Brian Theurer

"C’mon, Scott! Let me play! Please!" Danny pleaded. The six year old boy sat on the floor, anxiously rocking back and forth. His mop of shaggy brown hair bounced forward and backward

with each motion. The young boy’s hazel eyes alternated between staring in wonder at the television screen to glaring in annoyance at his older brother. He wore a pair of black and red striped shorts and a blue Transformers t-shirt, depicting a large red robot.

"Alright, alright, little dude. You know, it’s not like I bought the Nintendo Entertainment System and the game with my money from my job," Scott replied as he messed up his little brother’s hair. He handed the gray and black rectangular controller to Danny. Scott ran his hand through his medium brown hair, just past ear length and combed back. He wore a bright yellow polo shirt, with the sleeves rolled up, and a pair of stone-washed denim jeans. A brand new pair of red Converse high-tops were propped up on the table.

"Man, Scott. The graphics on that thing are so amazing! Much better than playing Space Invaders on the Atari," Lexi commented. Her light blond hair hung down past her shoulders and was teased to make it look even larger than it actually was. Her light blue eyes were just visible in the low light of the room. She wore a long white t-shirt with an REO Speedwagon logo on it and a pair of pink stretch leggings. A pink Swatch watch was wrapped around her right wrist.

Scott and Lexi watched as a brightly colored patch of pixels that vaguely looked like a plumber jumped around the screen and beat up weird triangle beasts and harmless looking turtles. Scott’s parents had left the day before for a week long vacation in Malibu. They left him in charge of his little brother and gave him the basic rules for the house: don’t leave Danny alone, don’t let him have snacks after 9:00, make sure he was in bed by 9:30, and no guests past 10:30.

Currently, it was 11:00, Danny was playing Super Mario Brothers and eating cheese doodles, and Lexi, Scott’s neighbor, was over. Scott and Lexi had been next-door neighbors and best friends since kindergarten. There were a few brief periods during elementary school where they drifted apart because of the "Ewww, boys/girls have cooties" phase, but they quickly got over it. They had never really thought of the idea of being boyfriend/girlfriend, but the interest was definitely there.

"Do your parents know that you’re over this late?" Scott asked, moving up on the couch next to Lexi.

Lexi smiled. "I told them that we were studying for the big English exam tomorrow. I figured that would go over better than telling them that I wanted to check out your latest video game."

"Why does the mushroom make the little man get bigger and more stronger, Scottie?" Danny asked, his attention never deviating from the television screen.

"Hmmm… I guess it’s something like Popeye and spinach," Scott answered, shrugging his shoulders at Lexi’s questioning glance.

"Mushrooms are yucky," Danny said, sticking his tongue out, his vision still focused on the game.

"There’s some in the fridge, I can make you some for breakfast if you want," Scott teased.

Lexi reached over and placed her hand over Scott’s. "You’re so cute with him," she said, smiling.

Scott’s heart almost leapt out of his throat as he looked into Lexi’s gentle eyes and saw her beautiful smile. She really had bloomed over the school year and it was making him see her in a totally different light. He could usually hang out with her and never feel awkward, but times like these…

Scott’s nervousness quickly changed to alarm as he saw a shadow pass across the window. He paused, certain that he was just imagining it. He began to smile and turn back toward Lexi when he saw it again.

Something was out there.

His parents weren’t home.

He was in charge.

Scott slowly stood up and began to walk towards the front door. Equal parts fear and excitement flooded his stomach as his adrenaline surged.

"Scott, where are you going?" Lexi asked, confused.

"Yeah, Scottie, where ya going?" Danny echoed, his eyes still glued to the screen.

"Just to check something. Stay here," he mumbled. As he prepared to open the door, he glanced down and took an umbrella out of the bin that stood in the foyer. It wasn’t exactly the most dangerous weapon, but it was the closest thing he could find.

Very slowly, he opened the door, trying to remain as quiet as possible. He took a step outside and looked to his left, where the shadows had been moving. He could see vague movement underneath the window, but the lighting didn’t allow him to fully make out what the shapes were.

"Whatcha lookin’ at?" Danny asked loudly, peeking his head from out the door.

Scott flinched sharply, frightened by the unexpected noise of his brother’s voice. He could have sworn he saw heads snapping toward him from under the window.

"Get inside," Scott whispered harshly.

Frightened by the severity of his older brother’s voice, Danny retreated inside. Lexi stood just inside the door, looking confused and worried.

"Inside, Lexi," Scott said as he went back into the house, closing the door quickly behind him. He locked the door and quickly turned the deadbolt.

A loud thump sounded against the door. Danny scurried behind Lexi, peeking out from behind her legs.

"Go upstairs to Danny’s room. Lock the door. I’ll be there in a second. Only open the door if you hear my voice," Scott explained quickly.

