"Revenge" [M] - Rock and Riot

[Vanilla]

So recently I've got into a great webcomic called 'Rock and Riot' by tumblr user Cheriiart, which in the author's own words "follows the tales of opposing teenage gangs in the 1950s with an LGBTQ theme". It's really, really great and I heartily recommend it. You can find it here. Anyway, being the sneeze fetish trash that I am, I immediately got ideas for a story about my favourite male character, Clyde (you can read all the character synopses here, they tell you pretty much everything you need to know going into this story). The comic is currently part-way through its tenth chapter out of sixteen, so I'll be writing from that perspective, so if anything that happens in the comic in future contradicts anything I've written here, that's why. I plan for this to have maybe the chapters, though I'm not quite sure yet.

What there is so far of the comic takes maybe half an hour to read, so if you want to read that first for background, I'd recommend it! If not, spoilers ahead. Basically, Connie and Carla are dating and Clyde and Gene are dating, but their friends (Debby, Triss and Rolly for the girls, Frankie and Edd for the boys) think Connie is dating Clyde and Carla is dating Gene. Since the boys and the girls are in rival gangs (the Rollers and the Jaquettes), these four have been kicked out for 'betraying' their gangs. That's all we know at this point, but in my mind these four would just sort of be a group now and hang out with each other, so that's what I'll be writing.

Okay, wow, sorry, that into got seriously carried away. Here's the first chapter, which I'm afraid will be pretty light on sneezing and stuff, because it's mostly just the set-up. Anyway, enjoy!

Title: "Revenge"

Fandom: Rock and Riot

Character: Clyde

Cause: Illness

Words:

I don't own this universe or these characters!

~*~*~*~

Chapter 1

Clyde smiled dreamily to himself as he strolled through the park, the spring night air cool and crisp. He was walking home from Gene's place, where he'd spent the best part of the evening. Officially, Gene was tutoring him (and much to his chagrin, had actually tried to force some algebra into his head), but most of their time had been spent talking, laughing... just being close to each other. Clyde played their goodnight kiss over and over in his head, remembering his boyfriend's tentative, gentle, warm embrace. He hated that they had to pretend they weren't dating at school, but it was probably for the best. How would people even react to two guys being together? He sure didn't want to find out.

As he passed by the lake, Clyde saw two figures, one tall, one short, standing at the end of the little wooden dock. His stomach jolted as he realised that it was Frankie and Edd. In the two weeks since the incident at Suzy's Diner, they'd pretty much stayed out of each other's way, aside from a few pointed glares, but Clyde still wasn't sure Frankie wouldn't try to sock him into next Tuesday if given half a chance. Edd sure wouldn't stop him. Clyde would just have to try to sneak past them without them notic-

"Hey, Frankie. Look who it is." Shoot. Thanks a ton, Edd.

Frankie turned, removing his cigarette from his mouth, dropping it and crushing it beneath his boot. His mouth curled into a sneer.

"Clyde, man! Ain't ya gonna come say hello?" His tone was dark and threatening, the voice normally reserved for Connie, though Clyde supposed that since Frankie thought he was dating Connie, they were probably about the same in his book now. Steeling himself for a fight, Clyde strode up to the pair, stopping right in front of Frankie and staring him down.

"Hey, guys," he said, keeping his tone neutral. Edd gave him a look over his shades. Frankie grunted.

"You been with her, huh?" 

"Sure have." Frankie's posture shifted slightly, giving Clyde just enough warning to duck and side-step before Frankie threw a punch with all his weight. He stumbled, his momentum not resulting in an impact on Clyde's face as intended. 

"You dirty traitor!" Pivoting around, he punched Clyde hard on the jaw, moving around in front of him again as Clyde tried to ignore the shockwaves in his skull. "That's for betrayin' us! I can't believe it! You and the leader of that stupid girl club!" He closed in again. "And Gene, too! Aw well. Not as if we wanted that nerd in the Rollers to begin with." Something in Clyde's chest flipped. He saw red. Swinging his fist, he punched Frankie right in the eye with all his strength. Frankie howled, bringing his hands up to his face, then staring furiously at Clyde. Clyde gulped - he was really in for it now.

Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed him from behind, surprisingly strong, and shoved him hard. Clyde felt himself topple and fall. He hit the icy water with a deafening crash felt it engulf him. It took a moment for his muscles to fight the chill that these to paralyse them completely, but then he forced himself up and broke the surface again, gasping for air, his hair plastered to his face. He heard laughter and looked up.

Frankie, still clutching his eye, was in stitches, but Edd... Edd looked about as stoic as ever, if you didn't know what to look for. But Clyde did. The slight tension in his jaw and the low, tight tone of his voice meant that Edd felt either very hurt or very angry. With the shades on, Clyde couldn't quite tell. Perhaps that was deliberate.

"Nobody decks Frankie and gets away with it." Schooling his expression again, Edd turned and walked away, Frankie following close behind, still laughing. Clyde felt a pang of sadness. He and Edd had been good friends, and he'd hoped that Edd wouldn't have taken things so personally. But Edd had always been loyal to Frankie above all else. As Clyde clambered out of the lake, drenched and freezing, he tried to push aside his regret. He may not have been in the Rollers anymore, but he was with Gene, and that was far more important to him.

~*~*~*~

Almost there, Clyde thought, turning the corner into his street. He was shivering uncontrollably, still soaked to the skin and chilled to the bone. The air felt icy cold now. His arms were wrapped around himself, trying to keep what little body heat he still had, but he was still so cold that his nose was running, making him sniff constantly. He couldn't wait to get home, have a hot shower and snuggle up in bed, instead of being stuck out in the cold, his stupid nose itching...

"Hh-kschx! -kschxng!" The two sneezes snuck up on him before he could even think about trying to contain them. He sniffled wetly as he finally reached his front door, letting himself in with a sigh of relief. At the sound of the door closing again, a voice called out.

"Mom? Dad?"

"No, just me," Clyde shouted in response. His parents had gone out for the evening, and clearly weren't back yet, so it was just him and his sister in the house. Walking to the bathroom, he saw her bedroom door shut. "I'm gonna take a shower," he shouted, getting a sarcastic 'good for you' in response. Thankfully she stayed in her room. He would never had heard the end of it if she'd seen him like this.

Clyde quickly stripped down and got into the shower. The hot water feet good, but didn't quite dispel the chill that had settled into him. Plus, the steam was only making his nose run more, so he decided to just go to bed. Turning off the water and stepping out of the shower, he began drying himself off. It felt good for his skin to finally be dry, though his hair was still a bit damp. Oh well. 

It was still pretty early by his standards, but it wasn't like he had anything better to do, so he got into his pyjamas and went back to his room, climbing into bed as turning off the light. He was still cold, his hair was still wet and his nose was still running, but eventually he managed to drift off into blissful sleep.

~*~*~*~

Okay, that's it for Chapter 1. Like I said, not much sneezing yet, but I'm sure you can all tell where this is going. I know it's kind of scientifically inaccurate or whatever for Clyde to get sick just from falling in the lake, but that's how they thought it worked in the '50s, right? That's my justification, at least. I'll try and update this soon, within a week if I can, but I've got lots of deadlines for coursework coming up at school, so it might take a while. I'll do my best, and I promise that this will be finished. In the meantime, feel free to leave some constructive criticism down below!

[Vanilla]

Oops, forgot to fill in the word count! Sorry! It's 1,085 words!

[supernaturalfragalistic]

I don't know this fandom or whatever, but I really like the story! Please continue!

[Vanilla]

On 24/04/2016 at 6:11 PM, supernaturalfragalistic said:

I don't know this fandom or whatever, but I really like the story! Please continue!

Thanks for the praise! I really recommend the comic, you should totally check it out. 

