Man I didn't expect to get this chapter out so fast, but it all just came to me like that. And a big tanks to Numbuh 725 for helping me come up with the title (not my best acronym in the world but for here it still works)
CHAPTER 8
STUDY-BUDDIES
Spying
Treaty
Undercover
During
Younger
Brothers
Unknowingly
Displaying
Doubts
In
Exposing
Sister
How is he doing all of that?...He should be a GREAT Ninja by now, he's got all the makings…Why would he just risk all of that potential for some kids? What do those little snot filled brats really have to offer his own peers don't. He's just so TRUSTING with them, why?! …Shoot, it really looked like he could tell them anything. Why couldn't he just tell me he didn't like that stuff? …Though come to think of it, he DID kind of…Oh Steve, why is this guy in my head?!
"FANNY!"
"WHAT", Fanny was finally snapped out of her thoughts, and looked back at her surroundings. She was back in her room, with her younger brother Paddy next to her, holding a crayon and some paper.
"I said, how about in Claus 2 we have teenagers take the Saturday night TV while we have the Saturday mornings", Paddy repeated, exasperated.
"Oh, oh right uh", Fanny looked down at the paper. It was some draft ideas for their treaty. Scheduled TV times, amendments to appropriate tattlings, rations for sharing soda. All of which Fanny knew were very important, but still seemed to pale compared to her present thoughts. "Sure sure, whatever."
"Fanny this is the third thing I've been planning", Paddy wrote it down. "And as much as every fiber in my body is screaming to take advantage of this for kid kind, I also know when you come back to it'll bite me in the butt. So can you try to put some more effort into this?"
"I'm putting effort into it, runt", Fanny snatched a piece of paper to look over what Paddy wrote. "Just thinking about the billions of teenagers counting on this going perfectly, is all."
"Really, so this isn't about your new boyfriend you left with this weekend?"
"BOYFRIEND", Fanny started to blush, in anger.
"That guy you left with really early yesterday", Paddy smirked, seemed like he found a new nerve to poke. "Mom was talking about him ALL day, how he was "such a gentlemen", and "I can see why Fanny Pants like him".
"It's not like that", Fanny grew angrier. "Good Lord, I can't have a friend who's just a boy around here, can I?!"
"Nope", Paddy chuckled. "Well you can think about smooching him later, AFTER we finish this."
"Why you little-"
"Hey careful Pizzaface", Paddy gestured to the food. "Mom's still home."
Fanny thought about it for a minute. Paddy was seriously asking for it, but at the same time…she wasn't asking for trouble with their mom.
"...Fine", Fanny huffed and went back to writing.
"Paddy? Fanny?"
The 2 siblings looked up at the voice, a younger one belonging to a little boy with orange curly hair standing by their doorway.
"Shaunie", Paddy was the first to speak. "Hey what's up?"
"Just wanted to see if you guys wanted to play something", Shaunie walked more in the room, stepping over pizza boxes and tossed clothes.
"Aw that'd be nice Shaunie", Fanny smiled at her youngest brother, then looked down at their work. "But we gotta do some treaty work right now."
"Oh", Shaunie looked down. "Can I help?"
"Aw Shaunie, I dunno if you wanna be a part of this", Paddy said. "This treaty is really controversial, and if kids found out you knew details-"
As Paddy went on, Fanny took note of the droop Shaunie had. The face of hope was getting diminished to leave him alone downstairs. Normally with Paddy or any other kid, Fanny would be telling him to scram and not even notice. But Shaunie was different than that.
"-And I'm sure Fanny's already having a hard time keeping her Ninjas at bay-"
"Sure Shaunie"
"What?!"
"Here", Fanny handed Shaunie the paper and crayon. "You can take notes for us and help organize everything."
Shaunie gasped, excited. "Really?"
"Really", Fanny smiled warmly. "Make sure everything looks good in it. And that this brat over here doesn't try to hog all the good shares."
Paddy rolled his eyes and groaned. "Fine, clearly no one's gonna listen to me about this-"
"Finally, you're getting it", Fanny sneered at Paddy, a sneer that quickly vanished with Shaunie.
