Chapter 42

Carter opened her front door to find Todd standing there, about to knock. "Hi!" He grinned.

"Hi, Todd. I was just getting go over to Zac's house."

"So I take it you can't go to the movies or something with me?"

"No, I said I'm going next door." Carter stood in the doorway with her hand on her hip.

"I thought you guys broke up?"

"We did. It's called school. And he is still my best friend."

Todd rolled his eyes. "You remind me of this couple I know. Really hot redhead..."

"I don't need to know this."

"Anyway. They were best friends for a loonnng time and then they went out, broke up, went out, broke up. Those best friend relationships never world out."

"So what's up with them now?"

"They got married, they have twins."

"And the moral of this story? Or lack there of would be, can you let me by so I can go into Zac's house?"

"So that's a no to our date?"

"Yes, that is a no."

Todd shrugged his shoulders and took a step back. "Ok, don't say I didn't warn you."

Carter stopped suddenly. "Warn me about what?"

"Nothin. See ya."

Carter gave him a strange look and pulled her sweatshirt over her head. She felt like a total bum today, black flares and a yellow sweatshirt, but she really didn't care. She knocked on the door and of course Zac answered.

"Hey chick. You're late."

"Yeah. Todd stopped me to try to get me to go out again."

"You look like a bum."

Carter smiled. "Thanks. What are we doing today?"

"Math." Zac had his usual gleam in his eye. As much as his brothers tried to convince everybody that Literature and History were their favorite subjects, Zac's was math. Carter hated it.

She made her usual nasal/hacking noise when she heard that math would be how she was to spend her day. "Ugh. Do we have too?"

"Yeah. You might actually be doing something else, but we're all doing math. Is Melissa coming over?"

"Yeah she's putting on her makeup. Don't ask me why, the girl has to dress up for school at home."

Zac shrugged and pulled Carter inside. "Come on, it's cold. MOM! SHE'S HERE!"

Diana walked into the dining room and plopped a book onto the table in front of Taylor. "Which she? Oh... Hi Carter." She looked down at Taylor who was chewing his pencil, staring at a book, blankly. "Do these ones too. And take your time. Forget about the fact that Zac can do them faster than you. Worry about yourself."

Taylor grumbled and looked up at Carter, thinking the same thing that she was. I hate math.

Diana grabbed another book from the shelf and handed it to Carter. "You're doing math too today."

"UGGHH!"

Diana sighed. "Sit down next to Taylor, do what he's doing, and don't do it as a team this year. Ok?" Diana was weary of the fact that Carter and Taylor seemed to think that they could share answers since they were in the same grade. She had no problems with Melissa or Zac though. "Where's Mel?"

Melissa walked through the front door wearing a small grey skirt and a light pink sweater. "I'm ready. What are we doing?"

"You're doing math with Zac." Diana looked over her shoulder at Zac who was scribbling something on his paper and showing it to Carter. "Zac... Math. Now."

Zac gulped and flipped his paper over. Carter giggled and showed her answer to Taylor. Taylor sighed and started to erase his entire paper.

"What did I tell you two? Taylor, how do you know Carter isn't wrong?"

Carter laughed. "Cause all he had was a bunch of plus and equal signs."

"We're doing trigonometry." Diana stared at them blankly.

"Oh." Taylor shrugged and grabbed a calculator from the corner of the table.

Diana sighed again. She did that a lot when the four kids were together. "Ok you guys. I have to run down to the store and get some stuff. Isaac is here if you need help. I won't be long. If I come home and anything is on fire, you're going to answer to me."

"Isn't that like.. illegal for you to leave us here while we're doing school stuff?" Carter always had a question for everything.

"I... don't know. Probably." Diana shrugged and went out the door.

Carter and Taylor immediately switched papers and Melissa started to laugh uncontrollably. It wasn't very long before Isaac came down the stairs in dark blue, flannel pajamas, and pink slippers.

"Nice outfit." Zac laughed.

"Aren't those mine?" Carter asked, pointing to the pink slippers with the tiny bow on the front. His heels were hanging out the back of them.

"Probably."

Taylor handed Carter's paper back to her and started violently erasing his again. "And you're dressed like a faerie... because?"

"Dude, don't piss me off. I'm in charge. I can give you all F's... or something."

Carter rolled her eyes and put her paper back into her book. "Ok. I'm done with that. Well, not really... I just don't feel like doing anymore." She shrugged and went to sit next to Isaac. "Awww.. wittle Ikey is all warm and fluffy wuffy." She cooed and cuddled up to him.

"Ok... get off of me before I kill you."

"Ooh. Scary. Hey Mel. Doesn't Ikey look all warm and fluffy wuffy?"

Melissa got up from the table and went to sit on Isaac's lap. "Awww He's all fluffy wuffy."

"If you guys say that one more time I'm gonna get out the electric carver and..."

"FLUFFY WUFFY!" Zac screamed and ran over to all of them. He made a flying leap and landed on top of Carter's lap.

"Dammit you guys, I'm trying to concentrate." Taylor stared at them as serious as possible before he started to laugh. "Ok, so I'm not. But shut up anyway, you're all being annoying."

Carter sighed and grabbed the remote control. "Yeah yeah yeah." School had started for the year, and she was already bored of it. She knew she wasn't the only one. Millions of kids everywhere were sitting in classrooms, yawning, wishing they'd eaten breakfast. She was lucky enough to be sitting on a couch next to a ... fluffy wuffy, and cuddly wuddly, and a little sister who was just now starting to be pretty cool. She wasn't sure life could get any better. That was, until Diana came through the front door with a scowl on her face...

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