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It was finally here! The Spooky Night, as Skid and Pump were calling it. They had been planning it for over a week, and the anticipation was nearly driving them insane. They had a list of things they wanted to do, from watching a scary movie to eating way too much candy. At first it was only going to be an afternoon, but after Skid had eagerly told his mom about it, Lila had suggested that they make it a sleepover. Both kids had jumped at the offer, agreeing and making more plans to stay up until the witching hour to try to summon a demon or see a ghost.
Pump wrung his hands, pacing just behind the couch where his father was sleeping. He had told his dad about the sleepover a few days ago, but he had told Pump to buzz off, so Pump wasn't sure if he remembered. The last thing he wanted his father to think was that he had run away, or that he had told anyone about the days where they couldn't afford food, and that a social worker had come to take him away.
He shuddered at the memory of when his father had warned him about that. He had made it very clear that Pump wasn't allowed to say anything to anybody if it would make them look bad.
"I'm doing my goddamn best," his father had snapped at him when Pump asked if he could please have some of his father's microwave dinner one night. "I'm bigger than you so I need more food. I can't afford to feed us both right now, so you'll just have to suck it up." Pump must have made a face, because his father had thrown his meal onto the TV tray, making the metal fork bounce and clatter to the ground with such force that Pump jumped, taking a nervous step backward. "You will suck it up," his father had growled, advancing on him. Pump had struggled to meet his father's dangerous expression, and found an interesting spot on the floor to stare at while fidgeting with his hands. His father had continued, "If you don't, and you start telling everyone what a horrible father I am to you, then they'll call someone to take you away from me. You remember in that movie, with the Hawaiian girl and her blue monster? How the social worker came to take her away from her sister, her only family? That's what they will do to you." He stepped forward again, Pump mirroring him and taking a step back, feeling the wall against his back. He focused more intently on the spot on the ground as his father knelt down, boxing him in and continuing in a steady tone, "If they take you away from me, you'll go into foster care. You'll be bounced from house to house, with no real family, and no one who loves you like I do. You're my son, so think of all the things I let you get away with because I love you." His face hardened. "Now think of what someone would do to you if you weren't their son, and how much less patience they'd have." Pump still hadn't met his father's eyes, staring guiltily at the floor. His father had reached out and snatched the front of Pump's shirt firmly, just enough to startle him into looking him in the eyes. "Got it?" He had said, quietly. Pump thought he had nodded, but his father had shaken him by the grip he had on his shirt, pushing him even harder into the wall as his face twisted in fury as he roared, "GOT IT?" And Pump had started sobbing, nodding and reassuring his father that yes, he understood, and he didn't want to be taken away, please!
Pump blinked himself back into the present, and was a bit surprised to feel hot tears spilling over his cheeks. He wiped them away with a determined expression. No, he didn't want his father to think he had said anything to make them take him away from the only family he had. He took a deep breath and stepped around the sofa where his father was sleeping. The sleepover. He was telling his dad about the sleepover.
With a shaky hand, Pump tapped his father on the shoulder. He snorted in his sleep, but didn't rouse. Pump felt his heartbeat in his throat as he tried again, tapping a little more firmly, then leaving his hand there to rest on his father's shoulder. As the man started to wake, Pump was mesmerized, fascinated by the warmth he felt under his hand. He could feel his father waking up, could feel every breath he took as his shoulder rose and fell, and he couldn't bring himself to pull away.
Abruptly, the spell was broken as his father fully woke and knocked Pump's hand away. "What are you doing?" He demanded, sitting up and glaring at Pump while fumbling for his phone to check the time.
Pump skittered back a few steps, quickly explaining, "Sorry, I'm sorry, dad. I just… I don't remember if I told you, but today I'm having a sleepover with Skid."
His father's eyes grew wide. "A sleepover?" He scoffed, standing up. "You would offer up my home to someone else without even asking me first? What kind of arrogant–"
"No, no!" Pump jumped in, wincing when he realized that he had interrupted his father. His father knew it too, and while his face darkened with anger, he did go quiet, clearly waiting for Pump to give him an explanation—a "damn good explanation," as his father would have called it—so he took a quick breath and continued in a rush, "He's not coming over here, don't worry, I'm going to his house for the night, and his mom will pick me up from school today, and we'll spend the night over there at Ms. Lila's house, and then tomorrow I can be home whatever time you want."
