Little Moments: Like Father, Like Son
Chapter 11: News to Her
Disclaimer: Jamie is not my character. The other ones...yes.
A/N: I'm back! Classes are officially over and the fall semester of my junior year is coming to a close! Yay! Now the only thing I have to worry about are exams, lol! Sorry for the long delay in getting this chapter up. I had a crazy Thanksgiving and an even more crazy week with school. But like I said, classes are done and I really only have to focus on exams. Keep your fingers crossed that I'll be able to crank out lots and lots of updates over my Christmas break.
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The sound of feet pounding against the pavement was something Liza loved to hear. She loved to run. There was nothing as exhilarating as the runner's high. As she breathed through her nose she could feel her lungs expanding with each breath. Her arms were moving in a steady rhythm along her sides and Liza used her hand to wipe away the little beads of sweat that had pooled on her forehead. She loved running. The girl looked to her left and smiled. There was something she loved more.
"How you doing over there?"
"I'm good," Jamie breathlessly let out. He nodded at her and smiled through the pain in his legs and the burning in his chest. It wasn't that he was out of shape, he was in really good shape, but running at Liza's collegiate soccer playing pace was intense. But he was doing it for her.
Jamie glanced to his right and caught a peek of his girlfriend. She was motivated to no end and looked more determined than ever. She was wearing long black leggings underneath her Nike shorts, an Under Armor top underneath her t-shirt, and Jamie was positive she was more beautiful than ever. The early February winds had turned her ears a bright red and her cheeks were rosy too. Nothing about that girl was wrong.
"Are you sure you're good?" Liza turned to Jamie because she'd seen him looking and thought he was starting to get tired. They'd been running around campus for the last fifteen minutes.
This second question gave Jamie a good opportunity. "I could use a break." He laughed through his smirk and when he slowed down he grabbed his side.
Liza was walking beside him and grimaced, "Cramp?"
"Yeah." Jamie nodded and took a deep breath. It felt like side stitches. Those pesky jolts of pain were running along his left side and Jamie felt like he had some person giggling a knife through his ribs.
Looking at Jamie's chest, Liza was trying to assess the situation, "Does it feel like a stitch?" Jamie nodded so Liza was in full on nurse mode. Curious that his stitch was on the left and not the right, she looked at him with a furrowed brow, "Press a few fingers just below your rib cage."
"Huh?" He knew what to do but Jamie was hoping Liza might step in. Her fingers on his skin worked better than his own.
"Here, look." Liza stopped walking and stepped closer to Jamie. Her fingers brushed against his left side and stopped just below his ribs. "Massage right there for a minute. Your diaphragm is stressed out."
He loved it when she talked like that. It wasn't too much medical mumbo jumbo. It was simple and easy to follow, and it was exactly why she was going to be an excellent pediatric nurse.
Jamie moved his hand to where hers was and arched his brow, "Here?"
"Yeah. And stretch your arms up and out. That might help too." Liza demonstrated as she was speaking and saw him start to smile. She looked at him curiously and shook her head, "What?"
"Nothing." He just smiled and continued to rub on his abdomen. They walked side by side for a few moments and Jamie took a deep breath. Liza had stopped to stretch and he couldn't help but eagerly watch.
"I can feel your eyes on me, you know." She looked up to Jamie with a smile and a nod.
He laughed and shook his head, "I don't know what you're talking about."
She laughed and leaned the other way, "And I knew what you were up to with that stitch, too." Liza stood up straight and walked over to him. If he'd wanted her hands on him he didn't have to make up some scheme about cramping. "You didn't even have a cramp, did you?"
Jamie's blue eyes widened, "Actually, I did. But..."
Rolling her eyes, Liza grabbed a bit of Jamie's shirt and took a step closer to him. "But you wanted me..." She had a smirk creeping across her lips and her blue eyes were staring hard into his, "... to kiss you?"
He smiled and leaned into her as their lips met. It was cold outside but neither Jamie or Liza could tell. They were so caught up in each other that the weather, the surroundings; everything around them was merely a detail worth forgetting.
Liza had put her hands around Jamie's waist and looked up to him, "You have to go soon, don't you?"
Nodding, Jamie leaned down to kiss her again. "I can be a little late."
