"Your first day, really?" Pacey Witter glared at his three children as they sat on the chairs outside of Principal Hill's office looking down at their hands. "And not just the first day, no that would be too easy, no before the first bell! You're sitting outside the principals office before you've even taken one class at Capeside high. Now, I get that you're all a chip off the old block but even I didn't do something that unbelievably stupid."

"Sorry." All three of them mumbled at once, none of them able to meet his gaze.

"Sorry?" Pacey ran his fingers through his hair and chuckled to himself with an air of disbelief. " They're sorry."

"Well, I would just like to add for the record that I don't deserve to be here because this was not my fault." Lucy turned to face her brothers. "If I wanted to punch Warren Peacock in his smug trust-fund face then I am perfectly capable of doing it myself!"

"Well we took care of it for you, no need to thank us or anything," Mikey argued.

"Thank you for what exactly?"

"For protecting you, for standing up for you, for showing that guy that we're not going to stand for someone treating our sister with so little respect!" Mikey looked across Dylan at his sister. "Nobody should talk to you like that!"

"Well they do Mikey and they do it all the time so I'm pretty used to it by now. If you're going to knock out every guy who looks at me the wrong way, or makes some comment about my chastity then you're going to be expelled by the end of the first semester."

"Or maybe before that." Pacey sighed. "Principal Hill invited to me to discuss whether or not Capeside high is suitable place for you two, so if you have any input for me I would really appreciate that because right now I have no idea how I'm going to go in there and defend your gross stupidity."

"You would've done the same thing if you had heard what he said to her." Dylan finally looked up from his swollen hand.

"I would've been smart enough to put my thumb out so I didn't break my God-damned hand," Pacey sighed in defeat and slumped down in the seat beside them. "You can learn advanced calculus but you can't learn how to throw a punch without breaking a bone?"

"I wasn't thinking."

"Obviously."

"I don't like to see her upset, I don't want people to make her feel bad."

"Dylan, this is high school, everyone feels bad about something." Lucy ruffled his hair. "I don't want you guys to risk getting thrown out of school because of me."

"I'm sorry Lucy." Dylan took her hand. "I promise I wont rearrange any more guys faces without your permission."

"That's okay." Lucy smiled a little. "He did deserve it."

"Y'know it was actually my punch that rearranged his face," Mikey pointed out. "He barely scraped the guy."

"I totally rearranged his face."

"You bruised him if anything." Mikey scoffed. "You stick to the books, I'll handle the right hooks."

"I can rearrange your face too if you like?' The younger twin glared at his brother. "I don't even care if i break my other hand on your jaw."

"Please tell me you guys aren't arguing over who is the bigger knucklehead?" Pacey asked. "Because i call a tie, neither are you are smart right now."

"Just tell her it was my fault," Lucy said. "They were just trying to protect me and hey both inherited a stupid misguided hero complex from you. Say whatever you need to Dad, but don't let her throw them out of school."

"It's not going to be easy. I'm pretty sure I used up all my Witter charm on her last year."

"Mr Witter!" A small middle-aged woman stood in the doorway, arms crossed. "Back so soon, I didn't think I'd see you till at least week two."

"What can I say, I cant stay away from the place."

"I'll have to get you your own parking space." She led the way into her office, gesturing for him to take a seat at the desk opposite her. "Or perhaps your own chair outside my office seen as you seem to be here so frequently."

"My sons are clearly idiots." Pacey perched on the edge of the desk.

"I wonder where they get it?"

"On a totally unrelated subject, have you seen that we have a brand new menu at the Ice House?"

"Really?"

"Yeah, you should come along one night, bring Mr Hill and have anything you like on the house. In fact you do such a good job at educating the youth of Capeside that i would like to personally award you free drinks from either of my bars for the rest of the academic year because if anyone needs a drink after a long hard day in this town, it's you."

"Bribery?' she asked. "Really Pacey, Is that what it has come to now?"

"Bribery? No! I'm offended that you would think so little of me Maria!"

Mrs Hill smiled a little, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms to listen to him, a look crossed her features that was a mix of amusement genuine interest. She watched him as he took a walk around her office, his attention grabbed by the pictures and decoration on her bookshelf. He stopped to look at her, his hand on his heart.

" After all we've been through together, that's what you think of me? No, I was merely trying to offer a gesture to a pillar of the community such as yourself, a fine educator, possibly the best educator in the whole of the state."

"I see."

"Your generosity, passion for education and – I can't stress this enough—your forgiving nature, really set you apart from the crowd. I really don't know how you manage to do it and maintain such a youthful complexion. I mean if i were just ten years younger Mr. Hill would have some serious competition."

"Mr Witter, how you never had a career in politics genuinely astounds me." Mrs Hill sighed and removed her glasses, then looked up at him from her desk; she couldn't help but smile. "They're lucky to have you, because if you were any other parent I'd be sending those boys home."

