Ricky was eating breakfast when his phone rang. He didn't recognize the number but decided to answer anyway.
"Hello?"
"Hi. Is this Ricky Underwood?"
"Yeah. Who is this?"
"It's Mrs. O'Malley, the school counselor."
"Ok. Am I in trouble for something?" he asked cautiously.
"Oh, no. it's nothing like that. I'd just like to talk to you this morning. Are you able to come in before school? If not I can pull you out of class during first period."
"Yeah, I can come in. What's this about?"
"It might be easier to explain once you get here."
"Okay. I'll be there in a bit." Ricky quickly finished his meal and placed his dishes in the sink, running some water over them so they wouldn't be so hard to scrub later that evening. He drove straight to the school and headed to the counselor's office, not sure of what he was walking into. He knocked on the open door and she looked up, smiling when she saw him.
"Hello, Ricky," she greeted him as he took a seat.
"Hi. So what's this all about?" She opened the filing cabinet of her desk and rifled through it for a moment before pulling out his file. She laid it on her desk and opened it, removing several pieces of paper and handing them to him."
"I wanted to let you know that your first choice for colleges wants to interview you."
"Because?"
"Because this particular college requires an interview to decide if you're a good fit for the school, but they don't ask for an interview unless they're already considering accepting you."
"Ok. So what happens next?" She opened another folder that was on her desk and pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to him.
"Here's a list of questions you might be asked as well as some questions you may wanna ask them during the interview." Ricky briefly looked over the paper.
"So how do I set up an interview?" She pointed to the papers she had handed him first.
"All the information's on the first sheet." Ricky looked back at the first sheet he'd been handed and began reading it more closely. "Let me know if you have any questions," she told him with a smile. Ricky glanced back up at her and nodded and then got up to leave the office. He quickly made his way to his locker to get his things for the first half of the day.
Downstairs Adrian had just waddled into the hallway closest to her locker, frowning slightly. Jack was taking a drink from the water fountain and when he stood up he noticed the frown on her face and walked over.
"Hey, Adrian. What's wrong?"
"Hey, Jack. I got the results of my SAT test and they weren't as high as I would've liked."
"Sorry to hear that," he said sincerely. Adrian smiled at him.
"Thanks. It's still high enough that I can get into most in-state colleges, I just personally would've liked it to be higher." In another hallway Alice, Henry and Ben were talking about their PSAT results.
"I'm gonna have to take another prep course," Henry said dejectedly as they stopped at their lockers. "My history and math scores were borderline awful," he said with disgust as he opened his locker door more forcefully than necessary. Alice gave him a sympathetic look.
"I can help tutor you in history," she offered.
"And I can help you with the math," Ben offered. Ben and Alice's scores had been pretty excellent, Alice's scores almost perfect. They both knew they'd do well on the SATs next fall and were determined to make sure Henry did too. He gave them both a grateful smile.
"Thanks you guys." In another hallway Amy was just finishing up at her locker when Ricky spotted her.
"So I've got some news," he informed her as he came to a stop beside her. Amy flipped her hair over her shoulder and looked at him curiously.
"What's that?" Ricky pulled the information sheet Mrs. O'Malley had given him out of his binder and handed it to her. Amy quickly read it and her face lit up with a smile.
"Oh, Ricky, that's great! I'm so proud of you!" She kissed him quickly and then glanced back at the sheet as he smiled back at her. "And so early too!" They began walking towards the band room.
"Yeah. So I've got an interview with them after school today. I've already called Bunny and let her know what's going on so afterwards I can come over and tell you all about it." Amy smiled up at him.
"Sounds good," she told him, handing him back the piece of paper.
Band class was uneventful so Amy's mind had time to wander. She began to think about what it would be like next year when Ricky was away at college and she was still in high school. Unfortunately, by lunchtime Amy had spent her entire morning thinking about it and she'd come to a realization she didn't know how to handle: Ricky wouldn't be there. As they sat down for lunch Ricky knew right away something was off with Amy. However, the storm in her eyes also told him she wasn't ready to talk about it so he avoided the topic of college as they chatted with their friends and ate their meals. Ricky simply figured he'd bring it up when he saw her later that night. After school he went home, dressed up for his interview and then headed up the college for his interview.