She pulled away and laughed, "Not for your first on-camera interview." Liza raised her brow with a smile, "You're gonna do great."
Jamie took a deep breath and looked into the warm blue eyes that were in front of him. Liza was right. He didn't need to be late for his first on-camera interview for the Daily Tar Heel. He was nervous though. If he could have it his way he'd stick to paper. "I'll start cracking really dumb jokes if I get nervous."
"That's fine." Liza shrugged, "It's about basketball, though. You know more about that sport than anyone on this campus. You'll do fine. You'll do great."
Normally Jamie was the one who was good with words, but this time it was Liza would knew the right things to say.
Looking at her boyfriend's sweaty body, Liza smirked, "And I bet that Sarah...whatshername...will appreciate it if her interviewer takes a shower. You smell pretty ripe."
Jamie laughed but arched brow, "But I thought you liked it when I'm like this?"
She did. There was no denying the fact that Jamie was incredibly sexy when he broke a sweat.
Seeing a blush illuminate her cheeks, Jamie stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her frame.
"Oh, Jamie, Don't!" Liza tried to wiggle out of his embrace but she knew she didn't have a chance. And if she was being completely honest with herself she knew she was enjoying herself more than she let on. There was something about him holding her that she would never get used to. It didn't matter what clothes he was wearing, how he smelt, how he looked, when it was, or why he was doing it. Liza loved being that close to him.
"What? " Jamie dug his cheek into the crook of her neck and got a laugh out of her.
Wiping her hand under her chin, Liza rolled her eyes and swatted at Jamie, "That's gross."
He started to laugh and that Scott smirked was painfully obvious along the creases of his mouth. "I guess I better go get cleaned up, huh? Going to the interview like this will be less than professional."
Liza ran her hand over her ponytail and nodded, "Yeah, that might be a good idea."
Jamie saw that a transit was about to pull up so he tilted his head, "I'll take this one back to my place."
"Alright. Call me when you're done."
"I will." Jamie started to turn to walk toward the bus but turned back to Liza. Leaning toward her, he kissed her sweetly, "Bye."
A heap of butterflies had just exploded in her stomach and she was sure that they might never go away. Not with Jamie Scott in her life. Liza glanced up to Jamie's blue eyes and she smiled, "Bye."
Jamie nodded and walked toward the bus. Liza watched the transit pull away but those butterflies were still flapping around like crazy. Her happy and content peace of mind was seemingly here to stay, but like all good things; nothing lasted that long.
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Jamie was in his room with a towel around his waist practicing his questions. His hair was still a little wet but it was sure to dry fast with him running his fingers through it as he tried to kill his nerves. Liza seemed to think he was going to do a good job, so why was he so anxious? Was it the fact that it was on-camera and he was more comfortable with bylines and type settings? Probably.
Pulling up his pants and throwing on a shirt Jamie took a few deep breaths and looked at himself in the mirror. It was fine. Things were going to be fine.
His phone started to ring and the loudness more than startled him, "Shit." He shook off his bewilderment and reached for his phone. He saw the name on the screen and couldn't help but smile. Raising the phone to his ear he said hello.
"Hey, Charlotte."
"Big day, huh?"
Jamie laughed because she'd remembered about the interview. "Yeah."
Fourteen year old Charlotte flopped down on the couch and shrugged, "It won't be so bad."
"Ha, you sound like Liza."
Charlotte smiled and laughed into the phone, "Yeah, she told me you were getting nervous."
Knowing that his kid sister and girlfriend were so close was something that Jamie got a kick out of. It wasn't that he thought they wouldn't get along but he never imagined Charlotte would call Liza about as much as she called him. Jamie looked at his shirt lying on his bed and took a deep breath, "So what words of wisdom do you have for me this time?"
Letting out a laugh, Charlotte shook her head, "Well...first thing, don't wear a shirt with patterns. Stick to plain, regular colors. White might wash you out so..."
"I'm wearing a blue shirt with a dark blue tie."
"Oh, well then you'll look fine. I mean as long as you don't fumble with your words or freeze when they start taping it'll be fine, Jame. I doubt you have anything to worry about."
Jamie took a deep breath and nodded, "Yeah, I know." He looked at the clock and took a deep breath, "I gotta get going."
