After school Jamie and I decided to head back to his house to study for our Biology mid-term the next day.

"Mom?" Jamie called as we walked in the door. "You home?"

"In the kitchen, sweetie." Haley called.

Jamie looked towards me as I followed him into the kitchen.

"Hey, Mom." Jamie said as he kissing his mother on the cheek.

"Hey Hales." I say as I give her a hug. Haley was always like a big sister to me, we were really close.

"Hey kiddo." She said as she hugged me back and then lifted Emma off the counter. "How was school?" She asked as she looked at both me and Jamie.

Jamie shrugged. "School, was school...boring."

I laugh, Jamie was really smart but he never really took school all the seriously, in that way he way like his Dad.

Haley laughed and I caught the glow on her face. She was practically shining. She's definitely pregnant. I think the myself.

"Hey Lil, you and your parents aren't busy this weekend are you?" Haley asked.

I shook my head. "No, why?"

"Well I was thinking of having a barbeque with the entire gang Saturday night." Haley explained.

"Oh yeah, I think Jamie mentioned something about that." I glanced at him and noticed he wasn't paying any attention, as usual.

"Ok good, then Saturday night it is. Luke's already agreed to come with Peyton and the kids."

Jamie's head shot up at the mention of Saturday night. "Lily, Saturday night is...you know."

I looked at him confused at first but then got at what he was saying. "Oh yeah...can you wait to have the barbeque Sunday night Haley?"

"Why what's going on guys?" She questioned.

"Well, see Mom there's kind of this party we want to go to..." Jamie started.

"I see, and who's party is it?" Haley asked eyeing both of us.

"Max Tyler." I said without even thinking. Jamie shot a look at me and I swallowed hard, I hadn't meant for that to come out. Sometimes I said things without thinking, that apparently came from my dad.

"Max Tyler, you mean basketball star, Max Tyler?" She asked. "Isn't he a senior?"

I hesitantly nodded. "Yeah, but he's a really nice guy and he invited me to the party."

"Yeah Mom, and Lily said she'd bring me as her guest, can we go please?" He asked giving his best interpretation of the puppy dog face, complete with the bottom lip stuck out.

"Jamie, put the lip away, that worked for you when you were five but not anymore." Haley laughed and then got serious. "I don't think this is a good idea guys. Your only sophmores."

"Mom, please say yes!" Jamie pleaded. "Uncle Luke's gonna talk to Aunt Karen into letting Lily go, its not fair she gets to go and I don't."

Haley looked at me suspiciously. "Oh he did, did he, and Lily what did you have to do in return? I know your brother and I know he would not willingly go along with his little sister go to this party."

I sigh. Haley was good at catching onto things quickly. "I have to baby-sit Anna and Keith tonight for him and Peyton when they go out with you and Nathan."

Haley smiled and nodded. "Of course, and what did your Mom have to say about this?"

"Uh..w..well she hasn't exactly said anything about it yet, I haven't exactly talked to her yet." I said.

"Well then until I hear what she has to say about this then you two will be at the barbeque on Saturday night." Haley said. "Now if you'll excuse me I have to go get ready."

She walked past us both and Jamie gave me a sympathetic look. "Sorry Lil, my Mom can be so unfair sometimes."

I laugh. "Well if that was how she reacted then I really don't want to know what mine will think." I look at my watch. "Well I better get home for dinner before I have to go to Luke and Peyton's. See you tomorrow."

I walk towards the front door just as Amanda entered looking tired. "Tough day at school?" I ask my cousin.

She nodded. "I have so much homework and I'm still grounded according to my Dad."

"Aww, sorry Mandy." I felt for her, I really did. I had been grounded on more then one occasion. "What'd you do anyways?"

"I kinda snuck out to meet a boy." She said trying to sound completely innocent.

I shake my head with a laugh. "Your 12, no wonder your parents were mad. Your not supposed to be dating yet."

