A/N: Okay, so, long chapter here. Bear with me. It was fun to write, but it took up a lot of space – I actually wanted to add another scene at the end, but it was already several pages long. I'll keep the author's note short just to even things out.

Hope you enjoy! Please R&R!

The fear and hope of the past twenty-four hours were starting to be a vicious cycle. Billy's emotions had been hurled from one extreme to the other with such intensity that not only did he have no idea what to think, but he also felt a little queasy.

Going outside would be too hard. All morning, the family from across the street had been gathered around the carnage, unable to do anything but stare with tears pouring over their blank expressions. They hadn't allowed room for the Sanitation Department to clean up the mess, and so Billy, unprepared to come face-to-face with the first casualty, was stuck indoors, watching.

"Honey, we all know we're going to die. Spend your last year with your friends if it's all you can do." His mother had red eyes herself, but she'd calmed herself quickly in order to fulfill her duties as a mother. She might have been the first mother in history who'd tried to solve her son's problems by handing him a telephone and making him use it, but there was a first time for everything. "Please, call Ethan. Go have fun."

Billy shook his head. "Mom, I can't go out there," he said hoarsely.

His mother sighed. "That's all the more reason to call your friends," she said, pressing the phone closer to her son's cheek. "Hearing their voices will cheer you up."

Billy begrudgingly obliged. He scowled and yanked the phone out of her hand. He dropped it onto the windowsill in front of him and crossed his arms over his forehead, a signal to his mother that he would do her will later.

Yesterday, he'd been glad to live in Happy Tree Estates. But today, all he wanted was the chance to get out and do something with his life besides lounging in the ever-present sun. Today, he realized that what he, at seventeen years old, wanted out of living was something he now would never get to do.

He lifted his head up to watch his neighbors mourn the dead man. The woman in the family had since broken off from the group to play with her baby. Even though she had to fight to keep her smile, she had that beautiful motherly bond with the little boy as they played Peek-a-Boo. This was her life and although she was doomed to die, she made the most of the final moments.

And that was Billy's Eureka moment. He could cheer himself up by living! There were all these risks he'd always wanted to take, and although there had always been something keeping him from achieving what he wanted, now he had the perfect excuse: it was the last chance.

He surrendered to his mother and grabbed the phone. He punched in Ethan's number. "Hey, dude, you remember that old red wagon in your garage? It's time to bring it out into the sun again."

At the top of Whiplash Peak, you could see just how far the deciduous trees stretched beyond the Estates. At the top of Whiplash Peak, the only wildlife that dared come near were the chirping bluebirds. And at the top of Whiplash Peak, it would be a twenty-foot fall down a pebbly slope right before smashing into the back wall of the sheriff's office.

Well, if you weren't careful.

Billy's grip on the tiny red wagon's handle loosened as he peered over the edge of Whiplash Peak. The toy didn't stand a chance against the highest hill in town. But quietly, he exhaled his apprehension. "Well, here we go. You all ready, dude?"

Ethan nervously fiddled with adjusting the strap under his neck. "This helmet smells like cheese," he said.

"Now that's how to live in the moment," Billy said, clapping his best friend on the back. "Come on." He knelt to take his seat in the wagon, but to his shock, there was nothing there. "Where . . . did the wagon go?"

"It's over here!" Sue called. As her boyfriend was gawking with his mouth open over the side of the hill, she'd grabbed the wagon from his limp hand and dragged it several feet to the left.

Billy slumped his shoulders and walked to her. "Why?"

"The ground is so much smoother over here," Sue replied. "Oh, Billy, this is already dangerous. Why not lessen the risk just a little bit?"

There certainly were fewer loose rocks down the stretch of land Sue had chosen. Whenever Billy had imagined doing this before, though, it had never been complete without the thought of rusty wheels bumping off big pebbles, jostling him violently until he crashed. But Sue had the handle in a death grip. She wasn't going to let the boys down that hill unless she had a strong guarantee of their safety.

Billy had dreamed about doing this stunt since Ethan got the wagon at age five. He had no choice but to surrender. He sighed and squatted down in the seat of the little toy. He motioned for Ethan to come over and grabbed the sides of the wagon.

"This seemed so much less awkward when we could both actually fit in this thing," Ethan mused as he hesitantly sat down behind his friend. His arms were around Billy's shoulders and he was kneeling so his knees splayed to either side of the blond boy. Sue had to stifle a laugh.

"It'll be over within mere seconds, dude," said Billy, trying to act like his masculinity was not being harmed at all. "You wanna give us a push, baby?"

Sue bit a crimson-glossed lip and for a moment she seemed like she would hold onto the wagon's handle forever. But then she sighed, and no sooner than Billy heard her breathe, "Okay," the wagon was shooting down the side of Whiplash Peak.

