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Swans Crossing: The Return

©Stephanie Blydenburgh (1997 & 1998). Additional Copyrights: "Make it Light" ©1997 Alicia Lazaraus "Moving to Brazil" storyline ©1997 Miss Swan "Hold You Up", "My Love", "Cross That Line", "Vision in Polka-Dot Pink", "Over You", "Gotta Grow Up", and "Talking Sweet" ©1992 Heliosphere Productions and/or Newlifier Limited

Chapter Twenty-One

"And the winner of the Swans Crossing 1992 mayoral election is...."

Sydney crossed her fingers, and stole a glance at Garrett who was doing the same thing. The crowd was hushed. No one moved or even breathed.

"Ms. Margaret Rutledge!" the announcer yelled. The room erupted into cheers and hollers. Sydney hugged her mom, who was beaming. Red, white, and blue balloons fell from the ceiling, followed by pounds upon pounds of confetti. Sydney joined in the cheering, and threw her arms in the air to hit a few of the balloons out of the way. Then she looked back, where Garrett had been standing. He was gone.

A large crowd was gathering by Orono University when J.T. and Neil arrived there.

"What's going on?" Neil asked when he saw the crowd, which was composed mainly of reporters.

"I have no idea," J.T. replied. Just then they saw Carolyn come flying down the steps, past the crowd. Her face was flushed, and she had to stop a moment to catch her breath.

"You're never going to believe what just happened!" she exclaimed.

"What?" J.T. asked eagerly.

"Guess," she said with a sly smile.

"We won the Nobel Prize?" J.T. guessed.

Carolyn laughed. "Not quite.

J.T. twisted his face in thought. "Um..."

Neil rolled his eyes. "Girls and their silly guessing games! Would you just tell us what happened?"

She smiled fakely at him. "Certainly. The last element of UB2B arrived!"

The boys grew excited. "That's great!" they exclaimed.

"That's not even the half of it," she continued. "NASA has offered to pay a huge sum of money to buy the equation and use it in their rockets and space shuttles!" she shrieked.

Neil and J.T. were speechless.

Carolyn hugged them both. "We're going to be rich!"

Jimmy headed over to his father's restaurant, carrying a large suitcase. His stomach fluttered with excited butterflies. He might have messed things up with Callie the night she left, but he was sure that going to Brazil would undoubtedly fix things.

"Hey Dad!" he greeted his father happily.

Mr. Clayton looked up from his work and smiled. "Looks like you're all ready to go," he commented. "Do you need a ride to the airport?"

"No, I called a taxi. It should be here any minute," Jimmy explained.

"Okay, well, I want you to help your brother around his house, and be a good guest," Mr. Clayton told him.

Jimmy rolled his eyes good naturedly. "Sure, Dad."

"And be careful, okay?"

"I will," he agreed.

Both looked out the window, and saw the taxi pull up in front of the restaurant. "Guess I better get going," Jimmy said, as he backed away towards the exit.

"Call when you get there!"

Jimmy waved to his dad and laughed. "No problem!"

Sydney sighed, and tagged along with Mayor Rutledge from group after group of stuffy grownies. She was happy for her mother, she truly was, but her face was beginning to hurt from all the smiling she was doing.

And what about Garrett? a voice inside her asked. She couldn't help but wonder what he was doing, and how he felt about his father losing the election. She made a silent prayer that this wouldn't create yet another barrier in the advancement of their relationship. It seemed every problem Sydney and Garrett had involved their families.

"Mother?" Sydney called when Mayor Rutledge excused herself from a group of city council members.

"Yes, dear?" she asked, moving through the crowd once again.

"I really need to, um, use the restroom," Sydney said, and quickly excused herself. She went into the trophy room, and picked up the house phone. She dialed Glory's number, and after two rings Glory answered.

"Hello?"

"Glory, this is Sydney. Can I talk to Garrett?" Sydney asked.

"Okay," Glory said slowly, sounding a little confused. A moment later, Garrett came on the line.

"Sydney?" he asked.

Sydney smiled at the sound of his voice. "How are you?"

"I'm all right," Garrett replied shortly. He listened a minute to the sounds of the party and then asked, "Where are you?"

"Oh, I'm at Mother's re-election party. You wouldn't believe how tiring it can be to have to hear congratulation after congratulation," Sydney said with a laugh.

"I guess you're right, Sydney. I wouldn't know what it's like," Garrett remarked in an angry tone.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, tapping the side of the phone nervously. She didn't like the way he sounded.

"Yeah, something’s wrong! My father loses the election and you call me up to gloat that your mother won!" he snapped.

"Garrett! I didn't call to brag, I-" she began defensively, but Garrett cut her off.

"Listen Sydney, I really can't listen to anything about the election right now, okay?"

"Fine," she replied. There was a long, awkward silence. "I guess I better go."

"Yeah. See you later," he said, and quickly hung up the phone. Sydney stared at the receiver, listening to the hum of the dial tone.

"What was that?" she muttered to herself before returning to the party.

Sydney twirled her combination lock during school on Friday morning, enjoying the sound of laughing students. At least it was taking her mind off of Garrett, and the conversation they had had the night before.

"Sydney!" called a sing-song voice. She looked up, and saw Sandy bounding towards her.

"Hi Sandy," she greeted her slowly, opening her locker and removing some of her books.

"Hey, tell your mother I said congratulations. I'm so glad that she won the election," Sandy said.

"Yeah, me too," Sydney echoed. She shook off her confused feelings and looked up at Sandy. "So Sandy, what's going on? You look excited about something."

"Oh, I am!" She handed a brightly colored flier to Sydney. "First of all, you are coming to the gig Owen and I are playing tomorrow night, right?"

Sydney put on a bright, false smile. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Great, and guess what else?" Sandy asked. She continued on before Sydney had a chance to make a guess. "Saja asked me to Homecoming!"

"Saja?" Sydney repeated with surprise. She had noticed the two were hanging out a little more lately, but she didn't think that they were together in that way. "Well, that's really, really great. I'm happy for you."

"So, what are you doing after school today?"

Sydney shrugged. "I don't know, nothing I guess."

"Well why don't you and I go shopping for Homecoming dresses? You are going to the dance aren't you?" Sandy questioned innocently. She didn't realize how ironic it was for Sandy Swan to be asking Sydney Rutledge if she was going to a dance.

"Yeah," Sydney responded quietly, thinking of Garrett. "I think I'm going."

At cheerleading practice after school, Glory mindlessly went through the routine. She knew it so well that it was like second nature to her, and she was able to keep an eye on the boy's football practice while she cheered.

J.T. was there, of course, and Glory couldn't help but stare. He was running around the field, playing better than she had ever seen. She felt a surge of admiration watching him play, until she reminded herself that they weren't together any more.