It might take longer than I thought to get this updated, mainly because I've got lots of exams and coursework deadlines coming up so I haven't had much time to come up with ideas. I wanted to get another chapter written this weekend but I just haven't had the time to work on it. I don't really know quite where I want to go next with this, either, so that's another difficulty. I still want to finish this, but it might be on hold for a month or more, depending how things go. Or, you never know, I might manage to update sooner! Either way, thanks for your support!

[Vanilla]

Okay, it's finally time for the next chapter! I'm still not sure quite where I'm going with this, so if it gets rambly and out-of-control, I apologise in advance. I'll also try to watch out for typos, since the last part was so riddled with them (I hate writing on mobile, but here we are). There are going to be some POV changes in this one, so I'll try and mark out whose view it is at any one time. Anyway, here it is!

~*~*~*~

Chapter 2

"Clyde, honey? Your friend is here, are you ready to go?" Rousing himself blearily from sleep, Clyde blinked heavily as he tried to understand his ma's words. His friend? Did she mean Gene? And what time was it? He glanced over at the clock on his nightstand and almost jumped out of his skin. It was quarter-to-nine! He never slept this late! And now Gene was here to pick him up for school! Despite his lingering tiredness and the dull ache settling into his head and limbs, he threw off the covers, scrambled out of bed and began hastily picking out clothes.

"Uh, y-yeah, Ma! Tell 'im I'll be there in five minutes!" He coughed dryly. Yikes, his throat hurt. Not only that, but his nose was running again, and it felt kind of blocked too. And why did he feel so unrefreshed? He'd slept at least three hours more than usual. He had a nasty suspicion he was getting sick, not that it would be a surprise after the events of the previous night. Still, at least his hair had dried out while he slept.

Clyde rushed into the bathroom to get dressed and to quickly grease and comb his hair. As he combed his hair out from in front of his eyes, he noticed slight shadows hanging under them, as well as some pinkness around his nose, which was suddenly itching...

"Hhh-kscheh! -kngxt!" The sneezes scratched harshly at his already sore throat. Yeah, he was definitely coming down with something. Silently cursing Frankie, he dashed into the kitchen, where his ma was waiting for him. His dad and sister had probably already left. 

"There you are, sweetie!" She handed him a slice of toast. "You can eat that on the way. Now off you go, and you apologise to your friend for making him wait!" She had always liked Gene, calling him "such a sweet young man" and insisting that Clyde spend more time with him than with Frankie and the gang, of whom she had always disapproved (of course, she hasn't minded Rolly at all, but that was ancient history). Still, Clyde didn't think she'd accept them being anything more than friends. He smiled.

"I will, Ma, I will. Aw, no, Ma-" he added as she hugged him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Before she could get a good look at him, Clyde extracted himself from her arms and rush out the door.

~*~*~*~

Gene drummed his fingers restlessly against the steering wheel. He was a little worried. Clyde was normally ready and waiting for him when he arrived, smiling that dazzling smile of his, but today... Gene didn't know why he wasn't. His ma had said he'd be out soon, though.

Hearing a door close, Gene turned his head and saw Clyde walking down his driveway towards the car. He looked amazing, as always, but something about him seemed off. He looked distracted, and there wasn't quite the usual energy in his stride. Gene was about to look away, not wanting to be caught staring, but at that moment Clyde finally looked up at him and smiled, as charming as ever. Gene felt himself blush as he smiled back. Maybe he was over-thinking things.

"Hey Gede," said Clyde as he climbed into the car. Was it just Gene's imagination, or did Clyde's voice sound strange? Clyde frowned slightly, clearing his throat and sniffing. "Sorry I'm late, guess I overslept." He rubbed the back of his neck and smiled sheepishly, his voice sounding perfectly normal now. It was definitely just his imagination.

"H-hey Clyde. You overslept? That's not like you." Clyde looked away.

"Yeah, well. I was tired, I guess." He sniffed again, nibbling half-heartedly at the toast in his hand. That was odd too, Gene noted; Clyde appreciated food and was perpetually hungry. Normally he would wolf down any food he was given. Still, Gene felt like he'd pushed the matter enough. He started the car and they set off.

