Generation Three - Chapter Four

"Rhys! I'm so glad you came!" The look of relief on her face was almost too much for me. I was so happy to see her, but felt guilty because she had doubted I'd come. For the first time, I really noticed her eyes. You know, I didn't just see them, I saw them. Their dark brown colour drew me in, and I found it hard to look away.

"Of course I'm here, I invited you!" I explained, trying my best to sound smooth. But it wasn't easy. Just seeing her now brought the dreams from the night before back into my mind, and it was all I could do to stop myself from blushing. Explaining to her that I'd dreamed of sex with her was not something I wished to talk about on our first non-date.

"I know, but we're not exactly long-time friends. I thought, maybe you'd change your mind and wouldn't show up, since we've never talked much before now."

"I wouldn't do that" I smiled, hoping to put her mind at ease and make her feel relaxed. Or was I hoping to relax myself? Probably both. "Maybe we can change the long-time friend thing, though?" The more time I spent with her the more I wanted to get to know her. She was a sweet, friendly girl, there was no other, perverted reason!



"Maybe we can" she smiled, and my knees went weak. Maker, was this it? Was I falling in love with Danni? How could this happen so quickly? "But why would you want to be friends with me?"

Her question took me by surprise. Justified as it was, I felt a little taken aback. "Why wouldn't I?" Yeah, I know, it was a lame answer, but I needed more time to think of something better.

"Because I'm two years younger than you, so I'm also two years below you in school. We hardly know each other, and there are probably other people you could be friends with who are better for you." I had no idea what that meant.

I said the first thing that came to my mind. Stupidly, without thinking. "How about I decide how good you are for me once we've gotten to know each other a little more?" Oh Maker, that sounded awful! I was not a pervert!



To my relief, she giggled. "Alright, then. What do you want to know about me?" She was the best girl in the world for ignoring my terrible lines. Most of all, for not thinking me a creep.

"Tell me about yourself." Girls liked talking about themselves, right?

"You'll have to be more specific than that!" She laughed, making me feel like an idiot and causing me to blush.



"Erm, okay, what kind of music do you like?"

"Probably not the same as you!" She looked shy, but so cute! So she was playing hard to figure out, fine by me. I was going to stay here all night talking to her if I had to.

"Why would you think that?" Every time she danced around a question, it made me more curious. I was more intrigued by her now than I had been when I had first seen her, cheesy as that sounded. I had to get to know her, I just had to!

"Well, people my age like all this new music, don't they? Techno, and these girls who can't sing but are popular because they wear loads of make-up and dress cheap."

"And you don't?" She shook her head.

"No. I prefer older music. You know, like the Stones, or Queen. People who wrote their own music, and played actual instruments." That proved it, didn't it? We were meant for each other.

"Yeah, me too!" Again she looked relieved. "What else? What do you like to do when you're home? What subjects do you like?" I wanted to know everything there was to know about her, especially now that I knew we liked the same music.



"I'm good at Biology and Chemistry, and-"

"Wow, seriously?" She was full of surprises! "I'm good at those, too!" In fact, I had been busting my butt to get good marks everywhere. I wanted to graduate with the best possible grades, and had been working hard to get there. "And at home? What are your hobbies?"

"I think you've asked me enough for one night, haven't you?" Her laughter was music to my ears. Such a pure sound!

"Absolutely not, I want to know more! But if you want to leave...?"

Fortunately, she shook her head. "No, I don't. But I'd like to ask you some things now! What are your hobbies?"



We were talking until late into the night, forgetting all about the time. I told her about the instruments I played and my singing, and she told me how she had often felt lucky ever since she was a child.

I had just asked her if she felt lucky now that she had met me, when flashy lights appeared behind my back. I turned around only to see a very angry looking police man walking towards me.

"Do you know what time it is?" He asked, sounding very bored with his job and like he hated me simply for being outside.

Truth was, I didn't have a watch, and neither did Danni, but I could guess that it was well past my curfew.

"I better go" Danni said, and attempted to leave when the police man stepped into her way.

"I don't think so" he said. "Get in the car, both of you. You can tell me where you live inside." We did as he asked, and mumbled our addresses.



Needless to say, Dad was pretty cross.

"YOUNG MAN, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW LATE IT IS?" Why did people keep asking me that?

I shook my head, convinced that anything I'd say would make things worse for me.

"GO TO YOUR ROOM, IT'S TEN TO MIDNIGHT!" Oops. Maybe it was time I bought a watch?

I nodded, hanging my head as I started towards the stairs.

"You're grounded." Dad exclaimed with a more calm but still pretty angry voice. He tried to hide it but he was raging.



"Grounded?" I had never been late once, and had done very well in school over the last months. Surely I deserved to be let off with a warning this once?

"You heard me. Now get to bed!"



Being grounded sucked. I couldn't invite Danni out any more since I couldn't leave the house, but we talked on the phone and I did get more studying done. My final exams were getting close, so it wasn't such a bad thing.

But it was definitely unfair. You know how I got grounded because I was home late once?



My sister burned down the kitchen, and no one cared. I didn't see it happen, but she told me - away from our parents' ears - that she had started breakfast that morning. She had never made waffles before and had underestimated how long they'd take to cook. Before they were fully cooked, our school bus arrived. She thought she had switched the oven off, but she obviously hadn't.

To my annoyance, my parents blamed it on the old kitchen appliances, and decided it was time for new furniture. So just to summarise this: I make a small mistake -I get grounded. My sister sets the kitchen on fire - it's treated like a blessing.

Yeah, I was confused, too.



It was even more confusing, however, when I came home that day.

Dad was fuming! "Where were you?" Just like the night before he tried to sound calm, but failed miserably.

"Erm, at school? It's Tuesday."

"I thought I grounded you?" Wait, so now going to school was forbidden, too? Why had no one told me that?

"You had, but I-"



"NO EXCUSES, RHYS! YOU DON'T LEAVE THE HOUSE WHENEVER YOU LIKE WHEN YOU'RE GROUNDED, YOUNG MAN!"

"Okay." I was a lot more upset this time than I had been the night before. How was I supposed to know that going to school was off limits when you were grounded? So he wanted to punish me, but forbids school.

I dragged myself inside, and started to dabble around with some chemicals.

It really sucked to be grounded, but it had been worth it. Danni hadn't left my mind since the cop had brought her home the night before, so focusing at school had been difficult. I was pretty sure that I was in love with her, and I was sure of one other thing, too.

I wanted to kiss her.

When I couldn't concentrate on my potions any longer, I picked up my phone and dialled her number. I only wasn't allowed to leave the house, right? Dad hadn't said anything about having friends over.

She agreed to come over right away, and I admit, I looked outside the window every other minute to see if a taxi pulled up outside the house.

What I didn't expect was what I actually saw.



Was Danni flying a broom?
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Look! It's the new kitchen!

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Wishes fulfilled

None :( Sorry, Rhys -.-