Lexi looked questioningly at Scott. Her eyes grew wide as she saw the fear evident in her friend’s eyes. She took Danny’s hand and led him up the stairs, squeezing Scott’s hand briefly before she left.

Scott ran down the foyer to the back door. The back door was unlocked. He made sure it wasn’t locked so that Lexi could get in. He had to lock it so that whoever was out there couldn’t get in.

He skidded to a stop on the slippery linoleum as he fumbled with the door lock. It finally clicked shut just as something slammed against the glass door. He looked up in fear as he saw a figure dressed entirely in black, with even a black ski mask covering its face. Scott froze, panic seizing his heart. The figure’s eyes grinned evilly as it brought a bowie knife up and scratched it against the glass, making a screeching noise that echoed down Scott’s back.

Remembering Scott and Lexi, he rushed back down the foyer and grabbed the stairway banister, making a sharp turn as he ran up the stairs, leaping them three at a time. Just as he reached the top, he heard the unmistakable crash of glass breaking and voices cursing. He slammed into Danny’s door.

"Open up, it’s me," he yelled. He could feel his heart echoing out a million beats per minute.

The knob turned slightly as Lexi unlocked it with a click. The door opened slightly as Scott rushed in and slammed it shut behind him. He locked it and stood with his back against it, breathing heavily.

"Who is it?" Lexi asked, panic evident in her voice. Danny still cowered behind her, his eyes wide with terror.

"I don’t know," Scott replied, gasping for air.

"The bad guys," Danny whispered.

Scott paused, trying to figure out the next course of action. "Danny, I want you to go in the closet. Don’t come out until I say it’s okay."

Danny reluctantly crawled away from Lexi and walked into the closet. "It’s dark in here," he said, his voice muffled.

"It’s okay, Dan the Man," Scott said, trying to reassure his little brother by using his nickname.

"I know you’re a tough guy right?"

"No," came the response from the closet. "I wish Mom and Dad were here."

Me too, Scott thought to himself. He turned to Lexi, holding her by the shoulders. "Lexi, I’m going to go over to my room to call the police. Danny doesn’t have a phone in here. I need you to watch over him."

"You can’t go out into the hallway," she said, bringing a hand up to brush his cheek.

Scott smiled slightly, "I’m not going to. I’m gonna cross over using the roof." He let go of her and went behind Danny’s bed, grabbing a wooden bat and a hockey stick. "Take this, just in case," he said, handing her the bat. Then, without thinking, he held her hand and kissed her lightly on the lips, sending an audible smack throughout the room.

"Ewww, I can hear that," Danny said from the closet.

Lexi smiled and hugged Scott. "Call my parents first. My dad has a gun, he’s can get here quicker than the cops. Hurry."

Scott walked over to the window and quickly pulled it open. He stepped out onto the roof and carefully made his way across the roof and to the window where his bedroom was located. He swiftly brought the hockey stick up and smashed the glass. Being careful not to slice himself on the shards, he slid into his room and rushed to the phone. He dialed Lexi’s number, his fingers speeding through the number that he had called so many times.

The sound of a busy signal immediately greeted him. "Damn," he said. With Plan A down the tubes, he quickly shifted to Plan B. He dialed, 9-1-1. It felt weird, he’d always been told to call it if there was an emergency, but he never thought he would actually need it.

The phone rang once before someone picked up. "9-1-1. What is your emergency?" the operator asked.

"We need help. There’s been a-" Scott began before he was cut off by a sharp shriek. He recognized Lexi’s voice. With a speed he didn’t think possible, Scott dashed to the window, leapt onto the roof, and skittered back to Danny’s room. He dropped in, hockey stick at the ready.

"Stop there, bitch. Move and your girlfriend dies," a voice ordered.

Scott quickly took stock of the situation. The door had been bashed in. Lexi was being held by one of the intruders, a knife at her throat. Her bat was on the floor. She was trying her best not to cry. Another intruder stood behind them.

"If you hurt her, I swear to God I’ll kill you," Scott said, surprised at the authority in his voice.

The thug laughed. "Put the stick on the floor, Gretsky," the intruder ordered again.

Reluctantly, Scott laid his hockey stick on the floor, unsure of what to do now. Any thoughts of trying to jump them were halted as he noticed how the blade of the knife pressed against the soft white skin of Lexi’s neck.

"You punks weren’t supposed to be home. This was ‘sposed to be an easy job: come in, get the valuables, then leave. But now we’ve got witnesses," the thug spat out. "And we can’t be havin’ any witnesses."

With a cry, Danny leapt out of the closet, a blue and purple Nerf bow and arrow in hand. "Take this, bad guy," he yelled in bravado. He pulled back on the handle and let loose. The vibrant yellow foam arrow sailed across the room, striking the villain in the temple.

"-the hell?" the intruder asked, astonishment clear in his voice.

