Author's Note: Homestretch, peoples! Only 4 chapters and a Teaser left so I'd like to take the time to thank everyone now for reading, reviewing, favoriting, alerting….anything you can do on here but flame (which I haven't gotten) and I hope to see you guys soon for Part 2. My hiatus may happen even earlier (the court date finally came in the mail) than I thought and my Break's almost over so I gotta hustle. Enjoy the rest of the story and again, thanks! :D
Disclaimer: "Honestly, it's not mine!"
"I don't get it! We're Seniors, we're accepted into college…why the hell are we taking finals?!"
"Because it is legally required and The Powers That Be do not want to deny us our last fill in the bubble test."
"I'm just going to doodle the OSU logo like I always do! I wanna go home!"
"You can at noon. We all can so this makes it better. And at least all of ours are on one day. The rest of the school gets three days of nonstop testing next week. We are done after today. We only have to come back for our diplomas. Now, stop being grumpy and kiss me for luck."
"I'm kissing you 'cause you're hot, not because you need luck, Crazy Ninja Genius Chick.", he grumbled before capturing her lips in a deep kiss.
She could feel her toes curl in her sneakers and shivered as he looked her with forest green eyes. Those were his dirty bedroom eyes. Those were the eyes that made her want to strip him down and do naughty things to him. Things that involved a pair of handcuffs and that can of Cool Whip she had rescued from Abby. Ahem! Finals! School! Education! Yes…
Looking away from him, she downed the rest of her Watermelon Arizona and fled down the hall, his delighted laughter following her.
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The main rules of taking the final was no talking until after everyone was done and no distracting the other test takers.
His companions could do silent but asking them not to be random was like asking a rabbit not to procreate.
Ari could barely suppress his amusement as Anthony and Tim got into an Epic Pencil Throwing Battle. Every couple of seconds, one of them would take a shot, hitting or missing. Nearby, Caitlin and Abigail were doing a silent, sitting version of their I Need a Hero routine, complete with impressive dance moves. Only Ziva was acting like she had some form sense but she couldn't stop shaking with laughter. Also, she was the middle ground in the Battle. She provided stray ammunition for both sides and ducked when appropriate.
Tired of being the mature one, Ari picked up his own pencil and with careful aim, hit a sleeping Jimmy in the nose. He sat up and winged a large eraser at him, ducking his next volley of highlighters. Michelle continued her crocheting next to him, her iPod buds hidden by her loose hair. The way she was nodding to the music indicated hard rap, though…
Soon, all of them would be separated. Anthony and Ziva would be at OSU, Jimmy and Michelle would be at Georgetown, Abigail would be accompanying Tim to MIT and Caitlin would be joining him at Dartmouth. Logically, he knew that this was the age of FaceBook and Road Trips, that they could easily stay in contact. However, he would miss their constant presence.
It figured that he would only find some form of family mere months before going off to college.
Oh, well. For now, he would make the best of the time they had now.
Picking up his calculator with a feral grin, he upped the stakes of the War.
//////////////
It was over.
She removed her forest green ID for the last time and placed it in her jewelry box, along with the others. She was now Abigail Scuito, college Freshmen. Well, not yet. There was the whole Commencement thing and then the whole moving in with Timmy thing…
Since they were going to the same place and they were in love, they had decided to live off campus together. Their combined savings and scholarships made it quite easy to scope out decent apartments. They were going up to Cambridge this weekend to get a feel for the place…and for each other.
Picking up a lacy black nightie, she added it to her duffel with a impish grin.
She knew that it would come home as scraps.
//////////////
Kate smiled dreamily into his chest and lightly nibbled at his sternum.
Ari growled softly and brought a fond hand to her behind, caressing it gently. Both of them were sprawled across his mattress, a sheet covering them from the waist down. This was their way of ringing in their freedom from High School. Sex and snuggling…that's all they needed.
Moving her head up, she captured his lips in a sultry kiss, one rivaling the heat outside.
He accepted her with a broad, dimpled smile.
//////////////
He opened the package on his desk and picked up the familiar Patchwork Hoodie
Turning it over, he discovered a duck holding a baton with an umbrella over its head.
A note fell out and it simply read, "Thank You."
Ducky smiled and put on his new jacket, pleased with the fit.
"No, my dear. Thank you."
