Ten years went by. Eventually everyone managed to think they wouldn't see Melinda Cavanaugh again, so they moved on with their lives. Chaz didn't forget her though. He always hoped someday she would return, though it felt unlikely they would see her again. It was also about time for the school reunion since everyone had seen each other. Chaz wore his best bow tie with a suit like attire and went to see everyone and smiled once he saw his good friends.

"Oh, hi Chaz." Howard smiled.

"Hey, Howard, how's things been going for you?" Chaz asked, casually.

"Oh, not too bad, Betty and I are dating now."

"Really?" Chaz sounded dumbfounded. "I thought Betty hated you or something. She nearly beat you up everyday."

"Turns out that's how she shows affection." Howard sounded sheepish.

"Oh, well, congratulations, at least you won't forget each other's birthdays."

"How's that?"

Chaz glanced at him. "You have the same birthday."

"We do?" Howard's eyes widened. "I never realized that!"

"You're dating, shouldn't you know that?"

"I-I'm just new at this... No one else has wanted to go out with me besides her, how are you doing, Chaz?"

"I'm okay, I guess... I just really miss Melinda..."

"Melinda? Chaz, nothing personal, but she moved away ten years ago, just move on with your life."

Chaz sighed a little. "I know, I should get over her, but I just really miss her... I felt like she was the one..."

Howard put an arm around his close, easily relatable friend. "There'll be other girls, just keep your head up and try to enjoy the reunion, okay?"

"Okay..." Chaz walked away from him and went to see someone else. Hopefully he would find someone who wasn't in a committed relationship. He smiled as he saw Stu. "Hey, Stu, you seeing anyone?"

"Didi." Stu said.

Chaz raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

"You know, that red-headed girl, she comes from the old country, she's Jewish..."

"Oh, Didila..."

"Yeah, but I call her Didi now, it's more complimenting than Didila, Didila sounds funny." Stu couldn't help but laugh at his girlfriend's birth name.

Chaz raised an eyebrow at him, then saw Drew come in with a pregnant Charlotte. He had heard about them getting married, he couldn't recall much of how far back, but it seemed sudden to see Charlotte pregnant. He came over to the new couple.

"Oh, Charlotte, how long have you been pregnant?" Chaz asked.

"Uhh..." Charlotte tried to remember, she had been working so long, she barely kept her attention on anything else that didn't involve cell phones, fax machines, or international travel.

"Three months, Char." Drew reminded her.

"Three months!" Charlotte beamed shamelessly.

"Congratulations, I guess." Chaz smiled properly.

"You okay, Chaz?" Drew asked, noticing how out of it that the red-headed boy seemed.

Chaz sighed again. "I'm sorry, I just really miss Melinda... I know she's been gone for ten years now, but I think about her all the time. I just get these dreams that she'll return to town..."

"Oh, Chaz, Melinda's my best friend, she'll come back. If not, you can always find someone else, you're still young." Charlotte assured him.

Chaz smiled a little at that. "I'm gonna get some punch." he walked off to the table to get some drinks with some other classmates.

"You really think Melinda will come back?" Drew glanced at his blonde woman.

"Fat chance." Charlotte murmured under her breath.

Chaz went to get a drink and spotted a frizzy blonde haired girl. "Hey, there... Have we met?"

"Oh, I was always the quiet, shy, easily excitable girl in class," the girl said. "I usually sat in the back... I'm easily broken..."

"Vicki Weemer?"

"That's right!"

"Wow, you get more nervous break downs than I do."

Vicki nearly darted her eyes at him. "I'm well aware of that, Charles Finster..."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Chaz looked at her nervously. "So, you're alone here too, huh?"

Vicki sighed and looked at the moon. "Yes, I'm afraid I am... I was engaged, there was a wedding... but..."

"What happened?"

Vicki sniffled and her eyes started to fill with tears. "H-H-He left me at the...alter..." she then ran off. "Excuse me..." she went into the girls bathroom to cry out her emotions.

