-1I do not own Saved By The Bell. Neither do I own any of the original characters or storylines referred too. They all belong to Peter Engel/NBC productions. Neither am I anything to do with those companies. This is just a story by a fan of the show for other fans of the show. Neither is this story meant to express any personal political views, everything that happens is purely for the purpose of the story only.

Chapter Twenty-One

SAT's Results For The Kids

'Sophie Morris, what an earth are you doing here on your own at this hour?', Jessie was shocked to see her there.

'Never mind this hour, this is no place to be for a girl your age on her own at any hour', Slater added, unable to believe the sensible teenager, mature for her age was here himself.

'Well , what are you two doing here?', Sophie asked them, trying to buy some time to come up with an excuse. Trust her parents best friends to show up and ruin all her plans.

'We're adults Sophie, we don't have to explain ourselves to you. But if you really want to know we are meeting Jessie's Mum off the bus from San Francisco, she is coming to stay for a long weekend.'

'That's the trouble isn't it. Everyone wants me to be grown up all the time and I'm just not ready to be. That's' why I'm going away to Phoenix. Please don't tell my parents, I just can't face it anymore. Everyone is just going to laugh at me when those results come out tomorrow or rather later this morning. I have to go to Phoenix, please, pretend you never saw me', Sophie pleaded with them.

'We can't do that Sophie, you parents will be worried sick',Slater looked at her like she was crazy, but then noticed the bus from San Francisco was due in any minute.

'Sophie, were you really running away because of your SAT results? You haven't even opened them yet.'

'Jessie, I don't want to have to open them ever. That is why I thought I would just leave and go and be a Waitress in Phoenix or something. It was the first place I chose on the map.'

'Sophie, listen to me okay. Running away, it doesn't solve anything, it just makes things worse. I ran away when I wasn't much younger than you and I barely survived two days. Please Sophie, don't make us take you home, be sensible and let us take you home.'

'I can't Jessie. I love Mum and Dad, but I'm going to be such a dissappointment to them now, I can't go home , ever. We are all supposed to go to Screech's house and open our results online before school this morning, I can't do that.'

'Then how about I call your parents and you stay with us tonight. In fact you can even stay with us for the weekend if your parents say its okay. It might do you good, you can get away for a while without having to run away. That's okay isn't it Slater.'

'Sure, besides Zack would kill us both if we didn't take care of you Sophie. We couldn't leave you here, what if something happened to you? No , come and stay with us for the weekend, the spare guest bedroom is all made up and Jessie's Mum always stays at the hotel, so you haven't got to fight her for it and I'm sure you wouldn't want to sleep in a half decorated nursery anyway.'

'And talking of my Mum, I think her bus just pulled in. Come on Sophie, your coming with us.'

'Mum, I can't believe its been so long', Jessie hugged her Mum almost as soon as she was off the bus.

'Neither can I Jessie, but you know how it is with your Stepfather. He probably won't ever come out of hospital now. I just can't look after him at home anymore. It's so good to see you, hang on isn't that Zack's daughter?'

'Yes and that Mum, is a long story, we will tell you all about it in the car.'

'It's okay. I was running away because I'm terrified of getting my SAT scores, but Jessie and Slater found me here when they arrived to meet you off the bus.'

'Thank god I caught one of the late night buses from San Francisco.'

'So Mum, what are your plans for the weekend?'

'Have dinner with you two tomorrow night, catch up with my friends and then Sunday, I thought I could take you shopping for something for the baby.'

'Thanks Mum, wait until you come over and see what Martin and Carol have do ne turning one of the spare rooms in to the nursery.'

'Slater , your parents are decorating the nursery?'

'They are. Jessie and I did start work on it, but we are both always so busy we just weren't getting very far. But Mum and Dad said they needed something to keep their minds occupied especially with Janine and everything. Jessie and I picked all the paint out and everything when we made our slow start on it and now they come round and work on it most weekdays while we are at work.'

'Mum and Dad said I never had my own room until I was a year old.'

'You sort of did Sophie. In your Mum and Dad's old apartment they pulled a curtain down the side of the room, so you could have your own little minature bedroom'

'I wish I was still little.' Sophie didn't know what she was feeling anymore, she wasn't sure if she was relieved or annoyed Jessie and Slater had walked in to the bus station terminal when they did.

After they dropped Jessie's Mum off at the hotel, Slater spoke the words Sophie had been dreading.

'Sophie its nearly four in the morning, we've got to call your parents before they wake up and discover you are gone.'

'They never get up much before six, unless Mum is on call at night.'

'Sophie , the longer you leave it, the worse its going to be. I'm calling your Dad now.'

Jessie picked up her cell and dialled Zack and Kelly's number.

When it was over , Sophie was relieved. Jessie had even made her speak to her Dad and she couldn't believe he had remained so calm. They he had warned her, they would be discussing her actions at length when she came home after her weekend staying with Jessie and Slater. But he had also told her , he was going to tell the school and everyone else that she was sick so she didn't have to go in that day.

'Sophie , you need some sleep, but your not going to sleep worrying about those stupid test results.', Jessie headed for the lounge table as soon as they got in the door and switched on her laptop.

'Don't you mean the results that are going to prove I'm stupid?'

'Sophie, those results will have come online at midnight. You can check them now, then go and have a good nights sleep in the guest room, its got a power shower and a flat screen TV.'

'What, are you guys running a hotel now?'