When he reached the campus he was pretty impressed by it. It felt majestic and homey all at the same time. He saw students milling around, studying, talking with friends and simply enjoying themselves. So this is what college is gonna be like he mused as he arrived at the administration office, the directions Mrs. O'Malley had given him being very easy to follow. He told the worker at the front desk his name and appointment time and had a seat in the waiting area.
Back at the nursery, Amy's mind thankfully got a break from trying to process the fact the man she loved wouldn't be around as much next year because she was busy helping Jennifer and Naomi corral their small brood of toddler, several of whom, like John, had recently started potty training. And this afternoon there had been a couple of 'accidents'. By the time Amy's shift ended she felt emotionally drained. She buckled John in and then sighed wearily as she climbed into the driver's seat and buckled herself in. If it weren't for John happily talking/babbling to himself and slowly improving her mood, Amy would've felt dead on her feet by the time she arrived home. When she walked in the kitchen door, Anne could see immediately that Amy had had a long day and greeted her with a soft smile.
"Hi, sweetheart."
"Hey," Amy replied tiredly. She carried John and their bags upstairs. She deposited her book bag and purse in her room and took John's diaper bag into his. She set him down to play while she repacked it for tomorrow, taking out his snack containers and sippie cup so she could take them to the kitchen and refill them. "Come on, John," she said, holding out her hand and waiting for him to take it. John quickly scampered over to his mother and took her hand and together they walked back downstairs. Amy set the empty containers and cup on the counter and then she and John walked into the living room so he could play for a bit and she could simply relax on the couch. As she watched her son play and attempted to unwind, her mind turned back to what her life would be like next year. Would John wonder why daddy wasn't around so much? What would happen on weekends? Would she only get to see him then and during holiday breaks? She realized they'd never been truly apart for more than four weeks, and even then Ricky had come to visit her for a weekend. Would their relationship change for the worse if they stayed separated too long? Amy heard her mother call the family for dinner and she held John's hand as they walked into the dining room. Amy went through dinner like a zombie, only speaking when spoken to.
"Are you alright, Ames?" her dad finally asked once they were halfway through their meal. Amy gave him a sad, tired smile.
"Yeah. I just got a lot on my mind," she assured him. George let it drop but looked at Anne, letting her know he wasn't fully convinced by their daughter's answer. Amy remained in zombie mode as she helped clear the table and then got John ready for bed. Thankfully John was still young enough that he didn't pick up on the fact his mother was a little off tonight. Once John was dressed for bed and his teeth had been brushed, Amy took him into her room and set him on the floor to play while she unloaded her backpack. There was a knock at her door. "Come in." She looked up and found Ashley entering her room. She flopped onto Amy's bed and gave her a level look.
"What's with you tonight?" Amy sighed.
"I've just…"
"Got a lot on your mind. I know. Care to share?" Amy looked at her sister tearfully. "What's going on, Amy?" Ashley asked with concern.
"Ricky got an interview with his top college choice." Ashley's brows furrowed with confusion.
"Isn't that a good thing?" Amy nodded. "Then what's with the water works?" Amy wiped her cheeks, not realizing her tears had begun to fall.
"He won't be here next year, Ash. And I'm gonna miss him," she admitted, her voice cracking. Ashley scooted closer to her sister and gave her a hug.
"It's not like he's moving to another state or country though right? You'll still see him and there's always Skype, and Facetime, video chat, cellphones, email…" Ashley let her voice trail off and Amy chuckled.
"I know there's still ways for us to talk and see each other," Amy acknowledged. "But it won't be quite the same." Amy stared down at her lap and Ashley observed her quietly.
"Something tells me there's more to it than that." Amy nodded. "And…" Ashley pressed.
"I've been thinking about what it'll be like all day and I feel kinda guilty," she admitted, biting her lip nervously and wringing her hands.
"For thinking about the future? I'm pretty sure that's not a crime. Not yet anyway."
"What I mean is I thought about it and the more I thought about it the more I felt like I was being left behind and…and…part of me doesn't want him to go and I feel guilty about it because I also want him to go to college and wanting him to stay just seems and sounds so selfish," she finished in a rush.
"It's not selfish," Ricky said from her doorway, causing Amy and Ashley to look up at him with surprise.
"Daddy!" John cheered, getting up and running towards his father. Ricky smiled down at him and picked him up, kissing his cheek.
