CHAPTER 9
A week later, Jamey and Zach arrived at their new house. Jamey and Juan had broken up, but were now close penpal friends. It was the first day of school and she was in her homeroom class. The teacher called her and another girl to the front of the class. As they walked to their new assigned seats (that just happened to be next to each other) a kid named Eric said, “Good. Finally, there are some new chicks around here! I was getting bored with the old ones!”
“Uh-oh, a wise-guy.” said Becky.
“I know. We’d better watch out!” said Jamey.
“Where are you from?” Becky asked.
“Wisconsin, and you?”
“I’m from Texas.”
“Cool. . .”
They started talking, and quickly became friends.
CHAPTER 10
At lunch, Becky and Jamey sat by each other. Becky spotted a cute guy.
“Hey hot stuff, what’s your name?” Becky asked him.
“Me?” Todd asked, looking behind him to make sure she was talking to him.
“Oh. It’s Todd. Todd Alcott.” Todd told her.
“Todd. . .nice name,” Becky told him, “Got a girlfriend?”
“No.” Todd said. Eric walked up behind him.
“Hey, you tryin’ to get one of the new girls? Well, I get first choice.” Eric said.
“No! Not him again!” Becky and Jamey said together.
“Yep, it’s me again.” Eric grinned.
“Ugggh!” Becky groaned.
“My name is Eric.”
“And he hasn’t had a girlfriend in three whole years!” Todd added.
“Don’t exaggerate.” Eric glared at Todd, annoyed.
“Hey, girls, did you know there’s a dance this Friday?” Todd asked.
“There is? Cool!” The girls said.
“Hey, uh, Becky. Would you like to go with me?” asked Todd shyly.
“Okay,” Becky said.
Becky and Todd walked off together. Eric asked Jamey, “You really hate me, don’t you?”
“No, I don’t hate you. Your just very annoying.”
They started talking and walked away.
CHAPTER 11
At the dance. . .
“Don’t you just love this song?” asked Becky.
"Ya. I wish Mariah Carry and Boys II Men did more songs together!” said Todd.
“ ‘One Sweet Day’ has been my favorite song since the first time I heard it.”
“When did you first hear it?” asked Todd suspiciously.
“I was wi-. Uh, I don’t remember. I just know I’ve always loved that song.” said Becky quickly.
Becky and Todd started. . .well, you could say dancing, but I would say more well--. But, on the other hand Jamey and Eric were. . .
“Hey you brat, give it back! Please?” Jamey begged.
“Okay, fine.” Eric said as he threw her hair tie at her and ran off.
A little later, one of Eric’s friends walked up and said, “Jamey? Eric wants to dance with you.”
Jamey had just started to reply when Eric walked up and saw the look on everyone’s face and quickly said, “Uh, not her. A different Jamey.” He walked away again.
“I haven’t been in this school long, but I know that I’m the only Jamey here.” Jamey said to no one in particular.
A little later at the dance. . .
“Sissy, mommy is in the car. She told me to get you.”
“But, what about Todd?” Becky asked.
“You can see him later. Mommy said it’s urgent.”
“Okay, okay. Meggie, be so kind as to turn around.” Becky told her little sister. Meggie turned around. Becky and Todd kissed a moment, then Becky left with Meggie.
A little while later, at the dance. . .
“Jamey went into the bathroom to touch up her make-up.” Eric told Todd.
“Man, this dance is no fun without Becky.” Todd whined.
“Really, I didn’t notice.” Eric said.
“There’s no other chick’s like Becky. She’s one of a kind.” Todd said.
“Jamey’s the real chick. You don’t know what a chick is until you’ve seen Jamey.” Eric said.
“Becky’s better!”
“Jamey’s better!”
“Becky!”
“Jamey!”
“Becky!”
“Oh yeah? Let’s just see who’s chick is better! Let’s settle this by-”
“Hey guys, what are you talking about?” Jamey asked, coming up behind them.
“We were talking about you and Becky.” Todd said. Eric elbowed him in the stomach.
“Hey! We were.” Todd complained.
“Oh-kay. Speaking of Becky, where is she?”
“Uh. . .I dunno.” Todd said.
“Yeah you do. You just told me.” Eric said.
“Oh yeah! Stupid me!” Todd said.
“You got that right!” Eric said.
“Hey!” Todd said as he gave Eric a playful shove. Eric gave him a playful shove back. They started play-fighting. A kid named Richard yelled, “Hey, fight!”