"You'll do great."
"Thanks, Char. I'll call you later."
"Alright, bye."
Jamie hung up his phone, shoved his keys in his pocket, grabbed his notes he'd been going over, and headed out of his bedroom.
Sam was in the kitchen standing by the microwave and looked at his friend, "You about to go?"
"Yeah." The microwave dinged and Jamie pointed, "Toss me one of those."
Eyeing his newly cooked pizza rolls, Sam picked one up and held it out. "Only if you get me Sarah's number."
Jamie nodded and laughed as the pizza roll soared through the air, "I'll see what I can do." He popped the bite sized snack in his mouth and made his way to the door. "I'll see you later."
Sam leaned against the counter and nodded as his friend left their apartment. He walked over to the couch and tuned the television channel 34. Two college age kids were anchoring the local campus news and Sam rested his plate of pizza rolls on his stomach.
"And on campus tonight, tip off between the women's basketball team and arch rival, Duke, will begin down at Carmichael Arena."
The female anchor took over from there, "We've got a special live report from Daily Tar Heel sports journalist, Jamie Scott, coming up at the top of the hour so tune back for that."
Sam sunk back on the couch, "This should be interesting."
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Liza was rummaging through one of her desk drawers when there was a knock on the door.
Kate peeked her head inside and smiled, "It's about to come on."
Glancing at her watch, Liza quickly found the textbook she was searching for and nodded, "Oh, okay. I'm coming."
Both girls walked to the living room together and while Kate sat down on one side of the couch, Liza took the other.
The Pennsylvanian turned up the volume and looked at her Georgia born friend, "I still can't believe you're not there. I mean really, who watches a basketball game with a textbook and highlighter?"
Liza laughed and shrugged, "Someone who needs to review chapter eight of this Clinical Pharmacology book. And it's fine. It's just a game. " She wanted to go to the game. Ansley and Margaret were there, but Liza knew that it would be better if she tried to get a bit of studying done. Besides, Jamie's interview was going to be on television. She'd still get to see it, see him.
"Ooh, ooh... it's coming on." Kate saw that the screen was full of students decked out in that tar heel blue.
The voice that accompanied the video told the girls what was going on. "Looks like there's a sell out crowd for tonight's game and we've got Jamie Scott with shooting guard, Sarah Whatley."
The screen changed and a boy with light brown hair, blue eyes and a smile that made Liza's heart race appeared. Before he even spoke, Liza bit her lip, "He looks nervous."
Jamie smiled right into the camera and nodded. "Thanks Andrew. Tonight's game between the number sixteen ranked Lady Tar Heels and the number nine ranked Blue Devils tips off in rival fashion as our women's team hopes to continue their winning streak to ten. Last week, sophomore guard Sarah Whatley left the game against Clemson with a high ankle sprain and while she's unable to play tonight, we've got her here for some insight about what we can expect."
Taking a deep breath, he turned to his left and nodded at the basketball player dressed in her warm-ups. "Thanks for joining us, Sarah."
"Thanks for having me."
Kate studied the basketball player and raised her brow, "She's pretty."
Liza hadn't been paying attention to anyone but Jamie but Kate was right. This Sarah girl was really pretty.
"What can you tell us about the game tonight? How as the team prepared for Duke?"
"With Duke it's a little different than preparing for any other conference team." Sarah smiled and let out a small laugh. "I think it's safe to say that this is the must win game of the year. Bragging rights are worth everything so we've amped a few things up."
Jamie nodded, "Anything specifically? Offensively, defensively?"
Liza looked at the television for Sarah's answer but her brow furrowed when she saw the playful smile and smirk the basketball player was giving her boyfriend.
"Specifics? You know I can't give you all the details." Sarah shook her head, "Let's just say you'll see a few changes on our full court defense. Maybe a couple new plays, too."
Kate caught the flirty exchange between Liza's boyfriend and Sarah Whatsherface and she cleared her throat, "Actually, you know, she's not all that pretty. Look, you can see her mustache from here."
It got a laugh of out of Liza but she was still eyeing the five foot nine, leggy athlete. This interview was not going as she thought it might.
Jamie looked quickly at his notes and then back to his interviewee, "With the season coming to a close what would a victory over Duke mean for the team?"
