Avoid Complications Rodrick.

" So.... My mom wants you to come over tonight for dinner.." Rodrick said, his voice funky, his nose was seriously hurt and it showed in his voice and on his face.
He had at least one black eye.

He remembered the conversation earlier in the morning with Susan Heffley.

" You got in late Rodrick" She told him, not impressed by her eldest.

" I'm sorry mom, I lost track of time" Rodrick explained, which wasn't a total lie.

Susan caught sight of the dried up blood and his bruising nose.

" What happened to your nose!?" She asked grabbing him and inspecting it.

" Nothing!" Rodrick lied, his eyes wondering around to look everywhere but at his mother.

Susan stepped back, gasping, her hand on her chest. She looked at her son.

" Rodrick, Did this girl you've been seeing hit you?"

" What!? Mom. No!" Rodrick replied. He wasn't the one who got hit by a girl.

" Because you're not the only guy to get abused by a female in a relationship.."

" Mom! She did not hit me! She helped me with it last night"

" Excuse me?"

" I was going to the bathroom and I got there at a bad time, the door got swung right onto me! Cynthia tried cleaning it up and looked after me till I got home. Okay?"

Susan sighed and smiled.

" I want to meet her. Invite her for dinner. Tonight. Rodrick"

So there Rodrick was, in his room, his nose stuffed and compressed.

" So what did your mom think about your nose?"

" Well she said it might be broken but we wont know till tomorrow" He groaned, he had moved his hand to his face and had touched his tender nose.

" Did she see the black eye?"

" I told her it was my eye liner from last night"

" Well if you wanna keep that up I might be able to help." She whispered into the phone, her father had stepped into the room.

" yeah alright. I'll pick you up around five thirty or something.."

They hung up, to return to their different hectics of the day.

Rodrick couldn't move his face or touch it without a burning intense pain.
Cynthia had to impress his entire family...

" Rodrick? Come here please" Susan called up to her son.

" What the hell does she want?" He asked under his breath, getting up off his bed and making his way downstairs.

" What?" He asked still on the stairs.
Susan looked at Rodrick, still in his boxers and a shirt.
She thought he would be at least dressed by now.

" Did you call Cynthia?"

" Yeah I'm picking her up around five thirty"

" Perfect" Mrs Heffley smiled and grabbed her sons hands.

" I'm glad I get to meet this girl who's gotten you so... Entranced"

" Don't be.. She's exactly like me. Only a girl" He replied, taking his hands back.

Her expression changed immensely.

" Shes.. Just. Like you?"

" Yep.. I think you're going to like her mom" Rodrick smiled and went into the bathroom.
He needed to get ready, but avoiding his mom till five thirty wasn't going to be easy.

She knocked on the door after he went into the bathroom.

" I'm doing some laundry and I'm going to go get your dirty clothes. Okay?"

" Yeah okay mom" Rodrick said through the door starting his shower, he bit his lip hoping he didn't moan in pain, as he slowly lifted his shirt off, the fabric brushed against his nose as he took it off.

He took a deep breath and slid off his boxers and got into the hot steaming shower.

Rodrick had just began coaxing his torso with body wash when suddenly he remembered.
Dirty clothes. That meant the pants he wore last night, the ones covered in sand, the ones that still had the condom he left in his pocket.

He stopped washing his body and looked towards the door.
" fuck." He mumbled to himself, shutting his eyes, praying that he hadn't just lost his entire life, because if his mom found that rubber... He was dead.

He quickly finished and wrapped a towel around his waist and went down to the laundry room. His family had no clue what was going on, he just ran down the house, his hair dripping water everywhere as he held onto a towel at his hip.

Rodrick made it to the washing machine and the dryer.

" Which one is which!?" He asked himself, frantic. He opened the first machine, the washer and saw his clothes in it. He picked up a pair of jeans.

" Why do they all look the same!?" He groaned. He went through all the jeans in both machines and couldn't find the one thing that would end his life..

He hit the machine, loosing his towel for a second then covered up, his cheeks red.
He started it all again, so he hoped when they both started moving he took that as a good sign and went upstairs.

Rodrick regretted coming upstairs immediately. His mother and father were waiting for him.

" Sit down Rodrick, we need to talk... About this" Susan said, holding the condom between two fingers.

Rodrick's eyes nearly fell from their sockets, his life was over.