The coach called a time out, and J.T. made his way towards the bench. Garrett was already there. Glory tuned out Mila calling the cheers and strained to hear their conversation.

"Good game, Booth," J.T. said.

Garrett looked up at him, confused. "What, Rocket Boy?"

J.T. shrugged. "Never mind. Hey, look Garrett, I'm really sorry that your father lost the election last night." He reached out and shook Garrett's hand.

After witnessing the boys' friendly handshake, Glory was unable to hear any more of their conversation. She was so shocked. J.T. and Garrett had never liked each other, and the one thing she had always wanted was for the two of them to get along. In fact, one day at the beginng of the summer J.T. had said something unflattering about Garrett, and Glory had asked him to try and make peace with him.

"I wish you two could get along. I mean, at least try to shake hands or something," Glory had remarked.

"You ever try shaking hands hands with a hologram?" J.T. asked jokingly.

"And he finally did just that..." Glory mumured out loud, watching J.T. with a new understanding. Maybe things weren't as confusing as she had thought. Maybe he still did care....

Sandy rummaged through a rack of dresses wearing a smile. Sydney observed that she had been smiling all afternoon. It didn't help her foul mood. She hadn't talked to Garrett all day, even though he had had plenty of opportunities to apologize for his "gloating" comment.

"Sandy, why are we looking at the clearance rack?" Sydney asked her in an irritated voice.

Sandy scowled. "Because that's what I have to do. There's no way I can afford the kind of dress you're going to buy," she snapped. However, Sydney's comment didn't bring her down for long, and she grinned again. "So tell me, who are you going to go to Homecoming with?"

Sydney turned away. "I don't know yet," she muttered, even though she was pretty sure she was going to go with Garrett, if they were getting along. Sydney looked back at Sandy. "Sandy, can I tell you something?"

"Of course!" Sandy replied.

"You won't say anything to anyone, you promise?" Sydney continued.

"I promise!"

Sydney cleared her throat. "I think I'm going to go with Garrett."

Sandy raised an eyebrow. "Are you serious?"

"Mm-hmm," Sydney replied.

"After the way he blackmailed you, and made you think that you were me and I was you? I don't think I am ever going to speak to him again!" Sandy remarked adamantly.

"Well, things have really changed." Sydney smiled slowly. "And Garrett is a different person."

Sandy shrugged. "If you say so," she said, not sounding very convinced. She continued on with her search for a dress. Her eyes widened, and she whipped a dress off the rack. "Sydney!" she squealed, holding the garment against her body.

It was a long, teal colored dress. The spaghetti strap bodice was adorned with sequins, and the skirt was long and flowing. Sydney had to admit, it was beautiful.

Sandy checked the price tag, and her face lit up. "And it's in my price range!" She took off towards the dressing room. Sydney laughed at her friend's exuberance, and began to study the dresses herself.

I guess there's nothing wrong with being a little thrifty, Sydney thought to herself.

"Sydney!" a voice called out. Sydney looked up and saw Glory coming down the aisle. She had a warm smile on her face instead of a sad frown, and was dressed in a floral print shirt and jeans, rather than the short black dress and motorcycle jacket Sydney had seen her wear recently. She looked like her old self again.

"Hey Glory. How are things at home?" Sydney asked carefully.

Glory's expression grew a little troubled. "Well, Dad isn't taking his losing very well. He's really embarrassed, and honestly, if he didn't like your mother before, I hate to think how he feels now."

Sydney groaned. "That's not going to make this any easier."

"Make what easier?"

"Garrett and I are back together," Sydney stated dryly.

Glory's blue eyes widened. "Really?"

"We were planning to walk off the field together if we win the Homecoming game," Sydney began.

"Where have I heard that before?" Glory interrupted. Sydney ignored her comment.

"And then we were going to go to the dance together."

"You still can," Glory said comfortingly.

"We'll see," Sydney replied, and then quickly changed the subject. "So what are your plans?"

Glory blushed. "Actually, Neil and I are going together."

Now it was Sydney's turn to be shocked. "You and Neil?!"

"Just as friends!" Glory said quickly.

Then Sydney understood. "Ah, you're just interested in his friends. Such as J.T. Adams."

"Well.." Glory's voice trailed off.

Sydney smiled. "Don't worry. I'm on the case."

Glory looked at her, puzzled. "What do you mean you're on the case?"

"Well, Garrett asked me to figure out a way to break Mila and J.T. up," Sydney explained with a devious smile.

"Really?" Glory asked, not bothering to disguise her elation.

"Yup, and as soon as Sandy buys that gorgeous dress, I am heading over to your house to put my plan into action."

"My house?"

Sydney nodded, and picked up a couple of garments off the rack. "Yes, your house. Is Grant home by any chance?"

Jimmy walked off the plane into the gate of the Rio De Janeiro airport, clutching his carry-on bag. He searched the gate for his older brother, and his eyes quickly landed on him. Johnny was sitting in one of the airport chairs, reading a Sports Illustrated magazine. He looked exactly the same as the last time Jimmy had seen him, which was about five months ago.

"Jimmy!" he exclaimed, suddenly spotting his brother coming off the plane. He stood up to greet him. When the two brothers stood side by side, the likeness was uncanny. Jimmy looked very much like his brother, only six years younger. "I'm so glad you were able to come visit. How was your flight?" Johnny questioned him.

Jimmy quickly updated him on the uneventful flight experience, and then the two made their way towards the baggage carousel. As Jimmy watched his brother talk, he noticed something. Johnny was quite a bit like Barek had been. Their speech, mannerisms, and the subjects he was discussing all reminded him of Barek, and the way he had idolized him.

"He reminds you a lot of your brother, doesn't he?" Callie had asked Jimmy one night, referring to Barek and Johnny.

Jimmy shrugged. "A little."

"Now it all makes sense," Callie said slowly.

"What's that?" he asked.

She looked up at him perceptively. "Why you were so quick to give Barek the benefit of the doubt."

Callie was always so insightful, Jimmy thought to himself wistfully. She really, really understood me.

"Hey, were you listening?" Johnny asked, snapping Jimmy back to reality.

He shook his head sheepishly. Johnny handed him his suitcase. "I said that we got your luggage, and now we can get out of here. Are you hungry?"

"Nah," he answered, still thinking about Callie. "Why don't you show me some of the sights instead?"

After Sandy had bought the dress, Sydney and Glory went over to the Booths. On the way there, Sydney told her all about the plan, and why she needed to talk to Grant. Glory had to admit, Sydney had done it again. She had come up with the perfect way to break up J.T. and Mila.

Sydney waited out on the porch a bit nervously, while Glory went into the house. She wasn't used to being at the Booth house much, since she wasn't exactly welcome.

