Rita kicked the door open to her new room. Her hands were full with a giant box filled with her stuff. Mr. and Mrs. Malone finally had enough money to get a big new house...thanks to Roddy. Rita dropped the box in a corner and took a deep breathe. She stood in the doorway, taking the first room she could ever call her own. It was decently sized, good enough for Rita...considering the fact she'd be out with Roddy on the Jammy Dodger II most of the time. The walls were plain white, nothing on them. Barren walls meant a fresh start on her organizing skills. Roddy walked in behind her. His room was across the hall. Since Roddy had chosen to stay down in the sewer with Rita and he had nowhere to stay, the Malone's naturally took him in. Rita turned to look at him. He smiled back at her with that charming grin of his.

"So..what do you think of this new house?" Roddy asked.

Rita smiled at him and answered, "I love it! It's so big!...Thank you, Roddy."

Roddy scoffed and looked down at his hands sheepishly with his shining copper-brown eyes.

"It was nothing. I would've never made it back to my home without you!" Roddy said, still looking down at his hands.

Rita surprised him with a tight hug. Roddy smiled inwardly and returned the embrace. Rita could feel Roddy's heart pounding. She smirked at this. Roddy's heart was indeed pounding...when she touched him..even the slightest brush...his heart sped up immensley. He had yet to figure out why, but he thought he was close. But when she shocked him with a kiss on the cheek just before she walked out of the room, his heart stopped completely. Roddy placed a hand where Rita's lips had just been. A goofy grin spread across his face. He followed her out of the room, back downstairs to help with the rest of the boxes.

That night at dinner, everyone was happy and gleeful. Roddy and Rita, however, ate dinner in the sanctuary of Roddy's room. Roddy already had everything orangized and had promised Rita help the next day.

"So.." Roddy said, "Have you ever had a boyfriend?"

Rita's eyes widened instantly. She spit her soup back into the bowl and looked up at him in surprise, giggling.

"What kind of question is that?!" Rita laughed.

"Well...I was just wondering if a pretty girl like you had ever had a boyfriend?" Roddy chuckled at his own question.

"Well..if you MUST know," Rita started, "I've had my share of bo's. I had my first one when I was about 9 or 10. I'd never really found interest in boys till that age. Before, it'd always been about beating them at things..not dating them. His name was Hal. He was a real sweet-talker. Left every girl in my class breathless. But I hadn't let him get to me that easily. Naturally, he wanted me since I didn't want him. He tried every line in the book..made me laugh whenever he did. He had these bright blue eyes that showed me he really meant it though. So I finally gave him a chance. After him, I never lost interest in boys."

"What happened to him?" Roddy pried.

"He met a prettier girl that played hader to get. She was so pretty. She had big brown eyes, long, curly brown hair, and the body of a model. I couldn't compete with that with my green eyes, and my short red hair. But I eventually got over him..."

"Are you...still lookin' for a new boyfriend?" Roddy asked, hesitantly.

"Sure," Rita said, grinning up at Roddy, "I like the goofy, clumbsy, posh, brown-eyed, brown-haired, tall, lean kind. You happen to know anyone of that description?"

Roddy glared playfully down at her and side-smiled.

"So how 'bout you? You had any girlfriends?" Rita laughed.

"You make it sound like that's impossible.." Roddy snapped, grinning.

Rita shrugged.

"Well if you MUST know.." Roddy mocked, "I've...never had one before."

Rita started laughing, but when she saw the look on Roddy's face, she stopped.

"I was never a real lady's man when I was younger. I mean..before Tabitha took me in. I lived in a little town in a park near Cornwall. I was always the goofy, clumbsy one. The outcast, kind of. And what really stunk was that I was living on my own. I lived 'on the streets' if you will. More or less like an orphan. But this one family paid for me to go to school. I didn't live with them..they just paid my tuition to one of the best schools around there. That family had a daughter my age..she was terribly pretty. Big sea-green eyes, bright blonde hair, fair skin, and the cutest freckles I'd ever seen. But she always went for the richer boys. The cuter boys. The more coordinated boys. I'd neer been let down so much in my life. Ever since then, I've never been really comfortable around girls.." Roddy told, looking down into his soup.

Rita felt a pang of guilt. She'd been making fun of him for being goofy sometimes, and that was his one downfall in love. Rita put a hand on his shoulder and tilted his head up to look at her. He stared right into those piercing emerald green eyes. He held his breath.

"You are a charming, resourcful, brave, handsome, coordinated gentleman and any girl would be lucky to have you," Rita assured him, "Never forget that."

Roddy smiled. He couldn't say a word. He was still in paralyzed from the fact that he was so close to Rita. Rita couldn't speak either. Her breaths were deep, but short. They were inching forward, but neither noticed. Just as they were only centimeters away from their lips meeting, Rita's grandma burst into the room.

"Tom! Sing us a song downstairs, Mr. Jones!" Granda Malone cried, oblivious to what she had just interrupted.

Roddy cleared his throat and backed off. Rita did the same.

"Ahem..we'd better give them what they want.." Roddy said nervously.

Grandma Malone grabbed Roddy's hand and pulled him downstairs. Roddy grabbed Rita's hand and the duo was dragged downstairs to the table. After a little show, courtesy of Roddy St. James, they all sat down for an announcement.

"As you know," Mr. Malone announced from his wheelchair, "Roddy has kindly given us our new wealth.."

The Malone family applaued him. Roddy blushed and smiled.

"So now we have enough money to do something we'd been wanting to do, but couldn't afford..." Mr. Malone continued, "...you're all going to school!"

Everyone cheered but Rita. Rita's face was drained of it's color. Roddy cheered until he noticed Rita's expression.

"What's wrong?" Roddy asked in Rita's ear.

No one could hear Roddy but Rita above all the noise.

"Uhhh...I won't get to be on the Jammy Dodger II as much as I want, anymore..that's all.." Rita lied.

Roddy knew she was lying. She was scared...and he knew she wouldn't easily admit it to him.