"Hey, John." Ashley looked at Amy and then at Ricky. She got up from the bed and walked over to Ricky, holding her arms out towards her nephew.
"Come on rug rat. Mommy and daddy need to talk." John leaned over towards Ashley and Ricky transferred him to her arms. She walked past Ricky and shut the door behind her. Amy broke eye contact and looked at her lap, hastily wiping her wet cheeks as Ricky sat next to her. He placed a bouquet of roses next to her and heard her gasp slightly. She looked up at him questioningly and he gave her a gentle smile, handing her the flowers. She took them and smelled them.
"Thank you," she said, blushing slightly. "They're beautiful." Ricky used the thumb and forefinger of his right hand to turn her chin towards him.
"Just like you." He leaned in and kissed her. Amy sighed into the kiss before kissing him back. When he pulled back she looked down at the bouquet in her hands.
"So I guess the interview went well?" Ricky nodded.
"Yeah."
"Good." They were silent for a moment. "How much of that did you hear?" she asked, nervously peeking at him from beneath her eyelashes.
"That you feel guilty for wanting me to be here with you."
"Ricky…"
"You don't have to explain, Amy. Or apologize. It's normal. The same way I was so eager to come see you in New York." He gently grabbed her chin again so she'd look at him. "And it was just one interview, Amy," he assured her with a smile. "It's not the only in-state school I've applied to and nothing's been decided yet. And if I end up going to that school, I'd commute." Surprise washed over Amy's face at his admission.
"Ricky, it's too far to commute every day. It only makes sense for you to live in a dorm and only come home on weekends or for holidays," she attempted to reason with him. Ricky shook his head.
"Amy, college or no college I have no intention of being separated from you or John, for any reason. We'll figure this out."
"We?" she asked, looking at him with awe in her eyes. He smiled back at her and nodded.
"We." They shared another kiss and when they broke apart this time Amy scooted closer to him and leaned her head on his shoulder. He placed his arm around her waist and kissed her temple.
Now he knew what had been bugging Amy all day at school today. And knowing the future, namely next year, was unnerving her unsettled him a little. He wanted to do something to ease her mind about the whole situation but he wasn't sure what to do. Instead they put John to bed together and then she walked him to the front door. He kissed her goodnight and told her he'd see her tomorrow. When Amy shut the door she found her mother standing a few feet behind her.
"So everything alright now?" Anne asked with concern. Amy walked over to her mother and hugged her. Anne hugged her back and waited for Amy to explain.
"I don't know how to deal with this, mom," she said sadly.
"Deal with what?" Anne said as she pulled back slightly and led them into the living room to the couch.
"Ricky had an interview with one of the colleges he applied to." Anne wanted to say 'that's great' but realized there must be more to the story if Amy was so distraught about it. "It's in-state but it's too far for him to commute every day, even though he said he wanted to so he could still be with me an John."
"And you're worried your relationship won't survive being a long distance one?" Amy shook her head.
"No, it's not that." She began to tear up and her voice wavered as she continued speaking. "I'm just gonna miss him so much. The longest we've been apart is the four weeks I was in New York but we weren't in love back then and he came to visit me halfway through the program. Everything's so different now." Amy paused to sniffle. "He said he's applied to other schools that're closer but what if he ends up at this one? Will John miss having his daddy around so much? Will Ricky get burnt out driving back and forth so much? How much time are we gonna have to spend together if he's so far away? You can't exactly make out with your boyfriend during a video chat." Anne pulled Amy into a hug and Amy cried into her mother's shoulder. "He's not eben gone yet and I mid him," Amy mumbled into her mother's shirt. Anne hugged her a little tighter and rubbed her shoulder.
"Amy, nothing's set in stone yet. He said he's applied to other colleges so all you can do is wait. And in the meantime just make the most of the time you've still got with him," Anne told her in a soothing voice. Amy nodded but continued crying for several minutes.
Amy slept fitfully that night, her mind continually giving her dreams about what her life might be like without Ricky around and each one was sad enough to make her wake up, only to find her pillow wet from her tears. Ricky wasn't having much luck getting a sound sleep either, his mind running through ways to reassure Amy that they were gonna be okay the rest of this year and next year.
The next day at school Ricky waited for Amy at her locker. When she walked into the hallway and saw him standing there, her heart melted. She still didn't quite understand how he'd come to mean so much to her in such a short period of time but she was determined to at least try and take her mother's advice. When she reached her locker she kissed him.
