Thursday, May 28, 2009

Joe & Querty #1.4

"I'm coming for you" was all the note on Nicki's desk said. Bess started freaking out when she saw the note with the note with the words scrawled across it.

"Calm down, Bess," Nicki said. "It's probably just a prank or one of my fellow students didn't like what I printed about them. It's nothing," Nicki crumpled up the piece of paper and threw it away.

"Attention students," the secretary cam on the intercom. "I have some sad news to announce. Sophomore Katie Fischer was found beaten and covered up in a ditch this morning. She's in the hospital now but it's not known if she will pull through. The counselor will be available to anyone who needs to talk."

"Oh my God," Nicki said.

"Katie Fischer," Bess thought out loud, "I didn't know her."

"I did. You can't tell anyone but she's the one who told me what Principal Anschutz did."




Joe and Shirley had been dating about a month. Shirley had met Joe's friends, sister and mother but had yet to meet Querty. Currently, Joe and Shirley were in his car making out.

"I think it's time," Joe gasped.

"Joe, I don't want to do it sitting in your car in your driveway," Shirley replied.

"No, not that. I mean meeting Querty," Joe said.

"Really? Oh, I'm so excited! You mean meet him right now?" Shirley asked.

"Yeah. Let's go inside."

Joe and Shirley went inside and after greeting Irene and Nicki, went upstairs to Joe's room.

"So this is your room?" she asked, looking at his simplicity of decor. "It's not what I thought. I figured I'd see more superhero stuff."

"I'm not like that," Joe grabbed Querty and put him on and turned to Shirley. "Shirly, this is Querty."

Shirley stared at the sock on Joe's hand and smiled uneasily. "Really?"

"Yep, I'm Querty. Joe's told me a lot about you Shirley and it's a real pleasure to meet you," Querty said.

Shirley looked from Joe to Querty and back. The voice from Querty was markedly different from Joe's and his lips didn't move a muscle. "So Querty isn't a unique last name. It's a sock puppet?"

"And my best friend," Joe smiled.

"Don't you get all mushy on me," Querty said.

"Oh my," sighed Shirley.




"Querty's Dinner Date"
Buddy was sitting in his apartment in the dark watching TV when there was a knock on the door. Buddy got up and answered the door. Buddy's landlord, Horatio Czstylskzy, standing in the hall.

Before Buddy could say anything, Mr. Czstylskzy pointed to Buddy and started talking. "You, out!"

"Out? But I paid this month's rent," Buddy argued.

"End of month, you out!"

"I'm being evicted? Why?"

"Building not up to code. You, out!"

"Oh, everybody's getting kicked out. Building's not up to code? Well, as much as I hate to move, I understand. It's been nice living here Mr. Czstylskzy," Buddy said.

"End of month, out!" Mr. Czstylskzy spat as Buddy closed the door.

"So can they kick you out like that?" Kip asked as he, Buddy and Joe sat in the break room of CAAF.

"I'm not going to look into it because if the building's not up to code then it's not up to code. I'll just find another place to live," Buddy explained.

"Hey, Kip? Didn't your place just raise your rent to some overly dramatic number?" Joe asked.

"An extra three hundred a month," Kip said. "One paycheck will go to bills while another will go to rent. It's ludicrous!"

"I could move in with you. I'd only be paying one hundred dollars more a month and it would lessen the burden on yourself," Buddy said.

"I don't know Buddy. I've seen how you live."

"Well think about it and let me know."

"Shirley wants to bring Querty on a date with us," Joe said suddenly.

"Really?"

"By choice?" Kip asked.

"Yep. It's amazing but very few people want to be seen in public with Querty," said Joe.

"Yeah, that's shocking," Kip rolled his eyes.

"So are you going to do it?" asked Buddy.

"Why not?" Joe shrugged and left the break room.

"Should we tell him the possible consequences of taking Querty on a date?" Buddy asked.

"Oh, let's just let the little cracker make a huge fool of himself," Kip said angrily and left the break room.




Joe put on his nice suit and ran Querty through the laundry on the gentle cycle. Both were looking exquisite for their date tonight. "Now remember Querty, no politics and no religion."

"I'll try but don't you go pulling down the conversation with your worthless movie trivia."

"But Shirley likes my worthless movie trivia," Joe whined.

"She just acts like she does because she likes you," Querty revealed. "Now, are we ready?"

"I guess," Joe said, feeling deflated.

Dinner started out fine with Joe, Shirley and Querty immediately able to get seated. Joe kept Querty up the whole time and only a couple people took notice. The greeter did eye Querty strangely but still led them to a table. After the greeter had left, Querty looked at Joe.

"How come you said two instead of three?" he asked.

"What?"

"When the greeter asked how many, you said two. Last I checked there are three of us."

"Querty, do you really need your own chair? You never sit in them," Joe said.

"It's nice to know I have the option."

Shirley became slightly uneasy watching her boyfriend and a sock puppet argue. She sighed as she removed her napkin from her lap and placed it on the table and forced a smile toward Joe. "Please excuse me," Shirley said and left the table.

"She's not coming back," said Querty.

Shirley took her cell phone from her purse and called Joe's home number. "Hello, Irene? I guess it's going fine. We need to end this! No, I'm not asked for your permission to break up with him. I'm talking about Querty."




Nicki sat in her room, writing this week's editorial column when her phone rang. "Hello?" she answered.

"Katie Fischer just died," said the voice on the other end.

"Aw, that's too bad. But why call me?"

"Because you're next!" the voice said.

"Who is this?" Nicki asked.

"Former Principal Anschutz, Nicki or have you forgotten your big story already?" and he hung up. Nicki placed the receiver back on the phone and started to cry.

Next:
Joe's intervention and something happens at school.