Nervously nibbling at my orange, I cowered into Tyler's side as he wrapped an arm around me. It hadn't even been 10 minutes and I was freaked out by the crazy dinosaur ripping the guy through the cage hole and eating him! Add that to the fact the lights were off and I was a major bag of nerves.

    "Honestly Maddie, they haven't even gotten to the island yet!" Tyler laughed as I pulled my knees up to my chest.

     "It's scary!" I whined. Actually, it really wasn't. It was that scene with the fat guy at the restaurant.

     "Aww you," Tyler said, ruffling my hair then pulling me to him again. I rested my head on his shoulder and he rested his head on mine. It was like the perfect moment. Aside from the cackling fat guy on the big screen.

   Half an hour later, I was getting seriously creeped out. Still lying on Tyler's shoulder, his hand had found mine and was absently stroking it. Every time something scary happened, I looked down at our hands, entwined as they rested on my leg. I'd long since finished my orange and Tyler had taken the opportunity to start a peel fight, which forced us to pick up bits of orange peel from all over the basement thanks to my horrible aim. That was all during the boring part about genetics.

    Just as the goat's leg hit the sunroof, I squeaked and buried my face into Tyler's neck. He chuckled and leaned away from me a little bit.

    "Hate that part, don't you?" he asked, tucking a bit of hair behind my ear. I nodded, refusing to look at the TV as the angry dinosaur noises filled the room. Instead I focused on Tyler's hazel eyes. They'd met mine and were slowly inching forward to cover the little bit of distance that separated us. My insides squirmed. Was this it? Was he finally going to kiss me? With the screeches of a dinosaur in the background?!

     Just as I was about to close my eyes and let our lips connect, the lights flicked on and someone - make that two someones - thumped their way downstairs. Tyler and I simultaneously leapt apart, leaving us sitting at opposite sides of the couch as Brett and Brandon jumped the last few steps to the basement floor. Disappointment welled within me, but for some reason I wasn't as depressed as that day at the surf tournament. A kiss at the beach (albeit in a medic's tent) is just so much more romantic than a kiss with ambient dinosaur growling.

     "JP, wow," Brett said, plunking himself down on the other couch and lounging so he took it's full length with his feet sticking off the end, "Maddie's like terrified of this stuff. How'd you do it Ty?"

     "Ah you know me, I work my magic," Tyler replied with a smile. Brandon chuckled as he took the seat between us, lying his head in my lap and putting his feet in Tyler's.

     "Man, I am so wicked tired," he said, with a huge yawn.

     "What, laughed too much at your stupid movie?" I said, pulling the pillow from beside me and smothering his face with it. I was no match for him and he wrestled the pillow from my grip in no time flat, chucking it at my head.

    "This Is The End is not a stupid movie! It's a piece of comedic genius!" Brandon said, flipping off me and pummeling me playfully with the pillow. Before I knew it, Brett and Tyler had joined in and an all-out pillow fight had started.

    "STOOOOOP!" I screeched, leaping over the couch as three pillows flew over my head, "Honestly! Shouldn't you be at football?!"

    "Practice was cancelled!" Brett and Brandon shouted in unison, both tossing pillows my way.

    "Then shouldn't you be at home, Brandon?!" I shouted back, chucking a pillow at him.

    "My house is boring!" Brandon hollered, catching it and whipping it back at me.

   "And I'm just gonna shout for the hell of it 'cause I feel left out!" Tyler yelled, throwing another pillow.

    "Well I'm the little sister, you should take pity on me!" I shouted above them all.

    "Like hell we will!" they shouted, pelting more pillows at me. With a shriek, I bounded up the stairs out of the basement, stopping dead in my tracks as I came face to face with my mother.

   "Madison! Darling, what's going on?" she asked, her brows frozen in permanent surprise. Yes, she'd definitely gone for some more Botox, because try as she might to look stern, she just looked like a really earnest guppy staring me down. Not that she looked bad or anything, all the guys that ever saw her assured me she was the hottest MILF in Clairview. And yes, I smacked every one of them every time they said it.

      "Oh, pillow fight," I replied, tossing a glance back downstairs. So far no one had come bounding up the stairs to launch another pillow at me. And no Tyler had come bounding up the stairs to find me. I bitterly took a seat at the kitchen island. Brett had the worst timing! I mean, right when Tyler was about to kiss me! On the bright side of it all, at least I knew he still liked me...but come on! Kissing him for the first time with a T-Rex growling in the background, how incredibly UN-romantic, some part of me thought sarcastically. Sure, it would've been a horrible first kiss for us, but at least it would've been a kiss! Stupid brothers!

     "Oh goodness. Those boys will never grow up!" mom said with an exasperated sigh as she went to the basement door. Then she shouted, "Simmer down! If you break the TV again, you're paying Brett!"

     I heard a muffled grumble from the basement. Mom made a satisfied "Hm" noise as she picked up her Prada purse from the counter.

