This was the hottest day of the century. There was no official announcement but that was the only thought that crossed Darla's mind in the past 20 minutes, since the ending credits of Spongebob rolled up and some other show began. 

She wasn't watching the TV anymore, she was just looking. Remote on one hand and the other buried in a bowl of pop-corn. It was only 15 more minutes later when the other show that she wasn't really watching got awfully boring that she decided to call up her friends. 

She wasn't planning to go outside. So obviously Christie and Anna were coming to her place. Even after repeated instructions from her mom about opening up the curtains in her room and let some air and sunlight enter the room, but no way she was going to do that with all the heat outside. The room already feels like a damn fireball.

"I'll soon become a toast. A burned one. Not the tasty kind. Then I'll be ignored by mom and dad, like they don't already ignore me enough." She turned around to left and swept the floor to look for the cock can that she finished minutes ago. 2 cans of coke. Finished. In the past hour. 

And of course the renovation had to start now. How convenient! There's been drastic rearrangement of rooms, Dean is moving out. Mom needs an office, Darla must have a room to sleep and study. Dad doesn't really stay home but still needs a home office. Darla's figuring out who gets what room because she wasn't told anything apart from "goodness Darla you'll get a room, don't keep asking me these things just cause I'm home." 

Well, she was also told that Darla's stupid questions may have caused her dad to staying out and work more than staying in. 

Dean is the only soul in the house that she's close with. And Dean has decided to spend the entire day outside today. *makes dying noises "That idiot is spending the whole day out today." Well he's not to be blamed. He says it's the last week before summer ends and he leaves for high school so he's gonna spend a lot of time with his friends. Darla clearly isn't very happy about him moving out.

He is her partner in crime. They're a team. Even though Dean is 5 years older to Darla, he always treated Darla like one of her buddies. And she loved it. And there were times when she wanted to be treated as a sister, and Dean just knew. Dean knew when to do a fist bump and when to hug her and rub her hair to calm her down.

Darla looks up at the ceiling and watches the fan for the next couple of minutes before she shakes the thoughts off and sits up straight because her phone just buzzed with the message that her friends are here. She ran downstairs to open the door for them. "There was a good couple of minutes I thought I was having a heart attack." Anna hands Darla the bag of chips she brought. "I didn't know I could sweat this much."

Christie walked past Darla while whipping her face "will you quit complaining already?! It's not like we can do something about it." She flips her hair and walks in a few steps before looking over to Darla with wide eyes and a face full of irritation. "She wouldn't stop! The whole way! Ugh this, ugh that. Stawp! For god's sake."

"Oukhey.... Calm down people. I know the summer's driving us crazy. No need to turn on each other" after Darla closed the door, she directed them to the room they'll be hanging out in. The one with an AC. "I'll get us ice cream and a bowl for the chips." They manage to lay down a mat to sit with a few cushions and the laptop. Christie and Anna wait in the room while Darla heads down stairs to get the ice creams.

She heads over to the kitchen to get the ice creams.

Christie and Anna would be best casted for Tom and Jerry. Man! Do they love to fight. After she has washed the bowl, Darla heads over to the refrigerator. The washing bowl part is something she picked up a few years ago when she went to India at her Aunt Sophie's. She got married to the gorgeous Indian dude. Her aunt's house is twice the size of Darla's house. No wonder she moved to India after marriage. The affection over Karan grew especially when he did bhangra in the wedding. Dude must never have missed a leg day. Some crazy squats that he was doing there.

All done. Ice cream, check. Bowl, check. Chips, check.

"Hey." The next thing she knows she's throwing the ice creams away, taking the biggest bowl in her reach, tried to reach for a fork but couldn't because she's slipping while turning around, she only has one slipper on and a mouth full of chips and she's ready to fight the strange voice that just came from behind. "Woah...."

Tall, pretty. Not as pretty as Milo, but still pretty. Familiar looking guy standing at the door frame of the kitchen. Darla hasn't stopped panicking yet. It's the middle of the afternoon. No one's home, just her and her two stupid friends who are by the way still yelling at each other about something. "Who the hell are you?"

"Ouch. Really? First you were about to Jackie Chan me and now this?"

Wait. Beck? He notices Darla lowering her very strong defense line and he smirks "Beck?"

"Hi Darla." His curly dark hair and cheeky smile always makes Darla nervous. His voice has changed too. Since the last time she saw him. It's a bit more deep now.

"Damn it Beck, you should've told me. I got so scared."

"Really? I thought you were totally gonna take me down." She smiles and picks up the ice creams. "You've not changed since the last time I saw you." he said looking at a very messy Darla picking up ice cream cones from the floor.

She gasps and makes faces to prove him wrong. "Where's Dean?"

"He's outside, talking to some friends"

"Ah, cool. There's more ice cream and drinks in the fridge. You guys can have some. I'll head upstairs, my friends are here."

"And Milo?"

She chuckles "shut up!"

"What? I thought you already bagged him!"

"SHUT UP!" Darla hops up the stairs in desperate want to get away from Beck's stupid questions.

Beck's probably Dean's oldest friend. They don't use the term best friend a lot but she knows he is. Beck left right before his freshman year to do his school from somewhere else. Dean and him kept in touch. Now that Dean is going to the same school. Beck is here to pick him up.

Well it's a good thing that Beck is gonna be with him. Dean sometimes tends to let the intrusive thoughts take over him.

When Darla is almost at the door of her room she hears the front door unlock and someone come in. After giving the snacks over to Christie and Anna, Darla heads over downstairs once again to make sure it was her brother.

It is. "Hey," Darla reaches her empty shorts pockets and rests her hands there. A sheepish smile hovering her face because she hates seeing Dean pack. And Beck being here is just hitting so hard because she knows that it's almost time for Dean to leave. He'll come for the holidays and we'll probably visit him too. But that's not the same.

Darla decides to go back upstairs to have ice cream and watch Family Man with her friends because if she sees Dean discussing his leaving any longer she's gonna have waterworks. 'I'll manage when he's gone. It won't be too long before I go over to Hartford.' She reassured herself and finally sits with Christie and Anna.

~*~*~*~*~