By the end of the school year the whole 'Tinkle Town' fiasco had died down. True, some people still snickered and laughed at Jeff over it. But for the most part people had moved on to making fun of others over newer humiliations, like Suzy Branson throwing up on Todd Jacobson when he told her he thought she looked cute. And by the time the summer came and went the indecent was practically forgotten by all except for a few bullies with long memories, like Alan. Though that didn't deter Jeff from his goal to be known for being cool.

As Jeff arrived at school on the first day of sixth grade he was sure this was the beginning of good things for him. Big Cheddar had moved on to junior high and wasn't around to humiliate him anymore. Plus he had the whole summer to work on his 'I'm too cool to care' persona. He was ready.

When he walked into class he immediately noticed Annie sitting in the front row. Jeff sighed deeply at seeing her. While he was sure being in the same class with her again would be helpful, like when he'd need study notes, he also felt it could make it harder for him to keep up his new persona. Especially given how grumpy she got with him last year when he began slacking off and making jokes in class. Pretending he didn't notice her or the empty desk she was saving for him, Jeff took a seat towards the back of the room. He took his time looking through his backpack, pretending not to notice Annie looking back at him in hurt confusion.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Why didn't you sit next to me this morning? I saved you a seat," she asked him at lunch.

"I just didn't want to sit in the front of the class. I like the back."

"Is this because you're trying to act cool again?" she pointedly asked him. "Because you know what's cool? Studying and doing well in school."

"No, that's being a nerd. And it's fine if you want to be one, but I don't," he sternly said to her.

"Fine, then I guess I won't share my notes with you or help you with your homework. You know, because that's what nerds would do." With that she picked her tray up and went to sit at another table.

She'll be fine, he thought to himself. But as he sat there he realized it probably wasn't good to piss off someone who looked over his work and made sure he did well even if he didn't pay attention.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"I'm sorry," he said to her the next day at school.

"For what, ignoring me or calling me a nerd?" she coolly asked him.

"I didn't call you a nerd. Okay, maybe I kind of did," he responded as she gave him a look. "But there's nothing wrong with you being one. It helps keep people who aren't nerds on their toes."

She scoffed as she shook her head at Jeff. "Flattery will only get you go far," she said in a way that told him they were okay for now. She took her seat up front while he took his near the back. But he did make a point to try and pay attention when the teacher began their first lesson.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Okay class, settle down," their teacher, Mrs. Barker, told them a few weeks into the school year. "We're going to have a sixth grade assembly today regarding puberty." She talked over the groans and giggles of her students as she continued. "All the boys from the 4 sixth grade classes will be in here listening to a guest talk to you about male puberty, while all the girls will go to Mr. Hicks' classroom down the hall to hear someone tell them about female puberty. So girls, please go to room 214 at this time. Your speaker should be there momentarily."

With that all the girls got up and made their way out of the room. A few moments later the boys from the other 3 sixth grade classes flowed into the classroom. Those who arrived first took the now empty desks in the room. The rest had to stand in the back of the classroom.

"Hello everyone," a short man in surgical scrubs announced as he walked in and went to the front of the classroom. "My name is Nurse Jackie and I will be talking to you about puberty."

"I thought only girls were nurses," Mike called out from the back.

"That's actually a misconception. Nursing is a medical profession that can be performed by either gender. Now please don't interrupt me unless you have a question regarding today's topic, thank you." Nurse Jackie waited until everyone was quiet before continuing. "Okay, onto puberty. As I'm sure you're well aware, there are many differences between boys and men. Men are taller, they have facial and body hair. Within the next few years you kids will be going through several changes, both physical and emotional, as you become men. You will go through growth spurts, your voices will deepen, and your body will grow hair in places where there wasn't any hair before. All of you will at certain points have to deal with pimples breaking out on your face and other parts of your body. I'm not sure if you do already, but you'll have to start wearing deodorant because your underarms will begin to smell. As these physical changes occur your emotions will be heightened also. Becoming angry and upset easily during this time period is natural. You will also find yourselves frequently thinking about girls and sex. Again, this is natural."

Most of the boys snickered at that, while Troy announced, "This will happen to girls too, right? They're going to get boobs and stuff."

"Yes, during this time period girls bodies also change. And that includes their breasts developing." Nurse Jackie patiently waited for the laughter to die down before continuing. "Now, I have some slides to show you that will help with today's discussion." He set up the projector and pulled down the screen before beginning the slide show.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"So, how was your thing?" Jeff asked Annie as they walked home from school.

