A/N: Slightly longer chapter, but it was necessary. Thanks again for reviewing. Keep them coming! I appreciate it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing


Chapter 4: A Little Doubt Goes A Long Way

"So," Cassie said walking into the kitchen seeing Eva peeling potatoes. "Senior year."

"Yup," Eva nodded. Cassie looked at her. "Mom, I'm fine," she said.

"I thought we could make an appointment with Mrs. Germaine," Cassie said. "She'd the person to talk to about art school next year right?"

"Uh huh," Eva said. "I guess." She kept peeling.

"Sweetheart, I know you miss David, but you can't spend the whole year moping," Cassie said. "This was a big opportunity for him, you should be happy for him."

"Stop talking like you understand what I'm going through," Eva said. "You don't." Cassie closed her eyes. "I am happy for David, getting a chance to study at The Sorbonne, it's huge. But I miss him, and it just kind of sucks when your boyfriend leaves you behind for a year, and your best friend is in California at college." Cassie nodded. "I just miss them."

"You're right," Cassie said. "I don't what you're going through, and I know you miss David and Mikey, but you only get to go to high school once, and you should enjoy it." Eva nodded. "I just don't like seeing you so sad," she squeezed her shoulders. "So, how do you think TJ did?"

"Fine," Eva shrugged. "You know, he and Lizzie are attached at the hip, he mooned after Stephie." Cassie laughed. "I don't how practice went though."

"Oh God, please don't bring it up when your father gets home," Cassie groaned. Eva laughed. "He's dead sure that Charlie Conway and Guy Germaine are going to discriminate against him because he's a Riley."

"That's ridiculous," Eva rolled her eyes. "Coach Conway is one of Aunt Julie's best friends and she's a Riley."

"That's what I said," Cassie smiled. "But you know your father, there's no talking to him. Especially not when it comes to hockey." Eva laughed.

"Evie!" Bella ran in.

"Hey Bella," Eva said, "how's fifth grade?

"Good," Bella said. "It's boring here with you and TJ both gone."

"Oh, baby, that's sweet," Cassie said. Bella looked at her. "Bella's trying out for cheerleading."

"Oh," Eva said. "That's exciting." Bella nodded. "You'll be great."

"Mm," TJ said walking in the back door, "that smells good. I brought a surprise." Lizzie walked in behind him.

"Lizzie!" Cassie said and hugged her. "It's so good to see you."

"You too, Cass," Lizzie smiled. "Mom feels really bad that she couldn't stick around, but it was the only time she and Dad could get tickets cheap enough to go visit David before Christmas."

"Of course," Cass said. "Besides, we've got you for the next four years now." She cupped her hands around the girl's face. "What kind of godmother would I be if I didn't take good care of you?" Lizzie laughed.

"I'm glad I'm here too," she said. "Hey Bella!" She hugged the younger girl.

"How was practice TJ?" Cassie asked.

"Fine," he said. "Can we not talk about it when Dad's here though?"


"Cheerleading?" Julie said on the phone with Stephanie. "Really?"

"Ga-Mrs. Germaine," Stephanie said, "said it was a good way to stay in shape without getting too intense."

"Honey, when you're talking to me you can still call her Gabrielle," Julie laughed. "If you think it's a good idea you should." Stephanie sighed. "You OK Bug? Is the cheerleading thing the only thing bugging you?"

"Have you talked to Taylor?" She asked. Julie laughed.

"Honey, just call him," Julie said. "Ignoring whatever it is you and Aaron are fighting about won't solve it."

"He's being an ass," Stephanie said.

"Yes, boys do that," Julie said. "Steve was an ass all the time, but we got past it."

"Steve ended up married to your best friend," Stephanie said. "I don't want Aaron married to my best friend. Was Jimmy ever an ass?"

"Jimmy was often an ass," Julie said. "I can put him on the phone and he can tell you about all the times he was an ass."

"That's OK," Stephanie said. "So would you hate me if I did cheerleading?"

"Just don't become Pod Stephie," Julie said. "I just want you to be happy, you know that."

"I know," Stephanie said. "I love you Jules."

"I love you too Bug," Julie said. "We'll talk again soon."

"OK, bye," Stephanie whispered and hung up.

"Are you ready?" Reese walked in. Stephanie looked at her. "This is going to be so fun!"

