Swans Crossing: The Return
©1997 by Stephanie Blydenburgh
Sarah Gellar Pages does not use cookies. - Privacy Policy
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 © 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.