Hey hey. Sorry that it's taken me so long to update. I………um………kind of got banned from posting for a while cough cough I wrote a story about real people and apparently that's against the rules. So I got banned. shrugs okay, well I'm updating all my stories now. So read and review, and hopefully we'll always be happy ……… kay

Zan unlocked the back door and let herself into the kitchen. She tossed her keys onto the counter and hung her coat up on the rack. The light above the sink was on, and there was a slice of cake on the table with a fork and a glass of cold milk.

Though it was a simple gesture, it touched Zan. She sat down and ate the entire slice of cake. Then she climbed the stairs and went to bed.

Claire was awake and making breakfast in the morning when Zan came downstairs, wearing an extra long t-shirt that had belonged to her mother before she'd died.

"Good morning, sweetie," Claire greeted her, glancing up from the stove where she was cooking. "How was your evening?"

"It was okay." Zan replied, opening the refrigerator door and pulling out the carton of milk from the top shelf.

"Okay? It was only okay?" Claire actually sounded worried. She glanced up from her cooking. "Did everything go all right?"

"Yeah, yeah it was nice." Zan replied distractedly, pouring herself a glass and putting the milk back into the refrigerator.

"Nice? Just nice?" Claire demanded, holding her spatula like it was some kind of dangerous weapon. "Do you want to talk about it or anything?"

"No, no. It was great. I had an awesome time. I'm fine." Zan assured her hurriedly, and she escaped up the stairs to her room.

She showered quickly and got dressed. Then she opened her drapes to let the sunlight pour into her dark room. She sat down on her bed with her guitar and practiced a bit on the songs she'd learned at practice the previous day.

She glanced up out her window once. Freddy was in his bedroom, watching her. She smiled and went over to her window. She pushed it up and perched on the windowsill, letting the breeze blow through her hair.

"Hey. You just get up?" She called good-naturedly to him.

He grinned back at her. His hair was sticking up everywhere, a clear indication that her guess was right. "About five minutes ago." He conceded.

"When's our next practice?" She asked next, allowing the wind to whip her hair against her face. Her eyes shone through her hair.

"I………uh………" Freddy was suddenly finding it hard to concentrate on what she had just asked him. With the light shining off her hair that way, she looked just like an angel………an angel of death. What was he thinking? "Monday."

"Cool." She grinned, brushing her hair back. She glanced up at him. "I've been practicing a lot on the songs we were practicing."

"Do you want to go out to dinner tonight?" Freddy offered before he could actually consider the realization of his offer or think about it rationally.

Zan gave him a pained look. "Freddy, I thought that we agreed that our watching the movies didn't change anything between us."

"It's not a date," Freddy said scathingly, even though it had been. "I was suggesting that we go just as friends."

Zan smiled knowingly. She knew that he wanted to go on a date with her, and he didn't really mind. "All right, Freddy. Dinner tonight sounds great."

Freddy grinned. "All right. I'll pick you up at six." He told her, running his hands through his hair. "How does that sound?"

"Awesome." She smiled. "See you tonight." She winked, then climbed back in her window. She shut the window and drew the drapes.

Someone knocked on her door as she turned around. Without waiting for her to answer, Brittany opened the door and came in. She was wearing cheerleading shorts and a cheerleading tank top. "Mom sent me to get you for breakfast."

"All right, I'm coming." Zan replied cheerfully, tucking her loose hair back behind her many pierced ear.

Brittany regarded her step-sister with a weird look. "What's wrong with you?" She demanded, sticking one hip out cockily.

"Nothing." Zan replied, smiling warmly and ruffling Brittany's hair fondly. "I'm just in a good mood. Let's go grab some breakfast."

So the two of them went downstairs and sat down at the breakfast table. Claire set plates of food down in front of them.

"Well, you're in a pleasant mood this morning, Zan." Claire said cheerfully as she and her husband sat down with their daughters.

"I am." Zan nodded, smiling.

"Well, that's good." Claire smiled, pouring orange juice for everybody. "Zan, do you like steak? Your father's grilling steaks for dinner."

"Oh, I'm, uh, actually not going to be here for dinner tonight." Zan admitted, pushing her waffle around on her plate with her fork.

"Where will you be?" Her dad demanded, setting his fork and knife down and fixing his daughter with a firm stare.

"I'm, um, going out to dinner." Zan replied, squirming in her seat uncomfortably. She took a long sip of orange juice.

"With who?" Her father demanded.

"A friend."

"Is this friend a boy or a girl?"

"A boy." Now Zan was really starting to get uncomfortable. She squirmed some more in her seat and glanced around nervously.

"Do I know this boy?" Her father demanded, his eyes growing hard as he thought about his daughter going out on a dinner date.

"God, he's just a friend. It's not like it's a date or anything." Zan dropped her unused fork and knife onto her plate with a clatter.

"Just tell me who it is." Her father replied calmly.

"It's none of your business!" Zan snapped, and she ran upstairs.

She ran out to meet Freddy before he could ring the doorbell and alert her dad and her step-mom that he was there.

"What's your hurry?" Freddy asked as she climbed into the front passenger seat of his car and he drove off.

"My dad went ballistic on me." Zan made a face. "Come on. Let's just get out of here, okay?"

"Okay." Freddy agreed, and they turned off their street.

Okay, I know this is a pretty short chappy but ya know, ya'll will have to get over it because it was a slightly important chapter in the Freddy-and-Zan romance………I guess. Okay, luvs and review for me. Byeness