Chapter 1 - A Really Stupid Plan

Now this was a stupid plan. A really, REALLY stupid plan. Dante had it lucky; riches, friends, well ONE friend but according to his mother that didn't matter because 'riches and reputation.' Well, we're talking about Dante here, of course the guy isn't satisfied. He'll take anything he wants until he gets the one thing he needed. His parent's attention. And this really stupid plan was his desperate measure, then so be it.

Dante was at the toiletry section of the mall with his one friend, Boedrick. The pair were having second thoughts on this stupid plan. "What if they just write this off as a harmless mistake? The way they did when we snuck out last night or when I trashed your dad's office?" Dante asked his friend nervously.

"Nonsense," Boedrick replied "This right here is ILLEAGAL. They can't ignore you this time. If we're gonna sell this as a cry for help, we need to do this." Dante took a deep breath and picked out a pack of sanitary pads from the aisle shelf. "Good, now let's bail." Boedrick whispered as Dante tucked the pack in his hoodie pocket. As the two sauntered out they were stopped by a shout from the store guard. They slowly turned around to see a plus-sized man in a security uniform jogging toward to them. "Oh crud." Boedrick whispered again.

"Lads, I have one question for ya." The guard said, Dante tried hiding the bump in his black hoodie by folding his arms over it. "Yes, sir?"

The guard narrowed his eyes and looked straight over to Boedrick. "Why're you blue?"

"Oh yeah, Halloween costume accident. This lad-" Boedrick playfully hit Dante's arm "Spray-painted me blue 'cause I was going as a smurf. I don't know what kind of expensive paint this one used. but it's permanent."

The guard laughed before apologizing out of pity. "It's fine," Boedrick said casually "I just tell people I'm a cosplayer or LARP-er."

The guard looked Boedrick up and down again. Even now Boedrick looked like a smurf. He wore a blue top which matched his skin, white sweatpants and matching white beanie. As a bonus he was rather short for a twelve year-old.

"Well...awesome! Later laddies!" The guard strolled on his way. Once gone, Boedrick gave Dante an obnoxious smirk. "Nice save, eh?" Dante felt his face heating up with shame. He hated it when Boedrick brought up the Halloween story.

Costume fails aside, the two rushed to the exit, hearts pounding. Were they actually gonna get away with it? The barriers didn't go off and Dante's heart skipped what felt like multiple beats. Then suddenly- "HEY! YOU TWO HERE NOW!" A lady in security uniform called from in the store. "Goddammit Dickley!" She whizzed back and glared at the guard from before. "I told you to bring them back! Not start a conversation."

Dickley stared blankly at her. "I was just curious..."

The actually competent guard turned back to see that Dante and Boedrick had vanished. "Crap, okay Lizzie, you got this." she said under her breath as she gave chase.

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Dante and Boedrick were speed-walking through the mall until Lizzie spotted them. As they booked it, Dante started screaming at Boedrick "Great idea man! We coulda just left instead but you had to hold us up and tell the guard your life story!!"

"I was distracting him! Throwing off suspicion! You should be thanking me!"

More anger rose in Dante's voice. "OH YEAH, SURE! HOW CAN I POSSIBLY THANK YOU FOR ALL THIS?!"

"COULD YOU PLEASE STOP YELLING AT ME? THIS IS WHY WE CAN NEVER HAVE ANY ACTAUL COVERSATIONS!"

The banter was interrupted by two gigantic hands grabbing Boedrick's collar and Dante's hood from behind. They turned to see a burly looking man in camouflage. When he smiled, his teeth were a yellow and unwashed. One tooth was even golden. "Gotchya troublemakers." He hauled the culprits off their feet and held them like they were rag dolls. Lizzie finally caught up with them and thanked the bystander for his assistance. "No problem-" he read the guard's nametag. "Lizzie." He said with a creepy wink. Lizzie searched Dante until she found the item he stole. "Sanitary pads? What were freaks getting this for?"

"Um.. my mother!" Boedrick exclaimed, trying to gain the officer's sympathy. "It's 'cause she's...pregnant?" Dante face-palmed as the two were hauled into a security room to call their parents. "No, wait! She really is pregnant!" Boedrick fibbed desperately as Lizzie and Burly-man went to the other room for the phone call. Dante scoffed in frustration. "Remind me to give you a talk on the birds and the bees."

Neither said anything for a while until Dante spoke up again. "Look Boe, I'm sorry I yelled at you nut in my defense I said this plan wouldn't work."

"I just thought this could be the one stunt to end the summer. Y'know the ultimate, successful scheme before school starts. But yeah, it was stupid." Boedrick replied, laying his head and arms on the cold table. "I'm sorry."

"You should be." Dante replied nonchalantly. Only a second later he realized that wasn't the answer his smurf-like friend was looking for. "Oh, I mean, um-" Dante hastily corrected himself. "I'm sorry again for screaming at you. I hope we can have serious conversations in the future."

Boedrick smiled. "That's better."

Lizzie appeared back with her partner in justice, Mr. Burly. The two were red in the face and giggly. "So," Burly man said. "Is it a date or-"

"AHEM!" Dante shouted. "Are our parents arriving or what?"

Mr. Burly hunched over the table and looked Dante directly in the eye. "Kid, keep up this behavior, and you'll end up being someone you don't wanna be."

"You?" Boedrick innocently asked. "Just a personal guess."

If looks could kill, Boedrick would be sprawled on the floor within the millisecond.

"Keep that yapper of yours shut boy!" Burly snarled. Lizzie pulled him back and announced the kids parents were here to pick them up.

A rusty red car and a sleek silver car waited outside the mall. Boedrick's mother was there learning against the red car with a revolted look on her face. Dante's mother was in the silver car, on the phone with a work associate. "Boedrick Brian Benzel.." The smurf's mother muttered hi name like it was a bad taste. "You...are in...SO MUCH TROUBLE! Get in the car NOW!!"

Boedrick sobbed as he got in the back seat of the car. His mother walked up to Dante's car and knocked on the window. Ms. Dante slowly looked up and rolled down the glass. "Yes, Betsy?"

"Amara, I am so, SO sorry about Boedrick, I didn't mean for this to happen. Just please, PLEASE don't sue!"

Betsy whispered the last part in desperation while Dante just sighed. That's his mother, terrifies anyone with just one glance. "It's quite alright Betsy. I'll take care of my child. You- for once in your life- take care of your own."

"Yes ma'am!" Betsy did an awkward salute motion before retreating to her own car to give out to her smurf. Amara's deep brown eyes shifted to Dante's direction. "Get in."

Dante obliged and got into the passenger seat. Poor Boedrick, even from his own car he could hear Betsy's screams. Amara spoke up again as she put the car into drive. "Let's go."