Swans Crossing: The Return

©1997 by Stephanie Blydenburgh

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Chapter Twenty-Four (co-written by Miss Swan)

"Oh Sydney, I am so excited about the game Friday!" Mila exclaimed, letting herself into Sydney's bedroom. She tossed her pompoms on the bed.

Sydney looked up. She was sitting at her window reading the same paragraph from her chemistry book over and over. "Nice to see you too, Mila."

Mila giggled sheepishly. "Well, this is just all so new to me. But high school is so exciting! Why didn't you tell me it was so great?"

"You sure are in a good mood," Sydney commented, ignoring Mila's question. "And I have something that is going to make you hit the roof."

Mila scurried to Sydney's side. "What is it?"

"Does your mother know you're here?"

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?" Mila asked in confusion.

Sydney smiled widely. "Well, in case a certain Grant Booth gives you a call your mother can tell him where to reach you."

A chill rushed through Mila's body. "Oh my gosh! Are you serious?"

"Sure am!" Sydney said happily. "I convinced him to make a decision about going, and both Garrett and Glory confirmed he was eyeing you when he first came to visit. I'm expecting him to call you anytime soon."

Mila hugged Sydney and then began nervously arranging her long blond hair. "Do I look okay?"

"Mila, it's a phone call," Sydney reminded her.

"Oh yeah." Mila flopped down on the bed. She thought momentarily about all of her boyfriends since she had moved to Swans Crossing. She moved into town having never had a boyfriend, and now she had gone out with Garrett, Billy Gunn, Garrett again, and J.T. Possibly Grant, if things went the way she hoped. However, all of her earlier relationships had ended pretty disastrously, so Mila said a silent prayer that this time it would finally work out for her.

As if on cue, the telephone rang. Mila nearly jumped out of her skin, and then looked at Sydney with wide eyes.

"Answer it!" Sydney urged.

With a shaky hand Mila picked up the porcelain telephone. "Hello?"

"Hi!" said an enthusiastic male voice. Mila immediately recognized it as Grant's.

"Oh hi Grant," she replied, giving Sydney a thumbs-up.

"I told you," Sydney mouthed.

"So what's up?" she asked, trying to sound casual.

"Well, not much. I've been thinking though, and I think it would be a lot of fun to go to the homecoming dance," Grant told her.

Mila couldn't believe her luck. "Oh really?"

"Yeah, and I was wondering if maybe you would like to go with me," he concluded, sounding almost as nervous as Mila did.

"I would love to!" she responded quickly, her heart pounding rapidly in her chest.

"Great," he said happily. "Why don't we meet on Friday after the game right in front of the gym?"

"Sounds wonderful. I'll see you then."

"Okay, see you then," Grant agreed.

Mila placed the phone in it's cradle and then started jumping up and down. "He asked me!" she squealed triumphantly. It seemed as if things were finally working out for Mila Rosnovsky.

"W-what are you doing here?" Callie asked, looking up at Jimmy like a deer caught in headlights. She didn't move from her spot in the middle of the water.

"I was just going for a walk," Jimmy answered. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her, standing knee deep in water, or from the moonlight that reflected from the water dancing on her face.

"Me too," she told him.

He started backing away. "Well, I think I'm gonna split."

"Okay," she replied nonchalantly, although she wanted in her heart to beg him to stay.

"See ya around," he said, turning away.

"Bye."

Jimmy suddenly turned back. "Hey Callie?"

Her stomach jumped into her throat. "Yes?"

"Last night Ana asked me if you and Pedro wanted to check out this new nightclub on Friday. What do you say?"

Callie exhaled a long, shaky breath. There was something odd in this question. He was asking her to do something with him, something he had done many times. But there were other people involved, and the way he phrased it made it clear that he was with Ana and she was with Pedro. "Sure," she responded shortly.

Jimmy nodded, and turned away again. This time he kept walking. He too was finding the entire situation strange. Here he was, faced with a girl who at one time he had been so close to, and now they were treating each other like complete strangers.

Callie watched Jimmy walk down the sandy beach, and even though it was hot out, she suddenly felt very cold inside.

The trees whizzed by as Garrett drove his mini bike to Swans. His father's words were ringing in his head. A job. It was a novel idea, but Garrett was suddenly full of worries. If word got out that he was working somewhere his reputation would be ruined. The Booths didn't have to work. They were one of the most affluent families in town. Even Sandy didn't have to get a job. Her parents struggled, but they weren't so poor that Sandy had to support herself. A chill ran down Garrett's spine. He was worse off than Sandy Swan now.

He pulled up to the building and dismounted his bike. He wasn't even paying attention to where he was going and what he was doing. It was as if he was on auto pilot. Sydney was very important to him, and he was willing to do anything for her. Even get a job so he could take her to homecoming, if that's what it took.

With a determined shove, Garrett opened the door to Swans and entered the diner. Before he approached the counter he scanned the room for his friends. Luckily everyone in the soda shop were people he didn't know very well.

Jazz was behind the counter, wiping down some of the soda dispensers. She noticed Garrett and waved hello.

"Hi Jazz. I was wondering if I could get an application," Garrett stated very bluntly.

"For who?" she asked curiously.

He lowered his eyes. "For me."

Immediately, Jazz doubled over in fits of laughter. "That's the best one I've heard all day!" she gasped.

"It's not a joke," he said through clenched teeth.

Jazz stopped laughing and caught her breath. "Are you serious?"

"Yes," Garrett replied.

She shrugged, and decided not to even attempt to question why Garrett Booth wanted to get a job. Jazz bent down and retrieved an application for him. "Here you go."

Garrett took it from her outstretched hand and left the humiliating scene as quickly as he could.

Nancy closed her math book and went over to her telephone. She had been waiting for this moment all night. Her parents had a rule that all homework had to be completed before she could use the phone. Now that she was done she could do something that might change her life forever.

Stop being such a drama queen, she scolded herself. Maybe not forever, but this phone call was going to affect her immediate future. She picked up the phone and dialed Kevin Hall's number. She had looked it up in the phone book. Even though they had gone to get coffee a few times and had spent some time at the stables together, he hadn't given her his number.

"Hello?" a pleasant female voice answered.

"Hi, is Kevin there?" Nancy asked, her voice raising several octaves.

"Sure, just a second," she said.

A few moments later, Kevin came on the line. "Hello?"

"Hey Kevin, it's Nancy. Nancy Robbins," she clarified.

He laughed lightly. "I know," he teased her. "How are you, Nancy?"

"I'm pretty good," she said, not adding that she was a nervous wreck. "What about you?"

"Not bad," he replied, and the conversation lagged.

"Well," she began, jumping into her question immediately. "I am calling because I was wondering if you would like to go to the homecoming dance on Friday night."

Kevin was quiet for a moment. "I think that would be a lot of fun. We're playing your team that night, aren't we?"

"Yeah," Nancy answered. "Is that a problem?"

"No," he assured her. "I just thought that maybe a Newport High kid might not exactly be accepted at SCH."

"Well, I really want you there," Nancy told him flirtatuously.

She could almost hear Kevin smiling on the other line as he replied, "Then the answer is yes. I would be honored to go with you."

Nancy beamed. Life couldn't possibly get any better than this.

The next day Sydney ran into Garrett before school. "Hi!" she said, greeting him in the front entrance to the school.

He smiled upon seeing her. "Hey Sydney." They stood before each other a moment or two, and then Garrett kissed her lightly on the lips. Sydney's heart fluttered. They both basked in the moment of public affection.

"So how have you been?" she asked.

Garrett’s expression clouded. He wanted so badly to tell her that he had applied for a job at Swans, but he just couldn't. The look of love in her green eyes made it impossible for him to break her heart. And he knew it would put a huge strain on their relationship. Sydney was very clear on her thoughts about money. The more, the better. It would seem weird for Sydney Rutledge, the richest girl in town, to be dating someone who didn't have any money, and had to flip burgers to get any at all.

"I'm okay," he answered quietly.

Sydney didn't notice his troubled tone. "Me too. I just can't wait until Friday. And I want you to know I promise I really will walk off the field when you guys win."

"You sound pretty confident," Garrett commented.

She smiled widely. "Well, I have a lot of things to be confident about." She looked up at him. "And you're one of those things." She leaned towards him to kiss him again. He kissed her back, although his mind was in another world.

I wish I had a lot to be confident about too, he thought to himself. Under most circumstances Garrett Booth was the most confident person in town. He had it all- a beautiful girlfriend, good looks, and money. Now that he no longer had money it seemed as if he was going to lose it all. Well, he amended, I'll still have my looks.

"Garrett?" Sydney called, snapping him back to reality.

His head whipped up when he realized she was talking to him. "Were you talking to me?"

She furrowed her eyebrows at him in concern. "Are you okay?" she asked.

No, he thought. I'm not okay! I have no money, and I know I'm not good enough for you! His mind was racing, but he couldn't verbalize those insecure thoughts. Sydney wouldn't understand. She was never insecure, and she thought of him in the same sense she did herself. Garrett Booth could never be anything but "perfect" in her eyes. Even when she hated him, she knew he had it all. Until now, he remind himself. Garrett cleared his throat. "Yeah, I'm fine."

At lunch Sydney was sitting with her friends, trying to get them to decide if they should get a limousine to take them to the homecoming dance. At Swans Crossing High homecoming was almost as formal as the prom.

"This is so cool!" Sydney exclaimed, pointing to a black stretch limo with a high ceiling in the catalog.

"Where do they keep the chandelier?" Sandy joked.

Sydney tapped her fingernails against the formica table. "Let me guess- Saja wants to beam yourselves there or something."

Sandy had to laugh. "Probably."

"So, Syd, Garrett wants to know what color corsage he should get you," Glory told her.

Sydney busily pulled something out of her leather purse. "Here," she said, handing Glory a sheet of colored paper. "I got it at the florist. I circled all the ones that I liked, so Garrett can just pick off of this. But, it has to be a red rose, no matter what."

"You're taking this homecoming thing really seriously, Sydney," Nancy commented, pushing her cafeteria lunch away.

Sydney pursed her trademark red lips. "Homecoming is the biggest night of the year," she explained defensively.

Sandy chuckled. "I thought that title belonged to graduation." The rest of the girls joined in her laughter.

"Laugh all you want guys, but I am going to have the best night money can buy. Now," she said, producing the limo catalogue again, "which limo?"

Jimmy woke up the next day, and went downstairs. Johnny was already dressed, and armed with a suitcase. Jimmy looked at his brother quizzically. "What are you doing?"

"Well, I forgot to tell you that I have to go on a business trip tonight," Johnny explained.

"Oh," he said slowly. "That's okay, I guess. I'll just hang out here tonight then."

Johnny cocked his head and gave Jimmy an apologetic look. "Well, see, there's a slight problem. I forgot when I scheduled this trip that I had also scheduled for the house to be exterminated late this afternoon."

"So what does that mean for me?"

Johnny picked up his suitcase. "Well, I arranged for you to stay with the Walkers tonight. I know you knew them in Swans Crossing, and I met Captain Walker the other day when I was out working on the lawn. He's a really nice guy. It's only for one night. Is that okay?"

Jimmy was so stunned that he couldn't even answer him... he was spending the night at Callie's.

"No way Dad," Callie said pointedly, folding her arms in front of her. "There is no way I'm letting you do this to me."

Captain Walker shrugged. "There's nothing I can do about it. I already told his brother he could stay. Why didn't you tell me your friend from Swans Crossing was visiting, and so close to our house at that?"

Callie turned away from her father, not wanting to meet his eyes. She stared out the window, and looked at the pouring rain. It matched her mood. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Fine, but he's staying the night," Captain Walker told her firmly. "How would you like to be in a strange place and have nowhere to go?"

"That's how I feel anyway," Callie muttered under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. I just want you to know I am not happy about this," Callie said with a scowl.

"Oh, I know," he replied.

She began stomping over to her bedroom.

"Callie!" her dad called her back.

"Yes?" she asked warily.

"Well, I almost forgot that I have to go to a company party tonight. You'll be all right here by yourself, won't you?"

Callie's stomach dropped. "You mean I'm going to be here with Jimmy tonight, all alone?"

Mila stood in front of the other cheerleaders, punching her arms in the air with enthusiasm. Ever since Grant had asked her to the dance she had more adrenalin running through her body than ever before. All the girls were commenting on it, and she told them she was just excited about cheering at the game.

Glory tried hard to follow all of Mila's commands, and she was doing a good technical job, but her heart wasn't into it. She was still thinking about J.T.'s apology. Glory wanted to accept it more than anything, but she was still so hurt. The scars that he caused by ditching her for Mila were permanent.

Across the field, the boys were practicing. She watched J.T., transfixed, but yet somewhat angered.

"That's it for today girls!" Mila announced, excusing them from practice. Glory went over to her duffel bag and unzipped it to toss her pompoms inside. Laying inside the bag she discovered a large, white daisy. She picked it up and fingered the petals. It was beautiful, but she knew it was from J.T.

When is he going to learn that it's just too soon? Glory asked herself. She started walking off the field, and noticed J.T. was looking in her direction, wanting to see a reaction from his little gift. She hurried away from J.T.'s waiting stare... but kept the daisy.

Callie peered out of her bedroom window at the evening Brazil sky. The storm outside was raging. Rain was pouring rapidly from the dark, heavy clouds and the thunder was booming wickedly. The wind seemed to take on a life of its own. It was almost as if it were grabbing the trees and shaking them violently with large, invisible hands. The storm was growing worse by the minute. Callie started to become even more tense than she had been previously, especially with the thought of her father being caught in the treacherous rain... and the fact that Jimmy was laying on the family room couch just a few feet away from her bedroom door.