"I was wondering if you want to have lemonade on the porch with me and Sydney Rutledge," Sydney heard Glory say to her brother in the living room.

"All right," Grant agreed, and seconds later he and Glory emerged from the house.

Glory poured lemonade into three glasses. "So Sydney, are you excited about Homecoming?"

Sydney smiled at Glory's performance. She was doing everything they had rehearsed. "Oh yes, it is going to be so exciting." She turned to Grant and smiled charmingly. "Do you remember your high school Homecoming?"

Grant grinned and nodded. "Yes, well it wasn't that long ago, actually. I'm not that ancient," he joked.

"Of course not," Sydney said. "In fact, you could probably pass for an SCH student yourself."

"Is that a compliment?" he asked.

"Definitely a compliment," she replied. She tapped the side of her cheek, to appear as if she was deep in thought. "You know, you should really consider going to the game... maybe even the dance."

"That's a great idea!" Glory interjected.

Grant looked skeptical. "A high school event? Come on, I'm practically a grownie!"

"We have an excellent football team. Garrett plays, and Glory's a cheerleader. You should at least go to see them," Sydney said.

"Yeah, Grant. I would love for you to see the field show," Glory told him eagerly.

She's a great actress! Sydney thought to herself with a laugh.

"I suppose I could go to the game. But there's no way I could go to the dance. I wouldn't exactly have a date," Grant explained.

Sydney gave him her charming grin once again. "There are probably dozens of high school girls who would die to go to the dance with you."

He cocked his head modestly. "You must be joking."

"No, trust me."

Grant's frown slowly turned into a smile. "Well, it's definitely something to consider. Do you know anyone for sure?"

"Possibly," Sydney answered vaguely. "So you'll consider it?"

He gave her a wide grin. "Possibly."

"Mila!" Sydney cried, stepping out of the elevator.

Mila looked up from the school book she was reading on her bed and smiled. "What's up Sydney?" She recognized the look on Sydney's face. Something was going on.

"I just talked to Grant Halsey Booth, the third!" she exclaimed.

Mila's eyes widened. "What did he say?"

"Well," Sydney began, eager to spill the gossip to her friend. "I brought up going to Homecoming, and he seemed very interested."

"He did?"

"Yes! Trust me Mila, this date is in the bag," Sydney assured her. "Now all you have to do is make yourself available."

Mila frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Sydney reached for Mila's red, high heel shaped phone and handed it to her. "You need to give J.T. a call."

Mr. Booth tossed the last of his campaign posters into the garbage can and groaned. "That's it, they're all gone," he said monotonously. "I wish we could move. The press has been over at the Rutledge's all day."

"Well Grant, we've lived in this house for many generations. It wouldn't be respectful to your ancestors if we did," Mrs. Booth told her husband regretfully.

"I honestly don't know how we're going to afford to keep living here!" he remarked, raising his voice a little.

Mrs. Booth's blood ran cold. "Whatever do you mean?"

Mr. Booth exhaled a long sigh. "We used most of our savings on campaign expenses, trips to the capital, and I even quit the contracting business for awhile."

"Putting the cart before the horse is never a good thing, Grant dear," Mrs. Booth commented.

Mr. Booth grunted crossly. "I don't know any other way to put this," he said, slowly meeting his wife’s eyes. "We're... broke."

The stores look the same, Callie observed silently as she, Pedro, and Ana walked into a Brazilian convenience store. Of course they do! she told herself. It's a store, Callie. She sighed. Her mind wasn't thinking quite up to speed at the moment. Jet lag, she explained to herself, and then laughed out loud at this absurd thought.

"What's so funny?" Pedro asked. Callie just shrugged, realizing that he and Ana must be thinking she was losing it.

Ana made her way to the candy aisle, as Callie's new friend had a chocolate addiction. Pedro followed his sister, and Callie wandered towards a small kiosk of postcards.

She picked one up. The picture on the front was of a beach landscape. Her first instinct was to buy it and send it to Jimmy. But after a few moments, she put it back. What would she say? "Having a great time... miss you so much that it hurts... even though you make me so mad for being so stubborn, being such a jerk, I still hate to be away from you..."

Callie shook off those thoughts and continued to look at the postcards. I'll get one for Glory, she told herself.

The bell on the door rang, and more customers stepped in.

"Still drink chocolate milk?" a male voice asked.

"By the gallonful," another male voice joked.

Callie's stomach dropped. It can't be!

She was frightened to look up because her mind was screaming that this was a familiar voice. Slowly, she dared to glance, and her eyes widened in terror and happiness at the same time... it was Jimmy in the store.

Special thanks to all who participated in the "mock election" and let me know who you wanted to win the Swans Crossing Mayoral Election.

Chapter Twenty-Two

"Do I have to?" Mila asked Sydney, staring at her phone with dread.

Sydney shook her head. "Mila, J.T. needs to know what's going on. Do you really like him... or Grant?"

Mila flopped backwards on her bed. "I don't know!" she groaned. "Lately I have had the worst luck with guys."

"Well, you don't have the best track record," Sydney agreed.

"Sydney!"

"What I mean is, first there was Garrett, then Billy, then Garrett again, now J.T. But at least you have had some experience. Something you didn't have when you first came to Swans Crossing," Sydney explained.

"I guess so." She shrugged.

"And what have you learned?"

Mila was thoughtful for a minute. "Well, J.T. has been the nicest, Billy had that bad boy charm..." She smiled slyly. "Garrett was a good kisser...."

Sydney threw Mila's pillow at her. "Mila!" She giggled, thinking that Mila knew what she was talking about. "I mean, what have you learned about yourself?" Sydney questioned her again.

"That I'm flighty?" Mila guessed.

"No, that you shouldn't date someone because they're interested in you. You should be really interested in them too. Who initiated all of your relationships?"

Mila knew what she was getting at. "They did," she answered.

"Now you feel that way about someone else, and you should do something about it. Grant seemed interested. I'll drop a few more hints... but you need to call J.T. and end things," Sydney told her, trying to be comforting.

Mila sighed and nodded her head slowly. "You're right. Besides, I feel awful for what I am doing to Glory." She took the phone from Sydney and started to dial the telephone number. "Sisters forever," she muttered, trying hard not to talk herself out of it.

"Hi, you've reached the Adams family," J.T.'s voice on his answering machine said.

"It's the machine!" Mila hissed at Sydney.

"So leave a message," she prompted.

After the beep Mila began to speak. "J.T., this is Mila. Please call me back, we really need to talk."

Callie froze in her tracks. What is he doing here?! a voice in her head screamed. She turned away, wanting to get out of the store as fast as possible without Jimmy seeing her, when she saw Ana head over to him.