" Mom its not.."

She held up her hand.

" Is this why you haven't told us about this girl?"

" What? Mom no.. Its really not.."

" I didn't think you were at this point... I always thought you'd wait.."

" Mom!" Rodrick raised his voice, getting an upsetting look from his parents.

" I'm not at that point, last night some idiot saw me and Cynth, kissing and so he gave me that. We had no intention on using it I swear" He said taking in a deep breath. He was telling the truth, at the end at least.

" Honestly? You know how I feel about lying Rodrick."

" Mom. Honestly. I would never do.. that.. with Cynthia.. Now" He finished.

His father nodded.

" Alright.. Now.. Go get some clothes on. Your puddling all over the floor" Mr. Heffley said, and he and Susan walked to the kitchen.

Rodrick half wanted to go get the condom back, but he knew it would raise suspicion so he left it. He went to his room to get in some clothes.

Cynthia looked in the mirror.

" I look like I'm going for an interview.." She whispered to herself, her hair was tightly back in a bun, she liked her outfit, but her hair had to be changed.

She quickly took it out and brushed it, her curls came around her face bouncing into a frizzy mess. She cursed under her breath and sprayed some hairspray onto her brush and went through her hair with it. Keeping it in place, she clipped her top layer of hair back with a bow clip. She stood up, putting her main items of makeup into her small hand clutched purse, after re-applying her lip gloss. She grabbed her jacket and waited upstairs, pacing.

She looked too formal.. She knew it.. She go change.. She had time..

" Where are you going?"

" I'm meeting Rodrick's parents.." Cynthia nervously told her younger sister.

" I look to formal! Don't I?" She was worried, you only get to meet his parents for the first time, once.

Lilly giggled and went to her sister and looked her dead in the eye.

" Yes. You do. Maybe you should go try again?"

Cynthia groaned " Well what the hell should I wear?"

Lilly was about to answer when the doorbell rang.

" Well.. This is going to have to do.." Cynthia grumbled and put on her jacket. She opened the door.

" Hey " She said smiling at him.

He smiled back and they walked to the van.

" So what are we going to do about my shiner?" He asked getting into the van.

" How do you feel about cover up?" She asked, her eyebrow raised.

" Hell the fuck no. Cynthia. No."

" Fine. Let your mom see your black eye, the one that has nothing to do with your nose" She said in that sneering way where her voice got higher and in that questioning singing like tone. Rodrick hated it.

" FINE... Fine.. Do it."

She smiled and turned over to him opening her purse and started to cover up his black eye as gently as she could.

But that didn't mean Rodrick winced and flinched as she did so.

" Can we go now?" He asked. Cynthia nodded putting her makeup in her purse.

After a quick drive they arrived at the Heffley house.

" Oh by the way, I hurt my nose by getting hit with the bathroom door at the gig last night, and my mom found the condom. Okay lets go" Rodrick rushed into a single sentence then got out of his van.

" Rodrick! Rodrick.." She gasped and said his name repeatedly, but kept quiet as they walked towards the door.

Rodrick opened it and helped Cynthia with her coat. She figured since he was in the hot zone with his mother he was being good tonight.

She took a deep breath and reached for his hand. Rodrick gladly took hers.

" Rodrick?" Susan called from the kitchen. She walked over to them and smiled, Cynthia sighed seeing Mrs. Heffley in a nice dress herself.

" So you must be the Cynthia we keep hearing about" Susan asked, looking from Rodrick to Cynthia and back.

" Yeah, that's me.. I hope you've only heard good things though..." She replied, smiling looking up at Rodrick.

" Of course" Mrs. Heffley stood there smiling at the young couple.

Rodrick coughed, clearing his throat.

" Mom." He said.

" Oh yeah, uh dinner will be in about twenty minuets"

Rodrick nodded and went to go upstairs.

" Do you need any help Mrs. Heffley?" Cynthia asked.

" No thanks you just go hang out with Rodrick"

She nodded and walked up behind Rodrick.

" Where's everyone else?" She asked her voice was low and quiet.
She jumped a little when Rodrick stopped at the top of the stairs, and sniffed around.

" Chunky Cheese is here."

" What?" She asked, completely confused.

She held his hand tighter as they walked towards a door, Rodrick threw it open, causing two boys to jump out of their skins, making Cynthia gasp scream.

