca."

Silence.

Numbuh Three stared at Wally blankly for a moment, as his eyes darted all over her face, trying to read her.

Wally thought he heard a small noise from her. Then he heard it again.

"Are yeh…?"

Kuki began chuckling lightly, then looked away, but looked back at him with a lopsided smirk (which made him quiver and widen his eyes for a split second, even gulp) and starting to snicker. Soon she was laughing, holding her stomach, cracking up.

Wally watched for two whole minutes as she clutched herself and laughed.

"Wally…" she breathed. "That's ridiculous!" Kuki exhaled, as she wiped a tear from her eye, the way Abby and Hoagie had an hour ago.

Wally stared at her coldly. He felt… angry for some reason. "Look," he growled, getting her attention, "Oi wouldn't loie to yew about this, so could yeh just go out with meh?"

Kuki squinted at him. "Wally, this… is… like, do you…"

"Oi know… its just--"

"I don't believe you."

….

"….Wot?"

"Why are you doing this?"

"Kuki, Oi'm not loin'! Oi swear!"

"Are you jealous or something?"

"Are yew KIDDING me? Kuki, Oi'm… Oi'm tryin' to tell yeh!"

Kuki inhaled deeply, closing her eyes.

"Okay, tell me then."

Wally looked at her with his mouth trying to shape words again.

"Alroight…" he began, "The otha noight Oi was eht tha movies, and Oi saw Danny there, and he was wit' this blonde sheila, and he had his arm around her, and then when tha movie was ovah, Oi got 'im outsoide and told him he was so busted and Oi'm not loin'! Ask Hoagie, he was wit' me today, 'cause Oi saw 'im today at the Blockbustah, and Oi totally embarrassed him," Wally chuckled as he said that, then continued, "but Oi did it all feh yew!" Wally finished with a pleading look.

He didn't know if she would scream, cry, or hit him, for the type of news this was, but gave her a pair of puppy-dog eyes, which she used to give him. Whenever she wanted to spend time with him, whenever she was begging him to do something he was really reluctant to do with her.

"Really? Did you punch him?" she asked with a charming grin, though her eyes were very sad.

"No, but Oi shoved him into a wall. Oi was about to… but…"

"But what?"

"Since yew do loike him, for some reason Oi don't think Oi could evah undastand, Oi didn't wanna hurt him."

"Thanks, Wally." Kuki said. She hugged him around the neck. He chuckled awkwardly, and patted her on the back, though he didn't exactly wrap his arms around her to hold her. Wally hoped she would get the message he was disgusted with hugs, but only kept clinging onto him.

"Are yeh sad?" Wally asked.

Kuki nodded in his shoulder.

"Are yeh gonna croi?"

Kuki thought for a moment. She lifted her head and looked Wally in the eyes. "Not for him."

"Good."

Kuki's arms slid down Wally's torso (making him shudder) and back to her sides, though one hand latched onto his. "C'mon, let's go call him," she said sadly.

"Why?"

"I'm gonna break up with him."

"Really?!" Wally's eyes widened.

"Mmhm."

YES.

"Hello? Is Danny there?"

Wally sat cross legged across from Kuki as she spoke on the phone in the tree house kitchen. She sat leaned on her palm, legs out beside her.

"Hey Danny." Kuki greeted suggestively, grinning up at Wally.

"Hey Kuki! What's up?"

"Not much, just around the tree house."

"Oh, cool. Same here."

"So how was the movies the other night?"

"…."

"Yeah, you're really pathetic, you know?" Kuki sang.

"Wait, Kuki, who told you?"

"Wally." Kuki replied affectionately.

"Oh, jeez. Me and him just have a little bet going on, he'll really do anything to win a bet. Competitive kid, huh?"

"……Bet?"

Wally immediately began waving his arms, mouthing words at Kuki, clothes rustling in the silence as she listened.

Kuki dropped the mocking tone. She looked up with tight, angry lips at Wally.

"Okay. Well whoever did what, Danny, I'm breaking up with you. And for the record, you're really not funny. At all. And you're hair is really dry." Kuki stood up and slammed the corded phone into the receiver hanging up on the wall.

Kuki looked down at Wally for a moment, still angry.

"Why is every boy around here so pathetic?" Kuki said, stepping over him but carelessly kicking his leg, as he was still sitting.

"Owwww…." He hissed, getting up to his feet, and following her from the tree house, though hopping because his shin hurt. "Wait, Kooks!" he shouted.

He caught up to Numbuh Three, who's hands were curled into fists, then cupped his hand around her shoulder and spun her around.

Tears were dripping down her cheeks. "You're a jerk, too," She said.

"Wait, okay, well, yeah it was a bet, me asking yeh out, but honestly, Kooks, Oi'm done with bets and dares already! God, because of bets, Oi've thrown up," Wally held up fingers to count on, "passed out, broken an arm, gotten in a cruddy fist fight for, even ran around the neighborhood-butt naked because of! Oi'm done! Oi would go out with yeh even if it wasn't a bet!"

"Okay, let's do it this way then. If you want to go out with me so badly. Wally, do you want to take me out for Valentine's Day?"

Wally was surprised she did this. "…. Yeah, Oi do."

"Great, pick me up at my house at around 5:30. We can go to the carnival." And with that, she smiled falsely and practically dived into the elevator Wally didn't even know they were standing beside.

That didn't go exactly how he planned, but at least he finally was going on a date with Kuki Sanban.