The boy who was with Jimmy, and resembled him a great deal, was checking out at the counter. Jimmy had wandered through the aisles alone, and Ana was quickly on his trail.

"Hi there," she greeted him. Jimmy looked up, and smiled at the pretty girl with the long, dark hair.

"Hello," he replied.

"You're not from around here, are you?" Ana asked, smiling flirtatiously at him.

"No, I'm visiting my brother who lives here," Jimmy answered.

She stepped in closer. "So where are you from?"

"I'm from a small town on the east coast of the US... Swans Crossing. Ever heard of it?"

Ana rose an eyebrow in surprise. "What a coincidence! I have, actually. A new friend of mine just moved from there. She's right here in this store even... this is so weird. Hey Callie, come over here!" Ana called.

Callie jumped from her hiding place behind the postcards, a stricken look on her face. Jimmy stared at her, also shocked.

"Callie?" he whispered.

She couldn't think of anything to say, so she just swallowed hard.

"You two know each other?" Ana asked.

"We were... friends in Swans Crossing," Callie said quickly, not wanting to create a scene. It was far too complicated to bring up their relationship, and the way they had ended things. Actually, saying that they were friends was generous on her part, considering the things he said to her the last time they saw each other.

Callie thought she saw a flicker of hurt in Jimmy’s eyes, but it quickly went away when he agreed to being Callie's friend back home.

"This is so great!" Ana exclaimed, reaching into her purse. Pedro came up and joined the group, and introduced himself.

At first Jimmy thought nothing of meeting Pedro, until he placed his hand on Callie's shoulder. Then it became devastatingly obvious. Callie and Pedro were together.

Ana was scribbling something on a slip of paper, which she then handed to Jimmy. "Here's my phone number," she purred. "Maybe the four of us could double date or something."

Jimmy looked from Callie and Pedro, to Ana standing before him wearing an interested grin. He stuffed the paper in his back pocket and managed a tight, phony smile. "Sure. That sounds great."

When Sandy entered Owen's studio, the first thing she saw was a pile of fliers sitting on the floor. Some were ripped, and others had tape or staples in them.

"What's going on?" she asked, picking up one of the fliers. It was advertising their gig the next day at the Caboose.

Owen stood up from his spot on the floor, amidst the fliers, and sighed. "They made me take them all down."

Sandy furrowed her eye brows in confusion. "What?"

"The guy from the Caboose called me today. He said that we can't advertise our gig to high school students," Owen explained.

"Why not?" She knelt down to help him with the mess.

"Even though we're allowed to play there we can't let our friends in. The Caboose is an over 18 club."

Loud shouts echoed through the thin walls of the Booth house.

"I've never heard them fight like this," Glory whispered solemnly. She, Garrett, and Grant were huddled in Glory's bedroom while their parents argued.

"I know, I had a feeling Dad wasn't going to take this losing thing very well," Garrett commented.

Grant waved his hand for them to be quiet. He stood at the door, his ear pressed against the wood, trying desperately to hear. "I think it has more to do with the election," Grant told his siblings.

"What is it then?" Glory asked, not sure if she really wanted to hear this.

Grant listened for another moment. "I think it has something to do with money."

"What about it? We've never been strapped for cash," Garrett said. "I mean, we live in Swans Crossing."

Grant left the door and turned to Glory and Garrett. "Well guys, I think we're about to find out what it's like to not be rich."

Glory looked away, and held on to her stuffed bear even tighter.

The color drained from Garrett's face. "You mean... we're poor?"

Swans was pretty deserted when Neil, Carolyn, and J.T. walked in. They sat down at a table and waited for the waitress to come over and take their order.

"Well, we can order whatever we want. Two-hundred sodas!" Carolyn exclaimed, waving the menu in the air. "It's on me."

J.T. smiled. "We never have to worry about cash flow again."

"Set for the rest of our lives!" Neil said, giving J.T. a high five. "UB2B finally paid off."

"Not to mention the fact that we are going to be famous. Soon Adams and Atwater will be household names," J.T. stated proudly. Carolyn crossed her arms and scowled at him. "Smith too," he added sheepishly.

"That's better," she said with a laugh.

"And I'm glad I don't have to spend a lot of my own money on this Homecoming thing. I can leave that up to NASA," Neil joked.

J.T. looked at his friend in surprise. "What? Since when are you going to Homecoming?"

Neil stared down at the table top. "Well, I uh..." he stuttered.

"Come on Bucky Ball, who's the lucky lady?" J.T. probed.

Neil glanced up, but couldn't look J.T. in the eye. "Glory."

"I can't believe that this might not be the right place," Captain Walker said into the telephone, sighing loudly. "It's going to look suspicious to Callie if we leave again."

He was silent a moment, listening to the person on the other end of the line. "Well, I most certainly hope so!" he exclaimed.

The front door creaked open, and Callie stepped in. "Look, I have to go," Captain Walker said, and immediately hung up the phone.

"Who was that?" Callie asked.

"No one," Captain Walker replied quickly. "So how was your evening?"

Callie thought back to the scene in the store, seeing Jimmy there. What is he doing in Brazil? she kept asking herself. For a moment she allowed herself to imagine he was here to see her. But after the way he accepted Ana's telephone number so nonchalantly she knew it was a coincidence that he was here. All just a coincidence.

"It was fine," she said shortly, and then headed over to bedroom. Maybe there she could forget about all these problems.

The answering machine on J.T.'s desk was blinking when he arrived home. He pressed the button, and heard that Mila needed to speak to him right away. He picked up the phone, sat down on his hammock, and dialed her telephone number.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hey Mila, it's J.T. What's up?" he greeted her.

She was quiet for a moment. "J.T., I don't think we should see each other anymore," she blurted out.

"What?" he asked, completely blown away. He hadn't expected her to say this. "Why?"

"It's just not working out. I know you still have feelings for Glory, and I think this would be for the best," Mila explained.

"Oh, okay," he said slowly, still very confused.

"Look, I have to go," she told him, and quickly hung up the phone. J.T. listened to the dial tone for a little while, and then dialed another phone number.

"Hello Carolyn?" he said. "How would you like to go to Homecoming next weekend?"

Sydney eagerly paced the ground at No Man's Land. She had woken up to the sight of the Fabian shade, and had rushed out to meet Garrett.

"Sydney?" he called when he appeared on the other side of the wall.

"Garrett," she answered, walking up to the hole in the wall to meet him.

"Look, I just wanted to apologize for the way I treated you on the phone the other day," Garrett said sincerely.

"Garrett Booth... apologizing?" she teased.

He reached through the hole and took her hand. "Yeah, I'm apologizing. I'm sorry, Sydney."

