Dorothy Ann stared at the erlenmeyer flask in front of her dully, waiting for the colour indicator to finally turn the right shade of green so she could go home. She was hunched over the desk, sitting on her stool, her head resting on one hand while the other controlled the level of acid being poured into the flask of base. Gus Mackerson was sitting on the stool next to her, scribbling down a few equations on a scrap sheet of paper.

Dorothy Ann turned away from the titration for a second and peered down curiously to see what exactly Gus was calculating. She had gone to the same school as him for years, but had never really spoken to him much. He had always been rather quiet, not shy, just quiet. He was also one of the smartest boys in their year and it really showed. It was no wonder Mr. Runes had chosen him and her to participate in this state wide contest together. Though, Dorothy Ann turned back to the flask, she had sort of wished he'd picked someone else as her partner... Dorothy Ann shook her head, trying to rid herself of the image of her and Carlos locked alone in the classroom together that had suddenly popped into her mind.

She suddenly bit her lip and wondered if Jill had asked Carlos to the party yet. He hadn't mentioned anything about it, though she didn't really expect him to unless she asked him what he was doing next week. She was probably worrying about this too much, but she wasn't stupid. She knew perfectly well what went on at those parties. She'd heard enough from Wanda and Ralphie, in fact, if she remembered correctly, their first kiss was at one of Jill's parties. God... Wanda and Ralphie.. She had almost forgotten.

Wanda pregnant? Pregnant?! It couldn't be happening. It couldn't, not now. Wanda was no where near being close to being ready for a child. She was still a child herself and Ralphie was no better. Ralphie... How on earth would he take it?! Dorothy Ann's stomach clenched at the thought of Wanda raising the baby without a father. She wouldn't exactly put it past Ralphie to run...

"Dorothy Ann!"

Dorothy Ann jumped as Gus finally addressed her after two hours of painful silence.

"Don't let the acid run past 50," he said, indicating to the buret. "Otherwise we can't measure it."

"Oh!" DA was suddenly brought back into reality. "S - sorry. I'll go get more acid shall I?"

And she quickly hopped off her stool and hurried over to the counter with a beaker in her hand. When she got there, instead of immediately picking up the acid, she found herself gazing out the window on to the grass field. Carlos' soccer game had already started, she could see the little figures about 100 yards away running around the field towards a goal. She squinted, she couldn't see Carlos, but - wait, she could see Jill. The cheerleaders seemed to have taken a break and were chatting animately to each other next to the goal posts. A few soccer players taken off for time being were with them. Dorothy Ann narrowed her eyes. Jill could have any boy she wanted, why did she have to go for the only boy she wanted.

Dorothy Ann suddenly frowned, and leaned further across the table so that she could get a better view. Unless her 20/20 vision was fooling her, Jill was talking to Carlos.. Dorothy Ann leaned in so close her nose was pressed up against the glass of the window. She was talking to Carlos, laughing, did - did she just playfully push him back on the chest?!

"Dorothy Ann?" Gus called from the side table.

"Right," DA jumped, and turned her attention back to the acid. She quickly poured in a sizeable amount and brought it back to the table.

"What's with you today, I thought you liked chemistry?" Gus said, though he wasn't looking at her when he said it, still punching numbers into his calculator.

"That's really none of your business," Dorothy Ann said, trying not to sound too cold. She sighed. "Sorry, it's just, a lot's come up this week..."

She saw Gus nod, "Yeah, I know. Tell me about it. Three tests and a quiz this week!"

"Mmm.." was all Dorothy Ann said and she turned her attention back into the buret.

xxx

"Carlos," said Ralphie impatiently as his best friend collapsed on the bench beside him. "That's the third time you let the damn ball get away from you today! What's going on?! Coach Cleets is going to kill you, you know. And I'm the one that's going to have to haul your muddy carcass home!"

"I'm fine," Carlos said quickly, grabbing a bottle of water and emptying half it's contents on his head. "Just not... feeling that well."

"Uh huh..." Ralphie said unconvinced, tying up his shoelaces. "Are you sure it doesn't have anything to do with the fact that DA's locked up in the science classroom with Gus Mackerson does it...?"

