Summary: They had known they'd be split up one day, so they made a promise at the first crossroads: to meet once more before giving in to the chains of adulthood. For one last weekend, they would be together again. (Written for the anniversary of "The Weekenders")

Disclaimer: Fun fact- These disclaimer thingys don't actually do anything for you legally. That being said, I do not own, and have never owned The Weekenders. Why would I be writing this if I did? Any and all claims made by the characters, narrator, or formatting conventions of this fic are non-canonical unless verified in an official The Weekenders episode.

A/N: I recently re-discovered this series, having loved it when I was a kid. Going through all the episodes obsessively has been a huge journey of nostalgia, and I was quite sad when it was over. As stated in the summary, this is written for the 11th anniversary of The Weekenders' airing.

The Weekenders, Episode 78+x : One Last Weekend Part 1, "Regrets"

"We all walk different paths in life, all paved by the metronomic tick of the clock. Lead by time, our paths wind and twist in a constant motion towards a single, final destination. Lead by time, we move quickly, reaching a crossroads where we must diverge from our roots and friends. For the four of us, the first crossroads was college. We knew that even after a decade as best friends, time wouldn't let us last forever, yet we refused to resign our relationship to erosion. This is why we promised to meet again today as we always had back then. One weekend, frozen in time."

Friday, November 11th, 2011 | 7:00 am | Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

People have all sorts of reasons to take a plane trip, but it was quite clear to the passing traveler that not many had reason to fly from Los Angeles to Hawaii on this particular Friday morning. Of course, this would probably be an unfair assessment—the plane had just landed and there was still quite a bit of time before it was to depart again. Still, it was fair to note that the gate was practically deserted as the boarding doors opened and a stream of people hobbled out.

Among the weary travelers was the recent college graduate, Tino Tonitini. The young man was clearly having trouble carrying both his backpack and rolling suitcase, each one over-packed and ready to burst at the seams. This could have easily been avoided, but Tino had decided that over-packing was preferable to forgetting to bring something home with him. Therefore, it must be hoped that no one was to remind him of the potential for back injuries later in life.

Of course, even if someone did remind him, it was doubtful that he'd worry too much on this particular morning. After all, he was about to be reunited with his old best friends, and no one meant more to Tino than the three friends he had spent his childhood with…well, except for his parents. True, his college friends were fun—he had spent the months since graduation hanging out with them in Hawaii, where he had attended the university—but none of them could compare to Lor, Carver, and Tish.

As he walked through the airport, stopping only to retrieve his two even-more fully stuffed suitcases from the baggage claim, Tino couldn't help but let his mind drift into the past, to the memories of hundreds of weekends spent with his friends in Bahia Bay. It was then that he remembered a certain activity from his childhood, something he used to do quite often back when he was twelve, even letting his friends join in at times.

"Well, why not…" Tino said to himself, smiling as he began:

"Hey, Tino here! I know it's been a while, but I haven't forgotten about you! Ok…so I did, but I'm here now right? A lot has happened since last time, but I'll fill you in later. Point is, I've been looking forward to this weekend for a long time!'

"In case you haven't caught on, this will be the first time that Carver, Lor, Tish, and I will be together since we left Bahia Bay for college! Sure, I've seen each of them individually during the summers and stuff…like I saw Tish and Carver a couple years ago, and Lor was here for winter break that one time…but it's never been all of us at once. You know, I have a feeling that that's how we'll be from now on, what with jobs, Tish going to grad school, stuff like that…so that's why this'll have to be a weekend to cherish! Ouch, that definitely sounded dorky; I seem to have lost my touch over the years."

"Tino, over here!" a tall man, whom Tino recognized immediately, was waving at him. Tino lumbered over with his bags to meet him.

"Hey, let me give you a hand with that. You might break your back!"

"Thanks Dixon. And, oh my gosh, you're right! I can feel my vertebral column cracking under the strain!"

Dixon chuckled to himself. The stepson he had grown to know and love was back, the same as ever. Tino got into the car, but paused for just a moment.

"Alright, we're Bahia Bay bound. I gotta go for now, but I guess I'll see you all in a few hours!"

OOOOOOOOOOO

Friday, November 11th, 2011 | 9:00 am | Tino's House, Bahia Bay, California

Tino's hometown had changed very little over the years. Among other things, the snack shack still sold all its classic items, and Funville was still "frightfully" popular (what with the clown head over the door and all). Of course, that one pizza place was always changing, and Tino could only guess at the themes its manager had come up with (some better than others) during his time out of town. He hadn't been back home nearly as much as he would've liked. That was the one problem with going to college in Hawaii; your parents always wanted to visit you during the breaks, not the other way around.