His father's eyes narrowed, considering. He looked his son up and down, and Pump suddenly felt very exposed. His hands wrung nervously near his chest, every fiber of his being telling to go hide somewhere, but he also knew that if he ran and hid, his father would only be more angry at him. And he really wanted to stay at Skid's house for the night, but to do that, he had to stay on his father's good side. He was already on thin ice for waking him up so early.
So Pump squeezed his fingers tightly, hardly daring to breathe, and waited for judgement.
Finally, his father replied, "Alright, you can go. Tomorrow I want you home before four p.m., got it?"
Pump nodded, a grin spreading on his face as he rushed forward to try to give his father a hug. "Thank you, dad!" His father held up a hand to hold Pump awkwardly at arm's distance.
"Yeah, sure," he mumbled, sitting back onto the sofa. As Pump rushed to grab his backpack and other school materials, his father called out, "By the way, I don't think there'll be dinner tomorrow, so make sure to eat while you're out."
Pump opened the fridge to grab the sack lunch he had made for himself the night before, and noted with a frown that there was his bread and peanut butter—with a few other things, but Pump wasn't allowed to touch those—for him to make sandwiches with, and he called back in confusion, "What about the bread? I can make a peanut butter sandwich."
"Those are for school lunches. If you want to have that for dinner, then fine. But that means you'll have less for school. It's your choice," his father answered with a hint of irritation in his tone. Pump didn't want to rile him up or push it any further, so he accepted the answer and closed the fridge, stuffing his sack lunch into his backpack, next to his Halloween-themed pajamas for the sleepover.
As he ran out the door, he waved to his father. "Bye dad, thank you! I'll see you tomorrow!" He didn't bother waiting for the reply he knew wasn't coming, and closed the door, nearly skipping as adrenaline coursed through him.
This was really happening! He hadn't had a real sleepover in ages. He could already imagine all the fun things he and Skid were going to do, and he couldn't wait to get started!
"It's Spooky Night," Skid whispered to Pump for the hundredth time that day, and just like every single other time Skid had said it, Pump covered his mouth as he giggled quietly, nearly bursting with excitement. They walked side by side out of the school and Skid led the way to the parent pick-up area, where Pump recognized Lila's car.
They ran over and Skid stood on his tiptoes to see into his mom's car, waving eagerly at her, while Pump stayed back a bit. Lila grinned and unlocked the car, letting them both in.
"Hi mom!"
"Hi Ms. Lila!"
They greeted at the same time as they climbed in and buckled their seat belts.
Lila turned so she could see them, and gave a smile. "Hey kids! Are you ready for Spooky Night?" They both nodded, talking over each other as they gushed over what they were most excited for. Lila snickered. "Glad to hear it!" She pulled out of the school zone and started heading home, Skid and Pump talking excitedly together in the back seat.
Before they made it home, Lila pulled into a McDonald's that was on the way.
"Mom?" Skid asked, peering out the window as they got in line at the drive-thru.
She met two pairs of confused expressions as she looked in the rear-view mirror, and explained, "I was thinking we start off Spooky Night with some ice cream, what do you think?"
Pump's eyes widened and Skid cheered. "Spooky Night ice cream!" Skid cried, pumping a fist into the air. He turned to Pump, whose mouth was slightly open from surprise and joy.
"Spooky Night ice cream!" Pump replied, grinning so huge that he was nearly shaking, and both of them did a mini version of the Spooky Dance as Lila continued through the drive-thru.
Soon the kids had their soft serve cones, and they were back on their way to Skid's house. Pump was incredibly careful not to make a mess, whereas Skid ended up with a good smear of the ice cream all around his mouth and dribbling down his chin.
"So," Lila said as they pulled into the driveway and set it in park, giving them some time to finish their ice cream. She unbuckled herself and turned to see her two passengers. "What's the plan for tonight, kids?"
"Scary movie first!" Skid answered right away, and Lila chuckled.
"Alright, scary movie first. I like it. Then what?"
Skid looked to Pump, who only had to think for a moment before replying, "What about we play a game?"
Lila nodded eagerly. "Sure, we have plenty of games to play!"
"I wanna do some coloring!" Skid jumped in.
"Ooh, and maybe we can tell spooky campfire stories!" Pump's eyes were shining as he and Skid continued to bounce ideas back and forth.
Lila held up her hands in a slow-down movement, smiling good-naturedly. "Whoa, whoa, there's only so many hours in a night! When do you plan to sleep?"
"Never!" Skid announced, chest puffed. "We wanna stay up to see the witching hour!"
