Author's Note: YAY for reviews, they make me happy! Thanks for those, I appreciate them. Sphinx005, yes, Kelly told Adam that she was done, but see then Scooter said he was in love with her, so she gave him another chance. Maybe that seems manipulative, but she's manipulating him too, you'll see more of that in this chapter.

Disclaimer: I think you get the idea.


Chapter 12: Dinner

"That's stupid!" Kelly shook her head as Scooter and Rick practically giddy told her about their revenge plot. "You know they don't have the money to cover that dinner."

"That's the point Kel!" Rick rolled his eyes.

"Yeah," Scooter nodded, "Besides, we've already talked to the people at the club, they're just going to have to clean up."

"It's nasty," She sighed, "I'll never understand the jock hazing. Besides, isn't the dinner supposed to be like a fun little apology for the first prank?"

"Yeah, normally," Rick said, "When the freshmen aren't snot nosed little scholarship pukes with no respect for their betters!"

"Ugh, you sound like Aunt Jane," Kelly rolled her eyes, "All that talk about betters. Mom would be so mad at you." She stomped away.

"What is with her?" Rick rolled his eyes, leaning back against the wall, "Normally she finds crap like this hysterical!" Then he looked down. "Why'd she have to bring up Mom?"

"I'll talk to her," Scooter said, he went after her. She was plopped on a bench her arms crossed. "Kel, it's harmless, really."

"You really think that's what I'm mad about?" She looked up at him.

"No," he sighed and sat down. "I'm guessing this has something to do with me and Rick and,"

"And the fact that you two managed to plan an elaborate revenge scheme and yet you can't manage to tell him about us," she shouted close to his face. He squinted and then smirked at her. "I'm serious this time, if he doesn't know in the next two weeks, we're over!"

"Kelly," he said, "Don't be like that."

"Kiss me Scooter," she smiled. He pulled back. She had told him about Allie, and since then he had been doubly cautious. Of course she hadn't told him everything, she knew that telling Scooter was as good as telling Rick, at least something as big as Allie cheating.

"Come on," he said, "We're right in the open."

"Don't you want to touch me Scooter?" She whispered inching close to him. He stared at her wide eyed, his jaw dropping. "Don't you want me?" He had never seen her like this, she placed her hands on his neck and kissed him softly.

"God yes," he whispered.

"In that case," she smirked, "there's just one thing you have to do." She shoved him away. "Talk to him." She said hotly and got up to walk away. He stood up took her hand and pulled her back close to him. He kissed her deeply. "That doesn't hurt either."

"I'm going to talk to him," he said, "Alright? As soon as all this Duck crap is settled, which after tonight it will be, I will talk to him."

"You better!" She held a finger in his face, he took her hand and started kissing her fingers one by one. "Stop it."

"No one's around," he whispered.

"But I'm mad at you," she said. "So stop it."

"Fair enough," he pulled away, "Are you going to be mad at me tonight?"

"No," she sighed, "I have a fitting with Aunt Jane tonight, so I'm going to be too busy being mad her."


"You look pretty!" Jimmy came up behind Julie as she waited outside for one of the varsity guys to pick up her and Connie. Connie rolled her eyes. "Hi Connie."

"Hi," she nodded.

"Thanks," Julie blushed, "You don't look so bad yourself." She commented on the button down shirt and tie. "Where are you guys going?"

"I don't know exactly," he shrugged. "But meet me in the common room when you get back?"

"Definitely," she nodded, he kissed her on the cheek. "Bye!"

"Bye," he smiled and waved as he walked away.

"Wow," Connie nodded, "I think I just threw up a little."

"Oh yeah," Julie said, "I know that feeling." Connie looked at her as Guy walked up and then grabbed her waist, she jumped.

"Hi," he smiled she turned and pecked him lightly on the lips.

"Hi," she said softly, Julie nodded. "OK, fine point taken."

"Thank you." Julie smiled, but secretly she hoped that the kiss that Jimmy seemed to be holding back from her would come that night when they met up.


"It's too tight," Kelly said tugging at the bodice of the dress that she was being fitted for. Her father's older sister was standing as the seamstress worked on the hemline.

"Well," her Aunt said shortly, "They had your measurements from your debut, so you've either gained weight or your deb gown was too tight also." Kelly glared at her. "We're going to have to put you on a diet."

"I'm just fine thank you," she said, "Can you let the bodice out about an inch?" She asked the woman below her. She nodded. "Problem solved."

"It doesn't solve the skirt issue," her aunt shook her head, "Why didn't you do a full skirt?" She scolded, "And maroon is such a dark color. You're young, you should be wearing pastels."

"Pastels in October? No, that would inappropriate," Kelly said, "And I'm going to be running around a lot that night so a full skirt would get in the way. I thought it out."