"No!" Carlos insisted. "It's not - Ralphie, " he looked angry. "Would you stop - "

"Carlos," Ralphie said. "You and DA are the only one's dumb enough to realize what's going on between you two - "

"Did you just call me dumb?!"

"And all I'm saying is, suck it up, and go ask her out already."

"You just called me and DA dumb?!"

Ralphie nodded. "Yeah! And I'm the one failing two classes!" He got up from the bench and started moving off towards the grass field. Carlos jumped off the bench to join him.

"Look, I don't have a problem with DA being partnered up with Gus for that science thing!" he said, stepping in front of Ralphie.

"Ok," said Ralphie.

"I don't!"

"Fine," Ralphie walked around Carlos, towards the locker room. Carlos stopped him again.

"And even if I did like her like... like that, it's not like I'd think Gus'd actually have a chance with her."

"Because chemistry nerds just don't do that for her..." Ralphie smirked.

"He's pasty," Carlos muttered.

Ralphie rolled his eyes and stepped around Carlos again. "And you're not fooling anyone," he muttered under his breath.

xxx

Despite the fact Carlos Ramone had played the worst he had since he had just recovered from a broken leg three seasons ago, Walkerville highschool won the game. The final score was 3-2 and Ralphie insisted on having a small party at his house to celebrate. And for once in his life, a promise of a small party actually led to a small party. Wanda was the first to arrive at his house after he'd come home and showered.

He'd been a bit worried she would have refused to come. Or made up some excuse. She had been avoiding him lately, which was odd. Ralphie suddenly smirked, usually she had trouble keeping her hands off him.

When Wanda arrived, she definitely looked like something was bothering her. For one, it didn't look like she'd bothered to brush her hair and two, she'd snapped at him harsher than usual when he'd accidently spilled the glass of water she'd asked for.

"God Ralphie, you have to spoil everything!" she'd shouted when the glass had smashed on the kitchen floor.

Ralphie, who had just gone to the stove to get a towel, looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "I just spilled some water Wanda. This isn't even your house."

"So?! That's no excuse for being - "

Ralphie was spared a few minutes of shouting by the ring of the doorbell. He dropped the rag and hurried over to the entrance hall before Wanda could say anything else.

Carlos arrived with Tim, both looking a bit bad tempered. Ralphie knew why Carlos looked so murderous: Dorothy Ann hadn't ended up showing up at the game like she'd evidently promised Carlos. She'd come to the field after the victory to apologize for missing it and, after claiming she still had some cleaning left to do, assured Ralphie she could come to the party as long as he kept it small and didn't invite any of the school's harlots.

xxx

"When'd Ralphie call?" Arnold asked, leaning lightly on the railing of Phoebe's porch.

"Um.. Half an hour ago or something," Phoebe said. "I told him we'd be there when I'd finished the chores."

The two of them were standing on the large porch in Phoebe's back yard, overlooking the garden. Phoebe was hanging up the wet laundry onto a clothesline that ran the length of the yard. Arnold had originally offered to volunteer, but when he'd accidently picked up a pair of Phoebe's panties, he promptly freaked out, and asked if he could just water the potted plants instead. A very red Phoebe had agreed that this was definitely a better idea.

So there they were on the porch, Phoebe hanging up the last few pairs of socks, and Arnold, who had already finished watering all the plants, leaning casually on the railing.

"I don't really want to go," Phoebe said quickly.

"He said it'd be small," Arnold said. "I'm going, you have to come."

Phoebe clipped one of her green socks onto the line, the ones the colour of her eyes, and sighed. "Arnold, it's because of Tim..." She looked back down at the basket and avoided Arnold's gaze.

"Tim...? Oh right, you gone on a date yet?"

Still not looking at him, Phoebe shook her head. "He asked me out today. But I said I'd rather work in the garden while it's still sunny.."

Phoebe heard Arnold walk up to her and saw his pale hands grasp the edge of the basket. She looked up into his pale blue eyes, shining brightly behind his round glasses. "So then you asked me?"

"Um.. Yes," said Phoebe, wishing more than anything her face wouldn't grow red. "But - but I told him he could come if he wanted, and he said save it for another night."