"Three in the morning?" Lila asked with a skeptical frown. "Are you sure you boys can handle it?"
"Of course!" Skid said confidently.
Pump shrugged. "Maybe!" he said optimistically, making Lila chuckle. He bit into the ice cream cone thoughtfully. If he were being honest, Pump wasn't sure if he'd be able to stay awake that late, but Skid was so excited for it, so Pump was excited for it too.
"Alright, if you say so," Lila said, but then her face grew a little more stern. "But first thing's first, let's dedicate an hour to doing some homework, and then Spooky Night can officially begin. Deal?"
Pump nodded eagerly, willing to meet any of Lila's requirements, while Skid whined. "Aw, mom! It's Friday, why can't I do homework tomorrow?"
Lila frowned at Skid, gently scolding him, and Pump felt his stomach do a flip. He shrunk in his seat just a bit and looked at Skid from the corner of his eye, hoping Skid would apologize for back-talking. But instead, Skid just pouted, waiting for Lila to answer him. Pump braced himself for the yelling to start, but Lila answered patiently, "If you get it done now, then you won't have to think about it at all for the rest of the weekend. Besides," she gave Pump a little smile, "have you ever done homework with a buddy before? It's so much better than doing it by yourself. And it's only for an hour. Whatever you don't get done, you can do over the weekend. I won't make you do more than one hour." She raised an eyebrow at Skid. "Deal, mister?"
Skid tapped his chin, thinking it over. "Eh, sure, alright. Deal."
With a satisfied nod, Lila was about to get out, when she noticed the mess Skid had made on his face, and shook her head fondly. She used a bottle of water to wet a few napkins, then handed them to Skid. He took them and started scrubbing at his mouth and cheeks. Lila got out of the car and went to unlock the front door of the house while Skid chomped into his ice cream cone. Pump had finished his ice cream already—without a drop to be seen anywhere, he noted with pride—but waited to leave the car so he could walk up with Skid.
Pump unbuckled himself and gathered his backpack while Skid finished his ice cream. When he was done, he wiped his chin one more time, and started picking up everything he needed to bring inside. Pump opened his mouth, paused, then glanced over his shoulder toward where he had last seen Lila before whispering, "Are you sure it's a good idea to talk to her like that?"
Skid looked up at him, frowning. "Like what?"
"You know." Pump fidgeted, and his voice grew somehow even more quiet. "Back-talking."
Skid's frown grew, and he opened his mouth to say something, but Lila's voice called from the house, "You boys coming?" which made Pump startle so badly that the skin on the back of his neck stood up, and his heart began to pound.
"Yeah, we're comin', mom!" Skid called back, then he looked at Pump with an easy smile. "It's fine, see? Nothing's wrong. C'mon," he hauled his backpack onto his shoulder and hopped out of the car. Pump scrambled to pick up his backpack again as well, and followed Skid into the house.
Just as Lila had promised, doing homework with a buddy made it so much better, and the designated homework hour was done so much more quickly than it would have been if they had been doing it alone.
Skid ran to his mom as she worked on something in the kitchen, Pump close behind him, and held up his open notebook for her to see. Pump copied him. "Done!" Skid cried, and Lila bent to first look at Skid's work, then at Pump's, while stroking her chin with a thoughtful expression.
"I dunno," she started slowly, and Pump lowered his notebook just a bit as his arms lost some of their eager rigidity. He peered over the notebook at her, something akin to betrayal swirling in his gut. She glanced at him and gave a tiny wink. Now confused, Pump lowered his notebook further, brow furrowed. Lila looked back at Skid's work, and shook her head, 'tsk'ing lightly. "This work is much too neat, I can't allow you to turn this in."
Skid blinked, then grinned as he closed the notebook and tossed it onto a table. Pump felt a grin forming on his face as well, as he closed his notebook and hugged it to his chest so he could put it away when Lila dismissed them. "Ah mom, you scared me!" Skid exclaimed. "I thought you were gonna make us redo it or somethin'!" He playfully pushed at his mom's knee as she laughed and straightened up. "You're so mean!"
Off to the side, Pump's grin disappeared and his body stiffened as if he'd been doused in cold water. There was no way he'd be allowed to say something like that to anyone, especially not a parent. And he had pushed her? Sure, Lila didn't seem hurt by it, but if Pump even thought of raising a hand to his father, he'd be in for a bad night. So Pump was sure that even if Skid wasn't in trouble before, he certainly was now. Sure enough, Pump felt a switch in the air, and he took a shaky step backward, afraid of the consequences. But neither mother nor son seemed to notice him.
