Day Nine < | Challenge Home Page | > Day Eleven

Morning comes, as it always does... and Phoenix is up first. He goes to find something in the fridge, only to find some empty leftovers plates and .. nothing else. Luckily, he finds cereal in the cupboard.. and decides maybe water will work? (Also: the fridge is broken. Again. Poor Marnie.)

Soon, everyone else starts filtering out of the bedroom, with everyone finding the food situation pretty much the same. Phoenix finishes his "breakfast", and tries to help out Marnie by mopping (however, with a broken fridge.. I'm afraid it's really just good intentions.)

After everyone has left the building, the twins wake up, hungry, and end up eating some microwaved frozen veggies for breakfast while Marnie tries to get the kitchen back under control. Bennie puts the bed back up and heads downstairs to open the store again, to Marnie's bemusement. His attempt at having a work ethic has not been missed by her, and she wonders why. (Although he has yet to go back to his entertainment job.. or even call in.)

After school, the kids come home to find the fridge fully stocked with leftovers again - a thing they mostly take for granted (to Marnie's dismay). Everyone heads off to do their own thing, and Jaz is just taking her cold BLT out to the chess table when she notices Colin, the boy from Phoenix's club hanging around the store and very obviously watching her.

He wanders over to say "Hey"... and even seems to smile, to Jaz's complete surprise.

"Um. Hi." Jaz looks around, and there are no other kids around. "What'cha doin'?"

"Mom sent me to check out the sale, my little sister has a birthday coming up. I heard about your fight with Billie. I just wanted to say I'm sorry. Not everyone hates you, you know." Colin replied.

Flabbergasted, Jaz just looked at him with her jaw dropped, speechless.

"Hey, I had fun playing chess with you at the park. You wanna try another game? I see you guys have an outdoor table over there...?" he tried again, awkwardly, starting to feel like he'd made a mistake by trying to be friendly to the school outcast.

"Uhh.. Sure, Colin. But won't your friends pick on you for playing with me?" Jaz asked, looking around like she was afraid they'd get caught, and un-ceremonially stuffing the rest of her BLT in her mouth.

"I don't really care what they think." Colin replied. "It's just a club. Plus, Elsa runs the show in the club, and I don't think I've ever heard her spreading nasty rumours. About you or anyone else. She's nice, actually. You might like her."

Mostly speechless again... Jaz awkwardly mumbled an "Oh. Okay." and nodded towards the chess board. "Let me rinse off my plate and I'll be right out, alright?"

Colin's face broke into a smile, and headed out to set up the board for play. Jaz, completely at a loss for words, put away her after school snack dish and went out to play chess with Colin, still unsure whether this was just a cruel joke or not. They played happily for a while, until the sun started going down, and they both noticed the "Open" sign on the store go out.

"I better go help close" Jaz mumbled.. and Colin nodded, then said goodbye and headed home, waving jauntily as he walked away.

Back inside the store, With a morose face, Benji was cleaning up the store at the end of day, after having spent the rest of his afternoon helping with the twins and cleaning the apartment.

Bennie had already headed back upstairs, having no interest in cleaning the store... and completely ignoring Benji's obvious efforts to "get out of the dog house" as it were.

But apparently, Marnie HAD noticed, and caught Benji at the apartment door. "I just want to say, I appreciate your help. You friend, Cade called and invited you to the Bluffs. I'm over-riding your father on this and letting you off your grounding early. Go - have a good time - but no drinking, okay?"

Benji wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth, and immediately headed to Windenburg. He didn't even bother taking a shower first. It didn't occur to him to wonder why it was Cade who had invited him out.

"So, friend. I heard you're lusting after MY girl, huh?" Cade started with, and Benji looked at him in shock.

"Where'd you hear that?" he answered, a bit confused, trying to remember exactly who all he'd told.

"EVERYONE knows, Benji. I thought we were FRIENDS. Friends don't try to break up their friends' relationships!" Cade said, clearly already worked up.

Benji growled, having pretty much had enough of this.

"Have I ever tried you break you two up? NO. I think she's pretty, but that much is obvious. You're the one attacking me, here, buddy. I tried to get to know her a little bit better, true, but I wasn't trying to get in your way. I ain't like THAT." Benji said.

"Oh, really?? What was that business at the club the other day? I saw you off with Shaylee all alone in the bowling alley!" Cade yelled back.

"Seriously. Did you not hear what I JUST said?? I was trying to get to know her better. NOT break you two up! She's a club member, too!" Benji retorted.

That, was apparently all Cade needed to hear. He roared and rushed Benji, fists already at the ready. For a brief moment, Benji thought about the fact that it was just the two of them, all by themselves out in the wilderness, basically.... then he shrugged mentally and went all-in.

He wasn't a stranger to fighting, obviously, and Cade clearly was. It didn't take long for Benji to get the upper hand, and from there it was all downhill for poor Cade.

Cade held his hands up, and literally cried "Uncle! Alright, you. I give! Sorry. You win. But she's still MINE!"

"We'll see how long that lasts, Cade." Benji said, barely out of breath, and without a scratch on him. Cade had not been so lucky, and was going to be sporting a couple of black eyes to school the next day. (Provided he didn't chicken out of going, that is....) "FRIENDS don't attack friends. You're out. Shaylee deserves so much better than you. Find another club to hang with. That is, if you can, once the school finds out about this...."

Cade held his spinning head. "Wait.. I didn't mean it like that. I was just defending Shay's honor!"

"No, I don't think that's what that was. You're not changing my mind, Cade. Good bye. And good riddance." Benji sneered, and walked away, dusting off already dirty hands. He headed home, his head spinning. How had Cade found out, anyway? The only person other than himself that he'd told was Jay. But Jay wouldn't rat him out.... would he?? ... Someone had some explaining to do.

Benji barely noticed his little brother playing with a soccer ball he'd clearly swiped from the park last weekend... and headed straight for the shower. (A much-needed shower, no less.)

By the time he was done, the water was cold, and everyone except for Marnie was in bed. He didn't bother saying anything to her, just went straight to bed, still reeling. He'd been best friends with Jay since preschool. He never would have guessed Jay would betray him... but clearly Jay had changed. There was no other explanation.

Marnie finally finished fixing everything that needed it at the moment, and stuffed yet another block of cheese into a trap for the mouse hole. Would those little pests ever go away?! Sighing in frustration, she stumbled off to bed, barely avoiding passing out on the floor before she got there.

Day Nine < | Challenge Home Page | > Day Eleven