Chapter Text
This chapter takes place any time after Brad goes to live with the Loftons.
The Lofton brothers: John 24, Eddie 20, Brian (aka Cutter) 16, James 15, Jeff 14
The Wade brothers: Brad 18, Ramsey 14
Late One Tuesday Night
Ramsey
It was Jeff's idea. He wanted to see if we could sneak downstairs in the middle of the night and get ice cream without waking any of the others.
"How are WE going to wake up?" I asked.
"I'll stay awake, and as soon as James is asleep and it's quiet, I'll come wake you up. It'll be fun!"
"What if we get caught?"
"We won't! Come on! My brothers are such lame-os, they'd never do this with me."
That clinched it for me. "Okay. I'll try to stay awake."
I didn't, of course. We got sent to bed at our usual early bedtime, and I read until 9:30 rather than go to sleep right away in an effort to stay awake. I pretended to be asleep when John tucked Cutter in. My pretend sleep turned to real sleep, and the next thing I knew it was dark and a hand was shaking my foot from over the covers. I started to sit up, then remembered, and froze. I slipped out of the covers and crawled to the end of the bed, thinking this would have been impossible with my cast – I was so glad to be rid of it! I had almost made it when Jeff stifled a giggle, and Cutter woke up. Jeff and I both froze. Cutter sat up and looked at us by the light of the nightlight.
"You're dreeeeeeeeaming," Jeff said in what he thought was a spooky dreamtime voice, but then he laughed, and I don't think Cutter was fooled by it anyway.
"What are you idiots up to?" he whispered.
"Ice cream!" Jeff whispered excitedly.
"Ice cream?"
"Yeah, we're going to sneak downstairs," I whispered.
"I'm in."
Jeff looked at me in surprise, then silent-mouthed, "Yay!"
We crept down the hallway heading for the back staircase. Cutter detoured to James and Jeff's room. "What are you doing?" Jeff whispered.
"I bet he'll want some too."
Well, if he could get James, I could get Brad. I woke up Brad with a shhing finger to my lips, and soon all five of us were creeping down the back staircase. James turned on the one little light over the table, and Cutter dished up five bowls of ice cream. We sat around the table trying to be quiet as we ate and laughed, enjoying our sneakiness and midnight treat. Cutter and Brad started joking around and we forgot to be so quiet, and then... disaster!
John and Eddie silently appeared at the bottom of the staircase, and the five of us froze. Jeff had been taking a bite, and he swallowed the ice cream and slowly lowered his spoon. John took us all in, but didn't say anything. Turning away from us, he opened the freezer door, asking, "Eddie? Would you like some ice cream?"
"Why, sure," Eddie replied, looking from John to us, wondering as we were when he was going to say something.
Cutter ate another spoonful, shrugging at me. I was holding my breath, wondering if John had noticed me, and if not, if I could run out the other door into the family room and up to bed.
As he dished up two bowls of ice cream, John talked to Eddie. "Sure is nice knowing my family is all safe upstairs tucked into their beds."
"Mhm," Eddie agreed, smiling a little at us.
"Nearly midnight, where else would they be?"
"Beats me," Eddie said.
"If I saw them sneaking out of bed so late on a school night, say to get ice cream or something, I would be duty-bound to spank them all."
Jeff started a little at that proclamation, but Cutter and James and Brad were all kind of grinning now.
"Definitely," Eddie said.
"So it's a good thing I don't see any of the boys. Besides, my foot would get cold if I had to take off a slipper to paddle them. Here you go," John handed a bowl to Eddie. They came to sit with us at the table.
"How long do we have to pretend we aren't here?" Jeff whispered.
John laughed and ruffled his hair, and I felt a huge sense of relief that we weren't in trouble. When everyone was done eating, John adopted his musing tone again, commenting to Eddie, "Well, we don't want any evidence of this here in the morning where the boys can see it, so let's do the dishes then go check on them."
"I'm sure they'll all be tucked in their beds, sound asleep," Eddie said.
"Oh, I'm sure they will be. Say, five minutes to wash the dishes, and if we find anyone out of their beds when we go up, they get spanked."
"Sounds like a plan," Eddie agreed.
We all jumped up, dumping our dishes in the sink where John and Eddie had started to wash up. Jeff and I were last, and as we turned to go to the stairs John pulled us back. I half-expected a swat, so when I felt myself in an embrace instead, I melted into him, seeing Jeff do the same. "Four minutes, kids," John said as he let us go, and we dashed off to bed.
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