"Oh, am I?" Lila asked with a mischievous glint in her eye. She suddenly swooped down and picked up Skid with a playful snarl, making Skid squeal with delight. She carried him to the living room, still growling playfully while Skid squirmed and giggled, and she leaned over the back of the couch and dropped him onto it, then backed away, a little out of breath but chuckling to herself.
Pump followed numbly, knuckles white as he gripped his notebook protectively to his chest, watching. He didn't want Lila to turn on him, but he also didn't want her to hurt Skid. Although, he wasn't sure if he'd even be able to do anything. He hadn't done anything so far besides stand there uselessly. So if Skid really was in trouble, Pump had a sinking feeling that he wouldn't be able to do anything to help.
Skid peeked over the back of the couch and saw Pump standing quietly off to the side. Skid's hair was a mess and his clothes were a little rumpled, but he had the biggest smile on his face as he looked at Pump, and he was giggling a little with every exhale.
He then grinned up at his mom, who stood there with a matching smile. Lila's gaze lingered on her son, then she glanced to the side and found Pump standing in the doorway, and her expression softened.
Lila quickly looked around the room, found the TV remote, picked it up, and walked over to Pump to hand it to him. "Since your homework is done, I think that means Spooky Night can officially begin!" Pump reached out to take the remote, a bit confused but also not nearly as terrified as he had been mere minutes ago. She wasn't angry?
She reached toward Pump again, and while Pump stiffened, he didn't try to jerk away from her. She took hold of the top of his notebook with her fingertips and gave a small tug while saying, "Let me put this in your backpack for you, Pump. You guys go ahead and set up your movie."
Pump, knowing better than to argue with an adult, quickly nodded and forced himself to let go of the notebook. Was she really going to put it in his backpack for him? That didn't make sense; it was his homework and his backpack. Why would she care or even help him out if it wasn't even hers?
But she didn't seem bothered at all, giving him a quick smile and straightening up to head back into the kitchen, where they had left their backpacks. Pump watched her dumbly as she disappeared around the corner.
From the couch, Skid startled Pump from his thoughts. "C'moooon Pump!" He whined, reaching out his hand for the remote. "Let's start the movie!"
About halfway through the movie, a very enticing smell distracted Pump and made his stomach growl. Thankfully, the movie was loud enough that Skid didn't seem to hear it. Pump closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, savoring the smell as it left a trace of taste in the back of his throat. Lila must have been cooking her dinner, Pump figured, and took another deep breath.
Sometimes smelling food only made Pump's stomach hurt with how hungry it made him, but other times it helped ease the hunger pains. And for now, the smells were heavenly. But he knew that if Lila planned to eat right in front of him, the pain would become too much, and he wouldn't be able to watch. Sometimes if his father ate in front of him, Pump actually had to leave the room.
Unable to focus on the movie at all after that point, Pump was acutely aware of Lila stepping into the living room, and he unconsciously rested a hand on his aching stomach. All he had had today was the peanut butter sandwich for lunch. Usually that would be enough, since his father usually only managed to afford to feed him once a day—twice if he was lucky!—but the smell of cooking food was making Pump's mouth water.
He swallowed, trying to ignore when Lila stepped into the corner of his vision with a plate in her hand. So she was planning on eating dinner nearby. Pump's grip tightened on his stomach as he willed himself to not react. "Pump, would you like some dinosaur nuggets?" She asked when he didn't acknowledge her on his own, and Pump couldn't help but glance at her. She held a plate of nuggets—eight of them, if Pump's quick count was correct—out toward Pump, with an expectant look.
Pump just blinked, confused and wondering if it was a trap. Skid, on the other hand, quickly paused the movie and whooped with delight. "Dino nuggets!" He cried, jumping up and taking another plate Pump hadn't noticed from Lila's other hand. Pump watched Skid take a nugget and stuff the whole thing in his mouth. Then, feeling brave, Pump slowly reached out to take the plate from Lila.
"Thank you," he breathed, holding the plate close as Lila went back into the kitchen. The nuggets were warm and smelled wonderful, and there was a little dollop of ketchup in the middle of the plate, with the dinosaurs all arranged neatly around it. All of this was for him? He looked at Skid, who had bitten the head off of another dinosaur, and was watching Pump examine his food.
