The Five Musketeers

Chapter 5 - Disaster Strikes

"Now when thou wakest, with thine own fool’s eyes peep."

~Puck, A Midsummer Night's Dream. Act 4, Scene 1.       

        It was late. Much too late to have boys over. Fortunately, Michelle's parents were prone to going to bed no later than 9, and were blissfully unaware that Peter and Jack were camped out in their basement shoveling handfuls of popcorn into their gaping mouths, eyes glued to The Dark Knight.

      Jess was unsure how the parental figures were still asleep, unless they were half bear and were in possession of only half their hearing. The movie blasted at almost full volume due to Jess's poor hearing. Her friends decided it was better to just turn the volume up before they ripped her head off for saying, "WHAT? I can't hear, turn it UP!" no less than 15 times. Michelle, who had sensitive ears, was sitting behind the couch with headphones on to "protect her sanity."

     "This movie is so great," Jess remarked, hugging Nicole's prickly legs, her head resting comfortably on her hip. Peter sat next to Jess, looking jealously at her cuddled up to his longtime crush. Bringing one hand up, Jess made a vulgar gesture towards him and wiggled her eyebrows up and down repeatedly while winking. 

      "I know, this is awesome," Jack said, staring unblinkingly at the screen a foot from his nose. Over the past hour he had steadily migrated towards the large television until his eyes had to  have been burning from the overwhelming LED light in the pitch black room. Frantically shushing, Jack cackled and quoted the movie for a solid five minutes before Nicole's annoyed hiss made him stop.

        Getting sick of Nicole's stubble, Jess stretched and grabbed her stuffed dog, Killer. Killer was an adorable black lab who had been an Easter gift from her parents five years ago. Forgotten in a closet, Killer had almost been donated before Jess spotted him and fell in love for the first time. Christening him after murder, Jess happily showed him off at any and all opportunities.

        Propping Killer up against Peter, she leaned against him and sighed in contentment. Feeling him stiffen uncomfortably, Jess glanced up at Peter's face. "Relax, I think you're as gross as you think I am. It's either you or Chewbacca, okay?"

        "Hey, who are you calling Chewbacca?" Nicole asked, offended. 

        "Seriously, when's the last time you shaved? Jesus, you're going to need a week whacker," Jess said, her reply muffled from Killers's artificially soft fur and Peter's shoulder. She felt vibrations against her cheek and realized he was trying to say something, but she couldn't hear.

        " - Gross?" Sitting up, Jess asked him to repeat himself. She could imagine his eye roll.

        "I don't think you're gross," Peter groaned, stretching his numb arm. He picked up a handful of Chex Mix and threw it at Jack, still unmoving in front of the television.

        Jack's loud, "What the hell, man?" was enough to make Michelle pop up from her perch behind the couch. Her eyes narrowed as she took in the large mess of popcorn and snacks littering the new carpet of the recently refurbished basement. 

        "You're cleaning this up, you guys. I'm sick of picking up your filth every weekend." She had to repeat herself when she realized Jack wasn't listening and had gone back to being a zombie. 

        Grudgingly pausing the movie, they got to work. After painstakingly picking up every kernel and crumb, everybody collapsed on the small couch. Or tried to. Giving a moaning creak, the sofa suddenly dropped concerning. Freezing, no one made a move until they heard an unpleasant crack, and the piece of furniture fell the rest of the way to the floor.