CHAPTER 20

It was already sunny the next day. The only evidence left by the storm was the muddy ground and broken branches that scattered all around the back yard. Danny took some chlorine and dumped the contents in the pool. He had just removed the leaves and branches from the water and placed them aside to dry. His friend was still asleep in bed. He decided to let him rest so that he may have a complete recovery. Angela wasn't there yet (probably still sleeping too) and their other friends said they would come over after CAT practice (Robert called school earlier and was told their CAT was cancelled). Danny stood at the edge of the pool and stretched himself. He looked up and almost fell on the pool, for at the other end stood Angela looking at him with a frown.

"I was calling outside you know." she said still frowning.

"Sorry," replied Danny with a grin, "I was busy fishing leaves out of the pool."

"So, how's Robert?" she asked as she walked around the pool to the boy's side.

"I left him sleeping." he said, "go upstairs and check on him if you like."

"Nah, he needs all the sleep he can get." she said, turning around. "I'll be in the spare room if you need me."

Angela left Danny by the pool and went up stairs to the balcony. The boxes they moved were placed along the wall covered with plastic. She opened the door to her room and entered it, surprised to see Robert standing inside.

"Morning." he said stifling a yawn.

"Morning." mumbled Angela, suddenly blushing. "Danny said you were still sleeping..."

"Um, just woke up...." he held a Polaroid in hand and aimed it at her, smiling.

"Hey, what's that for?" she asked as she covered her face with her hand.

"I'm taking pictures...." he grinned, "I plan the take a picture of the room before and after you fix it!"

"Then I don't need to be in it!" snapped Angela.

"Well, you will fix it right?" he asked, still aiming at her.

"It's the room that's important not..."

'CLICK'

Robert took her picture as the hand left her face. The black strip slipped out of the camera. Robert took it and waved it a couple of times. Angela stood there, dumb struck.

"Hey, you look so cute here!" he said with a laugh. Angela blushed.

"Give me that!" she said, reaching to grab the snapshot. Robert grinned and raised it out of the girl's reach.

"Hey, it's just a picture you know, I'd like to keep it." he said.

"Hi guys, how's the room coming?" asked Danny by the doorway grinning at the two.

"Hey Danny, can you take our Picture?" said Robert, handing him the camera.

"No!" said Angela.

"C'mon, Ange, just a remembrance!" said Danny, "Nothing wrong with that right?" Angela looked at the two boys, scowling.

"Oh, okay...!" she said giving up.

"Great!" said Danny. Robert stood beside Angela, a big smile in his face. "On three now... one"

"Smile!" Robert told Angela, but she just looked at the camera.

"Two..."

"It's just one picture anyway." thought Angela.

"Three." Robert suddenly placed an arm around Angela. The girl blushed.

'CLICK'

"Let me see, let me see!" said Robert, running to his friend's side.

"Oh, look! She's blushing!" exclaimed Danny. Robert took the picture and hid it in his chest pocket. Angela was glaring at them.

"Hehe, you guys wait for me here, I'll just hide this somewhere." he told Danny before a fuming Angela reached him. He ran to the bathroom and locked the door.

"Robert! You little..." she called after him, but the boy was probably in his own room by then.

"So, where would you like to start?" asked Danny from behind. Angela faced him with a frown and saw the boy holding a paintbrush.

"Gahhhh!" she cried out of frustration. She went to the paint buckets instead and started mixing the paint.

"Navy blue?" Danny asked beside her later. "Ain't that a little dark?"

"My room, my rules." she replied.

"Started yet?" said Robert entering from the bathroom. Angela glared at him.

"Still mixing, almost through though." Danny answered him.

"So, what do you want us to do?" he asked Angela.

"Get lost!" said the fuming girl.

"Oh, c'mon, we just want to help you know," said Danny with a grin, "it'll help make the job easier, well finish faster too!"

"Don't worry, no more pictures!" Robert said grinning. Angela gave an exasperated sigh and faced the two boys.

"Okay, start by the doorway with the darker tint, working all the way towards the window seat with the lighter one.... it's supposed to look as if light is coming in from outside the windows." she said, "I'll take care of the details like the railings and stuff..."

"Yes, ma'am!" said Danny, taking a paint bucket with him and heading for the entrance.

"I'll start at the other end with the ceiling." said Angela, taking the long paint roller.

"What about me?" asked Robert with a disappointed look.

"You can sit in a corner and watch us work." she said, looking at Robert.

"How come I don't get to help?" he protested.

"You just had a fever." replied Angela.

"But I'm all better now, see?" Robert jumped up and down the room till Danny threw a towel at him.

"Hey, come here and give me a hand if you really wanna help." he told his friend. Robert approached him gloomily. He handed him a smaller brush and started to paint the wall. "Just don't strain yourself, 'kay?" he told his friend.

The three painted the room all morning. By lunchtime, Danny and Robert finished the first coating for the far wall and were working on the left side while Angela was in the middle of the room, still working on the ceiling.

"Let's take a break first!" said Danny, placing his paintbrush down. His arms were hurting.

"Okay... what's for lunch?" asked Robert.