"You don't like nuggets?" Skid asked, tilting his head.
"No, I do!" Pump reassured. In all honesty, he wasn't sure if he liked them. His father had never made them for him before, and when his mom had taken him a long time ago to some fast food place and got him nuggets, while he could remember the outing—he vividly remembered climbing through the colorful tubes after his meal—he couldn't remember what the nuggets themselves actually tasted like. So he picked one up and bit off its head.
Warmth filled Pump as he chewed the hot food. It was bland, but Pump was grateful for that, since he had only had peanut butter sandwiches for a month—with the occasional treat from Skid—so he wasn't sure if he'd be able to handle it if it had a lot of taste.
Skid dipped his next dinosaur's toes into his own little dollop of ketchup and said, almost to himself, "I don't really like ketchup, but it's fun to pretend like it's the tar pits." He held up the dinosaur, which had a little ketchup stuck to its legs, and waggled it as he gave it a voice, "Oh no! I stepped in the tar! I'll never escape!"
Pump giggled and picked up one of his dinosaur nuggets, standing it upright in his own ketchup, and mimicked Skid's 'dino voice', "Ohh, save yourself! Tell my family I love them!"
"I'll never make it! You get out, tell them yourself! I know you can!"
"Oh, the light…" Pump lifted his dinosaur out of the 'tar' and held it reverently up to the overhead light, then stuffed the whole thing in his mouth.
"NOOO! Oh no, don't give up! Keep moving! We'll escape! I gotta– agh!" Skid lifted his own dinosaur nugget and downed it in one bite as well. The two of them snickered for a moment, then as Pump picked up his next nugget, he paused.
"I thought you're supposed to stop moving if you step in tar," Pump said thoughtfully.
"Uh," Skid answered, thinking too. "I think that's quicksand."
"Oh, okay," Pump accepted easily.
Lila came back into the living room with a cup of something steaming in her hands, and sipped it as she sat on a chair next to the couch. "What are you kids talking about?"
"Getting stuck in tar pits and dying," Skid answered casually, dipping another dinosaur and biting off its legs.
Lila nodded just as casually and said nothing, taking a sip of her drink.
With Lila so close by, Pump was suddenly more quiet. He wasn't afraid of her, but he definitely felt much more shy, with an urge to keep his head down and not cause problems and barely be noticed at all. Nervous, he decided, was the best word.
Skid finished his nuggets and put the plate aside, picking up the remote and pressing play on the movie again. Pump continued to slowly work on his serving, but he was so full after only five dinosaurs. They were starting to taste like mush in his mouth, and even with the ketchup, Pump struggled to swallow the bites. But he was determined not to waste any food, so he soldiered on, taking small bites as he attempted to finish them all. He managed to work his way through one more whole nugget, but by then he felt like he was about to explode, or throw up, or faint. This must have been the trap, then. Offer him food, but make him sick from it. He set the plate on his lap and leaned back to let the food settle before he tried to eat more.
Pump jumped when Lila was suddenly crouched next to him. "Are you done?" She asked quietly so she wouldn't talk over the movie, and Pump wondered what she was referring to. She motioned toward the plate on his lap, with two nuggets still untouched on it. "I can take your plate if you're done."
Shame filled Pump, and he wanted to argue that no, of course he wasn't done yet; he wasn't going to waste the food she had so generously given him, and he was going to try to keep working on it. He just needed a moment… But his voice wouldn't work at all. So instead he silently nodded, the words 'I'm sorry' on the tip of his tongue, but before he could say them, Lila had smiled at him, lifted the plate from his lap, and disappeared into the kitchen once more.
That was it? No yelling, no accusing him of wasting food or demanding that he finish it all, even if it made him sick? Pump could have sworn there was a trick in there somewhere, but he had yet to find out what it was. Satisfied that, for now at least, he wasn't about to be tricked, Pump settled into the comfort of the couch, and attempted to remember what the heck the movie was about.
In the end, Spooky Night was a whopping success! After they finished the movie, they played a little bit of Luigi's Mansion. After both of them had taken a turn, but made hardly any progress, they decided to turn off the game and go do some coloring. Skid had taken Pump upstairs and given him some crayons and paper, and together they drew pictures and made up stories to go along with them, which morphed into telling spooky campfire stories, using their pictures as illustrations, as the sun went down. They turned off the light, and used just a flashlight to add to the spookiness as they spun their tales.