"It was okay. The nurse told us about how our bodies were going to change over the next few years," she told Jeff. She didn't tell him about most of the stuff they were told, like getting your period every month and feminine hygiene and eventually having to see a gynecologist. It felt weird talking about that stuff with a guy, even one who was her best friend. "What was your thing like?" she asked him.

"It was alright," Jeff simply stated. Like Annie, he didn't feel like telling her most of what he heard during his lecture, like wet dreams and body odors and other stuff.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Homer really is stupid," Annie declared. She and Jeff were sitting on the couch in her living room, watching a rerun of The Simpsons. "He'd rather chase squirrels instead of go to college."

"It's a cartoon," Jeff told her. "That's why it's funny."

"I know it's funny," she giggled as she watched the character fail at a prank phone call. "I'm just saying he's a moron."

"Annie, I'm home," Annie's mother called out as she walked into the house. "Hello," she said as she saw that Jeff was there also. "It's after five. Shouldn't you be going home for dinner?"

"Jeff's mom, aunt and uncle are out tonight. I asked you yesterday if it was alright if he came here after school and stayed for dinner and you said he could, remember?" Annie reminded her mom.

"I'm sure I would have remembered that dear. Maybe you asked your father and he forgot to tell me, which would be typical. But that's fine, I'm sure I can stretch tonight's meal so four people can eat it instead of three." Mariel then looked at the TV, seeing what show was currently on. "Annie, you know I don't want you watching this garbage. It's bad enough that your father brought this thing into my home. But you could at least watch something educational on it instead of mindless drivel."

"Mom, we were-"

"Did you finish your homework?" Annie's mom asked her daughter.

"Yes," Annie responded in a small voice.

"I hope so, because I'm going to check it over right after dinner. Now please watch something that will expand your mind instead of a cartoon about stupid yellow people. Thank you." With that her mom went to the kitchen to start dinner. She and Jeff both exchanged looks as they changed the channel and watched a show about trains on PBS.

The mood in the Edison household remained tense as Mariel made dinner and Jeff and Annie tried to block out her mother's bad mood by focusing on the television program. Things only got worse once Annie's father came home and it was time to eat dinner.

"This smells really good Mrs. Edison," Jeff said, hoping a complement would help things.

"Thank you Jeffrey," Mariel stated as she finished serving the fish and spinach and dug into her food.

"Yes, it's very good. Good job dear," Frank said in a false cheery tone, which caused his wife to glare daggers at him. The four of them ate silently before Frank asked his daughter, "So how was school today Annster?"

"It was alright. We had a quiz today on-"

"Frank, I've asked you not to call our daughter Annster," Mariel interrupted.

"It's just a playful nickname," he argued.

"It's demeaning. It makes her seem like a tomboy who plays softball and picks her nose. And you know how I feel about nicknames in general. It's unprofessional and unbecoming."

"Can we not talk about this in front of our guest," Frank said as he waved a hand towards Jeff.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't think a kid who spends all his time here qualified as a 'guest'," she stated.

"Mom," Annie gasped, although both her parent's ignored her feeble outburst.

"Well you know what, I have a good nickname for you," Frank angrily announced. "How about Uptight Bitch? That seems to fit you to a tee."

With that Mariel loudly pushed her seat back and got up from the table. "Asshole," she spat at her husband as she left the room. Frank shoveled forkfuls of food into his mouth, not noticing the painful look on his daughter's face and the uncomfortable one on Jeff's. After several moments Frank got up and grabbed his coat, stating to no one in particular that he was going out for ice cream. As the door slammed shut Annie sniffed as tears ran down her face. Jeff wanted to say something to comfort her, but honestly had no idea on what to say. So instead he reached over and rubbed her back, hoping that could afford her some ease.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

As tension grew in the Edison household Annie looked for ways to avoid being at home. She spent a lot of time at Jeff's place, both after school and on weekends. Knowing things weren't going great, Jeff's mom and aunt and uncle would usually ask if she wanted to stay for dinner, which Annie was all too happy to accept.

In addition to avoiding her parents by staying at Jeff's, Annie would spend time after school practicing the violin in the orchestra room. She'd practice for a few hours and then take the late bus home. Or she would do her homework there if she didn't feel like practicing.

One day she went outside to wait for the late bus when she saw Troy Barnes playing an impromptu game of football with a few other guys. She leaned against the fence as she watched the boys play. As she watched Troy throw the ball and run past the others she felt a warm tingle throughout her body. She hadn't really thought of boys before in any sort of way beside them being friends or advisories. But seeing Troy running and all sweaty made her think of him in a way she hadn't thought about boys before.