Callie shivered involuntarily and pulled the venetian blinds back down over her window. In a way, the storm was a perfect reflection of how she was feeling inside. From the moment she had seen Jimmy at that store in Brazil, she felt as though her emotions were on a roller coaster. She didn't know whether to laugh, cry, or scream. On one hand, she still remembered the argument that she and Jimmy had the afternoon before she left for Brazil. She remembered it more vividly than she would've liked to. The cruel words that they had thrown back and forth at each other were still very fresh in Callie’s mind. The tension between her and Jimmy upon his unexpected arrival in Brazil was so thick, it was almost tangible. Callie knew that she didn't mean the harsh things she had said during their fight back in Swans Crossing, but she wasn't sure if it was the same way with Jimmy. She felt so flustered and confused every time he was with her that it was hard to keep from screaming. However, she also felt slightly excited, and almost giddy ever since they were reunited in Brazil. As much as she hated to admit it to herself, she had a secret fantasy in the back of her mind that maybe Jimmy had come to Brazil to patch things up with her. Whenever they were around each other, the chemistry that was shared between the two back when they were a couple still seemed to be alive. Maybe Callie was just dreaming it up, but Jimmy appeared to be equally as nervous and eager as she was every time they were within a few feet of one another. The possibility that he might still have feelings for her made her want to burst into delighted laughter. Yet, despite her concealed rapture over being around Jimmy again, seeing him in the flesh also made Callie want to cry. Jimmy was like the ultimate symbol of the life she led back in Swans Crossing. He reminded her of how great it felt to care so deeply for someone, of all the friends she had made in Swans Crossing, how that was the only place she could ever really call home, and how happy she was there. For her entire life, she had never been as happy as she was living in Swans Crossing. All this conflict going through her mind was driving her absolutely insane.

Callie shrieked softly as the storm let loose with another loud howl and the violent rain drops pounded against her bedroom window even harder than they had before. She tried to ignore the storm by closing her eyes and turning on her Walkman to drown out the sounds. She even had every single one of her bedroom lights on because she was afraid of the dark and the storm obviously wasn't doing anything to ease her fear. But despite her best efforts, she still kept visualizing her father. Why on earth did I let him leave for that party this late at night? she wondered apprehensively. He could get pneumonia, or struck by lightning, or worse....

Callie shook her head disapprovingly as she reviewed these ridiculous thoughts. It was strange for her to be so worried about something as trivial as a rainstorm. Normally, she was an extremely levelheaded person and was often the one to calm others down during a crisis. Now she was the one who needed to be comforted. If only a certain person sitting just outside my bedroom door could do it, Callie thought wistfully. She knew that the reason why she was so excitable tonight wasn't just because of the storm or even of the thought of her father being in danger. It was also because of Jimmy. Why can't I just forget about him? Callie asked herself in frustration. It’s over between us. He even said so himself. I even said so. Her covert emotions for Jimmy continued to run rampantly through her mind as she grew more and more frustrated. Why can't I get him out of my mind? Why do we have to be in the same house tonight? Why can't I just tell him how I feel? Why can't I just admit that I still-

Suddenly, her bedroom lights went out.

"Moving to Brazil" storyline & final scene (c) 1997 by Miss Swan Thanks to Phantasy4 for his storyline about Garrett getting a job. Also, thanks to Miss Swan for writing the entire last scene!

Chapter Twenty-Five (Co-writers this chapter: Miss Swan and Maxiom)

Sydney strolled leisurely through the aisles of one of the more expensive boutiques at the Swans Crossing mall.

Nancy followed behind her, struggling with an armload of dresses. "I'm so glad I'm going to homecoming!" she exclaimed happily, placing the rejected dresses back on the rack. Sydney rolled her eyes behind her friends back.

With the enemy, she thought to herself, but resigned to keeping quiet. She had been shopping with Nancy for a full hour and Nancy hadn't made one snobbish remark. It had to be a new record.

"Yes," Sydney said. "I'm glad you get to go, too. It looks like the whole group is going to make it."

Nancy nodded. "And some of the strangest couples have emerged. Like you, for example, Sydney-O. I simply cannot believe you and Garrett are going to make your first public appearance at the dance. How risky," Nancy commented mockingly.

Well there goes the record, Sydney thought.

The dressing room door opened and Mila stepped out into the store, tags dangling from her dress. "What do you think?" she asked, spinning around to show off the dress at every angle.

Both Sydney and Nancy looked on, impressed. The dress Mila had tried on was a shimmery pink color, and the gauzy fabric swished around her thighs. The neckline would be perfect for displaying a delicate necklace, and the sleeves showed off her tan shoulders. It was a beautiful dress.

"Wow Mila," Nancy breathed. "That's perfect!"

Sydney rushed over to Mila's side and examined the dress. "Mila, hold your hair on top of your head."

Mila grabbed her long golden hair and simulated an updo. Sydney nodded in approval. "That dress looks incredible on you. You must get it!"

Mila let out an excited giggle. "Okay! What do you think Grant will think?"

"That you look very mature. At least sixteen," Nancy told her. Mila didn't need another word of encouragement, and she quickly headed to the cash register.

"So now it's just you and me on the quest for the perfect homecoming dress," Sydney said brightly, looking at the other dresses on the rack.

Nancy lifted her hand to her mouth to stifle a yawn. "Actually Sydney, I'm feeling really tired. I think I'm going to abandon you and go get a soda at Swans. Do you want to come?"

Sydney thought for a moment. "No, I think I'll stay here. I have to get a dress soon, time is running out. The game is tomorrow, you know."

"I know. I just need to rest for a little. Why don't I meet you guys back here in thirty minutes?" Nancy suggested.

Sydney nodded. "Sounds great," she agreed, and resumed her search. Within seconds of Nancy's departure, a dress seemed to jump out at her. It was long and had a full, flowing skirt. The bodice was made of black lace, and the skirt was white satin. She could just envision herself in this elegant black and white dress with her dark hair pulled up into a bun, slinky black gloves pulled up to her elbows, an exquisite corsage made of roses placed on her wrist, and a studded Homecoming Queen tiara on her head.... Sydney grabbed the dress and headed into the dressing room. "Mila!" she called. "I found it!"

Callie whipped her Walkman headphones off of her ears and bolted up from her bed. She pulled up the blinds and peered outside the window. The neighboring houses also seemed to be without lights. All she could see was darkness and the gray shadows of a mass of heavy clouds that were lingering in the sky. It was indeed a blackout. Great, Callie thought miserably. My father is stuck in the worst storm I've ever witnessed, my ex-boyfriend is right outside my bedroom door, and now all the lights are out!

Unsure of what to do next, she began pacing across her room. She grabbed her phone in an effort to call the party up and ask about her father, but the line was dead. Now Callie really felt like screaming. She was worried enough about the storm, her father, and Jimmy, and now she had to deal with her fear of the dark. She shut her eyes again, hoping that the moment she opened them, the lights would magically reappear. No such luck. Her room was even darker than it was before she closed her eyes. Callie balled her hands into fists and continued to pace across her bedroom in agitation. I hate this! I can't think with all the lights out! And if there's a blackout, I can just imagine what's happened to Dad! What if he hadn't arrived at the party yet? He could really be in trouble now!

Callie started breathing heavily, and her heart pounded in panic. She hated feeling out of control like this, so she forced herself to calm down. Okay, the phone lines are dead and I have no way of contacting my dad. What I need to do now is get some lights so I can relax and stop worrying so much. I'm sure Dad is fine. I just need to get some lights....

She recalled where her father had stored their flashlights and candles and realized that they were in one of the drawers in the kitchen. And the kitchen was connected to the family room. The family room where Jimmy is probably sleeping on the couch now, Callie thought, wincing. I need to get the flashlights, but I don't want him to see me. I might just end up saying something I shouldn't... Callie shuddered as she imagined herself revealing her true feelings to Jimmy. I'm so frantic right now that I could let anything slip. She no longer trusted herself enough to be alone with Jimmy for a even minute. Not when all she wanted to do was tell him how much she still cared. No, telling him something that he doesn’t need to hear is even worse than sitting here in the dark for a few hours. I’ll just brave this blackout until the morning, or until my dad comes home... if he even does make it home.

The thunder boomed viciously again, and the rain was now beating down like daggers against her window. Callie glanced helplessly around her dark bedroom and then froze, paralyzed in terror. Okay, I take that back. If I don't get any lights in here soon, I'm gonna freak! She knew that if she didn't retrieve the flashlights and candles, she would drive herself crazy. Callie walked over to her door and slowly pulled it open. She reluctantly headed towards the kitchen.

Glory walked around the mall, helping Sandy carry some of her bags. Even though Sandy had already bought her homecoming dress, Glory had agreed to help her find shoes and jewelry to go with it. And of course, as Sandy's luck was going, she had immediately found shoes the exact aquamarine color of her dress, and a beautiful necklace and matching earrings set with blue stones. And all of it was very inexpensive, so Sandy was on cloud nine. Glory, however, had not found the right dress for herself yet. Of course, it wasn't an all important event... she was going with Neil after all, strictly as friends. Still... J.T. will be there, she reminded herself, and immediately scolded herself for even having such a thought.

"Dear, how much longer are we going to be?" Cornelia Booth asked her daughter.

"Not too much longer, Mom. I'm about ready to give up!" Glory admitted.

"Oh no, you don't," Sandy said. She led Glory by the hand to another store window. "That's it! It's perfect for you!"

Glory pressed her fingertips against the window glass, mesmerized by the dress displayed on the mannequin. "You're right," she breathed. She was instantly in love with the short, cream dress with an empire waist and matching silk scarf. "Oh Mom, can I get it?"

Mrs. Booth smiled. "It's a beautiful dress, dear." She didn't want to express her financial woes and worry Glory. She still had money in her credit account, and she pulled the plastic card from her purse. "Let's go buy it!"

Glory squealed with delight, suddenly getting more into the shopping experience. She found a dress in her size and hastily approached the cash register. The woman behind the counter rang up the dress, wrapped it in a box, and took Mrs. Booth's credit card from her. She ran it through the machine, and it made a beeping noise.

Mrs. Booth blushed and lowered her head, hoping none of the Swans Crossing socialites would spot her.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but this card is being rejected. Do you have another?" the woman asked.

Mrs. Booth fumbled through her handbag to look for another card while Glory looked on with concern. "I'm sorry about that. Here, try this one."

The woman ran it through, and once again it made that loud beep, as if to alert everyone in the store the card was being rejected.

"I'm very sorry. I'm sure you just have a problem with the company. Why don't you call the eight hundred number and clear that up, and then I'm sure you will be able to use your cards again." Mrs. Booth could tell that the employee was just being nice. There was nothing she could do. She turned to look into her daughter's worried eyes.

"I'm sorry Glory..."

Jimmy was laying with his back on the Walkers' family room couch, listening to the rainstorm outside. The television was on but he wasn't paying any attention to it. He had been trying to watch for awhile, hoping that the late-night Brazil programs (which he couldn't even understand since most of them were in Portuguese) would put him to sleep. But so far, he hadn't had any luck. All he could think about was Callie, and how she was in her bedroom just a couple of feet away from the couch where he was trying to sleep.

An ironic chuckle escaped from Jimmy's mouth as he realized how crazy his current situation was. The stuff that had been happening to him during the past couple of weeks seemed like events lifted straight out of one of those stupid TV sitcoms. The sitcoms where the characters would try their hardest to avoid getting into any trouble, but would always end up with more problems than they could've imagined. Jimmy had traveled to Brazil in hopes to repair his relationship with Callie. But when he arrived here, he realized that this was a task that would never be accomplished. He found out practically the moment he had set foot in Rio De Janeiro that Callie had already started dating Pedro. She sure didn't waste any time, Jimmy mused bitterly. I guess things between us were worse than I thought. She really must hate me now. And who could blame her? You said the some really awful things to her before she left Swans Crossing, Jimmy scolded himself silently. You didn't even show up at her good-bye party. Now you come to Brazil to try and make things up to her, but you can't even admit to her that you still care. All you can do is come up with some lame excuse about visiting your brother in Rio and then you start dating Pedro's sister. Great job, Clayton. Now you'll never get Callie back.

After recalling the ludicrous events that had occurred upon his arrival in Brazil, Jimmy groaned in despair. He had flown over three thousand miles just to find out that Callie no longer wanted him in her life. The moment he spotted her in that store with Pedro, he contemplated leaving Brazil, but he had already promised his brother he’d stay for awhile. Johnny and Jimmy were pretty close and rarely ever got to see each other. He didn't want to pass up his chance to be around his brother again, even though it killed Jimmy to see Callie with another guy. But he supposed that was his punishment for being so cruel to her before she left Swans Crossing. He constantly searched for someone to blame for all the misery he had been going through, but as usual, Jimmy had no one to blame but himself. He had his chance with Callie and he blew it. Obviously, he wasn't getting a second chance.

Man, if only she still cared about me, even just a little. If only I could have another chance with her. I definitely would not blow it this time. I've already made enough mistakes with Callie since the day we met. For about the thousandth time since he'd been in Brazil, Jimmy sighed ruefully. It seemed that his entire life was made up of lost opportunities and endless regrets. He really was the ultimate sitcom character. The one who's life is the most screwed up and never gets what he wants. Except the one difference we have is that by the end of the episode, his life is back to normal. My problems just keep getting worse by the day, Jimmy thought to himself wistfully.

Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by a blinding strobe of lightning accompanied immediately by a deafening peal of thunder. The light in the room and television went off simultaneously. Great. The power's out, he thought. Well, maybe I can relax and get some sleep now. Then his thoughts turned to Callie once more. I wonder if she's asleep? If not, she'll be terrified of being in the dark. Maybe I should...no. She's okay. She's in there asleep, probably dreaming of Pedro.

Jimmy closed his eyes and tried to relax. I've got to get some sleep. But how can I? How can I do anything when the girl I'm crazy about is right in the next room, and all I want to do is just go in there and....

Perish the thought, Clayton. Stop tormenting yourself. The sooner you get to sleep, the sooner it will be morning and the sooner you'll be out of here. Nothing's going to come of this situation.