Around 9:00 or so, Lila knocked on the door and peeked in, taking in the flashlight as the only source of light in the pitch-black room. "How's Spooky Night going?"
"Great!"
"It's so much fun!"
Lila smiled. "Aw, I love to hear it! Now, I know you boys want to stay up to see the witching hour, but that's so far off, so in the meantime, why don't you change into pajamas, that way you're a little more comfortable for when the witches come visit?"
Skid's eyes lit up. "Witches come visit? For real?!"
"Why do you think they call it the 'witching hour'?" Lila asked with a wink. "Now come on, go get changed, brush teeth, all that, and then you can continue your Spooky Night stories, okay?" She closed the door behind her as she left.
"Okay," Pump replied after her, getting up and turning on the light while Skid dug in his drawer for some clothes to sleep in. Pump remembered that his clothes were still in his backpack, which was in the kitchen, and started to head downstairs to get them, but found Lila reading a book in the living room as he reached the bottom step.
He immediately dropped his gaze and unconsciously walked on the balls of his feet, trying to sneak by as quietly as possible so he wouldn't bother her. She didn't seem to notice him, and Pump breathed a sigh of relief as he made it to the kitchen and unzipped his backpack. As he took his clothes out, he realized that Lila did indeed put his notebook in his backpack, just as she said she would. Pump smiled, zipped up his backpack, and began to try to sneak back upstairs.
This time he wasn't so lucky. "Hey Pump," Lila said, and Pump felt his whole world spin around him as he gripped the handrail on the stairs to keep his balance. He took a breath and turned, pasting on a smile.
"Yes, Ms. Lila?" He asked quietly. He had never been alone with Skid's mom before, and he was genuinely terrified.
She looked back up at him and shook her head lightly. "Nothing, just saying hi," she smiled, then glanced at the clothes in his arms. "Do you have everything you need? PJs, toothbrush, socks, teddy bear?"
Pump blinked and looked at the pajamas he held. "Just PJs," he said, voice growing weaker. He didn't know she wanted him to bring all that other stuff. Was she going to be mad that he didn't have a teddy bear?
Lila made a soft 'hm' sound and stood up. "I know I have some spare toothbrushes, and I know Skid would be okay with sharing his toothpaste. If you forgot your toothbrush at home, I can let you borrow one of ours."
Pump felt his heartbeat in his ears. What was the right answer? Say no to her and back-talk an adult? Or agree with her, and take some of her hard-earned things? In the end, he panicked and ended up deciding on telling her how things usually were at home—so she wouldn't feel obligated to give him anything, and he wouldn't be flat-out arguing with her; this was just what he was used to, no big deal!—saying in a panicked rush, "Oh, I don't have one at home anyways, so it's okay, Ms. Lila. But thank you so much!"
Instead of placating her, this seemed to make her even more interested, and she stepped closer to Pump, then knelt down a few feet away from him. "You don't have a toothbrush at home?" She asked, clarifying.
Pump realized that he had said the wrong thing, and swallowed a few times, trying but failing to get his voice to work. On the verge of tears, he shook his head. He couldn't lie to such a direct question like that.
Lila frowned, then stood up and waved. "Follow me," she said, leading Pump back upstairs, where she opened one of the cabinets and took down a box with a few brand-new toothbrushes and toothpastes still in their packaging. She held it out for Pump to see. "Go ahead," she told him. "Pick your favorite color." As Pump numbly looked into the box, then back up at her, then back into the box, he considered refusing it. His father would be furious if he found out! But Lila continued, "I personally get the spearmint toothpaste for myself. Skid says it's too spicy. So I get him the bubblegum-flavored one instead, and he likes that much better. But both of us love switching up the colors of our toothbrushes to keep it fun."
Very slowly, Pump reached into the box and lightly dug through the brushes to see their colors. His eyes caught on a neon pack of toothbrushes, which had 3 of them still in their packaging. There was an orange, a green, and a blue one, all bright and neon, with accents of white. He lifted it up to look at it and admire it, but started to put it back. Lila had said he could have one, not three.
But to his surprise, Lila took the box away before he could put it back. "Good choice," she praised, stopping any arguments Pump might have had. He reluctantly tucked the pack of toothbrushes on top of the clothes he was holding, and gave her a shaky smile. She smiled back, and then reached into the box herself, dug out a bubblegum-flavored toothpaste, and set it on top of the treasure Pump already had in his arms. Pump gasped, and was about to try to insist that this was more than enough, but Lila just put the box back into the cabinet and closed the door.