" Rodrick!" She said slapping his chest lightly. " Are you guys okay?" She asked, concerned that the heavier one of the two had fallen off the bed scared. Rodrick laughed and dragged her off to his room before they could answer.

" That was mean.."

" You said you wanted to know where everyone was"

She rolled her eyes.

" And saying Hi family this is my girlfriend Cynthia. Is too hard?"

" Pretty much" He said going up the stairs to his attic room.
Cynthia held her nose, the smell had hit her like a heat wave in the summer.

" What is that smell.." She asked, unable to identify anything smell she had stuck in her nose passage.

" Eh, you get used to it"

Cynthia looked around his room smiling. It was so random, but still so him.. Rodrick was sitting on his bed, his back against the rails of his head board. Cynthia continued looking at all his lights and posters. She loved his room it was cozy. She sat in his chair and looked over at him.

" So?" She asked, he was looking right at her.

" So..?" He repeated.

" I need to tell you something..Rodrick..About last night.." She started, her voice went low and quiet. He moved closer to her sitting on the edge of his bed.

" What about last night?"

" The beach.. I.. I don't want that to happen again.." She said, embarrassed and shaking from her nervousness.

" Was I that bad..?" Rodrick asked, his ego crushing into almost nothing.

" No. Its just, this is like our fourth date and we.. You.. Did that..?" She wasn't sure what she was trying to spit out, but her awkwardness was getting the better of her, making her ability to explain what she was trying to say difficult.

" I don't get it.. I did good.. Then.."

" We just started dating.. Rodrick I don't want to feel like that's all we want in this. Cause if it is I'm out"

" Its not all I want!"

" Then just listen to me, when we've gone out on ten dates total, six dates after tonight, we can do what we want.. Is that fair?"

He nodded.
" Yeah that sounds fine"

She smiled and got up and kissed him sweetly. Rodrick ignored the quick heated pain that came from kissing her and stood up, towering over in the kiss, he backed her up against the bed rail and kissed her harder.

" Okay.. Maybe this isn't going to be as easy as I'd hoped.." he whispered kissing her again.

She giggled " It'll be worth it"

Rodrick shrugged. He groaned hearing his mother yelling that dinner was ready.

" Ready for this? We can always come up with some escape"

She laughed

" The word to get me out of here is ... hmmm Owl"

" Owl? Got it" Rodrick told her and kissed her cheek as they walked downstairs.

Greg and Rowley stood there, making grossed out faces seeing his brother kiss a girl!? It was undignified and gross.

" Would you two get a room?" Greg asked.

Rodrick looked over at his brother, glaring at him and chubby buttons.

Cynthia walked in front of Rodrick
" You two are going to start kissing girls too. Your what? Fourteen?"

" Thirteen and a half"

She smiled and nodded.
" Right, cause you know my sister. Lilly"

Greg and Rowley nodded, then ran downstairs, Rodrick was getting fuming mad.

" Calm down Rodrick.. Please?" She asked, turning to look at him.

He took a deep breath and looked at her and kissed her quickly, then they once again made their way to the dining room.

Cynthia sat beside Susan and Rodrick, she looked over and was taken a back.

" I didn't know you had a baby brother" She whispered to Rodrick. He'd never told her about Manny. Mostly because he didn't exactly associate with him.

" Huh? Oh yeah I guess I do"

Cynthia smiled and waved over to Manny, who waved back.

" How old are you?" She asked him, smiling.

" I'm ownwy thwee" He said smiling over at her.

" Aw! He's so cute!" She looked over at Rodrick.

He faked a smile and when she turned he mouthed " what?"
He never understood that, none of the three boys at the table with her understood how any girl could be so into something or someone. Like how she had been all about Rodrick seconds before, but now her entire focus was on Manny.

They just didn't understand...

Mr and Mrs. Heffley joined the table not to long after.

" I see you met Manny" Mrs Heffley said helping dish everyone up.

Cynthia blushed and nodded.
" He's cute"

Susan smiled at Cynthia and passed her a plate to pass down to Rodrick to Frank - Mr. Heffley. Cynthia had been invited into the family so easily, it felt like she'd known them for years.

" Would you mind looking after Manny while we clean up?" Mrs. Heffley asked Cynthia, Manny on her hip.

She looked over at Rodrick, he didn't seem to care.

