"How did ya convince your dads to let me come over?" Keith asked, sitting crossed-legged on Annalise's bed while Annalise was at her desk,
"I didn't."
"You what!?" Keith slapped his hands over his mouth and stared at the door for a moment before lowering his voice. "Are you tryin' to get this little perky ass of mine killed?"
"They won't kill you." Annalise stated, beginning to type away at her computer.
"You father is huge!" Keith whispered harshly.
"Call him short if you wanna see him really worked up." Annalise laughed.
"Again, I like my ass attached to my body." Keith kept glancing over at the door.
"They're not going to come in, they're busy." Annalise pressed one more key before turning back towards Keith.
"Doin' what?"
"Fucking." Annalise laughed some more when Keith stiffened with embarrassment. "I'm just messing with you, they have a big job today and will be out of the house for the rest of the day in like, five minutes. Uncle Wil's supposed to be over any second now."
"Because your gun-lovin' uncle is so much less scarier." Keith huffed, a light tapping sound going unheard by the two teenagers.
"Wil likes you, He'll probably have no problem with you staying over while the dads are away." Annalise perked up when her laptop beeped.
"If I'm gonna die young, I at least want some questions answered." Keith adjusted himself so he was closer to the edge of the bed.
"I got suspended because I yelled at a teacher." Annalise stated, skimming over a long message on her screen.
"The entire school knew about that five minutes after you left." Keith said. "What I wanna know about is Tiana screaming in the hall." Annalise's entire body slumped a little and she shut her laptop.
"It's nothing." Annalise said.
"My gay senses are tinglin' and it's telling me that what you are sayin' is absolute bullshit." Keith raised a brow and smiled as Annalise shook her head. "Come here and tell mama Keith what happened." Keith patted the spot next to him on the bed.
"Keith, I-"
"Don't say no to mama Keith." Keith warned in a silly tone and kept patting. Annalise just sighed and got out of her chair, grunting a little as she rolled onto her bed and rested her head on Keith's lap. "You need a haircut." Keith commented when he started to play with Annalise's long locks.
"Why is everyone telling me that?" Annalise muttered.
"I think you just need a trim, some of these ends look like they died, came back and died again because they saw how ugly they were." Keith clicked his tongue and was glad that he earned a laugh from Annalise. "So, fill me in. I could've sworn you and Sweet-Tea would be back on normal terms by now."
"I don't think we ever will." Annalise sighed.
"What kind of an argument did y'all get into that would cause this? Y'all have had your tussles before but this is just...well...fucked up."
"I can't tell you."
"Why not?" Keith asked.
"I don't want you to think I'm a monster too." Annalise curled up a little. "I don't want to hear you call me a freak too."
"A freak? She called you a freak? After everything y'all have been through? After everything we have all been through?" Keith's other hand was gripping the sheet tightly while he kept the one on Annalise's head steady. "A freak? She called you a freak?"
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything." Annalise sat up and went to her rear, staring down.
"I'm going to have a talk with her. Sweet-Tea's gettin' a little bitter for my taste and I like my coffee black."
"Don't. She's right. I am a freak." Annalise looked up when Keith placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Do not ever call yourself that. You know how much I hate that word."
"This is different than when your mom-"
"We do not bring up the she-devil that's six feet under when I am tryin' to comfort you." Keith lowered his hand and sighed. "We ain't here for me right now. I wanna make sure you're okay." Annalise just whined and put her forehead on Keith's shoulder. "What did you say to her?"
"I can't tell you."
"What in the name of Kentucky Fried Lies are you fuckin' talking about?" Keith patted at Annalise's back and smiled when Annalise started laughing.
"Kentucky Fried Lies?" Annalise asked, raising her head a little.
"Homemade is the way to go." Keith chuckled. "But, in all seriousness, what happened?"
"I just...I told her..." Annalise let out a long sigh and hid her face again in Keith's shoulder. "I told her some things about my family."
"Like-"
"Hey, Mac and Cheese! Are you trying to get Annie's attention? You gotta knock on the door!" Wilford's voice said loudly.
"I think Uncle Wil is here." Annalise chuckled and hopped off of her bed.
"Hey, you can't just-" Keith let out a loud huff of air when Annalise opened her door and greeted Wilford. "Rude!"
"You dads just left and I'm in charge." Wilford snapped his suspenders against his chest and winced a little.
"I can see why Google was my usual babysitter when I was younger." Annalise teased. "Where did Mac go?"
"He got scared when I hollered and took off." Wilford laughed. "Well, hey there Keith-ster. When did you get here?"
"Not long." Keith answered with a smile.
"How did you get Dark and Anti to...you snuck him in, didn't you?" Wilford twitched his mustache.
"No." Annalise held out the word.
"You certainly get that from your dad, he just loves sneaking things past ol' Darky-boy." Wilford laughed.
"Hey, Wilford-"
"Keith-ster, I told ya, call me Wil." Wilford said.
"Wil." Keith corrected. "Annalise is keepin' a secret from me and she won't spill."
"Now, what could that be?" Wilford winked as Annalise and wrapped an arm around Keith's shoulder, not seeing the teen stiffen and blush a little.
"She-" Keith cleared his throat when the word came out as a high-pitched squeak. "I wanna know what she told Tiana."
"Oh." Wilford popped his lips before laughing and rubbing Keith's shoulder. "I can't tell you that or else it wouldn't be a secret anymore." Wilford continued laughing and let go. "How does some pizza for dinner sound?" He asked as he walked away.
"Your blush is showing." Annalise sang in a whisper as she passed Keith.
"Shut up!" Keith pouted.
"Keith?" Mac came out of the nearby room.
"Yep, that's me." Keith greeted.
"I'm Mac, pleasure to meet you." Mac greeted with a small smile.
"Now, don't be all Mr. 'Prim and Proper' 'cause I'm new." Keith chuckled. "I'm just a little ol' southern boy."
"Sorry, I'm not the greatest with new people." Mac let out a nervous laugh and scratched the back of his head.
"You got a fuzzy." Keith said, picking off some purple fuzz from Mac's shirt.
"Oh...thanks." Mac watched Keith's hand. "How long have you and Annalise been friends?"
"Since freshman year. Three years." Keith added with a wink. "Annalise told me that you're a family friend, right?"
"Yep." Mac nodded his head. "But I haven't seen her much, so I'm clueless about her."
"She's a great gal, you'll get along like that." Keith snapped his fingers. "And you should see her with her boyfriend, they're adorable."
"Keith-ster! Come in here and help me with the dough! Annalise doesn't wanna ruin her nails!" Wiford called from the kitchen.
"Lies and slander, Wilford!" Annalise shouted.
"Looks like we gotta help." Keith laughed and took off.
"Her boyfriend." Mac huffed before following.