"It's okay. I forgive you." They smiled at each other, and held hands for a few minutes. Sydney was thrilled, and began fantasizing about their date that night, at Sandy's gig. But Garrett had other things on his mind. He couldn't help but wonder how he was going to tell wealthy, powerful Sydney Rutledge that he was now poor.

"What did you want us here for, Sandy?" Mila asked when Glory, Sydney, Nancy, and Sandy arrived at Mila's house.

Sandy paced nervously. "Well, I have some bad news about tonight."

"What is it?" Glory questioned her.

"The owners of the Caboose called Owen. They said you guys can't come see us play," Sandy told them with disappointment.

"Why not?" Sydney asked. "I was really looking forward to going."

"Maybe in three years," Sandy said.

"What?"

"You have to be eighteen. We can't go." All the girls groaned, but a devious smile spread across Sydney's face.

Nancy immediately recognized the look. "Uh-oh Sydney, what are you planning?"

Sydney darted over to Mila's vanity table, grabbed some make-up and then turned back to her friends. "By the end of this afternoon we will be eighteen... at least to those bouncers!"

The next morning Callie had to literally drag herself out of bed. It had been so hard to get to sleep the previous night. She just kept seeing Jimmy's face, and kept wondering why he was here in Brazil. When she had finally drifted off to sleep, she had dreamt of him. It had been a really wonderful dream, and she woke up able to still feel the warmth of being near him. But as soon as she realized she had a dream about Jimmy, she got angry at herself. It's over! she had to tell herself over and over. He doesn't care about you... and you don't care about him. She wasn't sure if that was really true, but it made things easier if she pretended it was. The one thing she had learned from her short relationship with him was that it wasn't worth it. Nothing is forever. Especially not in her life.

Her father wasn't home, which Callie found strange. This was the first time in a very long time he had had a regular job, and she wasn't used to waking up and having him at work. But, being alone was comforting, and she flopped on the couch. She turned on the TV set, and committed herself to watching a Brazilian soap opera, which was called a Novella. It wasn't very interesting, but it kept her mind of things for a little while.

The phone rang, and she lazily reached for it. "Hello?" she said.

"Hi Callie, it's Pedro," he told her in a happy voice.

Callie tried to muster some excitement in hearing him on the phone, but it was difficult. It wouldn't be if it was.... Stop it! she yelled at herself, and then gave Pedro an enthusiastic hello.

"I was just calling to see what you're doing tonight," he explained.

"I'm not doing much of anything," she replied.

"Well, Ana and I have a question for you. We were wondering if you would like to go to a movie with me, my sister, and that guy we met in the store. The friend of yours from Swans Crossing."

Callie's mouth went dry. "Jimmy?" she whispered.

"Yeah, that's the guy. So what do you say?"

"Um..." She racked her brain for an excuse. "I don't know, I don't think it's a very good idea. I mean, uh, I think my dad wanted to spend some time with me tonight."

"Actually, our fathers both have to work late tonight, so I don't think he'll mind," Pedro said.

"Oh," Callie replied, not disguising the disappointment in her voice. "I guess I can go then."

"Great!" Pedro exclaimed. "We'll pick you up at around eight."

"Yeah," Callie echoed. "Great."

The air outside the Caboose was charged with excitement. Glory bounced on the heels of her feet, trying to keep warm. The fall air was crisp, and she hadn't brought a coat. It would have ruined the outfit Sydney had lent her. With the short, black slip dress, dark red lipstick, and her shorter hair Glory did look quite a bit older. And she also looked like she did at the beginning of the school year, when she tried her makeover, the one that had failed to make J.T. fall for her again.

"Are you cold?" a voice from behind her asked. She whipped around, and saw J.T. standing there.

"No," she answered, although she couldn't stop shivering. He gave her a half smile, and slowly handed her his sports jacket.

"J.T., you don't have to do that," she said softly.

"I know," he replied. "I want to."

Glory accepted the jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. "Won't Mila get angry?" she asked.

He was silent a moment. "No, Mila and I aren't...." his voice trailed off. "We're not together anymore."

"Oh," she said, although inside she was ready to jump for joy. Sydney and Garrett's plan had worked! "So, uh, who are you going to Homecoming with?"

J.T. grew very uncomfortable. "Uh, Carolyn Smith. From the University."

Glory took a deep breath, trying to quickly recover from this news about Carolyn.

"Look, I'll see you inside, I have to talk to Neil." J.T. disappeared into the crowd gathered around the club entrance.

Glory sighed with happiness... and sadness. She started playing with the necklace she was wearing, and it snapped in half. "Yikes!" she exclaimed. "I must have been tugging on this pretty hard." She reached into the inside pocket of J.T's blazer, and placed the necklace inside. Her hand brushed up against something soft, and out of curiosity she pulled it out.

It was a piece of white fabric. Her eyes flooded with happy tears when she saw it. It was the handkerchief she had given J.T. at the beginning of the summer. He had promised to keep it with him, always. And from the looks of it, he had kept his promise.

The movie theater lobby was bustling with activity. It was Saturday night, and it seemed like everyone had the same idea that Pedro and Ana had had when they planned the double date. The crowd, however, was comforting to Callie. All the happy people talking and laughing managed to replace all the thoughts running through her mind.

"I'm going to go get us some food," Jimmy said to no one in particular, but Callie could tell the comment was directed towards Ana.

"I'll come with you," Ana offered, trotting after him.

As soon as Jimmy walked up to the concession counter, he began mindlessly ordering food. He didn't really care what he was buying, as long as it got him away from Callie with her new boyfriend.

"You sure like a lot of food," Ana commented, stepping closer to him.

"It's for everyone," Jimmy muttered.

She snuggled against the sleeve of his denim shirt. "Generous too," she remarked.

From across the lobby, Callie's face was burning. She couldn't stand to watch the two of them together for one second, let alone an entire night of this. All she wanted to do was go home, and try and convince herself that Jimmy Clayton didn't matter to her anymore.

"Look at all the food Jimmy bought us," Ana said with a laugh as the two of them returned to the group.

Callie stole a glance at the large tub of popcorn, gigantic sodas, and huge boxes of candy he was carrying. "Wow," she had to mutter. She had never actually gone to a movie with Jimmy back at home.

Jimmy looked slightly annoyed. "I bought it for everyone, okay?" he said testily.

"Let's go inside," Pedro suggested quickly, sensing that everyone was tense. The four teens groped their way through the already crowded dark theater to try and find seats. As soon as they found a row, they all sat down: Ana on the aisle seat, Jimmy next to her, Callie next to Jimmy, and Pedro next to Callie.

Jimmy's heart started racing when he sat down next to Callie. He hadn't arranged for it to be that way, it had just happened like that. The movie started, and it came to his attention that it was a foreign film. Great, he thought to himself. I have to be in this awkward situation all night, and I can't even pretend to be interested in the movie!

