Claim: Press Gang (Kenny Phillips) - #06 First Love, Table 5
Title: Love and Punishment Slips
Author: lost_spook
Claim: Kenny Phillips
Prompt: #06 First Love
Fandom: Press Gang
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 781
Summary: It’s Saturday night and Kenny should be out on the first real date he’s ever had with a girl he’s crazy about. In a world without Lynda Day he would be…
Notes/Warnings: None.
***
He knew exactly what she was doing. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t been following her around for the best part of both of their lives, picking up the pieces and apologising nicely to the tearful victims she left in her wake. So he knew what she was plotting, but how to say it and find a way to get out of here before his first serious romance was the next casualty on the newsroom floor was another question.
“Well?” said Lynda, one eyebrow raised in challenge, as she caught him watching her. “Finished, have you?”
He coughed. “Lynda -.”
“Don’t think I’m enjoying this, Kenny,” she told him sweetly. “I had plans, too-.”
He couldn’t help it. “You did?”
“There’s no need to sound so shocked,” she shot back, frowning instantly. “Contrary to popular belief, I do have a life outside of this newsroom. Anyway, all you have to do is put the next edition into a more logical order - that thing of Spike’s is hardly headline material for a start - and then you can go. Mind you, I shouldn’t bother if I were you. I hear that film’s about as sophisticated as Spike’s sense of humour.”
“That good, eh?” he said, with a grin. It was stupid, he thought, because he’d gone his own way for the first time, solved the mystery, beat the bad guy, won the girl - the incredible, gorgeous girl who shouldn’t even have looked twice at him - and given them their best-selling and most important edition yet in the process.
Only Lynda would sit here, punishing him for it by giving him a yellow slip for Saturday night and wrecking his first real date with Jenny. And he could do all that - this once, anyway - but he couldn’t fight her now because his fatal kind streak kicked in, reminding him she was only mad because he’d walked out on the Junior Gazette - on her, his best friend - in the middle of it all.
She flicked an irritated glance at him. “Nose,” she said. “Grindstone.”
“Thanks.” He sighed, tapping his pencil and trying to think of a means of escape, because he could see that, even by her exacting standards, there was nothing wrong with the next edition. Then he stopped, and leant forward. “Look, if I’m going to be stuck here all night, I’d better at least phone Jenny.”
“Be my guest.”
“In private,” he added, after she didn’t move.
Lynda lifted her head slowly and stared at him, mouth open. “Whatever for? You haven’t got time for silly conversation. Besides, last time you wanted to phone a girl, I had to do it for you.”
“Lynda,” he said mildly, “you’re ruining my first proper date, and probably the whole relationship with it. You could at least have the decency to give me some space while I stick my head under the axe.”
She gave an exaggerated sigh and flounced out of the newsroom.
Kenny smiled to himself and reached for the phone.
*
“Kenny,” said Lynda, minutes after she’d returned, “it’s funny, but I’ve got a Mrs Eliot on the phone who says that her daughter’s had a fatal accident and they want you at the hospital before it’s too late.”
He said, po-faced. “That’s awful, Lynda. I’d better go right away.”
“If you wanted to go on your stupid date that badly, you could just have said,” she told him.
He gave a grin and a shrug.
Lynda shook her head and picked the receiver back up. “He’s on his way, Mrs Eliot,” she said. “You know, you really do sound like your daughter -.”
Kenny reached for his coat.
“Mind you, I think you should tell her,” she continued, in a tone he recognised only too well, “she shouldn’t bother. I mean, does she really want to go out with the only guy who wanted his Mum with him at the second year school -.”
He dived back, pulling the phone off her and slamming it down. “Lynda!”
“Well, someone ought to tell her,” she said, facing him. “She will be the first girl you’ve ever gone out with without my help. Sure you’re ready for it, Phillips?”
Kenny grinned widely. “You already know the answer to that, or you wouldn’t have been sitting here being so petty all evening. I don’t need your help with Jenny - and you can’t stand that, can you?”
“Get lost,” said Lynda, and dropped ten pence in the swear box. “And, by the way, Kenny, if you stay there looking smug for one minute longer, you’ll miss the train.”
