A Multi-ship Story **in Editing*

An Understanding Nature

We leave the hospital 3 days later. I have to go to school today.

I come downstairs after getting ready. I plan on walking to school today since we live like 3 blocks away. I leave home and start towards school. While I am walking, a big group of brats from my school come from behind me. They see that I am carrying my iPhone in my hands, so they kinda start to speed up. They come up without me seeing them and 'accidentally' bump into me. They push me so hard that I drop my phone face down. They snicker as the walk off.

I kneel down, afraid to touch the phone. Then I lift it up slowly and turn it around. I gasp. The whole front is shattered. "Oh my gosh... I'm dead... I'm so dead..." someone else comes up behind me and I hear them. They put a hand on my shoulder and my reflexes make me grab the hand and flip them over. I see a cute guy laying on the ground where I flipped and I gasp." I'm so sorry!!!" He lets out his breath in a painful way. "Oh my.. are you okay!???"

He talks in a forced breathy way. "Yeah. I'm perfect."

"I'm so sorry..." I help him up to his feet. He just flashes me a smile and shrugs his shoulders. "No big deal." I sigh and look at my phone. "Yikes... you shattered your phone, huh?"

"Yeah... Gibbs is gonna be so mad..."

He sighs. Then he brightens up. "I know someone who can fix it cheap. for thirty bucks you can get it fixed... only problem, it's like 45 minutes away from here in a car. here. I'll write it down just in case you can get there alive." I let out a small chuckle at his sort of joke. He smiles and writes down the address and name on my hand.

I smile. "So, what's your name?"

He responds, "Michael Treeman."

"That's a cool name... I'm Alexis DiNozzo... where you headed?"

"Oh just to school... I go to mountain view high school. It's like a block away from here."

"Oh that's cool. I go there too. What grade are you in?"

"10th. How about you?" We are walking together now.

"Wow. The same."

"Cool." He glances over at me and smiles. I can't help but smile. We walk to school together and then split up. I see him in a few classes but not many.

As I'm heading out of the school, he finds me. "Hey. Good luck with getting your phone fixed..."

I smile. "Thanks." He looks really nervous for Some reason. "Do you need something?"

He looks at me. "No... I mean, yes. I mean, I need you to go out to dinner with me Friday. I mean, will you go out for pizza with me Friday?"

I smile. "I'd love to..."

He smiles. "Cool... Umm, here's my number... Call me later and we can set up time and place and everything..."

I smile as he hands me a piece of paper. "Ok great." I glance at his number on the paper and smile.

We part ways and I go home. I sit on my bed and look at my shattered phone. My door bursts open. Lily comes in talking. "Dude you'll never guess what happened today! So i was walking to lun- whoa!!! Mom and Dad are going to KILL you!!!"

I sigh. "No. they aren't." I get up and close my door. "Now listen..." I explain about meeting Michael and the store he told me about and the date.

"You know, Mom and Dad will want to meet him before you go on the date... and they'll never drive that far..."

"Well, they aren't going to know... I'm going to leave in a few minutes and take a bus. and as for meeting him, I hope they'll meet him before we leave for pizza."

"Dude! They'll NEVER let you get on a public bus alone."

"They won't know I did it. You won't tell, promise?" She hesitates but sighs and nods. I half smile. "Thanks." Then I grab my money and run downstairs with my phone in my pocket. I run out the door and to the bus stop.

~~~~~~~~~~

It seems to take a little longer than I expected. I get home about 30 minutes after Gibbs and Jenny get home. I walk in the door and try to make it to my room but I am stopped seconds after I walk in the door. Jenny calls me into the living room and I come.

"sit."

I look at them. Jenny and Gibbs are sitting in chairs that are angled towards the couch. Lily is on the couch. She looks very guilty. I sit down on the couch.

It's quiet for a moment. Then Gibbs speaks up. "Lily told us what you did..."

I stare at him and then I glare over at Lily. She sees my look and runs to her room. I begin to chase her. "I'm gonna kill you!"

"Get back in here!!!"

I stop dead in my tracks. Gibbs has never before raised his voice to me. I come back slowly and sit, feeling a knot in my throat. Then I speak quietly, "She broke her promise..." It isn't until I say that, that I realize how foolish I sound.

"She warned you about us not allowing you going on a bus alone, but you didn't listen."

"That's because-"

"Not even that, you met a boy and expected us to just meet him a few minutes before you left and that's it!"

"I'm trying to ex-"

"And you told your sister and made her promise to keep the secret."

"WOULD YOU JUST SHUT UP!?"

Gibbs and Jenny look at me, shocked. "You never listen!! I would've told you if I could trust you but you guys never listen so I couldn't!!! It's hard enough growing up knowing that you aren't really part of a family!" I feel tears threatening to spill over so I run to my room, ignoring my name being called, and flop down on my bed. They just don't understand...