"And you're not?"

"I want to see them in Saturday detention for two weeks and litter duty on Thursday lunchtimes. They're on probation for one month and if they so much as sneeze in the direction of another student I will be forced to change my mind, do you understand?"

"Absolutely." Pacey save a sigh of relief and smiled. "Thank you. They won't let you down."

"I get why they're so protective over their sister and in some ways i almost admire them for it, but it wasn't the way to go about it."

"They won't go unpunished at home, i promise."

"You are a good Parent, Mr witter." She stood up from her chair and walked around the desk to look at him; she leaned back on the desk and gave him a genuine relaxed smile. "I wish every parent cared as deeply as you do and i wish all my students had the heart that yours do, but they have to learn to reign it in. Just because you have the charm, wit and undeniable gift of the gab, doesn't mean that everyone does, or indeed, should."

"I know."

"Now get out of here before I change my mind."

"Yes ma'am." Pacey made his way towards the door.

"And I will take that table reservation and the free bar." Mrs Hill took a seat behind her desk and put her glasses back on. "With three Witter kids in attendance, I feel I may need it."

"Welcome back Miss Witter. Good to have you back with us."

Lucy rolled her eyes and shut her locker door, then turned slowly towards the familiar voice. "I wish that I could return your first day enthusiasm Uncle Jack."

"That's Mr. McPhee to you now the summer is over."

"Sorry, Mr. Mcphee."Lucy gave him salute started to make her way to class; it took her a minute to realise that she was being followed. "Did you have something to say, sir?

"I hear on the grapevine that you've already been outside the principals office today."

"Not my fault. Dylan and Mikey took it upon themselves to turn into cavemen for the day."

"Yeah. I did see Warren's nose."

"He deserved it."

"Look." Jack pulled her to a stop and waited for her to turn around to face him. "This is your senior year, Lucy. There's a lot of fun to be had but also a lot of work to put in."

"Fun?" Lucy scoffed. "Okay."

"There is!"

"Well, gee I'm so glad to be back Mr. McPhee. I just can't wait for all the pep rallies, and dances and youth club meetings." She gave him a smile that was just a little to sweet to be genuine, the gentle curl of her lip almost dripping with sarcasm as the words tumbled out. "I'm sure it will be heaps of fun."

"Y'know, when you talk like that you sound just-"

"Don't bring her into this." Lucy snapped a little. "I've told you, I don't want to hear that woman's name. She's dead to me now."

"That's Harsh and more than a little over-dramatic."

"No, she's harsh. She's harsh, she's cold and she is a liar."

"Lucy—"

"No. She didn't have any intention on seeing me or my brothers this summer, she just said she did so that we might actually think she cared, well I'm done. I needed her this year more than I have ever needed her and she wasn't there. Do you know who was there for me?

"Your Dad."

"Yes, my Dad. My Dad and you and Doug and Dylan and Mikey and Amy and sometimes Aunt Bessie, but not the one person I wanted, so forgive me if I seem a little harsh to you."

"I know things haven't exactly been rosy between you two lately, but she does care."

"Sure she does. That's why she moved to Boston four years ago, dumped me and my brothers on Dad so that she could go and start her new life with David and her brand new family."

"She asked me to keep an eye on you this year." A heavy silence fell between them and Lucy's eyes found her feet. "She's worried about you."

"Well, isn't that big of her." Lucy sighed. "You can tell her that I'm fine. I'm not going to do anything to embarrass her this year and if she really wanted to keep an eye on me she would do it herself."

"So, you're actually planning on doing some work?"

"I'll see how I feel."

Jack leaned into her a little, his gaze kind. "You're like a daughter to me and I don't want to see you fail. But if you don't buckle down and pull something out of the bag this year then you're in danger of getting so far behind that the only place you'll be working when you graduate is Wallmart."

"There's nothing wrong with Wallmart."

"You could go to college, you have the potential."

"You know college isn't an option for me."

"That's not true."

"I Can't leave Capeside. I'm a teenage mother who still hasn't finished high school, with a part time job at a restaurant her father owns. I have nothing going for me that involves an education any higher than my GED."

"There are state programmes that- "

"Programmes that I probably wouldn't qualify for and I don't want. My Dad never went to college and look how well he did?" Lucy said. "Two successful businesses, three kids that love him and a really nice fishing boat."

"Yeah, well he's a special case."

"And I want to be just like him." Lucy let a small smile spread across her lips as she saw her friends waving her over. "Excuse me sir, but I have friends to see, y'know the ones that still want to know me."

"Just make sure you prioritise the right things this year. That's all I ask. I have faith in you"

"Do me a favour?

"Sure."

"Save your faith for someone who deserves it."