"Hey."
"Hey," she replied back quietly.
"I don't know what to do here, Amy." She tilted her head and looked at him curiously.
"About what?" He tucked her hair behind her right ear.
"About you."
"Me?" she asked nervously. He smirked and snaked an arm around her waist to pull her closer to him.
"You know I love you right?" Amy nodded. "And because of that I wanna make me being at college, any college, okay for you." Amy gave him an appreciative smile.
"You don't have to. I talked to my mom last night and she said that since nothing's set in stone yet, all I can do is wait and enjoy the time I've still got with you." Ricky leaned in so he could whisper in her ear.
"We've got forever, remember?" Amy shuddered and nodded, as she did indeed remember that they had already, briefly, discussed living together and marriage. Ricky stood up straight and looked her in the eye. "Amy, I need you to be okay and I promise I'll find a way to do that." Amy took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she searched his eyes. After a moment of searching she nodded. She saw in his eyes that he was determined to do this for her and there was nothing she could do to talk him out of it. In another hallway Ben found Adrian at her locker adjusting her dress with a frown.
"What's wrong?" he asked worriedly. Adrian glanced at him sideways for a moment before returning her focus to her dress.
"I've just been so uncomfortable lately," she admitted, exhaling a frustrated breath. Ben felt a momentary flash of guilt.
"Is there anything I can do?" Adrian looked at him and saw the sincerity on his face and it made her laugh.
"Sorry, Ben. I know you were serious but really there's nothing you can do to help me with this." She shifted around in her dress once more and then shut her locker with a sigh. "I wonder if Amy ever felt like this." Suddenly Ben had a brilliant idea.
"I'll be right back," he said quickly, racing down the mini maze of hallways towards Amy's locker. Ben spotted her and Ricky near her locker and he headed straight for them, calling out as he did so. "Amy!" Amy looked in his direction at the sound of her name and lifted her eyebrows in confusion when she saw Ben racing down the hallway towards her. Several other students looked at him curiously as he skidded to a stop in front of her and Ricky, having to put his arms out to steady himself as his sudden stop had almost made him lose his balance. "I gotta...ask you...something," he managed to get out between breaths, bending over to rest his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.
"What's up, Ben?" she asked him curiously. He lifted his left pointer finger to let her know he needed a minute. She and Ricky waited for several moments before he spoke again.
"So Adrian just told me she's felt really uncomfortable lately and she wondered if you ever felt like that. I know you two don't' really talk right now so I figured I'd ask you about it and see if you have any advice I could give her," he explained in a rush, still a little winded from his impromptu sprint up and down the hallways. Amy gave Ben a sympathetic look.
"Where is she?" Amy asked. Ben pointed behind him, not realizing that though he was intending to indicate Adrian was several hallways over, he was currently pointing at the wall behind him.
"At her locker," he huffed out.
"Let's go." Amy gave Ricky a look to let him know she'd be okay and didn't need him to go with her. Ricky nodded and headed towards the band room instead. Ben led the way to Adrian's locker and Adrian looked surprised to see Amy willingly approaching her. "Hi, Adrian," Amy said politely when she came to a stop in front of her.
"Hi," Adrian said a little surprised, adjusting her dress over her stomach once again. "Ben told me you've been feeling uncomfortable lately." Adrian nodded. "He wondered if I had any advice I could give you and basically there's only three things you can do."
"What's that," Adrian asked eagerly, anxious to know how to stop feeling like she was wearing someone else's skin.
"First, drink more liquid. It helps keep your skin hydrated so it doesn't feel so tight and weird." Adrian nodded dutifully. "Second, make sure you apply lotion when your skin feels dry. It also helps with that 'this isn't really my skin' feeling. And finally make sure your clothes fit you but they're still loose so you can move around in them. Anything that feels tight or formfitting anywhere should be avoided right now." Adrian continued nodding as Amy shifted the books in her arms. "Your body's getting ready to pop out a baby so it's going through some additional changes that only happen towards the end of your pregnancy. That's why you feel so uncomfortable right now," Amy explained with a sympathetic smile.
"Okay. I get that. But what about at night? It's hard to find a comfortable position," she explained wearily. Ben noticed suddenly that Adrian did indeed look a little more tired than usual.