"Don't worry guys, I promise these are gonna be the best notes I've ever taken. I promise!"
Fanny chuckled, and ruffled the youngest boy's hair. A ruffle that was much softer than the usual noogies Paddy was given. "I'm sure it will be Shaunie."
Paddy looked at the warm sibling display, and sighed. No use trying to say anything about it at this point. "So, let's talk about leverage holdings"
"AAA!"
Patton had just opened his locker to start the day, only instead to get met with a douse of lemonade. Luckily, his eyes were shut in time, but it still didn't change how his mouth puckered up and the beverage stuck to his clothes.
Students laughed around the hallways as a puddle formed under his feet. And 2 in particular laughed the hardest, holding up different building equipment
"Hey, looks like you need another mop-up, Urlovsky!" Virginia cackled at her prank.
"We're still working on the name", Bartie followed up behind, but laughed again anyway.
Fanny saw the scene and rolled her eyes. As ingenuitive as Bartie and Virginia were with pranks, they were slow as molasses with insults.
"Ay Bartie! Virginia!" The 2 immediately looked down at their boss. "Why don't you give him a break huh? Save that kinda humiliation for the kids."
"Oh yeah we should", Virginia nodded, smirking at Bartie. "Maybe the kids that you're being all buddy-buddy with over Rainbow Monkeys."
And this caused even more laughter, the focus shifting onto the Leader.
Fanny looked around at the indignation. Yeah that video was not helping her well. They were starting to think they could actually mock her. She quickly pulled out her SRIRACHA and wrestled the 2 teenagers into the ground.
"OW! BOSS!"
"BOSS STOP!"
Patton looked at the display in front of him as Fanny let loose on the 2 teenagers that dared to mock her. Her dodging and ducking and tuggings. The sauce getting over the lockers, the way Bartie and Virginia strained immediately regretting their decision.
But what really stood out was the face of fury Fanny had from it. It was like an angry lion had a baby with a howler monkey, but with an Irish Setter surrogate. They were practically flames coming out of her eyes.
And if Patton was being honest…seeing that kind of unbridled rage was doing something different. Eyebrows, eyebrows.
Finally, the fight ended, leaving Bartie and Virginia on the ground in defeat, and Fanny standing on top of them.
"Anyone else got a quip they wanna say?!"
The rest of the teenagers quickly shook their heads, and whistled innocently.
"Good", Fanny nodded, and let go of Bartie's arm. "Now anyone else that tries to say anything to me about Rainbow Monkeys or any kind of other kiddy crap is getting off worse!"
The students gulped at the thought of what worse could even look like.
"FULBRIGHT", Fanny turned to the direction of a teacher. "Let them go! Everybody get to class!"
The crowd started to disperse. The teacher grabbed Bartie and Virginia up. "Come on, let's get you 2 to the nurse. Last warning Fulbright, you know the rules; no fighting in the school until AFTER all the teachers have left the parking lot!"
"Yes sir", Fanny groaned, but that kind of thing couldn't have really waited for 4:30. It was a matter of principle.
As the teacher walked off, bruised teens in tow, Fanny looked back up at Patton. "You ok dude?"
Patton didn't answer her. He just looked at her with wide eyes and a bright red face.
"..Lovsky?" Fanny raised an eyebrow, trying to get some kind of acknowledgement the boy was listening. "You still there?"
Patton finally nodded slowly, and breathed heavily, face still red. Fanny nodded, glad to see he was still sort of functioning, before moving her head back down to her regular vision line. A lower angle that included doorknobs, the bottom of drinking fountains, and in that moment Patton's waistline.
"O-K", Fanny immediately turned around to the direction of her class, trying to avoid eye contact with Patton after seeing that. "Wow! Uh, yeah, I'm gonna go now! I'll uh, talk to you later after school, or whatever!"
Fanny's walk brisked up, avoiding any potential eye contact as the bell rang, leaving the hallways empty.
Well, mostly empty, as a lone teenager was still standing there soaked, and a still beet red face and wide look.
"...What just happened?"