"I suppose," her Aunt said. "Do you have an escort?"

"Scooter," Kelly said turning around trying to get a look at the back of the dress.

"Hm," Her Aunt nodded. "He's suitable I suppose."

"You have objections to Scooter?" Kelly asked, she couldn't imagine what they could be, since her Aunt had been steering her towards boy far inferior in social class to him for years.

"Of course not," she said. "It's just well, I understand that he's a good friend, to both you and Richard, but you really need to get much more serious." Kelly looked down.

"Well," She managed to come up with a good reason, "I'm not seeing anyone, and I thought it would be a good idea to bring someone who I knew I would enjoy myself with and who wouldn't mind being a little neglected all night, while I busy with chair work. Also it's his senior year, and he's never gotten to go to gala."

"An excellent point." Her aunt said, "Alright, take the gown off. We have to meet your father." Kelly nodded and retreated to the dressing room. Agreeing to spend her Friday at a dress fitting with her Aunt was not necessarily Kelly's ideal weekend plans, but because tonight was the varsity taking the freshman to dinner thing, there were no parties, at least not any worth going to, and her friends had decided to stay in and catch up on homework, so she was stuck.


"This seat taken?" Scooter smiled, gesturing to an empty seat next to Julie. She shrugged. "So, we haven't talked in a while."

"We talked once," Julie said as he settled in.

"Yeah, and it was a while ago," he laughed, "Things good with you?"

"Except for Jimmy, not really no," she shrugged.

"We've been kind of tough on you guys," Scooter nodded, "Don't take it personally."

"I'm trying not to," she said. "How's Kelly?" She smiled.

"Keep your voice down!" Scooter hissed. She rolled her eyes. "You're obviously on her side there."

"No side," Julie smirked, "I just don't get it. If I were her I would have dumped your ass ages ago."

"She's tried," he smiled, thinking of the weekend before and the "message" that she had given Adam Banks. Also their moment on the bench earlier. "But I'm a pretty smooth talker."

"Hey Julie," Goldberg said from the other side of her. "You want this extra piece of prime rib." She shot him a glare and then elbowed him hard in the arm. "Hey! I'm just trying to help you!"

"Well stop!" She said sharply. Scooter laughed. She looked at him. "What?"

"Are you always this pissed off?" He asked, obviously teasing her.

"I'm not pissed off," she said, "Well, I'm mad at him, but that's because he's been behaving like a four year old since we got here. But generally speaking I am not an angry person."

"So when you punched those Iceland guys," Ken said, overhearing, "That was what, PMS?" Everyone in the general area laughed, causing Julie to stare at her plate, her face bright red. They heard her mumble something about being next.


Jaime Bloom looked out over the Hong Kong streets from her office and picked up the envelope sitting on her desk. She smiled looking down at the letter, and the pictures enclosed. Like clockwork, every September she got one.

Hey Jaim,

Well, she's fourteen now and showing it, if you can't tell by the pictures. She went to boarding school this year and I miss her more than I can possibly say. She seems to be doing well there, but I think she's holding back from how she really feels so I won't worry too much. She's really big on protecting me lately. I figure its just adolescence. I'm trying to convince her to actually read your letters, it just doesn't seem to be happening. I'm getting married again, I figure that's good news to you. I hope you watched her last summer, she did really well, even if she didn't get a whole lot of playing time. That's her new team in the pictures with her. They're a good group of kids, if not a little more wild than the ones she played with in Maine. Give me a call next time you're stateside, maybe we can get together. I'll try to convince her come this time, because despite what she thinks, or what you might think, she does need a mother. She's so like you Jaime, you don't even know. Stubborn and beautiful and hot tempered, and it'll get her into trouble I'm sure, just like it always did you. But I'm doing my best with our daughter. Well, I'm sure you're really busy ruling the world, or whatever it is you do now, so I'll let you get to that. Keep in touch Jaim, please.

Yours
Cal

So, Cal was getting married again, and Julie was at boarding school. So strange, seeing your only child grow up in pictures. Jaime didn't exactly regret leaving that life behind, but she wasn't proud of what she had done either. The only excuse she could ever give was that she was young. How could she be held accountable for something that she had done in order to survive at 22? She had been suffocating, feeling forced into being a wife and mother at 17 when she wanted to be neither ever, chained to the small city she had promised herself she would escape. Cal had wanted a family life, had no dreams beyond Bangor. Maybe leaving behind a six year old wasn't the best plan, but she wasn't a mother, Julie was surely better off without her. This woman Cal was going to marry would probably be a much better mother to Julie than she ever could be. She closed her eyes, she would give anything to hear her daughter's voice again.


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