Arnold looked a little troubled. "Look, when you do turn down Tim... Just, be careful about it..."

He wasn't looking at her anymore, and Phoebe could tell by his expression, what he was thinking. He had been head over heels for Wanda a few years ago. It had started out as a small crush, and grown into a lot more once the two had hit puberty. Phoebe remembered how heart broken she had been when she'd seen Arnold kissing Wanda under the mistletoe one Christmas and then how devastated Arnold had been when they had split up after two weeks. Arnold was still touchy about the subject, even though it had happened over two years ago; so was Phoebe. She had been the only one of the group to feel relief and happiness vs. shock when Wanda and Ralphie had suddenly discovered an interest in each other.

Wanda and Ralphie. Phoebe suddenly bit her lip as she remembered. Wanda couldn't be pregnant, she just couldn't. It was a horrible just thinking of the possibility. Phoebe's hands tensed on the sock she was holding and looked back at Arnold; she wondered how he'd take it.

"I'll be careful about it," Phoebe assured him and sighed miserably.

xxx

Tim put his drink down on the coffee table in Ralphie's living room and looked at Dorothy Ann, who was sitting next to him, her hands folded tensely in her lap.

"What's wrong DA?"

"Yeah," Carlos had just joined the two on the couch. "Aren't you happy we won?" Tim frowned at Carlos. It had been almost a year since he had told Carlos he might have had a crush on DA, and Carlos still wouldn't leave the two alone for more than a minute if he could help it. Tim was sure now that he didn't feel anything for Dorothy Ann anymore, and wondered if what Carlos was doing was intentional or not. It still bugged him though. He'd hoped Carlos would back off once he'd started dating Phoebe.

"Oh yes, I'm thrilled you won of course," Dorothy Ann assured quickly. "And that you're going to Bridgeton tomorrow."

Carlos grinned pompously and put his feet up on Ralphie's coffee table. Tim frowned at looked at his watch. Phoebe should be here soon.

"What do you think is taking Phoebe and Arnold so long?" he asked no one in particular. Carlos and DA merely shrugged on the couch. Keesha was picking at the carpeting nervously and not really paying much attention to her surroundings. Ralphie and Wanda had disappeared off somewhere.

"Mmm..." was the only response he got from them. What was with all these long faces?? He should have brought his sketchbook.. if he had known this 'party' was going to be this uneventful.

"Where did Wanda and Ralphie go?" Carlos asked suddenly, looking behind his shoulder into the kitchen.

Tim was just about to respond with, 'do you really want to know?' before Keesha interrupted them.

"Wanda's pregnant," she said quickly, like she wanted to get the information out before she could stop it. Dorothy Ann gasped next to Tim.

"Keesha!"

"They were going to find out soon enough anyway!" Keesha defended. "Wanda just told me she's going off to tell him! Isn't it better just to get it all out in the open at once?!"

"Wait, what?!" Carlos choked, there was water all over the coffee table from when he had spat it out in shock.

"Tell who what?" It was Phoebe, her and Arnold had just arrived. Tim was too dumbfounded to even get up and greet her with a kiss. He saw Keesha give Phoebe a knowing glare and Phoebe's eyes widened.

"Oh no!"

"What?!" Arnold demanded, looking around the room at the shocked, and white faces. Keesha was looking like she was about to cry, Dorothy Ann still looked surprised that Keesha had told the boys Wanda's secret; Phoebe's nails were in her mouth and she looked nervous, Carlos looked like he was about to be sick.

Tim was still just trying to make sense of the situation. "Wanda... pregnant?" he asked, breaking the tense silence.

"Pregnant!?!!?!" Arnold shouted, shocked. Phoebe shushed him frantically and clamped a hand to his mouth.

"Shh!" she whispered nervously. "Ralphie might not know yet!"

They fell silent again, and a split second later, all heard a thud coming from the second floor.

"I think he knows," Carlos said quietly, still looking thouroughly shocked himself.

"Come on!" Keesha ordered, jumping to her feet. The rest followed suit as she hurried towards the stairs leading to Ralphie's bedroom.