Rachel took notice of the smaller footsteps walking to the neighboring desk. And the massive textbook slamming on the seat. And the grunts of her smaller best friend getting on top of the textbook to slump on her desk. All of this heard in between her own keyboard typing, as Doctor Time Space was just about to cross over into a werewolf London for the aid of a ruggish detective.
"...Penny for your thoughts", Rachel said between key types, as Fanny scoocched the seat closer into her desk.
"...Can you come by my house after school today?" Fanny asked out of the blue.
"What", Rachel finally looked up from her monitor. "Do you need some treaty work?"
"A quick glance around at Shaunie's notes would be nice", Fanny said absentmindedly. "But more because Lovsky is also coming over this afternoon. Maybe you can help me scout him out."
Rachel blinked for a moment, realizing what Fanny was asking. "You want me to meet Patton?"
Fanny shrugged. "I need to get a softer approach for him to really trust me, and you have a nicer way of words than I do. Plus, I can't have just him coming over, my mom is already getting the wrong ideas. If you come too, she'll let me keep the door closed."
"Good point", Rachel looked up as Patton entered, still sticky from lemonade, but less red and more like he was actually back in reality. He walked past Fanny and Rachel, his cheeks immediately going a little red as he looked back at the cooler leader.
"And I need to make sure HE doesn't get any ideas about it either", Fanny groaned,
"Ideas?" Rachel looked quizzically at the boy behind him, as he sat down at the desk, and crossed one of his legs. "Why do you think he'd get those?"
"Let's just say he's a fan of my awesome displays of dominance."
"So you hear me Abby?"
"Loud and clear Rachel", Abby gave the thumbs up from her room. A gumball was popped into her mouth as she looked around the view. They were approaching the Fulbright front door, the camera shaking slightly with each of Rachel's steps. "VIsion looks good too. You're clear to go on."
Rachel looked at the tint in her glasses. Seems this TND prototype was working well (acronym pending). She sighed, and rang the doorbell.
"IT'S FOR ME I'LL GET IT", Fanny's voice rang loudly in the girls' ears as she stomped towards the door. She opened it and looked up at Rachel with a big smile. "Oh thank goodness! Lovsky came here before you and my mom is NOT leaving me alone about it!"
"Fanny, you can't just leave like that", and out came the matriarch herself, a cookie in her hand. "You're being very rude to your little boyfriend, and after he brought these cookies too-"
"Rachel's here too Mom", Fanny quickly interrupted her. "She's coming with me and Lovsky to help us study."
"Oh, hello dearie", Rachel was squished into a hug. "How have you been?"
"Oh just fine Mrs. Fulbright", Rachel strained out. "Just ran a little late to our study session."
"Yeah there's a big project I got assigned too with my FRIENDS", Fanny accentuated that last word "Including a FRIEND who just happens to be a BOY. And we really need to start getting to work. Lovsky, Rachel's here, let's go!"
Patton walked out into the hallway, a plate of cookies in his hand, and looked at Rachel. Rachel looked a bit long at Patton, remorseful at the sight of her old confident Arctic Commander, now reduced to this insecure enormous dweeb.
"I know sir", Abby said quietly in Rachel's ear. "But we got to keep moving."
Rachel blinked a bit, then started heading up the stairs. "Uh, come on Fanny. We should get started."
"Yes definitely", Fanny was already halfway up, with the 2 other teens in tow.
"Well I'll leave you three to it", Mrs Fulbright went back into the kitchen. "And could you dears take those cookies with you before the boys get to em? If they eat all those, they'll spoil their dinner."
"Ok Mom!" "Sure Mrs. Fulbright." "Thanks Mrs. The Fan's Mom."
And up the trio went into the more private sanctity of Fanny's room.
.At least mostly, when 2 boys' heads popped up from their adjacent rooms, with one singular thought.
"Cookies?"
Fanny locked the door, and sighed in relief. "FINALLY. She can get so overbearing."
Patton looked around Fanny's room. It was, to put it as delicately as possible, a hot mess. He tried to navigate between the pizza boxes and loose clothes, unsure of where to sit, or even if he could.