"It's so unfair, Jamie can date, he just chooses not to." Amanda says. "Your parents are so much cooler then mine."

"You might want to walk a mile in my shoes before you say that, Mandy." I laugh. "My parents are no pushovers. I'm pretty sure if you lived with my parents for a week you'd be begging to come back here."

She shook her head vigorously. "Nuh uh." She said stubbornly. "Aunt Karen and Uncle Andy are cool, I've never seen them even yell at you, Lily."

"Thats cause they won't yell at me in front of other people, unless they have too. Believe me, this is your first time being grounded right."

She nods.

"Well by the time I was 12 being grounded was like a normal occurrence for me." I say with a laugh.

"Really." She said surprised. "But your such a goody-goody, at least thats what Jamie said."

I toss a look over my shoulder at Jamie who was still sitting at the counter reading a copy of Sports Illustrated. "Oh did he?" I laugh. "Well, I wasn't exactly an angel when I was your age, I've grown up a lot since then. I used to cause trouble all the time. Mom said that I was a bigger handful then Luke ever was."

Amanda smiled. "Well maybe I take after you."

I shake my head. "I hope not, trust me you don't want to. I wasn't allowed to date until just a few months ago because Mom and Dad thought it would get me into trouble."

"Oh." She said sadly. "Well I gotta go work on homework. Are you still taking me shopping to Aunt Brooke's store tomorrow?" She asked.

"Sure am. I promised Brooke I'd visit anyways. See you tomorrow Manda." I said and walk out the door.

Two minutes later I walked in the door of my house to find Nathan's Mom and my Mom's best friend, Deb sitting at the counter. Deb was the aunt I never had mostly because neither my Mom or Step-Dad had any siblings. I had an Uncle Dan who was my real Dad's brother, but I hardly even saw him, I had always been told he was a bad guy, but I still didn't know why.

"Aunt Deb." I say with a smile. She turns and grins when she sees me.

"Hey sweetie, how have you been?" She asked giving me a hug. "I haven't seen you in awhile."

I shrug. "Pretty good. How was Florida?" I ask knowing she had been staying with her brother Cooper.

"Beautiful as always. The weather was gorgeous. You know, you and I are going to have to go there sometime, do some shopping, tanning..." Deb started rambling as she always did when she thought of her favorite things to do.

I stopped her midsentence. "We will definitely do that." I say when she smiles. Deb's cool, she's a lot of fun to be around, she had made a lot of mistakes in the past but she had made up for them in a lot of ways.

"So were you just with my grandson?" She asked and I nodded.

"We we are Nate and Haley's." I look around not noticing my Mom anywhere. "Are my parents even here?"

Deb nodded. "Your Mom's on the phone with your brother."

"Oh." I sigh, knowing what they were talking about. I hope Luke could convince Mom to go along with my plan.

"What's going on?" Deb asked.

"Hmm just hoping that Luke can convince my Mom to let me go to a senior's party Saturday."

Deb smiled. "Well that sounds fun, but aren't you a little young?"

I shake my head in frustration. "When is everyone going to stop saying that? I'm 15 almost 16 and I'm a sophmore, the fact that I was invited to that party when I'm not even a cheerleader, says a lot."

Deb nodded. "Well, I understand where your coming from Lily. I'll talk to your Mom if Lucas can't get through to her."

"Thanks Aunt Deb." I hug her.

"Thanks for what?" My Mom asked walking into the kitchen.

"Nothing." I say shrugging it off quickly. "Did Luke talk to you?"

"About the party?" She asked. "Yes he did, I told him I didn't think it was a good idea honey."

"Ugh, please Ma, your no fun. Think about if you were my age, wouldn't you want to go have some fun. Seriously all anybody does in this town is sit around on there butts sulking because there's never anything to do..."

Mom cut me off from my rant. "Did I say you couldn't go?"

I looked at her with my eyes widened. "You mean, your saying yes?"

"Well, I'm not saying no." She said.

"What are you saying?" I asked completely confused.