Dumbfounded, Pump didn't know what to say. Thoughts ran like rapidfire through his head. Thank you for not getting mad at me, thank you for not calling a social worker on my dad, thank you for giving me so many toothbrushes, thank you for the toothpaste too, thank you for earlier when I couldn't finish the nuggets, thank you for the nuggets in the first place, thank you for…
"Thank you for…everything, Ms. Lila," was all he could actually squeak out. And the way Lila beamed at him told him that it was the right thing to say. She reached out to ruffle his hair, not quite noticing how Pump's body went rigid as he bowed his head.
"You're very welcome. Now, go get ready. I think Skid's pretty much done in the bathroom."
As if on cue, Skid burst out from the bathroom, wearing a skeleton onesie and grinning. "Alright Pump, your turn!" He announced, pulling the hood of the onesie over his head and sprinting past Pump and his mom to go downstairs.
Lila chuckled and started to head downstairs as well, but not before turning and giving Pump a gentle wave. "See you in the morning, Pump. Good night." she said, then continued downstairs.
Much too softly for even himself to hear, Pump replied, "Good night."
He hadn't said those words in years.
Despite Skid's confidence that he would make it to 3am, he started dozing off around eleven. They were lying on their stomachs on the floor in Skid's darkened bedroom, drawing quietly as they grew more and more tired. Skid eventually stopped responding just before midnight, but Pump only managed to last a little bit longer before he, too, had fallen asleep.
Pump was prone to nightmares. He had them nearly every night, but some nights were worse than others. Usually they consisted of his father accusing him of things he didn't do, only to learn that he did in fact do them. Or sometimes they were of a faceless demon dragging Pump away from his father. Other times it was him looking in the mirror at himself and watching his reflection warp and wither away into dust while his father's laughter echoed around him.
Tonight was no different in that Pump had a nightmare. But the difference this time was that instead of a faceless demon dragging Pump away from his father, it was actually his father dragging him away from Skid and Lila. And as Pump cried and struggled to reach them, his father's voice hissed in his ear, "No one will ever love you as much as I do."
Pump woke with a strangled cry, the arm that was pillowing his head soaked with tears. He sucked in deep, calming breaths, very much aware that Skid was still sleeping on the ground right next to him. Skid stirred, humming as a frown pinched his brow, and Pump was quickly getting to his feet and slipping from the room, closing it with a near-silent click before he finally released the breath he didn't realize he was holding. The last thing he wanted to do was wake up Skid and have to explain that he has nightmares, and what they're about. He leaned back against the wall of the hallway just outside Skid's room, and slid down to sit, panting hard.
The image wouldn't leave him. Skid's terrified face as Pump continued to be pulled backward. Lila's usually gentle expression twisted in sorrow. Both of them reaching out for Pump, and Pump reaching back for them, their names on his tongue but unable to speak.
Pump pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes, trying to shake the image burned into his skull, but all it did was burn brighter. He groaned, knowing that there was no way he'd be able to go back to sleep after something like that, and hugged his knees to his chest, comforted by the sound of his heartbeat slowing down.
Some time passed—Pump had no idea how long, exactly—but eventually, his trembling had faded, and his eyes were growing heavy from where he sat. It wasn't a very comfortable position, but he was too afraid to move and break the spell. Sometimes he couldn't sleep at all after a nightmare, so if he was drifting off like this, propped against the wall, he wanted to let it happen. Any sleep was better than no sleep at all.
He was lightly dozing, still aware of the hard floor under his tailbone, and the sounds of the house heater kicking on every now and then, and the ache in his back from the awkward position, but his mind was pleasantly hazy, so he coasted through some more time in this half-awake state.
That is, until he heard a creak on the stairs.
His eyes snapped open and he jerked his head up, feeling dread turn his stomach to stone. Sure enough, he could hear the soft footsteps of someone walking up the stairs. Pump was unable to breathe as he tried to quickly come up with a plan. Should he go back into Skid's room? Should he run to the bathroom? Stay completely still and hope that Lila—or, Pump hoped it was Lila, anyway, and not some scary monster—wouldn't see him?
Before he could come up with a plan, he ran out of time. Sure enough, it was Lila, and Pump held his breath, shrinking into the shadows of the hallway wall, hoping it would be too dark for her to see him. She made it to the top of the stairs and stretched, rubbing her eye with a sigh.