"Aw relax Lovsky. Hold on", Fanny tossed some clothes off a pile, revealing a beanbag chair. Afterwards, she hopped on her bed, Rachel sitting beside her. "Well go on, make yourself comfortable."
Patton hesitated, but after some effort, managed to sink down into the low beanbag.
"Anyways, Lovsky", Fanny gestured to the blonde beside her. "This is Rachel. Rachel, Lovsky."
Patton waved sheepishly at Rachel. Now it was the time to play up the dumb. "Oh yeah. Aren't you the guy from algebra-"
"OK! So yeah, we all know each other", Fanny quickly stopped Rachel as Patton looked down, red. "Now let's really get to work."
"Oh great", Patton reached into his backpack and pulled out a textbook. "So you didn't say what course we would do first, but I figured since we're starting to learn about the Civil War we could-"
"Lovsky, what are you doing?"
Patton stopped and looked confused. "Y-You told your mom we were studying."
"Dude, I lied", Fanny rolled her eyes, and stretched out more. "If you say you're studying, your mom doesn't bother you until dinner. No, we're gonna hang out."
"What", Patton cocked his head like a curious puppy.
"Yeah, looking back the mall was a bit too much in one day", Fanny continued. "So maybe something that can really just get us to talk will be better. Right Rachel?"
"Yeah. Just somewhere we can talk in private", Rachel nodded. "So Fanny, what do you say about that treaty draft?"
"Ah we can get to that in a bit", Fanny shrugged. "So Lovsky, what kinda stuff ya like to do?"
"Oh, well uh, I like to bake. I like Yipper, Rainbow Monkey movies-"
"Let me rephrase that", Fanny stopped the boy fast. "What do you like that your kid friends aren't interested in?"
Patton thought for a moment. Things he liked that he just couldn't share much with his friends. "Hmm..Oh! I like Caverns & Cryptids. I only played it a few times with my brother, but we're both big fans!"
"Really", Fanny raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, would love to play it more sometime", Patton thought some more about it. "I also really like history, World War 2 reenactments, the drums-"
"THE DRUMS?!"
Fanny was practically leaping from the bed to her beanbag chair. Patton went red with how close their faces were getting.
"Uh yeah", Patton started up again. "It's not too often, my brother had a set from his band, but after he left for college he let me have it! Not the best but-"
"NO WAY", Fanny pointed to the electric guitar in the other side. "I play the electric! Aw we have to get together sometime for that!"
"Wait, you'd really wanna play?"
"Totally! Oh I gotta know what songs you do, how long have you been playing…"
Rachel looked on as the 2 kept talking about music tastes. It was so bizarre to see them talking again in front of her eyes
NUMBUH 362!
Rachel looked over her shoulder from her pile of paperwork. There was only one operative who'd yell at her that loudly and get away with it.
"Numbuh 362", Numbuh 86 stomped over to her Supreme Leader, a boy following her close behind. "Would you tell this stoopid boy about how my job is more important?!"
"Your job? Of WHAT? Scaring everybody as their last childhood memories?!", Numbuh 60 scoffed. "You do that to me everyday. I have to train a bajillion kids in rotation for any possible scenario on a whim!"
"Yeah, but they don't know anything YET", Numbuh 86 yelled into his face. "They don't know any tactics of distraction or deflection to escape decommissioning from an organization they've been in for years! Especially when they're too chicken to just leave with some sense of dignity!"
"Well at least they're TRAINED! I have to mold those kids into GREATNESS to begin with! You ever tried to keep the attention span of a dozen toddlers and kindergartners, Numbuh 86? It's PRETTY HARD!"
"Chasing fresh teenagers is harder!"
"Is not!"
"Is too!"
IS NOT!"
"IS TOO!"
"IS NOT!"
"IS TOO!"
"ENOUGH",Rachel stopped their fighting, the 2's bickering getting them so close their noses were touching. "You both know your jobs are hard in different ways. Now I have a villain trying to plant an entire broccoli jungle gym! Can you 2 stop for 5 minutes and let me focus?!"
