Chapter 36: Bike. 

(sorry I lost track of time. lol)

[Luke's Commentary]

"My original plan was, go buy a bike with dad. Then, return home and pick up the old bike, bring it to Edward's house, and paint it together. When the day is done, I will have… two new bikes."

Luke was sitting on the sofa while crossing his arms, face full of dissatisfaction. He slapped his forehead and he said, "Why did I ask him to come with me to buy them? Think Luke! Think!"

Then, Luke seemed to get an idea after he slapped his forehead. "Wait…If the new bike goes missing…" He widened his eyes and stood up abruptly. "I need to call my friends."

[Commentary ends]

[3rd Person POV]

Before Luke had entered the house, Haley stampeded outside and called out to Phil who was trampolining while Luke was watching him bounce.

"DAD!"

Phil stopped bouncing and asked in concern, "What's the matter Haley?"

"Ed Kissed me- I mean…didn't kiss me- How the hell- Heck should I explain this! Anyway, you need to scold him!" Haley stammered, trying to find the right sentence to explain what had just happened. Her heart was beating quickly from how close Edward's face was against her face before.

"Wait. You guys kissed?!" Phil widened his eyes and said in excitement. He ran down the trampoline, put on his shoes, and hugged Haley suddenly. His hug picked up the petite girl from the ground and Phil spinned one, twirling Haley with his hug.

"You did well Haley!" Phil laughed while hugging his daughter in excitement. "Are you two going out next? Wait. What about Abby? She seems like a nice girl." Phil's face suddenly contorted and he tried to figure out whether to be sad for Abby or be happy for Haley.

Haley's face froze with her mouth being half opened and eyes fully widened.

"I'm not dating him! He kissed…I meant…didn't kiss me to teach mom a lesson!" Haley explained angrily.

"Oh too bad." Phil muttered while pulling his belt upward.

"Too…bad? TOO BAD!?!" Haley yelled angrily.

"So which part are you mad at? The part where he didn't kiss you? Or only using you to teach your mom a lesson?" Phil asked, trying to get all the information he could before reacting.

Haley was stunned and froze again.

'So…Which part am I mad at again?' Her mind short circuited as she couldn't believe that she did in fact, get mad because Edward's thumb was blocking their lips from touching.

[Edward's POV]

"Wait. Let me apologize to your sister first. You'll go after lunch right?" I asked Luke who was munching on the food at the dining table. He came back to finish eating after he was kicked out in the middle of his brunch before.

"Yes. Do it slowly. I will go to your house to call you." Luke said while scheming something inside his mind. I exited the back door and walked to the backyard of the house where Haley was frozen in front of Phil.

"Hey. Ed. Not Cool buddy." Phil said sternly while pointing at my face. Haley finally realized that I was heading toward her, so she got mad at her dad instead, "That's it?- It's the same thing with Luke all over again!"

Phil shrugged as he felt that he had done his best.

"Haley. I'm sorry for using you to make a point." I said directly to the point to ease up the young girl's anger.

"See. He's apologizing already." Phil said, trying to get credit for the matter.

"You're not the one who did this! Go away!" Haley said as she pushed her dad to the side. Phil laughed and entered the house. Phil's laugh infected me and I started chucking too, only to be met by a death glare from Haley.

"You know what you did wrong?" Haley asked in a tone a mother used to scold her child.

"Not asking for your consent. Playing with your feelings. Not telling you that I will give you TWO hand made dresses of my own design as a compensation for your help."

"I'm sorry. What is the last part again?" Haley asked as she didn't quite understand the meaning of the sentence.

"I meant. I should tell you first that you will get 2 new dresses if you help me. It's my mistake. Now, I can't even soothe your anger with the dresses. I guess I will throw it away-"

"Noooo!" Haley yelled in despair. Then, she changed her tone, "I mean. Give it to me. It's my compensation right? I won't be mad anymore."

Smirking at Haley, I asked, "You understand that I had manipulated you to forgive me right?"

She smirked back and said, "Then you need to know that I was going to ask for the dress compensation in the first place."

"Touche." I replied, acknowledging a fellow hustler.

"I would settle for one. But if you want to give me two, I won't reject it." Haley sniggered in excitement, causing me to flick her forehead.

"Oww…What's that for?!" She asked while rubbing her forehead in discontent.

