"Bella!" Jake rode into the gas station, where Bella was perched on a stool, flipping through a several month old Cosmo. She cut the engine and stepped off her bike, "Reading anything good?"

"Oh, just the typical 'Is Your Man Moving Too Fast' stuff." She glanced up at her, smiling at the idiocy of the magazine.

Jake chuckled, "Well...is he?"

Bella only laughed in response. "You know, I should really be asking you that question. How about it Jake, is your man moving to fast?"

Jake's eyes never left the ground as she knew she was blushing. Looking in Bella's eyes and seeing that knowing glint would only make her blush more, so it was best to avoid it at times like this. They remained like this for a few moments, until they both spoke simultaneously:

"So, how is Sean these days, I never see him-"

"More problems with your bike-"

They both paused, waiting for the other to speak:

"No problems-"

"He's good-"

Jake laughed and shook her head, "Ok, you first Bella..."

"Sean's good, a little busy with soccer, but good. Ok so your turn, just here to chat?"

"Not so sure I want to do that anymore either."

"Oh come on Jake, it's so obvious that you and Hamilton are..." She paused before bringing her hands together and interlacing her fingers.

"Ok, new subject." Jake ran her hands through her hair, hoping she wasn't blushing.

Bella laughed as she placed the magazine on the bench.

"Doing anything for Spring Break?"

"Nope, just manning the gas station," motioning to the pumps behind her.

"Think you could break away and go skiing for a week?"

"I don't know." Hesitating, she shook her head...being a third wheel didn't sound like fun.

"Fine, but you are going to miss a fun week, did I mention there will be no parent supervision?" She tried to entice Bella, and it was working.

"I kinda have to work...and I don't want to interrupt you and Hamilton..." She brought her hands together in the same manner as before, "...you know."

It was a pretty inevitable step for those two. Even Will and Scout, who Bella had nicknamed the Oblivious Boys after their shock of discovering Jake to be a girl...even they knew something had changed between them. Being teenage hormonal boys, they were quick to assume what that something was.

"Woah, It's so not going to be that kind of weekend. Will and Scout will be there. And I promise, there will be no-" She laced her fingers together, "- you knowing"

Bella laughed and tilted her head forward, trying to hide her embarrassment.

Jake stooped down, so she could catch Bella's eyes. "You need a break from the job; a break from New Rawley. I know you have been working hard at school to. You better be, or you're going to need an excuse for not calling me as often. Besides, if you don't come, it's just going to me and three guys - you cannot do that to me."

"Jake, you live in an all-boys school, I think you can handle it."

"Yes, but even the amazing cross-dresser needs a break from the constant testosterone."

Bella smiled while considering Jake's plea. It could be fun. Looking back up at Jake, she grinned, "Ok, I'll ask."

"Great!" Jake said triumphantly, "We're leaving Saturday at 9 A.M."



Jake returned to the campus in search of Hamilton. The most logical place was his house. She paced outside of his house for 15 minutes, building up the courage to knock on the door. She didn't mind his mom, she was rather nice, it was just the dean that seemed to unnerve her.

Maybe it was because she had this monumental secret, maybe it was the way he looked at her, like he could tell everything she was trying to hide, maybe it was the fact that he had ultimate control of whether or not she stayed at Rawley for the next year and a quarter. It was probably a combination of all three, she concluded. So she felt rather defeated when she finally brought herself to go to his house, and his mother told her that Hamilton wasn't home.

Then she reasoned that, in reality, the most plausible place was the cafeteria, but he wasn't there either. Both Scout and Will said they hadn't seen him since that afternoon. After searching the lake, boat house, the pool, tennis courts - basically all of the campus grounds, she returned to her room, defeated.

She inserted her key into the lock and leaned against the door as she opened it. Great, I just wasted two hours of studying time on a useless goose chase.

"Uhhh..." Her whole body posture changed; her shoulders slumped, her hands were in the air with surprised confusion and momentary irony.

Hamilton turned around from where he was sitting at her desk, in her chair, eating her stash of M&M's. "Hey, where have you been?"

Exasperated, she laughed, "Where have I been? Where have I been?" she shook her head at him. "I have been searching the whole town of New Rawley, looking for you. And you're here. In my room. Eating my candy! How did you even get in here?"

"Hold on..." He turned back to her desk, where he had spread all of his notes and scratch paper, proceeding to dig through them until he found what he was searching for. This discovery prompted him to turn back to her, holding up a small key...a very familiar key. "Being the dean's son does come along with some perks."

"Give me that!" She snatched it from his outstretched hand.

"Look - I'm sorry, I won't do it again." He stared at her strangely, "I just came here because I needed help for the Trig final. You weren't here so-"

"Everyone knows." Her eyes were wide with anxiety.

Perplexed, he shook his head, "Is that..." Moving his hands aimlessly, he searched for some kind of answer, "Is that some kind of...code or something?" He squinted at her, "Everyone knows - What? That I'm not good at Trig?"

"That we-" She cut herself off before she got too loud, she didn't want the entire dorm to know. What am I talking about? They probably already do know. "That we had sex," she whispered, squatting down so she was level with Hamilton, who was still siting in the chair. Looking into his eyes, she searched for some of the same emotions she was feeling at that moment.

Placing his hands on her shoulders, "Who knows?" he asked calmly.

"Bella, Will, Scout - everybody." By then she had started pacing the room.

"Jake...Bella, Will and Scout hardly constitute everyone."

Ignoring his last statement, she continued, "She said it was so obvious. What does that mean? What if everyone in school can tell?" pulling on her hair to emphasis her different points.

"Jake, you don't know that. I'm sure they are the only ones that suspect."

"But what if they're not, what if other people can, like...sense it or something?"

When he laughed, she glared at him and turned away. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to laugh," he was trying to suppress a smile at this point to seem at least slightly believable, "You're just over reacting a little. It could be worse, you know?"

She seemed to take some comfort in that and stopped pacing to sit on her bed. However, the nervous bounce of her leg and the anxious tapping of her fingers gave her away, "How?"

He sat next to her and rubbed her tense shoulders, "They could have heard us having sex."

Groaning, she pushed him away and laid back on the bed, putting her hand on her forehead, "Hamilton, this is so not what I need right now."