Brenda got to the swanky art gallery where artists hung up their paintings on display or erected their sculptures some of which were difficult to interpret. She knew that was all part of living life on the edge…of expressing one's self artistically against all the rules.

If only she had the courage to take that final step. Yeah she'd tossed her high school equivalency exam during her foray on the artistic side a while back but she could always fetch another one. Yeah her parents would freak, her father would threaten to ground her again but once her mind was made up, she'd drop out of high school, get an apartment and live life on her own terms.

Blue Oyster Pearl decked out in multi-colored leather and wearing thigh high tights waltzed on over showing off her six inch heeled boots. She wore a beret and a necklace of ostrich feathers around her neck.

"Hi Bren…that's your name right? Welcome to the gallery…you're an artist right?"

Brenda walked on over to the bar to get a mineral water with lime.

"Yeah…I want to be but my parents aren't cool with it. When will they understand that I'm almost grown up and I need to have a life of my own…"

"When you can pay your own way…or get better at sponging off of them," Blue Oyster Pearl said, "I just got a wad of cash from my parents today…to buy a new brush collection for my paintings…see there's one hanging on over there."

Brenda looked at the garish painting of a tormented soul surrounded by various hues of dark blue and purple.

"It's my mauve period," Blue Oyster Pearl said, "Like that Picasso guy."

Brenda didn't get it but that wasn't the point. She wanted to be just like her new BFF and live a life on her own, of engaging in artistic and cultural pursuits and having meaningful conversations with people more grown up than her high school friends.

She wandered the hallways of the gallery milling with people she felt kinship with realizing it a much better afternoon than spending it languishing in trig class or lounging out under the trees in between classes watching Kelly and Dylan make out.

Her girlfriend returned to introduce her to two of her friends from an eclectic collection.

"This is Fawn Lilith and Huckleberry Zen…they are both more into interpretive art."

Brenda gathered that by their elaborate costumes and their made up faces. Fawn looked at her a bit bored.

"Are you still in high school dear?"

Brenda nodded.

"Not for long…I'm going to bail the first chance I get," she said, "as soon as my parents sign my emancipation slip."

They both nodded more approvingly and she knew that she'd found favor with them and maybe the whole artsy crowd.

That's when she saw the handsome stranger standing at the end of the aisle who took her breath away and caused time to stand still.

Kelly sighed, as she rested her head on Dylan's chest. They were sprawled on the lawn at West Beverly High listening as Donna told them the latest plans for the hottest party ever.

"It's going to be so rad," Donna said, "a life band, catered food from California Pizza Kitchen and the pool's going to be lit up like a rainbow."

Kelly yawned. So been there, done that in her brief life as a child of a coke snorting ex-model and groupie of more rock bands than she could count. Her mom, Jackie had been a legend in her day but had blazed out like a super nova after the booze and the drugs had finally taken their toll. She'd been in and out of rehab since and each time she came out, she acted as if she'd just been spending those weeks or even months away in a spa resort.

Oblivious to Kelly's painful remembrance, Donna prattled on.

"David's going to be the DJ and it's just going to be so hot."

Boring, hot to Donna was like someone spiking the punch at a sock hop. The girl still was as pure as a convent of nuns and Kelly wondered if that's where Donna would be heading after they all graduated from high school. She knew that David had tried to get past first base with her onto second but he'd been frustrated by Donna refusing to go any further with him.

Kelly knew because David's dad, the seventh most popular dentist in Beverly Hills had been going out with her mom who had just gotten out of rehab a few weeks earlier. She fervently hoped her mom would see the light that Mel's dullness but so far that just hadn't happened.

"Donna can you just shut up," Kelly said, "I have to hear enough about that oversexed nerd from Jackie and Mel."

Donna looked slightly chagrined and dipped her fingers into her bag of California rolls. She'd been on this diet since the latest rumors circulated about some plastic surgery she'd supposedly had during spring break. No such thing had happened, she'd just been grounded by her parents because they figured if she went with the gang to Palm Springs again, she'd be engaging in drunken orgies and just the thought of that nearly sent her mom down a flight of stairs.

She hadn't been planning any such thing. She'd just wanted to get away for a while. Do chaste things with David, wear unchaste clothing and hang out with her friends.

"You know David wants more than just pecks on the cheek Donna."

Kelly rolled her eyes whenever Donna detailed one of her outings with David. As if they could even be called dates….and she knew that Donna wouldn't be able to hang on to him because all David thought about when he wasn't DJing at school or some other gig was sex.

As soon as some other pretty young thing came along, he'd leave Donna in the dust and waltz off with a younger prettier model or maybe he'd go and find himself an older woman to tutor him in certain areas.

Donna sighed.

"I know but I made a promise before God and a priest that I wouldn't you know do it before I had a wedding ring on my finger."

"Is it binding?"

Donna looked puzzled.

"What do you mean?"

"Donna, I think God will forgive you if you decide not to wait until you're 25."

Donna look horrified.

"Oh I'll find a guy to marry before that and he'll teach me what to do."

Kelly found her eyes rolling upward again. Someone had to kidnap Donna away from her straitlaced parents and show her that the life that she was missing.

Like what she shared with Dylan though judging from the snoring nearby, she guessed he'd nodded off to sleep. He had been surfing under the moonlight to catch the perfect waves off Venice Beach or so he told her but she found herself wondering if he spoke the truth.

Probably not…but she knew that she had what she wanted as long as she didn't ask any questions about what he did when he wasn't with her.

Brandon saw the police officers race through the hallway in riot gear. Andrea ran up to him.

"What's going on here?"

He didn't have a clue.

"I'm going to investigate," he said, "Maybe you'd better stay here."

That didn't go well with her. She got her hackles up.

"I'm going to go with you," she said, "They're heading towards the chemistry lab."

They sped off after the cops and Andrea wondered what it might be. As long as it had nothing to do with uncovering her own secret…