Callie peeked over at Jimmy a second time, and noticed he was trying hard to read the subtitles, a difficult feat from the distance they were sitting at. She, however, knew a little of the Portuguese language, so she could concentrate slightly on the plot. It was hard though, knowledge or not, with him sitting so close to her. She could almost feel the heat from his body because of their closeness. No matter how angry she was at him right now, it was so comforting for him to be physically so near... although mentally he was as far away as could be.

Jimmy looked sideways at Callie, and out of the corner of his eye he could see Pedro slide his arm around her. He felt his stomach drop at the sight, and Callie did nothing to stop him. It was almost as if she didn't even notice it was there. Maybe I should just go back to Swans Crossing, Jimmy thought. It's pretty obvious to me that there's no way we can repair the damage done to our relationship now. He turned his head slightly to look at her again, and at the same time Callie glanced at him. Their eyes locked together for a split second, a second both of them cherished and feared at the same time. They quickly looked back at the movie screen... and didn't dare to look at each other again for the rest of the night.

Sydney was the first of her friends to approach the bouncer in front of the club. She tried walking right past him. She had read somewhere that if she looked like she belonged there she would get in.

"Wait a minute!" the bouncer exclaimed, gruffly pulling her back. "Where's your ID?"

Sydney tossed her head. "I never carry it. Everyone knows who I am."

"Well I don't," he said, folding his arms in front of his muscular chest.

Sydney held out a hand gingerly. "Sydney Orion Rutledge. As in Mayor Rutledge. My mother might like to hear about the discrimination your club is practicing... it may drive you out of business. My mother's very powerful."

The bouncer looked unhappy, but ushered Sydney and all her friends through the door with out any more hassle.

"We're in!" Sydney shouted triumphantly. They all split up to mingle in the crowd, and waited for the rest of their friends to play their set in the crowded, smoky little club.

The crowd began to cheer when Sandy, Mila, and Owen appeared on the stage. Sandy picked up the microphone from the stand, introduced the band, and started to sing. She started with "I'll Hold You Up" since that was the song being played on WSCR radio. As soon as the music began, the crowd started dancing, hollering, and getting into the music.

"This is so great!" Sydney shouted over the music to Garrett, who was dancing with her.

"I know, nobody here knows us, we can hang out together without anyone bothering us about being together," Garrett agreed.

Sydney laughed. "Yeah, I'd be pretty worried if any of Mother's friends hung out here!"

His expression became serious. "But we are going to tell her when we walk off the field together after the Homecoming game, right?"

"Of course," she assured him. "That is, if you win."

Garrett smiled. "Right. Hey, do you want something to drink?"

"I would love something," Sydney replied, smiling back at him. He made his way through the crowd to the bar, and she stared after him. Her heart was beating hard from all the excitement, and the happiness she was feeling from being with Garrett in public. It was a sensation she had never really experienced with Garrett in their previous relationship.

"But this time," she said out loud, "this time it's going to be different."

"What's going to be different?" a voice asked from behind her.

"Oh nothing," she told the man standing before her, her face flushing from embarrassment. She hadn't meant for anyone to overhear her.

The man smiled, realizing he had embarrassed her. "Aren't you a little young to be in a club like this?"

Sydney tried to keep her cool. She certainly didn't want anyone to tell the owners of the club that there were a bunch of underage kids there. "How old do I look?" she questioned him cautiously.

He gave her a grin. "Well, I would say you're around sixteen, although with the outfit and makeup I can see how they let you in."

"How did you get to be so perceptive?" she asked coyly.

The man smiled again. Sydney noticed he had a very charming smile. "Well, I'm a psych major, and I am also pre-med."

"Pre-med. Very impressive." Sydney glanced over her shoulder, wondering what was taking Garrett so long. She didn't mind the man's company, and it would make her feel sort of important if Garrett got jealous from the innocent conversation. But another part of her wanted to keep things honest. She and Garrett had played so many games in their lifetime, and this time she wanted things to be easier for them. "What's your name?" she asked the man.

"Danathan," he answered. "My name is Danathan Hartfield. And you are?"

"Sydney," she told him, not offering up her last name. He for sure would recognize the last name Rutledge.

A flicker of recognition flashed in Danathan's dark brown eyes. "You're Sydney Rutledge, the mayor's daughter... aren't you?"

"Well... yes," she said softly. "But look, my mother would kill me if she knew I was here..."

Danathan smiled. "Don't worry," he assured her. "I was in high school once too."

Sydney looked up, and saw Garrett heading in their direction. "Um, it was really nice to meet you," she told Danathan. "But I really have to go." She quickly excused herself, and went to meet Garrett. She was acutely aware of the fact Danathan stared after her the entire time.

Sandy, Owen, and Mila began "Over You" and many couples on the dance floor began slow dancing.

"Glory?" J.T. said, slowly approaching her.

"Yes?" she answered, her voice raising several octaves.

"Would you like to dance?"

I can't believe he just asked me that! she thought to herself, becoming giddy with excitement.

"I would like that," she accepted, and he took her gently into his arms. "Are you just doing this because you no longer have Mila?" she asked as they danced to the soft, romantic music.

"No!" he exclaimed quickly. "Of course not."

"Then why are you all of a sudden paying attention to me again? I don't want to be second to Mila Rosnovsky," Glory told him firmly.

"I know. Glory, you never were. I don't know what happened between us. I guess I just sort of liked the attention I got from Mila," J.T. explained.

"So are you saying I never paid attention to you?" she questioned him sharply.

"No! Mila just had a true appreciation for me, my poetry. You just let Garrett steal it from me," he said, his tone of voice becoming defensive.

"You know how Garrett is," Glory reminded him.

J.T. sighed, and then looked into her eyes. "The fact is that I still really care about you."

"I wish you would stop. We can't just pretend that things are like they were because they're not." Glory could feel a lump rising in her throat. "You stopped talking to me all of a sudden and started seeing Mila. And now, we're both going to Homecoming with other people."

"And it makes me so jealous that you're going with Neil!" he admitted.

Glory tried to fight the urge to smile. And I'm jealous that you're going with Carolyn, she thought to herself, but said nothing.

"Can't we just try to fix things?" he asked. "I've missed you."

I've missed you too, Glory wanted to say, but instead she said, "I don't know how things could ever be the same."

J.T. stopped dancing with her, and looked straight into Glory's eyes. "Then just tell me one thing. Do you still love me... or not?"

Chapter Twenty-Three

Glory's heart pounded so loudly, so hard at J.T.’s forthright question, that she couldn't hear the loud music playing in the club over it. "J.T., I don't think that matters," she whispered.

