Shortman Residence- 4PM:

Rose sat on the couch in her brother's room next to Cecile. Phil sat on his bed and Kyo settled himself upon the rolling black desk chair in the middle of the room. All four kids were enjoying the lazy afternoon that followed the first day of school. The topic of the day was kickball.

"Did you see that Curtis kid? I'd love to knock him down a few pegs!" Kyo stated as he punched his right hand into his left palm.

"Hey come on man, calm down. It's over." Phil said.

"Ah, Kyo is just jealous because Curtis is better looking and smarter than he is!" Cecile stated bluntly and stuck out her tongue at Kyo. The latter fumed while Rose and Phil looked on in shock.

"Cecile!" They both called at the same time.

Cecile looked around in confusion, "What, it's true."

Both siblings exchanged confused glances and turned to look at Kyo. His hands were clenched into tight fists and his face became as red as a tomato. He snarled and spat, "I am not jealous of that…idiot!"

Cecile nodded, unconvinced. "Sure you're not."

Phil laughed at the look on Kyo's face. "Oh man, you are so jealous of Curtis!"

Kyo's mouth made an "O" shape as he slowly turned to Phil, "Seriously, dude?! Why would I be jealous?"

"Hmm, because he's better at sports and the ladies do seem to notice him more."

"Hmph! The ladies do not like him better and besides…I am not jealous! You might be though."

"What?"

"Come on! Everyone knows you've never had a date before and Curtis and I have!"

"What? When did you go on a date?"

"I don't tell you everything!"

"Yeah? What was her name then?"

"..Carly!"

"Carly? Carly who?"

"Carly… uh, Cosgrove!"

"Oh! You mean Carly Shay?"

"Ye-yeah! That's her!"

"Dude, that's a character on Nickelodeon played by Miranda Cosgrove! And I know for a fact, you've never dated her!"

"Oh yeah? How?"

"One, she's way too old for you and two, I'm your best friend. I think if you had a date with Miranda Cosgrove, I'd be the first to know about it!"

"We-well, whatever man! You've still never had a date either!"

"Yeah, so?"

"So you're more jealous of Curtis than I am!"

"Ah, so you are jealous!" Cecile piped up. She cast a sinister grin in Kyo's direction.

Kyo looked flustered. He turned to Phil who only gave him a mocking grin. Kyo mumbled under his breath as Phil, Cecile and Rose laughed.

Helga's voice streamed upstairs, "Ok, dinner's ready! Everyone come downstairs!"

Kyo was the first to leave the room, his face still red. Cecile followed closely, skipping behind him with a grin on her face.

Rose turned to Phil, "Shall we?" she asked, indicating the door.

"Actually, I think we need to talk."

"What about?"

"This morning."

"Phil, drop it ok?"

"No. You're my sister. I can tell something's up so what is it?"

"Nothing, I swear!"

Phil's eyes narrowed, "You sure?"

Rose looked exasperated, "Yes!" She turned to leave but Phil caught her arm.

He looked into her eyes. His expression was pained and hopeful at the same time. "You know you can talk to me about anything, right? I'm not just your brother. I'm your friend too."

Rose smiled, in that moment she couldn't have been happier to know Phil. "Yeah, I know and I swear nothing's wrong…I've just been thinking about some stuff lately."

"Like what?"

"Well I…"

"ROSE, PHIL, TIME FOR DINNER!" Helga yelled upstairs.

Rose broke free from her brother's grasp and said, "I'll tell you later, k?"

Phil nodded and followed his sister downstairs.

Shortman Residence- 7PM: Rose's POV:

"Goodbye everyone! It was nice seeing you again!" Aunty Pheobe calls from the stoop outside our building.

"Yeah, it was great!" Uncle Gerald agrees. He put a fist against my dads and they wiggle their thumbs. They've been doing that since before I can remember. Probably before I was even born! Uncle Gerald turns to my mother, "Nice meal as always, Helga!"

Mom smiles and embraces Uncle Gerald. "It was so nice having you over, Hair-boy!" she stands back and winks. Uncle Gerald laughs. That must be some inside joke.

I watch as Phil and Kyo press their fists together in a horizontal version of what their dads just did. Kyo turns to give me a hug. I smile and hug him back. We practically grew up together. He's like a second brother to me. He looks over at Cecile with a grimace. I know the two of them have never really seen eye-to-eye. I'm not sure why but they have a tendency to get on each other's nerves.

Kyo eventually goes for a handshake. Cecile rolls her eyes and holds out her arms. Taken by surprise, Kyo quickly changes to a hug. Cecile hugs him back and I see a dreamy smile spread over her face. I almost chuckle but manage to hold it in. Just as suddenly, Cecile pushes Kyo away and makes a disgusted face. "Ew, yuck!"

Kyo rolls his eyes and backs away murmuring, "whatever" under his breath. Mom smirks and Uncle Gerald and Dad exchange a knowing smile.

"Well, let's go son!" Uncle Gerald says. He places a hand on Kyo's shoulder and the two head out to their car. I wait outside with my family and wave as the Johanssens drive away.

Mom goes inside and heads for the kitchen, "Who wants to help me with the dishes?" she calls over her shoulder.

"I will!" I call out. This may be the perfect time to ask her!

Mom gives Dad a perplexed look and shrugs, "Ok, great!" I gulp. It might've been a good idea to actually start volunteering for chores before today! I follow Helga into the kitchen. This may be my only chance, I can't screw it up!

Shortman Residence- Kitchen:

Helga stood at the sink. She held a sponge in one hand and a plate in another. Rose stood beside her, rag in hand, waiting for the next dish to dry. Helga handed Rose the plate and Rose placed it in the cabinet.

Rose decided to try some small talk first. "So how was your day?"

"Good! I got a lot of work done!" Helga smiled, "So, who's your teacher this year?"

"Some old guy named, Mr. Simmons."

"Mr. Simmons? Oh my gosh, that throw pillow still works there?"

"You know him?"

"Yeah, he was your dad and my teacher when we were your age!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! How crazy is that? Does he still say 'special' after every other word?"

Rose laughed, "Yeah he does!"

Helga shook her head and chuckled, "What a freak!"

"Do you know when he started there?" Rose asked, hoping she sounded casual.

"Actually, he started there after our teacher Mrs. Slovak retired. Why?"

Rose gulped. She didn't have a good answer for that. Suddenly the phone rang. Helga sighed and wiped her hands, "I'll get that. Would you continue washing the dishes hon?"

"Sure mom, no problem!"

Rose sighed as she grabbed the sponge. How am I gonna ask her now?

Helga walked back to the kitchen a few minutes later followed closely by her husband. They both looked somewhat upset.

Helga sighed, "Rose. I think I know what you wanted to talk to me about. Mr. Simmons called, he told me that he mentioned… Lila. You want to know who she is, right?"

Rose looked frightened and rambled, "I-I'm so sorry! Mr. Simmons told me she died and I thought…well I thought she might be a friend of yours so I wasn't going to ask but-"

"Honey, it's ok." Arnold interrupted her.

"It is?"

"Yes. The thing is…there's something your mom and I need to tell you." He indicated the table and all three slowly sat down.