Even Tino's room remained (mostly) as he had left it; his mom hadn't gotten rid of his old things, nor let anyone move into his room…or if she did, she wasn't about to let him know about it! In either case, it looked like hardly a second had passed since he had left for college, though this may have been because the analog clock by his computer had stopped working during his first year away and now permanently read 4:33. Tino had never bothered to change the batteries when he was home for vacation as he had taken to wearing a watch, a quick glance at which told him that he would meet his friends again in a little over an hour.

Tino quickly got out of his travel clothes and took a short shower. He was rummaging through his closet (which, much to his annoyance, had been re-organized) when there was a knock at his door.

"Tino?" came the voice of his mom, opening the door just a crack.

"Wait, don't come in here yet!"

"Oh, sorry. Just wanted to see if you were hungry. I made those squid pancakes that you love."

Tino cringed, "Erk- right, 'love'…what dictionary are you using, exactly?"

"Just the thesaurus, I looked under 'antonyms'. Anyway, just come down when you're ready." His mom replied as she started back down the stairs.

"Hey wait!" Tino yelled. The footsteps stopped.

"Mom? Have you seen my blue shirt?"

There was a long pause.

"Uh, Tino, which blue shirt?" His mom asked.

At this point, Tino realized that most of his shirts were, in fact, blue. "Um…you know…the one with that was…uh…it had that- that…bluish color? Oh wait, the one with the stripes! That's it! Wait, never mind; here it is! Thanks mom!"

But his mom had already gone downstairs to set the table. She knew him too well. As Tino finished buttoning his shirt, he reached over to his desk calendar. Ripping out the old months, he finally came to the current day—which he had circled four years ago when his friends made a promise to see each other again. The time and place were clearly spelled out in red letters. Grinning excitedly, he left the calendar on the floor and ran downstairs.

OOOOO

"All right, what have you done with the real Tino?" Tino's mom asked jokingly, "You know, if I didn't know better, I'd think you actually liked my cooking."

"Mmmnrrrrngg, Mmnn Mnnnhh Mhhh!" Tino 'said' as he wolfed down the squid pancakes. No matter what color the pancakes were, he couldn't dawdle this morning if he wanted to make it to the big tree in time to meet his friends. Although strangely, the more he ate, the more he realized the squid pancakes were really not that bad…and then he came to his senses and perished the thought.

"You know, just because you're a legal adult now doesn't mean that you can talk with your mouth full like that."

"Mnnnhh Nmggnh," Tino responded, waving a hand in front of his face as he swallowed the last of his pancakes, "Sorry. I was saying that I was eating quickly because I was in a rush."

"You were eating quickly, because you were in a rush? Well that's just crazy talk. What for?"

"Didn't I tell you? I'm seeing my friends today!"

"Right now? But you just got back; don't you want to take a nap first?" said Tino's mom.

"Sorry, no can do. I have to be there on time, or else!"

"Because of a promise you made with them four years ago to meet up after graduation."

"Wow, you caught on quick."

"I'm your mom, it's what we do, but I had thought you were here for a job interview."

"Mom, that's next week."

"Oh, ok, well I suppose it sounds like fun. How are the three of them doing, anyway?"

"Well, I know that Tish is going to graduate school for English literature or something—she sent us all copies of her acceptance letter, that's how I know. Carver and Lor, though, I'm not really sure, but you know Carver, he's probably doing something shoe-related. And Lor, well-"

"You haven't spoken to them about today, have you?" Tino's mom interrupted, saying it more as a statement than a question.

"Well…no, not since we made the promise." admitted Tino. His mom looked like she was about to slap herself in the face, so Tino added "But don't worry about it mom, I trust them; they won't let me down."

"This is like looking in a mirror…" muttered Tino's mom to herself, "But you haven't even checked up with them at all? What about that social networking site?"

"What, that? Oh nonononononono, what with all the stalkers on there, I'd never join one of those things!"

"Uh huh. And that's precisely why I haven't been able to find your dad on it either...his wife tells me he's doing all right though. Anyway, I think it's great that the four of you are trying to meet up again after spending the past four years apart. I just hope that the others remember their promises as well."

"Thanks for the support, mom…" said Tino, "Wait, dad got re-married too?"