"For being a hustler. Okay, let's go back inside. I need to return home and take a shower." I muttered.

"Can I go with you?" Haley asked suddenly.

"To take a shower together?" I muttered in confusion.

She rolled her eyes and said, "To your house. I want to see the dress designs!"

"Ah. Later then. I will be going out with Luke and Phil after this to buy Luke's new bike. Come after school tomorrow. Abby is going to be there too."

Haley said in annoyance, "Why? So you two can flirt in front of me? No thanks!" She stampeded away from me, so I said casually from behind her.

"I'll add in some accessories."

She stopped in her tracks, turned back with a face full of zen and asked politely, "What time?"

…

After I returned home and took a shower, I made lasagna for the main dish and roasted veggies for the side dish for my lunch.

Lasagna needed a long time to cook and to prepare. Luckily, I had the unbaked lasagna ready before I went to jog.

The assembled lasagna should take about 50 minutes to cook in an oven preheated to 375 degrees F. Cover it with foil for the first 25 minutes, then let it cook uncovered for the final 25 minutes. I placed the lasagna into the oven first before taking a shower and managed to come out before the first 25 minutes ended.

Also, it's important to let the lasagna rest at room temperature for about 15 minutes before cutting into it.

Using Brussels sprouts, when cooked properly, it will have a delightfully sweet, nutty, and caramelized flavor. If I roast them the right way, I'll get a nicely charred and flavorful veggie dish. And, when combined with prosciutto and garlic, I get a fantastic side dish that tastes great with lasagna.

"I want some garlic bread. Where did I put it?" I searched all over the kitchen to find my garlic bread, but I couldn't find it.

"Did a raccoon come in? Or did my dad feel hungry last night and decided to take away my garlic bread?" I muttered to myself as I gave up searching for it. Then, I called Abby.

"Hey. Do you have some garlic bread?" I asked casually after she picked up the phone.

Confused by the sudden question, Abby still asked her mom whether they had garlic bread or not before replying.

"No. Sorry. Also, I need to tell you something." Abby said in excitement.

"Did the Dunphy's invite you for lunch yet?" I asked.

"That is what I was going to tell you. They did. They invited us for lunch today!" Abby said excitedly. Smiling softly while speaking on the phone, I listened to her excited ramblings before she teased, "Okay. Got to go. I guess you need to eat your lasagna without the garlic bread!"

Letting out a long sigh, I said, "I guess I can do that."

Then, I realized that I had an entire lasagna for myself just to eat for lunch today. "Wait Abby, is your mom bringing anything to the Dunphy's?

"She's bringing some food. Why?" Abby asked.

"Nah. Don't. Come over and I will pack some food for you to bring. Your mom's food is… I mean…If they don't get food poisoning, then it's the best dish she will ever cook."

"Rude!" Abby yelled out, and then she shrugged after thinking about it, "But True. I'll come over with my mom before we go to the Dunphy's.."

"See you then." I said and waited for the girls to come by after packing up the food that I had made. Abby and Desiree arrived quickly as I urged them to come earlier because Phil and Luke had already started to get ready to go to the bicycle shop.

"Are you sure about giving us all of this?" Abby asked in disbelief. I even gave them all the roasted brussel sprouts too. Desiree was holding the brussel sprouts while Abby held the lasagna.

"Yeah. No garlic bread, then no Lasagna Sunday." I muttered with a hint of sadness in my tone. Abby kissed my cheek and said, "Don't be sad Garfield. I'll pick up a truckload of garlic bread when I return later on."

My mood was lifted a bit from her comforting and I explained, "No need. I usually make my own."

"Then, why can't you find it?"

"I don't know. Racoons maybe." I muttered with some concern. "I need to check the entire house for that vermin." I called it vermin because the raccoon's action of stealing my garlic bread disgusted me.

"Racoons are mammals. Not vermin." Abby corrected. I stared at her and said, "You'll really get along with Alex. You both are insufferable know-it-alls."

"HEY! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO DIDN'T STUDY!" Abby retorted while holding the lasagna with both hands. Desiree smirked and said, "She really is sometimes."

"Are you two teaming up against me today? Is that it? You reached a deal behind my back to target me today?" Abby asked accusingly. After teasing Abby, I waved goodbye to the mother and daughter duo. Phil and Luke came using the car within one minute after Desiree and Abby had left.