His thoughts were then interrupted again by the sound of Callie's bedroom door creeping open. Then he saw Callie step out of her room. Immediately, their eyes met.

"I was... just going to get a flashlight. There's a blackout. I didn't mean to wake you," Callie said nervously.

Jimmy could see the fear in her face, and hear it in her voice. All he wanted to do was go to her and take her in her arms to try to comfort her. He couldn't stand to see her being frightened, couldn't stand the thought of her being in any kind of pain. "No, I wasn't asleep. Who can sleep through all this?" he remarked, referring to the raging storm outside. He tried to sound cheerful and upbeat.

Hearing Jimmy speak to her with a positive attitude worked wonders in comforting Callie. Not only was she no longer alone in this inescapable darkness, but there was something else as well. It was the first time he'd really spoken to her in such a friendly manner since before they'd broken up so long ago. Besides that, the thoughts of just being alone with him was exciting, although she didn't want to admit it to herself. She cherished being in his presence, even if they were now only "acquaintances".

"Well, anyway, I'm sorry I disturbed you. I'll just get what I was going after," Callie told him, wanting to match his friendly attitude in her voice, but was surprised that it sounded more disinterested and bored than anything else. She made her way into the kitchen and disappeared from his sight.

Nice going. You really screwed that up, Jimmy thought to himself. If only he could have known that those were the exact words Callie was saying to herself at the moment, too.

Callie managed to find the drawer and felt around inside it until she found the flashlight. She clicked it on and immediately felt much more at ease. She could see clearly now, and took one of the candles and some matches. "Well, I found them," she said, smiling slightly as she walked back in the family room. It was easier to speak to Jimmy with a more upbeat tone now, since she had the excuse of having found what she was looking for as a disguise. She opened the door to her room. "Good night."

"Good night," Jimmy replied pleasantly, but felt terrible that she was leaving him. Alone again. I wish I'd been asleep when she opened that door. I can't stand this! he thought miserably.

Before she closed her bedroom door, Callie realized she was being rude. She swung the door back open. "Jimmy, I've got a candle here. Do you want it?" she asked. "I don't really need it since I have a flashlight."

"Yeah, if you wouldn't mind," Jimmy responded, sitting up and managing a smile, his mood lifting.

Callie walked to the couch and set the candle on the table in front of it.

"I can hold the light for you," Jimmy offered. Callie handed him the flashlight and lit a match. He aimed the flashlight's beam on the candle, but was transfixed at seeing her features glow behind the warm match light. She was so gloriously beautiful. He yearned to hold her in his arms, to swallow his crippling pride and tell her just how much she meant to him.

Callie lit the candle and blew out the match. The dark room slowly became illuminated and shadowy in the dim light. Jimmy realized that she would probably start heading back to her room at that moment and leave him alone yet again... unless he did something. It's now or never, Clayton, he coached himself as he mustered all the nerve he could.

"Callie?"

Garrett mopped up another puddle of sticky soda, grumbling under his breath. This was the third time in an hour he had spilled an order. "Since when am I such a klutz?" he wondered aloud. The he looked around to make sure no one had heard him. "Since when do I talk to myself?" He let out a long, exaggerated sigh.

"What's wrong, Garrett?" Jazz asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"Nothing," he muttered. It was hard to get used the fact that Jazz was no longer his waitress and acquaintance... she was his boss. He finished cleaning up the mess and grabbed an armload of menus. Someone had just entered the soda shop and she was seated at his table.

As he approached, he realized this was more than just some customer. The curly blond hair with red highlights belonged to none other than Nancy Robbins. Garrett panicked. He still hadn't told Sydney about his job, and wasn't planning to until after homecoming. Having to wait on one of Sydney's closest friends, not to mention the town gossip queen, wasn't going to help his plan.

"Jazz," Garrett hissed. "I can't wait on table five."

Jazz immediately looked annoyed. "Well if you can't cut it Garrett, then maybe this job isn't for you."

He sighed exasperatedly again. He had to have this job, especially if he was going to give Sydney the kind of homecoming she wanted. "No, I'll do it."

Garrett approached Nancy, hanging his head. "What can I get you?"

Nancy looked up from her menu and began her order. "I'd like..." she stopped in mid-sentence when she saw Garrett standing before her, his sandy colored hair hanging limply, his shirt stained with soda syrup, and an apron tied around his waist. She didn't hide her surprise and let her jaw drop wide open. "Garrett?!"

Callie looked at Jimmy directly, and was taken aback by his handsome features. She was both excited and afraid of what he had to say. "Yes?"

"The blackout may be over any minute. Would you like to just wait in here with me until the power's back on?" he asked timidly.

"You're probably right. I guess I can stay in here a few minutes," she agreed.

Jimmy turned the flashlight off and stood it on the table beside the candle. "No sense in wasting these batteries." Unsure of what to do next, Callie stood there, trying not to look nervous. "You can sit down if you want," Jimmy told her. She smiled at him and sat down uneasily. She sensed the warmth of where he'd been laying only seconds before, and felt a clandestine intimacy with him because of it.

"This storm is pretty bad," Jimmy commented, attempting to make conversation with her.

"Yeah, I know. I'm worried about my dad," she admitted truthfully, but at the same time was being careful not to focus any attention on themselves or the situation they were in.

"Don't worry. He's a big boy. He can take care of himself," Jimmy replied, trying to think of something reassuring to say.

"I hope so."

Silence.

They both sat there, watching the graceful dance of the candle's flame, as if it were a miniature television set. The incessant sound of the rain outside was no more exciting, except that it's intensity periodically rose and fell with the gusting winds.

The extremes of the situation, blatant boredom and restrained excitement, was driving both of them crazy. But, both did an expert job at hiding the fact. However, neither was sure how long they could keep it up. Something had to give....

Suddenly, Callie broke the relative silence by inhaling loudly, then saying, "There's a radio with batteries in my room. I'll be right back." She took the flashlight and returned with a portable boom box and sat it in front of them on the table. She extended the antenna and began tapping the digital tuning arrows. She found a station that wasn't playing music and sat back. "Maybe we can catch something about this weather."

"What are they saying?" Jimmy asked, not able to understand the language, although he did understand the name of Chicago being mentioned.

"They're just telling what songs are coming up. They didn't say anything about the weather."

To Jimmy and Callie's chagrin, the next tune that came on the radio was a song that they were both familiar with. It was Chicago's 1980's hit, "Hard to Say I'm Sorry".

As the song began, Jimmy lowered his head in embarrassment. Johnny used to listen to this song all time back when he lived in Swans Crossing with the rest of the Claytons. Jimmy remembered the lyrics all too well. And at this moment, they couldn't have fit more perfectly with his life.

"'Even lovers need a holiday, far away from each other, hold me now, it's hard for me to say I'm sorry, I just want you to stay'," the lead singer's voice belted out.

Callie listened to the familiar lyrics, her face reddening slightly. She remembered when that song used to air on the radio all the time several years ago. She even used to like it. But now, it seemed to hit too close to home. As the ballad continued to lilt over her and Jimmy, all Callie could think about was how much she longed to have him in her life again.

"'Couldn't stand to be kept away, just for a day, from your body, wouldn't want to be swept away, far away from the one that I love'," Chicago sang.

Jimmy started tapping his thumbs together anxiously. It was amazing how well the song's lyrics reflected the way he was feeling. It took all his power to suppress himself from telling Callie how he still felt about her right at that moment. He was even afraid to open his mouth now, for fear that something might slip out.

Callie heaved a quick sigh and tried to fan her flushed cheeks inconspicuously. When is this song going to end? she wondered desperately. I can't stand it anymore! The words are really getting to me.

"'Hold me now, I really want to tell you I'm sorry, I could never let you go'...."

At that moment, Jimmy and Callie both looked up and caught the other's eye. They immediately cast their glances back down again, and Callie cleared her throat in embarrassment. She had to break this uncomfortable silence or she would go crazy. "Um..." she paused. "You know, this song is really getting on my nerves! I think we should turn it off."

"I think you're right," Jimmy replied, his voice a mixture of both relief and disappointment. The love song was driving him up the wall, but he was upset that Callie seemed to hate it so much. Man, she really doesn't want to be in any type of romantic situation with me, he thought despairingly.

They reached for the switch to the small radio simultaneously, and Jimmy's hand accidentally rested upon Callie's. Both shivered involuntarily as they felt an electric charge travel from their fingers throughout the rest of their bodies. The touch may have been unintentional, but it was extremely powerful. There was something about it that was so familiar, so gentle, and so perfect.

Glory went straight to her room as soon as she and Mrs. Booth returned home. She assured her mother that she was okay. "It doesn't mean that much," she had said. "It's just a dress. There will be other dances." But of course, none of that was true. Even though Glory was just going with Neil as friends, in the back of her mind, the evening symbolized one of hope, new experiences... and maybe even another chance at what she was missing more than anything....

No! Glory shouted at herself, throwing her body down onto her bed. The comforter enveloped her and helped her relax, even though it was only momentarily. I cannot go back to J.T., no matter what! she commanded herself. Instinctively, she reached under her pillow. J.T.'s poems were stored there, and they always made her feel better. But, of course, it had been a month or so since she ripped them out of the notebook and threw them out the window. It felt like it had been a year.

Upon noticing that the poems were no longer there, she reached for the telephone instead. She slowly dialed Neil's telephone number. His mother answered.

"Is Neil there?" she asked.

"No, he's over at J.T.'s right now. Can I take a message?" Mrs. Atwater asked politely.

"That's okay. I'll just call over at J.T.'s." Glory set the phone in it's cradle. She didn't want to call J.T.'s house because it would be so awkward. However, another part of her was screaming for her to do it. Even though they weren't together, hearing his voice would be comforting. Without a moment’s hesitation, she called J.T.'s house.

"Hello?" J.T. answered.

Her voice caught in her throat. "Um, J.T. this is Glory."

"Glory!" he said in a happy voice. "I'm glad to hear from you."

She sighed. "Well, actually, I called to talk to Neil," she explained.

Dead silence echoed on his end of the line. "You want to talk to Neil?"

"Yes," she confirmed hesitantly.

Without another word, J.T. put Neil on the phone. "Hello?"

"Neil, this is Glory. I uh, I don't know quite how to say this. Um, I can't go to homecoming anymore," she told him, her voice full of disappointment.

"Really? Why not?"

Glory was slightly irked for a moment, wondering why he didn't share her sadness. "Well, my family can't afford it this year."

Neil laughed. "Nice joke, Glory. Why don't you really want to go? Is it because of J.T.?"

J.T.'s ears perked up on the other side of the room.

Glory sighed. "I mean it. My family isn't doing so well in the money department. It's all because my father invested a lot in the election, and when he lost, we lost a lot of money. I can't afford to go to homecoming."

"Oh," was all Neil could manage to say. "Look, I'm sorry."

"Me too," she replied softly. "I hope you can find another date. I wouldn't want you to miss it."

He didn't answer right away. "I'm sorry," he said again.

"I'll talk to you at school," she told him, and hung up the phone.

Neil looked back at J.T. "So what did she say? Is she skipping out on the dance because of me?" J.T. asked eagerly.

Neil was quiet a moment, feeling truly sorry and compassionate of what Glory was going through. And it didn't help that J.T. was being rather insensitive.

"I knew those notes must have had some effect on her-" he continued on.

"She can't go because her family doesn't have the money," Neil blurted out. "They lost it in the election."

J.T. was dumb-struck. He could literally feel the physical pain Glory must have been feeling just them, having to pass up the chance to go to her first high school homecoming. His mind was already racing way ahead of him, trying to think of a way he could help his ex-girlfriend. "Poor Glory."

Callie wanted to panic at Jimmy's touch, but she couldn't bring herself to take her hand away. It felt so right to have his fingers graze upon hers once again. She could no longer deny that his touch was what she had yearned for ever since she first saw him in Brazil. Part of her understood that Jimmy probably didn't want to touch her like that, but it didn't matter to her anymore. She couldn't let go now, not when this was what she had wanted for so long. Any logical thoughts flew out of her head. All she wanted was for Jimmy's hand to rest on hers forever.

Jimmy knew he should've moved his hand off of Callie's the moment they came in contact, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. It seemed like his hand was glued to hers. It just felt so right, almost as if his hand was meant to hold hers. Even though he realized that Callie probably wanted him to let go, he couldn't. He knew he was being selfish, but he was afraid that if he released his grip on her hand, he would regret it for the rest of his life. This was the encounter he had longed to have with Callie ever since he first spotted her in Brazil, and he couldn't disrupt it.

"'After all that's been said and done, you're just a part of me I can't let go'," Chicago's song floated in the background.

Jimmy and Callie's gazes shifted from their adjoining hands to each other's eyes. Callie knew that she should look away, but she simply could not tear her eyes away from his. There seemed to be some invisible force hanging in the air that kept drawing her to them. It was purely magnetic. She shivered again as she examined the look in Jimmy's eyes. It was so intense. Maybe, probably, she was just dreaming it up in her head, but there was something in his gaze that told her he still cared. There was a certain longing and desperation in them, a look of apology and regret. It was almost as if he was actually telling her he was sorry for all the pain she had gone through since their brutal argument back in Swans Crossing.

Jimmy studied Callie's eyes intently for several moments. He was probably just imagining things, but there seemed to be a touch of wistfulness and yearning in them. He thought he could even spot some warmth and understanding in her gaze, as if she were telling him she forgave him for all the harsh words he had said to her back in Swans Crossing. Whether he was imagining things or not, the look in Callie's eyes gave him an overwhelming urge to do something he knew he shouldn't. But he couldn't help himself. There seemed to be some sort of magnetic force that was causing him to gravitate towards her. It was the probably the same force that made him fall for her in the first place, all those months ago.

