The Whale - 13. Part II, chapter 5

- V -

We got maybe three or four hours of sleep that night, and when Faith's alarm went off, I almost threw it into the wall. She reached for it blindly and shut it off.

"I gotta get up..." she muttered.

"No way," I said and pulled her closer. "It's my freaking birthday and you are staying home today... That'll be my present."

I expected her to say something in her usual sarcastic manner, and when she didn't, I looked at her with astonishment.

"You feeling all right?" I asked with concern, and she grinned.

"As a matter of fact, I am incredibly sick today," she said and reached for the phone.

I was biting the pillow the whole time that she was on the phone. When she started coughing and said that she felt like her fever was making her dizzy, I practically lost it. Finally, she hung up the phone and looked at me with reproach.

"Control yourself, will you?" she said evenly. "I was talking to Williamson, by the way."

I started laughing and I couldn't stop it. She smacked me on the head, and I pulled her on top of me. We didn't get out of bed until almost noon, and we were ravenous. I called and ordered three pizzas, figuring that we were not going to take a single step out of this house today, so might as well stack up on food. After I hung up, I told Faith that I was going to start looking for a job tomorrow, since I really wanted to move in with her as soon as I got my damn diploma. She said that I could always be a pizza delivery boy, and I just hemmed at that.

"Right. So I could deliver all those pizzas to the whale?"

"Russell," she almost hissed. "Don't call her that... Plus, she is losing weight really fast."

I smiled.

"Fine. I won't call her the whale anymore. I'll call her Annie, how's that?"

"Annie?" she frowned. "Why?"

"Isn't that her name?" now it was my turn to frown.

"It's Amy," she rolled her eyes and I shrugged.

"Whatever. No, I am not going to be a pizza delivery boy. I know a guy who fixes cars, he runs his own shop. I'm pretty sure he'll hire me."

"You can fix cars?" she squinted her eyes, and I snorted smugly.

"You kidding? I knew how to fix cars since I was ten!"

"Wow," she said sincerely. "You are handy!"

"Yeah," I nodded. "I am. You have no idea how lucky you are."

Of course, the pizza guy rang the bell when she was about to pull off my pants. I grumbled something and went to the door. Right when I was about to open it, I thought that it would be disastrous and hilarious at the same time if it wasn't a pizza guy but Williamson instead. I mean, what if he was so worried about Faith's high fever that he brought her some chicken soup or something? I peeked into the peephole and sighed with relief. It was a pizza guy after all. I opened the door and he eyed me with curiosity. I guess I did look wild with my messed up hair and no shirt on. I grabbed all three pizzas, and shove a fifty in his hand.

"Keep the change," I muttered and he nodded.

"Cool, man. Thanks."

I kicked the door closed and went into the kitchen. Damn, I was starting to run low on money, it pissed me off. Usually I wouldn't have money problems. My parents would never give me any, of course, but I had my ways of getting cash. Blackmailing my brother was one of them. I caught him making out with a guy once, and I thought that he was about to have a heart attack. I couldn't care less about whom he was doing, but I knew that our father would probably have a stroke if he found out. So I took a couple of very interesting pictures before he shoved me out of his room, and it felt like I hit a jackpot. I might drop a hint or two about that next time I see him. I knew it wouldn't last long because my brother was about to move out any day now, so I decided to do it as soon as I could. And tomorrow I am so going to talk to Mike about that job!

The rest of the day was so great that I didn't notice when it became dark outside. I sighed with regret when I realized that both of us had to go back to school tomorrow. Then I thought of something, and my mood brightened immediately. I heated up a couple of slices of pizza and took the plate into the living room where Faith was flipping through TV channels.

"I just thought of something," I said and plopped on the couch next to her.

"Oh yeah?" she said and grabbed a slice of pizza.

"Uh huh. Thanksgiving is coming up."

"I know that," she looked at me. "Don't tell me that you have something on your mind that involves a turkey and feathers..."

I snorted.

"Well, now that you mentioned it..."

She rolled her eyes.

"Feathers are good," she laughed finally. "But no turkey!"

"Wimp," I hemmed and shoved the rest of my pizza in my mouth. "No, seriously. Thanksgiving break, Faith. The entire week. See where I am going?"

She looked at me with interest. I nodded energetically.

"Exactly! We can stay in this house and live on pizzas and coke for several days, can't we?"

She winced.

"I'll go grocery shopping before that week," she said evenly. "If I eat nothing but pizzas for more than one day in a row, I'll die from indigestion."

I laughed.

"Whatever! Plus, I will probably be able to get some food from my mother anyway. I mean, the woman wished me happy birthday yesterday! I think she'll give me food, especially if I'll say that I won't bug her for the entire week of Thanksgiving!"

Faith started to laugh and almost dropped her pizza.

"Luke," she breathed. "Sometimes I feel like I am totally insane for ever getting involved with you..."

"That's what my mother said," I nodded solemnly. "She said that if someone would actually get together with me, that person would be completely out of their freaking mind."

"Mother knows best," she said almost seriously and finished her pizza.

I grinned and pinned her down on the couch.

"If the doorbell rings," I breathed in her ear. "You are not moving a muscle. If your neighbor locks himself out of the house, tough! He'll have to sleep outside... And if it's Williamson, then he can go to hell."

"You are a mean person," she murmured and ran her fingers through my hair. "I love that!"

"Uh huh," I muttered, kissing her neck. "I know..."