Chapter 6: Squabble

It was a day just like any other day. However, things were about to go bad.

Weeks had passed since the sleepover. Damien, Jack, Rusty, and Mackenzie had grown closer as friends. Damien was happy to finally have such good friends. One day at school, the 4 were getting ready to play a game of Space. All 4 of them climbed into the canoe to get ready to set off for space.

(Damien) "Okay. Time to set up our roles for the game. We need someone to be the captain, someone to be the navigator, someone to be the chief scientist, and someone to play Dude-a-Tron. What's everyone's roles today?"

(Rusty) "You can be the captain today. I really want to be Dude-a-Tron! His voice is so funny!"

(Damien) "Thanks Rusty! So what about the other roles?"

(Jack) "I'll be the navigator as usual."

(Mackenzie) "Aw! I wanted to be navigator this time!"

(Jack) "I'm always navigator!"

(Mackenzie) "Yeah. You never let anyone else be the navigator."

(Damien) "Um...dudes?"

(Jack) "I'm the navigator because I know the most about space."

(Mackenzie) "I know a lot as well!"

(Damien) "Jack? Mackenzie?"

Both Jack and Mackenzie were getting mad at each other.

(Jack) "I have always been the navigator!"

(Mackenzie) "You're being so unfair! You never give me or Rusty the chance to be the navigator! Why do you get to be the navigator just because you always are?"

(Damien) "Look, let's just play the game already. You can both be navigator. I'll be the captain and chief scientist."

(Mackenzie) "No! That's not good enough! I want to be the navigator for once, but Jack hogs the role! It's not fair!"

(Rusty) "Jack, just let Mackenzie have the navigator role this one time."

(Jack) "But I know the most about space out of all of us!"

(Damien) "*mutters under breath* I don't know about that. Space is kind of my thing."

Suddenly, Mackenzie climbed out of the canoe.

(Mackenzie) "I'm not playing Space if Jack is going to keep hogging the navigator role. I'm done."

Jack climbed out of the canoe as well.

(Jack) "I'm done too!"

Jack and Mackenzie both growled at each other. They left in separate directions, leaving Rusty and Damien alone in the canoe. Damien was in shock.

(Damien) "What just happened?"

(Rusty) "I'm not sure. I've never seen Jack act like this before. I've seen Mackenzie get mad before at others, but never Jack."

(Damien) "But...we're supposed to be best friends. Jack and Mackenzie can't just fight like that."

(Rusty) "I've had squabbles with friends before. I once had a squabble with Indy over taking care of her baby."

(Damien) "Her baby?"

(Rusty) "We were playing a game. Anyway, we came back together in the end. Jack and Mackenzie should too."

(Damien) "I hope so."

(Rusty) "Let's just let them cool down for a bit. I'll play Dude-a-Tron and the chief scientist. You can be the captain and the navigator."

(Damien) "O-okay. I guess that will work."

Damien and Rusty sat down in the canoe and started playing their game of Space. It wasn't the same without Jack and Mackenzie. Throughout the day, Jack and Mackenzie wouldn't talk to each other. They just stared at each other from a distance and gave each other angry glares. Rusty kept reassuring Damien that the 2 would get past this argument, but Damien was worried. As pickup began, Jack and Mackenzie were still at odds end.

(Damien) "Those 2 are still mad at each other."

(Rusty) "I didn't think this squabble would last this long."

(Damien) "They'll be back to normal eventually, right?"

(Rusty) "I hope so. Maybe tomorrow they'll be over this squabble."

Damien and Rusty's mums had arrived and were talking with each other.

(Damien) "Our mums are here."

(Rusty) "I guess it's time to go home."

Damien and Rusty began to walk towards their mums. Damien looked back at Jack and Mackenzie.

(Damien) "I hope you 2 will be friends again tomorrow."

Damien and Rusty met up with their mums. Rusty waved goodbye to Damien as him and his mum drove away. Damien climbed into the backseat of Quinn's car. The duo drove away from the school. As the school got further away, Damien got more and more sad. Quinn looked in the mirror and noticed Damien looking down.

(Quinn) "Sweetheart. What's wrong?"

Damien teared up.

(Damien) "It's Jack and Mackenzie."

(Quinn) "What happened?"

(Damien) "We were getting ready to play a game of Space. We were deciding what roles to play. Then, the 2 got into a squabble over one of the roles. They both left and didn't talk to each other all day."

(Quinn) "Oh. I'm sorry. That sounds awful."

Damien began to cry.

(Quinn) "Woah woah woah. Everything is okay sweetie!"

(Damien) "No it's not! 2 of my best friends are having a squabble. What if they never make up and stay enemies forever? I don't want to lose them."

(Quinn) "That won't happen. You don't have to worry about that."

Quinn pulled the car over to the side of the road, and parked. She turned around in her seat to face Damien.

(Damien) "But what if they never make up?"

(Quinn) "I'm sure they'll make up. Sometimes friends fight. I had fights with my friends when I was your age, but we always made up in the end. These things happen sometimes. You just have to give them time to let out their anger against each other. Before long, they'll make up...I promise."

(Damien) "*sniff* You mean it?"

(Quinn) "I do. You all are good friends. One little argument isn't going to change that."

Quinn reached back and hugged Damien.

(Quinn) "This is the price you have to pay for making forever friends. But trust me, these moments of sadness are all worth it in the end."

(Damien) "Thanks mum."

end of chapter 6