Tommy’s POV

‘’Don’t go to work today.’’ I whined at Jen while she put on her peach lip gloss in the bathroom.

‘’I can’t babe. Sorry but Wednesdays are always a horror and what will my little minions do without me?’’ She shrugged her shoulders not caring that one of those ‘minions’ was sitting in the room next door.

‘’I heard that’’ Chace called from my bedroom.

‘’Well it’s true! You would all be like helpless headless chicken nuggets without me.’’

‘’Chicken nuggets don’t have heads… do they?’’ I tilted my head to the side but it was shoved down when Chace came up behind me and ruffle my hair.

‘’Geez Jen way to be nice. Now your gunna make Tommy go to school tomorrow and ask everyone if they have heads.’’

‘’I’m sorry I trust your word mum and dad.’’ I grumbled and walked out of the bathroom and straight to the kitchen.

Stupid idjuts. They aren’t even worthy of being idiots anymore.

‘’Aww baby come on. I spent all day with you at school in that stupid ‘Futures’ centre so the least you can do is let me bring home a living. Your father and I work our butts off just so we can give you the life you have!’’ She cooed and hugged me.

‘’I refuse to call it the Futures centre. It was and always will be the Careers room for me.’’ I grumbled and shoved her off.

‘’Jen are we going soon?’’ Chace was still in the bathroom doing whatever Chace does up there.

‘’Coming darling! But don’t you think we should call a sitter for Tommy baby?’’

‘’ Oh I never thought of that! You’re so amazing hun I don’t know what I’d do without you.’’ Chace rushed from the bathroom and to Jen to kiss her forehead and look at her lovingly.

‘’Oh come on guys. Stop messing around and get in the car. I’m not going to drive myself to Chris’ house.’’ I groaned and shoved them towards the door repeatedly until we had actually made it to the grass near Jennifer’s car.

‘’Oh darlin’ don’t they grow up so fast.’’ She cooed and ruffled my hair before jumping into the driver’s seat of the car followed by the rest of us.

‘’Darn it,  Love. I forgot the car seat for Tommy.’’ Chace groaned and smacked his forehead against his palm.

‘’Oh I’m sure he’ll do fine just for today but don’t forget again!’’

‘’Stupid people making stupid idiot stories of stupidly stupid families where I’m the baby. Jen would clearly be the baby ‘cause she so immature.’’ I pouted and stared into the rearview mirror meeting Jen’s gaze before she cracked up laughing.

‘’What? So you carried me in your womb for nine months? Awww that’s classic babe. Get crackin’ on making a baby now!’’ She cheered and drove through the winding streets of Treaswitch.

We drove for five minutes until we reached the all too familiar pale pink house with beautiful flowers of every colour boarding it. I really did wonder how a teenage boy could survive his whole life in a pink house surrounded by flowers, but then again this is Chris we’re talking about he’s always been the cute and cuddly person of the group, of the whole of Treaswitch even. I don’t think anyone could compare to Chris, not even the girls.

See, Chris lives alone. Well I guess not alone, alone. Drake stays with him a lot. When he came out to his parents a few years back they kicked him out. That whole ‘Gays are devil worshipers’ crap they think they’re preaching from the big book. So he ended up getting a job at a café/restaurant that were all too happy to have a cute little waiter running around. He gets by, sure, but without Drake bringing in extra money from God only knows where, I don’t think he’d be able to keep that place.

‘’Tommy!’’ Speak of the devil and he shall come barrelling out of his house in a pink and white polka dot apron over a blue Stitch hoody and bright green skinnies. He was clearly going for the dull look. Sensing the sarcasm? Yeah? No? Okay.

‘’Chris!’’ I jumped out of the car with not as much enthusiasm as him but obviously a lot of happiness from seeing my favourite little Pokémon.

‘’Thank God you made it just in time. Drake was demeaning my cooking skills again.’’ He pouted and held out hismittened hands for me to hug him.

