"If you're going to skate on thin ice, you might as well dance."


"Looks like I got the taste of the big wipe out too." Jake leaned on Hamilton as they sat in the plastic orange chairs of the hospital, the next morning.

He was sitting with his elbows on his knees, holding his face in his hands. "Yep. Just like Scout said you would." Rubbing his eyes, he turned to her, "We're so screwed."

"We were always screwed. I'm sorry Ham, I should have seen this coming. I mean, there are only so many times a single person can get lucky. And I think I've just proven that I've used all my luck cards. I'll take all the blame, that way they can't get too mad at you."

"Hell, you think I'm worried about getting grounded? I'm worried about them calling your mom and finding out about you." He slumped back into the chair and closed his eyes, trying to ignore the fear that twisted his stomach into knots.

"Ham, you honestly think I would have attempted this - and by this, I mean the past three years at Rawley - without the ability to access and delete my mother's messages?"

"I know that. I keep telling myself that. But there is some part of me that hurts at the thought that there is the slightest possibility you may get kicked out."

"Hey," she turned his face toward her, "I've survived there for three years, I'm not going to let anything stop me from completing the last one. Not even your dad."

That made him smile, her rebellious nature. "Thanks."

"For what?"

"Giving me a fun packed, roller coaster ride of a Spring Break."

"No problem. But I don't think we'll be having one again for a long, long time."

"No," Looking over Jake's shoulder, he saw his parents enter the hospital, "I don't think we will."

His father walked past them, into Scout's hospital room, no doubt to apologize for Hamilton. However his mother took the seat across from them, not meeting their worried stares.

"Mrs. Flemming...I'm really sorry about this. I didn't -"

She held her hand up to silence Jake, "Your mother has been called about this. Unfortunately, there is nothing the school can do as punishment, since this incident took place during Spring Break, so I left that up to her."

"I understand."

The three sat in silence, staring at the scuffed white tiles of the hospital floor.

Hamilton was about to speak when his father came out of the room, "Come on Hamilton, we're leaving. Now." He grabbed his son's sleeve as he pulled him toward the sliding doors.

"Yes, sir."

When they were out of hearing distance of the others, his father spoke to him, "You may want to rethink your choice of friends." It wasn't meant as a suggestion.

"Why would I want to do that?" Hamilton broke away from his grasp, "They are there for me when I need them, that's more than I can say about you."

"That's enough, Hamilton."

He turned and waved to the group, walking backward out the sliding doors, "See you guys later. Can't wait for next year's trip."

~A few days later~

Jake struggled to keep herself awake as she finished her homework. She lay on her bed, trying to concentrate on the book in front of her, but her thoughts kept drifting to Hamilton. He had been grounded for three weeks and ordered to stay away from Jake indefinitely...

The squeak of the floorboard woke Jake up. She must have dozed off at some point. Above her, hovered Hamilton. At first she thought it was a dream. Reaching up, she touched his cheek. It wasn't, he was real; he was standing beside her bed.

She sat up groggily and rubbed her eyes, "Hey. How did you get in?"

Smiling sheepishly, he dangled a copy of her key in front of her.

"How many of these things do you have?" grabbing the key, she tossed it into a dark corner of her room.

"Enough."

"Great. What are you doing here? Do your parents know you're here?"

"Yeah Jake, they let me out of the house at," he glanced at his watch, "2:09 in the morning, to see the one person who planned the entire scheme which resulted in my grounding."

"Okay, it early in the morning, don't expect my logic to make sense."

"This is for you." He held out a small black flip through the album, "They're pictures...from the trip. You told me to hide them well, so I though who better to do that than you."

He sat down on the bed next to her as she flipped through it.

The first was a picture of them in Scout's car on the way to Vermont. Will leaned in from the back seat to be in the shot. Jake's head was resting in Hamilton's lap as she read a book.

*A pillow in mid air as a sleepy Jake tossed it at the person waking her from slumber by taking a picture.*

*Everyone out to dinner at The Fountains the first night they arrived. They all leaned in to fit. Hamilton's arm was around Jake's shoulders.*

*The whole group at the base of the mountain, before they all split in different directions to go skiing.*

*Hamilton laying on his back in the snow. His eyes were closed as he rubbed his head.*

*Bella and Will surrounded by a mass of young children at their ski lessons. Bella was holding onto Will's shoulder as she tried to move. Will had almost fallen over, so in the picture he was tilted forward, laughing.*

*Hamilton and Jake at the breakfast table. She was turned away from the camera, kissing him. Her hand rested on his cheek and he had his arms circled her as she sat on his lap.*

*At their lunch date. Jake was looking toward the camera, but Hamilton was staring at her. Their hands were folded together on the table and they were both laughing at a joke the waiter had made while taking the picture.*

*All of them crowded around Scout in the hospital. They tried to smile, but no one was quite pulling it off. *

*Hamilton with the phone cord wrapped around his neck. His way of saying he would rather be hung than forced to call his parents and tell them the truth.*

*Jake and Hamilton sitting in the sticky orange hospital chairs outside of room 493. They were looking at each other in deep conversation. Jake's head was tilted to one side as she listened to Hamilton.*

*The silhouette of Hamilton's parents as they came from the blinding brightness of the outside world into the dull flourescent light of the hospital lobby.*

"I promised to capture your big wipe out on film..." he indicated the last picture.

"...And you always keep your promises. But how did you-?"

"Bella...she took it for me."

Closing the album, she looked at Hamilton. They sat in silence for a while until Hamilton felt the need to speak.

"Well, you said you didn't want another boring Spring Break alone."

"Hamilton?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

Shaking his head, he looked out the window at his house in the foggy distance.

"And Hamilton..."

He moved his glance to her.

"...don't ever let me plan a vacation again."