Author's Note: Unlike most of my stories, this series is not
intended to be a 'stroke story', but more of a realistic tale of
romance between a boy and girl.



Summary: Kimmy spends the day at Max's house. Later, Karen breaks
some bad news to the girl.

(bg, nosex, rom)



  The three seats of the white couch were pulled out and made to
form a small tunnel on the floor; two stood across from each
other and one was on top of the others. It was near the dinning
room doorway. The seats of the red chairs were also on the blue
carpet and leaned into one another to make an archway. This was
in the center of the living room.

  Max was wearing a long, red T-shirt with gray sweatpants and
dirty, white socks. A white Thomas the Tank Engine towel,
featuring Henry, Thomas, and Gordon, was tied around his neck,
hanging down his back like a cape. 'Thomas & Friends' was posted
just above the three engines, in big, red letters.

  Like a soldier, Max high-crawled through the striped, white
cushion tower. Still on his belly, he went through the red seats.
Next, he arose and went into the hall of his apartment. One of
the wooden dining chairs was tipped over, wall to wall, blocking
the corridor. The boy crawled under the seat and reached his
room, before gently opening his bedroom door and sticking his
head through.

  The Power Wheels jeep was beside the dome tent, facing the
windows. Two posters were taped the wall to the left of the
white, racecar-sheeted mattress. The left poster featured a
smiling Ronald McDonald on top, with 101 Dalmatians toys posing
before a blue background in the center; the white caption at the
bottom read, "101 Different Dalmatian Toys! Every one is a
surprise!". The other was a promotional for the movie Jumanji.
Sitting in a wooden chair between the TV and the tall dresser was
Kimmy. She wore a black shirt with long, white sleeves, a black
pair of pants, and was barefoot.

  From his right pocket, Max pulled out a purple pair of foldable
Darkwing Duck binoculars that he received from mailing Cocoa
Puffs proofs. Looking through them, he glanced at Kimmy, then put
them back. Then he kicked the door open and walked in. "This
looks like a job for..." Max grabbed the bottom left of his
'cape' and wrapped it around his body, covering up to his mouth.
"Super Max!"

  "Help, Super Max!" Kimmy called out when Max walked in.

  Hundreds of Legos from multiple sets were scattered along the
floor, beside the bed. After a running start, Max jumped over the
Legos and landed on his knees in the bed.

  "You'll never get away with this, evil-doers!" Max announced.
The boy punched, kicked, and tumbled all over the bed, as if
fighting an onslaught of invisible villains. Max then got out of
bed and went to where Kimmy was sitting. Kneeling slightly, he
pretended to untie her.

  "My hero," Kimmy grinned, giving Max a hug.

  Max gave her a kiss on the lips. "Wanna see a drive-in movie?"

  "Sure."

  After putting all of the Legos into their blue container and
placing the seats back on the couch and armchairs, the kids put
the Power Wheels jeep into the living room. Max went to the
kitchen and Kimmy went to pick out a movie. VHS tapes were
stacked inside the wooden case beside the TV. Most were Disney
films. Kimmy pulled out a favorite -- Aladdin -- and put it into
the gray VCR that was beside the tapes. Max came through the
doorway, holding a full Wile 'E Coyote mug and a package of Fruit
By the Foot.

  "Snacks, check," Max said.

  "Movie, check," stated Kimmy, pressing the horizontal cylinder
that was the 'Play' button. Previews for Pinocchio started.

  Max sat in the driver seat of his jeep and Kimmy sat in the
passenger side, placing Mickey in between them. The mug, which he
sat on his lap, had two white bendy straws, as the kids often
shared their food and drinks. She tore open the Fruit By the Foot
package and put it in the white garbage can that was in the
dining area. The Lion King previews soon aired. The kids played
with their pieces of red candy, swinging them around, tying them
up, and sticking their 'tongues' out at each other.

  Max and Kimmy watched the movie, pretending they were at a
drive-in theater. They knew most of the songs by heart, and sang
them together. Frequently, Max rewinded the 'A Whole New World'
scene so they could sing it along with Aladdin and Jasmine.

  "I have to go home now," said Kimmy, after the movie ended.

  "Okay," said Max. "Goodnight, Kimmy."

  "Bye." She kissed his cheek and carried Mickey Mouse out of the
living room.

  When Kimmy got to her apartment, she knocked on her door. There
was no answer, so she knocked a bit harder. This time, Karen
opened the door and let her in. She was wearing a navy blue,
sleeveless shirt, a pair of jeans, and black slippers.

  "Sorry, I was on the phone," she explained.

  "Oh," replied Kimmy.

  The girl skipped to the bathroom and took a bath. She got out
after about ten minutes. Wrapped in a white towel with Princess
Jasmine in various poses on it, she entered her bedroom. Opening
her bottom drawer, she pulled out her yellow Disney Princess
shirt and plain pajama bottoms, and tossed them on the
green-sheeted bed. While humming A Whole New World, she got
dressed. When she and Mickey got into the bed, there was a knock
on her door.

  "Come in," Kimmy said, pulling the covers over herself.

  Karen walked in and stood at the foot of the bed. "Guess what,"
she said beaming with a surprise.

  "What?" Kimmy asked, curiously.

  "I've got a new job!"

  Kimmy squealed happily, stood on top of the bed, and wrapped
her arms around her mother's neck. "That's great, mommy."

  "I'm going to be a fashion designer. I'll be working at
Beautify Inc."

  "Where's that at?"

  "It's in Connecticut."

  "That's really far away. How are you gonna work there when you
live here?"

  "That's why we're moving to Connecticut. We're leaving in two
weeks."

  Kimmy took her arms from around Karen and looked at her in
shock.

  "M-moving?" Karen nodded, still smiling. "Why can't you find a
job so we can stay here?"

  "I tried, but there aren't any openings in New Jersey. I really
want this job."

  "But what about Max?"

  "You can visit him on long holidays, like Thanksgiving and
Christmas. You won't be apart forever."

  "But... it won't be the same," Kimmy said glumly. She sat on
the edge of the bed with her hands at her sides and stared at the
floor. With a sniffle, she slowly began to lower her head. Tears
fell from each of her brown eyes and slid down her cheeks as her
face soured.

  Karen sat down beside her daughter and put an arm around her.
"Look on the bright side, Kim. We'll have a new apartment, I'll
have the career I always wanted, you'll meet lots of new friends
in a new city..."

  "I don't want any new friends, I just want to be with Max!"
cried Kimmy, looking at her mother. Her watery eyes squinted and
her lips quivered open, exposing her clenched teeth. She then
rested her right ear against Karen's left shoulder.

  "I'm sorry, Kimmy," Karen said, rubbing her daughter's back.
"That's the way life is. Sometimes you have to give up some
things to make room for new things. At least you'll still get to
play with Max on certain days and you can talk on the phone
whenever you want to."

  Kimmy didn't have a response; silently, she sniveled and
teared. Karen kissed her the top of her head and walked out of
the room, gently shutting the door. Sniffling softly with tears
cascading down her face, Kimmy crawled to her pillows and laid
her head on one. Holding onto her Mickey Mouse doll, she laid it
down so it was facing her.

  "How could we tell Max, Mickey?" Kimmy wept to her favorite
toy. "It's gonna break his heart." Obviously, the inanimate doll
just smiled and offered no reply. Laying it on its back, beside
her, the 8-year-old cried herself to sleep.