"Ready to go?" Phil said while cranking his windows down.

"Sure. Let me grab my USB really quickly. Can we stop by at a printing store before going to the bike shop?" I asked before I went inside to get the USB stick.

"Okay. Go grab it." Phil said with a smile. I nodded and went upstairs to grab my USB stick, when suddenly I saw my bread stick on top of my desk.

"Ah. I forgot I put it here for safekeeping." I felt a bit bummer and I walked back downstairs in sadness.

The bike shop was nearby, only a 5 minutes ride for us to arrive there. We were lucky because there was a printing shop within 200 meters of the bike shop. I finished printing first before we walked to the bike shop together.

I saw the signs, Palm Cycle, and then we entered the shop together. Luke picked a black and white design bike easily after it caught his eyes.

"We should get the insurance." I tried to convince Phil after he was vehemently denying the shopkeeper's words.

Phil clicked his tongue as if I had said something stupid, put his hand on both of my shoulders and tried to teach me a lesson while looking me straight in the eyes, "Listen Edward. The insurance is not going to do anything! We can take care of our own bikes!"

"Yeah. But someone can push Luke down from his bike and steal it. There are a lot of weirdos around here that would steal a kid's bike, so it's better to be careful." I said while remembering the fact that Phil stole a random kid's bike because he thought it was Luke's.

The African-American shopkeeper with a tight, maroon coloured, Polo shirt said, "That's true. It's better to be prepared."

"No need. Please ring up the bike, without the insurance." Phil said politely even though he tried to look tough.

"Okay. it's your call." The shopkeeper shook his head slightly and the bicycle purchase was finalized.

"Dad, this is the coolest bike ever!" Luke said with a bright smile as he was strolling the bicycle on his own after getting out of the bike shop..

"Awesome!" Phil responded to Luke as his buddy as usual.

"So, listen, buddy.." Phil lowered his head to look Luke in the eyes as he changed into his parent's mode. "Certain members of this family Don't think you can take care of this bad boy."

"You mean mom?" Luke said.

"Your words, not mine." Phil said hurriedly, not wanting to take the blame for the matter.

"Look, uh, your mom and I are a team, And she– we feel like this is a chance For you to show some responsibility. Don't make us look like jerks here."

"I won't." Luke replied instantaneously.

"Luke. I got a present for you." I said before Phil could let Luke go play on his own.

"What is it? I saw that you're printing papers. Are you going to give me Quiz for presents like Uncle Mitchell does?" Luke asked while taking a step back to avoid the gift. "You can put it in the trash if it's a Quiz!"

"No. It's a sticker with your name on it!" I said and showed Luke. It was a logo of his name written in fun fonts with a fiery background.

"AWESOME!" Luke said and snatched the sticker from my hand. He took off the sticker's back liner and stuck the sticker on the top tube – the frame of the bike connecting the saddle and the head.

"I didn't think about that. Nice one Ed!" Phil said and patted me vigorously on my back before he went to admire the sticker – crouching next to Luke.

"Hey. I got others too." I said and showed Luke some of the other options. There were one of a skateboarding duck with a cap on that said Luke on the duck's cap, a dog biting a bone that said Luke on it, and a lightning emblem which was made with countless tiny Luke's names as the line for the emblem.

"You can change the sticker anytime you want." I said and handed all the stickers to Luke. The stickers were in case Phil saw a similar kid's bike on the street and decided to steal it to teach Luke a lesson as per the original plot.

With the sticker on, Phil could recognize Luke's bike anytime now that such a thing could be avoided.

"You're the best Edward!" Luke said and hugged me suddenly. I patted his head and said, "Okay. Go and play."

"Wait. One more rule!" Phil suddenly joined in.

"What?" Luke turned to his dad and asked.

Putting a helmet on Luke's head, Phil said,"Have, like, three buttloads of fun."

"Thanks, dad." Luke said and finally rode his new bike for the first time.

"Three buttloads? So, your butt, his butt, and my butt?" I joked, causing Phil to laugh out loud. After he finished laughing, he said seriously, "No. I meant to get 3 times the fun."

"..." I was speechless by the unnecessary remark.

"I will go and look around the magic shop. Want to go with me?" Phil asked.