Without removing his hand from Callie's, Jimmy shifted his position on the couch and moved closer to her. Now they were sitting just centimeters apart. Callie felt her pulse accelerate rapidly. She had wanted so badly for something like this to happen, and couldn't believe that it was happening now. Her more rational side was screaming for her to stop, but the larger part of Callie wouldn't --couldn't-- listen. She could no longer even hear the radio or the rainstorm in the background. All she could hear was the pounding of her heart.

The soft candlelight gently illuminated Jimmy's face and Callie's breath caught in her throat as she realized how handsome he was. The light also intensified the look in his eyes, making his gaze even more powerful and overwhelming than anything she had ever witnessed before. The only thing she wanted right at this moment was to kiss him. And after all the weeks of pent-up longing and misery she had experienced, it didn't feel right to deny herself that.

A strange sensation enveloped Jimmy as he continued to gaze at Callie. The candlelight played upon her features, making her even more attractive than she had ever been before. He no longer felt that he could pretend she didn't mean anything to him, pretend that he didn't still care about her. Sitting so close to her, their faces just inches apart, made him realize that he couldn't lie to himself anymore. The truth was that Jimmy yearned for his lips to meet hers in a long, tender kiss. Nothing else, not even his own doubts mattered anymore. All he wanted to do was kiss her.

Jimmy and Callie began to lean towards each other, anticipating the moment when their lips would meet for the first time in what had seemed like years.

Suddenly, the front door burst open and a soaked Captain Walker bounded into the room. "I'm home!"

They immediately jumped apart and hopped off of the couch as their romantic moment abruptly ended.

Garrett stormed into his house and angrily threw his things onto the floor in the living room. He wanted more than anything to get out of his dirtied work clothes, to wash the stench of lower class off of himself. Garrett Booth and working did not mix. Besides that, he also had Nancy to worry about. She had sworn to him that she wouldn't spill to Sydney that he was flipping burgers at Swans, but then again, she may have just been reacting to his threat of throwing her greasy french fries on her new blazer. Either way, when Nancy Robbins was involved with a juicy rumor nothing would stand in her way.

Garrett rushed into Glory's bedroom, his mind racing. He had to tell Sydney before Nancy did, even if it would be a shock to her. She would get over it... he hoped.

Glory was sitting on her bed, staring off into space. "I have to pull down the shade," he explained. She shrugged, barely even noticing he was there.

He pulled down the shade and hurried to No Man's Land. His heart was beating, adrenaline rushing through his blood stream. Maybe she'll find this romantic, he thought to himself. Maybe she'll look at me, and all the work I've put into making her happy, and think I am the most caring, considerate boyfriend on the planet. He shook his head. Nah, that's a dumb thought.

He paced the soil around the wall, nearly eroding the dirt underneath his feet. He wasn't sure how long he stood there, but within what felt like several hours later Sydney appeared. She wore a sincere smile on her face.

Good, he thought. At least she hasn't gotten the news from someone else.

"Hey Garrett," she said, smiling shyly at him again. He groaned inwardly. The moonlight danced on her beautiful face, lighting up all her features. Her green eyes danced happily as she told him about her homecoming dress. Garrett was so keyed up that he didn't retain a word she said, but he tried to nod in all the appropriate places. Sydney didn't notice though, and thought he was paying full attention to her story.

Sydney reached through the wall and took his hands in hers. "You're shaking," she commented.

A flush crept across his cheeks. "It's nothing. Just cold here. That's all," he lied.

She leaned in through the hole in the wall, and smiled coyly. "Maybe this will warm you up," she told him flirtatiously. She touched his cheek and gently pressed her lips against his.

Despite his nerves, he responded to her kiss. It was a blissful getaway from his racing thoughts. He stood there several moments, letting the sensations of their kiss rush over him. He slowly parted from her.

"Better?" she asked.

Garrett nodded. "Sydney?" he asked, his voice jumping several octaves.

"Yes?"

It's now or never, he coached himself. "There's something I have to tell you."

"Moving to Brazil" storyline and portions of this chapter ©1997 Miss Swan. Portions of this chapter are also ©1997 Maxiom. If anyone has any questions, comments, ideas, or constructive criticism for this installment of the Swans Crossing novel please e-mail me at SLourdes@aol.com. Thanks! :)[email address no longer exists]. Thanks to Phantasy4 for his storyline about Garrett getting a job. Also, thanks to Miss Swan and Maxiom for writing the entire scenario between Jimmy and Callie.

Chapter Twenty-Six

"What's going on?" Sydney asked slowly. Something in the tone of Garrett's voice told her that something was wrong.

Garrett turned away from her, unable to meet her eyes. He knew Sydney wasn't going to take the news about his family not having any more money well. She was rich and used to being pampered. A job flipping burgers at a soda shop was not going to impress her. In fact, it was probably going to repulse her.

"Garrett, what's wrong?" she questioned him again.

He stared up at her, and opened his mouth to speak. "I, uh..." he began in a strangled voice.

Sydney seemed to be growing impatient. "What? Look, I promise, you can tell me."

Garrett drew in a deep breath. "I got a job."

"A job?" she repeated. A strange feeling washed over her. There was something off about this confession. From the moment he uttered those words, she immediately guessed this wasn't the kind of job her other friends had, such as Jimmy and Callie, and Neil and J.T. They worked for fun. And Sydney knew from the way Garrett was nervously switching the weight of his body from one foot to the other that this wasn't for fun. "Is there any reason for this?"

He turned away from her and started pacing. This was the part of this conversation he had been dreading: the explanation. "I needed money to pay for our homecoming. My family isn't doing very well financially."

"Oh," Sydney said hollowly. "I'm glad you told me."

"But?"

"But this doesn't make it any easier."

"What do you mean?" he asked, becoming defensive. This was certainly not the reaction he had hoped for.

"Well, my mother isn't going to approve of this to begin with, if I walk off the field with you. But if she finds out you're..." she stumbled on her words, "poor..."

Garrett became angry. "I've been working like crazy to pay for this dance and all you're worried about is what your mother will think?"

"Garrett, I-"

He cut her off. "How can you be such a snob, Sydney?"

Now her face flushed red with anger. "Excuse me?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips. "I am not a snob! I just happen to be a very high profile person in this community and for me to date a commoner might cause a stir."

His jaw dropped. "Commoner!" he shouted. "Can you even hear yourself? I can't believe I was wasting my time trying to please you! You know what?" Garrett continued on before she had a chance to respond. "You don't have to worry about ruining your precious reputation anymore. As far as I'm concerned, homecoming is off!"

Callie headed over to the kitchen the next morning after a sleepless night. As soon as her father had come in and interrupted her and Jimmy, she was far too keyed up and confused to sleep. The entire situation had been so strange. There was no denying that if Captain Walker hadn't walked in the house at that moment, they would have kissed. But was it just because the atmosphere was so romantic, or was it because he still cared?

As soon as she entered the kitchen, she stopped dead in her tracks. Jimmy was sitting at the table, drinking orange juice.

"What are you still doing here?" she asked.

He looked up at her. "Sorry, I didn't know I was supposed to leave first thing in the morning," he snapped.

"I just meant that... well, don't you want to get home?"

"I do now," he muttered under his breath.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, raising her voice.

"Never mind." Jimmy finished off his juice and placed his glass in the sink. "I guess I'll go home and breathe in some toxins," he said sarcastically.

"Jimmy..." Callie called after him, her voice softening a little.

"Look, I'm really going to leave," he insisted. "Are you, Pedro, Ana, and me still going to that club tonight?"

Sounds about as fun as having all my teeth pulled! she thought to herself. "I guess so," Callie replied.

"Okay. See ya around," he said and exited her house, stopping only to grab his duffel bag from the couch. He didn't even mutter a good-bye... or a word about the night before.

The day was not going to be a good one for Glory. The first thing she remembered when she woke up was the fact that she couldn't go to homecoming. She was even more depressed than the night before, when she found out she wasn't going to be able to attend. She had to drag herself out of bed, attend classes, and then go cheer at the game when she was feeling anything but cheery.

It's not fair! she thought mournfully to herself. Even Garrett was going to go to the dance. He had asked Jazz for an advance on his paycheck; she was feeling generous and agreed. But since Glory wasn't old enough to hold a job, she was out of luck.

After showering and going through the motions, Glory loaded her things into her back pack, grabbed her cheerleading equipment with reluctance, and left the house. When she stepped out onto the front porch, she noticed an envelope on the welcome mat.

Why won't J.T. get it? she asked herself, rolling her eyes. There isn't anyway we can be together... not after what happened. Still, she felt curious. And, something deep down inside her still cared about J.T. The note and the flower he sent her the other day had touched her, even if she didn't realize it.

She knelt down and picked up the envelope. With one tear, she ripped it open, and instead of a letter like she had been expecting, money fell out. Glory's eyes widened. She retrieved the money, and examined it. There was no note, nothing that would tell her who had left the large sum of cash. She had only told two people about not being able to go because of her financial troubles... so who had left it?

Glory remembered calling up Neil and telling him she couldn't go to the dance. She had to call him at J.T.'s house. Was there any chance that maybe he was the one?

Sydney made her way up the bleachers at Swans Crossing High's football field, frowning. The late fall air was cold, and she didn't really want to be at the game. Football was never her thing. And, after the fight she had had with Garrett, she was in no mood to cheer him on. She couldn't believe he had gotten a job... and then gotten so ticked off because she didn't jump for joy at the news. She found Nancy saving her a seat near the fifty yard line. She was dressed in yellow, black, and white, SCH's school colors.

"Hey Sydney!" she greeted her, handing her a small yellow, black, and white pom pom.

"Hi," Sydney replied monotonously.

The pep band began the school song, and Sydney rolled her eyes. "This is so lame," she mouthed to Nancy. Nancy laughed, and Sandy, who was sitting on the other side of her scowled.

"Welcome to Swans Crossing High's homecoming game. Today the Swans will take on long time rivals Newport High School!" The crowd went wild; cheering, stomping their feet, and waving their pom poms. Once again, Sydney rolled her eyes.

The Swans won the coin toss and Newport punted to them.

The football landed in Garrett's arms, and he started running. At the edge of the field, Glory and Mila, along with the other cheerleaders, jumped to their feet and started cheering. Garrett ran fifteen yards before he was tackled, and the crowd leapt to their feet and clapped for his play.

"What's the big deal?" Sydney asked, refusing to stand up with the rest of her friends. "The game's just started."

Nancy sat back down as the football players went into a huddle. She gave Sydney a concerned look. "Is everything okay?"

Inside the huddle, Garrett had to smile. He had been worried all throughout the school day that his fight with Sydney would effect his performance, but so far, so good. "Okay, Saja, you go deep and I'll hand off the ball to Adams, who'll pass it to you. Got it?" he directed his teammates.

J.T. rolled his eyes. "Yeah Garrett. Since when are you the coach?"

"Since I'm the only one on this team who can play!" he shot back. "Now break!"

The guys left the huddle and marched out onto the field.

Back in the bleachers, Sydney's bad mood was getting worse. "I'm fine, Nancy. I just don't know if I'm going to go to the stupid dance, that's all."

"What? Why not?" Sandy asked, joining in their conversation.

"Because Garrett and I had a fight, that's why," she snapped.

An evil smile spread across Nancy's face. "Oh... does this have anything to do with his new career?"

Sydney whipped her head around to face Nancy. "How did you know about that?" she demanded.

"Career?" Sandy repeated with confusion. The other girls ignored her.

"I saw him there the other day. He wasn't the best waiter I've had at Swans... but since he's your boyfriend, I left him an average tip." Nancy laughed at her own joke.

Sydney blushed, and hoped no one else was listening to their conversation. "I seem to recall Nancy dear, that Mr. Kevin Hall... your date to the homecoming dance, is a working boy," she retorted.

Now it was Nancy's turn to be embarrassed, and Sydney smiled to herself.

It was nearing the end of the second quarter, and the Swans were leading by three points. The cheerleaders began a chant with the audience:

"Yellow, Black, and White

The Swans are ready to fight

We're second to none

The Swans are number one

We'll take it to the top

The Swans just can't be stopped!"

After the chant, the girls sat down and began preparing for the half-time show. Glory rubbed her bare arms. It was cold outside, but the activity and excitement was keeping her warm. She was so happy, mostly due to the fact that she was now able to go to the dance. After school her mother had taken her back to the store to get the beautiful dress, thanks to that generous mystery person... whom she secretly hoped was J.T.

"This is so fun!" Mila exclaimed, bouncing on the heels of her cheerleading tennis shoes. "I can't believe how exciting this is!"

Glory laughed. "I was just thinking the same thing. This is a pretty big rush!"

Mila smiled, and then began timidly, "Well, does this mean that maybe we can be friends again? I know I was stupid to go out with J.T., but we are in this together and..."

"It's okay," Glory assured her quickly. "I forgive you."

"Seriously?" Mila said incredulously.

Glory smiled in reply. The clock buzzer sounded, and Glory and Mila exchanged glances.

"This is it! Are you ready?" Mila asked the rest of the girls on the team.

They all nodded, pulling down on the ends of their black pleated skirts, adjusting their hair, and grabbing their pom poms. The announcer told the crowd it was time for the half-time field show, and everyone applauded. With a spring in her step, Mila led the girls out to the field.

The cheerleaders formed a half circle in the middle of the grass. The flood lights cast a glow on their smiling faces, and they began chanting their cheer in unison:

"Listen to us people,

And listen to us good,

'Cause we want to make sure,

That you have understood,

That we are the Swans,

From mighty SCH,

And we want you to know,

That we rock this place, here we go..."

After they said their cheer, loud dance music came on over the loudspeaker, and the girls went into their routine. They did a series of dance moves, and then stood in a line. Simultaneously, they kicked and then landed in the splits. The audience clapped. We're doing it! Mila thought to herself. Then they all bounced to their feet and prepared for the finale. They each did a flip, and then five of the girls formed a two-tiered pyramid. Mila and Brooke Rocha lifted Glory onto their shoulders, and then she climbed to the top of the pyramid. She proudly formed a "V" with her arms.