'No Sophie, believe it or not, back in high school Slater and I used to argue so much, when we first got back together a few years ago, we set it up for those times when we argued and didn't want to be near each other for a while.'

'I guess it gets used a lot then.'

'Not really, we both discovered we had sort of mellowed out as we grew up. Don't get me wrong, we still have our moments and when we argue, we really do argue, trust me, but we would rather sit down and work it out, even agree to disagree than just stay mad at each other. Sophie, this really can't be that interesting to you. You are just trying to delay the inevitable aren't you and look all you have to do now is go to the site and get your result.'

'Did you really only get a twelve hundred Jessie?'

'Yes I did and it all turned out fine.'

'And Sophie, I only got a ten fifty, I did okay, SAT scores, they aren't everything.'

'So everyone keeps telling me.'

'Well then , what are you waiting for?'

'I wish I had given you guys the slip and gone to Phoenix after all.'

'Sophie, I may not be able to run much right now, but you know well enough Slater would have caught you faster than anything. Anyway Sophie, stop delaying it and open it.

'Go on Sophie, I bet you got more than a ten-fifty', Slater tried to encourage her.

'And now I'm more nervous than the morning we all opened ours in our snail mail envelopes at the max You think your wait was bad Sophie, imagine a life without the internet and having to wait weeks for the post.'

Sophie finally pressed the button that would reveal the score, that would determine her future, or at least what colleges would accept her. Maybe it wasn't going to be so bad after all and if it was, she knew Jessie and Slater wouldn't laugh at her like the rest of the junior class.

'I don't believe it', Sophie stared at the screen, unable to to believe the number she was seeing against her name. 'That can't be right, I did terrible. I was so nervous. Please you guys, read that number out to me, check I am seeing it right.'

'Sophie, if you are seeing a fifteen hundred and fifty-four, that's the right number. Well done Sophie', Slater checked it again for her.

'You really are a genius Sophie, well done, now do you think you can sleep easy?'

'Better than I've slept since I took the test probably.'

Sophie went to sleep in Jessie and Slater's guest room relieved she had been prevented from running away after all and relief she really was as intelligent as everyone thought she was. She was also glad she hadn't had to open her results in front of all her close friends, she had never wanted to do that.

While Sophie slept, Jessie and Slater were reminiscing about the day they opened their SAT scores and he was teasing Jessie about the fuss she had made over them.

'Ha. Remember Darlene, the girl who boasted in front of me about getting a twelve eighty, it didn't do her much good. She dropped out of law school, where as I on the other hand am the top divorce lawyer in LA.'

A few hours later, Josie, Paul and Martin Belding were all hovering around the desktop computer in the Powers household lounge.

Jose went first as no one else would and she was completely ecstatic over her result.

'Wow, I got a thirteen hundred. I never thought I would do that well. Perhaps I won't have to rely on a sports scholarship after all.'

Paul went next.

'I can't believe it either, I got an eleven hundred and eighty.'

'Then I guess I am going to be the only one in the room with a score of less than four digits', said Martin as he went to take his turn at the computer. 'No, that can't be right, eleven hundred and ninety, That should at least please my parents, but I'm still not changing my choice of colleges.

In the school office at Bayside, Screech was looking at the list of SAT scores.

'That's no surprise who got the best score in the school', he told Zack, who had come by to tell him that Sophie was sick.

'Don't tell me, that weird science geek kid, whose in my business studies class?'

'Celia Turin, no she only got a fifteen hundred, but with a fifteen hundred and fifty-four, Sophie Morris got the best score in the school. Your daughter is practically a genius.'

'What a relief, when I think of what that poor kid has been through with all this. Kelly and I were starting to feel guilty letting her take the test so soon.'

'But Zack, if she was only in the freshman class now , she would be bored, you and I both know that.'

Right then, Sophie was anything but bored. She was enjoying watching the morning shows on TV in bed and ther were so many to choose from. She couldn't belive how many cable channels there were, especially as Jessie and Slater told her they rarely had time to watch TV. Still, at least she was making use of it. She liked being here, it was like home from home. It was eleven before she even got out of bed and took a shower and put on the fresh clothes Jessie had given her to wear before she went to bed. She felt quite grown up wearing expensive designer clothes, even if they were only a casual pair of jeans and a t-shirt. One day, I'll be able to afford nice clothes like this and a nice place to live in, she thought to herself.

Sophie heard Slater's parents arrive and heard them bickering with each other over the decorating. When she emerged, Jessie was doing some work in the lounge and Slater was making toast, croissants and tea for everyone.

'Shouldn't both of you be at work now?'

'No, long weekend for us both. We are off to meet my Mum shortly. You can come with us or you can hang out here , its up to you. Like I said , think of it as a weekend away.'

'Would your parents mind if I helped them decorate Slater?'

'I shouldn't think so, they will probably be glad of the help.'

Later as Sophie was helping decorate, she found she was enjoying herself, having fun, and then she realised why, it was the first time she had really been able to relax since she had even started thinking about taking her SAT's. Her parents had taken her for a lovely day at Disneyland, but every time they had stopped to queue for a ride or to watch a show, SAT results were always the things that had come to the forefront of her mind straight away. She was so happy it was all over at last.

A/N I know the SAT scoring system is different now to what it was twenty years ago, but I have only used the old system that I know of for this story. Thanks again to everyone that has written reviews recently.