"Can you just explain to me why Kitty needs a cage?" Carter asked, eyeing the medium sized dog cage that was sitting in the corner of the living room.
"I'm still stumped as to why we named him Kitty." Isaac shook his head. He was sitting on a chair at the other side of the room.
Taylor was sitting on the floor in front of the cage, trying to get Kitty to go inside. "We're supposed to keep him in here when we go out or something. It keeps him from peeing on the floor."
"But... how?" Carter still didn't understand it.
"I haven't quite figured that out yet." Taylor shrugged and pushed Kitty inside. "There. We're only going to go out for a few hours. He'll be fine."
"Alright. Is Zac coming with us to the mall?"
"No." Taylor wasn't sure if he should tell her where Zac was. "He uhm, went to the bowling alley."
"Oh." Carter took a deep breath. "Ok, then. Let's get going."
Isaac stood up and eyed the cage. "Hey guys? Do you think a grown person could fit in there?"
Taylor shook his head. "Carter might be able to."
"Are you saying I'm not a grown person?" Carter glared.
"Yes, yes I am."
"Asshole."
"I know." Taylor smiled.
"I bet I could fit in there." Isaac nodded, very self assured.
"No you couldn't. You'd get stuck." Taylor argued.
"I really think I could fit in there. I have a relatively small butt."
"Your forehead would be your downfall." Carter nodded as she examined the dogcage. She couldn't see anybody fitting inside of it.
"Thanks, Car."
"No problem."
Taylor put his arm around Carter's shoulder. "Ok, we better get going. Ike, tell mom and dad where we went when they get home. And don't go trying to shove yourself in the cage."
"I won't. How stupid do you think I am?" Isaac shook his head. "Don't answer that."
Taylor and Carter headed out the door and Taylor turned around for a second before leaving. "I'm serious dude, don't do it. You'll get stuck."
"I know, I know. Geez. I'm not seven anymore." Isaac sat back down on his chair and watched Taylor and Carter from the window. He waited until they were out of sight before he turned his attention to Kitty. "Hey there." He nodded in the dog's direction. "So, I guess you're supposed to stay in there while Taylor isn't home. Yeah, I know. It doesn't make sense to me either."
Kitty raised his eyebrows at Isaac.
"I know! That's what I tried to tell them. I could so fit in there." Isaac nodded and watched as Kitty pawed at the lock on the cage. "I would, but what if Taylor comes home and realizes that I tried it. He'll be really mad." Isaac leaned back. "You know what? You're right. I'm the oldest. I'm smarter than them. I can do what I want." He stood up and walked proudly to the cage. He opened the door and let Kitty out.
Kitty jumped around the room for a while before finding a comfortable spot in the middle of the couch. Isaac thought for a moment. "Ok, technically you're not supposed to be on the furniture because in about a month you'll be bigger than me... but you're still small. So I guess it's ok." He shrugged and got down on his hands and knees. He stuck his head into the cage and looked around. "I know I can fit in here." He inched forward until he was completely inside of the cage. Then, somehow, he maneuvered his foot until he closed the door behind him. He waited until he heard it lock. "Aha! See that, Kitty? I told you I could fit. HA! I knew Taylor was wrong."
Isaac sang his own praise for a few more minutes before moving his feet around to try to open the door again. "Ow." He mumbled when his knee began to cramp up. He scooted around. "Ok, maybe going in head first wasn't the right decision." He kicked at the door. "Ow." Then, he kicked it harder, this time, leaning forward too far, slamming his forehead on the plastic of the cage. "OW!" After realizing the door wasn't going to open, he sighed. "Ok, this sucks."
Three hours later, Zac pushed open the front door and threw his keys on the end table next to the couch. "Hi Kitty!" He shrieked as he plopped down onto the couch and threw his arms around him. "Why aren't you in your cage?" He continued babying the puppy for a few minutes until he heard a soft thump coming from somewhere in the room. He ignored it, figuring it was his imagination. But then he heard a light scratching noise. He looked around for a few minutes until he found it's point of origin.
"Uhm..." He squinted his eyes, seeing that a large, unknown mass was wadded up inside of the puppy's cage. "Carter?" He figured the only person in the world that would be chilling out in a cage would be Carter. When they were younger and had another dog, Carter and Zac would take turns hiding in it's cage.
"No..." The voice from inside the cage muttered.
"Isaac?! What are you doing in there?"
"Slipping in and out of consciousness apparently."
"Yeah but, what are you DOING in there?!"
Isaac sighed. "I wanted to prove to myself that I could fit."
"Wow, you're starting to act like me." Zac got up from the couch and sat on the floor in front of the cage. "Dude, why did you go in face first. Everybody knows that when you try to shove yourself into a small space, you do it feet first, that way you can get out."
"Something tells me you've done this before."
"Yeah." Zac laughed. "You know, your butt is shoved so hard against this door that you're going to have little square marks all over it."
"Thanks for telling me. Now open the door."
"Fine, fine." Zac unlocked the door and opened it. "You know you're going to be going upstairs when you get out so you can check out the square marks on your butt."
"Probably." Isaac fidgeted, trying to get out of the cage. "Ow. Hey, promise me something? When Carter and Taylor get home, don't tell them about this."
"Our little secret, dude. But you better hurry because Taylor just drove up."
"DAMMIT! HELP!" Isaac tried pushing off the back of the cage to get himself out. "Grab my legs and pull."
Zac laughed. "There's something you don't say everyday."
"Dammit, Zac! Just grab me!"
Zac laughed.
"I will be kicking your ass when I get out of here."
Zac grabbed Isaac's legs and pulled at the same time that Isaac pushed off of the cage. He eventually slid out and ran over to his chair just as Carter and Taylor walked in the door.
Carter sat down on the couch next to Zac and looked around the room. "Why are you guys so quiet?"
"We were taking a nap." Zac nodded eagerly and winked at Isaac.
"Right... I don't wanna know."
Taylor looked at Kitty and then at the cage. "Why is he out?"
"We let him out so he could pee. We just got back inside." Zac nodded again.
"Right. After you woke up from your nap?" Taylor asked, sitting down on the floor in front of the couch.
"Yeah." Isaac muttered.
Carter eyed Isaac and he tried to make himself invisible. Then, she looked at the cage. "Ike, honey, can I ask you something?"
"Uh huh." He answered, nervously.
"Why do you have three little round bruises on your forehead?"
"I don't know."
"Are you sure?"
"I have no idea how they got there." Isaac ran his hand across his sore forehead.
"Uh huh..." Carter walked over to the dogcage and lifted it up, showing Taylor the back of it. "Don't they suspiciously match the little round holes in the cage?"
"They do." Taylor nodded.
Zac laughed and Carter put the cage back. "There was no nap."
Isaac shook his head.
"You got stuck, didn't you?"
Isaac shook his head again.
"Zac had to help you out, didn't he?"
Zac nodded and Isaac shook his head.
Carter looked at Taylor and then at Zac again and all three of them started laughing.
Isaac jumped up from the chair and stomped up the stairs.
"Awww. Poor Ikey." Carter laughed.
Zac shouted up after him, "SEE! I TOLD YOU! YOU'RE GOING TO CHECK OUT YOUR ASS!" Zac smiled. "He's going to check out his ass."
"I'm sure he is." Carter laughed.