‘’He’s here? I thought he had swimming today?’’

‘’Nah he decided to take the day off. Now give me a hug!’’ Squealing he tackled me to the ground and when I heard Jen pull out of the drive way and beep her horn I knew I was a goner for all Chris’ love.

‘’Chris, come on get off him and get back in the kitchen.’’ A smirking Drake leaned against the white porch railing in all his bad boy goodness with his leather jacket and ripped jeans.

 Oh how terribly cliché Drake’s outfit was today.

‘’I’m not your housewife.’’

‘’You’d make a bad one anyway.’’ He strolled back into the house leaving me to the overly cuddly white haired teenage boy.

‘’You think I’m a good cook right?’’ His big watery eyes looked down at me as we were still on the soft grass from his hug that knocked us over.

‘’Of course. Come on let’s go show him who he’s messing with.’’ I grinned and he followed suit before we quickly ran into his house.

--

Two and a half hours later of trying to make the perfect blueberry muffins, we were nibbling the blueberry goodness at the park outside Donut King in my usual tree loving spot.

‘’These are soo good! I don’t know how I could have done it without you guys!’’  Chris giggled and wrapped us in a three person hug that I struggled to get out of and Drake being used to it, he just sagged like a ragdoll trying not to squish our little friend.

‘’No problem buddy.’’ I ruffled his hair and Drake just nodded his agreement and went back to staring at the park.

‘’Hey Drake… do you think you’d come on the seesaw with me? Tommy’s out of it again staring at man candy.’’ I heard a familiar whine to my right followed by a manly protest.

‘’No.’’

‘’Boo. You guys are never any fun.’’

Chris suddenly jumped up -just about scaring the life out of me- to go run over to a springy thingy that they make for kids. With his small body he easily squished into the koala shaped contraption and then he was off going back and forth and back and forth on the spring.

Since when does a koala move like that? I don’t know. Then again I’ve never tried racing koala’s so I wouldn’t know. They kind of scare me too.

‘’What kind of scares you?’’ A masculine voice sounded overhead.

Is that an angel? Has God finally sent me a good hunk of man meat? I looked up and I praised the Lord for all things Holy and good in the world! God has answered my prayers!

‘’What prayers?’’ He chuckled and handed me a caramel latte.

‘’Are you an Angel?’’ I smiled up at the body as I took the wonderful drink and sipped the drink of the Gods.

‘’Tommy, maybe we should get you checked out by a doctor.’’

Wait.  I knew that voice! My suspicions were correct when he moved out of the sun’s rays and I could clearly see Chace’s beautiful features.

‘’Believe me I’ve tried to get him tested. He kicks and screams when you mention the D word.’’ Drake scoffed and tore his gaze from Chris to search me then Chace then rested back on Chris who was clearly having too much fun giggling away.

‘’What D word?’’ Chace cocked his head to the side like a cute little puppy and I had to almost hold back an awww.

‘’Doctor!!’’ Chris screamed throughout the park making all the little kids jump and a little girl cry but he paid no mind to them.

‘’Doctor?’’

‘’Stop saying the word!’’ I groaned and covered my ears but it didn’t work because I had a beautiful drink in one of my hands.

‘’Oh. Well Jen said to haul your ass into the shop she needs your help on stock.’’ He obediently quoted Jen’s orders, even going as far as to mimic her exact hands on her hips pose.

‘’Nooooo this is child labour! Tommy slavery! I don’t even get paid for doing all these jobs why doesn’t she hire someone to do them?’’

‘’Why hire someone when I can just use you, idiot?’’ Jen threw a donut at my head from the door before ducking back into the shop.

‘’I just got here. Ugh. Life sucks when your sporks too big.’’

‘’What?’’ He cocked his head adorably again and I just couldn’t resist my urge to jump up and pat him on the chest lovingly before skipping off and into the shop.

‘’You’ll get used to it.’’ Chris shouted to Chace as he followed behind me.