"That's different for every woman," Amy explained. "While lying on your back is typically uncomfortable for most women at this point in their pregnancy, you just have to experiment to find what feels most comfortable for you. You can try sleeping on your side, propped upright with pillows, or with a body pillow to help cushion your entire side," Amy suggested with a shrug. "It's really just trial and error at this point." Adrian nodded with a sigh. "There's really no one answer," Amy said empathetically.
"Thanks, Amy. I really appreciate this," Adrian told her sincerely. Amy nodded and gave her a small smile.
"No problem." She turned and headed towards the band room. Adrian turned towards Ben and pulled him close so she could kiss his cheek.
"Thanks, Benny," she said with a smile. Ben smiled back.
"Glad I could help." In another hallway Jack, Jesse and Jason were walking and having a discussion.
"But our game's in three days!" Jack said indignantly. "You know every practice counts at this point!" Jason narrowed his eyes at him.
"I know that, Pappas. I also know that I'm going to college after high school and interviews are part of that. Besides, coach knows and okayed it so relax!"
"Why are you doing interviews now?" Jesse asked curiously. "You don't have to make a decision 'til the spring. Why not just wait 'til football season's over?" he suggested. Jason shook his head.
"No way. It's got a good premed program that's competitive. They start interviewing early and I made the cut so I'm going for it," he explained to his teammates.
"Wait, so you're not going for an athletic scholarship?" Jesse asked him. Again Jason shook his head.
"I love playing football, don't get me wrong. But I'm also smart enough to know it's not gonna be my career so I don't have to bank on it," Jason explained.
"Well I do," Jack said with a sigh. "Thankfully most athletic scholarship offers don't come 'til the end of a sport's season so I've still got the rest of the year to get my grades up," he said hopefully. Jason smirked at him.
"With no girlfriend to distract you that oughta be a piece of cake for you," he said teasingly, causing Jack to glare at him.
"Oh leave him alone," Jesse said, coming to Jack's defense. "You don't have a girlfriend right now either," he pointed out.
"Touché," Jason said just as the warning bell sounded.
At lunch Ben spotted Adrian sitting at a shaded table with Grace, Grant and Alice, Adrian adjusting her dress once more. He and Henry made their way to the table and sat down. Adrian huffed.
"Maybe you should ask Dr. Atavi for some more suggestions at our appointment this afternoon," Ben suggested.
"Suggestions about what?" Henry asked innocently as he began peeling his orange.
"How to feel more comfortable in my own skin," Adrian answered, opening her bottle of water and chugging half of it.
"Oh," Henry replied, suddenly losing interest in the conversation.
"So how much longer?" Grant asked, picking up his chicken sandwich and taking a bite.
"Three more weeks," Adrian replied with a little smile. Across the grounds at another shaded table Madison and Lauren were discussing their history project.
"So how about I come over to your place after school and we work on it?" Madison suggested. Lauren shook her head.
"No. I need a break from the house. Jason's been getting all worked up about this college interview he's got and he keeps asking me to pretend to be one of the interviewers and ask him random questions about himself." Jesse chuckled. "It's both annoying and ridiculous."
"Well better to be over prepared than under, right?" Justin offered, taking a bite of his hoagie sandwich. Lauren glared at him briefly before stabbing her piece of meatloaf like it had insulted her.
"That I could understand but having to ask your brother questions about himself when you already know the answer and then having to listen to him respond is such a waste of time for me. Not to mention that no sibling wants to sit and listen to their sibling yak about themselves over and over and over again," she explained, placing her left elbow on the table and resting her head against it.
"Okay so we'll work on it at my house," Madison stated.
"So are you two going nuts over college interviews?" Justin asked, directing his question to Ricky and Jesse. Amy stared down intently at her tray of food as Jesse shook his head. Ricky began playing footsie with Amy in an attempt to get her to look at him.
"I'm going for athletic scholarships and offers don't usually get made until the end of the season," Jesse explained, not noticing that Amy had smiled and lifted her head slightly to look at Ricky, playing footsie back. "What about you Ricky?" When he didn't respond the other four teens at the table turned their heads to look at him. They saw that he and Amy were smiling demurely at each other and ignoring them. Lauren saw their legs wiggling and glanced under the table, When she saw what they were doing she laughed.
