Side story I (Lance)

Tut tut...

Arghhhh!!!

Why is he so thick headed? All Lance wanted was to have a simple conversation.

And shame on Seth. Boo hoo!!

He scratched his head. He needed a way to get Beth's number so he could get 'her' number.

Damn his cousin for not having Beth's number. He wouldn't have to face all this trouble.

"Lance!!!!" he heard his aunt Mae call him.

"Be there in a minute!" he yelled back.

He was currently cleaning out the pool at the backyard. Once he was done he sauntered into the house to find his aunt.

"Aunt Mae?" he called out in the living room.

"I'm in the game room" he heard her say.

He found out that his cousin had forced his parents to convert one of the guest rooms into his game room. Carter's shamelessness knew no bounds especially when one was close to the boy.

He climbed the stairs and marched to the open room where his aunt Mae stood with her hands folded across her chest and his pouting cousin was sitting on one of the bean bags.

"You called?" he said to aunt Mae.

"Yes, could you please tell this lazy cousin of yours to go buy me some pastries from the shop down the street?" she pointed at the said boy.

He just put an arm on his face and mumbled something.

Aunt Mae's brows furrowed. "What was that boy?"

"I love you" Carter said sticking his tongue out at his mom. She just looked at Lance with pleading eyes.

The latter just chuckled. "Do you need them now?"

"No, I invited the neighbors for dinner and I wanted to use 'em for dessert"

"The neighbors?" Lance asked. There were only a handful of people living around. One of which was 'her'.

"Yes" his aunt smiled. "The ones living opposite us, I saw that pretty plump girl with beautiful dimples tending to the garden outside and boy was she the sweetest thing I had ever met. She invited me in and..."

All her remaining chatter was thrown to the wind to Lance who stood frozen. It was indeed 'her'.

"I'll go get the pastries!" he suddenly exclaimed interrupting aunt Mae's incessant chittering.

"You will?" her eyes brightened.

"Yes, since its for dinner, Carter and I will clean up for you while you prepare dinner. Then we'd go and get the pastries" his sudden enthusiasm didn't go unnoticed by the lazy bum who lifted one brow at him.

Aunt Mae squealed and started praising him but she didn't forget chastise her son in between. While standing on her toes to stroke Lance's hair she'd throw a scornful look at Carter who just rolled his eyes and fell back into a sleeping position on the bean bag.

He wasn't careful and had forgotten that he had adjusted his position before, so he hit his head on the floor. He hissed sharply and rubbed the offending part.

Lance and aunt Mae's lips quivered but Lance covered his laugh by coughing and saying that he needed to get something from his room. While aunt Mae said she was going to start the preparation for dinner or something related to that.

Lance entered the guest room he was given and stared at all the clothes in the wardrobe. He needed a good outfit. One to impress but not too flashy that it'd look like he purposely dressed up.

Maybe he'd wear something formal. Maybe those suit pants his mom bought him but he never wore. He didn't pack it but he was sure that she slipped it into his suitcase when he wasn't looking. He only saw it when he'd unpacked.

He went down afterwards and helped in cleaning the living area and the dining area as well. He did all the work while one who shall not be named took a nap on the couch. He was sprawled on it and in his black onesie looked like an overgrown baby.

Rolling his eyes, Lance pushed said boy to the floor when he wanted to clean the couch of any drool the baby left. He changed into fresh clothes when he was done and came back to see Carter dressed in different clothes, looking like a normal person.

"What took you so long man?" Carter asked as soon as he spotted his cousin.

Lance looked at him wondering if it would take long to find a body in the basement.

As if reading his thoughts, Carter chuckled awkwardly. "Hehe...bro I was just kidding"

"..."

"Let's go. I'll buy you something as well okay?"

Resisting the urge to slap Carter senseless, Lance asked his aunt wanted anything specifically.

"Um...but me two pies. One apple the other...uh cranberry, that's her favorite I think..."

She said a couple of other things that she would need but Lance has zoned out. 'So she likes cranberry huh?'

He was smiling softly and didn't notice the mother and son duo that were whispering. When he came to he heard Carter say something that made him widen his eyes.

"I think he likes her" the lazy bum has said.

"Uh...what are you saying?" Lance immediately said before his aunt could ask further. "Let's go so we'll be back sooner"

'This stupid boy' he cussed Carter internally. The said boy felt the shivers run down his spine and took off to his car.

Lance kissed his aunt's cheek and followed suit.

HALF AN HOUR LATER AT THE PASTRY SHOP.

"You mean you didn't listen?" Lance asked irritated.

"I thought you were listening" Carter accused back.

"I-I got distracted" Lance stammered.

"By what?" Carter pointed a finger at Lance's face.

"Shut up" Lance retorted. He took a look around the shop. "Let's just call your mom and ask her what she said"

"No way"

"Why not?"

"She'd at nag me again"

Lance groaned. "So what should we do then?"

Carter roamed his eyes around the quaint shop and said, "let's just take a look at the pastries they have I'm sure we'd remember what she was saying when we see the ones she mentioned"

Lance gave him a look of incredulity. He refrained from saying that they couldn't remember what she said if they didn't listen in the first place.

He just nodded and went along with the idea.