"Wow, you really have been living in a cave these past few years…" joked his mom, "I hope you don't mind me unpacking your suitcases while you're gone."

"Yeah, sure, go ahead." Said Tino, getting up and heading towards the door, "But you might want to make a list of where you put everything."

OOOOO

A little while later, Tino's mom went into her son's room to help him keep his stuff. As she moved the suitcases to the center of the room from over by the door, where Tino had left them, she spotted the calendar that her son had left on the floor. Seeing Tino's "promised reunion", November 11, 2011, circled and detailed in red, Tino's mom stopped and headed back downstairs, checking the time as she got into her car and drove away with a knowing look on her face.

OOOOOOOOOOO

Friday, November 11th, 2011 | 9:50 am | The Big Tree, Bahia Bay, California

"Hey, it's me again! I'm here, just sitting on the Big Tree. Are you excited? Because I sure am! I hope everyone remembered…but they have to have remembered…right? Well, since you're probably still wondering how this all came about, let's take a look at what happened back then…through the magic of the flashback."

The scene blurred in front of Tino, and he saw his friends, Tish, Lor, and Carver, as they were four years ago, all sitting together on a nearby branch. While they couldn't see him (as flashbacks don't work that way), they were waving towards his 18-year-old self, who was just approaching the tree.

Tino turned away from the scene for a moment:

"Hey, could we get the info ticker in here for a second, so everyone knows when this is?"

Friday, April 7th, 2007 | 4:30 pm | The Big Tree, Bahia Bay, California

"Thanks."

"Hey, Tino! Up here!" Carver called, obviously speaking to the 18-year-old Tino.

"Yeah I see ya, I'll be right up." He replied, quickly joining his friends on the branch, "So guys? What's the news? Good? Bad?" Asked Tino.

"Well…" Began Lor, "There's both."

They were referring to their college acceptance letters, which had just came in the mail that day.

"The good news is I got that basketball scholarship that I was going for!" Lor said, happily.

"Really! That scholarship? As in, the big one?" Tino asked, getting very excited for his friend's success.

"Yup, that's the one."

"Congratulations! I knew you could do it!"

"Thanks, Tino! Yeah, I was worried I'd have been stuck here instead of getting to go anywhere cool. What with eighteen, no, sixteen brothers? My parents needed all that money to have afforded any of the places I applied to." Lor wiped the sweat off her brow in relief, "Now I really will be able to see the whole world!"

"Lor, you're going to college in Nebraska." Carver pointed out, "That's not exactly 'the whole world'. Me? I got into all of my top picks! Not sure which one I'll go to though."

"That's great Carve! And, you Tish?"

"Um…well…" Tish hesitated.

"Oh come on, girl! All of us know that you were a shoe-in for Stanford; no need to be so disgustingly modest about it!" Lor interjected, to which Tish laughed.

"I? Disgustingly modest? I believe you're looking for a different Tish! But yes Tino, now you know."

"Wow…that's amazing! Not that I expected anything less from The Tish Katsufrakis. I mean, you've been preparing that resume of yours for years!" said Tino, "As for me, well, it looks like I'll be studying marine biology at the University of Hawaii."

"Really? That's great! Way to follow your dreams, dude!"

The older Tino chuckled to himself; he could tell his younger self was thinking of some sarcastic remark. That particular "dream" came about at some point during his junior year, though Tino couldn't remember how; he eventually figured the years of presentations at the aquatic life section at the zoo had finally caught up to him (and he wasn't about to give any credit to his mom's squid-based fudge). On the other hand, while he now was interviewing to teach biology at Bahia Bay High, Tino was now strongly considering a part-time job in counseling. After all, it sounded like something he'd be pretty good at, what with all the advice his mom had bestowed on him over the years. He even had begun to notice his own mind-reading abilities beginning to develop!

After group congratulations had been exchanged, Tino found the courage to ask about the bad news that Lor had mentioned. His friends' faces suddenly fell. Carver was the one who spoke, "Dude…think about it for a second."

Tino shrugged, "What's so bad about it? I mean, we each got what we wanted out of this…individually…"

The 18-year-old's eyes widened as the inherent meaning of "individually"dawned on him, "Oh my…what have we done!"

Lor sighed, "Told you he'd take it like this…"

"No, no, it's fine, I'm alright." Tino managed to say. He had actually been anticipating something like this happening ever since the group began looking outside Bahia Bay for colleges. He knew that none of them wanted to end up stuck at Bahia Bay Community College (especially not Tish, whose intellect would have been better served at a much more prestigious institution), but outside of their common location, their interests were completely different from each other. Tino eventually was forced to concede that separation had to happen someday.