"Really you two?" she asked with amusement. They hadn't heard her and Madison, Justin and Jesse glanced under the table as well. They all started chuckling, which caused Amy and Ricky to break eye contact and look at their friends with blank looks.
"What?" Ricky asked.
"Aren't we a little old to be playing footsie?" Jesse asked with amusement. Ricky smiled back at him.
"Nope." He promptly turned his head back to look at Amy and they continued their little game. Jesse looked at Lauren with a twinkle in his eye.
"What?" she asked him. She giggled when he began playing footsie with her.
"Well if you can't beat 'em," Justin said with a smirk and then began playing footsie with Madison, causing her to laugh. Several students looked at them weirdly when they heard Madison laugh and then looked at the rest of the table with confusion when they saw that each couple had matching silly grins. No one bothered to look at their feet and see what all the amusement was about.
The school day ended and Ricky and Amy headed to work while Ben and Adrian headed to Dr. Atavi's office. Ben kept glancing at Adrian nervously as they sat in the waiting room, feeling guilty that she was so uncomfortable as he watched her fidget every so often. He had never been gladder to hear their names being called. He helped Adrian onto the examination table and then patiently took a seat in one of the chairs against the wall. Dr. Atavi came in moments later wearing a smile.
"So how are you doing today, Adrian?" she asked.
"Not so good," Adrian said grumpily. "I just feel so uncomfortable all the time," she explained. Dr. Atavi nodded in understanding.
"Well the good news is that's perfectly normal. The bad news is there's nothing medically I can do to help you with this except offer possible suggestions."
"Yeah. Amy gave me some suggestions today too. She said to stay hydrated, moisturized and just keep trying to figure out the most comfortable position to sleep in," Adrian said grumpily. Dr. Atavi nodded in agreement.
"Amy's right, Adrian. Those are really the only remedies we know of that help. So let's get started on the rest of your checkup." Dr. Atavi proceeded to complete Adrian's checkup and then performed an ultrasound. Before Ben knew it, the appointment was over. "Everything looks good and right on schedule, Adrian," Dr. Atavi assured her. Three weeks from now I'll see you again, to deliver that little one," she said with a smile. She and Ben helped Adrian down from the examination table and Adrian gave her a little wave as she and Ben headed out of the office and towards the front of the hospital.
At Boykewich Butchers, Ricky was a little preoccupied. He'd managed to get Amy to smile and focus on the present for a moment but it had only lasted for a little while. He knew tomorrow, possibly even tonight, Amy would be worrying, or at least wondering, about their future. Nora noticed his troubled expression and joined him at his current task of restocking the pasta shelves.
"Penny for your thoughts?" she asked. Ricky looked at her with surprise for a moment, not having heard her approach him.
"I'm just worried about Amy," he admitted as he pulled several small packages of pasta out of the larger box next to him.
"Is she okay?" Ricky sighed.
"She's worried about what's gonna happen to us next year if I go to a college that's a few hours away from here and I don't know how to get her to stop worrying about it," he admitted grudgingly, irritated with himself that after all the time he'd spent with Amy he had no clue how to begin to make this okay for her.
"Do you wanna go?" Nora asked, adding pasta to the shelf in front of her.
"No," he answered right away.
"Then why would she worry about it?"
"Because they asked me to come up for an interview yesterday and it went pretty well. But that doesn't mean I'm going. I've applied to colleges that are closer too," he explained, adding more pasta to the shelf.
"Why'd you go if you don't wanna go there." He sighed.
"It's just an option. Besides, I've already decided that if I end up choosing that one I'll commute. I don't wanna be separated from Amy and John."
"Have you told her that?"
"Yeah," Ricky replied with a nod. Nora chuckled.
"As long as she knows you aren't planning on dumping her for some college girl, eventually she'll warm up to the idea. Right now all she can focus on is that fact she won't see you every day." She took several more boxes of pasta out of the larger box and stacked them on the shelf. "Although I'm sure if she got a chance to see where you'd be going it wouldn't seem like you were off in never land or something, at this big, mysterious place filled with potential girlfriends for you to choose from," she added with a smirk. Ricky turned to look at her with a shocked expression. Nora turned to face him and saw it. "What?" Ricky suddenly reached over and gave her a hug, catching Nora off guard. He then released her and kissed her cheek.
"Mom, you're a genius," he said with a smile. Nora felt like she'd just missed something vital.
