"Ouch!" Cried Curly after smashing his thumb with a hammer for the tenth time. He muttered some choice words about inferior nails and climbed to the other side of the platform he was constructing. The tournament program had called for three 30-meter platforms to be built on the sand dunes, and Curly was tasked with building one of them. He had started at the Imagination Tower, using the design integration software to implement his structure, but either he was too distracted or too clumsy because he kept messing up the top. So he built most of it with the software and then headed outside to finish the rest of it manually.
He didn't mind working with his hands. The labor was therapeutic and helped him think through his feelings for Tink and the confusion he felt from their recent interactions. Right when he thought she was warming up to him, she would suddenly switch gears and turn cold. And then there was the way her eyes would light up every time she mentioned Peter. It made him absolutely sick.
Curly nailed in the last plank and packed up his supplies. He started going down the ladder and was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice Slightly until he had practically landed on top of him.
"Whoa, Curly! Watch where you're stepping! I'd like to keep all my toes intact!"
"Sorry, Slightly. I don't know what's wrong with me lately."
"Girl trouble?"
"What? No! What makes you think that?"
"Don't worry, I know."
Curly started to panic. "You know?"
"Well, I don't know specifics, but my power of intuition has never failed me."
Curly stared at him blankly.
"It's easy enough to guess," continued Slightly. "You ran off to rescue Tink that night the Crocodile cut off her air, she thought you were Peter because he was usually the only one to go into central control, she was probably a little delirious from loss of oxygen and wanted to show a token of her appreciation, then she realized who you really were and things got weird."
Curly swallowed hard. It was scary how accurate Slightly's assumption was. "Please don't say anything," he said quietly.
"Ah, no need to worry. I won't tell anyone Tink's in love with you."
"What are you talking about?"
"Oh, I've seen the way she yells at you. There's a lot of passion behind those insults."
"Yeah, because she hates me."
"And hate is the closest thing to love, my friend," Slightly said, nodding knowingly. "You have to really care about someone to hate them. Just be glad she isn't apathetic towards you. That's the worst."
Curly massaged his neck. He couldn't quite wrap his head around this strange logic, but there seemed to be a hint of truth in it.
"Whatever. Just don't tell anybody."
"Keeping secrets is high on my skill set," Slightly replied. "Anyway, the reason I came over here is because I need your help. Lamar trampled the cable roots of the Weather Tree and I'm having trouble reconnecting the wires."
"Who's Lamar?"
"You know. Lamar. Big animal, furry head, small arms, long tail."
"Oh, the Buffalostrich Rex?"
Slightly winced. "I wish people wouldn't call him that. It makes him sound so barbaric."
"Well, he did eat the Crocodile a few weeks ago."
"True. But he hasn't been terrorizing the kangarabbits as much as he used to. I think he's on the road to domestication."
Curly chuckled. "You have an odd way of seeing things, Slightly."
*****
"My shoulders are killing me from digging that huge pit," one of the twins complained. "Does anyone want to give me a massage?" All the other boys exchanged odd looks, but Nibs stepped forward.
"Here, use this," he said, handing the twin a thick blanket.
"What is it?"
"It's massaging cloth. Just wrap it around your shoulders and back."
"Ooh! Thanks Nibs!"
Curly stretched out on his bed in the underground tree house and stared up at the glowing turtles on the ceiling. He felt pretty sore as well from building that platform. Maybe he'd ask for the cloth after the twin was done with it.
"It seems like we've had to do a lot more preparation for this tournament than any of the other ones," he commented to no one in particular.
"I think you're right," Slightly replied. "Maybe that's part of the competition. Whoever spent the most time setting up for the tournament will get extra points!"
Curly frowned, but before he could say anything, Peter rushed in through one of the tunnels.
"Hey, has anyone seen my sweatshirt?" He asked.
"It's under your bed," said Nibs. "Where have you been?"
"The Grey World."
"Where are you going?" Slightly asked.
"The Grey World."
"Well, take your time up there," said one of the twins with a mischievous grin. "You'd be doing us all a favor if you didn't show up for the tournament tomorrow."
Peter laughed. "There's no way I'm missing the tournament. I've got to defend my title."
Curly rolled his eyes. Even though Peter had won every tournament, he didn't have to brag about it.
"No, I'll be back in time," Peter said confidently. "And Wendy's coming too. Are you guys still okay if she competes?"
"Sure," Nibs said. "It's not like she's a threat or anything."
"I don't know," responded Slightly. "She's pretty clever. And remember when she rode on the back of Lamar? That was pretty impressive."
"Who's Lamar?" The twins asked in unison. Slightly groaned and stomped off to his bed.
Peter pulled his sweatshirt and jeans on over his bodysuit.
"I don't know," he murmured, looking down at himself, "maybe I should wear something else."
"Why? What are you doing?" Curly asked.
"I'm going to meet Wendy's mother." All the other boys stared at him. Curly couldn't remember a time when he had seen Peter looking so scared.
"Oh, you definitely can't wear that," said Slightly. "Here, you can borrow this." He handed Peter a purple and yellow striped dress shirt which Peter swapped out with his sweatshirt. Curly thought he looked ridiculous, but Slightly nodded in approval.
"Yep, she'll love it."
Peter smiled weakly and headed out one of the doors.
"Good luck!" Slightly called after him. "And don't forget to compliment her mother on her strong ankles!"