The 18-year-old Tino cleared his throat, hesitating before speaking. As he had always been the most vehemently supportive of the group's unity, accepting this turn of events was much harder for him than for the others.

"Guys, I know it's sad to think about…" he paused, "…about this marking the beginning of the end for our group, especially for me. But…I know I wouldn't have it any other way…I'm happy for all of us in our individual accomplishments, and I know that we'll make the best of them. Even I knew that we would have to split up one day.'

"That's just how life works I guess. It's just that...just that…" he stammered, no longer able to pretend that he wasn't on the verge of tears.

"We understand, Tino…" Carver said, laying a hand on his friend's shoulder, "We've been through so much together over the years, and that makes separation even more painful."

"'This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong; to love that well which thou must leave ere long…'" Tish quoted solemnly.

"But it's not like we're not gonna see each other again right?" Lor offered, "We're not gonna stop being best friends or anything."

"Are you kidding?" Asked Tino, "Sure we'll still be friends…but adulthood divides people, Lor. I mean, my mom has pictures of her and her friends on her dresser. I had never realized it before, but she doesn't seem close to any of them now. Albeit her and dad did get divorced and Mrs. Phipps lives in Ohio, but Mrs. Duong and Coach Colson? They don't seem like much more than acquaintances to her now…"

"Really? Wait, she hung out with those people in school?" Asked Tish.

"Yeah, I know, pretty surprising, huh? They're all totally different from each other…just like us, and that's exactly my point!"

"Tino, didn't we go through this at some point before? Just because we're different from each other, doesn't mean we have to split up." Said Lor, unconvinced with Tino's case.

"Lor, sure, that's what we said when we were twelve. Look, I want to stay together as much as anyone here, possibly more, but it's clear that having differing interests as adults is what divides people. We'll still be friends, sure, probably even best friends, but we can't control the logistics."

"I think you've got a point there, Tino…" Carver said, "Eventually our lives will bring us to different places…we could be split by distance, or just have too much on our hands to see each other. We may be able to get together once in a while, but we won't be able to count on something as standard as a weekend to make it happen."

"But," Lor stated, "that doesn't mean we shouldn't still try."

"I agree with Lor," said Tish, "We can't just give up outright. I don't know how well we'll be able to keep in touch these next four years—I, for one, already have prospective summer internships lined up—but we might be able to get together after that."

"The word 'might' makes me uneasy…we should make it a promise." Said Lor.

"Ok, I agree," Tino replied, "It should be specific. Let's promise that, no matter what happens to us these next four years, that we'll meet at a specific time and place when it's all over and spend a weekend together, just like the old times."

"I see," said Tish, "This way, even if the chains of adulthood fully bind us and we never hang out together again, at least we'll be able to have one last weekend together."

"Ok, fine…" said Lor, "I'm still not convinced, but at least it's a start."

"Could we make the date easy to remember, for my sake?" Asked Carver.

Tish thought about it for a moment, drawing a mental calendar for herself, "All right, well we're all going to graduate in the class of 2011 so…how about this: let's promise, on our unbreakable word as friends, that we'll meet each other right here on Friday, November 11, 2011, at 11:11 am. Is that memorable enough?"

"Sure," said Carver, "I'll write it in my calendar just in case."

"We all should." Tino agreed, "So it's settled then. Anyway, we still have several months before we'll all be leaving, so let's make the best of our last continuous time together…starting tomorrow. Right now, I have to get home for dinner."

Holding their promise close at heart, the four friends began to climb down from the tree, each taking a different route on their way home. Only the older Tino remained sitting on the branch watching them leave.

"Ok, we can end the flashback now."

The scene blurred once again, though the only noticeable change aside from the lighting was the types of cars driving by on the streets, as past moved into present.

"Well, there you have it! Four years ago, we made the promise to meet each other again. And now it's finally that day. According to my watch…oh…no…it can't be…"

Tino's worst nightmare had become a reality: his watch now read 11:30, and his friends were nowhere to be seen! Frantically, he ran through all the possibilities in his head.

"M- maybe they're just late…but could they have really forgotten? No, that can't be possible! They have to just be late, they just have to be!"

Tino looked around frantically, but even with the great view the tree had always provided, he couldn't see his friends anywhere. He thought to check elsewhere, at his friends' houses or their other hangouts, but some smidgen of hope made him unwilling to leave the Big Tree.