Now for the hardest part. You can do it Glory, she coached herself. She jumped up into the air, away from the pyramid. While in flight, she curled her body and touched her toes. Within a second, she straightened up and landed in the waiting arms of her spotters, Mila and Brooke. She stood on the ground, and the rest of the girls started jumping up and waving their pom poms in the air.

The crowd went wild, and even rose up from their seats to give the cheerleaders a standing ovation.

"I was thinking," Nancy announced, returning to her seat on the bleachers. She handed Sandy and Sydney warm cups of hot chocolate.

"Well that must be a first," Sydney deadpanned.

Nancy ignored her sarcastic comment. "I was thinking about how you dumped Garrett for having a job, and maybe you're right. Maybe Kevin isn't good enough for me either. I mean, why should we settle?"

Sydney's eyes drifted away from Nancy. I can't believe what she's saying, she thought to herself. What have I done? I broke up with Garrett because he has a job? I really must be a snob!

She stood up. "I don't think you're settling. Will you excuse me?" She pushed her way through the crowd of spectators. Maybe it wasn't too late. Maybe she could save things between her and Garrett.

"Let's shout, let's cheer

Our victory is near

We're in control

We can't be beat

Victory, how sweet!"

Garrett smiled, enjoying the sounds of the screaming crowd, and the enthusiasm coming from the cheerleaders. The Swans were leading Newport 21-18, and it was the fourth quarter. The game was almost over, but the score was too close for them to tell what was going to happen. Newport had the ball, and secretly, Garrett was worried. They were good, and he didn't want to let his school down.

"Okay, now, Owen, you need to stay out of the way," Garrett commanded. "J.T., I want you to cover number 43. I've got the quarterback. All right?"

The team grumbled a reply. Even though they were winning, they were growing tired of Garrett's bossy attitude.

The play began, and J.T. was hit with an idea. The boys got into their formations, the way Garrett had described to them. But instead of covering number 43, as soon as the ball went into play, he ran over to where Garrett was, and covered the Newport quarterback.

"What are you doing?" Garrett shouted in surprise.

"Just trust me!" he yelled back. Newport's quarterback grew confused, and seeing he had nowhere to run to with J.T. and Garrett in his way, he passed the ball, aiming in the direction of number 43. J.T. jumped into the air, and intercepted the ball.

He stared at the ball in his arms, and laughed with surprise. "I caught it!" he cried.

"Now run, rocket boy!" Garrett told him, and J.T. took off towards the inzone. He ran thirty yards, and made a touch down. He spiked the ball on the ground and started to jump up and down. The buzzer signifying the end of the game sounded.

"Swans win! 27-18!" the announcer shouted over the PA system. The fans and cheerleaders all ran out to the field, and even Garrett high- fived J.T. J.T. smiled to himself, remembering how Garrett had taken all the credit for winning the Newport baseball game the summer before. Now it was his turn to shine.

After the football game, the crowd began to clear quickly. All the students wanted to get home to prepare for the dance.

Sydney walked to the edge of the field. She stood on her toes, trying to see over the mass of teenagers all dressed in Swans’ school colors. "Garrett!" she called. She heard nothing, and continued to wait. A few moments later, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She whipped around, and saw Garrett standing in front of her. He held his helmet at his side, and his dirty blond hair was damp with perspiration.

"What are you doing here?" he said stonily.

"You won," Sydney replied, trying to keep her voice steady. "I'm here to walk off the field with you."

(c) 1997 Stephanie Blydenburgh. All cheers (c) 1997 Nancy Redd cheerleading page & Universal Cheerleading Association "Moving to Brazil" storyline (c) 1997 Miss Swan. All cheers in this chapter were taken from either the Nancy Redd cheerleading page or the Universal Cheerleading Association web page at http://www.uca.com. To Amy- number 43... he he!

Chapter Twenty-Seven

"What a joke, Sydney! You expect me to walk off the field with you now?" Garrett rolled his eyes and started walking away from her.

She grabbed his arm. "Garrett, please listen to me. We messed this up once already. Let's not do it again."

He sighed, but didn't back away again. "If you don't want to mess things up between us then why do you do this stuff? Why did you more or less dump me because I was working?"

She lowered her eyes. "I have a lot to learn, I guess."

A smirk spread across his face. He couldn't believe the words he was hearing pass through Sydney Rutledge's lips. "Is this your way of saying you were wrong?"

"Look, I didn't mean to be such a snob," Sydney said, keeping her green eyes cast downward.

"So you were wrong?" he asked again.

"Yeah, I was wrong," she finally admitted.

It meant a lot to Garrett that Sydney was apologizing. From the pained look on her face, he knew she meant it. He held out his hand. "Well, then, I forgive you," he told her softly.

Sydney placed her hand in his, and they walked off the field together, finally finishing what they had started so many ages ago.

Loud music made the walls in the trendy Brazilian dance club vibrate.

"Wow," Jimmy commented. "This place is wild."

Callie rolled her eyes. She was immediately annoyed by the brightly clad teenagers dancing to the thumping, high-energy music.

"Do you not have places like this in Swans Crossing?" Ana asked him.

"Not really," he answered.

Ana looked a bit put off by his lack of enthusiasm, but took him by the hand nonetheless. "Come on, let's go dance."

Callie watched on, her face burning with jealousy. Ana was a terrific dancer. She moved to the beat flawlessly, almost seductively, in her halter top and short skirt. Callie had never felt self- conscious... until now. As Ana danced closer and closer to Jimmy, Callie steamed.

Two can play at this game, she thought, and grabbed Pedro's hand. "Come on!"

Pedro and Callie made their way to the dance floor and started moving to the music. She looked over in the direction of Ana and Jimmy.

Ugh, he really seems to be enjoying himself, she thought in distaste. Callie allowed Pedro to spin her around, and she let out a false, hearty laugh.

Look at them, Jimmy thought to himself disgustedly as he watched them from the corner of his eye. He's all over her!

The music continued on, while Jimmy and Callie tried to outdo each other. Every time Callie saw Ana move in closer to Jimmy, she did the same to Pedro. All the twirls and fancy dance moves Pedro did, Jimmy mimicked. After awhile, Pedro started to notice what was going on.

"Hey," Pedro said, backing away from Callie. "Would you excuse me for a minute?"

Callie blinked a few times, almost as if she was noticing he was there for the first time. "Sure, no problem."

"Come on Ana, I need to talk to you for a sec." He pulled his sister away from Jimmy, and she gave him a dirty look.

"Fine, fine," she grumbled.

"Don't you see what's going on?" Pedro questioned her once they were away from the crowd.

"No, what?"

He pointed in the direction of Jimmy and Callie, who were now standing in the middle of the dance floor, not speaking. "They're trying to make each other jealous."

"Jimmy and Callie?" she asked with a look of disbelief. "Why would they do that?"

"I think that maybe they like each other," he told her.

"Oh come on!" she scoffed. "They barely speak to each other."

"Exactly. I mean, how much do we really know about them and how well they knew each other back in the states?" Pedro asked. She was silent. He had a point.

"I hate to say it, but maybe you're right," Ana finally admitted. "So what should we do?"

He reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a quarter. "Let's call Captain Walker. I'm sure he can probably tell us."

Glory stood in front of her full length mirror, admiring her new dress. She was still perplexed at who had left her the money to buy it, but she was grateful nonetheless. Humming to herself, she reached for her radio and turned it on. A loud rock song came on over the speakers and she started dancing to the beat. She couldn't believe how good of a mood she was in. Cheerleading that evening had been so fun, and she was still keyed up and hyper.

"I am so ready for this dance!" she exclaimed out loud, walking back to her mirror. She looked at her reflection and smiled. The old Glory was back, J.T. or no J.T.

Mila stood at the edge of the field, her heels sinking slightly in the damp soil. She shifted her feet so she wouldn't get her pale pink shoes dirty. Her long blond hair was shining in the early evening moonlight, piled on top of her head in a cascade of golden curls. She knew that she looked pretty; the Countess had fawned over her for what seemed like an eternity before she left the house. Her mother was a bit perplexed as to why Grant wasn't coming to the house, but let her daughter go to the dance nonetheless.

Students were making their way towards the gym, but they were all older kids Mila didn't know. She waited eagerly for Grant, so much so that she was slightly surprised. She had never been quite this nervous and excited about a date before. In addition to that, this was also her first school dance. In one day, Mila had experienced a lot of new high school things--her first football game, her first time cheerleading in front of a large group of people, and now her first dance. It was definitely looking like an enchanting evening.

Just then, she spotted Grant across the parking lot, stepping out of his car. Mila's heart fluttered. He looked spectacular in a traditional black tuxedo, and he was carrying a small box. It was her corsage. Mila took one glance at it and panicked.

Oh no! she thought. It's red! My dress is pink! That's going to look terrible together! She took a deep breath, and waved to him. Get a hold of yourself, Mila, she scolded herself. You're going with a wonderful guy! Who cares if your corsage clashes?

She smiled shyly at him as he approached her.

"Hey Mila," he greeted her.

Mila's voice caught in her throat. Just being near him was making her heart pound at an unbelievably fast rate. "Hi Grant."

"You look really great," he complimented her.

She lowered her eyes modestly. "Thanks. You do, too."

He looked over her shoulder towards the teenagers filing into the gym. "So have you seen Sydney?"

Mila shook her head slowly. "No... why?"

Grant held up the corsage. "She's my date. Who are you going with?"

Sydney emerged from her bedroom wearing her beautiful, long dress. She had spent the remainder of the evening at the beauty parlor, making sure she had the perfect updo and french manicure. She smiled to herself. She honestly couldn't be happier. Things with Garrett had worked out perfectly, and now she was ready for a night on the town. It didn't matter that he couldn't afford to take her to a fancy restaurant, or that he couldn't get her a limo. All that mattered was that they were going to enter that gym looking like a million dollars, and they were going to make their first "public" appearance.

"Mother!" she called. "I'm ready!"

Mayor Rutledge stood at the bottom of the stairs, and watched proudly as her daughter walked slowly down the steps. "How do I look?" Sydney asked, twirling around so her mother could see her dress from every angle.

"Oh Sydney, you look lovely," Mayor Rutledge breathed, snapping a picture. "You're going to have such a wonderful evening."

She smiled. "I hope so." She pulled a compact out of her evening bag and checked her hair. It was perfectly swept on top of her head, and a small silver clip accented the style. "I'm so excited!" she admitted.

"As you should be. I remember going to my high school homecoming dance," Mayor Rutledge said in a reminiscent voice.

"Who did you go with?" Sydney asked with curiosity.

She laughed and waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, that was ages ago. Speaking of that, who are you going with? I've been so busy lately I haven't had time to ask!"

"He'll be here any minute, Mother. Then you'll see for yourself," Sydney replied mysteriously.

The door bell rang. "And here he is now!" Sydney took a deep breath. Here goes nothing, she thought to herself. She pulled the door open, and Garrett stood on her front porch. He was dressed in his tux, and he was holding Sydney's corsage. He smiled confidently and winked at Sydney.

"Mother, you know Garrett. He's my date to the homecoming dance."

"So, they were a couple?" Pedro shouted over the loud rock song now playing in the dance club. He held his hand against his ear, trying to drown out the sound.

Captain Walker sighed. He was getting rather irritated at the screaming teenager at the other end of the phone line. "I guess so. My daughter isn't one to open up a lot about her social life, but ever since we left Swans Crossing she's been moping around the house. And I know that she talked about Jimmy a lot while we still lived there, and they used to do things together often."

"Mm-hmm," Pedro said, frowning a little.

"I would say that... yes, Callie and Jimmy were a couple," Captain Walker concluded.

"Thanks," he said, and replaced the pay phone in it's receiver. Pedro turned to his sister glumly. "Well, it looks like I was right."

Ana nodded. "Then we need to do something! I mean, just because we like them and everything..." her voice trailed off. "We should try to get them back together. It is pretty obvious that they still like each other."

"Yeah," he agreed. "It is."

The two went back over to Jimmy and Callie, who were standing awkwardly in the middle of the dance floor.

"Hey!" Ana exclaimed. "You two ought to dance!"

Callie quickly shook her head. "Nah, that's not a great idea. We came here with you guys, and..."

"Oh come on! You two were friends back in the states. You must have a ton of catching up to do!" she remarked, pushing them further into the crowd.

Jimmy groaned. "Fine, fine," he muttered grudgingly.

At the instant Pedro and Ana disappeared, a slow, romantic song came on over the speakers. Callie and Jimmy eyed each other nervously, and Jimmy said, "Well, I guess we should dance..."

Sandy and Saja were one of the few couples on the dance floor. Not everyone had arrived, but they had been there from the minute the dance started. Even when people showed up, it seemed as if a lot of them were hanging back, watching Saja twirl Sandy around the wooden gym floor.

"You're a great dancer!" she exclaimed as they flowed to the beat of the music. It was "Emotions" by Mariah Carey that the DJ was playing, and Sandy was enjoying being on the opposite side of the stage.

"You're not so bad yourself!" Saja replied, spinning her around again. "I'm so glad we decided to go together!"

"Me too," she said honestly. She was having a great "official" first date with Saja. He had come by her house, and had impressed her parents with his politeness. He had given her a very beautiful corsage, and he had shyly slipped it onto her wrist. Things couldn't be more perfect.

For a few moments they were silent, and Saja smiled to himself. He hadn't expected for things to work out the way they did, but something was definitely happening between him and Sandy. And as he twirled her around and pulled her close to him, he smiled again. He was up for whatever was happening.

"Hi guys," Owen greeted them. He had just arrived at the dance and quickly noticed that Sandy was the center of attention.

"Hi Owen," they replied, not stopping their dancing.

"So who are you here with?" Sandy asked, realizing that she hadn't discussed the dance at all in Owen's presence.

"Um, no one actually," he admitted, feeling very embarrassed.

