Chapter Two: Everywhere

July 1988, Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York

It was July 4th at the Fry household, and Luanne knocked on the front door to their house. Yancy answered.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Empress Moon Child, showing her face here again. The pigtails are new." he said, leaning against the doorjamb, while gesturing toward her jet hair, which was indeed put into pigtails that day.

"Pfft shut up Yancy. Where's Philip?" Luanne crossed her arms.

"Idiot's in the backyard looking at the clouds. He said he thinks he sees the USS Enterprise up there." Yancy said rolling his eyes. "I told him that it's just a cloud, and also, the cloud doesn't even look like that, it looks like an obese horse giving birth."

Luanne rolled her eyes at Yancy's eye roll. "Quit being so mean to him all the time, it's not cute."

Yancy stood straight up "…It's not?" He said, actually seeming a bit hurt by that, but then immediately trying to put an air of machismo back on. "Pfft whatever. Just get back there before he stares at the sun or something."

Luanne pushed past Yancy and went to the backyard where Fry was laying on the grass looking at the sky in wonder. She joined him.

"Oh hey Lu! I was wondering when you were gonna get here."

"Yeah I was held up at the door by your stupid brother." she laughed.

"Typical Yancy…" Fry grumbled. He quickly changed the subject. "I thought I saw the Enterprise up there earlier but I can't find it anymore."

"….Oh wow, it actually does look like an obese horse…" she said finding the cloud she was assuming Yancy was talking about.

"No! That's stupid." Fry grumbled again at the mention of horses. "Whatever Yancy said was wrong, I know I saw the Enterprise up there!"

"I'm not doubting what you saw, maybe you both just saw separate things." Luanne shrugged.

"Pfft, yeah, right." Fry crossed his arms over his chest. "Yancy is just being a huge jerk as usual."

Luanne sat up. "So, what's the plan for today anyways? It's gonna be a long while before it's dark enough for fireworks, and I imagine your dad is probably gonna force us to listen to him lecturing about American history again." she said, leaning on her elbow, to look over at Fry.

"Yeah his spiel is even longer today than any of the times you've seen it before." Fry laughed a bit

"Does he even know the communist party didn't even exist in 1776…."

"It didn't?"

Luanne blinked. "Didn't you…pay attention at all in history class?"

"….Here and there…" Fry replied, remembering all of the Star Trek fanfiction he wrote during history class.

Luanne snickered a little, and then got up.

"Hey you wanna have a water balloon fight?" Fry asked, starting to pull her towards the water spigot at the side of the house.

"Sure, sounds like fun!" she laughed.

"Okay I'll go get the balloons!" Fry ran off to get some balloons. He returned shortly after and they began filling the balloons with water and putting them into 2 buckets.

Yancy, who was asked to mow the lawn, saw the pair laughing while carrying the buckets over.

"Ugh, what are you two doing? I have to mow the lawn!" He groaned, now standing in front of the shed in the backyard.

Fry's only response was to toss a water balloon at him, which hit the shed, bursting and lightly splashing Yancy in the face.

"You missed!" Yancy laughed…but his laugh was cut short by Luanne beaning him in the face with a water balloon—which didn't immediately burst upon impact with his nose, but rather fell to the ground, bursting onto his shoes, soaking them. "Ow!" He groaned. "Ugh now I have to change my socks! Thanks a lot!" He said grumpily, and trudged his way back to the house to get some dry shoes and socks.

Luanne and Fry laughed loudly at him, watching as he walked back into the house.

"Your brother is a total dork-face." Luanne laughed, holding her hand up to her mouth, her cheeks in such a wide grin she could hardly keep her eyes open.

"Pfft, yeah. Nice shot by the way! You totally beaned him right in the nose!" Fry said with a chuckle.

"I've been told I have a pretty good throw." she smiled.

Less than an hour later, Fry's dad gotten the grill set up and began cooking hot dogs and hamburgers—well, burning hot dogs and hamburgers.

Fry looked down at his plate, with the hamburger patty blackened from over grilling, cheap American cheese melting over it.

Luanne, however, weirdly seemed unfazed by Fry's dad's horrible grilling technique.

"Sorry my dad burnt them…" He said to her.

"Eh, it's fine. Reminds me of when my Nonna was still well enough to cook and would roast red bell peppers directly on the stove. I mean it doesn't taste like that, but it definitely looks the part. Definitely a lot harder than those were." she laughed a little.

"Oh, okay." Fry shrugged, and took a bite from his rock-hard overcooked hamburger. Even the melted cheese didn't really help, but he was hungry enough that he couldn't complain.

After lunch, Luanne and Fry went right back to playing in the backyard, this time making an obstacle course for his pet guinea pig. Fry set down some food at the end of the course as incentive for the little animal to try and reach the end, however, the guinea pig, being much more intelligent than Fry, even if not by a lot, just ran around the whole course and immediately started eating the food, leaving Fry dumbfounded. Luanne laughed a bit, and picked up the little potato-like rodent, and giving him a scratch behind the ears.

"I can't believe I was outsmarted by a guinea pig." Fry huffed.

"Yeah, he must be like, a super genius or something." she said, holding the little guy up to her face. "Aren't you little guy, aren't you?"

The guinea pig softly wheeked at her.

Finally the sun began to set, and the Fry family set up a fire in the backyard so that they could toast marshmallows for s'mores, while waiting for the fireworks at the nearby park to start.

Fry was having poor luck with his marshmallow toasting, however, as every one he made either burnt, or melted off the stick, into the fire. Luanne patted him on the shoulder, making him look over.

"Here" she said, and handed him half of the s'more she made, and he took it, smiling at her.

She smiled back to him, and ate her half of the s'more.

Soon enough, the fireworks started, and Fry and Luanne watched in wonder and amazement at the display. Fry's mother was cheering the fireworks on and directing them as if it was a sports game, while Fry's father saluted, a single tear running down his cheek from the patriotic display.

Yancy watched, a little less interested, but looked over at Fry and Luanne who were actually having a great time. He rolled his eyes a little, and decided to head back inside for a soda from the fridge.

After the fireworks display was over with, Fry and Luanne headed up to his room, and he helped her set up her sleeping bag on the floor.

The two talked for hours about nothing in particular, but the last thing Luanne said before drifting off from exhaustion was "You're my best friend, Fry. I hope we get to go everywhere together." she yawned, and fell asleep.

"Me too…" he said, and then also fell asleep.