"It would mean everything. If we can beat them tonight we might have a chance to fight for the ACC title. "
"And gain momentum for the NCAA tournament next month?"
"Yeah, exactly. Winning this game would mean so much for the program, the school...our team." Sarah nodded and looked to the court behind her. "There's a great atmosphere tonight and I'm hoping we can pull out a win."
"Knowing how much the game means, how much harder is it for you since you won't be able to take the floor?"
Sarah sighed and shrugged her shoulders, "It's disappointing. I would love to get out there, but I'll be on the bench yelling just as loud as everyone else in here. You'll probably be able to hear me from the stands."
Jamie laughed and nodded, "Thank you for your time, Sarah. Good luck to the Tar Heels."
"Sure, thank you."
Jamie turned his focus back to the camera and Liza felt as if he was looking directly at her.
"It looks like this game is going to shape up to be a classic fight down to the final buzzer. Tip off begins at seven thirty with a special dedication to former head coach, Sylvia Hatchell."
The screen changed and the anchor smiled, "Thanks Jamie. We've got a sound bite from inside the arena as fans gather inside. Take a listen..."
As a live feed showed fans piling into their seats, the audio started to play.
"...so I was wondering...if I could get your phone number?"
Liza's heart fell into the pit of her stomach because even though she couldn't see him. It was Jamie. That voice was Jamie's.
In response the girl laughed a little, "Sure, why not. You're cute, I bet..."
"Sorry folks." The audio cut off and the visual was back to the anchors. The girl anchor shook her head, "It seems we're having technical difficulty with our microphones."
Kate's eyes were as wide a saucers and she instantly grabbed the remote and turned off the television. She looked over to Liza and didn't even know what to say. She was pretty sure that they'd both heard the same thing. Jamie was asking for that basketball star's number. "Maybe...maybe that wasn't him?"
Liza got up off the couch and looked long and hard at the television, "No, it was." She shook her head and let out a forced laughed, "Unbelievable. He's unbelievable."
Kate wanted to agree. It was unbelievable. Jamie wasn't that kind of guy. "I'm sure there's an explanation."
Walking toward her room, Liza didn't even care. "Whatever. He can tell it to Sarah long-legs. This is...I just...I'm such an idiot."
"What? Liza, I'm sure it's not what you think?"
"Are you kidding, Kate? You heard it just as plain as I did. Like the rest of anyone on campus watching. He asked her for her number." Liza felt herself starting to get over her anger and feel more upset. She took a few more steps toward her bedroom and closed the door with a loud thud.
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Jamie walked out of the arena and reached for his cell phone. He knew that Liza had been watching and he wanted to hear from her. She'd tell him the truth if he was horrible. As he listened to the dial tone he frowned when he got her machine. He texted her to let her know that he was done and that if she wanted to grab dinner later they could.
Instead of staying for the game, Jamie opted to go back home and hang out with the boys.
It didn't take long for him to get to the apartment and when he opened up the front door he was met with a large grin from Sam.
"I guess you got that number, huh?"
Jamie nodded as he shut the door but furrowed his brow, "How'd you know that?"
Reynolds shut the fridge and tossed Jamie a beer, "Everyone heard it."
"Huh?" Jamie shook his head because he didn't understand, "What are you talking about?"
Reynolds looked at Sam and then to Jamie, "Everyone heard it man. The campus news was gonna put up video or something about the fans going in to see the game but all we could hear was your mic."
Sam nodded, "Yeah. So all the sudden we hear you ask Sarah Whatley for her number and then she said that you were...cute or something."
Shocked at what his friends were saying, Jame narrowed his eyes, "Wait, what? They had my mic turned on then?" He saw Sam and Reynolds nod and he closed his eyes out of frustration, "Shit! I bet Liza heard it then! Dammit." He reached for his phone and called her again.
"Oh I doubt you'll be talking to her anytime soon, man." Reynolds walked toward the couch and shook his head. "It didn't paint you in such a good light."
Her machine picked up again and he looked down at his phone wondering what to do. Did he go over there? She was probably really mad. He scrolled through his contact list pressed send.
"You know you have a lot of nerve to call me. Liza's told me specifically not to talk to you."
