Behind the Curious Mind of Ferris Bloom - Chapters Three and Four

Chapter Three

Kitty

I lay in bed, wondering what I should do today. I glance at the white walls surrounding me. I purse my lips, then frown. Maybe later on in the year, I could convince my mom and dad to change them from boring white to a bright, neon-like green.

My cell phone rings, the tune to the Gorillaz's "El Mañana."

I quickly pick up, too lazy to check the caller ID. "Yell-o?"

"Hi." The voice on the other end sounds awfully familiar. I hear a slight giggle.

"Um," I knit my eyebrows and scratch the side of my neck, "Who is this?"

"I can't believe you forgot about me!" the voice snorts. "It's Prune!"

"Prune?" I hear my voice crack, "As in... eleven- year old Prune? My cousin Prune? Prune Bethaline Powers? You mean the Prune that..."

"Yes, yes, yes! I get it!" The voice is cracking up on the other end, but then stops. "I'm not eleven anymore, though. I turned twelve! Today's my birthday, ya know."

"Oh," I wince and feel my stomach churn, "Happy birthday..."

"Thanks!" Prune giggles, "That means a lot!"

"Yeah. Uh, hey, how did you even get my number, anyway?" I ask, feeling my heart thump.

"My mama has it in her contact list, so I copied it to my phone and saved it!" It sounds as if Prune is practically screaming and spitting as she speaks, "So I was wonderin' if ya wanted to go to the movie theater with me!"

First of all, curse my Aunt Melvie for keeping my number. Second of all, how can I possibly go to the movies with super annoying and unbearable Prune? I honestly don't want to go, but I don't want to hurt her feelings, either. Otherwise she will keep calling me every day, crying and asking me why I refused to come.

Sometimes I wish that creeper wasn't even born.

"Um, I'm not sure... I have a lot of homework to do." I say.

"But today's Sunday, ya silly!" Prune says, still laughing like the maniac she is, as if I am the funniest person the world has ever known, "Nobody gets homework on Sundays!"

"But I, uh, go to Sunday school," I lie, "So I have homework to do."

"I'm not taking no for an answer." Prune sounds a bit more serious now, which makes me panic even more, "You have to come. We're gonna watch that movie... Uh, the one about those talking pigs... I think it's called Oink. It's a PG movie, so my mama will let me watch it."

I regret what I am about to say. "O-okay. I'll go."

"Yipee!" Prune sounds crazy again, "Thank you, thank you..."

"M'kay, bye." I hang up.

Seriously? We're going to go see a PG rated movie called Oink? That's just ghetto. This is... this is a disgrace. I lost my dignity for a moment there.

I sigh, and play with a few strands of my purple hair. This won't be pretty. I have the feeling, and I know it's true.

Looks like a got a play date with the craziest cousin I have. Prune Bethaline Powers.

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Chapter Four

Kit is pleading me to come watch a movie with her. I don't exactly know why, but there's only one way to find out.

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Ferris

"Please, Ferris, you have to come."

"But why?" I say, then take a swig from my can of Diet Coke. "Give me the true reason why you want me to go."

"I already told you," Kit sighs as she tugs on several locks of her jelly-colored hair, "I wanna go so we could spend time together."

"Uh..." I pull my eyebrows together and tilt my head.

"No, wait, that came out wrong," Kit chuckles nervously, "I mean, I wanna go with you because... you know... You're my best friend. And best friends should hang out and get to know each other more."

I give her shoulder a squeeze. "Kit, we were best friends since the third grade. I think we know each other quite enough. And I also know that you're hiding something from me. What's the reason?"

She sighs in surrender. "Okay, okay. I'll tell you."

"I'm all ears," I say, with a smirk passed on my face.

Kit rolls her eyes, but then becomes serious again and bites her bottom lip. The next words she says sound extremely slurred and quick that I hardly understood anything. "MycousinnamedPrunePowerscalledmeandsaidthattodayisherbirthday,right? Sosheinvitedmetogotothemovieswithherforherbirthday. ButtheproblemisthatsheissuperannoyingandIcan'tstandheronebit! SoIneedyourcompanyso,please,pleasejustcomewithme, okay?"
"Can you repeat that one more time, please?" I say, feeling a bit dizzy from that rushed tone in her voice.

Kit sighs again. "My Cousin, Prune It's. Her. Birthday. She. Is. Annoying. She. Invited. Me. To. Go. To. The. Movie. Theater. With. Her. I. Can't. Stand. Her. So. I. Need. You. To. Come. With. Me. And. Keep. Me. Company. So. I. Won't. Feel. As. Miserable. Got it?"

"Yeah," I nod, "So that's it? That's your reason?"

"Mhm," Kit gives me a glare, "Don't judge me, alright?"

"I never was." I plant myself on the couch and sip some more of my Diet Coke. "If you want anything to drink, help yourself to the fridge."

"Gee, what a gentleman." Linzee walks out from her room and carelessly sits next to me. "A guy always asks the girl if she wants a beverage. If she does, go to the fridge yourself, then give it to the girl. But of course, you can never get off your lazy butt, now, can you big brother?"

I pour some soda on the palm of my hand, then flick some at Linzee's brown curls. "Nope, I can't. I'd need butt surgery to do that," I say.

"Hey! Stop it!" Linzee gets up and attempts to rub soda off her hair, where really, there isn't any. "You do that again, then I'm telling dad!"

"Tell dad, I'll tell your school who your crush is. Remember our little deal?" I smile.

"Ugh, fine, whatever." Linzee crosses her arms over her chest. "Hey, Kitty. Why you look so sad?"

"Hey, Linzee," Kit pouts and stares at the floor, "I gotta go to the movies with my super creepy cousin and I'm begging your brother to come with me."

"Why ask him when you can ask me?" Linzee sounds slightly offended, "I can be a big help, too, you know."

"Well, then. Do you wanna come?" Kit asks.

I give her a gesture to not let my little sister travel along with us.

"No! No! Kit, no!" I mouth.

"Sure, I'd love to come." Linzee tosses her hair behind her shoulder and flicks me in the forehead. "And that was pay-back for the soda incident."

"Ugh, fine, whatever." I mimic what Linzee has said.

"Anyway," Linzee turns her attention back to Kit, "How old is this cousin of yours? Female or... male? Is he cute? Single?"

"Um, it's a she," Kit says, "And obviously, she is single. And no, she isn't 'cute.' She is extremely creepy-looking."

"Oh," Linzee says, looking disappointed, "What's her name?"

"Prune Bethaline Powers."

I snort. Linzee starts to cackle.

"P-Prune?" I laugh, "Isn't that, like, some raisin that helps you take a crap?"

"And what person in this world has the name of Bethaline?" Linzee is laughing so hard that her face is flushing.

"Someone back in the 1700s'." I giggle.

"Ha-ha, very funny," Kit rolls her eyes, "Now c'mon, you guys are coming or what?"

"Wait," I stop cracking up, "You mean now?"

"No, yesterday," Linzee shoves me to my feet, "Let's get going, you dodo!"

As my sister rushes me out the door, I hear her say behind me, "Please excuse my big brother. Instead of getting butt surgery, he should get brain surgery. It would make his life a whole lot easier."

Kit is the one who cracks up this time.