Numbuh 86 and 60 glared at each other, but knew better than to try to disobey their boss.
"Alright", Numbuh 86 humphed in sore loserly defeat.
"Apologies sir", Numbuh 60 sighed heavily. "Didn't mean to waste your valuable time like that."
"Kiss up", Numbuh 86 muttered and walked back to the dock. It was always someone's 13th birthday out there.
Numbuh 362 sighed and looked at Numbuh 60, smirking to himself.
"Sweet Yipper, can she fight or WHAT", he smiled at himself and headed back on his way, a bit more happilytthenhe entered.
Rachel watched the 2 leave and went back to her work. For now, her answer was gonna be "or what".
"DON'T OPEN THAT!"
Rachel blinked and looked back at her present state. In Fanny's room, where the redhead had just stopped the boy from opening a closet door.
"I wasn't gonna", Patton said. "I just needed something to lift me up from the ground."
"Ok. Just keep that door CLOSED alright', Fanny warned him menacingly. Patton nodded, and stood back on his feet, pointing to the door.
"Where's your bathroom?"
"Just down the hall, at the end."
"Ok", Patton nodded, and left the room, the door only opened a crack behind him. This left the 2 girls to themselves.
"He plays the drums", Fanny repeated. "I didn't think he had a cool activity in him, but he DOES", she smirked thinking about it. "….He's complex
"I guess that's the word for it", Rachel munched on a cookie, and turned to Fanny. "So how bout I proofread that treaty?"
"Treaty? Oh yeah!" Fanny turned to a drawer beside her, and pulled out a series of papers. "These are the drafts for like, at least the teen benefits of it. You know, something to tide us over for a little while.."
Rachel looked down at the document drafts, the information being relayed in recording to her co-spy telelglassesly.
The girls were so busy looking over the paper, they had failed to notice 2 boys opening the door crack more in the room, the older one holding a SPLANKER. Moving and hiding through the mess, they spotted their target, the chocolate chip (but peanut butter free this time) cookies on a plate on her bed.
Paddy moved forward first, if they were gonna be spotted he'd rather go first than Shaunie.
"Well these are pretty thorough so far", Rachel handed some of the papers back to Fanny. "Any more things you're gonna add to it?"
'Oh definitely, I gotta push a LOT on those room barge ins. Like if they could just stay out of my space, then things would be-"
Fanny stopped talking as she turned and noticed a small hand grabbing onto the plate.
"PADDY", she shouted, putting the boys in fear. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"
"Are you exposing this treaty already?!" Paddy asked indignantly. "It's STILL top secret! What if some other teens see it?!"
"SHUT UP YOU DOLT", she nudged her brother hard. "Rachel is a close and loyal friend of mine. I know she wouldn't just go on telling everybody about things this important on a whim like that!"
Rachel lowered the volume in her ear mic, Abby's laughing was practically exploding in her eardrum. Luckily it was still quiet that neither sibling seemed to notice.
"It doesn't look like you're really studying", Paddy looked around. "And what happened to your boyfriend?"
"He's NOT my boyfriend", Fanny seethed at Paddy further. Shaunie noticed the nerve his brother struck, and cracked open the closet door to hide.
"Aw come on, the way Mom was all over him", Paddy munched on a cookie. "And these sweets are delicious. Pretty soon, you 2 could get married and make dessert babies!"
"What?"
The 3 looked up to the door, opened with a blushing mad teenaged boy at the entrance.
"...Desert babies", Patton finally stammered out. Fanny looked up at him, similarly red, before her gaze turned into a hard glare at Paddy.
Paddy sweated, trying to think of some way to talk himself out of it. Yeah. He went too far. "...Well, like…you wouldn't today-"
"GET OUT OF MY ROOM!"
Paddy yelped and quickly shoved Patton to the side, running out into the hallway. Similarly, Shaunie followed behind him, avoiding being in the crossfire of his sister's warpath. No cookies were gonna be worth that.
