"Well, what do you make of it, Dr. Love?" Bongo shot a glance over at Brenda, who sat fiddling with the volume knob for the radio.
Brenda smiled and turned her attention to Bongo. "The prognosis is good. Melinda seemed to really enjoy that kiss."
Bongo nodded. "Yeah, I never thought 'ol ExLax had it in him! He sure showed us wrong."
"He sure did."
"Hey, you don't think that Melinda may feel the same way, do you?"
Brenda shrugged. "I dunno. She talks about him a lot, but I think more so as a friend." She smiled. "But hey, it could happen!"
Bongo laughed and ruffled her hair with his free hand. "Good logic, Bren."
"Well, I try."
"So, what do you plan to tell Kute_Tush about, ahem, *borrowing* his car?"
Brenda rolled her eyes and glanced out on to the street at the cars that whizzed past. "Well, it was an emergency." She smirked, and brought her eyes back over to Bongo. "I had a mission to be carried out."
Bongo laughed and patted her hand, which lay upon the arm rest between them. "Oh, but of course." he agreed with sarcasm. "I'm sure Kute_Tush will understand that your entire existence depended solely on carrying out your dare-devilish ways with his new car."
Brenda smiled. "I'm glad you see it my way, Bongo."
He just shook his head. "Well, since you've succeeded to carry out your so-called mission, Agent 007, shall we be heading back home?"
"Oh, so you're gonna be the party pooper in all this, are you? Gonna make me go home and take the heat from Kute_Tush before he's cooled down some?" Brenda's eyes widened at the thought of a fuming Kute_Tush coming at her after she delivered the explosive news. "Do you know just exactly what you'd be exposing me to? He's liable to strangle me with his bare hands!"
"Aw, I wouldn't worry about 'ol KT. Not with me there to protect you." Bongo gave her a toothy grin.
Brenda smiled. "My hero." "If only......." she thought to herself.
Bongo pulled the car into her driveway and shut off the engine. "Ready?"
"Oh yes." she replied weakly as she opened the passenger door. "Who wouldn't look forward to being shot execution style by your future brother-in-law?"
"I say we see The King and I."
"No animated films, Melli."
"Gee, you're no fun. Where's all the fun in your life?"
"Melli? Pick a movie, Melli."
Melinda sighed and examined the movie signs posted along the wall more closely. "I'm not feeling up to much of a thriller tonight, and I've already seen Analyze This, so I guess we'll go with Forces of Nature."
"We'll take two for Forces of Nature, please." ExLax relayed to the ticketseller.
***In the Theatre***
"Will you share the popcorn already? Look, you've already devoured half of the tub!" Melinda grabbed at the bucket of buttery popcorn, but ExLax pulled it from her grasp.
"Not so fast! What will you give me in exchange?" he questioned, pushing back her hand which still swiped for the popcorn.
Melinda scowled at him playfully. "A person can't get anything around here for free." Turning her attention back to the movie, she crossed her arms in front of her chest.
ExLax placed the tub of popcorn in the empty seat beside him and slid his arm around Melinda's shoulders. "You know, I'm not asking for much."
Melinda raised an eyebrow in response. "What are you getting at ExLax?"
"Melli....." he sighed, his arm wrapping tighter around her shoulder. "We've known eachother since we were little kids, and I've always looked at you as just a friend. But, lately I....... well, I've been thinking a lot...... uh, I feel that.........I never told you but...... Melli, can I be your Bad Boy?"
"Ah! Stop hitting me! Stop! You're gonna kill me!"
Bongo laughed as he tapped his finger simutaneously on the game control button and tossed Brenda's fighter merciously to the mat.
"Winner." the mechanical voice declared, the fighter's fists raised high in the air in victory.
Brenda growled and threw her control to the floor in disgust. "You didn't even give me a chance!"
Bongo turned off the game system and rose to his feet. "Hey, when playing against ExLax all the time, a guy has to learn to keep on his toes!"
"If you failed to notice, I'm NOT ExLax."
