- So you are saying Maggie and her boyfriend kidnapped Jake?

- Yes, father. Yes. For the 100th time, yes!

- Janine, I am very busy right now. If they are with Nate, than he wasn’t kidnapped, don’t you agree?

- Yes…

- Listen, there is no need to be worried. I will come pick you up after I finish and we can pass by Nate’s place together?

- But father!

The doctor hung up, not bothering to listen whatever Janine had yet to explain. His daughter clearly wasn’t telling him the whole story (like the punch part), but it mattered not. Edgar Sullivan had more important matters to attend and, in fact, this whole unexpected silly incident came as a blessing to his plans.  Reentering the lab, he started preparing for a new test.

- Doctor? What are you doing? – His assistant interjected timidly.

- Didn’t I already explain that we need to test the formula on a human subject?

- But sir, we don’t have any human subjects!

- We do have, Victor. Well, I have. Two actually. I will pick then up in 10-15 minutes. Now, make yourself useful and fetch me two flasks.

………….

Nate house, 1 hour later.

- You scared everyone for a minute there man.

- Yeah, sorry to bother you on a Saturday.

- It’s cool man. You are my bro and Maggie is my little princess – Just to be honest,

Maggie’s stands at 1.70, so she is not particularly small. Janine stature, on the other hand, is 1.80 and Kate is the smaller with humbles 1.62 (light as a feather, easy to give horse rides).   

Maybe because of the strange dream or the recent events at school or both, Jake got himself spacing out comparing his sisters height and reminiscing the past.

- Jake? Hey, Jake! Are you listening?

- Huh? Sorry, you were saying?

- I said Janine sure knows how to throw a punch. The vision ok? Your left eye is really swollen.

- It’s all right. She is a bit stronger compared to other girls, but ice should do the trick.

- She is a brainless gorilla, that’s what she is. Can’t even get into college.

Jake glares at his sister comment but she scoffs defiantly – Am I wrong in something? She is an idiot.

-  She has other qualities.

- Enlighten me please.

(…)

- Like… her body? – It was Nate who talked first. As previously stated, Nate is not the brightest of man and here is unquestionable proof that I wasn’t lying.

- What did you just say, darling? I don’t think I heard right – Every other man would at least acknowledge there mistake and correct course. Not Nate.

- Well, you know. She has those melons right here – He indicates the chest area smiling – and a toned belly but I think everyone here can agree that Kate is the one with the best buttocks. So round and firm! Sometimes It’s difficult to believe she is just thirteen years old.

Maggie made her disagreement with a slap on his right check and a kick to balls before furiously exiting the room.

- Sorry about that – He wasn’t really sorry. If Maggie hadn’t already done it, he probably would have cracked Nate nuts himself. But diplomacy is always a necessary and valuable tool. A lesson Jake learned since the early years on the streets.

- Why is she so angry? She is the one with the best looks!

Jake shrugs, feign ignorance – Woman, man. Who understands then?

- They are nuts. But this is good. I actually needed to speak with you in private.

- Oh? – The unusual serious tone picked Jake interest.

- Maggie asked me to speak with the couch about Kate.

Jake awaits for him to continue, but Nate stay quite.

- What she wants you to do?

- Get Kate out of the interschool championship.

Jake laughs. Nate doesn’t have this kind of authority. She is the best player of the team, maybe of the entire school. Unless…

- Unless her grades fall below 5 and she is really hanging by a thread in math, history and biology.

- But these are the subjects she studied with me!

Suddenly it hit him. The reason why Kate had been avoiding him wasn’t because of the classroom incident; He got so worked up that he forgot the last semester results for Kate class were scheduled to be announced that same week!   “She probably didn’t even saw anything. She is just afraid and embarrassed of her bad grades like any other child would be”. 

- Uhmm… man, are you alright?? Maybe we really should go to a hospital…

- No need. No need buddy. Thanks for everything, but it’s about time to head home and have a talk with Kate – Jake patted Nate shoulder effusively –  Janine must have called father. He should be passing here right… about… now…

Soon the distinctive sound of the family sedan horn ringed together with the doctor voice – Maggie, Jake, I know you two are in there. Let’s go home!

- Thanks again. Oh! And Nate, if you ever do something with Kate I am going to rip out your teeths.