It was another hot day in Texas. There were a few clouds in the blue sky, but none of them wanted to go in front of the sun, allowing it to glare down at one of the thousands of neighborhoods in the state. Rain didn't seem to want to come. It hadn't rained in a few weeks...and it sucked. Bad.

My arm floated beside me on top of the water as I layed on a blue raft. I knew that I wouldn't be there for much longer. The heat kept making me get back in the pool, even with the shade of the trees covering me. All this hotness brought back memories, some good, some not so good. The money I've been getting from playing at the bar was being saved up so I could move somewhere less hot and dry. I liked the place where I lived now, but I was in need of different scenery.

The home phone started ringing, bringing me out of my daydreams. I glanced at the huge house and, figuring someone inside would answer the phone, rolled off the raft into the water.

Even the water was warm. It was ridiculous. It seemed like the only place you could get cold water around here is in the shower or in the fridge. I shouldn't complain though. After spending over a year in the desert without rain or a decent shower, any water should do.

My head emerged from the water to hear the phone still ringing. Am I seriously going to have to get out? I thought lazily. After the seventh ring it finally fell quiet.

I swam to the deep end of the pool under the water, only to come up for air and hear the phone ringing again. Sighing, I pulled myself up and out of the pool, not bothering with the stairs. I quickly grabbed my towel and wrapped it around me. I counted the number of rings as I opened the sliding door.

Fifth.

Sixth.

"Hello?" There was a dial tone. "Oh, come off it," I mumbled and put the phone back on the receiver. Turning around, I made my way back down the short hallway. When I reached the sliding door, the phone rang. I glared at it.

"Yelnats' residence," I answered. There wasn't a dial tone, but nobody said anything on the other line either. "Hello?" Irritation was probably evident in my voice.

"Is Stanley there?"

I paused at the male voice. "Who's this?" He sounded familiar.

"Is Stanley there?"

"Yeah," I said slowly, "but who am I talking to?"

The phone was snatched out of my hand. "Hello?"

"Hey!" I protested. Stanley was talking animatedly to the guy on the other end. "Who is that?" I questioned him. He just ignored me and kept talking.

Curious, I went to the kitchen. Stanley's mom was in there making a big bowl of salad on the kitchen island. She was putting in cheese, cherry tomatos, and croutons. Her secret salad dressing was sitting next to the eight bowls.

"Looks and smells good, Mom," I told her, heading toward the phone against the wall.

She glanced over her shoulder with a grin. "Thank you, honey," she said and went back to work. "Do you know who called?"

Shaking my head I said, "Nope, but I'm going to find out."

The brunette lady wasn't really my mother. She was more of a mother to me than my own mom was. Ever since she got custody over me, I mostly stayed over Stanley's house. When I turned eighteen I all but moved in.

I picked up the phone and held it to my ear. Stanley was just hanging up with the dude. Geez, I thought, they talk fast. I pushed the button on the caller ID to see who'd called. I didn't recognize the number; it wasn't in this area. I told Stanley's mom the number but she didn't know who it was either.

Stanley came in the kitchen with a hint of a smile on his face. When his mom asked who was on the phone, he said it was just one of his friends. "Which friend?" I inquired. He shrugged and said nothing more.

"You two can go ahead and call the others. Tell 'em dinner will be ready soon." Stanley's mom began to put the dressing in the salad.

While Stanley called next door, I went to my room to text Lanise. It was actually a spare room, but I moved most of my stuff in there. It was pretty big, with a queen bed, dresser, and closet. I wished the walls were a different color then pale pink, but no big deal.

Get your butt over here. Now!

I sent the message to Lanise and then plugged my phone up to the charger. I dried myself off and shut the door. Quickly, I stripped and pulled my pajamas on, even though it was just five. After pulling my waist-length hair up into a ponytail, I walked back to where dinner was being made.