It was only a short drive to school, but it seemed to last hours that morning. Clyde finished his toast without another word, and then spent the rest of the journey staring out of the window, occasionally punctuating the silence with quiet sniffs and coughs. Gene was now convinced that something had really upset Clyde (from the sound of it, he might have even been trying not to cry), but he didn't know what, and he had no idea what to say. He'd never been any good at that kind of thing. Even so, as they arrived at the school and Gene parked the car, he decided enough was enough. As Clyde motioned to get out, Gene grabbed his wrist and pulled him back down. Clyde looked at him in surprise.

"Gede?" His voice sounded weird again. Gene looked him in the eyes.

"Clyde, what's wrong?" Clyde looked puzzled and gave no answer, so Gene continued. "You just don't seem like yourself. You've barely said a word to me all morning! I can tell something's bothering you. Is it about last night? Did... did I do something wrong?" His voice shook on the last word. Clyde's eyes widened.

"D-ndo, Gede, you didd't do adythig, last dight was great, i-it's just... just... hhh..." He trailed off, breath hitching, his eyes becoming unfocused. He held up a finger, signalling to Gene to wait.

"Um, Clyde? Are you- ?"

"Heh-kngtch! Hh-ksch! ... Hhh-ktchew!" Clyde turned away, sneezing harshly into the crook of his elbow. Gene blinked in surprise, managing a mumbled "bless you". Clyde turned to face him again, rubbing his nose and sniffling thickly. He laughed nervously.

"Eheheh... thangks." He sombered. "But adyway, Gede, like I was saying, you didd't do adythig wrogg. Please dod't thingk I'b beid' quiet 'cause of you. I'b just dot sayid' much 'cause... well... I'b kidda dot feelid' so great right dow. Thingk I caught a cold." He coughed roughly, as if to emphasise. It was obvious, Gene realised, now that he knew. Clyde's voice was hoarse and congested, more so even than at the start of the drive ten minutes ago, and looking closer, he did look a little sick too. 

"Clyde..." Guilt washed over Gene. How had he not noticed it sooner? "When did it start? You seemed okay last night." Clyde sniffed.

"Uh, well... I was fide at your place. I just started gettid' kidda sdiffly od by way hobe."

"Did you sleep alright?"

"Yeah, actually. Wedt to bed pretty early add odly woke up whed you arrived."

"And you're sure you want to come into school? I could drive you home." Clyde shook his head.

"Ndah, I'b okay. It soudds worse thad it is." Gene wasn't entirely convinced, but he didn't want to argue.

"Okay." He opened his door. "Anyway, we should get to class. Mr. Martin will kill us if we're late." Clyde checked his appearance in the rear-view mirror, popping his collar and winking at his reflection, before following suit.

"We cad just tell 'ib the traffic was bad." He smiled deviously. Gene's heart fluttered. Even sick, Clyde was so beautiful. Perhaps not always the best influence, but otherwise perfect. As they got out of the car and walked to class among the hoardes of other students, Clyde sneezed again, this time a single quiet stifle, but still audible to Gene. Reaching into the pocket of his jacket, Gene pulled out a clean white handkerchief and wordlessly handed it to Clyde, who pocketed it equally silently but with a grateful sidelong glance.

~*~*~*~

Okay, that's it for this chapter, which comes to 1,255 words. I meant to fit more in, but I didn't want this to get too long, so I guess the rest will have to wait. I'll update this again when I can, which may take another week or two. I hope you all enjoyed this, anyway!

[Vanilla]

It's time for the next part! Same disclaimer as before, I'm kind of just letting the story evolve as I write so it may get a little off-track at times. I'll try and get a proper narrative going, though. I still don't know how I want this story to end, so that's an issue, but I'll see where this part takes me. Enjoy!

~*~*~*~

Clyde was sat beside Gene on the bottom bench of the bleachers as Gene talked him through their algebra homework. Connie and Carla were sitting on the grass just next to them, eating their lunch.

