The Stray

Chapter 3

Hey guys!! It's been a long night, so I'll try to write a little but more, but there's no promises that I'll post Chapter 4 tonight. It might be a little short, but it's more of a filler than anything important after the first few paragraphs. Enjoy! Tweet, like, vote, comment!

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Chapter 3-

Tears poured down my face as I scrambled to get ice and a washcloth for Paul. He stood up and chased after me, trying to calm me down. "It's okay! I'm fine! Lacey, please stop."

I fell onto the couch, defeated, and sobbed uncontrollably. "I-I'm s-s-soooo-oo s-s-orr-ry." I gasped for breath and more sobs contracted in my chest. Jack was still staring at me with a burning in his eyes. I glanced away, embarrassed. It was almost as if he was looking into my soul.

"It's not a problem. Sure, it's weird as crap, but it's fine. I'm okay. It's not your fault. We just have to figure out what's going on. No matter what it is, we'll get through it."

I smiled as my best friend comforted me. "There's nothing unusual that's happened to me besides Dad, but there's nothing about that that could to this to me. The only other thing that I can think of is.... my eighteenth coming up in a week from today." I looked over at Jack to see him jump up and yip, shocked. "Erm, should I tell Mom what happened? Maybe she knows what's going on. Maybe it's some weird hormonal thing where you're suddenly a woman and-"

"Lalalalala!!!! Don't wanna hear it! Lalalala!" Paul protested on my rant about hormones. I chuckled and pulled his hands away from his ears. He chuckled and let me.

"I'm just saying, maybe it has to do with growing up."

"Lace, I don't care if you're fifty. You shouldn't be able to throw me across a room." He looked at me with worry in his eyes. Tears threatened to spill over and he wrapped me in a hug. "But!" I jumped at the loud boom of his voice. "It doesn't matter, because we are having a slumber party. No more pillow fights. Let's just eat and watch movies."

I grinned up at him as we unlocked from our embrace. I jumped off the bed and zipped to the mini-kitchen, grabbed some popped popcorn and two sodas, and raced back to the couch. Paul was still looking at the place where I was just a moment ago as if I was still there. He gasped and looked over to where I was now with the food and drinks in my hands. My heart stuttered. "I did it again, didn't I?" I asked. I had moved fast enough to be abnormal and inhumanly. I hadn't thought anything of it before, because Jack had followed me with his eyes the entire time.

Paul nodded slowly and took a soda and the popcorn from my hands. He turned around slowly, as if he was still soaking it in, and picked up two controllers. He set one down and threw one at me, as hard and fast as he could, when I was starting to look away. Without thinking, I snatched the controller out of the air. I dropped it when I realized what had happened. He yelled, "That was so friggin awesome! I can't believe my best friend has-" He stopped and mumbled as I covered his mouth. I made sure to move slowly and be careful so that I didn't accidentally hurt him.

"It is not 'awesome'." I hissed at him. His eyes softened when he realized what was happening. "I'm a freak." I finished before grabbing the control and popping Black Ops into the Xbox 360.

Jack came over to me and halted about a foot away, looking as if he wanted to come closer. He decided against it and plopped onto the floor. I sighed and turned towards the screen to own Paul at his own game.

Many games, candies, and sodas later, I fell to the floor in a fit of giggles. Tears came to my eyes and my stomach ached from the fits of laughter that shook from my body. Paul huffed and look at me, trying to hold back a smile. "It's not that funny!" He almost yelled and my laughter somehow found a way to double. We had been playing 'Name something about you that nobody else knows' and he had just admitted that he had once got scolded and spanked by an elderly lady when he accidentally went into the girl's restroom after losing a contact.

"O-Okay. I'm d-done." I said with my laughter slowly subsiding. Jack had even lifted his lips like he was grinning. Or maybe that was my sugar rush speaking. "My turn! Hmm... Well there was once when Aaron was a baby and I was changing his diaper. I couldn't find a place to put it at the time, so I stuck it under Trish's mattress. I'm not sure if she ever found it or not. There's always a whiff of it when you walk into her room." I confessed with a fit of giggling threatening to break through.

Paul eyes lit up with a mischievous glint. "Let's go check." He said simply. I looked towards the basement door. It was about three in the morning, so there was no threat of anybody being awake.

"Wait. I have the best idea ever." I ran to the closet and grabbed the twins ninja gear from all of their little games. I placed all of the black clothes on me and tied myself a headband with the belt. The cloak whipped out behind me as I passed the other set to Paul. He looked at me while laughing and putting it on. Jack was quiet enough, so he came with us. We tiptoed through the house trying to hold back fits of giggles. We got up the stairs with only one creak, which belonged to Paul. Trish's door lay wide open, and I paused. She was asleep at her computer desk. Thank goodness we didn't have to lift the mattress with her on top. We ninjad over to the bed and carefully lifted the mattress. Underneath was the Spiderman diaper that I had placed there about three years ago.

I cracked up, laughing hard enough for it to come out silently. Paul, chuckling quietly behind be dragged me back to the basement before my giggling calmed down enough to make sound. As soon as we reached the basement we guffawed until tears streamed down our face. Jack was making gruff noises that sounded like a deep, throaty bark. After we calmed down, we dragged ourselves over to the bed. Our sugar highs were gone, and sleep finally claimed us. The next day was going to suck. As my eyes started to drift closed, I saw Jack rear back onto two legs and walk over to the kitchen. My eyes slammed closed, and I saw no more.