began babbling into the phone, not even saying hello. “Stupid or not stupid: Lane and Lacey?”
There was silence on the other end of the phone until eventually Benji said, “What?”
“It’s stupid, right? Lane’s out on a date with some girl named Lacey , and I was arguing with Stacie that it’s stupid.”
“I, uh, guess it’s stupid,” Benji answered, sounding unsure of himself—that was still good enough for Maps.
“Great, thanks. Talk later, bye!” Maps hung up and then turned back to the window to yell at Stacie. “See? Even Benji thinks it’s stupid!”
“I like her hair. It’s long and pretty!” Stacie yelled back.
“So those are requirements for people dating your brother? You have to like their hair?”
Stacie ignored Maps’ question. “Your hair is stupid!”
Maps gave Stacie the most withering look on the planet, but she was barely paying him any attention. She was too busy looking for more things of Lane’s to toss out the window.
Which was good. Good riddance.
Dumb Lane and his dumb teeth.
“Lacey said she’ll take me shopping to buy a princess dress!” Stacie jumped up and down excitedly, momentarily forgetting about her task at hand.
“Well good for Lacey ! I hope you all have a wonderful time and Lane and Lacey can get married and have a wonderful wedding and a wonderful house and have wonderful little babies that are little monsters just like you!”
“Yay! Monster babies!” Stacie just jumped up and down again, apparently excited for more little terrors like her in the world.
That was it. The last straw.
“Hey, Stacie, guess what?” Maps yelled. “Your brother told me that if you can manage to toss all of his bedding out the window before he gets home, he’ll take you for ice cream!”
“What?” she screamed. “Really?
“Yep. But you’d better hurry.”
It was mean. Petty and mean.
Maps was being an immature child just because he learned the Lane was dating Lacey . Maps gnawed at the inside of his cheek as he watched Lane’s pillows sail down into the small flower garden below.
He felt bad. Really bad.
He’d go over and get the bedding, shove it in the washing machine at his house, and then take Stacie out for ice cream himself.
Maps turned to head next door, but Lane’s vehicle pulled up to the driveway. Against his better judgment, Maps watched Lane get out, came around to the passenger door, and open it for Lacey , the leggy-blond princess-haired witch.
Lacey laughed at something Lane said, tossed her hair back over her shoulder, then leaned in and kissed Lane somewhere near the cheek.
Okay.
Lane could sleep in the garden tonight for all Maps cared.
Because he didn’t. Care, that is. About Lane. Or Lacey.
Nope, not one little bit.
Maps closed his window, latched the hook, and pulled back the curtains.
Chapter Seven
“Benji, can you get that?”
Maps currently had his hands full of spoons, a few petri dishes, two household cleaners from under his kitchen sink, one giant vial, a pack of gum, and the assignment sheet in his mouth.
Maps had asked Benji to come over and work on an experiment and Benji had promised to actually help this time, even though he wasn’t doing much to help at all.
His friend wasn’t being a very good Watson after all, since he’d just watched reruns of Who Wants to be a Millionaire on TV and ignored Maps’ pleading for helping with the two-man job of holding, and pouring at the same time, without destroying his mom’s kitchen.
“You’re a slave driver, you know that?” Maps heard Benji yell at him as he stood up from his slumped over position on the sofa and walked to the front door.
Benji had apparently thought it would be funny to come over to Maps’ house in his green lycra bodysuit he’d been wearing for the Bio presentation. He also thought it would be funny to roll up one of the malleable petals and tape it to a very suggestive place on the front of the suit.
Maps worked away in
There was silence on the other end of the phone until eventually Benji said, “What?”
“It’s stupid, right? Lane’s out on a date with some girl named Lacey , and I was arguing with Stacie that it’s stupid.”
“I, uh, guess it’s stupid,” Benji answered, sounding unsure of himself—that was still good enough for Maps.
“Great, thanks. Talk later, bye!” Maps hung up and then turned back to the window to yell at Stacie. “See? Even Benji thinks it’s stupid!”
“I like her hair. It’s long and pretty!” Stacie yelled back.
“So those are requirements for people dating your brother? You have to like their hair?”
Stacie ignored Maps’ question. “Your hair is stupid!”
Maps gave Stacie the most withering look on the planet, but she was barely paying him any attention. She was too busy looking for more things of Lane’s to toss out the window.
Which was good. Good riddance.
Dumb Lane and his dumb teeth.
“Lacey said she’ll take me shopping to buy a princess dress!” Stacie jumped up and down excitedly, momentarily forgetting about her task at hand.
“Well good for Lacey ! I hope you all have a wonderful time and Lane and Lacey can get married and have a wonderful wedding and a wonderful house and have wonderful little babies that are little monsters just like you!”
“Yay! Monster babies!” Stacie just jumped up and down again, apparently excited for more little terrors like her in the world.
That was it. The last straw.
“Hey, Stacie, guess what?” Maps yelled. “Your brother told me that if you can manage to toss all of his bedding out the window before he gets home, he’ll take you for ice cream!”
“What?” she screamed. “Really?
“Yep. But you’d better hurry.”
It was mean. Petty and mean.
Maps was being an immature child just because he learned the Lane was dating Lacey . Maps gnawed at the inside of his cheek as he watched Lane’s pillows sail down into the small flower garden below.
He felt bad. Really bad.
He’d go over and get the bedding, shove it in the washing machine at his house, and then take Stacie out for ice cream himself.
Maps turned to head next door, but Lane’s vehicle pulled up to the driveway. Against his better judgment, Maps watched Lane get out, came around to the passenger door, and open it for Lacey , the leggy-blond princess-haired witch.
Lacey laughed at something Lane said, tossed her hair back over her shoulder, then leaned in and kissed Lane somewhere near the cheek.
Okay.
Lane could sleep in the garden tonight for all Maps cared.
Because he didn’t. Care, that is. About Lane. Or Lacey.
Nope, not one little bit.
Maps closed his window, latched the hook, and pulled back the curtains.
Chapter Seven
“Benji, can you get that?”
Maps currently had his hands full of spoons, a few petri dishes, two household cleaners from under his kitchen sink, one giant vial, a pack of gum, and the assignment sheet in his mouth.
Maps had asked Benji to come over and work on an experiment and Benji had promised to actually help this time, even though he wasn’t doing much to help at all.
His friend wasn’t being a very good Watson after all, since he’d just watched reruns of Who Wants to be a Millionaire on TV and ignored Maps’ pleading for helping with the two-man job of holding, and pouring at the same time, without destroying his mom’s kitchen.
“You’re a slave driver, you know that?” Maps heard Benji yell at him as he stood up from his slumped over position on the sofa and walked to the front door.
Benji had apparently thought it would be funny to come over to Maps’ house in his green lycra bodysuit he’d been wearing for the Bio presentation. He also thought it would be funny to roll up one of the malleable petals and tape it to a very suggestive place on the front of the suit.
Maps worked away in
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