Just when Pump thought maybe she was going to go to her room, she turned to Skid's room, and noticed Pump sitting there, terrified, on the floor.
Lila's eyebrows rose, and she frowned as she took a few steps closer. "Pump?"
Pump still hadn't taken a breath yet, and he could feel himself shaking. This was it. Skid was asleep and Lila knew that Pump was awake. He was alone with her and there would be no way out. She'd demand that he tell her everything, and then she'd call a social worker on Pump's dad, and he'd be taken away and sent into foster care forever, and…
His resolve shattered, and Pump buried his face in his arms, muffling himself as he started to sob.
There was a pressure on Pump's shoulder, and he flinched away from it so hard, he nearly knocked himself over. He turned terrified eyes toward Lila, who had her hands raised in surrender. She was speaking, Pump realized, but with his heartbeat roaring in his ears, he couldn't hear her.
She moved to sit across from Pump in the small hallway, leaning back against the wall and sitting criss-cross. She lifted her hands slowly while taking an exaggerated breath. Then she made a show of releasing the breath as she lowered her hands back down to her lap. Pump watched her curiously as she did it again, taking a deep breath and raising her hands up to about shoulder height, then releasing it slowly and lowering her hands once more. Pump straightened up and hugged his knees again, watching her intently. She did it again, and Pump exhaled sharply when her hands were coming down, and she nodded encouragingly. The fourth time she did it, Pump found himself unconsciously copying her for both the inhale and the exhale, finding it much easier to control his breathing with her guiding the breaths.
As he shakily released the breath, Lila smiled warmly at him, then led him on another breath. Inhale… Exhale… and Inhale… Exhale…
Soon, the rushing sound in Pump's ears faded into soft background noise, before disappearing altogether. Lila stopped exaggerating her own breaths, but Pump was able to continue quietly breathing on his own.
They sat in the silence for a little while, and for the first time in years, Pump felt comforted by an adult's presence. He let go of the death grip he had on his knees, and instead loosely rested his arms on them instead, while staring down at the pumpkin pattern on his pajama bottoms.
Lila eventually began to speak. Such a quiet whisper, Pump was surprised he could hear it at all.
"I get nightmares too, sometimes," she said, catching Pump's attention right away. She was looking down at her hands clasped in her lap, and seemed to be talking to herself. "Really scary ones. Where I lose Skid, or he loses me…" She glanced at the closed door they were sitting next to, and smiled tenderly. "He gets nightmares too," she said, and her expression turned to one of regret. "If I could control it, I'd make it so no one had nightmares." Lila looked at Pump and gave a small, sad smile. "Everyone has nightmares. But that doesn't mean you have to deal with them alone. In the end, nightmares aren't real. They might feel really real, but…" she shook her head, "but they're not."
Lila straightened up and sat back farther against the wall. "The worst part about nightmares is that, even when you know they're not real, they can still be really scary. Sometimes the only thing to do in that case is to do something to remind yourself that it's not real. So if Skid has a nightmare about me, he'll usually come into my room and sleep with me for a while. Or if I have a nightmare about him, I'll go check on him. Just to remind myself that the nightmare wasn't real, and that he's okay."
Pump, his eyes streaming with tears, nodded mutely. Lila nodded back and went to get up, pulling out her phone to check something. "Oh!" She gasped quietly, turning and kneeling, holding out her phone so Pump could see the time. Together, they watched the clock change from 2:59 to 3:00. "Happy witching hour," she whispered, and looked around the small hallway as if she were searching for something. "Hm, no witches." She turned back to Pump and grinned. "Looks like the only scary thing for the witching hour tonight was a pretty bad nightmare, huh?" Pump sniffled and nodded with a watery smile, reaching up to wipe his eyes and nose.
Lila put her phone back into her pocket as she stood up. "You'll be okay, kiddo. Tomorrow I'll make you the best chocolate chip pancakes you've ever had. But for tonight, if you can, try to go back to sleep, okay?
Pump's mouth watered at the mention of pancakes. He glanced back at Skid's door, and nodded. Yeah, he could probably sleep now. He was so tired, after all. "Okay," he said with a yawn as he got up as well and rested a hand on the doorknob. "I'll try."
"You're brave, Pump," Lila said, fondness in her tone. "So brave. I'm glad you and Skid are friends."
Pump cracked open the door and found Skid still sleeping on the floor where they had been coloring, and he smiled. He gave Lila a grateful look. "Me too," he said quietly. "Thank you."