Although it didn’t quite work as well as Danny intended, Scott seized the momentary distraction. He grabbed a baseball trophy from the shelf and swung it at the intruder’s hand. The criminal cried out in pain as the knife went flying out of his hands. He brought his other hand to cradle his injury, loosening his grip on Lexi. She rushed out and ran for the knife, grabbing it and throwing it out the window.

Scott rushed forward and slammed into the man who had been holding Lexi. They fell backwards and managed to knock the other intruder to the ground. Lexi rushed forward and grabbed hold of the bat. Scott stood up quickly as Lexi rushed forward and smashed one of the men across the face with the bat. Seeing that she had the upper hand, Scott focused on the other man, who was now managing to disentangle himself from his partner.

The invader rushed forward, using his superior mass to slam Scott into Danny’s clothes drawers. Scott grunted and swiftly brought his knee up into the man’s groin, doubling him over with a groan. Scott followed up with a double hammer fist to the back of the neck, sending his foe to the ground.

He turned back to check on Lexi when the criminal suddenly kicked his feet out, tripping Scott and sending him smashing to the ground. The man climbed on top of him and wrapped his hands around Scott’s neck. Scott brought his hands up to try to loosen his attacker’s grip.

From his vantage point on the ground, he could see Lexi as she continued to pummel the other attacker with her bat. The thug feebly put his hands up, trying to keep the blows away from his face.

Scott frantically started to bang his fists against his attacker’s arms, trying to stop himself from being strangled. His vision started to turn black around the edges as his strength began to weaken.

"Don’t worry, Scottie. I’ll get the mushrooms so that you can get more bigger and stronger than that guy," Scott vaguely heard a voice tell him. He dimly recognized that the voice was Danny’s and tried in vain to shout for him to stop. Scott didn’t know if they were out of danger yet. A few sharp wheezes were all that emerged from his throat, however.

Driven by the need to protect his little brother, Scott rammed his head forward, smashing the top of his skull into his assailant’s nose. The attacker screamed in pain and rolled over on his side. Scott gasped for air and vaguely fumbled around for the trophy that had fallen on the floor. His hands finally found it and he slammed it into his attacker’s temple, knocking him out cold.

Scott stood up as quickly as he could. Lexi continued to rain hits down upon the other intruder. Finally, his defenses broke and she slammed the bat into his face, sending him flying back against a wall and putting him into unconsciousness.

"Danny went downstairs," Scott managed to spit out. Lexi took his hand as they half-ran, half-stumbled down the stairs. They rushed into the kitchen just as they heard Danny cry out.

Another intruder stood, with a long ginsu knife pointing dangerously close to Danny’s eye. "Look, assholes. I’m leaving and the kid is my hostage. Make a move, and he’s going to be going to school dressed permanently as a pirate," the criminal shouted, desperation clear in his voice.

"Stay still, Danny," Scott said, trying to keep his voice calm.

"Listen to your big brother, kid," the criminal said.

Scott took a small step forward, his hands held open in front of him. "Listen, don’t take Danny, take me instead. The cops wouldn’t hesitate to shoot someone if they were threatening a little kid. Plus, I’m bigger, so I’d make a bigger shield."

"Dammit! Don’t move!" the man yelled, bringing the blade mere millimeters from Danny’s eye.

A loud gunshot rang through the air. The ginsu knife clattered to the tile floor as the intruder slumped against the refrigerator and slid downwards, leaving a trail of blood behind him.

Danny ran forward. Scott knelt down and caught him as he flung himself into his older brother’s arms. He wrapped his arms tightly around Scott’s neck and buried his face into his yellow shirt.

Scott flinched in pain as Danny squeezed his injured neck. "Danny…choking…me," he managed to croak. Lexi knelt beside him and put her arms around his back.

Police men and women flooded the kitchen. Two went over to check on the body of the intruder, while others swept throughout the rest of the house. A woman with light almond skin knelt beside the two teenagers and the young boy.

"Are you kids okay?" she asked, looking them over.

Scott brought his eyes up to meet hers. "Can’t…breathe…" he muttered, Danny’s arms still locked in a vice grip around his neck.

Scott and Lexi watched as the police hauled the two injured intruders across the yard and into police cruisers. They sat on the step, shoulder to shoulder. Danny lay sprawled across both their laps, sleeping peacefully.

"You were very brave out there, Scott," Lexi said, looking into Scott’s eyes. Something about the way she looked at him was different, but it felt very right. "Very heroic."

Scott grinned, looking back into her eyes. "You weren’t so bad yourself. I saw you beating on that guy. Remind me never to make you mad."

She smiled even wider. "Shut up," she said and pulled his head to hers. They kissed, hesitantly. Still surprised, Scott placed his hand behind her neck and pulled her even closer. Their kiss gained in intensity and passion, as each felt more confident.

"That’s disgusting," Danny said, starting to wake up.

Scott took his free hand and closed it over Danny’s mouth, silencing him. He continued kissing Lexi, lost in the sweetness of her lips.

Danny kept on murmuring .