Then, he spotted a payphone. Leaping down, he ran towards it and began dialing all his friends' numbers…at least, until he realized that he had never memorized them anyway due to the convenience of speed-dial.

"Curse you, modern technology!" Tino cried, slamming the phone back on the hook.

Finally, Tino found himself back at the Big Tree, this time seated on the nearby bench and almost in tears.

"P- perhaps I should've reminded them or something. Or maybe they just don't care about our friendship anymore…"

It was then, that he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw his mom sitting next to him.

"Wh- What! Mom? What are you doing here?" asked Tino in confusion.

"Oh, I just saw the little note you made on your calendar, and figured I'd come here in case you needed some advice."

"…Wow, mom." Said Tino, sighing, "Usually I'd complain about your mind-reading thing, but for once you have perfect timing…though I don't know what you'd say if I told you what happened."

His mom sighed in the same way as her son, "Tino…I do have some advice, and I know exactly what just happened. But…it has nothing to do with mind reading…"

Tino was in no spirit to say anything, even a sarcastic remark, and simply stared at the ground, though listening intently.

"I'm far from perfect, Tino, I just wanted you to know that. I know what happened to you today because it's almost exactly what happened between me and my friends many years ago."

This time, Tino's ears perked up. This was the first time his mom was talking about her old friends, and what happened between them. His mom caught on to his reaction easily, and explained:

"I didn't want to tell you this until you were ready. But now, looking at you and seeing my younger self staring right back, I know I have to tell you before you do anything foolish."

"What? What do you mean?"

"You've seen the pictures on my dresser, like the one with me and my old 'group': your dad, Adele Phipps, and Ned Colson? Well, we were all best friends through grade school—we later became friends with Gloria Duong after Adele left for Ohio—just like you, Lor, Carver, and Tish, but now…"

"I know, you guys barely even talk with each other anymore." Said Tino.

"I know you know," replied his mom, "and I have to blame myself for that."

Out of all the strange things that his mom had told him in the past, this shocked Tino like nothing else. He sat there with his jaw frozen open and his mind feeling like it had been put under a roller coaster car…yes, under a roller coaster car.

"D- did I hear that right just n-"

"Tino, don't do that right now, I'm explaining myself here." His mom interrupted sternly.

"Sorry…"

"We made a promise at the end of our high school senior year to meet right here, right under this tree, once college was over, just like you and your friends did. I know that sounds contrived, but it really is true! Anyway, I admit that at the time we weren't as close with each other as you were with your friends: Adele's departure shook our group up a ton, but I thought we recovered from it well…still, though, as the new girl, Gloria was still slightly…how should I put it…out-of-synch with the rest of us, and Ned started to devote more and more time to his sports. Yes, I know, but he was like Lor times a factor of ten!'

"I'm listening,..." said Tino, his statement regarding Lor and basketball having been cut off before he even said it.

"Even so, the four of us knew that we wanted to stay best friends, so we made the promise to meet again but…perhaps I should have expected something to go wrong, and reminded them, but it's all old regret. Anyway, only your dad showed up that day at the tree."

"Ah…so that was the beginning of you two-"

"Perhaps, but I'm not really sure when we stopped being 'just friends' and started dating. In any event, while I was still close to your dad after the 'reunion', I had lost most of my desire to remain friends with the others, which was to become my biggest regret…"

Tino said nothing, now listened intently. This was a side of his mom's personality that she hardly ever let show. It was now his turn to be the mind reader, as he saw exactly where his mom was going with her story, and why she had waited to tell him until he was ready. Politely, though, he let his mom continue.

"Tino, my biggest regret is that, after that incident, I started to push my old friends away, sometimes even without knowing it. When I look back on it now, I realize that Ned and Gloria really did want to remain friends. I realize how much I had hurt them with my selfish actions.'

"Your dad, though, I think he realized what I was doing soon after we got married, or maybe he saw it all along. But…he was just like how you are, in a sense: he was unwilling to talk to me directly about it, fearing conflict. Maybe we wouldn't be where we are now had he done so…but who knows?'

"Instead, I think he took it upon himself to bring the group back together. He started spending more time with Ned and Gloria, inviting them to things, and so on…but I didn't perceive it as him trying to preserve our friendship. No, I thought that he was trying to push me away, just like they had. So one day, when you were little-"

"Oh no…" Tino whispered; he was hoping it had not come to this.