"Just answer the question Glory... do you still love me?" he asked, his voice full of emotion.

She pulled out of his embrace, and stared at him. Her eyes filled with tears. Of course she still loved him... she loved everything about him. The way he smiled, the way his dark wavy hair sometimes hung in his blue eyes. The way his face lit up when he worked with Neil, and the way he looked so shy and unsure of himself when he read Glory his poetry. She opened her mouth... wanting those intense feelings to be able to spill forth, but nothing came out. No matter how much she cared about him, the way he treated her still felt fresh in her mind.

"I'm sorry J.T., but it wouldn't be fair to either of us if I answered that question." Glory took one last look at him, into his longing, sad eyes, and then ran off... before he noticed the tears streaming down her face.

J.T. wanted to run after her, and he called her name into the crowd. But no one heard him... and he was left all alone.

"What a night..." Callie muttered to herself, stepping into the dark living room. She quickly groped around for the light... she hated being in the dark. The events of the evening were enough to make her want to cry, but after leaving Swans Crossing she felt like she had no tears left. Just an empty, hollow feeling.

She glanced up at the glaring red light on the clock... it read 11:05. It wasn't too late, and she certainly wasn't tired, but she felt physically exhausted after the double date from hell. She wasn't sure if Pedro and Ana had noticed the tension, but it was thick enough to be cut with a knife. Jimmy had barely spoken a word to her, and when he did it felt forced and unnatural. She wasn't sure what had happened to their knack for communicating, but it seemed as if it had gone up in smoke with the rest of their relationship.

And then there was Pedro. He was nice, gentlemanly, and he sincerely enjoyed Callie's company... but he wasn't Jimmy. She felt incredibly bad for Pedro because she knew in her heart she wasn't as interested as he was. But she honestly didn't have the energy to end whatever was going on, just as she had no energy to make an effort in the "relationship".

Callie trudged over to her bedroom, her heart heavy. She was really worried. After the double date, Pedro had taken her home, and Jimmy had taken Ana home. She wondered what was going on right now....

"I had a really wonderful time tonight," Ana commented when she and Jimmy arrived on her porch.

"Yeah, me too," Jimmy replied, his voice emotionless.

She stepped in closer to him. "We really should do this again sometime," she suggested with a smile.

He shrugged. "Okay."

Ana looked slightly annoyed for a minute, but then smiled again to cover it up. "You know, my brother has been dying to go to this dance club they just opened in town for teens. You, Pedro, Callie, and I could go there this weekend. What do you say?"

Another double date with Callie and Pedro? he asked himself with disgust. Although Pedro was a fairly nice guy, it pained Jimmy to see Callie and him together, and it was all he could do to restrain himself from clobbering him. He had to remind himself over and over that Callie was free to do whatever she wanted. And so am I, he reminded himself. "Yeah," he told Ana with false enthusiasm. "I think it would be great!"

She grinned. "Okay, well I will see you then."

"Okay," Jimmy replied. There was a long, awkward silence. He knew what was supposed to happen now. Ana thought Callie and Jimmy were just friends, and that he was interested in her. They had just had a supposed "wonderful" time, and now, from the look in her eyes, she was expecting a good night kiss.

Ana leaned closer to him, and Jimmy reluctantly obliged. He didn't want to do this, but maybe if he kissed her he could forget about Callie for five minutes...

Just as they were about to kiss, Pedro came walking up the steps, back from taking Callie home.

"I'll see you later!" Jimmy said quickly, backing away from Ana, relieved for the interruption. He took off back towards Johnny's house, and tried to forget about this strange evening.

As soon as Sydney saw Garrett coming towards her in the club, she quickly pushed the conversation with Danathan out of her mind. Danathan was incredibly handsome, but he was older, and besides... she had Garrett.

"Hi!" she greeted him with a smile.

Garrett smiled back, and handed her a plastic cup full of coke. "Here you go," he said.

Sydney downed the drink, and then laughed. "Come on Booth, we should dance!" He finished his coke as well, and then grabbed her hand. They began moving to the music, which was now a fast song. "You know," Sydney began, "Homecoming is really soon... should be pretty fun, huh?"

Garrett tried not to let Sydney see his discomfort. He had no idea how he was going to afford to take Sydney to homecoming, being that his family was now broke.

"It will be just like tonight, but we'll be all dressed up," she continued, and lowered her eyes. "More romantic," she added shyly.

"Right," Garrett replied slowly. He wanted to encourage her, it made him feel good that she wanted to be romantic with him, but he had so much on his mind.

"I was thinking, we ought to go to dinner at Giconies," Sydney mentioned casually as they danced.

Giconies? Garrett thought to himself dreadfully. Of course Sydney would want to go to the most expensive restaurant in the known universe, a posh Italian cafe on the outskirts of Swans Crossing. "Uh, okay. That would be really nice."

"I'm so excited!" she squealed. "We are going to have the best time!"

Garrett nodded, and studied her face. She was grinning from ear to ear, and had a sparkle in her green eyes. He sighed. There was no way he was going to be able to tell her that he and his family had lost a severe amount of money in the election. No way.

Sandy walked down the hall of Swans Crossing High on Monday morning, wearing a bright smile. As soon as she walked into the parking lot she was ambushed by a crowd of students, all having heard about her gig at the Caboose on Saturday. "An eighteen plus club?" they all said incredulously. "That is beyond cool!" Then they asked her what it was like, none of them had ever been there... but they had heard the stories. Sandy had become a SCH legend over night.

"Hi Sydney, hi Nancy," she greeted her friends who were standing next to Nancy's locker.

"Hey Sandy," Sydney said coolly. "What's up?"

Sandy smiled. "I could barely get in the door today! Everyone wanted to know about our gig at the Caboose."

"Why?" Nancy asked pointedly.

"Because, they were wondering what it was like to be at an eighteen plus club," Sandy answered.

"We were there, no one has asked us anything," Sydney stated.

Sandy shrugged. "Guess no one knew you were there," she remarked nonchalantly. Then she saw Saja coming up the hall. She waved, and he came up to the group.

"Come on Sandy, I'll walk you to class," Saja told her, and the two linked arms and walked away.

Sydney and Nancy stared after Sandy in disbelief. Even though she was still the same person, her new found fame had given her a new attitude. She wasn't as awkward and unsure of herself, and she walked through the halls with Saja, stopping to talk to people with an air of confidence about her.

"Who was that?" Nancy joked.

Sydney continued to look down the hallway. "It certainly wasn't Sandy Swan."

During lunch Garrett and Saja went down to the Tool n' Die because they had agreed to watch it for Jimmy. Once they got there Garrett took off his helmet and opened the door.