    "Well, I've got to run again. Your father and I have a dinner and I've left you money to order in if you want. Try to get yourself a salad, okay honey? Greasy take-out is just so bad for your figure! Oh, and keep it to under 20 people this time, alright? And no alcohol!" she said, trying to sound tough as her nagging came to a close.

     "If you're expecting me to make Brett listen, tough luck," I said, watching as my mom counted out an exorbitant amount of $20s on the counter.

     "Please Madison, I'm in a rush! I haven't even changed yet!" my mom said, tossing me a look of 'can't-you-please-just-try-to-help-here?'.

     "Fine, but if you find 25 people passed out on the couches it's not my fault!" I called after her. She said nothing as she disappeared up the stairs. I rested my head on my arms with a groan. As soon as Brett figured out that we were home alone, every last senior A-lister (and knowing my luck, a bunch of B-listers too) would invade my house in a matter of minutes. So much for my alone time with Tyler...

    "Hey, was that mom?" Brett asked from halfway up the basement stairs. I'd nearly resigned myself to my fate when a brilliant idea struck. Snatching the money from the counter, I looked around desperately for a place to hide it. Finding nowhere within reach, I shoved all but $40 into my bra as Brett, Brandon, and Tyler came up the stairs. Brett and I both knew that mom always left a ton of money when she left the house and only a little bit when she wanted some quiet time in the townhouse-sized bedroom of hers.

    "Uh, yeah," I said, tossing a passing glance towards the back stairs, "And she's not feeling too well. She said she was gonna go to sleep so we have to keep it down. I've got the money for dinner..." Perfect. If I could just get the boys downstairs, they'd never hear my mom leave. Actually, scratch that. If I could keep them in the kitchen and living room until she left, they'd never realize it either. Yeah, my house just is that big.

    "Oh, is she okay?" Brett asked, "Should I go check on her?"

    "No, no it's okay," I replied, my voice deceitfully calm, "Just a headache,"

    "Well that sucks," Brandon said. I nodded as Brett reached over and took the money from me.

    "Forty bucks," he said, pensively regarding the two 20s, "Pizza everyone?"

    "Sure," Brandon and Tyler chorused, as I added, "With breadsticks!" What can I say, I'm a junk food maven. There's never any in the house (on the advice of the dietician of course), but when the time comes to order in I pig out like a madwoman.

                                     ********************************************

     Half an hour later, with three pizzas, 2 orders of breadsticks, a 2 liter bottle of Coke and a 12-piece of chicken wings, we made our way into the basement again. As I'd planned, nobody heard my mom leave and they'd generally accepted the fact she'd shut herself in the huge master bedroom for the night. I happily picked out a cheesy piece of pizza, relishing the thought of the look of horror that would be on my mom's face if she saw me eating this. I mean, I'd gone jogging and all I'd eaten that day was a half a veggie omelette, a green tea Frappuccino, a dressing-free salad, and an orange. I was hungry!

      "James Bond!" Brandon shouted as we assumed our places on the couches. Tyler sat next to me as I pulled the coffee table closer to pour myself some deliciously sugary Coke. Good ol' junk food.

     "No! Let's watch something good!" I protested between mouthfuls of cheesily delicious pizza.

     "James Bond is good!" Brandon and Tyler said in unison, with matching tones of disgust. Brett chuckled.

    "And Bond girls are hot!" Brandon added a few seconds later. Tyler and Brett vehemently agreed. I shook my head with a sigh and a smile. Boys will be boys.

    I'm not ashamed to say I fell asleep in a full on food coma twenty minutes in, only to be woken up by Tyler gently nudging my shoulder. Sitting up way too fast, I hoped I hadn't been drooling or snoring or doing some other awful thing while I slept, but thankfully there was no drool stain on his shirt where I'd been leaning on his shoulder. On the other couches, Brett and Brandon were snoring, the movie smack in the middle of some big shootout action sequence.

     "I have to run," Tyler whispered, pulling on his hoodie as I stood and stretched.

    "And I have to clean up," I yawned, collecting the empty pizza boxes. Tyler helped me carry them all up to the dark kitchen before I followed him to the front door.

   "Thanks for having me over," he said, as we walked to his car. I rubbed my arms, still cold from sleeping.

   "Anytime," I said with a smile as he unlocked it and opened the door. Leaning on it, he sighed and looked at me.

   "What?" I asked, with a slightly nervous laugh.

   "Nothing," Tyler smiled, looking away to my side.

   "Seriously, you liar!" I said, hopping from foot to foot to keep warm. It was effing chilly this late!

   "Nah, I just had a lot of fun is all," he said, fixing me with those hazel eyes again, "I'll see you tomorrow,"

   "Yay school," I said, with bored enthusiasm. Tyler smiled as he slipped into the driver's seat. I backed up the steps as he started his car and waved from the door as he cruised down the driveway. Hands in my shorts pockets, I watched the gate close after he'd left. Despite the hour, there was no way I was returning to finish James Bond so I really had no excuse not to do my lab report...but at least it gave me a chance to think of Tyler and how much fun we'd had in chemistry today!