He glanced down at his watch with a short yelp, then ran for freedom, and Jenny.
***
Author: lost_spook
Claim: Kenny Phillips
Prompt: #06 First Love
Fandom: Press Gang
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 781
Summary: It’s Saturday night and Kenny should be out on the first real date he’s ever had with a girl he’s crazy about. In a world without Lynda Day he would be…
Notes/Warnings: None.
***
He knew exactly what she was doing. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t been following her around for the best part of both of their lives, picking up the pieces and apologising nicely to the tearful victims she left in her wake. So he knew what she was plotting, but how to say it and find a way to get out of here before his first serious romance was the next casualty on the newsroom floor was another question.
“Well?” said Lynda, one eyebrow raised in challenge, as she caught him watching her. “Finished, have you?”
He coughed. “Lynda -.”
“Don’t think I’m enjoying this, Kenny,” she told him sweetly. “I had plans, too-.”
He couldn’t help it. “You did?”
“There’s no need to sound so shocked,” she shot back, frowning instantly. “Contrary to popular belief, I do have a life outside of this newsroom. Anyway, all you have to do is put the next edition into a more logical order - that thing of Spike’s is hardly headline material for a start - and then you can go. Mind you, I shouldn’t bother if I were you. I hear that film’s about as sophisticated as Spike’s sense of humour.”
“That good, eh?” he said, with a grin. It was stupid, he thought, because he’d gone his own way for the first time, solved the mystery, beat the bad guy, won the girl - the incredible, gorgeous girl who shouldn’t even have looked twice at him - and given them their best-selling and most important edition yet in the process.
Only Lynda would sit here, punishing him for it by giving him a yellow slip for Saturday night and wrecking his first real date with Jenny. And he could do all that - this once, anyway - but he couldn’t fight her now because his fatal kind streak kicked in, reminding him she was only mad because he’d walked out on the Junior Gazette - on her, his best friend - in the middle of it all.
She flicked an irritated glance at him. “Nose,” she said. “Grindstone.”
“Thanks.” He sighed, tapping his pencil and trying to think of a means of escape, because he could see that, even by her exacting standards, there was nothing wrong with the next edition. Then he stopped, and leant forward. “Look, if I’m going to be stuck here all night, I’d better at least phone Jenny.”
“Be my guest.”
“In private,” he added, after she didn’t move.
Lynda lifted her head slowly and stared at him, mouth open. “Whatever for? You haven’t got time for silly conversation. Besides, last time you wanted to phone a girl, I had to do it for you.”
“Lynda,” he said mildly, “you’re ruining my first proper date, and probably the whole relationship with it. You could at least have the decency to give me some space while I stick my head under the axe.”
She gave an exaggerated sigh and flounced out of the newsroom.
Kenny smiled to himself and reached for the phone.
*
“Kenny,” said Lynda, minutes after she’d returned, “it’s funny, but I’ve got a Mrs Eliot on the phone who says that her daughter’s had a fatal accident and they want you at the hospital before it’s too late.”
He said, po-faced. “That’s awful, Lynda. I’d better go right away.”
“If you wanted to go on your stupid date that badly, you could just have said,” she told him.
He gave a grin and a shrug.
Lynda shook her head and picked the receiver back up. “He’s on his way, Mrs Eliot,” she said. “You know, you really do sound like your daughter -.”
Kenny reached for his coat.
“Mind you, I think you should tell her,” she continued, in a tone he recognised only too well, “she shouldn’t bother. I mean, does she really want to go out with the only guy who wanted his Mum with him at the second year school -.”
He dived back, pulling the phone off her and slamming it down. “Lynda!”
“Well, someone ought to tell her,” she said, facing him. “She will be the first girl you’ve ever gone out with without my help. Sure you’re ready for it, Phillips?”
Kenny grinned widely. “You already know the answer to that, or you wouldn’t have been sitting here being so petty all evening. I don’t need your help with Jenny - and you can’t stand that, can you?”
“Get lost,” said Lynda, and dropped ten pence in the swear box. “And, by the way, Kenny, if you stay there looking smug for one minute longer, you’ll miss the train.”
He glanced down at his watch with a short yelp, then ran for freedom, and Jenny.
***