"Hi." Eliza climbed up and took a seat next to him

     Zachy made a face. He knew he was going to get teased in class again for playing with a girl. Ugh. Bah! he thought.

     "What's up with you, Zach?" she inquired. "You're so quiet, it's strange." And you're usually gone by now, so I can sit here.

     "Hrmpf." He spat his chewing gum out between the geraniums. "We had this homework assignment," he grumbled, and banged his heels against the stones.

     "And?"

     "About the names in our families."

     "Did you get in trouble because you didn't do it?" she asked.

     "No... I did it." His heels banged against the wall again. And again. And again.

     "Come on, Zachy. Tell me." Eliza's elbow hit his side.

     "Don't call me Zachy!" he snapped and sighed. "I was named after my grandfather. And when I searched through the old family papers and letters and all that stuff for my homework I found out why he was named Zachary." He spat again and managed to hit the huge yellow geranium flower in front of them. Then it broke out of him: "It was because his dad was a fan of a cartoon series! Zachary's the name of one of its heroes!"

     "And what's the matter with that?" Eliza asked and searched in her pockets for a new stick of chewing gum. "I mean," she grinned as she found a last piece at the bottom of her pocket, "The name Zachary isn't that bad."

     "But what if he'd been a fan of Disney cartoons?" Zachary shuddered. "Did you ever see Mickey Mouse? Or Donald Duck?"

     Eliza grew silent. After a moment, she broke her chewing gum in half and offered him one of the pieces. "Ouch. You're right. That was a close shave!"

END

And now think of a certain Galaxy Rangers captain named Goofy Fox. ;)