"Um. Thanks for the compliment. Care to explain why?"
"Showing Amy the campus," he explained. "Even though I'm still waiting to hear from other schools I'm sure if Amy got to see a college campus she'd feel a little better about the whole situation."
"Oh. Well, glad I could help." Ricky spent the rest of his shift planning it all out. As soon as he got off work he raced to his apartment to shower and change. He opened his laptop and loaded the college's website. He typed 'tours' in the search box and found a link to campus tours. Ricky quickly read the page and discovered that there were campus tours daily, beginning at the top of every hour and they could be personalized to potential students. Ricky quickly signed up himself and Amy and then did a quick search for nearby hotels and motels. He found one that was both cheap and didn't look like a dump or have bad customer reviews and booked a room. Now came the hard part: convincing her parents to let her go. He knew his toughest critic would be George so he called him first. Ricky waited anxiously as the phone at the furniture store rang.
"Hello?" George said when he picked up.
"George, it's Ricky and I have a huge favor to ask you."
"Oh?" George asked, intrigue lacing his voice.
"I'd like your permission to have another sleepover with Amy. In a hotel."
"No," came George's instant reply.
"It's not like that!" Ricky exclaimed, knowing why George was taking such a hardline without hearing him out.
"Then what's it like?" George asked sarcastically.
"I had a college interview yesterday and it freaked Amy out."
"What do you mean?" he asked, concern now entering the equation.
"I mean all she could think about was the fact this particular college was far enough away I'd have to commute and she assumed I'd choose to live in a dorm."
"But you'd rather commute?"
"Yeah, because I don't wanna be that far away from Amy and John for that long. Anyway. She talked to Anne about it and she told Amy that she'd just have to wait to see if any of my other choices wanted interviews and to just enjoy the time we've still got together."
"I don't see how that requires spending time together in a hotel."
"Today at work my mom suggested that Amy might be focusing on the fact she won't see me at school every day or that college might seem like some big mysterious place she's never seen before and she might feel better about next year if I took her to see the campus, or any campus."
"Let me get this straight. So you wanna take Amy to see the campus and you two would have to spend the night since it's not exactly nearby?"
"Yeah. They have campus tours every hour and I was thinking since the day after tomorrow's a teacher work day, Amy and I could head out after work tomorrow, spend the night, take the tour then come back that afternoon in time for work." There was silence for several moments as George processed Ricky's plan. "George?"
"I'm not sold on the idea of you two sharing a hotel room unsupervised so I want your word, man to man, that if I say okay you'll keep it in your pants. While I love my grandson I'd prefer if my daughter only had one kid during her high school career."
"I promise, man to man," he assured George.
"I'll still need to run this by Anne."
"Thanks, George."
"Don't thank me yet. I'll let you know." George hung up the phone with a sigh and went in search of Anne. He found her in the store room checking their inventory of upholstery fillings. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he approached her. "Hey, Anne. I need to run something by you."
"What's that?" she asked, not looking up from the clipboard she was writing on.
"Ricky wants to spend the night with Amy in a hotel room." Anne's head snapped up and her eyes were wide with shock. "Yeah that was my reaction until he explained it all too me."
"Explained what exactly?" she asked suspiciously. George began to tell her about his conversation with Ricky and Anne's demeanor softened. "She is a little fixated on the separation part of it." She worried her lip nervously as she thought about Amy's point of view and Ricky's suggestion. "He gave you his word they weren't gonna do anything?" George nodded. "Well if Amy agrees then I say we let them. Nora might be right and once Amy realizes that a college campus is just a place and not something mysterious she might relax."
"Or, she could realize that college is much bigger than high school, with more girls, if you catch my drift, and freak out even more." Anne sighed, acknowledging George's point.
"Maybe. But there's only one way to find out." George nodded and headed back to his office to phone Ricky. Ricky answered his cell on the first ring.
"Well?" he asked anxiously.
"If Amy agrees we won't object." Ricky sighed.
"Thanks, George. Does this mean you guys will also watch John tomorrow night and…"
"Yeah, yeah. We've got you guys covered," George answered grumpily.
"Thanks, George. I really appreciate this. I'll drop by later tonight and talk to Amy about it."
"Okay. See you later."