"Oh, dear." Chaz looked nervous.

"Are you okay, Charles?" a voice asked.

"Yeah, I guess I'll be okay, I-" Chaz froze. He heard someone called him Charles. No one except one girl he knew all too well called him that, next to his parents of course. It couldn't be. Chaz turned in shock and saw a familiar face. "M-M-Melinda?"

It was indeed the girl. She smiled brightly at her good friend from school. "Hello, Charles... I missed you."

"I-I-I missed you t-t-too..." Chaz took her hands, nearly shivering from nervousness. "Wh-Whatever happened to you?"

Melinda sighed a bit. "I went back home, an old friend of mine from back home that wasn't a farm animal let me stay with her and her parents since my father died. I'm sorry, I wanted to tell you, but I thought you would have forgotten all about me by now."

"Oh, Melinda, I could never forget you."

"And I couldn't you, Charles."

Chaz sniffled once Melinda said his name again.

"Oh, Charles, I'm sorry, is something wrong?" Melinda frowned once she saw tears fall from the boy's eyes. She pulled him into a hug and patted his back as he cried.

"I just missed you so much!" Chaz bawled. "I don't ever wanna lose you again, Melinda..."

Melinda hushed his crying and soothed him like she were a good mother with a fussy child. "Charles, I'll never leave you again, I promise... I'm sorry I didn't get to say good-bye."

"Ten years is a long time, Melinda..."

"I know, don't cry, I'm here now."

Chaz let go of her and sighed, shakily. "Your boyfriend probably doesn't want you around me now. You better go spend some time with him."

"Boyfriend?" Melinda raised an eyebrow. "I don't have a boyfriend."

Chaz looked at her. "Really, why not?"

"I could never find a boy as special, sweet, and emotional as you," Melinda admitted. "A lot of boys back home were just jerks who wanted me for my body and to stay in the kitchen. Only one boy I knew back in my real home would be kind and helpful to me. You, Charles."

Chaz's heart fluttered and he smiled brightly at her. "Oh, Melinda..."

Melinda smiled and kissed his cheek, making him stutter a bit. "You're so great, anyone would be lucky to have you... You really blush a lot, don't you?"

Chaz stammered a bit and grew nervous as Melinda mentioned his blushing. "Y-You'd be a great mother, Melinda..."

"And you'd be a great father, Charles..." Melinda whispered.

A song came up from one of the school dances. Some of the graduated students found a partner and started dancing. Melinda and Chaz exchanged a glance and decided to share a dance together. Melinda didn't even mind when he stepped on her feet a few times. As the song was drawing to a close, the two leaned forward and shared their first kiss together. The spotlight was on them and the crowd clapped for the song and for them to have found each other. Melinda leaned her head on Chaz's shoulder while Chaz proudly held her in his arms.

"Melinda, I may not be the strongest, the most handsomest, the most richest man..." Chaz spoke up after stunned silence together in happiness.

"Charles, are you doing what I think you're doing?"

"Well... I don't exactly have a ring, but... I'd like to spend the rest of my life with you... Melinda Cavanaugh," Chaz took her hands and looked her dead in the eye. "Would you become my bride?"

Melinda's heart fluttered as she looked back into his eyes. Her mouth was wide open in shock. She was so happy and thrilled to be asked that question by someone she can truly love and trust. She had dreamed of this moment since she was a little rugrat and never expected to ever hear it so sweetly and beautifully. Melinda wrapped her arms around him and squeezed her eyes shut as tears came from her eyes and she smiled brightly. "Yes, Charles..." she whispered. "I would love to become Mrs. Charles Finster."

"R-Really?" Chaz gulped as he parted from the hug, seeing her sincere smile. "Y-Y-You mean it? Y-Y-You don't have to..." he blushed as he said that.

"I know, I have a choice and you respect my decisions," Melinda coaxed. "I want to be apart of your life, Charles. I really do."


A/N: You know what to do! :)