"That's easy to notice. You're a lot cuter."
Brenda smiled.
"Well," Michelle began, entering the room. "I haven't the slightest idea where Kute_Tush could be and I keep getting a busy signal every time I call his cell phone. There's no telling where he is." Sighing, she let herself fall on to the couch.
"Didn't you say he took your car to search the neighborhood?" Bongo inquired, plopping down beside her.
"Yeah, which is why I don't understand why he isn't back yet." she replied, taking a quick glance at her watch. "Either way around it, we need to go down to the police station and clear up this mess."
"Can I drive?"
"Don't you think you've caused enough trouble tonight?" Michelle asked sarcastically, looking up at Brenda in disbelief.
"That was a retorical question." Bongo laughed, helping Michelle up off the couch.
"Brenda? Keys?" Michelle stuck out her hand as Brenda dropped Kute_Tush's keys into her open palm. "That girl......" she said aside to Bongo, who snickered.
***In the Car***
"You wouldn't believe how protective Kute_Tush is of this car!" When we walked up into the driveway with the pizza, and he didn't see it, he went ballistic!" Michelle shook her head as she turned on to a busy intersection.
"Actually, it comes as no surprise to me. KT's worked hard to get this car, and I'd be afraid to see what he'd do if he ever DID really lose it." Bongo winked at Brenda, who sat wedged in between him and Michelle. "Permanently, that is."
"Yeah, well..... Brenda, you insisted on sitting up here, but you're gonna have to help me shift this thing. Can you shift it into the next gear for me?" Brenda followed through with the instructions as did Michelle with her conversation. "He ran inside and reported it to the police, then grabbed my keys and said he was going out to search the neighborhood."
"I hope he isn't too upset." Brenda squeaked, burrowing down lower in the seat.
"I'm sure he won't be once we get this all straightened out, Bren. Don't worry." Michelle comforted, patting her on the arm.
The blinding flash of blue and red lights behind the car caused them all to become alert as Michelle peered into the rearveiw mirror. "Hmmm, looks like the cops beat us to the punch." She quickly manuevered the car off to the side of the rode and brought it to a stop. "Good evening officer." she greeted as the stout man in a uniform approached the driver's side of the vehicle.
"License and registration, please." the officer demanded, thrusting his hand through the window.
Michelle absent-mindedly reached under her seat for her purse, and her eyes grew wide when she realized: her purse was still in HER car. "Um, officer?" she stuttered, gulping loudly. "I seem to have left my license in my other car."
"Really?" the officer cooed, shaking his head. "Might that be because of the fact that, according to the license plates on this vehicle, that this car is reported stolen?"
All three passengers eyes grew wide as the officer asked that they step out of the vehicle.
"But Officer, this is a mistake. You see, this is my boyfriends's car, and we were just going down to the station to clear this whole matter up!" Michelle's voice became more pitch as another officer began placing cuffs around her wrists. "We didn't steal this car, it's my boyfriend's!"
"I'm sorry miss, but you and the rest of your friends are being taken into custody." the second officer replied grimly, opening a door to the patrol car. "It's only procedure, but for now, you are all under arrest." The officer began reading Michelle her rights as he assisted her into the back of the patrol car.
Bongo squirmed as the first officer placed the handcuffs around his wrists and began to lead him over to the patrol car after Michelle. "Officer, I'm a relative of the car-owner. If I were to show you my license, might it help clear this situation up any?"
The officer stopped and pondered for a moment before answering. "It might help clarify some things, I suppose. Might I take a look at it, son?" Bongo shook his wrists free as the officer unleashed him from the cuffs and began to excavate his pockets. Coming up empty in his search, he turned to Brenda, who was being led to the car by the other officer.
"Bren, do you know what I did with my license earlier?"
"Well, I know Tina was looking at it before we dropped her off and I think........uh, Bongo? I think she still has it........" She let her voice trail off as the officers began to read them their rights once more while tucking them into the back of the patrol car beside Michelle.