"It's true, Tino, I'm sorry…I confronted him about it. We had a huge fight and…well, we forgave each other, but our relationship was never the same."

Now it was his mom's turn to be sadly silent, staring at the ground. Tino put an arm around her shoulders and spoke up.

"Mom…please, you don't need to worry about it anymore. What's done is done right? Anyway, it was dad's fault too for not going to you sooner…now I see why you're always getting on my case about talking to people immediately when I'm having problems with them."

"Ah, now you are learning." Replied his mom wryly.

"What? Oh, I see, so that was a trap!" Tino exclaimed.

"Of course. Do you think I'd be telling you my deepest, darkest secret without some sort of educational value?"

Tino rolled his eyes, changing the subject, "Ok, ok, but this is why I really think I should go into counseling; the whole teaching thing seems to run in the family!"

"I didn't say I was against it, did I?"

"I didn't say you did, but...Uh, yeah you did."

"No, I just told you not to let all that weirdo science stuff you learned in college go to waste. I know counseling would be a part-time job."

"Oh, uh, ok. Thanks mom. So…what do I do now?" Tino asked, suddenly remembering that he was in the same situation that his mom had been in years ago.

"Well, I think you're smart enough now to figure that out by yourself. Think of this as practice for your counseling job."

"Oh alright…" said Tino, thinking for a moment, "Well, you were saying that your biggest regret is letting your friendships slip away after the incident, so…the moral of the story is for me to…not do that?"

Tino's mom nodded, "Right. Your friends may have forgotten this one meeting, but that doesn't mean that they've de-valued their friendship with you. You've all known each other for most of your lives, and what are a few years between friends? If there's any group of friends that would be unaffected by four years apart, it would be you guys. So the moral of the story is for you to not make the same mistake that I did."

Tino was satisfied with this, realizing that his mom was absolutely right, as usual. He couldn't stay mad at his friends; that would just be stupid. Of course his friends still wanted to see him!

"Thanks mom." He said, happily, as his thoughts turned to re-scheduling the group's long-awaited reunion.

"Well, I didn't get to see my friends, but at least I still trust them. And what's more, I now have a great story to tell them once we-"

"Tino?" His mom poked him to restore his focus, "Don't run off with that thought just yet, young one. I agree that it might be a good idea to tell your friends about our little chat, but remember when I said I had advice for you when we first started talking? Well, that story wasn't it."

"Huh?" was all Tino could say. What more advice could his mom have to give to him?

Tino's mom smiled, extreme amusement and elation for her son clear in her expression. "You probably didn't remember since they don't do it in Hawaii, but daylight savings time ended for us last week. So…you were supposed to move your watch three hours forward, not four. See, look over there!"

Tino wasn't sure what color his face turned as he gazed in the direction his mom was pointing. Crossing over the hill towards him were Carver, Lor, and Tish! In a mixture of hyper-enthusiasm and the equivalent amount of embarrassment, Tino checked his incorrectly-set watch. It read 12:05. They were early.

Leaving his mom watching fondly from the bench, Tino let out a yell of joy and sprinted to meet his friends.

"Guys! You wouldn't believe what just happen-ooooff!" He started to say before being tackled in a group hug.

"Well, um…heheh…I don't know what I have to say to that. Ah well, I'll have lots of time later to crawl in a hole and cry about embarrassing myself in front of all of you. But for now, it's time for the best last weekend ever! Later Days!"

INTERMISSION | INTERMISSION | INTERMISSION

A/N: Just a few things that I think I should mention: As I wanted this to play out like an actual episode, I chose not to break it into shorter chapters. The reason for choosing the characters' college graduation year as 2011 stems from one scene at the beginning of the holiday episode involving Tino and a calendar, where the days that Tino points at only work if the episode took place in December of 2001, centering their 7th grade year around that particular date (ignoring the fact that the number of weekends shown and implied on the show add up to more than 2 school years worth anyway). The ages are arbitrary. Lastly, yes, Ned is Coach Colson's canonical first name.

For anyone willing to review: I'd appreciate help with characterization, as it's always been a problem of mine that my characters end up sounding the same as each other and not much like how they should be sounding. In the case that I later write more fics for it, this is something that I should really try to fix.

I would also like to add a random observation from a hopeless nostalgic: today is a Saturday, just like that day 11 years ago when the show first aired (Saturday, February 26, 2000. Just ignore the leap-year thing and you're all set).

Anyway, see you all after the break!