Tessa looked up and saw Kevin and the other guys standing in the doorway. “Kevy!” She cried running over to him. “I missed you!”
Kevin picked her up. “I missed you too Tessa,” he replicated. “What are ya doing?”
“We’re twying (trying) to watch cartoons, but Wenore’s got her music too woud (loud) again,” Tessa informed him. “She’s mad ‘cause daddy wouldn’t wet (let) her watch you guys on T.V.”
“I see,” Kevin said. “Why wouldn’t your daddy let her watch us on T..V.?”
“He wouldn’t wet (let) her ‘cause she’s seen it alweady (already),” Tessa responded. “And she keeps dwooling (drooling) over A.J.”
“Uh huh,” Nick replicated. “So, it is true then.”
The four of them headed into the living room and sat down; Kevin and Howie sat in chairs, while Nick and A.J. sat on the floor. Tessa, who was still with Kevin, snuggled closer to him as they continued to watch the Flintstones.
“Daddy, make Lenore turn her music off,” Emily whined. “I can’t hear what Fred’s saying.”
“I can’t hear what they’re saying either,” Jessica complained. “Make her turn it off now; I don’t like them, they’re gay!”
“Excuse me?” Hank demanded. “What did you just say?”
“I said, I don’t like them and they’re gay,” Jessica repeated. “They’re worse than that country crud you listen to all the time.”
“Don’t you ever say that again!” Hank growled. “You apologize to your brother, cousin and their three friends right now!”
“No!” Jessica shouted. “Lenore never has to apologize, so why do I have to?”
“Go to your room, now!” Hank roared.
“NO!” Jessica screamed. “I don’t have to; you’re not my boss! Now screw off, I’m trying to watch cartoons!”
Hank bellowed, “Jessica Anastasia Katts you go to your room right now!”
“Make me!” Jessica retorted.
Without saying anything Hank got up, strode over to Jessica and grabbed her by the arm.
“Ow! Daddy, you’re hurting me!” Jessica cried as Hank dragged her out of the room and up the stairs. “You’re…Ow…hurting me! ”
Stevie looked over at Brian. “It’s about time,” he rejoined trying not to laugh. “It’s about time.”
“Don’t you dare laugh,” Brian answered, while trying to keep a straight face. “You don’t want dad mad at you again.”
“Wouldn’t Lenore love to see this,” Stevie replied. “She’d die of laughter for sure.”
“What’s so funny? Emily queried. “Why are you both trying not to laugh?”
“They’re trying not to laugh at the cartoon character,” Nick lied, covering for them as they both started to laugh. “You just missed something very funny, that’s all.”
“Oh, okay,” Emily said turning back to the T.V.
Meanwhile Lenore was in her room dancing, when she thought she heard someone yelling. She opened her door a crack and peeked out just in time to see their dad smack Jessica; Jessica bust into to tears and screamed something, Hank smacked her again before she’d finished her sentence, then pushed her into her room and closed the door. Lenore quickly closed her door, for she didn’t want to get caught spying; no sooner did she close the door than did she burst out laughing. “It’s about time!” She thought aloud. “It’s about time.” When she’d finally stopped laughing she continued practicing the dance moves to the BSB songs that Brian had showed her and Stevie. A few minutes later there was a knock on the door; she turned her music down for fear that it was her dad. She opened the door and smiled when she saw A.J. standing there.
“Oh, its just you,” she sighed.
“What do you mean, its just you?” A.J. questioned. ”Were you expecting someone else?”
“I thought that you were dad coming to yell at me again,” Lenore replicated.
“When did you get here?”
“The other guys and I have been here for almost an hour now,” he responded.
“We figured you were up here ‘cause we could hear the music as soon as we got outta the car.”
“Why was dad yelling at Jessica?” Lenore queried. “What’d she do to get dad so mad?”
“She ordered him to tell you to turn your music down because she hated it, said that we’re all gay, and that we’re way worse than the country crud he likes to listen to,” A.J. informed her. “She refused to apologize to us, and told him to screw off.”
“Whoa. He got mad over that?” Lenore pondered. “Yet, he wouldn’t let me watch you guys perform one song during your Disney Special all because they were watching cartoons.”
“How’d ya know that Jessica was in trouble?” A.J. asked. “There’s no way you could have heard anything over the music.”
“I kinda heard them when they came upstairs,” Lenore replied. “I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but I saw dad smack her twice and figured it must have been pretty bad.”
“You mean, he actually hit her?” A.J. questioned. “That’s a first.”
“I know what ya mean,” Lenore answered. “I thought the same thing.”
“What’s this I hear that you were drooling over me when I lifted my shirt up on T.V.?” A.J. interrogated. “Did you ignore your dad because you like me or because you simply needed an excuse?”
Lenore blushed scarlet. “I really do like you A.J.,” she whispered. “Yeah, I did drool, but I can’t help it if you’re sexy.”
“You think I’m sexy?”
“Yeah, I really do,” Lenore admitted. “I think you’re the sexiest guy alive; after Brian and Stevie of course.”
“Ah, I heard about that,” A.J. said. Answering her questioning look he continued, “You told Brian, Brian told Kevin, Kevin told Howie, Howie told me, and I kinda told Nick.”
“Oh, okay,” Lenore responded. “Like I said before, nothing ever stays secret around here for long. There’s absolutely no privacy in this house; not even my diary is private anymore.”
