three

"Hmm...yeah, I don't know." Erica said, coming down off the ladder and looking at the other four.

"You don't know if you can fit?" Dustin asked.

"Oh, I can fit. I just don't know if I want to."

"Are you claustrophobic?" Robin asked.

"I don't have phobias." Erica snickered.

"Okay, well what's the problem?" Steve asked.

"The problem is, I still haven't heard what's in this for Erica." She crossed her arms and looked at them. Steve looked at Robin and PJ, who just shrugged. There was one thing they all knew Erica loved-and that was free ice cream.

•••••

Steve pushed the USS Butterscotch across the table towards Erica, just for her to push it back. "More fudge, please." Steve just looked at PJ while Robin and Dustin shared a look. "Go on." Erica waved her hand.

"Just do it." PJ mouthed, and Steve sighed, taking it and heading back for the counter.

"Alright..." Robin started, unfolding the blue prints of the air ducts and holding it up. "You see this? This is the route you're gonna take." Robin traced the red line with her finger. "Then we just wait till the last delivery goes out tonight. Then you knock out the grate, jump down, and open the door."

"Then you find out what's in those boxes?" Erica asked.

"Exactly." Robin said, putting down the blueprints.

"Hmm...and you say this guard is armed."

"Yes, but he won't be there." Dustin assured.

"And booby traps?" Erica asked.

"Booby traps?" PJ raised her eyebrows.

"Lasers, spikes in the wall?" Erica asked.

"What?" Robin snickered.

"You know what this half-baked plan of yours sounds like to me?" Erica asked. "Child endangerment."

"We'll be in radio contact with you the whole time—" Robin started.

"Ah, ah, ah!" Erica interrupted. "Child endangerment."

"Erica?" Dustin said, and the young girl turned to look at him. "Uh, hi. We think that these Russians want to do harm to our country. Great harm. Don't you love your country?"

"You can't spell 'America' without 'Erica'." She shrugged, taking a drink of her root beer float. Robin and PJ glanced at each other, confused and amused by the young girl.

"Uh, yeah, yeah." Dustin nodded. "Oddly, that's, uh, totally true. So, so! Don't do this for us. Do it for your country. Do it for your fellow man. Do this for America...Erica."

"Ooh! I just got chills." Erica said, putting the empty cup down. "From this float, not your speech. Know what I love most about this country? Capitalism. Do you know what capitalism is?"

"Yeah." The other three said.

"It means this is a free market system. Which means people get paid for their services, depending on how valuable their contributions are. And it seems to me, my ability to fit into that little vent is very, very valuable to you all. So, you want my help? This USS Butterscotch better be the first of many. And I'm talkin free ice cream for life."

"Dude, how old are you?" PJ asked as Erica ate a cherry.

"Ten." Erica answered.

"Well shit, you're smarter than me." PJ snorted.

"Fine, it's a deal." Robin nodded. "Free ice cream for life."

"Good." Erica smiled, and Steve brought over the remade USS Butterscotch.

"We made a deal, she's in." Dustin informed him.

"Great." Steve nodded.

"She helps us and she gets free ice cream for life." Robin said.

"What? Can we even do that?" Steve asked.

"You have to, otherwise I'm not going anywhere near that vent." Erica said, pulling the ice cream towards her. Steve looked around at the other three before giving in with a sigh.

•••••

"Hey where are you goin?" Robin asked as she saw PJ getting up.

"Oh, I'm gonna go home real quick. Change out of my work clothes, try and radio the other kids-see what they're doing."

"Traitors." Dustin mumbled.

"Alright well, ya know, don't take too long." Robin said.

"Don't worry about me, Buckley, you just worry about slinging ice cream and keeping Erica happy." PJ smiled. Robin was worried about her! She tried to hide the smile on her face-but Dustin noticed it right away. "I'll be back in like an hour."

"I'm coming with!" He shot up, and the two girls looked at him confused. "I just...I wanna get out of the mall at least once today."

"Alright." PJ narrowed her eyes at him. "We'll be back." Robin nodded and gave a peace sign as a customer came up to the counter. "Come on, Dustin." The two walked out of the mall in relative silence, but Dustin finally broke it when they were approaching her car.

"Hey, I have a question." He said.

"Shoot." She nodded, unlocking her car and throwing her bag into the back seat.

"Okay, so back there-in Scoops." He started as they got in. "When Robin asked where you were going. Why did you smile so much?" She mentally cursed herself.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She said, turning the car on.

"Yes you do, come on!" He said. "What was that about?" She sighed, knowing he wouldn't leave this alone.

"Alright, I'll tell you but, you know, don't tell anyone." She said, turning to him. He nodded excitedly, unsure of what was to come. "I, um, I really like Robin."

"Yeah, she's cool." He nodded.

"No, Dustin I mean like...like really like her." She said, biting her lip as his eyes widened in understanding.

"Oh." He said. "Well, does she like you back?" He asked, throwing her off guard. Dustin was great-but she wasn't expecting him to be so cool with her liking a girl.

"I don't...I don't know." She shrugged, pulling out of her parking spot. "I don't even know if she likes girls."

"Well why don't you ask?"

"Dustin are you crazy?" She asked, glancing at him. "Most aren't...aren't okay with people like me. I can't just go up to a girl and ask that. It's not like if I had a crush on a guy."

"I guess." He nodded, and the sat in quiet for a few moments-Purple Haze by Jimi Hendrix flowing through the speakers. "Have you ever liked a guy before?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "Mostly celebrities and stuff, guys around here aren't the best." She snorted. "But yeah, I have." She looked over at him. "I hope you don't think of me differently."

"What? Why would I?" He asked. "You're the same, just as you've always been." His brows were furrowed in confusion. "Why would that change how I think of you?"

"I dunno, it's just..." She sighed. "There are a lot of assholes out there, dude. Lots of people who think that girls liking girls and boys like boys isn't...natural."

"That's bullshit." He said, and she felt a large smile on her face.

"I always knew you were my favorite." She smiled, glancing over at him.

"Really?" He lit up.

"Totally." She nodded.