Nicky, Ricky, Dicky and Dawn The Cheerleader

She's Your WHAT?!

Back at the gym, the hotdog stand had sold its last hotdog and was closing up for the day. Nicky Harper sat on the bleachers beside his siblings, eagerly scarfing down his fourth hotdog in a row.

"How can you eat that much?" Ricky said, trying not to sound too disgusted with his brother. "Especially hotdogs. Do you know how unhealthy they are?"

"Hey." Nicky licked a drop of ketchup off his finger and pointed at Ricky. "You had three. And you had two." He shifted to Dawn, then went back to his hotdog. "No one can complain."

"Guys, we should go check on Dicky. For real now. He's been in that nurse's office for too long now." Dawn said concernedly. "I still don't trust that Kayley chick."

"I'm sure Dicky and 'That Kayley chick' are doing just fine, Dawn." Nicky polished off the last of his hotdog. "Come on, I heard there was a popcorn stand outside!"

"No. No." Dawn grabbed Nicky's arm and yanked him back before he could run out to stuff himself with blown up corn. "No more food. You'll get bloated."

"That'd be bad." Ricky agreed. Feeling bloated was never a good feeling, especially with hotdogs and popcorn. "I do feel like we should check on Dicky now. Really, Nicky, he might be in trouble."

"But I thought we could trust Kayley!" Nicky complained. "One box of popcorn? Please?"

"Ha! No." Dawn walked out the other gym door towards the nurse's office, dragging Nicky along with her and Ricky trailing behind.

Dicky sat in the nurse's office with Kayley, waiting while the nurse attended to another patient.

"I'm just going to go to the bathroom for a moment, okay?" Kayley told Dicky. "I'll be back. Don't go anywhere!"

"Okay!" Dicky said happily, swinging his uninjured leg back and forth. Kayley waved her fingers and left. Dawn, Ricky and Nicky burst into the room.

"Are you okay? What happened? What'd the nurse say?" Dawn spewed questions like a volcano erupting a mile a minute. "What's up? Where's Kayley?"

"Calm it, Dawn." Ricky rolled his eyes and poked his sister's arm. "As you should be able to see, Dicky obviously has a sprained ankle. Why else would the nurse have wrapped a cloth bandage all over it?"

"I'm fine, guys, honestly." Dicky winced as a stab of pain shot up in leg. "Well, maybe not. But still. Don't worry about me."

"We have to worry about you, Dicky," Nicky said matter-of-factly. "You're our brother."

"No Harper gets left behind, remember?" Dawn said. "Not even you."

"Thanks, guys."

"Quad hug!" Dawn called. She, Nicky and Ricky all pounced on top of Dicky and smothered him in a big Harper-hug.

"Give him some space, guys," Kayley smiled at Dicky. His siblings peeled themselves off him. "He's in great pain."

"I am." Dicky agreed. "I may have to go over to Kayley's this afternoon."

"He may have to come over." Kayley repeated.

"What?" Dawn looked from the cheerleader to her brother back to the cheerleader. "What? What the heck is going on here?"

"....we're together!" Kayley squealed excitedly.

"You're together?" Nicky said inquisitively.

"Yes, Nicky," Dicky sighed, like Nicky was so naive in the happenings and words of middle school. "It means that she's my girlfriend now."

"She's your WHAT?!" Dawn, Ricky and Nicky screamed.

"Ooooooh, Dicky, you know mom isn't gonna be very happy about that," Dawn raised her eyebrows and folded her arms. "You should know better than to date a girl like Kayley."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kayley frowned.

"Kayley's so out of your league, Dicky." Ricky said. "She's a cheerleader."

"And I'm an athlete!" Dicky said proudly. "We're perfect for each other."

"We really are," Kayley agreed. "Will your siblings permit me to bring you home for an hour or two? You know, because my house is closer and--and you're injured."

Dicky glanced at his siblings, who were all making clear signs with their hands and throats that said, nonononono, Dicky, don't go with the crazy cheerleader smotherer, don't do it, no. Dicky turned to Kayley and beamed. "They don't have to permit me to go anywhere." He told her. "Let's go to your place, Kayley."

And they swept past the three, leaving the remaining Harpers standing the school hallway, completely shell-shocked by the new discovery that their brother was with a cheerleader. And not just any cheerleader, Kayley the cheerleader.

Dawn squinted after the pair. Her chick-stincts were tingling.