‘’Oh honey if you got used to it, it would never be funny mhhmm.’’

 Oh Judas I’ve got to stop hanging out with Jen and Chris they’re making me sassy. I might as well start snapping z’s at everyone and calling them all Honey Boo Boo Child.

--

‘’Finished!’’ I breathed, exhausted from a hard day’s child labour.

‘’Come on it wasn’t that hard.’’ Chace laughed and pat me on the back.

In the end I was taking way too long for Jen’s standards so Chace had to leave the fun life of being behind the counter and getting hit on by every single female customer that entered this shop. Seriously, he even had a grandma hit on him and she was with her son and granddaughter that was hitting on him too!

Sorry guys! If I can’t have him no one can. Except that stupid button faced cheetah eater whatever her name was again. Lucy? Liala? Lilly! Thats right. Lilly. I cringed at the name.

‘’Come on I’ll buy you a slushy.’’

‘’Yaaaay! Employee and slave discount!’’ I cheered running from the storage room and straight to a booth at the back of the shop practically jumping out of my seat with excitement.

‘’Woah buddy what happened to you? Lose your virginity?’’ Chris giggled in my ear as Drake smirked and plopped down across from me but made enough room for Chris.

‘’No Chris! Jeez this is a family establishment! Sheesh.’’

‘’How do you think a family starts? They lose their virginity and they lose that by shoving the man’s di-‘’

‘’Too much information!’’ I yelled and threw a napkin at his hands which he was inserting a finger into his other hand that was shaped as a circle.

‘’So, Drake. Come here often?’’ I ignored Chris’s pouting and worked my charm on the bad boy.

‘’Tommy, no need to beat around the bush of course I’ll shove my di-‘’

‘’What is wrong with you two!?’’ I ran straight from the table to sit on the service counter while listening to them laughing.

Stupid people. Can’t live with them, can’t wait for a slushy with them.

‘’I’m guessing there’s a valid reason your butt is on one of my counters Mr Verlane?’’

I turned around and saw Jen’s Boss crossing his overly built arms over his chest. Everyone called him Boss, I don’t actually think most people know his real name, hell even I don’t and I’ve been coming here nearly every day since I moved here!

Boss always had the ‘tough guy’ look; short hair, tattoos, leather vest, ripped jeans and a motor bike. I don’t know why he had to, he owned a donut shop for Judas’ sake it’s not a biker bar.

‘’There was a panda and I was just trying to show it how to climb so when it’s in the wild it will know how a fat person climbs things so he can climb trees when he’s all big and fat.’’ I nodded and jumped off the counter.

‘’Mhm and where is this panda?’’

‘’Africa.’’

‘’Then how-  I don’t even want to get into this with you again.’’ He lifted his hand up and rubbed his temple while I smiled triumphantly.

Boss always knew that he could never win an argument with me ever. I was always justifying myself somehow and it may not have been logical or true but I could always justify myself until they either give up or get annoyed and walked away.

‘’Well I better get going. Completely not fake  or imaginary sexy man waiting for me at home and all.’’ I sarcastically walked over to the door and heard the stupid jingle of bells as it opened.

Boss knew I was gay. He was one of the few rare ones that actually knew that deep dark secret. Only Jen, Chris, Drake, my mom and Boss knew and I wasn’t the one that told them. They all kind of just knew it. It was quite scary actually.

‘’Hey Tommy. You forgetting something?’’ Chace raised his eyebrows as he walked over to me.

‘’What? You want a kiss or something?’’ I laughed trying to cover my hope with sarcasm.

‘’Would be nice I can’t lie but nope.’’ He handed me my slushy.

‘’Uh thanks.’’ Awkwardly taking the large pink cup filled with frozen coke goodness, I walked out of the shop and down the street on my way home for yet another fun filled evening of slaving over the stove for two hungry hungry hippos.

Oh the life of me.

C O M M E N T   V O T E   F A N