" Sure" Cynthia stood up and Susan passed her Manny, who instantly hugged Cynthia tightly.

Cynthia walked over to the family room, feeling bad for not helping clean up.
Rodrick slugged behind her and sat down on the couch beside her.

Manny had started playing with some of his toys, and Rodrick took the opportunity to put his arm around Cynthia. She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder as he flipped through the TV channels.

" I think we should go help clean up.." She whispered, looking back into the kitchen.

" Gregory and Chunky Cheese got it"

" Still.."

" Cynthy!!" Manny said smiling and holding up his hands, he started to climb between Rodrick and Cynthia to sit beside her.

" No way squirt!" Rodrick said, moving in closer to Cynthia for no room to be made available.

She raised her eyebrow at him and picked Manny up and sat him on her lap, and hugged him into a cuddle.

" Hes only three.." She whispered smiling at Rodrick. She just wanted to gush over Manny.

" So?" Rodrick asked taking his arm back.

Cynthia sighed and continued cuddling Manny as Rodrick found a movie for them all to watch.

" You know they've been cleaning for a long time now.." She whispered to Rodrick and turned her head and jumped. Everyone was in the hall, peaking in through the arch.

She tapped Rodrick and he looked back too.

" What...?" Rodrick asked.

They all smiled and said nothing.

" We're going to go upstairs now.." Rodrick said slowly and stood up, Cynthia put Manny down and followed Rodrick to his room.

Once they got up there they just looked at each other, wondering what was up with them.

Rodrick shrugged and sat in his chair.
Cynthia took off her heels and sat on his messy bed.

" Tonight was something else.." She said, laying back on his bed.

Rodrick smirked and went over to the bed, and crawled on top of her, rubbing his body against hers as he kissed her neck.

" I think they like you.."

" Is that bad?" She asked, smiling at him as he turned onto his side, propping his head up on his hand.

" It could be yeah"

" how so?"

" They're going to expect you to be around" He laughed and stroked his thumb on whatever part of her body his hand rested on. He leaned in and they once again found themselves in a tender kiss, their eyes closed her hand in his hair..

Susan walked up and laughed seeing Cynthia and Rodrick kissing, she covered her eyes and cleared her throat.

" ... mom.." Rodrick sighed and layed on the bed covering his eyes with his hands.

" I just wanted to say, that you have a doctor appointment tomorrow for your nose. Rodrick" Susan smiled then went back downstairs and smiled, telling her husband how she'd found them kissing. Hank, didn't have the same reaction as she did and went to go break it up when she caught him and took him downstairs.

" Go work on your figurines honey" She told him. Hank smiled and went to the furnace room.

Cynthia looked over at Rodrick and kissed his ear and his cheek, his jaw..
He opened one eye,

" You can at least make this waiting thing easy.." He whispered.

" I need to go home tonight, you do know that.." She whispered, in his ear.

" Do you have to?"

She laughed " Yes! I have to go to school tomorrow, and see if Arissa is okay"

" Yeah okay.." he sighed and scratched his eyebrow.

" Wait you meant now?"

" Not now.." She giggled " but some time tonight"

He nodded

" I'm surprised that my mom didn't ask you about you know.."

" The condom?"

" No"

" Nose?"

" No" He replied and licked his lips.

" Uh your sister.." He said his voice low.

" Oh... yeah.. right.." She whispered and sat up. Running her hands through her hair, he sat up and ran his hand up her back comforting her.

" She'll be okay." He told her kissing her head, pulling her into a tight hug.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Rodrick dropped Cynthia off at her place after his entire family, even Turd Burglar said goodbye to her! His mom had to pry Manny off her.

It kind of pissed him off, but he didn't want to bring that one up.

" Call me tomorrow about your appointment. Okay?" She asked, smiling, her hand on the door ready to open it.

He looked at her and nodded.

" Do you want this?" She asked holding her cover up from her purse.

" sure" He took it and put it in his pocket.

" Don't forget it in there.. Okay? We don't want your mom to find this, secret out" She giggled and leaned in and kissed him sweetly. Her hand brushing his cheek as she looked in his eyes.

" I'll text you when I'm home, okay?"

" Alright. Bye" She smiled and waved as she got out of the van and rushed into the house.

Rodrick groaned, thinking about tomorrow.
He hated the Doctors.