Boy Oh Boys! (Season 1)

Chapter 6-2

 "How are you going to fit all of your purchases onto the bus?" Max looked worriedly at Charlie's shopping bags as they waited on the sidewalk.

"Yeah! What did you buy anyways?" Rib reached for one of her bags but Charlie shooed his hand away.

"Just a few things I needed," she sweated guiltily.

"Fine, be secretive!" said Rib. "I'll show everyone what I bought!" he grinned, beginning to remove the contents of his own shopping bag. "A new collapsible knife... Some more special effects makeup... And! 'Shouts From The Woods 2'!" Rib waved the movie excitedly through the air. "Doesn't it look awesome???"

"That's great, Rib," Demeter patted him on the back. "But did you remember to buy your socks?"

"Oh, no!" the color drained from Rib's face. "I forgot! Maybe I can go back really quick and-" he began, but just then, the bus pulled up. "Man," Rib frowned, stuffing his things back into his bag and climbing onto the bus.

The twins boarded after him, followed by Max. Charlie lugged her scads of bags on behind them, and was pleased to see that there were not as many passengers as there had been that morning.

"Look, Charlie. There are still four empty seats back there," Max smiled, sitting down beside Rib.

Charlie made her way to the vacant seating he had pointed out. Near the back of the bus, there were two sets of open seats on either side of the aisle. Hefting her shopping bags into one of the window seats, she took the spot next to it for herself.

"Ahh, this is so much better than the last bus ride," she thought, stretching back in her spacious seat. However, looking up, she saw Pace approaching. "Oh, no. Don't tell me the seats beside me are the only ones left!" Charlie panicked and looked around the bus. There were no more available seats. "Why???" Charlie watched as Pace stepped into the row of seats opposite her, but to her relief, he took the seat farthest from her by the window. "Well, at least he's not right beside me," she breathed as the bus pulled onto the street.

Glancing at Pace from the corner of her eye, she saw him sit a plastic bag on the spare seat next to him and proceed to look out the window.

"He's actually been in a really good mood today," she thought, as he gazed silently at the passing traffic. "I should thank him for coming- Oh, yeah!" Charlie suddenly dug through her shopping bags and at last found the black notebook she had bought.

"Hey, Pace..." she said lowly.

Pace turned to look at her inquisitively.

"I, um, got you this," she held the notebook across the aisle.

Pace only stared at it.

"I know you said you were out of paper the other day..." Charlie continued anxiously. "This is, um, just my way of saying thanks for coming today... And, um, sorry for tricking you into going to the rec center..." she chuckled nervously.

Pace remained still, eyeing her extended offering.

"I don't need a notebook," he said at last, turning back to look out the window and leaving Charlie still holding out the tablet.

~~~

"What a jerk!" Charlie growled when she entered her bedroom that evening. "Now I'm really glad I got all this stuff today!" she threw her shopping bags onto the floor and grinned. "Let's get to work!"

A few hours later, Charlie had arranged all of her purchases and stood back to admire her work.

"You can keep your stupid Casey blanket!" she smirked, taking in her new, beautifully pink-blanketed bunk. "It just needs one final touch," she decided, ripping open the notebook she had bought for Pace, tearing out a sheet, and scribbling the words 'DON'T TOUCH CHARLIE'S STUFF!!!'. "Perfect," she grinned, propping the page up on her new desk lamp. "Stupid Pace. Try and say something isn't mine now!"

As if he had heard her thoughts, the door swung open behind her and Pace stepped in. For a long moment, he looked around the room. Then, finally, he turned to Charlie.

"What is this?" he glared at her.

The entire bedroom was now decked out in things that were flowery, fuzzy, and pink.