A/N: I have been working on this a while, let me know what you think xoxxoxo Krissy.

Carol hip checked the back door at the office and walked out into the parking lot. Her arms were full of files that she had to look over that night after she and Sophia got done. Tonight was back to school night and Carol never missed it.

She was making her way across the parking lot to her car when her cellphone rang. She knew it was Sophia panicking that they were going to be late. She plopped her files on Connie's front hood. That was her car's name, Connie was a 1985 Porsche 911 Targa. Her baby, well her second baby. Sophia was her baby and her pride and joy.

Connie was another sort of baby because she won that car from her Ex-husband in the divorce.

Ed left town after their house sold and Carol bought a small house for her and Sophia. He didn't bother with Sophia at all, but that was ok. He wasn't missed, not by either of them.

Carol loved Connie, adored her actually, but there was an issue of course. Connie ran well and got her where she needed to go but the only drawback was the guy who worked on her. Ed's mechanic was a snot, every time she brought her in for repairs he stared at her like she had two heads. He never said two words to her and acted like a dick.

Maybe he didn't like women, Carol didn't know, nor did she care. But he was an asshole Connie had needed an oil change recently and she was over by a thousand miles and he about bit her head off over it.

Still, she loved Connie and would put up with one dickhead mechanic in order to drive her dream car. Ed had bought Connie for her and then tried to take her away for spite. He fought for the car but not his child and he didn't get either one.

She swiped the screen on her phone and answered.

"Hey sweetheart, I'm on my way." She said throwing the files onto the front seat and blowing a stray hair out of her eyes.

"I don't wanna be late Mom." Sophia said into the phone.

"We won't be; we can just go to sonic after wards ok?" Carol replied getting into Connie and starting her up. "Be there in five, meet me outside."

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Carol pulled up and Sophia was outside on the porch steps waiting for her. Carol stopped out front and Sophia launched herself off the steps and ran down the drive way to her. At fifteen, Sophia was a beautiful girl, tall and blonde. Someday her hair would be auburn, like Carol's. She had started out as a blonde as well and now her wavy hair was auburn. Sophia's hair was already getting darker as she got older.

Sophia bounced to the car and got in, giving Carol a kiss on the cheek. They were so much more than mother and daughter. They were best friends too. It was the two of them against the world. They fell into easy chatter about their day as they drove to the high school.

Her baby was a sophomore and she couldn't believe it, the time went by so fast. Carol was so grateful that despite the horrible first fourteen years of her life, Sophia had blossomed like a flower that wouldn't be stopped.

She was a daffodil that fought its way through the spring thaw and Carol was so proud of her.

They walked up to the school and there were people milling around outside. It was a warm night and the sun was still high in the sky. Sophia stopped short and grabbed Carol's arm suddenly and Carol gave her a quizzical look.

"There's the new kid Travis, he's smoking hot."

"There's no smoking out here." Carol teased.

"Mom." Sophia tapped her arm. "You know what I mean."

Carol shoulder bumped her and they walked on. As they got near the door, the boy Travis was laughing at something a man who's back was turned to her said and she saw smoke from a cigarette that the man held in his hand.

As she and Sophia approached Carol casually said. "There's no smoking."

The man in the concert T-shirt and jeans turned around with a scowl on his face ready to get into it with whoever said that. His scowl got even worse when he saw who it was, and he pushed his backwards baseball cap further down on his head.

It was the Porsche Targa lady that Merle couldn't stand.

Carol held her chin up, because she knew who this guy was too. He was one of the mechanics that worked on Connie. He wasn't the one that gave her dirty looks but he clearly didn't like her either. Fuck him and his piss poor attitude. If there was anyone else around who could work on Connie she would go there, but she couldn't. These guys were the only ones, and her money was as good as anyone else's.

She was not schlepping all the way to that over priced place in Atlanta and these guys were going to just have to deal with her.

"Hey Travis." Sophia said to the tall dark haired boy who clearly belonged to the smoker. He was a mini me of the guy only with dark hair. They both had the same tall lanky build only difference between them was Travis had dark hair and the father had blonder hair, and they both wore it long.

The boy smiled shyly at Sophia. "Hey Soph." And Carol noticed a sweet red blush creep over the boy's face. He seemed like a sweet boy.

They went inside and Sophia was grinning like, well, like a teenager with a crush.

"He's new here, his mother died and he and his father had to come live here with his uncle."

"Oh, that's a shame." Carol said, she felt bad about the boy losing his mother, she had lost her own mother at a young age and she felt that boy's pain. But, the father though? That guy was still a dick with a piss poor attitude. Carol hoped they wouldn't run into each other too much at school, she had enough of him every 3000 miles when she had to get Connie serviced.

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They sat in the auditorium as the principle talked on and on about nonsense and things that Carol had heard a hundred and one times, but she listened because this was her child's life.

Carol's friend Lori was sitting close by with her twins Carl and Judith. Carol suspected that Carl had a little crush on Sophia but by the way Sophia was staring at this new Travis kid, Carol knew Carl was out of luck.

Sophia was looking around steadily and Carol really wasn't surprised. It was bound to happen, Sophia had been a late bloomer, kind of a tomboy, just as Carol had been. But she was interested in boys now, that was clear. This was going to be an interesting year.

The principle was asking for parent volunteers to go on the class ski trip in January now and Sophia elbowed her. No one was volunteering, so Carol put her hand up, followed by a few other parents, Lori included. But she wanted to pull it right back down when she looked around because Travis's father had his hand up too.