The wheels didn't roll so much as they did rust over until they were useless. The top of the hill was smooth enough (Billy would have turned back to thank Sue if Ethan wasn't holding on to him so tightly), but once a stagnant wheel hit the first larger-than-average rock, friction got the best of them.

Fifteen feet from the bottom of the hill, Billy was rocketing straight into the air with the girlish, tearful screams of his best friend drumming into his brain. He felt all of the blood rush to his head quite suddenly. He managed to open his eyes long enough to see that they were now completely upside down. He gripped the sides of the wagon with all the strength his fingers could muster as the rusted-up children's toy finished its 360 and sent the two of them crashing down to their doom.

Billy's entire body rattled back and forth as the wheels smashed into the bottom of the hill. The horrific journey was almost over, but not before the sharp incline between the bottom of Whiplash Peak and flat ground tipped the wagon over. Something that had a high-pitched shriek flew over Billy's head as he did a straight faceplant, still holding the wagon over him.

"Oh my God! Billy Bunny!" Sue shouted. In a split second, she was helping to lift Billy up. "God, your hair's all dirty! And so are your pants – are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Billy said groggily, dizzily trying to stand up straight. "What happened to–"

From several feet away, Ethan groaned. He'd shot out of the wagon when it landed – kind of like a human cannonball, he thought – and his head had connected with the brick wall of the sheriff's office. And the pain didn't stop there. His body caught up with him and slammed front-first into the wall, his legs scraping down the wall as he came to a complete stop.

Thank heavens he'd worn the helmet.

Billy and Sue both ran to him. "Oh God, are you okay?" Sue said.

"Yeah," Ethan answered unconvincingly. He kept falling over as he tried to right himself. "Only I'm throwing that wagon away."

"What is going on back here?" shouted a voice dashing around the sheriff's office. Moments later, the three kids were staring up into the face of Officer Roderick Splinkley, the very tall, very handsome Chief of Police who wore his gold badge like a cape. He stood with hands on hips, feet spread apart, and shoulders wide – always on the job.

"What are you kids up to?" he wondered with a scowl.

Sue raised a hand while she tried to keep Ethan from collapsing. "They were just trying out a harmless stunt. I promise it'll never happen again, Splinkley."

"I hope it doesn't. I was watching the game when I heard a banging sound outside my office. And a policeman must react to a banging sound. You know why?" Officer Splinkley swept his hair back and gave the teens his coldest, most smug eye twinkle. "Because it means trouble's on the horizon, and trouble means there's justice to be had!"

Billy was all ready to apologize and get the hell out of there, but the officer was riding high on his stupid heroic cloud. So Billy interrupted with, "Which game were you watching, exactly?"

Officer Splinkley frowned and slunk his shoulders. "Just . . . just stay out of my hair, okay, kids?" he said. "This is your warning." With that, he marched back around the police station to get back to watching his Rachael Ray.

Once the officer was gone, the three teens turned to each other, bodies still aching from the fall.

"Yeah, Billy? This was fun, but I don't think I'm gonna do any more of these 'adventures,'" Ethan said.

"So, what you kids are saying is, you wanna get drunk?"

"Yeah." Billy nodded his head firmly. Nutcase was sitting in front of him, surrounded by half-full bottles of liquor. For a couple years now, Billy had looked forward to being the age where he could get a hold on the stuff legally. But now that the time might never come, he was relying on his good friend Nutcase.

Nutcase was 25 years old and had fallen off the wagon soon after he left college. For years, he'd been the cool, wacky big kid that the group looked up to. Now, of course, he was the cool, wacky, insane, extreme adult that the group looked up to. They didn't want to become alcoholics, of course, but they wanted the experience – Nutcase always looked like he was having so much fun!

"Well . . . alright . . . " Nutcase said, though he looked wary. "One bottle for all of ya. But just beer. It isn't strong. And I don't like it as much. 'Cause it's not as strong." He stumbled to his cabinet in the back, all the while keeping a watchful eye on the rest of his stash.

Sue gave Nick's hand a quick squeeze. Nick smiled falteringly in response. The red-haired girl was, as usual, nervous. She'd always said that one day, she'd do something a little daring. "I'm still not sure that I'm ready for this," she whispered.

Nutcase came back several minutes later (all his missteps slowed him down significantly) with a six-pack of light beers. "Just, um, don't drink too much, okay? The stuff is still all mine." He paused. "And, y'know, I care about you kids!"

Billy grinned and snatched a bottle out of the case, which seemed to visibly wound Nutcase. Sue was more cautious in her taking and opening of the beer, but not so much as Nick. Nick acted somewhat as if the alcohol repelled her hand. Nutcase, who was at this point instinctively clutching the six-pack to his chest, looked relieved, but only before Sue did her friend a favor and took a bottle for her.

Once they were all open, Billy cheered "L'chaim!" and they each raised the bottle to their lips. Billy practically poured the beer down his throat, which he regretted. "Oh, yuck!" he coughed, splattering the bitter drink all over Nutcase's jacket.