"GET OUT! THAT LITTLE BRAT! HE IS SO DEAD!" Fanny stomped around her room, trying to let out steam. Patton gulped and walked back into the room. He looked around the room as Fanny kept ranting
"WHY IS EVERYBODY HERE SO PROBING", Fanny scrunched her fist into her face exasperated. "HOW ELSE CAN ANYONE HERE THINK TO EMBARRASS ME?!"
"GASP! THE FAN!"
Fanny turned angrily to Patton, now probably left to explain how there will be no dessert babies. "What, Lov-", then Fanny's face drooped as her closet was now open and out for the world to see.
"GASP!", Patton beamed and clutched onto one of the stuffed plushies. "You DO like Rainbow Monkeys!"
Fanny groaned as the collection was now on display. Years and years of a childhood obsession, every stuffed animal, every keychain, every old poster, rug, and slippers hidden away from view now into broad daylight.
"Uhhh, I'm gonna go now", Rachel took note of Fanny's fumes and decided to ditch. She had all her intel gathered, Abby could take it from there. "See you at school!"
And the duo were left in the room alone.
"Woof"
Rachel sighed as she hurried out the house. She expected to hear the sounds of screaming and shattering any second now. After a moment to collect herself, she talked into her ear piece. "Abby, did you get everything?"
"Everything we needed, and a little bit extra", Abby chuckled, sucking on a soda. "Come on, let's get back to the base."
"Copy", Rachel walked out the door, and back towards the street, to meet her ride across the block away. They had a LOT to show Maurice about.
"I DON'T!"
"But it looks like you do."
"It's a LIE", Fanny snatched the Rainbow Monkey out of Patton's hand, and shut the closet door tight. "It's time for you to leave, NOW."
"...But why?"
Fanny glared up at Patton. "Lovsky I am not kidding, this time here has been a NIGHTMARE-"
"The Fan", Patton didn't move, and just looked at the closet again. "...It's alright if you like them-"
"NO IT ISN'T! YOU DON'T GET IT", Fanny blew up at the boy. "I AM THE FAN! I am the leader of the Teen Ninjas! Of ALL things cool and rebellious and moving into adulthood! And Rainbow Monkeys are some of the most childish things to have ever EXISTED on this planet! Could you imagine if Ninjas actually found out about THIS?! I'd be RUINED!"
Fanny slumped on her bed in frustration, screaming into her sheets. Her long held secret, exposed out into the world…well, to one person. Patton looked down at her, worried.
"But why didn't you just get rid of them?"
Fanny went silent for a moment, and looked up at Patton, calmer but still slightly red. "...Well…it's just…I.."
"You still like them", Patton answered with a small smile. Fanny just gave a small nod, a rare meek look. "...I know I'm not supposed to like them anymore, but…I just couldn't get rid of them."
Fanny looked at the closet remorsefully. Patton noted her look, and sighed. "Well, if you like them, I don't see any problem with that."
Fanny looked back at him. "You're still one of the coolest teenagers I've ever met. I think it's actually kinda neat that we both have something like that in common. That we both actually have quite a few things in common. It kinda makes me feel a little less dorky, you know?"
Fanny thought about what he said, and looked back at the closet. Her hand hovered a bit over the doorknob, questioning whether she should really open it again. "I just…I can't tell anyone about it.."
"Well, you don't have to hide it around me", Patton smiled at her. "If you wanna like Rainbow Monkeys, then you can like them with me. We can enjoy them together."
"...I…it's not that simple Lovsky." Fanny looked back at Patton, a bit unsure of how to feel about it. It was risky, less risky around a dork like him, but still risky nonetheless.
Patton noticed the uncertainty, and put his arms out. "Aww, I think you need a HUG."
"What", Fanny's eyes went wide, but before she could react, she was suddenly squeezed into enormous arms. "ACK! LOVSKY!"
"There we go", Patton ignored her, trying to be reassuring. "Now doesn't this already feel better."
