A.- I made my account in '08, without saying anything to my parents, what they didn't know wouldn't hurt them. Plus, I'm a guy, and in today's world (especially in CA!) the chances of someone finding out about my secret of enjoying writing fanfiction would result in catastrophe. And I too, am a junior high nerd, who loves Harry Potter and thinks logically. It's nice to see someone else who does that same. :D Thanks for the lengthy reviews, they make my day! And about the whole TV show thing, I agree with him, but I'm sure there are PLENTY of third-party companies making C&H merchandise anyway. Who says art can't be recreated in the form of a television series?

As for everybody else, I'm so glad at the success of this story so far (784 hits!). I may continue making stories here in the C&H section, I like it over here. :)

Any suggestions for the rest of the story? I'm having trouble thinking of what to do with the rest of this plot.

Chapter NINE!

"Wait!"

School had just ended. Unluckily for Susie, her last period was Economics, which she was supposed to be focusing hard in, but he thoughts were adrift in the sea of thought. Was what she heard all a misunderstanding? The greater part of her assumed it was, Calvin and Hobbes couldn't be fighting over her. One of them supposedly hated her, and the other was of a different species. But then again…the possibilities were endless. What if they both harbored romantic intentions towards her. She smiled at the thought for a second, but then frowned. Conflict was inevitable.

If they both had romantic feelings for her, then who would she choose? Hobbes was the friendlier of the two, but she knew Calvin, deep down, also had a heart of gold. Up front, the tiger also seemed to be the intellect, but again, Calvin was also, deep down, incredibly intelligent. Calvin also had the advantage of being of her species, but-…she couldn't decipher it. But then again, what if she was making herself fall for them, when it could be a misunderstanding, and they might not have any feelings for her at all?

"Wait!"

Susie looked behind her, on the sidewalk, to see Hobbes running towards her, seeming panicked. She hadn't spoken to him or Calvin since the incident in English glass. Where was Calvin anyway? She stopped, looking down at the lines in the sidewalk as Hobbes slowed to a halt in front of her, his breathing deep and hasty. She gave him a concerned look,

"Are you okay? What happened?"

Hobbes froze. Maybe she didn't hear his argument, and he was making a fool out of himself. He shrugged the thought away, deciding that she had to hear it.

"I- um… How much of that argument with Calvin did you hear, exactly?"
"I…Well, all of it, to be honest."

"What did you mean by he knew 'your feelings for her'?"

Scratching the back of his head, Hobbes chuckled with slight agenda, stammering a bit to cover this up, "R-Right, that part? Y-You misunderstood me, I was talking about… Roxanne!"

"Roxanne?"
"Heh, yeah! She's a tiger babe from, uh…back home."
"Calvin said you've lived with him since Kindergarten."

"You're not making this any easier to cover up." remarked Hobbes flatly. Susie tilted her head to the side for a moment, but then continued walking, deciding not to add to that. Hobbes followed. Each of them remained silent as they walked side by side along the sidewalk. She absentmindedly followed him to the back porch of his house, sitting beside him on it, still silent. 'Screw it', she thought, 'If I'm going to ask him, what better an opportunity?'

"H-Hobbes…"

After a second, he snapped his head over to face her, his paws folded in his lap, "Yes?"

"You weren't…talking about me during the fight with Calvin…were you?"

Tensing, Hobbes went rigid. Was it bad to say yes? Or the same for no? Tapping his foot on the ground, he sputtered a bit, staring into space. Finally, he turned his head at her, putting on the best poker face he could, "I- Well, I-…ye-…no."

"You hesitated."
"Sorry…just a bit out of it today. But, why do you ask?"
"I was just curious, I guess."

Hobbes chuckled a bit, "Besides… Why would you like me? The only people today who saw me ran in terror."

"They didn't meet the real you."

The taller one rolled his eyes, looking down. He was mentally cursing himself, 'Why didn't you tell her? She asked you plain, in person, no distractions! You idiot!' Susie frowned a bit at his answer. She felt…disappointed? Upset? They sat in silence for a moment, as Hobbes turned to her, "Say…do you maybe want to play chess?" She smiled lightly,

"Chess?"
"Yeah."

"Sure, why not," she smiled. He smiled back pulling out a board game which was left folded beside the barbecue on the porch. Finding the bag of pieces, the two began to set them up along the board, pawns in the first row, rooks, knights, bishops and royals in the second. Susie made the first move with one of her pawns, as Hobbes continued their previous conversation, a little quietly,

"Besides, back on that subject… I thought Calvin asked you on a, what you call, 'date'."
"How did you hear that?"
"I'll spare you the details…"
"He did, but I'm not sure if I really want to take up his offer."

Hobbes kept his eyes glued to the board, moving his knight over, trying to plot his next few moves, equally splitting his attention to the beautiful girl beside him. She sighed lightly, her shoulders shrugging as he looked up, meeting her gaze. A shiver ran up his spine, seeing those hazel eyes sparking right back at him. She smiled,

"I think I have my eye on someone." She said, moving her rook along the board, trying to counter-balance Hobbes' moves. She bit her bottom lip nervously, wondering if her hint was too obvious. At the mention of that, he froze again, trying to keep his attention on beating her in the game of chess, "Do I know him?"

"More than you'd think." Replied Susie almost playfully,

Whether it was intended that she lean ever so slightly closer was a mystery, but his made his heart rate pump faster almost instantly. And whether it was intended that his paw run up her arm or not, a shiver coursed through her own spine, a blush now on her face for a change. He made the next move in the game, still stunned. Could she be talking about…him? Surely not.

"Checkmate."

Yeah, yeah, it's short and uneventful, but I have a basic idea for the rest of the plot. But still, suggestion is HIGHLY welcomed! Now, let's see those reviews! :)

-RJ