Sandy nodded sympathetically. "I'm sorry, Owen. Well, maybe you'll meet someone tonight."

Owen rolled his eyes. "Yeah right," he muttered. Sandy and Saja continued to dance, and Owen turned around. I'm just in the way, he thought to himself as he stormed out of the gym.

Mayor Rutledge looked on horror stricken as Garrett stepped into her mansion. "You look great, Sydney," he complimented her, admiring her dress.

"You do too," she replied, acting as if her mother wasn't even there. She hoped that this strategy would work.

"What in God's name is this?" Mayor Rutledge asked.

Garrett didn't answer; he was busy slipping the corsage made of miniature red roses onto Sydney's wrist.

"Well, Mother. Garrett and I are going to the dance together," Sydney answered simply, smiling at him. He gently slipped his arm through hers.

"I don't think so!" Mayor Rutledge said sharply, pulling her daughter away.

Sydney set her mouth in straight line. "Mother, I am a sophomore in high school, and I think I am more than mature enough to choose who I date," she announced firmly. Her mother opened her mouth to speak, but Sydney continued. "Furthermore, just because you don't like Garrett's father doesn't mean I can't like Garrett. He never did anything to you!"

Mayor Rutledge rolled her eyes. "He did plenty to hurt you! Am I just supposed to ignore the fact that he blackmailed you?"

"No, you're not," Garrett spoke up. "But that's in the past. Sydney can forgive me. Can't you?"

She sighed, and turned away, not wanting to answer his question.

Sydney went on with her speech. "You liked Garrett's father when you were younger, and you were forced to meet with him in secret. Do you want us to have to do the same?"

Mayor Rutledge took a deep breath. "You've really thought this out, haven't you?"

Sydney smiled. "Yes. I've been waiting far too long to tell you this. I should have been honest from the very beginning."

"I don't like this one bit, you know."

"I'm pretty aware of that." All three of them laughed nervously at Sydney’s comment.

"I still think there's a lot we have to talk about. I'm not quite ready to accept this. But I'm also not willing to ruin your big night," Mayor Rutledge said calmly.

Sydney's eyes brightened. "Does this mean...?"

Her mother nodded. "Go out and have a good time."

Sydney flung herself into the mayor's arms. "Oh, Mother!"

Mayor Rutledge looked over at Garrett. "You take care of my daughter," she told him warningly.

"I will," he promised with a grin.

"And I want you home by eleven."

"Eleven thirty?" Sydney asked hopefully.

"Eleven," Mayor Rutledge repeated sternly.

Sydney rolled her eyes and smiled. "Okay, eleven."

Mayor Rutledge stepped back away from Sydney, and watched her link arms with Garrett. They turned to wave before they exited, and with an enduring sigh, she snapped a photo of Sydney and her date.

"What?!" Mila's voice rose several octaves. Immediately, her eyes flooded with tears. "What do you mean?"

"Sydney and I are going to the dance together. She came over my house every day trying to get me to go," Grant explained.

The tears started flowing down Mila's cheeks and quickly ruined all the makeup she spent an hour applying. "And then you called her on the phone and asked her?" she questioned him hoarsely.

Grant nodded. "Mm-hmm. How did you know?"

"Because you asked me!" she cried, turning away from him. She couldn't let him see the humiliation in her face.

"What are you talking about?" he asked. He wasn't quite understanding her.

"I answered the telephone at Sydney's. She had been trying to get you to go with me!" Mila told him.

The color drained out of his face. "Oh no! I really screwed up. I'm really sorry, Mila."

"It's okay," she said between hiccups.

"No, really, it's not. Look, this wasn't the way I had planned it, but why don't we go in there together anyway? I assume Sydney already has a date." He slowly took her hand.

She quickly yanked it away from him. "No!" She stepped several feet away from him, and looked him in the eyes. "Look, I know you mean well, but I don't want to be second to Sydney Rutledge, or to anyone else." Mila turned on her heels and started walking away.

"Mila!" he called after her.

She broke into a run. "Just go away!" she yelled before darting out of sight.

The slow song immediately made Callie nervous. She and Jimmy hadn't danced together since the night of the concert... which seemed like ages ago. They exchanged glances, and both seemed to be saying that even though they didn't like the situation, it would look weird if they refused to dance together. Not wanting to arouse suspicion, they started to sway to the music. At arm’s length they danced, for pure fear of being close to one another.

"'In the still of the night, I held you, held you tight, Oh I love, love you so... promise I'll never let you go, in the still of the night....'" The song playing in the dance club was "In the Still of the Night" by Boyz II Men, something that had been popular back in Swans Crossing. It made Callie even more homesick. As if reading her mind, Jimmy started a conversation.

"You know, tonight is homecoming back in Swans Crossing," he commented. As the music lilted over them, they instinctively danced closer.

"It is?" she asked. "I didn't know that." There was a silence between them, and both were deep in thought. "I wonder what we would have been doing," Callie thought out loud. Immediately after saying that, she wanted to kick herself. Nice job bringing up "we"! she scolded herself silently.

Luckily, Jimmy didn't notice. "Well, come to think of it we'd probably be doing the same thing we are right now."

Callie laughed at the irony. He was right. They would be doing the same thing, but the circumstances would be so different....

After winning the game against Newport, Jimmy and Callie would meet at the edge of the football field. She would congratulate him and the rest of the SCH football team. After a few minutes of excited chatting, everyone would go their separate ways and get ready for the dance. A few hours later, Jimmy would knock on the side of the sub with a wrench. (Even though Callie wasn't living with her father the last time they were in Swans Crossing, she often imagined that nothing had happened to her home).

Captain Walker would invite him in, and Callie would be wearing an elegant, long dress. Her father would tell her that she looked beautiful, and the expression on Jimmy's face when he saw her would let her know Captain Walker was right. As Jimmy pinned the corsage on her, she would laugh, joking about how she felt so weird being this dressed up. When Captain Walker turned to get his camera, Jimmy would whisper, "You look great, Walker Woman," in her ear.

Her father would take pictures, and then they would head over to school. Once they got there, they would say hello to all their friends. The first slow song would begin, quite possibly the same one they were listening to in Brazil.

"'In the still of the night, I held you, held you tight, Oh I love, love you so... promise I'll never let you go, in the still of the night....'"

They would walk to the middle of the gym floor, the ground littered with streamers and fallen decorations. Their embrace would become tight as they twirled around the gym.

"I'm having such a great time," Callie would say.

Jimmy would gaze deeply into her eyes and smile. He wouldn't have to say anything in reply. She knew he was thinking the same thing. They would continue to dance, holding each other close, and then they would start leaning towards each other....

With a sad sigh, Callie snapped out of her reverie and looked around at the reality of the loud Brazilian dance club. It was almost easy to get caught up in her fantasy and believe she really was at the homecoming dance back in Swans Crossing. She looked up at Jimmy and saw that his eyes were glazed over... almost as if he were lost in the same world.

Glory laughed as she and Neil danced across the floor. The dance had been going on for about half an hour, and they were having a great time. She was glad she had chosen to go with Neil... he was proving to be a fun date.

Neil wasn't having too bad a time himself. Technically, this was their first date, but it didn't really feel like it. It was more like he and Glory were just having a good time as friends getting to know each other.

"Hey Neil!" J.T. called, having just entered the dance. Neil and Glory exchanged glances. She wasn't really ready to see him in a social situation with another girl. But, she told herself, taking a deep breath, there's nothing I can do about it.

"Hi!" Neil greeted his friend. Carolyn came up behind him. A hint of jealously flickered in Neil’s dark eyes.

At the sight of Carolyn, Glory's jaw dropped. They were wearing the same dress!

Mila sank down on a bench next to the baseball diamond, far away from the crowd filing into the gym. She now could cry freely, and did. Within a moment, she was sobbing, and she didn't care. What did it matter? It was strikingly obvious that no one wanted to be with her... that she was just something guys toyed with until they were bored.

"And it's all Sydney's fault!" she said out loud. In the week leading up to the dance, Mila had been thinking a lot about her past relationships. Before, she had just thought she was unlucky in love. But now she noticed a pattern emerging--Sydney. Sydney had been involved in the ending of every single one of her relationships. Sydney and Garrett had been using her when she was dating him for the first time; Sydney had picked up the pieces for Billy after Mila had been grounded; Sydney had been blackmailed by Garrett, causing Mila to dislike him and dump him again; and Sydney had encouraged Mila to break up with J.T. in order to go out with Grant. Now Sydney had gotten in the way of that, too... she had led Grant to believe that it was her he should go out with.

"This is my best friend?" Mila asked herself. Although she was inexperienced and even somewhat naive, she knew better than to believe that this was typical friendly behavior. In anger, she pulled off her high heels and threw them down in the sand. She pulled off her long gloves and tossed them as well. It didn't matter how she looked anymore. She was going to miss her first high school homecoming dance.

Mila heard the shuffling of dress shoes behind her. She looked up, figuring it was Grant coming to apologize. She certainly didn't want to be a pity date. "What do you want?" she snapped.

"Nothing," Owen mumbled, sitting down next to her.

"Oh, I'm sorry Owen," she apologized. "I didn't know it was you."

"Who did you think it was?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Oh, no one important. So what are you doing out here?"

Owen rolled his eyes, and loosened his black bow tie. He noticed all of Mila's discarded items and threw his tie next to them. "There's no point in being in there. I don't have a date, and no one's interested in hanging out with a big loser."

Mila nodded sympathetically. "You mean Sandy's not interested... right?"

He sighed. "I never wanted Sandy to be interested. But then..." his voice trailed off. "Really, it doesn't matter. So why are you out here?"

She wiped at her cheeks, realizing then that dark black streaks of mascara were staining her face. "It's a really long story. Basically my date thought I was Sydney."

Even though that didn't make a lot of sense, Owen didn't question her answer. "Hey, I've got an idea."

Mila sniffed. "What's that?"

"Well, what's the point of us missing out on our first home- coming dance?"

"None, I guess. But I'm way too humiliated to go in there," she told him.

A smile spread across his face. "Would you feel better if you had someone to go in there with you?"

Slowly, she smiled, too. "What are you asking me, Owen?"

For once in his life, Owen didn't feel overwhelmed in Mila's presence. Instead of seeing her as a goddess, he was seeing her as a real person. He held out his hand to her. "Why don't we go together?"

Mila nodded. "That sounds like a great idea." She knelt down and picked up their discarded garments. She looped her arm through his. "Come on, let's go."

Sydney sipped her punch and smiled up at Garrett. She was having a wonderful time, and so was he. They had spent most of the time dancing and were taking a much deserved break.

"Hey Garrett," she whispered to him.

"Yeah?"

She looked up at the clock that hung near the gym doors. It was ten o' clock. "I think that they're going to announce who won homecoming court soon!"

"You think we have a chance?" he asked.

Sydney nodded. "I know we do. Look at us, we're the best looking couple here!"

Garrett grinned confidently. "Yeah, we are."

"Speaking of good looking couples, where are Grant and Mila?" She looked over his shoulder, scanning the room for her friend.

Garrett gave her a quizzical look. "I didn't know you actually got Grant to ask her."

"Well, I did. He called my house a couple days and asked her. Why, he didn't mention anything about it?"

"Nope."

Sydney shrugged. She guessed they had either decided to blow off the dance and spend some more private time together, or something bad had happened. Either way, there was really nothing she could do about it.

Paul Fields and Dawn Carlsen, seniors and members of the student council, walked up to the podium set up off to the side. The music stopped, and everyone fell silent. All the students in the gym were anticipating the moment when they would announce the homecoming King and Queen.

"Hey there, Swans Crossing High!" Dawn, a tall, willowy brunette yelled into the microphone.

"We now have all the votes tallied for this year’s Homecoming King and Queen! It was a close race, but will Sydney Rutledge and Garrett Booth please come up and accept your crowns?!"

The crowd broke out into applause, and Sydney turned to Garrett. "See? What did I tell you?!"

He took her hand, and they walked up to the podium. Paul placed a tiara on Sydney's head, and Dawn gave Garrett a crown. They waved to the crowd, and everyone clapped again.

"Now, we are going to have the royal dance. Everyone but Sydney and Garrett has to sit this one out," Dawn told the other students.

The other kids cleared the floor, and the music began. "Everything I do" by Bryan Adams came on over the speakers. Garrett took Sydney's hand, and they began to sway gently to the music.

"This has been the best night!" Sydney exclaimed, touching her tiara. "I always wanted to be Homecoming Queen."

"Well, you deserve it. Look at you... you're the perfect Homecoming Queen," Garrett remarked, spinning her around.

She snuggled closer to him. "And you're the perfect Homecoming King. You know Garrett, all this heartache, everything we've been through... it's really been worth it."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, we've waited a long time to be together. And now, here we are." She motioned around her, to the deserted dance floor, the romantic lighting, and all their classmates’ eyes turned towards them.

"'You know it's true... everything I do, I do it for you....'" the song drifted around them.

"Good things come to those who wait," Garrett agreed. The music swelled as he pulled Sydney into his arms, and kissed her... as all of Swans Crossing High watched.

All songs in this chapter ("In the Still of the Night"-Boyz II Men; "Emotions"-Mariah Carey; and "Everything I do"- Bryan Adams) are (c) 1991-1992 Columbia Records, Motown Records, and other labels.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Swans Crossing High's students applauded their homecoming King and Queen as the music came to an end. Sydney looked up at Garrett and smiled.

"If this is as good as life gets, I'm perfectly happy," she told him softly.

He laughed. "My thoughts exactly."

The couple stared into each other's eyes, basking in the moment. All the longing they had experienced, from their parent's disapproval to their mind games, had melted away and was merely a distant memory. All that was important was the present: Sydney Rutledge and Garrett Booth, the homecoming Queen and King, dancing and kissing in front of the whole school.

