Bart opens the door and a chill runs down my spine. We stare at each other for a minute before I gain the courage to smile.
"Hey Bart. How are y-"
"Fine." he says apathetically. "So what? You don't really care."
"Bart..." I feel so guilty. He's such a cool kid and now he hates me. Before I can open my mouth again, Lisa pushes past Bart, holding Maggie in her arms.
"(Y/N)! Hi!" Lisa squeals happily. Maggie coos out baby noises and reaches out her hands to my, opening and closing her small yellow fingers. It's too adorable to resist.
"Hey guys." I say with genuine joy. I take Maggie from Lisa's hands and pull her to my chest. She takes my face in her small hands and gives me cheek kisses with her tiny lips. I giggle at her cuteness and give her a big kiss on the cheek back.
I walk into the house and take off my shoes, leaving them at the door.
"Are Mom and Dad still here Bart?" I ask the young blonde. He scoffs at me and races upstairs. I sigh sadly. Maggie puts her arms on my shoulders and her head in my neck. I rub her back.
I look down when I feel a tugging at my skirt.
"Yeah Lis?"
"Mom and dad are in the kitchen getting ready for the party."
"Party?"
"Yeah, they're throwing a "dinner party", (but it's really more of an apology party)" she whispers to me.
I giggle fascinated.
"Why are they apologizing?"
"Dad ate all the cupcakes during a church event last Sunday and everyone got soooo angry."
"Seriously?! That's hilarious." I say laughing.
As we walk into the kitchen, I see what can only be described as pure chaos.
Food remnants are on the floor, the walls and the ceiling somehow. Heat engulfs the kitchen from the four stove burners on on, the microwave and the oven all being on at the same time. Marge is opening canned food while mixing a brown cakey mix together in a bowl.
"Oh my god! It's burning!" I hand Lisa Maggie and rush in. I see a silver smoke begin to rise from a skillet. I flip on the stove fan to HIGH and turn off the stove eye.
Marge does that cute frusterated grumble noise and sighs.
"Thank you."
"How many people are you feeding Marge?"
She laughs sladly. "Too many."
I bite my lip and look around.
"You know what, lemme help you."
"W-what? Really?" she asks, caught off guard. "No no, I couldn't ask you t-"
"Too late, I'm already preparing the pasta."
"Uh..." she then smiles and continues to mix the brownie batter.
***
And just as the doorbell was rung, the oven dinged, signaling that the brownies, the final dish, were complete.
I fan myself in the heat of the kitchen, slide on oven mits and pull the delicious smelling dessert.
I set it on the counter and begin to stack them on a large plate.
"Homie! Could you go get the door?!"
"Sure thing Marge." Homer calls out from the living room.
"And kids, I hope you're washed up and dressed!" Marge looks over at me. "Oh (Y/n), I'll take care of the food for now. Could you please go check on the kids and make sure they are ready?"
"Absolutely!" I salute her, causing her to laugh, and run upstairs.
"Kids!" I cry. "Are you ready?!"
Lisa and Maggie walk/crawl out to me.
Lisa is wearing a fancy, frilly pink and white dress and white heels. Maggie is wearing a cute little shy blue dress and black dress shoes.
(KYA! They look so cute!)
"You guys look adorable as fu- er, heck... Hey, where's Bart?"
"Kids! Come down and help me set out the food."
"I'm not su- Coming mom!" Lisa says.
Before Lisa can finish, she rushes downstairs. She didn't seem to know anyway.
Maggie stands to walk. She takes one step and falls. (ERRR! MUCH CUTENESS...)
She then looks at me and points toward Bart's room.
"Thanks Mags."
***
"Bart?! Oh god, where is he? Bart!"
I'm panicking.
I've looked everywhere and he's just nowhere to be found.
I then see that his window is open. I rush over and see Bart sitting on a tree branch. He's wearing his same orange shirt and blue jeans from earlier.
Ignoring me, he takes a small pebble from a pile he's made, pulls it back on his sling shot and lanches in in the air aimlessly.
I look at him with admiration.
"That's really cool Bart. You know I've always wanted a slingshot." He shoots another rock, hitting the backyard grill. I give small claps.
"Unfortunately, my mom wouldn't let me have one because it was "dangerous"." I stick out my tongue and chuckle.
"Just leave me alone all right?"
My face falls and I focus on the ground outside.
"...Look Bart..."
"Why are you dating him, huh?" he blurts out. "Don't you get that he's evil?"
I sigh quietly.
(This sucks so much... Heh, I'm dating a former criminal, what should I expect? Automatic acceptance from everyone? Of course not. God, I'm so stupid.)
(Okay, stop. This is no time for these kind of thoughts. Now how do I explain this to him without lying...)
"Bart, I don't think you understand. I'm not dating Sideshow Bob and I never will."
(I'm dating Bob Terwilliger- not Sideshow Bob.)
"I would never date a person who would hurt you or anyone else."
(Bob has such regret for his crimes that it kills him inside. He's done with that life.)
"Please believe me."
(I don't want to lie to you, but until the time is right, you are going to have to stay in the dark.)
Bart continues to launch pebbles at different objects.
Suddenly, something breaks inside me and I begin to cry.
(W-what is happening? Why am I crying?)
I cover my eyes and cheeks with my hands and sit frozen in place.
"... What the-? Why are you crying man?" Bart asks me suddenly.
"I... I don't know. I'm just..." I can't speak clearly as I gasp slightly for air.
"Oh my god." Bart groans. "Girls are way too emotional."
I laugh through the tears. "I know right? I wish I wasn't, but that's just biology."
He chuckles a bit before shutting his mouth with his hands. He then looks at me with a small frown.
"Um, Bart?"
"... Please... Don't date Sideshow Bob."
"Honey, I've already told you that I'm-"
"I just don't think you understand. He'll trick you into thinking he's a nice person and then he'll try to kill you. It's happened before with my mom's sister and everyone else he's been in contact with."
This makes my chest hurt a bit.
(No... Bob is a sweet person... He'd never betray me...)
I shake my head to shake away any doubt I have and look sternly at Bart. His face is now somber and sad.
I get it now.
(He doesn't hate me... he's worried about me. Wow, I can't believe I didn't see that before.)
"Bart, I'm not dating that person so you don't have to worry about me, okay?"
He takes a few moments to think.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Really?"
"Of course." I put my arm around him and squeeze him in a hug.
"Are we cool?" I ask. He smiles and nods.
"Yeah." We pound fists.
"Okay good. Now pleeeease go get dressed."
***
"Y-y/n! You got Bart dressed? But how?" Marge and I are talking quietly in the kitchen.
"Um, well I just asked him to."
Marge pulled me into a hug.
"Oh, thank you so much!"
I laugh and reach up to pat her tall, curly blue hair.
"It's okay. It's okay. Shhhh..."
She pulls away.
"Well, I'm gonna head out, okay?" I say, yawning in exhaustion.
"What? You can't leave yet." Marge insists. "Why don't you stay for dinner?"
I gape at her.
"Oh no, I couldn't-"
Just then, my stomach made a loud grumbling noise. I blush and rub my tummy.
(I didn't even realize that I was so hungry...)
"Hehe, I guess I forgot to have lunch today..."
"That does it, you need to eat." Marge tells me, pulling me out into the kitchen by my arm.
***