Nicky, Ricky, Dicky and Dawn The Cheerleader

The Other Three

Dawn, Nicky and Ricky paced around their kitchen worriedly. Dicky had been over at Kayley's an unusually long time without them, meaning, he'd been there for around thirty minutes or so.

"What if he hurt his ankle even more?" Dawn blurted.

"Don't say things like that!" Ricky scolded.

"But what if he did?" Dawn pressed. "And then he stumbled and fell onto the road and a car came and the last thing he saw was an old car's grille coming right at his face and--"

"The hospital bill would be a nightmare." Nicky agreed.

"The injuries would be a nightmare!" Dawn whacked Nicky in the arm.

"I doubt that would happen." Ricky rolled his eyes. "The chances of that exact series of events occuring after you just predicted them would be a slim zero to none."

"I think it would be at least a fifteen percent chance that it could happen!" Dawn argued.

"That what could happen?" Dicky hobbled into the kitchen through the back screen door.

"Dicky!" Dawn screamed. "You're okay!" She tackled him in a hug.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, yeah, I'm okay." Dicky pushed Dawn away from him. "What wrong with you?"

"She thought you'd get into a car crash." Ricky explained.

"It's possible!"

"Guys, I'm tired, I think I'm gonna go upstairs and take a nap." Dicky tried to make a hasty retreat before--

"Wait! What happened at Kayley's?" Nicky asked.

Before that happened.

"Nothing, nothing, nothing, she just brought me up to her room--"

"She brought you up to her room?" Ricky screeched. "You don't go into a girl's room no matter what she says! AND YOU'RE TEN YEARS OLD!"

Dicky hobbled out of the kitchen fast. By the time his siblings rushed out to him, he was starting up the stairs, trying for two at a time.

"Dicky!" Dawn called, "Be carefu--" But it was too late. Dicky tripped, and tumbled onto the staircase. HIs ankle twisted even more beneath him. He cried out in agony.

"Are you okay?!"  Ricky rushed over and helped his brother up, despite having contradicted him just seconds earlier. "Your ankle's a little more twisted. We have to get you to a doctor."

"No--I don't need a doctor--"

"You need a doctor, Dicky." Dawn said firmly. "What if this time it's not a sprained ankle? What if it's like, a fatal ankle disease or something--"

"Dawn, it's not a fatal ankle disease." Ricky said. "It is literally just a sprained ankle."

"Sprained ankles hurt." Said Dicky.

"Come on," Dawn and Ricky put their arms around Dicky's shoulders and led him to the couch. "Sit." Dicky sat. He put his foot up on the coffee table. Nicky put a pillow underneath it.

"Thanks, guys," Dicky breathed a sigh of relief. The pain was starting to recede from his ankle a bit. It went down to a dull throbbing. "Do I really have to see a doctor? The nurse wrapped it up pretty well."

"Dicky, the nurse's note says to see a doctor." Dawn waved a piece of paper around then put it down under the TV remote. "Now, about Kayley--"

"No, not her again!" Dicky groaned. "Guys, she's fine. Honest."

"Dawn's chick-stincts aren't telling her that." Nicky folded his arms.

"Come on, guys," Dicky started to protest.

"We all know how spot-on Dawn's chick-stincts are after Tess happened," Ricky pointed out. "Why doubt that they'll be wrong now?"

"Why think that they'll be correct now? There's a fifty-fifty chance that--"

"Actually, seventy-five--fifty chance." Ricky corrected. "They've already been proven right once before."

"Okay, what about this, then," Dicky said, "I invited Kayley to sit with me tomorrow--"

"She'll be around you even more than ever!!" Dawn cried.

"Why don't you sit with us? Then you'll be able to see how good she is."

"Si--sit with you?" Ricky spluttered. "With the populars?" Dicky puffed his chest out.

"With the populars." He confirmed proudly.

"But it doesn't look like there's much space at the table, even less with Kayley sitting there." Nicky said.

"We'll make space for you three." Dicky said. He lifted his foot a little off the pillow and winced. "Can someone get me some ice, please? For my ankle, I mean."

Dawn nodded and headed into the kitchen. Tomorrow she'd be dining with the cool people.... and that gosh darn Kayley kid.