"Sure." I said and walked with Phil to the magic store.

…

[Luke's POV]

(A/n: A 10 years old kid POV. I tried hard to keep the sentence simple.)

"Okay. Now, the first step is finished."

After cycling away from Dad and Edward, I arrived at the playground where my nerdy friend Reuben was waiting.

"I feel uncomfortable with this Luke." Reuben said while being a coward again.

"No. Follow the plan. You bring the bike home. When I get Edward to paint my previous bike, I will take the new bike from you and say… that I had found the stolen one. That way…I will have two!"

Reuben freaked out, "What if your dad reports it to the police? What then? I don't want to go to jail! I'm only 10!"

"No one is going to report anything! Just trust me!" I tried to convince my friend hurriedly.

"What's in it for me?" Reuben asked when he knew he couldn't say no to this. I was afraid that he would ask me for something, but luckily Edward had given me some…leverage.

Taking out the stickers from my pocket, I showed them to Reuben. "You help me. And I will give you one of these."

"Deal!" Reuben said and we shook hands on it. Then, he gets on my new bike and rides away. He stopped when he exited the playground and turned toward me before he yelled, "Luke. YOUR NAME IS ON THIS!"

I shouted back to him. "A deal A deals? Wait. How does it go again? A deal deals?"

"A deal is a deal." Reuben shouted as I got confused.

"Yeah. That. Take good care of my bike!" I said and waved goodbye to Reuben before I walked toward where my dad was parking his car. Luckily, dad's car was still here. He must be skulking around in the magic shop again. So I waited for him to get back nearby.

…

[Edward's POV]

The magic store was filled with numerous ridiculous and overpriced items as I entered the store with Phil.

"Do you see this? This is a replica of the original Houdini's handcuff, and also the replica of his original cape." Phil explained excitedly while I was bored the whole time. Then, I saw the chinese finger trap and picked it up from the magic store shelves.

"Be careful with that. Once an ordinary man is trapped, you won't be able to escape!" Phil used his showmanship to try and scare me into falling for it.

"Why don't the experts show me how it's done?" I said and gave the finger trap to Phil. He picked it up excitedly and put both his index finger through the trap hole.

"See here. Now, my finger is stuck between the traps." Phil said and pulled his finger out of the trap, but the cylindrical trap extended instead of releasing his finger- gripping his finger tighter as he pulled it away.

"Then the Magniiiificent Phil. How are you to escape the trap?" I said using the same showmanship Phil used before.

"It's a fairly simple method, young apprentice. First, you need to.." Phil said, then he stopped and thought hard about the methods to get his fingers out. He pulled his fingers in a slope, but it couldn't escape the trap. His face turned ashen, and his eyes lost the initial excitement that he had before.

"Are you okay Phil?" I asked in concern. "Want me to get the scissors?"

"What- No. I can do this. I just need to remember how!" Phil said and then started a struggle with himself, trying to get out of the finger trap in various ways. I sighed as Phil started squirming on the ground and walked to the counter.

"We'll buy the trap."

"Yes. It'll be 2 dollars." The female shopkeeper said. I handed her the money while Phil screamed at me from behind, "No. I can get out of this! Don't buy it!"

I ignored him and finalized the transaction with the cashier.

Even after 5 minutes, Phil couldn't get out of the finger trap. Breathing heavily, Phil sat on the chair prepared by the kind shopkeeper. His face was filled with sweat, and his hair was disheveled from his numerous attempts to get out.

"Why don't…You push it inwards instead of pulling it outwards?" I couldn't take it anymore, so I advised Phil while disguising it as a question. Devoid of any hope, he turned to look at me, and followed my advice without saying anything.

"Oh. I'm…out." Phil said as he got his fingers out easily. He looked at me without saying anything, and I did the same thing.

"A-Anyway. I haven't had lunch yet. Why don't we get something to eat?" I said to Phil, changing the subject to spare his feelings.

"O-Okay. I'm hungry too." Phil said and threw the finger trap out in the trash, wanting to destroy any evidence of his dark history today.

As we got out and walked to the car, we were surprised to see Luke standing by the car with his new bike nowhere in sight.

"STOLEN!" Phil yelled out in disbelief after hearing Luke's fabricated story.

I turned to Phil and said, "I bet that insurance thing is looking real good now isn't it?!"