As soon as Richard uttered the word “fight”, Eric and Todd stopped, looked up excitedly, and said together, “Where?”. The bull-dog-faced principal came up behind Eric and Todd. He said, “Hey you guys. Stop fighting and go to my office, pronto.”
“But we-” Todd and Eric started.
“I don’t want to hear any if, ands, or buts about it. Now go!”
Eric and Todd walked up to the principal’s office, laughing about how stupid principals can be.
“It looked fake, too!” Todd laughed.
The principal, because of all the trouble he had to go through, gave them each a detention and let them go back to the dance.
“What’d you get off with?” Jamey asked them when they got back.
“Only a detention. Big whoop.” Todd said.
“I’ve only had one, but besides the trouble your parents give you, they’re not that bad!”
“Yeah, well my parents don’t find out. I’ve got mail duty. Besides, I forge.” Eric said.
“You’ve got mail duty? What’d you have to do to get that?”
“Pretend it was the worst thing that could ever happen to me.”
“I get alot of stuff that way.” Todd said.
“Yeah, well I like a challenge that’s too easy for me!” Jamey said.
At that moment, a slow song came on. It was the last song of the night. Jamey and Eric danced together. Since Becky wasn’t there, Todd danced with his old girlfriend, Susannah. He wasn’t that in love with Becky.
“What happened to Chris?” Todd asked.
“He’s sick.”
“So your taking me for a substitute?”
“No. I got kinda side-tracked with Chris.”
“Kind of! You were only making-out with him! I was only ten minutes late and your making-out with another guy!,” Todd said, and under his breath, “Kind of. Sheesh!”
“But I was-” Susannah started.
“Only majorly making-out. I’m glad I wasn’t twenty minutes late. There are kids in there, you know. I think their parents would get pret-ty mad if their children knew where babies really came from.”
“Well! If you want to get nasty about it-”
“I’m not the one getting nasty!”
“Well!” She said as she stormed off. The dance ended.
Meanwhile. . .
“Mother! We cannot move again! I just found this wonderful guy! I also found a new friend. If we move, I swear I’ll. . .I’ll. . .I’ll go find this ‘Fred Dale’ and tell him I’ll be his hostage!” Becky yelled.
“Honey! Don’t say his name aloud. Besides, your friends might be working with Fred.” her mother said.
“How dare you have such disrespect to my friends!” Becky yelled.
“Honey! Nothing personal to your friends, but we shouldn’t take any chances!” her mother said.
“But mom, can’t I at least say good-bye?”
“Okay, okay. You may say good-bye. We are going to leave by tomorrow night. That’ll give you some time. If they as you why, for heaven’s sake don’t tell them the truth!”
“Then what am I suppose to say?” We just moved here!”
“I don’t know. Just don’t tell them the truth. At least not until all this is over.”
“Okay.”
“Do you promise?”
“I promise.”
CHAPTER 12
The next day at school, Jamey and Eric walked up to Todd and Becky. You don’t want to know what Todd was saying.
“Todd, what’s the matter? Did Becky break up with you?” Eric asked in a sly voice.
“Not funny, Eric.” Todd said through clenched teeth, about to bite Eric’s head off. Eric backed up a few steps.
“Cool it man! What’s up?” Eric asked.
“Nothing, except for the fact that Becky’s moving (again) and she won’t tell me why!” Todd complained.
“Come on, Becky. Spill.” Jamey said.
“I. . .I’m not allowed to.” Becky said.
“Why not?” Jamey asked.
“That’s exactly what I asked and she won’t tell. It’s like she’s broke or something.” Todd said.
“I’m not broke! My dad has a wonderful job as a--. Uh. . .never mind.” Becky said quickly.
“Awh! So it’s your father’s job, is it? Well, let’s see. Your father’s fired? He quit? Come on. You told us this far, now go on the rest of the way!” Todd said eagerly.
“I can’t,” Becky said, “I’m sorry.” After Eric and Jamey walked away (holding hands), Becky whispered in Todd’s ear, “Don’t tell anyone, but my dad’s a secret agent working with the FBI. I’m not allowed to tell anyone.” Todd stared out into space for a minute.
“Todd, Todd? You still with me?”
“What?” Todd asked, dazed and confused.
“Are you okay?” Becky asked.
“Uh. . .yeah. I’m fine.” Todd said. Todd walked off to his fifth period class.
CHAPTER 13
“Todd? Todd. You okay? You look kinda sick. What? Is Becky retarded or something?” Eric joked.
“What?”
“Gee. You must be spaced man. What is it?”