"I think there's still some hotdogs left from breakfast." Danny replied grinning.

"I think I'll call Ken to buy something along the way..." said Robert after staring at his friend.

Later, the others arrived with their lunch. They passed by Anbok's and bought two whole chickens. Of course Danny was asked to pay for it (he's the one with the dough). After a grueling meal, the boys decided to help out in the room as well.

"It's the moment of truth...!" sang Ricky, waving the paintbrush in the air. Drops of blue paint sprinkled on Ken beside him.

"Hey, watch it gramps!" the other snarled as he dabbed on the specks on his arm with a clean piece of cloth.

"Hey, hey, wait!" said Angela approaching Matt and Mic, "The paint you're using are of different tints, the room is supposed to have a gradient effect!" she saw Jon painting in a corner in circles, "Jon, the brush stroke is vertical!"

"Oh, okay..." said the other smiling. He brushed it the right way then returned to his circles when Angela turned away.

"Ricky! Stop dripping paint all over the place!" she called to the boy jumping around on one foot. "And Kenny, a little paint won't kill you, you know?"

"But my skin is very sensitive, I might get rashes you know?" he answered airily.

"Okay, but please don't use all the rags up, the others might need it later." she replied with a sigh.

"Ei, Ange, My part of the roof is finished!" called a beaming Robert. He kept pestering her about helping out and told him to paint the other half of the ceiling to keep him off her back.

"Oh, okay, wait for a while and put the second coating later." she said. She looked at her part of the ceiling. She had hardly finished half of it since she was too busy telling the guys what to do. "If I didn't," she thought, "Who knows what kind of catastrophe might happen!" she lifted her paint roller and went back to her work

"Missed a spot." said Robert beside her.

"I know that, I'll pass it later." she said excusing herself, "What are you doing here anyway?"

"You told me to wait until the paint dries up a bit." replied Robert grinning.

"Go wait somewhere else." she snapped.

"Ei, Obet, look at this! Look at this!" called Mic. Robert ran to his friend, Angela looked at them suspiciously.

"See? See?" said Mic as he slid his fingers on the newly applied paint. It left marks on the wall, a lighter trail going round in circles.

"Hey, that's cool!" said Robert, joining Mic. Matt joined them too, laughing till the wall was filled with intersecting trails.

"What... are.... you.... doing?!" said Angela from behind.

"Look, Ange!" said Matt beaming, "Nice design, eh?"

"Jerks!" bellowed Angela, "You're messing the paint up!" she took the paintbrush from Matt. "That's it!" she yelled, loosing her temper, "Out! All of you!"

"But we're not fi-" protested Danny,

"I said OUT!!!" yelled the irritated girl.

The boys ran out of the balcony for their lives. Angela was waving the paint roller at them viciously. She slammed the door at them, gasping for breath and looked around the room. The whole room was painted, but the paint on the walls looked more like a collage than a gradient, with patches of dark and light blue here and there. She gave another deep breath and sat on the paint spattered newspaper floor.

"Never should have asked for their help in the first place." she thought. She took another look at the walls around her and had a sudden bright idea. "Hmm.... a collage, eh?"

The boys stood around the window, looking in at the furious girl inside and decided to head down to the pool instead.

"This is all your fault, Mic, you and your 'artistic' ideas!" said Ricky with a frown.

"Hey, quit blaming Mic, you were the one spilling all the paint around!" said Matt.

"Oh, c'mon, guys, no use blaming each other," said Danny, "Besides, I'm dying to take a dip in the pool!"

"Okay, the storm filled it with water!" cheered Jon.

"Yeah!" replied Robert, "Last one in is a rotten egg!"

With that, the seven youths ran to the pool and jumped in with a big splash. Matt was the last in, he jumped with his tummy first, causing a huge wave.

"Hey, fatso, quit it!" yelled Ken, fixing his hair.

"By the way, Obet," said Mic, "is it alright for you to swim in the pool?"

"Yeah, you just had a fever right?" asked Jon.

"It's okay, I got over it 2 days ago!" answered Robert as he floated in the pool.

"I heard Ange was playing nurse for you...." snickered Ricky.

"So, how far have you gone?" added Ken. Robert was silent.

"He was sleeping on her lap..." snickered Danny.

"Get off my case, guys," Robert finally said, "Besides," he added looking at Danny, "you have a crush on her 27-year-old sister!"

"Hey, that's not just a crush! It's love!" said Danny grinning as his face turned red.

"So, buddy, have you done 'it' yet?" Ricky asked again.

"Done what?" Robert asked.

"You know, 'IT'!" said Ken grinning. Robert looked at them suddenly, an irritated look in his face. He started to sink.

"You guys really hate life do you?" he asked when he surfaced again. His eyes were fiery.

"A-hahahaha!" laughed the two nervously, "We were just kidding!"

"Well then, don't kid about Ange that way." he turned away from them and swam across the pool to the deeper end, ignoring the rest of his friends.

"Jeez, we were just joking you know..." said Ricky under his breath.

"Real touchy..." said Ken.

"Yeah, he really likes that girl...." said Danny with a grin, "You better watch what you say, he's still a little exhausted from that fever you know."