"Do you think you could have left it in home room?"

"I guess, I don't remember using it the rest of the day."

Hearing voices in the hallway, Liz sat up straighter and tried to straighten her collar, wipe her eyes and fix her hair that had fallen out of its French twist simultaneously. She had fixed her collar, but smeared mascara across her cheek by the time the voices entered the room.

"Li – Ms. Wakefield!" Ted exclaimed.

"Ted – d," she cut herself off from saying, "Teddy," but ended up sounding like she stuttered which was no way for the future duchess to speak. Liz turned red as she saw that Ted's father was with him. The past few years had been good for him. He had always looked good, but now he could be Matthew McConaughey's brother. Elizabeth turned redder, if it was possible, and mentally berated herself. She was engaged? She shouldn't be checking out other men and a former mentor at that! This is what living with Jessica Wakefield for twenty years did to your mind! At this point, Liz realized both were starring at her as if she was supposed to be talking. "I'm sorry. What did you say?"

"Are you all right? I think I left my calculator in here this morning."

"Calculator or iPhone with a calculator app?" Elizabeth felt a smile for the first time in hours. "We found it right after you left. Nice phone for a sixth grader."

"He won it at the SVH Dance Marathon," Mr. Collins answered. "But more importantly, what are you doing at Sweet Valley Middle School and why are you crying? Here, use my handkerchief."

Liz reached out for the cloth and had a feeling of déjà vu. How many times had she used Mr. Collins as a sounding board in high school? "Thanks," she said as she wiped her eyes, "I'll launder and return it."

She was about to blow her nose, when Ted snickered, "You missed something."

Liz mad a couple of attempts to wipe her face before Mr. Collins said, "Here let me." He reclaimed the handkerchief and grabbed the water bottle on the desk to wet it. He moved into wipe off the mascara.

Liz felt her eyes close as he came closer. She noticed the outdoorsy scent of his aftershave and realized how much bigger than she he was. Why he was more muscular than Ken or Tom, two football players she had dated. Suddenly the thought blazed across her mind, "What about Max?" Her eyes snapped open. "Thanks, I should have known not to wear mascara. I thought I'd take care to look good today, of course that's how I got into this mess," She gasped and seemed on the verge of tears again, "How, how I wore the same outfit as the Hairnet."

"I know. What happened to you, Liz? You didn't dress like Jessica, but you didn't dress like an old maid school teacher either."

"Be quiet, Ted. So you dressed like the teacher no one likes? Chrome Dome and I wore the same shirt one day. You eventually live it down. It's not like you walked out of the bathroom with toilet pap…ooh-kay," he winced at the look on her face.

"Both and I wanted to look so nice. I spend a small fortune to create the perfect wardrobe for the future Duchess Elizabeth Pennington, but I ended up looking like the Hairnet. Wait, did you call Mr. Cooper, Chrome Dome? And no one cared that I founded the Sixers or that Jess was a Unicorn."

"Do you think because we are all teacher we automatically get along or that we created the nicknames while we were in school? Though times do change, would you have wanted to know what my favorite cassette was when I was in school? And who is Duchess Elizabeth Pennington?"

Elizabeth held out her left hand. "Me, at least after my wedding to Max. I worked in his home when I took a semester off of school. It's a long story for later. I know it's an honor, and I hope I'm up for the challenge. I guess you are right. It's just middle school is harder than I thought."

"They chill out some by high school. Hmm, maybe I can help you, give me a few days. You have a great heart, you've never failed before. I'm sure you aren't going to start now." Looking at the clock, Mr. Collins continued, "We'd better go. We have held you up long enough."

"See you around then."

Liz moved to collect her belongings as the Collins left. Her phone started ringing. She picked it up. Finally, Jessica was calling her back! She answered the phone, "I am so glad you called! You wouldn't believe what I have been through today." Elizabeth recounted the Incident.

Jessica couldn't stop laughing, "The Hairnet is still alive and teaching? And you are dressed liked her? I told you that wardrobe looked more boring than something Caroline Pierce would have picked out at her most prim."

Stung, Elizabeth replied, "I thought it would do for all the occasions I'm going to have with engagement."

Realizing she'd hurt her sister's feeling, Jessica tried to backtrack. The relationship between the twins was better, but they'd never recovered the closeness they'd had before Elizabeth had left for England. "I know you have a lot of special things coming up, but I don't want to lose my sister. You grew up in a comfortable split level with a cozy Spanish-tiled kitchen, not a stuffy castle."

"Exactly and that's why you have to come home this weekend. We need to tear Sweet Valley Mall up finding me another wardrobe; one that won't make Teddy Collins laugh at me."

"I'll see what I can do. Teddy Collins laughed at you? When did you see him?"

"He's in my home room. He and his father stopped by after school looking for Ted, that's what we are supposed to call him now, Ted's phone."

"Interesting. Does Ted still have a crush the size of the Pacific on his favorite baby-sitter? Is his father still hot?"

"Jessica! I don't know if Ted still has a crush on me or not. I barely spoke to them. I'm engaged! I can't check out other men!"

"Lizzie, you are engaged not dead – is the man still hot or what?"

"Oh okay, he's as hot as ever. I don't know what he's been doing but he's more built now than he used to be."

"Chloe and Meghan just stopped by. I'd better go. Love ya, bye!"

"Bye, I'll see you this weekend."