"Bye." Ricky ended the call and sighed. Hopefully everything will be okay soon. He passed the time eating his dinner and doing his homework, checking his watch every so often to see if it was John's bedtime yet. When he glanced at his watch and saw that it finally was, Ricky smiled as he quickly rose from the table and pulled on his jacket, eager to get to Amy's.
Amy walked out of the bathroom headed towards her bedroom, her face a minty shade of green thanks to her face mask. She set the timer on her cell phone and then stretched out on her bed to work on her homework. Ricky knocked on the front door when he arrived and Anne answered it. She gave him a soft smile and stepped back so he could enter.
"She's upstairs," Anne informed him as she shut the door. He nodded his thanks and headed up the stairs. He found Amy's door open and was about to knock on it but instead chose to just look at her for a moment since she hadn't realized someone was at her door yet. She was reclining on her bed in a pajama shirt, sweatpants and a sweater but Ricky still thought she looked beautiful. Several moments passed before Amy felt someone staring at her and glanced up. She cried out with alarm when her eyes landed on Ricky, causing him to jump a little. She narrowed her eyes at him for a moment before sitting up and trying to shield her face with her left hand.
"You scared me," she said with irritation. "What are you doing here?" If she knew he'd be stopping by tonight she wouldn't have dressed solely for comfort and she certainly wouldn't have put on her exfoliating mask just yet. Ricky entered her room and sat next to her on the bed.
"I wanted to talk to you about something."
"I can't talk to you right now, I look ridiculous," she said, dropping her hand but still refusing to look at him. Ricky smirked at her but she missed it, since she still wasn't looking at him.
"Amy, I told you I didn't wanna be separated from you and John and I meant it but I also know you're still anxious about what's gonna happen to us next year." Amy continued looking down and didn't say anything. "And my mom gave me a suggestion." Amy finally looked at him, curiosity winning out over her embarrassment. "She suggested you might feel better about it if you could see that going to college doesn't mean I'm gonna drop off the face of the earth or something and gonna abandon you." Amy sighed.
"I know you're not abandoning me, Ricky. You'll do great in college, I know that. You don't have to worry about me. I'll be okay," she tried to reassure him with a smile. Ricky wasn't fooled because the smile didn't quite reach her eyes. He leaned in and kissed her briefly and she blushed when he pulled back, still slightly embarrassed her boyfriend had just kissed her while she had her facemask on.
"I have an idea that might help with that though."
"What kind of idea?" she asked curiously.
"What do you say tomorrow night the two of us drive up the coast, spend the night and then go visit the campus the next morning?" Amy looked at him perplexed.
"It's a school night." He shook his head.
"Nope. It's a teacher workday."
"Do you think it would throw off John's schedule too much?" she asked worriedly. Again he shook his head.
"Your parents agreed to pick him up from daycare tomorrow and take care of him." Amy's eyebrows lifted in surprise.
"My parents agreed to this?"
"Only if you say yes," he told her with a smile. She chuckled and broke eye contact for a moment while she thought about it.
"I kinda would like to see it," she admitted shyly.
"Okay then."
"Okay," she agreed. Ricky leaned in for another kiss.
"I should get going," he stated, rising from the bed and reaching for her hand. Amy placed her hand in his and together they walked to the front door. He kissed her goodnight one more time before heading to his car. Amy shut the door and sighed as she leaned against it. Only a guy who's head over heels in love would kiss his girlfriend twice while she looks like this Amy thought with a smile as she glanced down at her attire. And it takes a pretty great guy to try and make you feel better about something that hasn't even happened yet, and might not she thought happily as she headed upstairs to see if her timer had gone off and it was time to remove her mask.
Next door Adrian was trying to find a comfortable sleeping position. She'd finished her homework early and felt tired so she decided to turn in early. Unfortunately she just couldn't seem to get comfortable. She finally managed to get her pillows scrunched up just right so she was propped up and she managed to doze off for a couple of hours. She woke up feeling off and immediately looked down at her stomach. She rubbed her hands across it but her daughter must've been sleeping because she didn't kick. Adrian had felt uncomfortable for a couple weeks now but this just felt like something was wrong. She couldn't explain how she knew something wasn't right and couldn't put her finger on exactly what felt so wrong. I better call Dr. Atavi in the morning she thought decisively as she shifted around and tried to get comfortable again. Finally after about an hour Adrian managed to feel comfortable enough to drift off to sleep.