“Uh. . .I can’t tell.” Todd said.
“Oh no! Not you too! Awh, man! Come on! Your my best pal!” Eric complained.
“Sorry man. I’ve never cared about a girl as much as Becky. She told me a secret.” Todd said, actually saying a whole sentence.
“Oh I give up! I’m sick of this secretive crap!” Eric moaned. The late bell for seventh period rang. . .
In band, the last period, Jamey played a clarinet and Becky played a flute. They were on one side of the room and Eric was on the other, in the trumpets section. Clarinets and flutes sat next to each other on the opposite side of trumpets. Jamey whispered to Becky, “Hey, can you come over to my house after school?”
“Okay.” Becky answered.
“Hey!,” Mr. Water, their band instructor, yelled, “Shut up!”
CHAPTER 14
“Come on! You have to spill! I’m not letting you out of this room until you spill!”
“Okay, okay. If I have to.”
“You have to.” Jamey said.
“Okay. Here it goes. My dad is a. . .a . . . a secret agent-”
“From Mars!” Jamey guessed.
“No. He’s a secret agent who works for the FBI. I’m not suppose to tell anyone.” Becky spilled.
“Is that all?”
“Is that all?! No, my dad is a martian from the planet X! Come on!” Becky practically yelled.
“Sorry! You just made it sound like a humungo secret.”
“Well it is!”
“Not as big as the fact that-. Uh. . . .Never mind.”
“See what I mean?”
“Yeah, I guess.”
CHAPTER 15
“Hey Brat, What’s up?” Jamey asked Eric.
“Oh, so I’m a brat now, am I?”
“Of course you are! You always have been!”
“So I guess you hate me, huh?” Eric said, sounding sad.
“Hey, my favorite people are brats!” Jamey said.
“Oh, then I guess I can be a brat if you want me to be.” Eric said with a mischievous look on his face.
“Oh no, that’s okay.” Jamey said quickly.
“Hey, watcha doin’ later?” Eric asked.
“Nothin’ much, why?”
“Do ya want to come to the movies with me?”
“Well. . .I think I’m going to be busy.”
“Doing what?”
“Oh. . .I don’t quite know yet.”
“Hey!”
“Oh, I forgot. Me and Todd are going to the Holiday Inn tonight.” Jamey teased.
“Really! He’s dead!” Eric started to walk away.
“Oh darn. If he’s dead then I have no excuse. I guess I’ll have to go with you,” Jamey said trying to keep up her act.
“Okay, I’ll be back after I kill Todd.”
“How about we just forget about Todd?”
“So, you’ll come with me. . .right?”
“Sure. Just leave Becky and Todd alone for awhile.”
“Okay. Why?”
“Because if Becky is moving, they need to talk for awhile.”
“Okay. Can I pick you up around eight to see Inventing The Abbotts?”
“Okay, sure. See ya then.”
CHAPTER 16
“I don’t want you to move!”
“I don’t want me to move either!”
“So do something.”
“What could I do?”
“I don’t know. Runaway to my house.” Todd said, a mischievous grin on his face.
“Now, why would I want to do that?” Becky asked. She saw the look on Todd’s face and she said, “You pervert!”
“Hey! It’s better than the Holiday Inn.”
“Your sick!”
“I know.”
“That’s what I love most about you.” Becky said, smiling. They hugged.
“Hey, Todd?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you, by any chance, know a man by the name of Fred Dale?”
“No, why?” Todd asked, giving Becky a weird look.
“Oh, no reason.” Becky said quickly.
“Your strange,” Todd said and smiled. “That’s just the way I like them.”
This time, they kissed. Becky broke free of his kiss.
“What’s wrong?” Todd asked.
“Well, we’d better not get too involved. We may never see each other again!”
“Don’t say that! Why wouldn’t I see you again? Are you going to die soon?”
“Probably not, but I don’t want to get involved, if we’re not going to see each other again.”
“But we are already involved. You see, I love you.”
“I love you, too. Just in case, you’d better start looking for another girl.” Becky said sadly. Todd turned angry.
“Never! I don’t want any girl! I want you!”
“I want you too, but there’s nothing I can do. Sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Todd said, thinking of the dream he had. It was of Todd and Becky, but I’m not going into that dream. After all, it was Todd’s dream!
“Well, I better go. I love you and I’ll miss you too much for words.” Becky said sadly.
“I’ll miss you too! Write me sometimes. Love you.”
“Of course I’ll write! Bye,” Becky said, and sadly walked away.
“Bye,” Todd called after her.
...
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