"Lovsky, I can't feel ANYTHING", Fanny tried to squirm out of it to get some blood circulation moving again, but to no avail. She sighed, and just sat there. In the embrace, it suddenly hit her just how warm Patton was. It was like a giant furnace, how could he stand wearing a hoodie in that? And his hoodie, that was also soft, a fleece like material And with how close Fanny was smashed into his body, she could hear his heartbeat. Like a beating drum keeping in constant rhythm. She moved her eyes up to look up at the dork, his eyes closed content, satisfied with the solution he had for his friend's turmoil. She looked back down taking in all the sense around her; the warm contact, the fleece material, his steady heartbeat.
Fanny was still annoyed, this hug was never going to be anything enjoyable in a million years…but while she was trapped in that hug, it WAS kind of soothing….Maybe she could relax and close her eyes for a minute..
"Fanny Pants, Rachel just left, so I want this door- GASP!"
Fanny opened her eyes wide and managed to wriggle out to see her mother, standing by the doorway with a shocked look. That look was the adrenaline kick Fanny needed to finally get out of the hug and scrambled back on the floor.
"MOM! HI", Fanny patted down her jacket and hair, the same shade of red as her face. "YEAH! So uh, we finished our project we had now, and my FRIEND Lovsky was just about to leave!"
She looked down at Patton, still taken a bit aback by the sudden strength, and tossed his backpack to his chest. As Patton was trying to process what happened, he suddenly found himself being shoved towards the stairs by a smaller, but mighty force.
"BYE LOVSKY", Fanny waved to him hastily, and went back to her room. "SEE YOU AROUND!"
The door slam reverberated across the house, causing a shake, and leaving Mrs. Fulbright and Patton confused and dazed. Patton blinked at the door, taking in the day so far. He had been learning a lot about Fanny, and that despite their different social standings, they weren't so different. She was definitely rougher, in some ways outright terrifying with her strength. But it was amazing to watch her just raise hell on everybody. Exhilarating, astonishing, and…maybe just a tad titillating. She was the poster child face of a typical cool teen, but she still liked something that he and his friends did. And even if it wasn't on purpose, she still confided a big secret of hers to him. She wasn't always confident, and she trusted him to know that. Something about her was just…intriguing.
And he wanted to learn more about it.
"...Goodbye Mrs The Fan's Mom", he finally said to the woman by him, and walked down the stairs and out the door, a small smile that didn't leave his face.
Paddy and Shaunie watched him leave from the small safety of their room, the 2 munching the cookies in their hands.
Shaunie leaned close to Paddy's ear, and whispered "I can't believe she's gonna have dessert babies with him."
Fanny watched Patton walk out from the house into the street from her window. As he finally left the pane, he groaned and slumped. She was finally alone with her thoughts.
She'd have to mentally brace at dinner, after that physical contact, there was no way she was gonna convince her Mom this wasn't more than friendship now. It was gonna be more talks about proms and dates and stickier topics she'd like to leave behind in 7th grade. And her brothers were gonna be even more annoying too, she could already hear their stoopid teasings about trees and sitting in them.
Ohh…and of course they'd tell her DAD when he's back from his villain convention…
Yeah, she could never bring Patton back into the house again
She let out an annoyed scream/groan mixture. "Why is it so hard being me?" She put her face in her palms, trying to take it in.
After a minute, she looked back at the closet door. It was so much easier to ignore before, when it was permanently closed off from her teen world. But now that door had been opened, exposed, and brought out to someone. Someone who had the same dorky interest in it she did.
After a minute of looking around, in case anyone else was snooping, she finally opened it again. And the whole collection was still there, all in the proper places she had put it in. She grabbed the Monkey Patton had picked up. It was green, just like his hoodie, smiling brightly and innocently up at the redhead, its once beloved owner.
She couldn't understand how he did it. How could Patton just have all those childish interests so unashamedly? How could he have missed the memos that teenagers enjoy rock music and staying out smashing mailboxes? They don't play with Rainbow Monkeys or having tea parties with kids. And yet, there he was, doing those things, and even then still had some older interests. He played drums, and liked nerdy fantasy adventure games. It was like he was in some torn limbo state between a child and a teenager.
And as Fanny caved in and hugged the stuffed Monkey tight to her chest, she realized that in a way, she was too.
I've been worried some of this is a little sporadic, but I think it still does well, and is building up more with other things