"So, see, you multiply what's inside the brackets by what's outside the brackets. Which is...?" Gene looked at him expectantly. Clyde swallowed painfully and tried to ignore the pulsing ache in his skull.

"Uh... six... bultiplied by... x plus y plus three?" Gene smiled nervously.

"Not quite," he said, "but that was better! The only thing is that xy doesn't mean x plus y, it means x multiplied by y. Try the next step." Clyde rolled his eyes and groaned, but smirked playfully to show he was joking. He was actually getting better thanks to Gene's tutoring (though of course Gene insisted that it was Clyde's own hard work that was making the difference), and it wasn't quite as intolerable as he'd expected.

"Okay, so... six-xy... plus three? Ndo, wait... plus eighteed! Six-xy plus eighteed! Is that right?" He coughed, expecting to hear what he'd done wrong, but Gene beamed and nodded his head.

"Y-yes, that's right! You got it right! Good job, Clyde!" Carla smiled up at him warmly while Connie grinned and gave him a thumbs-up. Something swelled pleasantly in his chest. Over the past couple of weeks, the four of them had developed a real sense of camaraderie. It had been pretty awkward initially, when the wounds from the incident at the diner were still raw, especially for him and even more so for Connie, but they'd only really had each other for company, so they'd become almost like a new gang of their own. He felt more genuine friendship for Connie now than he'd ever felt for Frankie, which he never would have believed possible. If anything, he felt like maybe what had happened was a good thing. At least around each other that didn't have to lie about who they were.

"You two finally done with that? About time!" Connie flopped back on the grass, spread-eagle. "You even eaten yet, Clyde?" Now that she had brought his attention to it and he was no longer distracted, Clyde realised that he was actually pretty hungry now, despite still feeling bad overall. He also realised that he'd been in too much of a hurry that morning to prepare anything. He sniffed and rubbed his nose, which was starting to itch for what seemed like the millionth time that day.

"Uh, ndo, andd... I forgot to brigg... adythig... hhh..." he began, but was cut off by another series of harsh sneezes. "Heh-tchew! Hh-knshng! ... Heh-kschew!" He sniffled thickly. Carla made a sympathetic sound.

"Bless you." Clyde blew his nose to try to clear the thick congestion that had settled there, and managed to shift it enough for his voice to sound more normal (if still noticeably rough).

"Ugh. Thanks. Anyway, guess I'll have to buy something." He made a face. Gene, Carla and Connie smirked at each other. "What?" Clyde protested with mock indignation. "Cafeteria food is a crime against humanity!" He instantly regretted raising his voice as his throat stung in response. Coughing, he dug around in his pockets for spare change. He found enough for what the cafeteria lovingly called a lunch and looked up again to see Connie scowling.

"Watch out, Rollers incoming." Trying to ignore the slight squeeze in his chest as he remembered that label no longer included him, Clyde turned his head and watched as Frankie strode towards them, Edd close behind him. Apparently their groups weren't avoiding each other anymore, which was kind of a relief in a way, but at the same time Clyde didn't think he had the energy for a confrontation.

"Well, if it ain't the Betrayers' Club," snarled Frankie as stopped and stared down at them. His eyes were narrowed, though the skin around one was dark and puffy with bruises, and Clyde took a moment's pride at having dished out such a shiner. Edd came to a halt at Frankie's side, giving Connie and Carla a look of unconcealed disdain, though Clyde noticed that he was suspiciously avoiding looking at him or Gene. 

"Lay off, Frankie," said Connie dismissively, not even deigning to stand, "we ain't doin' nothin' to you."

"That so?" Frankie's tone was all challenge. "'Cause I find you bein' here at all pretty insultin'." Clyde felt anger rising and stood up, positioning himself between Frankie and the rest of the group.

"Seriously guys. Get outta here." He hoped his low voice sounded deliberately threatening rather than the result of a sore throat, and that his returning congestion wasn't audible. Frankie smirked.