Jamie sighed and shook his head, "Kate, look, it's not what you think. Will you tell her I'm on the phone, she won't answer my calls?"
Kate took a deep breath, "Give her the night to cool off. She was really caught off guard by it."
That made Jamie want to talk to her even more. "You know I wouldn't ask for some other girls number for me. I was doing a favor for Sam. " Jamie ran his hands through his hair, "I would never do that to her. Much less on the campus news."
She wanted to believe him, and more or less did, but she had to think about her friend. Liza's head was spinning with thoughts of Jamie and some other girl. Kate needed to stick up for how Liza was feeling. "I'll talk to her, but I think it might be best for you to leave it alone tonight."
"Alright." Jamie nodded, "Tell her I'm sorry."
"I will." Kate said goodbye to Jamie and then looked at Liza's bedroom door before she went in. When she opened the door was wasn't surprised to see her friend lying on the bed.
Liza turned to face Kate, "I heard you talking to someone. It was him wasn't it?"
Kate walked over to the bed and nodded, "Yeah. He said that he was getting her number for Sam." She could see Liza roll her eyes and Kate shrugged, "You know Sam. He's always trying to get everyone's number. I think that maybe the news just caught Jamie asking for Sarah's number on Sam's behalf. He's not that kind of guy, Liza."
Liza took a deep breath. "I know, and I want to believe it, but you have no idea how bad it was to hear."
"But it's Jamie. You two have been together long enough to know he's one of the good ones."
Listening to Kate made Liza's eyes start to puddle with tears. She brushed her lids with her thumb and nodded. She knew that her friend was right. She knew that Jamie probably got Sarah's number for Sam. Liza knew all that stuff. It was more about how the situation made her feel. It was jealously, vulnerability, the fact that her heart was on the line and she realized just how important this boy from Tree Hill was. Just like the pregnancy scare had done, this little blip was just another revelation letting her know how much she loved him.
OTHOTH
It had been two days since the interview debacle and Jamie and Liza had yet to see each other. He'd called just like he said he would the day after and told her exactly how it happened. What happened. Liza believed him, but it was still a little hard to forget about, and Jamie knew that. He was going to have to let her get over it through her own means but it didn't mean he wasn't going to actively help.
Liza had just gotten out of the shower when Ansley stepped inside her bedroom.
"You might wanna get out here."
Thinking that something funny was going on in the living room, she walked out of her room with her towel wrapped around her waist and another atop her head. "What is it?"
While the two girls made their way out of the bedroom, Ansley grabbed Kate and Margaret by the arms and pulled them into her room.
"Hey, wait a minute! I wanted to see what happened!" Kate pouted and frowned at Ansley.
Raising her finger to her mouth, Margaret leaned toward the door to see if they could hear anything.
"Wha...where'd you..." Liza had watched her roommates flee into a bedroom and when she turned frontward her blue eyes met his. "What are you doing here?"
Jamie looked down at the lilies in his hands and then to the towel clad girl, "I know I'm two days early but..." He raised the takeout bag full of Chinese cartons, "Happy Valentine's Day." She didn't know what to say. It wasn't that she didn't want to see him, she did, but he'd come over in complete surprise.
Liza tightened her grip on her towel, "Um, why don't we go in my room?"
Walking toward her, Jamie nodded and followed the dirty blonde into her room.
"Aw man! Now we really won't be able to hear anything!" Kate scrunched her nose just as they heard Liza's bedroom door close.
"Maybe not." Ansley peeked out of her door and looked around the empty hallway. She quietly used her hand to motion for them to stand out there.
Through the thin walls of Liza's room, Jamie put down the bag of food on her desk and looked around, "I, uh... If you need to change or..."
Liza had walked into the bathroom and silently changed into clothes without answering. Things had been a little strange between the two of them the last few days. She emerged from the bathroom in flannel pajama bottoms and one of his old t-shirts. Jamie felt a jolt of happiness run through his veins when he saw his t-shirt, a Bobcats' t-shirt.
She climbed onto her bed and took a deep breath. "You didn't have to do all this."
Jamie grabbed for two of the Chinese containers and two pair of chop-sticks. "I know. I wanted to." He sat down on the bed and handed her the vegetable fried rice and the wooden utensils. "I just...I don't want you to be mad, or upset with me."