"I don't think its a good idea for you to go, but I know your a very mature girl and you deserve to have some fun. I know you can handle yourself..."

"Mom, just give me the verdict." I laugh.

"As long as you and Jamie stick together at that party and call if you have any problems, I don't see why you can't go." Mom said.

I split out into a grin as I run to hug my Mom. Thank god her and Lucas were still so close. He could convince her of anything when he tried.

"So did Haley say yes to Jamie?" Deb asked.

"I'd like to know that to." Mom said as I pulled away.

"Well, she said she'd talk to you and see what you were planning to do." I explain.

Mom nodded. "Well then I will tell Haley what I told you."

"Thanks Mom, your the best." I hug her one last time. "I better go get ready to go to Luke's. I have to baby-sit Anna and Keith tonight."

Mom laughed. "So I've heard."

Deb looked confused.

"That was her deal with Lucas." Mom explained. "Well have fun and be careful tonight. Don't let your niece and nephew out of your sight." Mom warned.

I roll my eyes. "I know...Mom this isn't the first time I've baby-sat them."

"Well if you have any problems call me." She said and I nodded before bounding up the stairs to get ready.

An hour later I rode my bike up to Luke's house. God, I can't wait to get my licence. I think to myself as I knock on the door.

Peyton opened it a few seconds later with Keith in her arms. I watched the five year old struggling to get loose.

"Hey Lils." Peyton smiled at me. "Thank god your here, I've been trying to get ready for over an hour now but these two will not let me." She said as she ruffled Keith's hair and smiled down at Anna who had appeared at her side.

"It's cool, I've got it under control, Peyt." I smile at her as I let myself in. "Can I get a hug, you guys?" I ask as both Anna and Keith through their arms around my neck.

Anna looked just like Peyton except with Luca's bright blue eyes. She was the older of the twins but was two inches short then Keith. Keith looked like Luke but he had big round dark eyes like my Mom.

I picked up Anna and turned to face Peyton again. "So where's big brother?"

"Oh he'll be down in a second. He had to change his tie, again." Peyton said with a laugh.

I roll my eyes. "Of course he did." Luke had the worst taste in clothing imaginable and it didn't help that he was completely colorblind. If he didn't have someone to tell him how to dress properly he stuck to his signature sweat pants and sweatshirts.

"So you'll be ok for tonight?" Peyton asked and I nodded. "I left all the numbers on the fridge like usual, and the kids rented a few movies." Peyton said. "Good luck." Peyton said with a wink meaning that she knew they were movies I wasn't going to like.

"Ok." I laugh as Luke came in and I set Anna down so she could run to her dad. She was a complete daddy's girl and Keith was more of a Mama's boy, kind of like Lucas had always been growing up from what I'd been told by Haley.

"Hey baby-sis." He said with Anna in his arm's.

"Hey, thanks for talking to Mom." I said with a smile.

He laughed. "So I assume I convince her."

"Yep, she's letting me go, now hopefully she can convince Haley to let Jamie go."

"Well, it won't take much to prop Haley, so I wouldn't worry." Luke said. He looked at Peyton, setting Anna down who ran to play with Keith in the living room. "You ready?" He asked and she nodded. They were giving eachother sappy looks again, meaning I would probably have a niece or nephew sooner or later.

"Ok, well you two kids get out of here." I joke as I practically push them towards the door.

Lucas turned to face me. "Wait, you have everything you need right?"

I nod. "God, you sound just like Mom sometimes."

"Ha, ha." He laughed shortly. "Seriously Lil, keep the doors locked."

"Ok, Luke. I promise." I say not really understanding why he was making such a big deal of this. I had baby-sat these kids tons of times. He knew he could trust me.

"Bye sis." He said giving me a quick hug before following Peyton.

I locked the door behind them and noticed a black car parked out a cross the street and a block or so down. I chose not to think anything of it as I felt a chill run down my spine. I closed the curtains and went into the living room, not knowing we were being watched.