"Yeah," Stephanie said. "Um, it should be." They walked down to the gym and sat and listened while the captain talked and then watched the dance routine. Stephanie swallowed.

"What's wrong?" Reese asked.

"This isn't really my kind of dancing," Stephanie said.

"You'll be fine," Reese said, a smile coming to her face. Ruining Steph might be easier than she thought. "I mean it's the same as ballet, just no bar and you wear sneakers."

"Sure," Steph whispered.


Connie sat in the library looking through an old yearbook and smiled. She'd seen Connie and Charlie's senior yearbook a million times before, but this was her Dad's. She smiled, seeing her father, Logan Vanderbilt looking slouched and too confident on the steps of the main school building in a flannel shirt and ripped jeans. It just seemed so unlike her dad.

"What are you looking at?" She turned hearing a voice behind her. She smiled seeing Tony.

"My dad's yearbook," she said. "That's him." She pointed to the picture as he sat down. "He looks really different."

"It was the 90s," he smirked. She laughed.

"Yeah," she said. "I don't know, I just always thought that my dad was like this stuffy uptight preppy kid." He nodded. "I mean, I always knew my mom was totally cool, or as cool as you can be in a rural Iowa high school." He nodded. "What about your parents?"

"Um, well," he said. "They're great. I have kind of a hard time, because my dad's awesome, but me and my sister are his second time around. And my half sister, she can't stand being around us, because my dad cheated on her mom with my mom." Connie looked at him.

"That sucks," Connie said. "I've never met my brother and sister. I'm not even sure they know I exist." He looked at her. "I'm adopted. My birth parents have two other kids."

"Why'd they keep them and not you?" He asked.

"Because they were nineteen when they had me," she explained. "My mom can't have kids, so," he nodded. "We're quite the pair, huh?" He laughed.

"I guess," he shrugged. "Have you ever met them? Your birth parents?"

"My dad," she said. "He's the hockey coach here."

"Coach Conway?" Tony said. She nodded. "I know him. Sort of, my half brother and sister played with him in pee wees. Apparently his wife, your mom, she and my half sister had some sort of huge falling out like twelve years ago, now they don't talk."

"I know all about that," Connie nodded. "Well, not all, but some, Tammy's the one who set them up with my parents." He nodded. "She's really close to TJ and his sisters."

"I know," he said. "It kind of sucks."


That night Reese lay in bed and so did Liz and they looked at each other.

"Where were you tonight?" Reese asked.

"Oh, I went to TJ's for dinner," Liz shrugged.

"What's going on with you two?" Reese asked.

"Nothing," Liz said, "we're friends. Best friends."

"Like Joey and Dawson best friends?" Reese asked.

"No," Liz shook her head, "more like Lucas and Haley, or Dan and Vanessa." Reese nodded. "Or George and Izzie on Grey's, but at the beginning, before they ruined them, I'm definitely not interested in him like that. Why? Are you?"

"He's cute," Reese said and hugged her knees. "Do you think he'd like me?"

"He's kind of terminally obsessed with Stephie," Liz shrugged. "But he claims to be over it, so you could give it a shot."


Stephanie sat on the roof quietly and dialed her cell phone, it rang a few times and then went to voice mail.

"It's Aaron, leave one," she closed her eyes.

"Hey, it's me," she whispered. "I guess you're either busy or don't want to talk to me. I miss you. I'm sorry. Call me when you want to talk I guess. I love you." She hung up and wiped her eyes, she turned hearing one of the doors open and saw TJ.

"Hey," he said. "Sorry."

"It's OK," she whispered and wiped her eyes again. "How was your day?"

"Good," he said. "You were on the phone?"

"Just Aaron," she shrugged. "He didn't answer." He nodded. "I don't know, I always get really sad around milestones."

"Your parents?" He asked. She nodded. "You must miss them."

"Some days I don't even think about them," she admitted. "I mean, then I realize that I didn't think about them and I get all freaked out, like I might forget them."

"I don't think that's possible," he said. "Plus I don't think Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Julie would let you forget them." She smiled. "Bella's mad at you for not coming over for dinner. I was supposed to tell you that." She laughed.

"I'll make it up to her," she said and pushed her hair behind her ears. "We're friends right?"

"Yeah," he said, gently taking her hand. "Of course we're friends."


Keep those reviews coming guys!