"Nothing could ruin this night," Sydney said, as she and Garrett began dancing to the next song the DJ's were playing. From across the crowded gym, they saw Mila enter the dance with Owen. Sydney furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "I thought Mila was going to the dance with your brother."

Garrett shrugged. "Don't look at me. Grant never tells me anything."

Sydney waved, and signaled for Mila to come over.

"Hello Sydney," Mila said, setting her pink lips in a straight line.

"Hey Mila. Where's Grant?"

Mila crossed her arms in front of her. "Do you want to know where Grant is?"

Sydney nodded.

"Well, Grant stood me up," she stated in a sharp tone. "And do you want to know why?"

Sydney nodded again, this time more slowly. She could hear the anger in her friend's voice... and it didn't sound good.

"Because he thought he was going with you. Your little plan to convince Grant Halsey Booth, the college boy, to go to a high school homecoming dance worked a little too well. He thought I was you on the telephone."

Sydney's jaw dropped. "Oh, Mila! I'm so sorry."

Mila blinked away her tears and scowled, obviously not accepting Sydney's apology. "You just don't get it, do you? Every relationship I've ever had has ended because of you!"

"Just a series of strange coincidences, I'm-"

"And you're supposed to be my best friend?" Mila interrupted.

"I know it must look bad, but-"

"I don't want to hear it! You're not a true friend, and you never have been. You only care about yourself. As far as I'm concerned, we're not friends anymore!" With that, Mila turned on her heels and flounced away... leaving Sydney completely stunned.

Late that night, Callie let herself into the house. Her father had left the light on for her, but had already gone to bed. She was actually relieved he wasn't up; she needed to be alone. It seemed that ever since she moved to Brazil, whenever she was alone was the only time she didn't feel lonely. Being with her new group, Pedro, Ana, and Jimmy, was one of the most awkward situations she had ever been in. Especially their outing to the dance club. After she and Jimmy had shared one slow dance, swaying in the warmth of each other's arms, things had become even more awkward. They couldn't face their feelings, the good ones and the bad. So Jimmy had mumbled a thank you, and then stayed glued to Ana's side for the rest of the night. Callie watched on enviously, and was too caught up in it to pay much attention to Pedro.

"That's it!" she said aloud. "I'm never going out with the three of them ever again." Then she remembered that earlier tonight she had agreed to go with them to a really nice beach-front restaurant the following day. Pedro had insisted, saying that the reservations had been extremely hard to get. Both Jimmy and Callie had been reluctant... but agreed nonetheless.

Callie stomped her foot angrily. "I guess that will have to be the last time I go out with them then," she mumbled as she headed off to bed.

Carolyn smiled and looked her outfit up and down. "I like your dress, Glory," she joked.

Glory laughed and eyed her identical cream colored dress. "Great minds think alike," she remarked, becoming immediately at ease with Carolyn. She had expected to dislike her, since she was J.T.'s date, but Carolyn's exuberant personality made her immediately likable.

The four made small talk for a few moments. J.T. was relating how he had gotten hopelessly lost on the way to pick up Carolyn, when Saja and Sandy approached the group.

"Well if it isn't the star of the game!" Saja yelled, referring to J.T., and a smattering of applause followed.

J.T. lowered his head modestly. "Aw, come on."

"And," Sandy added, "We can't forget the star cheerleader!"

This time it was Glory's turn to blush.

Carolyn smiled slyly. "I think that you guys, the big ‘stars’ of the night, ought to dance!"

The rest of their friends agreed. "J.T.! Glory! J.T.! Glory!" they chanted.

"All right," J.T. agreed with a laugh.

Glory's heart started pounding, but she too laughed off her nervousness. "Yeah, I guess we could manage one dance."

A slow number began, and they started dancing to the music.

"You played a great game," Glory said softly, trying to keep her cool. "I mean it. I was really impressed."

"Uh thanks," he replied, his voice raising several octaves. "And you were really great tonight, too. The best cheerleader on the squad."

She looked at him seriously. "Better than Mila?"

"Glory," J.T. began, his tone becoming serious as well. "That's not fair."

She lowered her eyes. "It might not be fair, but it still hurts sometimes."

"It hurts me too. Dumping you for Mila was the biggest mistake I ever made. I love you Glory, and I always will."

Glory's eyes flooded with tears. "J.T..."

He stepped out of her embrace and reached into his pocket. "I wrote this for you," he told her in an emotional voice. "I was going to put it in the envelope with the money, but.."

"You? You're the one who left me the money?" Glory asked with surprise, interrupting him.

J.T. sighed. "I wanted you to be able to go to the dance, even if you weren't going with me. You deserve it."

The tears welling in her eyes spilled over. "That's so sweet."

He put his hand on top of hers and smiled. "I'm glad you still think so."

Glory looked down at the wrinkled piece of paper in J.T.'s hand. "Is that another poem?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Will you read it to me?" she whispered.

J.T. unfolded the paper and cleared his throat. "’The night was still when we said good-bye, the air was thick when I heard you cry, I looked to the stars and wished you'd come back to me, without you my world's so empty, All I have are my memories, poems rhyming with the things I cannot say, and I miss you more with each passing day, the pain of longing is forever strong, you don't realize you miss something until it is gone’." His voice broke with emotion, and he looked into Glory's eyes, searching for a reaction.

Glory swallowed hard and took his other hand, which was clammy and trembling. "J.T., that's beautiful."

"Do you think so?" he asked in a vulnerable tone.

"Yes."

"Does that mean...?" he said, trailing off.

She nodded again. "As much as what you did to me hurt, I still love you."

A wide smile spread across his face. "I love you Glory."

"I love you, too," she murmured as they leaned together. Their lips met in a long, gentle kiss, an urgent kiss that their time apart had created.

Their lips parted, and they looked into each other's eyes. J.T. tucked a strand of Glory's red hair behind her ear and smiled. "Oh, and Glory," he began with a laugh. "I forgot to tell you. I really love your haircut."

Nancy stood in the glow of her front porch light after the dance, with Kevin standing closely beside her.

"I had a glorious time tonight, didn't you?" she asked, shifting her weight nervously from one foot to the other.

"Yeah, I had a lot of fun," he replied, flashing her a charming smile which sent a shiver down her spine. "Are you cold?" he asked.

"A little," she answered.

Kevin took off his tuxedo jacket and shyly wrapped it around her shoulders. "Is that better?"

"Much," Nancy assured him. "But I should probably go inside."

"All right. Well, maybe we should do this again sometime."

She nodded quickly, and then she scolded herself for seeming too eager. "Sounds pretty good," she told him in a smooth voice. Inside though, her mind was racing. He was actually asking her out again! Nancy handed his jacket back to him, and their fingers brushed against each other.

"Good night," she whispered, opening the door and stepping inside.

"Good night."

Morning light shone in through Sydney's window, forcing her to wake up.

She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and sat up in bed. She had gotten in pretty late after the dance, and her mother had already gone to bed. Although Sydney had wanted to tell her mother about being crowned homecoming queen, she was glad that she had avoided being grilled about her date with Garrett.

Untangling the sheets, Sydney stepped out of bed and walked over to her vanity table. She picked up the tiara she had gotten at the dance and placed it on her disheveled hair. She smiled at her reflection, remembering the wonderful night, and spun around.

"Sydney?" Mayor Rutledge called, appearing in the doorway.

"Mother," Sydney said, feeling slightly embarrassed for dancing around her room in her crown.

The mayor crossed the room and gave her daughter a hug. "Well, what is this?"

"I was crowned homecoming Queen," she informed her proudly.

"Well that's just wonderful, darling! I'm so proud of you," Mayor Rutledge said with a smile. "So, do you want to come downstairs? Ralph made a delicious breakfast."

Sydney looked at her mom with confusion. "You mean you don't want to hear about my date?"

"I trust you," she answered simply, and she headed down the stairs.

Sydney shrugged and followed her.

Mila sat in Swans Soda Shop, busily writing an essay for her American history class. "It's been some weekend," she commented, not moving her eyes from her paper.

"Mm-hmm," Owen responded absently, stirring the straw in his quickly melting milkshake.

"I'm just so mad at Sydney! I can't believe we were ever friends. She's a back-stabber, and..." Mila clutched her paper angrily and then released it, realizing that she was ruining her homework.

"Don't worry about it," Owen said calmly. "You had fun last night anyway, didn't you?"

She shrugged. "I guess."

Mila went back to her homework while Owen let out a dreamy sigh. "Yeah, me too."

Callie sat on a plush leather chair, quietly waiting to be seated at Tortina's, a very posh restaurant in Brazil. "This looks pretty expensive," she commented to Pedro, who was sitting next to her.

"Don't worry about it," he told her with a smile.

Callie played with the ends of her wavy hair in response. She didn't know how to bring it up, but she was getting very tired of double dating with Jimmy and Ana. It was far too painful to be spending so much time with her ex-boyfriend.

The maitre'd called their party and the four teenagers stood up. The man led them into an outdoor dining room over-looking the beach. The table was lit only by a few candles, and an impressive centerpiece of exotic flowers gave a beautiful touch.

Pedro rushed around Callie to his sister's side and pulled out her chair.

"Thanks bro," Ana said, while Callie gave him a strange look. He was acting kind of weird.

Jimmy looked from the twins to Callie, and he politely pulled out the chair for her.

"Thanks," she said in a low voice.

"No problem," he muttered. There was a long, awkward silence.

Pedro cleared his throat. "So, uh, I think you guys will really like this place."

Callie sipped her water and nodded, trying to appear interested. "Oh yeah? Do you come here a lot?"

"Yes," Pedro answered, and Ana answered "No," at the same time.

Now it was Jimmy who shot the siblings a strange look. It took all of Callie's strength not to throw her hands up in frustration. It was bad enough that things were tense between her and Jimmy. Now Ana and Pedro were acting strangely too.

"Should we order?" Ana suggested.

Jimmy tugged at his tie, noticing the thick tension hanging heavily above the table. "Ordering is good." He opened his menu and then sighed. "Great, it's all in Portuguese."

"Callie can help you," Ana said quickly.

"Why?" Jimmy asked, shaking his head in confusion. "You guys are the ones who grew up here."

Ana laughed nervously. "Right. I guess I forgot." She gave her brother a frustrated look.

The four looked over the menus, Ana translating for Jimmy, and they ordered without a problem. They engaged in small talk for a little while, even though nothing being said was particularly interesting to either Jimmy or Callie.

"Paging Ana and Pedro Tava. Please come to the hostess stand," a voice over the loudspeaker said.

"Hmm, I wonder what this is about," Pedro muttered. "Excuse us," he said, and he and Ana headed in the direction of the hostess stand.

Jimmy and Callie eyed each other after Ana and Pedro had left. Silence passed as they waited for their friends to return. Then Callie noticed something peeking out from under Pedro's water glass.

"What's that?" Jimmy asked.

Callie pulled out a hundred dollar bill and held it up for him to see. "It looks like we've been set up."

After having breakfast with her mother, Sydney excused herself to go call Mila. She was feeling really badly about their argument and even worse about "stealing" Grant away from her.

"If I had thought for one minute," Sydney muttered to herself while dialing the phone number, "that Grant was really interested in me, I never would have gotten involved."

"Hi, you've reached Mila's room," Mila's perky voice on the answering machine said.

Sydney slammed the phone in its receiver. It was going to take a lot to get this friendship back together... and she wasn't sure she was up for it.

"You know we're not going to get any studying done," J.T. remarked, sitting next to Glory on her porch swing, his arm draped casually around her. It was just like old times. After the dance the night before, and after J.T. and Glory had reconciled, things had gone back to the way they used to be between them... it was like they hadn't broken up at all.

"I know," she agreed. Glory giggled when he tossed his book over his shoulder. "So let's talk instead," she suggested.

"What about?"

"Well, it's been a long time since we've seen each other. We have a lot to catch up on. Tell me about your project."

J.T. grinned. "UB2B is finally paying off." He rubbed his thumb and forefinger together. "And I do mean paying off."

Glory's eyes became clouded, and she turned away. "I'm glad to hear that," she said sarcastically.

"Aw, ram cram. I guess I uh, kinda forgot your family isn't exactly rolling in the pesos anymore."

"You could be a little more sensitive about it," she snapped.

He looked at her sympathetically. "I'm trying."

She placed her hand over his. "I know you are. Anyway, let's talk about something else. How was your, uh... date last night with Carolyn?"

"Another very comfortable topic," he joked. "We just went as friends, you know."

Glory pursed her lips at him. "I know. Actually, it seemed to me that Carolyn was eyeing Neil."

"Neil?" he asked incredulously. "What gave you that idea?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I just had a feeling about it."

J.T. took her hand in his. "Well, you always have been good at matters of the heart."

Glory blushed. "Thanks, J.T. So what do you think? Should I ask her about it? And maybe we could play matchmaker?"

"Yeah," he agreed. "It's about time Bucky Ball got himself a girlfriend."

Jimmy stood up. "Well, let's get out of here then." He felt very embarrassed that Pedro and Ana had so easily conned them, although he didn't exactly know what their motivation was.

Callie stood up with him. "But what if they come back?"

He took the money from her hand. "Does it look like they're coming back to you?"

She didn't have time to answer him because the waiters arrived at their table carrying two steaming plates of food. The dishes Ana and Pedro had ordered were conspicuously missing.

"Are you staying?" the waiter asked them, noticing they were standing up. "Or should I return this?"

Callie and Jimmy exchanged a glance. "It would be rude to send the food back," Jimmy admitted under his breath.

"Right. I'm sure they'll come back," Callie said, even though she knew in her heart that they had no intention of returning to the table.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Your friends asked me to give you a message," the waiter told them. "They said their mother needed them at home. They want you to stay and enjoy the dinner and they will be back as soon as they can."

Callie's heart rate quickened. They weren't coming back... she and Jimmy were going to have to spend the evening together... alone.

"I just don't know what to do about Mila," Sydney said as she and Garrett approached the front door of Swans Soda Shop.

