"Are you nervous?" Michael asked Maxie as they stood in the area designated for the Homecoming Court waiting for half-time.

"No," Maxie said unconvincingly.

"Really?" he smirked.

"Okay," Maxie sighed. "A little. What if I trip?"

"Don't worry," he smiled at her, "I won't let you fall."

Maxie grinned.

"Well, isn't this cute?" a voice interrupted them.

Maxie groaned, "What do you want Johnny?"

Johnny smirked at them while Brook Lynn who was standing next him looked slightly embarrassed, "Nothing. Just trying to figure out why Corinthos would date the school's biggest mouth. Does she ever shut up?"

Michael clenched his fist but before he could say anything Maxie fired back, "And I'm trying to figure out why any girl would date slime like you." She turned to Brook Lynn, "My condolences."

Johnny's smirk faded slightly, "See you on the stage," he said before walking off.

"Seriously, Brook Lynn you could do better," Michael said as Brook Lynn started to follow Johnny.

Brook Lynn shrugged and kept walking.

"Hopefully, she'll realize that before it's too late," Maxie told Michael quietly.

"Do you think I could get away with shoving him off the stage?" he asked.

"Nah," Maxie said shaking her head, "there would be too much photographic evidence."

"Spoken like the daughter of the Police Commissioner," he laughed.

"There always accidentally dumping punch on him at the dance tomorrow," she suggested with a grin.

"I like the way you think," he grinned back.

They were interrupted by the PCHS football team scoring a touchdown which caused the crowd to go wild. Maxie looked up at the time clock. Only a few more minutes of game time and half-time would begin. She was really nervous. As if sensing how nervous she was Michael gave her hand a squeeze. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She was grateful he would be by her side for this.

"I'll be right back with your salads," the petite blonde waitress told Nik and Emily.

"Thank you," they both said as she left.

"Are you sure Italian is okay?" Nik asked Emily.

"Are you kidding?" she smiled, "I love Italian."

"Good," he smiled back.

Emily took a sip of her drink, "So what made you decided to go to PCU?"

"Well, my mom lives here and I decided I wanted to be near her for a change," he answered.

"So, you haven't always lived with your mom?" she asked.

He shook his head, "My uncle has raised me since I was a baby. My mom couldn't raise me," he sighed.

"Long story, huh?" she asked sensing his discomfort.

He nodded, "A really long story."

She smiled, "Do you have brothers or sisters?"

"I have a half-brother and a half-sister," he answered, "my sister and I get along fine but my brother and me is a different story."

"Sibling rivalry," she teased.

"Of epic proportions," he answered shaking his head, "What about you? What drew you to PCU?"

Emily's expression saddened, "My older brother A.J. died of leukemia a few years ago."

"I'm so sorry Emily," he told her.

Emily nodded, "My family moved around a lot after that. And this past summer we settled here because my grandfather lives here. My brother and I decided to stay here and go to college because we were afraid to leave our parents."

"So you're a twin?" he asked.

"Yeah," she grinned, "I'm younger by three minutes."

"So you get babied?" he inferred.

Emily rolled her eyes, "Oh yeah. Are you the youngest or the oldest?"

"Oldest," he answered before taking a sip of his drink, "my sister is the youngest."

Emily laughed, "I feel sorry for her."

"Lulu, will be glad to hear someone shares her misery," he laughed.

"Lulu?" she asked recognizing the name.

"She's a senior at Port Charles High," he answered noticing her recognition.

"Maybe Dillon or Brook Lynn have mentioned her before," Emily shrugged, "I've heard her name before anyway."

"Dillon and Brook Lynn?" he asked confused.

"My cousins," she answered, "they live at my grandfather's too. My Aunt Tracy is Dillon's mom and Brook Lynn's grandmother."

He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Yeah," she laughed, "my cousin Ned is a little older than Dillon."

Nik laughed, "I'm a Cassadine and my siblings are Spencers. We wrote the book on odd family dynamics."

"I've heard rumors of this Cassadine and Spencer family feud," she laughed again.

"Most of them are probably true," he said trying not to laugh.

The waitress brought them their salads which halted the conversation for the moment. Emily dug into her salad and glanced up at Nik. She looked back down at her salad and smiled. So far she was having a great time. She only hoped it lasted.

"Okay, I think I'm beginning to understand this version of football," Ethan said as PCHS scored another touchdown.

Dante, Lulu, and Kristina all laughed.

Ethan shrugged, "It's kinda like rugby and what you all call soccer had a baby. A confusing baby."

"What?" Lulu said laughing.

Dante laughed, "That sad thing is what he said kinda makes sense."

Kristina wiped her tears of laughter away, "That is so going in the paper."

"I'm glad that I'm so entertaining to you three," Ethan said dryly.

"Sorry, Ethan," Dante said getting his laughter under control, "it's just that I've never had to explain football to a guy before."

Lulu laughed, "It's a little sad that you're getting schooled in football by two girls."

"Not that I'm trying to be sexist," Dante said, "but how do you two know so much about football?"

"I'm on the newspaper," Kristina answered, "no one should be editor if they haven't written an article on everything the paper covers."

Dante nodded, "That makes sense. Lulu?"

"Well," Lulu said biting her lip, "umm..."

"She likes the violence," Kristina answered with a laugh.

Lulu just shrugged as Dante and Ethan laughed.

"You would like rugby then," Ethan said still laughing.

"Oh she does," Kristina answered trying to control her laughter.

"You watch it with me," Lulu reminded her friend.

"Yeah, so you'll watch baseball with me," Kristina reminded her back.

Dante turned to Ethan, "We are the luckiest guys in school."

Lulu and Kristina rolled their eyes.

"Do you watch soccer?" Ethan asked Kristina.

Kristina nodded, "I played soccer when I was a kid and I always watch the World Cup with my step-dad."

Ethan looked at Dante, "We are the luckiest guys in school."

Lulu and Kristina laughed as the buzzer on the field sounded letting every know the first half was over.

"What's happening now?" Ethan asked as he watched the football players leave the field.

"Half-time," the other three answered at the same time.

"Ah, Maxie's big moment," Ethan said grateful he knew what was going for once.

"Followed by my favorite moment of the night," Lulu grinned excitedly.

Dante, Ethan, and Kristina laughed. Lulu was more excited about taking out cheerleaders then Maxie was about being Homecoming Queen.