**DISCLAIMER** The characters in this fiction are creations from the movie NOW AND THEN. Mr Peterson however, and future characters mentioned are my own. Read and Review Please!



Chrissy gazed up at the clock behind Mr Peterson and yawned. She could hear someone tapping their pen against the desk, watching the seconds tick by until three thirty. Checking her own, 'Hello Kitty' wristwatch to see if time moved any faster on that Chrissy groaned quietly to herself. Scribbling down the homework assignment Chrissy knew she, and the rest of the class would do as last minute as possible Chrissy dropped her pen and notebook into her backpack as the bell rang for the end of the day. Tearing out of the classroom and down the stairs towards locker number 137 she spun the combination into the lock, grabbed her textbooks and stuffed them into her backpack along with her creative writing materials and her mini disc player. Unwrapping a strawberry lollipop up Chrissy slammed her locker shut, and started to eat as she waited for the rest of her friends to join her. She could see Teeny heading towards her, singing along to her Walkman. Waving to her friend Chrissy pushed her backpack up higher and started to walk towards her just as Samantha came running around the corner, hugging Teeny from behind and making her jump. Chrissy erupted into laughter at the look on her friend's face as the headphones dropped from her ears and she turned and swiped a hand at Samantha's head. The three girls embraced in a group hug as they waited for Roberta to join them. They could hear her laugh as she approached and rushed to hug her tightly.

"No more school for two whole months!" Samantha hollered, her voice echoing around the almost deserted halls.

"Dang, keep it down and get outside," Roberta laughed, grabbing her friend by the hand and pulling her towards the school doors.

Chrissy and Teeny hurried after them, the four girls whooping and hollering with glee at the prospect of eight weeks freedom to do whatever they wanted. Sliding into Roberta's car they turned the stereo on full blast and pulled out of the parking lot, Roberta raising her middle finger at the desolate school building. Chrissy began to sing along with Kelly Rowland as they drove towards The Gaslight Addition, their neighbourhood that was filled with families, mostly kids from school, including Roberta's boyfriend Scott. The girls had lived their all their lives; four best friends whose houses were within safe walking distance.

"Will you shut up," Roberta hollered from the driver's seat, reaching out to change the radio station until Good Charlotte blasted from the stereo.

Chrissy scowled, thinking back to a few summers ago to when the four friends had believed they had brought the spirit of a young boy back to life. Even back then Roberta had been the bossy one, the self appointed leader of the group. And now nothing was different. Roberta was still the leader, deciding when and where they would go places, Teeny was still star- struck, and took part in every school production, Samantha was still into science fiction and although she had given up on seances and ouji boards she still took every chance she got to try and convince people that there was life on other planets. And Chrissy, still the girliest one of the group, not very clued up about sex and not willing to try it until she was married. Labelled a prude by the guys at school she had learned, mostly by following Roberta's instructions, not to let people push her around.

As the girls pulled into The Gaslight Addition they promised to meet up outside Teeny's house at seven thirty in order to go to Scott's "schools out for the summer" party that his parents didn't know he was having. Hugging each of her friends in turn, Chrissy walked slowly around to her empty house where she unlocked the door and went up into her bedroom. Laying down on her back, sprawled across her double bed, she thought about all the past summers she had shared with Roberta, Teeny and Samantha and hoped this one would be as good. But with a sinking feeling she knew it wouldn't be the same. This year, things would change.