"Aw, would you look at that, Edd? Ain't that sweet? Clyde's standin' up for his little girlfriend!" Edd filed his arms and shifted his weight, but his face remained impassive. Clyde, meanwhile, felt a surge of offence. He and Connie may not have been dating, but he still wasn't going to let Frankie talk about her like that.

"You better watch your bouth, Frangkie, or I'll black your other eye!" Clyde meant every word, but the stuffiness of his voice and the way it cracked on the last word somewhat ruined the effect. Edd raised an eyebrow, no doubt noting how bad Clyde sounded. Frankie seemed to notice the same thing.

"Well, I mean, you can try, but... all I'm gonna say is it sounds like you enjoyed your little swim last night." In the corner of his eye, Clyde saw Gene turn and look at him, while Connie got to her feet and cracked her knuckles menacingly.

"Alright, that's enough, Frankie. Scram, before I make ya." She took a step forward and met Frankie's eyes, which locked to hers with equal aggression. After a moment, however, Frankie shrugged and put his hands in his pockets, turning around. 

"Heh. Whatever. Sure. Let's go, Edd. Leave these losers to their little date." He began strolling away, but Edd lingered a moment. He looked at Clyde sombrely, then frowned and turned away, stalking after Frankie without looking back. Clyde struggled to suppress the now-familiar feeling of regret and dropped back down onto the bench beside Gene, sniffling sullenly.

"Oh Clyde, are you alright?" Carla's soft voice was heavy with concern. "It must be so hard for you to face them again so soon." Clyde shrugged, not meeting her eyes. It was hard. Feeling a hand on his arm, he looked up to see Gene looking at him sadly. His heart twisted.

"It's... it's fide. Really. Who deeds eb'? We got each other, right?" He smiled at Gene, who blushed and smiled sheepishly in return. Clyde felt his spirits lift significantly. After a moment, though, Gene frowned again, this time looking puzzled.

"Um, Clyde... what was it that Frankie said before? About you... going swimming? Or something? You were at my house last night, so...?" He trailed off.

"Yeah, what was that about?" Clyde could feel Connie's scrutinising gaze. He didn't answer. He didn't really want to talk about it. Frankly, it was pretty embarrassing, plus he didn't want to upset Gene. He'd have come up with some witty retort, but his head felt a little too sore and sluggish, and besides, his nose seemed to have other ideas all of a sudden.

"Hih-kschew! Heh-ksxcheh!" As he coughed and rubbed his nose, the others blessed him in unison. Smiling and thanking them, he decided he'd tell them about the events of the previous night. They wouldn't judge him. As he explained how he'd run into Frankie and Edd by the lake, the others' expressions changed from surprise to shock, and then to anger as he described being pushed in.

"Edd pushed you in?" repeated Gene quietly. Clyde nodded.

"And you had to walk home like that, all wet? You poor thing, no wonder you caught a cold!" Her motherly tone took on a steely edge as she added: "I'd like to tell them a thing or two!"

"Still," said Connie, "it's satisfyin' to know it was you who gave Frankie that black eye!" Carla shot her a glance that seemed to sober her slightly. "But yeah, they totally crossed the line." A mischievous glint entered her eyes. "Hows about we come up with a plan to get 'em back?" Clyde thought about the suggestion. He hadn't really considered it, and he wasn't sure he wanted to; self-defense was one thing, but initiating an act of aggression seemed like asking for trouble. It would be satisfying to wipe that smug grin off Frankie's face, though. He nodded.

"Yeah, alright. But just Frangkie." Connie raised her eyebrows.

"But Edd's the one who pushed you in! Look, I know you were good friends or whatever, but that's behind us now. If he's gonna do that kind of thing, ya gotta be willing to fight back!" Clyde was a little surprised by her detachment, but supposed that distancing herself from her own former friends was her way of coping.

"It's just that... Edd seebs pretty upset about this whole thigg, and sure he pushed be id, but gederally he's just beed shuttig be out. I cad handdle that. It's odly Frangkie we deed to deal with." Connie shrugged.

