"After dinner I want you to pick out your toys for the yard sale." Karen Wheeler spoke, her eyes on Mike as he pushed his food around his plate. Christine put another potato into her mouth, the conversation clearly having shifted from her  uncle asking her about school to her aunt starting on Mike.

"Fine." He said, his eyes glued to his plate.

"Two boxes worth."

"Two boxes?" Mike sounded stunned, like he just could not believe that she would want two boxes worth of toys.

"You heard me." Karen put her foot down, giving him a warning look.

"I'm fine with you giving away a couple but the others jsut have way to much emotional value." Christine tried not to laugh as she chewed her food, thinking about how funny Mike was unintentionally.

"Emotional value?"

"They're hunks of plastic Michael." Uncle Ted chimed in,  Christine holding back an eye roll as he spoke. She seemed to have to do that every time.

"You already took away my Atari." Mike raised his voice, his face getting redder as he spoke.

"If you didn't want to lose more toys you shouldn't have stolen from Nancy." Karen said, giving him a knowing look.

"I didn't steal. I borrowed." Mike gave a pleading look to Christine, the girl clearing her throat before her aunt could speak.

"I'm sorry Aunt Karen. Really, I am. I told Mike to get the money from Nancy because I didn't have enough for us both to play. I really wanted to learn how to play Dig Dug. He shouldn't have to get in trouble for what I asked him to do. I'll um...I'll pay Nancy back tomorrow for it." Christine intervened, Mike looking as if God himself had reached down and solved this problem. However, uncle Ted was not going to let them off that easy.

"Why wouldn't you just use your own money?" He asked, Christine way quicker to answer than you would think she would be.

"The arcade doesn't take dollars. And she had a piggy bank full of change. Honestly it was  just some bad judgement on  my behalf. But Mike shouldn't suffer for my crimes." She was not using the theatrics yet, but she was sure she would have to once she say his mouth open again to speak.

"Why would you do that Christine?" Her uncle asked her. Christine was ready to put on the performance of the year, the girl setting down her fork and then giving them all an upset look.

"I just really struggle with making friends with people and  Nancy and I have never had the best relationship. So I just wanted to have a good time with Mike and I didn't really think of the consequences. But I'm sorry. And I will make it up to Nancy and pay her back." Her aunt gave her a pitiful look, her hand reaching across the table as she grasped her nieces. She pressed she'd hand over her heart, giving the girl a nod.

"Fine. Mike one box of toys. And you're still not getting the Atari back." The conversation about Mike continued at the table, Christine smiling to herself as she enjoyed her carrots. Mike high fived her under the table, the girl knowing she had also helped him secure his spot trick or treating.Christine excused herself a few moments later, washing her plate off and escaping to her room. She laid in her bed for about twenty minutes before she  heard someone enter, her head turning to look at Mike who was already coming to sit on her bed.

"How'd you do that?" He asked, laying across the bed and putting his arms behind his head. Christine continued to look down at her music that she was organizing, her head not even turning as she spoke.

"Do what?"  She asked, shrugging her shoulders as she put the music down and started towards her closet.

"Lie so effortlessly. Like...come in how'd you know about Dig Dug?" Christine finally turned to look at him,  shaking her head as she walked toward him.

"Listen Mike...you gotta be more perceptive. First off, you and your friends complained about Dig Dug the entire way home because of some Mad Max who took the high score. Second, never go into a lie uneducated.  I saw the piggy bank in Nancy's room earlier, so I figured thats what they were talking about. Third, I'm going to that part tomorrow and I don't have a costume. Got anything in mind?" Christine then turned back to her closet,  leaving a stunned looking Mike to just sit there for a moment. Finally he got up, walking over to her closet and looking over her clothes.

"Me and my friends are going as Ghostbusters."  He informed her, Christine letting out  a chuckle as she looked through her shirts.

"Of course you are. Which one are you?"

"Venkman."

"Sweet. Alright Mike what about this?" Christine held up a white shirt and a brown vest, her cousins eyebrows raising as he look at the combination.

"You're going for...."

"Han Solo." Mike was a little surprised that she knew who Han Solo was,  his eyebrows raising as he saw how it could work.

"You watched Star Wars?"

"Love Star Wars. And Ghostbusters. And I actually already know how to play Dig Dug, although I'm probably not as great at it as Mad Max." Christine said, giving Mike a smile.

"Wow you're secretly a nerd." Mike said, causing the girl to push her hand into his face. They both laughed before she shooed him from her room, the girl pulling on the clothes and looking herself over in the mirror. Yes this would do.

:::

School the next day was rather boring, the morning before being the best part of the day. Mike had called her a nerd all morning, Nancy had had a stick up her ass so she didn't talk, and then Christine got to watched Mike get a bunch of pictures taken of him and also got to laugh while it happened.

Now she was in her 4th period class, thinking about lunch and how much she was actually hungry. Christine was lost in thought about how she couldn't skip lunch today or she figured she would die, and then about the fact that she was gonna be able to get drunk later. She hardly even noticed when a note slipped onto her desk, her eyes dropping dramatically to it as she removed her hand from her chin.  She grabbed it, opening the note and  reading over it.

Sit with me and Nancy at lunch.

She looked up at that, turning her head to the left to see Steve a few seats away. Honestly she hadn't even noticed he was in this class, he hadn't made himself known until then. She made a note to compare schedules with him later considering they seemed to have a lot for the same ones. He was already looking at her,  his eyebrows raised as he tried to get her answer. Christine nodded, giving him a small smile just as the  bell decided to ring. They both stood, Christine walking over to him and giving him another smile.

"I tried to find you guys yesterday but you weren't there. But yeah I'd like to sit with you considering I don't know anybody else here."

"Well I mean...you know somebody else. Clearly." Steve remarked, his eyes glued to the purplish color on her neck. He turned, beckoning her to follow as they headed to lunch. Christines eyes widened as she pulled her shirt up a little, her cheeks glowing red as she spoke.

"Listen I -"

"Relax, we've all had hickeys before." Steve said, giving her a sideways glance as they walked to lunch. It wasn't long before they got there, Steve walking over to a table and  putting his things down on it.  Christine followed suit, putting her things down as well and following him to the line. "You going to the party tonight?"

"Yeah I plan on it."  Christine said, getting in line behind him and watching his lips as he spoke again.

"Nancy's on the fence about going, I'm trying to convince her because I feel like it would be nice to go out and be normal teenagers and have a little fun you know?"

"Yeah." Christine wasn't really sure what he meant by 'be normal teenagers' but she didn't think she would ask. He ran a hand through his hair as he looked down at her, giving her a small smile.

"What are you going as?"

"Well make it to the party and you can find out."