"I'm sure you guys will make up. I mean, come on, this is Mila we're talking about," Garrett assured her casually as he and Sydney entered the diner.

"I don't think so, Garrett. Mila's really mad at me right now. I don't know if she's ever going to forgive me."

Sydney and Garrett went up to the counter and greeted Jazz.

Jazz looked very taken aback when Sydney and Garrett sat down together. "Well, I must be dreaming. Could Sydney Rutledge and Garrett Booth actually be hanging out together... without throttling each other?!" She placed her hand on her forehead and pretended to faint.

"Very funny, Jazz," Sydney said shortly.

"Hmm, maybe I was wrong. This looks like a pretty serious conversation." Jazz turned to wait on some other customers.

"Wait!" Sydney exclaimed, signaling for her to come back. "Has Mila been in here today?"

"Actually, yes," Jazz answered. "She was here this morning with Owen doing some studying. To tell you the truth, I overheard her talking to him..."

"And?" Sydney prompted.

"And she seemed sort of ticked off at you," Jazz replied, and then she walked away. Sydney turned around on her barstool to face Garrett.

"See?" Sydney moaned, rolling her eyes. "She's never going to forgive me!"

"Look, um, even though we had no idea what we were in for tonight, I want you to know that I am having a good time," Callie told Jimmy shyly as they sat at the table, picking at their food and listening to the roar of the ocean. Although things had started awkwardly, somehow they had managed to engage themselves in some interesting small talk, and they even laughed a few times.

"I'm having a good time, too. We'll have to remember to thank Ana and Pedro for the free meal," Jimmy joked, nervously twisting his cloth napkin.

"Yeah," she laughed in reply. She drew in a breath. "Jimmy, um, there's something I've been wanting to ask you."

He immediately looked up. "What?"

"I just-" she paused, losing her nerve. "Never mind, it's not important."

"No, really, what is it? Tell me," he insisted.

Callie hesitated. "It's just that, ever since you..." her voice trailed off. "What are you doing here anyway?"

Jimmy was taken aback. "Excuse me?"

"I mean, why did you come here, to Brazil? You never told me why you just suddenly showed up here."

Jimmy rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry, " he said sarcastically. "I didn't know I had to call you and set up an appointment whenever I decide to take a vacation."

She sighed. "Come on, Jimmy. I was just wondering. Besides, you have to admit it was kind of strange that you just showed up here unannounced and just happened to be ‘vacationing’ at the same place I moved to."

Jimmy was growing frustrated. "What exactly are you getting at?"

"I'm not getting at anything!" she exclaimed defensively. "I told you, I'm just a little curious, that's all."

He sighed and then admitted softly, "Look, if you want to know the truth, I came here because of you."

"Why?" she asked, her voice suddenly dropping to barely above a whisper.

"I felt really bad about the way we left things in Swans Crossing. I said a lot of awful things to you during our fight," he explained. "I guess I came here to apologize."

"Oh," she said hollowly, not bothering to disguise the disappointment in her voice. "So that's the only reason you're here?"

"Yeah," he lied. Then he sighed and shook his head. "No, it's not. I also hoped maybe I could fix things between us."

"Fix things?" Callie asked cautiously, trying not to seem too eager. She wasn't quite sure what he meant, and she didn't want to make any assumptions. "What do you mean by that?"

"Things... you know, like our-" he stopped abruptly, and then shook his head. "Look, just forget I said anything. It doesn’t matter anymore.

Her stomach dropped. She didn't want him to give up on her... if that's what he was talking about. "What do you mean it doesn’t matter anymore?

"I mean, I shouldn’t even be telling you this, since it’s obvious you’d rather be sitting here with Pedro right now, so-" he began in a hurt tone.

"Jimmy, please tell me what’s wrong."

"Nothing’s wrong," he insisted. "Just forget about it, okay?"

Callie was about to protest, but noticing the stubborn look in his eyes, she knew that wouldn't be wise. "Fine," she said simply.

"Fine." He folded his arms in front of his chest.

Callie set her mouth in a straight line. "Fine."

After a long pause, Jimmy spoke. "So."

Callie rose her eyebrows and shrugged. "So."

"So..." he said, and there was another long pause. Finally, Jimmy rose his hands up in mock surrender. "Okay, okay, you won!"

"What do you mean, I won?" she asked, stifling a laugh.

Jimmy turned to her and smiled. "I mean, you got me to start talking. You always could do that, Walker Woman," he confessed, gazing at her wistfully.

Callie gazed back at him and paused for a moment, involuntarily losing herself in his eyes. Although he seemed unaware of the fact, this was the first time in what felt like ages that he had used his pet name for her. Then, she snapped back to reality and cleared her throat, feeling embarrassed. "Well, now that I’ve gotten you to start talking, what’s on your mind?"

"Well.... us," he admitted quietly.

Callie looked away quickly, and Jimmy could tell he had upset her. "What about us?" she asked.

"I... never mind. It’s obvious you feel uncomfortable talking about what I want to talk about, so let’s just drop it," he told her, his voice becoming cold once again.

Callie looked back at him. "Yeah, well, I guess I don’t really feel like talking about how much you really don’t want to be here with me."

"What?" Jimmy asked in surprise.

"Look, you don’t have to pretend, okay? I mean, I know that you probably wish you were anywhere but here right now," Callie said, hurt gleaming in her eyes.

"Hey, you’re the one who looked so upset when Pedro had to leave," he deadpanned.

"Oh, and like you wouldn’t rather be with Ana right now!" Callie shot back.

He rolled his eyes. "Look, if you want Pedro to be here so badly instead of me, then why don’t you go over to his house and join him?"

"Well, since you want to be with Ana so much, why don’t you come with me?" she challenged.

Jimmy quickly shook his head. "I think I’ll just stay here since you obviously can’t stand to be around me for another second."

"No," Callie replied stubbornly. "I’ll stay here and you go find Ana."

"No, I insist," he told her with mock politeness. "Go back to your boyfriend."

"Pedro is not my boyfriend," she said sharply.

Jimmy rose his eyebrows. "Really? That’s not what it looks like to me," he remarked.

"We’re just friends!" Callie insisted, raising her voice. "But I can’t say the same for you and Ana."

"Well, don’t even try saying she’s my girlfriend, because she’s not."

"Right," Callie said sarcastically.

Jimmy looked up at her, a curious look playing on his face. "Why do you care so much anyway?"

"Hey, you’re the one who brought up the subject by saying that Pedro’s my boyfriend."

"He is, isn’t he?"

"I can’t exactly get involved with him when I care about someone else," Callie commented softly, talking more to herself than to him.

Jimmy was surprised by what he thought she had just said. "What was that?"

"Nothing," Callie answered quickly.

"Anyway, why wouldn’t you get involved with Pedro? I mean, I know I must’ve paled in comparison to him--" he began sarcastically.

"Jimmy, don’t do this, okay?" she interrupted warningly.

"I mean, he’s nice, friendly, non-confrontational, he doesn’t shut people out, you probably think he’s really good-looking, too--"

"Would you cut it out?" she said sharply.

"I can understand why you’d wanna drop me for him--" he continued.

"Look, he isn’t you!" she yelled angrily. Then she paused, realizing how loud she was. Her cheeks flushed and she said more softly, "Okay? He’s not my boyfriend because he isn’t you. Although you drive me so crazy sometimes, I honestly don’t know why I even still bother with you."

Jimmy was lost in thought for several moments, allowing everything she had just revealed to sink in. "If I make you so angry then why wasn’t it easier for you to just fall for Pedro? I mean, I really can understand why you’d hook up with someone else, considering how awful I treated you back in Swans Crossing."

"Jimmy... for some strange reason, no matter how hard I try, I can’t get myself to stop thinking about you or wishing that things between us didn’t get so messed up. Did you really think that I could just forget about what we had so easily? That I could just stop caring about you that fast? I couldn’t."

Jimmy’s mouth slowly spread into a wide smile. "I couldn’t, either. Walker Woman, I still care about you... a lot. You still mean so much to me."

"Really?" she whispered.

"Yeah, really. As soon as you told me you were moving to Brazil, I didn’t know what to do. All I knew was that I couldn’t lose you. After we had that huge fight, all I wanted to do was tell you how sorry I was and how much I needed you," he confessed.

"Then why didn’t you?"

"I tried. That’s why I came to Brazil. I wanted to make things right with you... but then--"

"But then you saw me with Pedro," she concluded.

"Right," he said. "Callie, you have to tell me, does Pedro mean anything to you? I mean, do you care about him at all? Because if you do--"

"No, no. I don’t," she quickly assured him. "Not the way I care about you.... Does Ana mean anything to you?"

Jimmy gazed deeply into her eyes. "The only person who’s ever really meant anything to me is you," he told her huskily. He started leaning towards her. She tilted her head, and closed her eyes. She leaned towards him... but then suddenly backed away.

"No, we can’t."

A look of confusion and frustration crossed Jimmy’s face. "What? Why not? I thought that... I still care about you, and you just told me that you feel the same way about me, too. You don’t?"

Callie sighed. "No, I do."

"Then what’s the problem?" he asked.

"I just don’t want us to start something again that we won’t be able to continue," she explained with sadness.

"What do you mean, we won’t be able to continue?"

"I mean, I don’t see the point in us getting involved again if you’re just going to have to go back to Swans Crossing in a few days."

"Walker Woman, please don’t start this again," he said, not wanting to think about having to return to Swans Crossing.

"I have to. Jimmy, I’m sorry, but we don’t have any other choice. This is exactly what I was trying to tell you before I left Swans Crossing, but you wouldn’t listen to me."

"I was listening to you," he insisted. "I just didn’t think that what you were saying made any sense. I mean, we both still care about each other a lot, so why can’t we be together?"

"Jimmy, it’s not that easy. There’s a lot more stuff involved. Namely, our feelings. I don’t want either of us to get hurt."

"The only way we would get hurt is if we care about each other but can’t be together.... But maybe you don’t care about me. Is that the problem?" he asked, looking at her seriously.

"Jimmy, you know I do."

"Look, if you really do care about me, you wouldn’t be trying so hard to break up with me. You don’t just leave the people you care about."

"I know you don’t. But you don’t try to set them up for hurt and disappointment, either." She sighed, wishing he would just understand. "And that’s what would end up happening if we got back together again."

"See, this is the part I don’t get. How could we end up being hurt or disappointed if we stay together? I thought that was what people who care about each other are supposed to do. Long distances don’t matter, as long as we care about each other, that’s all that matters." He looked at her with a pleading expression on his face. Jimmy didn't usually express his feelings... but now that he was spilling his guts, it still didn't seem like Callie understood him.

"Jimmy, long distances do matter. I mean, it’s not like we’re only a few miles apart. I’m not even just in another state. I’m in another country, another continent. That makes a huge difference."

"Not to me. Callie, you could be on the moon and I’d still care about you and do anything to be with you. We can make the long distance thing work, I know we could," he told her honestly.

"But what if we can’t?" she asked in a low voice.

Once again, Jimmy sighed in frustration. "Why are you being so negative about this?"

"I’m not being negative, I’m being realistic," she replied.

"No, you’re being negative. And I’m beginning to wonder if you really do care about me at all."

"Jimmy, I already told you, I do care about you. That’s why I had to break up with you," Callie stated, realizing he would find this justification very twisted.

"Walker Woman, when you care about someone, you usually try to have some sort of relationship with them. You don’t just cut them out of your life."

"Jimmy--"

"Don’t you believe in us?" he asked, cutting her off. "I mean, it took us forever to finally get together, but we did. Do you really want to throw it all away just because you had to move to Brazil?"

"Please just hear me out on this, okay? I though that if I tried holding on to a long distance relationship with you, I'd end up getting hurt." A lump rose in her throat. It was difficult, but it felt good to be getting all of her feelings out in the open. "I was so afraid that you'd lose interest in me while I was away that we'd start drifting apart. That thought really scared me. I couldn't stand caring about you so much, then later have you not feel the same way about me. I didn't want it to me a one sided thing."

Jimmy stared into her eyes, realizing how vulnerable she could be. "Callie, you know that wouldn't happen. I could never hurt you like that."

"I know you wouldn't do anything like that now, but how can I be so sure that you won't later on? It's a long way from here to Swans Crossing."

"Well, I did come here , didn't I?" he pointed out.

"Yeah, but you can't just keep traveling to Brazil whenever you feel like it."

"Why not?" Jimmy challenged.

"Jimmy, please be realistic about this, okay?" Callie pleaded. "We can't continue a relationship when we're living thousands of miles apart. It just won't work."

"Look, I know why you're doing this. You're afraid that I'm going to dump you later on. Callie, I already told you, I could never hurt you like that." Gently, he titled her face upwards towards him. "Please believe me."

She gazed into his eyes. "I want to. I really want to..." she whispered. Feeling the intensity of what she was saying, she stood up, averting her eyes from his. She slowly walked a few paces away from the table. "But you can't guarantee that we won't hurt each other again one day. That's why I think it would be best if.." she hesitated, then continued quickly, "if we just forget everything that ever happened between us and move on."

Jimmy followed her and reached for her arm, making her face him. "I can't do that," he stated, shaking his head firmly.

"Jimmy, why are you making this so hard?"

"Walker Woman, I never wanted to-- I can't lose you."

She sighed and looked away. "No, don't," she whispered.

"I can't stand how we're not together anymore just because you've moved away." he continued. "Why--"

"Jimmy, don't," she interrupted. Callie looked down at the floor and a single tear trickled down her cheek.

"Callie, I love you," Jimmy blurted out.

Callie looked up, stunned. He gently put his hands on her face and brushed away her tear. Her heart pounded as he drew closer.

"No matter how far apart we are from each other, I'll always love you," he promised her, his voice hoarse with raw emotion.

"I love you too," she whispered. The world moved in slow motion as they leaned towards each other... and their lips met in a warm, gentle kiss.

NEXT CHAPTER

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