Stanley was helping his mom set the long, wooden table. I helped out and by the time we were done putting the food on the plates, Lanise was over and so was Hector Zeroni and his mom.

Lanise and I had been friends since we were little. She was also close with the Yelnats. Stanley and I had met Hector, a.k.a. Zero, at Camp Green Lake. Believe it or not, it was Zero's fault Stanley was sent to the camp. He told Zero over and over again that he was glad he got caught with Clyde Livingston's shoes, though Zero was the one who stole them. It was destiny.

Running down to the basement laboratory, Stanley fetched his dad and I went to one of the rooms with Stanley's grandpa sleeping in it. When everyone was gathered around we sat down, said prayer, and dug in. The food was spectacular, like always. The salad was the same we always ate, but the chicken parmesan tasted a bit different.

"It's a new kind I read off the internet," she told me when I asked about it.

We continued eating and talking about whatever came to our minds. During a story Stanley's grandpa was telling, about when he was in a fight in high school, I noticed Stanley and Zero staring at each other. It looked like they were trying to read each other's mind.

"Stanley. Hector." I never call Zero his D-Tent nickname in front of his mom. "I told you both already. No matter how hard you try, you're not going to become like Edward."

"Ha ha," Stanley said sarcastically.

"Um, she wasn't joking," Lanise said chuckling.

Stanley cleared his throat. "No, um, we were going to tell all of you something." We all looked at them and became quiet, except for Stanley's grandpa who was still talking about his story.

"...I kicked his ass, but I don't remember what the fight was about."

"Dad!" Stanley's mom shushed him.

"Hector and I have been talking and planning something with some friends for awhile," Stanley started, and I knew for a fact that guy that asked for Stanley on the phone was one of those friends.

"Exactly what are you planning, babies?" Hector's mom asked in her quiet voice.

"A roadtrip," was Zero's reply.

Silence fell across the table as we stared at them, food layed forgotten in front of us. Lanise and I exchanged glances before bursting out in laughter.

"Psh, whatever!" I said.

"Ya'll couldn't last one day on the road by yourselves," Lanise laughed.

"You'd breakdown, get in a crash, or get lost."

Stanley scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, uh, thanks for planting all those pleasant things into my parents' head."

"I'm just sayin'," I said shrugging.

"If all that worries you," Zero said with a slight smirk, "then I guess that means you two don't want to come."

Silence again. The invitation caught me off guard; this whole subject caught me off guard, but I didn't show it.

"Of course I'm worried," I said while stabbing at my salad. "That's why I'm going to be there to make sure all of you stay in line."

"Now, hold up," said Stanley's dad. "Where're you going on a roadtrip to?"

"Who's all going?"

"Honey, what about college?"

"I think he cut me in line; that's how the fight started."

"Don't worry," Stanley calmed them. "We were thinking about going to Universal in Florida."

Universal? That threw me for a loop. I was expecting Times Square or Hollywood. "Why not Disneyland in Cali? It's closer."

"I was thinking we could make a side trip on our way there." He paused and looked at me. "You always wanted to go to Nashville, right?"

My jaw dropped. I most definitely wanted to go there. The home of country music. I've been wanting to go there ever since I learned to play guitar.

"What about college?" asked Stanley's mom. "The both of you said you wanted to go."

"We do," Stanley stated and Zero nodded. "We were going to go when we got back from the trip."

His mom nodded. She appeared to be thinking. "We can't stop you, but you better be careful," she said. "And don't forget to call!"

Stanley smiled. "I won't forget."

"When do you plan to leave?"

"About a week. My friends will be in town tomorrow."

"Who are these friends?" Zero's mom inquired.

Stanley paused. He glanced at me and when I saw that nervous glint in his eye, I knew exactly which friends he was talking about. "They're the ones from Camp Green Lake."

A/N: Sorry for the wait! So tell me what you think about this chapter please. Next chapter will have some D-Tent boys coming back into Fuse's life. R&R! XD