Chapter 6
"What's what?" Brian replied. Nick sighed obviously frustrated.
"That." He said again pointing to a few bumps on the underside of his arm. Brian pulled Nick's arm up to the light in the bathroom and inspected it. "It's just zits Nick, you're gonna get them you're going through puberty." Howie nodded agreeing. Nick pouted. "I never got zits on my arm before!" He exclaimed.
"Well, maybe you should see a dermatologist so they can give you something, you're gonna get 'em more and more, I'm sorry bud." Brian said exiting the bathroom, Howie on his heels. Nick pouted for a second before lifting his shirt and seeing more red bumps scattered across his chest and belly. "I never knew you got zits on your stomach." He grumbled before turning on the shower, he was gonna scrub his skin so no more came, even if it meant taking five showers a day....
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"Guys! Come over here and help AJ and me with the groceries!" Screamed Kevin. Only Howie walked to the door. "I thought you were going to catch fish Kev." Kevin blushed.
"Well, there was a store not far from here and..well..AJ and me couldn't find a place to fish." AJ laughed. "That's because this is a vacation spot Train! People don't come here to fish they come here to...I don't know exactly..be horribly bored I guess." Howie smirked. "You took AJ shopping with you? That explains all these bags." Kevin groaned lugging some more of the bulging bags into the cabin. "He made me buy a whole bunch of crap."
"It ain't crap! It's good! Hey Frick, Frack! We got junk food!!" Yelled AJ. Only then did Nick and Brian come running, well Brian came running, Nick came in sleepily. "Here kid make yourself useful." Kevin told Nick handing him three bags. Nick, still not completely awake, stumbled into the cabin trying to see over the large bags and collided with Howie who was going back towards the front door. He dropped the bottom bag, which of course was the bag containing the gallon of milk. Milk. Milk everywhere. Including all over Nick, Howie and Kevin, who was walking in behind Nick at the time. Nick stood stunned while milk dripped down his face and onto the floor. Kevin closed his eyes and set down his bag. Howie, the only one who had come to his senses, ran to get some paper towels. Nick could feel the tears welling up ion his eyes, couldn't he do anything right? Kevin was gonna kill him. And now he had to take another shower! Should he run? Nah, then he'd be in even more trouble. He turned slowly. "I-I'm sorry Kevin...I did-didn't mean to drop it, honest." He said, a tear slipping down his face. The fierce look on Kevin's face dropped off as soon as he got a look at Nick. He sighed. "It's all right Nick, just help clean it up, I'll go out later and get some more milk. Then I want you to clean up, okay?" Nick nodded quickly and started helping Howie mop up the mess. Brian and AJ were standing at the entrance to the small kitchen hysterical laughing. One look from Kevin stopped them cold and they went to work cleaning up the accident.
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"Are you sure it's 2 teaspoons of sugar? Shouldn't it be more?" Wondered Brian as he stood over a counter mixing together ingredients for Christmas cookies. The boys had decided that they would start doing outside activities tomorrow as they were still a little tired and Nick still wasn't feeling well. So, Nick and Brian had decided to bake cookies to make up for Nick spilling the milk. The other three were relaxing in the bedrooms unaware of what Frick and Frack were up too.
"It says 2 Bri, I CAN read you know, I'm not a total idiot." Brian looked at Nick apologetically. "I didn't mean it like that Nicky and of course you're not an idiot, stop being so down on yourself and smile for me, this is fun!" Nick gave Brian a tiny smile and started to mix the batter. Brian set out a cookie sheet he had found among the few pots and pans in the cabinet. "Okay now we spoon them on and put 'em in the oven! How long does it say Frack?" Nick glanced over the recipe "15 minutes...but we are making a lot so maybe we should double the time?" Brian looked lost. "Sounds good to me, you think we should even though they are on one tray though?" Nick nodded. Brian shoved the cookies into the hot oven and chased after Nick who had wanted to go get more firewood as he was still cold and he didn't think Kevin would get it for him. The two boys went out the door into the snow.
~*An hour later*~
"Man, I can't believe we got lost, stupid wood pile, took forever to fin-" Brian stopped mid sentence and sniffed. "Do you smell something Nick?" Nick frowned and pushed open the back door leading to the kitchen. Black smoke billowed from the oven and was quickly filling up the kitchen. Brian's jaw dropped. "Nick! Put that wood back outside and help me get these cookies out!" Brian yelped opening the over door and coughing as a huge puff of smoke hit his face. He turned the knob to 'off' and grasped the charred tray with oven mitts. Nick's eyes widened at the scene. "So much for the cookies." He whispered as Kevin came bursting through the door.
"Why..what..how..WHO?!" He demanded opening a window. Brian dropped the tray on the counter and backed away. "We we we we..." He stuttered, intimidated by his cousin's large frame. Nick stepped in front of Brian. "We were just trying to make you guys cookies to make up for my accident but I wanted more firewood so we went out to get it and we got lost and forgot about the cookies and..and.. it's my fault, I'm sorry!" Nick blurted out. Kevin looked around the kitchen. There was no real damage except to the so called cookies and they had gotten more wood. "It's all right guys, just do us all a favor and stay out of the kitchen from now on, okay? " said Kevin, dumping the burnt mess into the trash can. Brian nodded, rubbing his now blackened face and Nick shivered, picking up the wood and walking into the living room to add it to the fire. Kevin looked at Brian. "He okay?" Brian shrugged. "He seems a little down, maybe he's still tired. I think he may have a rash or something, he's freaked out over these bumps on his arm. I told him they were pimples, but maybe I'm wrong." Kevin frowned. "Well, lets watch him, I'll talk to him later and let him know I'm not mad. We'll never last for eight days if Nick's afraid of me!" Brian walked towards the bathroom mumbling. "We'll never last eight days with you period."
"I HEARD THAT LITTRELL!"