Saja let out a low whistle. "This place is a mess!" he commented, seeing the piles of engine parts and unfinished projects.

"Looks like Clayton didn't make this easy for us," Garrett added, but Saja didn't respond. He was on his hands and knees trying to pick up a carburetor he had dropped on the floor.

"Whoops," he said sheepishly.

Garrett gathered the mess on one end of the table in a quick sweep. "There," he remarked, brushing off his hands. "We're done."

Saja stood up. "Should we fix anything?"

"Nah," Garrett replied. "Jimmy will get to it when he comes back."

Saja nodded in agreement. "I wonder how things are going in Brazil for him?"

"For his sake I hope it will all work out," Garrett answered, and then continued, relating his thoughts out loud. "But sometimes girls are more trouble than they're worth."

"Sandy told me things were going well between you and Sydney. Is there trouble in paradise?"

Garrett sighed. "Well, yes and no. Do you promise not to say anything?"

"Of course. I assure you that I won't tell anyone. Secrets are the key to a clean soul. If we don't tell anyone our problems, our secret desires, then they will become all consuming. You see..." Saja began.

Garrett rolled his eyes. "And I thought you were over all that mamba jamba talk. Listen, just promise you won't tell anyone."

"I promise," he said simply.

"Well, my family has lost a lot of money, and I don't know how to tell Sydney."

Saja looked taken aback. "You're poor?"

Things were looking a little less gloomy after Glory left her English class. She had been having a very distracting day, still replaying the scene with J.T. at the Caboose that weekend over and over again. But her attention had been diverted from J.T. when she went to English class. She really liked her teacher and the discussion had been very interesting. In addition to that it was her last class of the day, and she was off to cheerleading practice. The squad only had a few days to prepare for the homecoming field show.

Glory reached her locker, and tossed in her books. She pulled out her yellow, black, and white pompoms, and a note fell out from the bottom locker shelf.

With a shaky hand, Glory unfolded the piece of paper and began reading it. From the first line she recognized the handwriting. It was from J.T. Glory,

"I know that there is a chance you will never forgive me for what I did to you. I never meant to hurt you, you are the bright spot in my life. Even when I was with Mila, I wanted so badly to be with you. Although I know you are upset, I hope you realize that I will forever regret what I did, and hope you will forgive me."

J.T.

Tears welling in her eyes, Glory refolded the letter, took a deep breath, and put it back in the locker. She didn't know what to make of it, and just couldn't deal with it. Not yet.

Humming to herself, Sydney walked over to the Booth's house. Garrett and Glory weren't home, but she had been assured that Grant would be there, sitting on the front porch.

"Hi Grant!" Sydney called cheerfully. He was sitting on the porch swing, reading the newspaper.

"Hey Sydney," he responded.

"So are you enjoying your vacation?" she asked.

Grant shrugged, and figured to keep the hardships his family was going through a secret. "It's been pretty good," he lied.

"Well, have you thought any more about the homecoming dance?" she questioned bluntly.

He laughed. "Why are you so persistent?"

She smiled at him. "I have my reasons," she answered mysteriously.

Grant thought a moment, and then nodded. "Yeah, I think I have made a decision."

Sydney clapped her hands together. "That's great news! Anyway, I better get going. I was just on my way home."

"Okay," he agreed. She started walking across the lawn to her property. "See you later Sydney!" he added.

Sydney hurried into her house to call Mila. She was going to be thrilled!

For the third time, Callie glanced down at the newspaper. She had been trying to read an article on the front page for several minutes, but every time she began to read her mind drifted off and she lost her place. It wasn't as if the article was interesting, in fact quite the contrary. Callie just wanted something to do. It seemed as though when she moved to Brazil she didn't go out as much or do things as often as she had when she lived in Swans Crossing. She stood up from her spot on the sofa, where she had been for a majority of the day. She almost wished that it was the school year so she would have something to do.

Callie glanced out the window, and saw that it was sunny outside. I guess I could use some fresh air, she thought to herself. She walked out the front door, and immediately regretted it. It was hot and incredibly humid, so much so that when she stepped outside she could literally feel the air. Brazil in the spring was much hotter than Swans Crossing had been in the summer, and nearly everyday Callie was forced to wear shorts, something she was not entirely comfortable with.

She made her way down a grassy path, towards the ocean. She lived very close to the shore, and felt a little cooler once she reached the water's edge. Pulling off her sandals, Callie waded through the lapping waves, letting some of her troubled thoughts slip away at the soothing sensation.

Meanwhile, Jimmy was also leaving Johnny's house. He had just gotten the message that his brother was going to be working late in the darkroom. "Have dinner without me!" Johnny had said cheerfully. Jimmy, however, felt very alone in the big house, and decided to get some fresh air. Johnny hadn't had time to show him around very much, so he was wandering around, pretty unsure of where he was going. As soon as he found his way to the shore he noticed a figure a few yards away, wading in the water.

Jimmy walked closer to the figure, and then was hit with the realization that it was Callie. I didn't know we lived this close to each other! he thought to himself. His first instinct was to turn and walk away, but he was drawn towards her. He desperately wanted to fix things with her, and seeing her there, standing knee deep in water, he couldn't turn away even if he tried.

Callie turned around, and then stood paralyzed with fear as she faced him. They stared at each other without a word, not sure what to say.

Garrett walked into the kitchen slowly, unsure of what to say. His father sat at the oak dining room table, hunched over a stack of papers. He was punching numbers into a calculator, his face looking flustered.

"Dad?" Garrett asked tentatively.

Mr. Booth looked up. "Yes?"

"Look, I uh, I know everything that's going on around here. The money and all," Garrett said, his voice faltering.

"Uh huh," his father muttered distractedly.

"I was just wondering how bad this whole thing is," Garrett concluded.

"And why were you wondering that?" Mr. Booth questioned him testily.

Garrett drew in a deep breath. "I want to know if it’s possible for me to go to homecoming this year."

Mr. Booth looked back at the grim number on the calculator display. "Garrett," he began, sounding a little more empathetic, "I know you're in high school, and this kind of stuff is important to you. But I just don't see how it's possible to afford it this year. We really need to watch our money until I am reinstated at Booth Construction."

Garrett looked at his father in confusion. "What do you mean? You created Booth construction. Why can't you just hire yourself back?"

"It's not that easy, Son," Mr. Booth replied vaguely.

"So homecoming's out?" he asked. Sydney is going to be devastated, he added to himself.

"Not entirely..." Mr. Booth said slowly.

"What do you mean?" Garrett inquired, recognizing the tone in his father's voice. It meant he had an idea.

"Well, you're fifteen now. That's certainly old enough to get a job."

Garrett felt a wave of dread wash over him. "A job?"

NEXT CHAPTER