"I'm not." Liza shook her head.
"But you are." Jamie wasn't totally convinced.
"No. I just..." Liza picked at the vegetables hidden beneath the mountain of fried rice. "...think about what it would've felt like if you'd heard me asking for some guy's number on the campus news."
"I know. I probably would have lost my mind. And trust me, I've already laid into the people working the switchboards." He used his arm to support himself as he leaned on his side, "I didn't even care about what people thought of me after it happened, but what they'd say to you."
Liza nodded, "Can you believe that three girls in my Concepts of Clinical Childbearing class actually asked me how horrible of a break-up that must have been."
Rolling his eyes, Jamie shook his head, "But it wasn't like that."
"I know." Liza laughed at the absurdity and then looked into Jamie's cool blue eyes. She set her vegetable fried rice down on her bedside table and leaned into her pillows, "I'm sorry I'm being weird about it, for being weird around you"
He shook his head, "Liza, you don't have to apologize. I'm the one who's sorry."
She heard the sincerity in his voice and her eyes fell on the Chinese bag. "Thanks for doing this and coming by."
Jamie situated himself next to her and nodded, "I just felt really bad about everything. I needed to do something. I need to see you." His right hand rested on her hip.
"I love you." She nodded as she said it.
Letting out a small laugh, he nodded, "It's good to hear you say that."
Liza furrowed her brow, "Did you think I wouldn't?"
Jamie shrugged. "I didn't know what was going on in that head of yours."
She leaned her head closer to him, "The same thing since day one." Liza wrapped her left arm around his side and rested her head on his chest. "I love you."
Jamie shifted his chin so it was resting close to the top of her hair, "I love you, too." He felt her laugh against his chest and he shook his head, "What?"
"I'm never watching the news again."
He laughed, "I don't think you have to worry about that. I told them that I'll be sticking to print media from now on."
Liza smiled and closed her eyes as she nudged her cheek hard into his chest. There was a reason she called him Mr. Good with Words. It wasn't necessarily the fact that he'd botched his first on air interview but Jamie was much better with words than that other stuff.
Over the eighteen months they'd been together, they'd been through various trials and tribulation and this news dilemma could be added to the list. But what made things okay was the fact that this incident only solidified an already stable couple. It had been a hurdle that they'd jumped over with room to spare. Nothing was going to knock them out of the race. They were in it till the end.
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Sorry if it totally sucked. Blame my writing absence if it did. Next chapter I'll probably skip to senior year so I can get this story into the good stuff. I think I've built this couple up enough for "bigger" things to happen. Y'all agree?
My reviewers are awesome! Thank you so, so, so, sooooo much for the feedback! I always look forward to what my readers have to say about the chapter!
Hadley: Thanks for the review...although you may have accidentally reviewed this story thinking it was Little Moments...or maybe not. Just the way you worded it sounded like it. But if it was intended for Like Father, Like Son: I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Blurrystars: Last chapter was sad and good. A double whammy I suppose. And that's a good thing. I'm glad you liked it and my writing! Hmm, a hint about the temporary break up: It wil happen sometime soon. Within the next three chapters I would suspect (thought that may change if I add or take things out). Oh, and thank you for the congrats on getting 150 reviews! It's been so amazing!
Joan: You have no idea how much I appreciated the fact that you took the time to review the chapters you needed to get caught up on. Knowing that you'd like to see a flashforward on the show just to see these two on screen was a great compliment, thank you! Yes, that bedroom scene in Savannah was very much like the 3.01 one from the show. I'll often pull things from season three into my stories cause I loved it so much, lol. It is very likely that the girls will end up being bridesmaids! You can look forward to that!
MagicalNaley23: It's so great to know that you think Jamie is a good combination of both Nathan and Haley. Yeah, it would have been nice to see Jamie make a scene at the restaurant...maybe he'll make a scene about something else in a future chapter. I'm glad you like Liza's friends, and especially Ansley. She's my favorite too, lol.
BDavis: I'm so happy you like the way I write Jamie, the older version. It's such a great compliment to know that you enjoy his characterization as well. And you know me, I'm all about throwbacks. Anything from the show like dialog or whatever I will...or I'll try to.
Review Please!