"Sure, whatever you say. It's you were doin' this for, anyway."

"I don't know," said Gene in a small voice. "Frankie's being pretty awful, but is getting revenge really necessary? Won't he just give us more trouble?" Carla nodded.

"I'm with Gene on this one. What he's doing isn't alright, but I think it would be better to ignore him completely. That way he'll get bored of us and move on." Connie stared at her.

"What?! Frankie isn't gonna stop givin' us grief until we make 'im! You don't gotta join in, you neither Gene, but let me an' Clyde give Frankie what's comin' to 'im!" Carla looked reluctant, but nodded.

"Well alright, of course I won't stop you if it's what you really want."

"Just be careful," added Gene, looking at Clyde pleadingly. Clyde nodded decisively.

"We will. Let's do this!" He coughed again; he really had to stop raising his voice. Connie grinned.

"Yeah!" She lay back down again as she said: "Go get your lunch first, though." Chuckling to himself, Clyde stood up.

"Will do. See you id a bidute." Sniffling and rubbing his nose, he headed off towards the cafeteria. He took a long way around, off behind the courtyard, since he wasn't particularly in the mood for a crowd. As he rounded a corner, he stumbled back a few steps as he came almost face-to-face with a couple kissing. He realised suddenly that it was Rolly and that new kid... Ace, wasn't it? They hadn't seen him yet, clearly too engrossed in what they were doing, so he attempted to back-track around the corner again. However, the slight itch in his nose suddenly flared, and before he could stop himself:

"Heh-tschew! -ktchew!" He stepped back again and covered his mouth, but Rolly and Ace still started, jumping back from each other and staring at Clyde, wide-eyed.

"C-Clyde?!" Rolly had turned a deep pink, as had Ace. Clyde straightened up, laughing nervously and rubbing his neck.

"Ahaha... s-sorry, I, uh... deverbindd, I'll just go, sorry for, uh, idterruptigg," he said, feeling his own face heat up. He turned to rush away, but Rolly called him back.

"Um, Clyde, wait a second!" Clyde stared at her incredulously. She blushed again, but kept looking at him. "I, uh, listen, I heard what happened, obviously... you know, at Suzy's... and I wanted to ask you... can you ask Connie to meet me after school, under the bleachers? Tell her I want to talk to her." Clyde was still fighting his surprise, but managed to nod.

"Uh, sure, Rolly. Adythigg else?" He coughed dryly. Rolly frowned.

"N-no, that's it. Except, I guess, I hope you two are happy!" Clyde nodded quickly. 

"Uh, yeah, you too, I guess." The two looked at each other again, blushing hard. Clyde swallowed audibly. "So, I'll just be, uh, goigg..." Ace looked at him.

"Yeah, and uh, feel better? You didn't sound so hot in Bio earlier, and you around even worse now." Rolly nodded in agreement.

"You do sound pretty sick." Clyde backed up, hoping to just end the awkward conversation.

"Uh, yeah, it's just a cold, but, uh, thangks. See ya 'roudd." Before either of them could reply, he walked quickly around them and headed for the cafeteria. Once he'd bought his food, he deliberately chose a different way back to the sports field, not wanting to run into the couple again. He could guess why Rolly wanted to see Connie, of course, but kept any speculation to himself as he reached the others again.

"What took you do long?" Connie asked nonchalantly. Clyde cleared his throat.

"I, uh, rad idto Rolly." Connie stared at him. "Yeah, uh, she wadts to talk to you after school. Undder the bleachers. Alode, I thingk." Carla looked at Connie knowingly, but Connie changed the subject.

"Okay, sure. But anyway, what are we gonna do to give Frankie a taste of his own medicine?"

~*~*~*~

Okay, end of part three. This one's even longer that the last one, 2,200 words! Finally getting into the action, too. I know it's a bit light on the cold stuff, but hopefully there's enough! Not sure when I'll get a chance for the next part, so watch this space!