Sue also grimaced. "Ew," she muttered as the alcohol washed down her throat.

"Oh, well, if you don't like it, I guess you guys can just go," Nutcase decided, yanking the bottles protectively out of Billy and Sue's hands. He was about to take Nick's as well, but she pulled away.

"Wait! I haven't tried it yet!" she said.

Nutcase was desperate to get his precious drinks back. "But they think it's disgusting, Nikki! That's enough for you, isn't it?"

Nick shook her head. "No. I'm doing this." She turned her back to Nutcase and prepared herself with a few deep breaths. Her teeth started to quiver as she brought the bottle to her lips and for a moment it seemed she would opt out, but she was determined – with a whimper, she splashed a teeny sip into her mouth.

Everyone watched anxiously, anticipating for her to start crying or have an attack.

But she smiled. "This isn't half bad!" she said. She was about to take a second sip, but a knock on the door interrupted.

"Open up, Santoya!" It was Officer Splinkley.

"He'll see us drinking!" Billy whispered. "Guys, hide!"

Sue quickly found just the place. "Quick, we'll hide in that closet!"

Billy and Sue both started running, but Nick stayed put. Billy turned around. "Nick, what are you doing?"

"I can't move! I'm too drunk!" Nick whined.

Billy sighed and hurriedly helped her bumbling body over to the hall closet. "You've only had one sip," he muttered as he crouched behind the sliding door and sat Nick down on a pile of liquor-stained coats. Sue closed the door and they each fell perfectly silent.

From the closet, they could hear the whole scene: the front door swinging open and slamming shut, followed by the proud clomp of Officer Splinkley's boots.

"Well, well, if it isn't Patrick Santoya, rampant alcoholic and anarchist," Splinkley boomed. "Fess up, buddy, I know I saw those kids come in here. And there's only one reason anyone would come to your house – you're providing alcohol to minors, aren't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Nutcase slurred. His tone of voice suggested he was grinning with no good reason, which could mean he was acting nonchalant or was just being regular old Nutcase.

"I suggest you own up. Otherwise, I'll have to take both you and the kids in." The sound of jingling handcuffs was followed by the sound of unfamiliar giddy chuckling.

Wait.

The chuckling was coming from inside the closet.

"Nick! You're not drunk!" Sue whispered.

"Then why am I feeling so . . . so . . . light and airy . . . " Nick replied. With that, she collapsed with a loud bang.

Billy and Sue both gasped. And suddenly, the voices outside the closet were silent as well. "What was that?" inquired Officer Splinkley through audibly clenched teeth.

"That was just . . . um, those were my pet chickens," came Nutcase's answer.

"No, Santoya, it was not your chickens."

"You sure? Those chickens are loud with their pecking and honking and all that shit. Know what I'm sayin'?"

"Chickens – which, if you really do have them, is another matter for us to discuss entirely – don't make banging sounds. I know my banging sounds." (Was it just Billy, or was Splinkley's voice getting closer?) "Because when there are banging sounds, it means trouble's on the horizon, and trouble means there's justice to be had!"

Oh yes, the officer was most definitely getting closer. Crap. "Billy, we need to hide!" Sue whispered.

"We're already hiding, Sue!"

"I mean, we need to hide more!" She demonstrated by digging her feet under the piles of dust-gathering jackets and ducked behind the ones that were lucky enough to still be hanging. She kicked more clothes over Nick's unconscious body. Billy widened his eyes in understanding and followed suit.

And he did it just in time. Seconds later, the outside light intruded their hiding space. "I know you're in here!" Officer Splinkley shouted.

Billy squeezed his eyes shut. Don't move, girls. Don't move, he prayed silently as he felt the officer's eagle eyes soar around the closet.

And to his relief, he heard a defeated sigh from Officer Splinkley. "Well, I don't see them in there, Santoya. But I'm gonna keep my eye on you, you hear?"

"Yep. No problem, copper. Now get outta my house, will ya?"

The front door opened and slammed again, and Billy and Sue both peeked out from behind the hanging jackets. They gave each other relieved smiles.

"I think we should leave," Sue whispered.

"Good idea."

Over the next couple of weeks, Billy got away with so much. He mixed together dangerous chemicals with Lombard and Sue (with some oversight from Ty Sifford). He built a huge and awesome skateboard ramp with Ethan's cousin Allen and Sue, although it later turned out to be faulty and broke. And then he went shopping with Petunia and Sue and let them max out his dad's credit card. Officer Splinkley kept trying to stop him, but Sue was a master at faking him out.

Afterwards, though, Billy felt suddenly depressed. He'd lived like he'd always wanted, all within two weeks. And there was still year left before his doom. Sure, he'd have school. But that hardly counted as fun.

Good God, he needed more! There had to be one more thing left in that town that he could use to get one more thrill.

A/N: Character update:

Officer Splinkley is Splendid.

Another chapter is coming up soon!