AChapter#4: Full moon.

September 2011.

"I'm so glad one of my other friends got invited, frankly, I'd hate to be the only Junior high student there with all those drunken high school freshmen." Rhonda told Sid as she picked him up from Bigal's through her limo.

Sid smiled, "Thanks Rhonda, but really, it wasn't necessary to drop me to the party."

"Oh come on Sid, we're friends, plus it'll save us the awkwardness of entering a party where we barely know anyone there… in your case at least."

"Uh… thanks."

"Thank you." Nadine politely thanked the comic book store guy and walked out of the store only to bump in to Park.

"Nadine! I mean Hi." He nervously smiled.

"Oh uh.. hello Park." She shyly tried to look at him but her eyes would immediately dart to her shoes.

They stood there awkwardly for a few seconds till e decided to break the silence.

"Are you going home now?." He managed to blurt out.

"Yeah."

"Want me to drop you?." He offered.

"I'll be fine Park, thank you."

"No, you shouldn't be out alone at this time… I mean walk alone, lemme drop you to your place."

Nadine looked back at her shoes one more time and then looked back at him. "Ok." She simply shrugged.

"So… the comic book store huh?." He attempted to start a conversation. "I never knew you loved comics."

"Well not all f them," she blushed. "I'm a big fan of Poison Ivy, for obvious reasons." She giggled.

He laughed, "of course."

Silence…

"So… how come you're not hanging out with Rhonda?."

"She's at this high school party." Nadine rolled her eyes.

"Oh ya, the one Sid's going to."

"Wonder if they're having fun there."

Sid sat on the couch and watched how all the Freshmen boys gathered around Miss Rhonda Lloyd like moths around a light bulb.

Boy howdy, it's only been half an hour and the raven haired beauty has already become popular with older boys! That's more than he can say for himself.
He almost regretted coming to this party until...

"Is this seat taken?." A familiar voice asked and he looked up to find none other than Ruth McDougal smiling down at him with two cans of soda in her hand.

"Uh.. n-no! no!." He moved over to make space in the couch for her to sit in.

"Thank you." She smiled politely. "I got you this." she gave him one of the cans of soda. "I hope you like cherry."

"Thanks. I do." he accepted the soda from her.

"I'm so glad you came." Ruth told him.

"Thanks for inviting me." He felt his face get hot.

"So, having any fun?."

"Yeah. Me and this couch were just getting acquainted."

Ruth laughed. "You're funny!."

He let out a short laugh and then rubbed his neck nervously. "Say Ruth?."

"Mm?." she sipped on her soda.

"Why did you really invite me?."

"Well." she cleared her throat. "You like caught me off guard there." She chuckled. "But… the real reason behind my invitation was… that… you seemed pretty interesting." She looked at him shyly and shrugged.

He almost choked on his soda. "Interesting?."

"Yeah, I mean, you seem like the artistic type and like yet, you're not so geeky. Know what I mean?."

"I guess."

"I hope I like, didn't freak you out or something."

"No, you didn't… well sorta. I mean, you're pretty, and popular! Why on earth would you talk to someone like me?."

"What's wrong with you?." She asked and could tell the question caught him off guard.

"Well, for one you're older than me."

"And?." Ruth prodded.

"I… I dunno."

"Sid, you're the most popular kid in your level. And you're really cute, plus, I so like your bad boy look."

Sid looked at his grey skinny jeans and black combat boots complete with his favorite biker boy jacket. Maybe she was right.

"I kinda like you too."

What!

"Remember when you used to hit on me a few years ago?." She asked and Sid's mind went back to that time when he tried to hit on her at Rhonda's party and that other time during the cheese festival in the tunnel of love.

"You kept turning me down." He looked down sadly remembering her rejections to his instances.

"Yeah." She looked down ashamedly too. "I dunno what was up with me back then, I guess I was too full of myself."

"Get away from me you pig!."

They heard Rhonda shout and Sid saw her trying to free her wrist from the clutch of some jock.

"Excuse me." Sid's eyes were fixated darkly on the boy as he got up and walked to wards them.

"Not until you give me what I want sweet bottom." He tried to sweet talk her.

"Ugh!." She groaned partly from the disgusting pick-up line and partly from the nauseating smell of his breath drenched in alcohol.

"Hey, you heard her." Sid placed a hand over the jock's huge shoulder.

The bigger boy turned to Sid and Rhonda saw this as an opportunity to kick him in the nuts causing him to let go of her wrist in surprise but unfortunately he didn't roll on the ground in pain like she hoped he would.
Guess the alcohol numbed the pain.

"Hey say out of this you little punk!." He turned to Sid now.

Sid looked at Rhonda who seemed to be a little worried now. "Gladly." He put his hands in his pockets and walked past him with a smirk.

"You trying to be smart with me pal?." The enraged drunk grabbed Sid's shoulders.

"Marcus let go of him!." Ruth demanded.

"Shut up Ruth!." The boy spat.

"Hey don't talk to her like that!." Sid freed his shoulder from his clutch and turned to him.

"Ooh, someone's crushing on you Ruth."

Sid rolled his eyes and turned away, "Dickhead." He mumbled.

"What was that? I didn't hear you!."

"Maybe you should clean all that wax plugging those big fat eras of yours." Sid mocked making some older girls giggle.

"Sid let's just go." Rhonda was getting worried and grabbed his arm.

"No! No! we're gonna settle this right here and right now!." The jock demanded.

"Forget about him Marcus, he's just some kid from junior high." One of his friends told him but instead he got punched in the face.

The other boy got back up, touched his lips and found them bleeding. And just as swiftly he punched the jock resulting in a chain reaction of fighting and punching.

"Let's go!." Rhonda grabbed Sid's arm and headed towards the front door.

Sid cast a last glance at Ruth and was relieved to see her leaving with her friends through the back door in the kitchen.

"Some party." Rhonda groaned and she and Sid waited in a nearby diner for her driver.

"Well if you hadn't worn this ridiculously mini-skirt you probably wouldn't have attracted that pig." He nagged.

"Oh come on Sid! You sound like a nun!."

"Rhonda, I'm a boy, I know what boys think."

"Whatever." She rolled her eyes and drummed her fingers on the table. "I doubt we'll ever be invited to another high school party again."

"Fine with me."

Rhonda stopped drumming her fingers and looked at him, "Thanks for standing up for me Sid." She gave him a weak smile.

He shrugged, "It's what friends do."

"Yeah." She looked at her nails.

Friends…

She wondered what Nadine was doing now.

(MUSIC:BRANDY-FULL MOON).

Author's Note: Isn't it funny how many writers here threaten their readers by going 'Ok if you don't review, I won't update' or whine and go 'I work so hard for this and nobody reviews' and then all the reviews flood in. I mean give me a break, yeah I love a little reader interaction but those lines are so lame. I don't even bother to review or read on.

Anyway, I've been craving a lot of Rhonda x Curly fics. lately. I can totally see him as the sane, smooth talking romantic when he reaches teenage-hood… unfortunately here, that won't be the case. Oops, let the cat out of the bag. ;p Hope you guys enjoyed this though.