Meanwhile Kay was sitting on the bleachers by the baseball field with tears spilling down
her cheeks. He forgot my birthday, she thought. She wiped her nose and sniffled.
"Here you go," someone said kindly.
She felt a piece of cloth pushed into her hand. Kay looked at it and saw that it was a white
linen handkerchief. She unfolded it and saw the initials RD embroidered in one corner. Kay
looked up and saw Reese standing there beside her with a sympathetic expression on his face.
"What are you doing here?" Kay demanded, swiping furiously at her tears.
"I just wanted to make sure that you were okay," Reese explained.
"Of course I'm okay, why wouldn't I be?" Kay retorted.
"Because Miguel forgot your birthday?" Reese suggested. "I'm really sorry, he's kind of dense
sometimes."
Kay laughed humorlessly. "I'd have to agree with you on that." She wiped her eyes with Reese's
handkerchief. "Oh no!" she cried suddenly. Her makeup had left dark streaks on the white cloth.
"I'm so sorry, Reese!"
Reese smiled. "It's okay, you can keep it. I have a lot more at home. My grandmother sends me a
box of them every Christmas. Think of it as a birthday present."
Kay found herself smiling back. "Thank you," she said softly.
All of a sudden, the bell rang, letting the two teens know that they were late for class. "Oh my
gosh!" Kay exclaimed. "We're late!" She jumped off the bleachers and caught Reese's wrist,
dragging him behind her as she ran towards the school.
The two of them were five minutes late for class, earning them both an hour of detention after
school on Monday, since it was Kay's birthday today and the weekend.
Later, at lunch, Kay opted not to sit near Miguel. She and Simone just walked past his table to
sit as far away as possible.
"What's the matter with Kay?" Charity asked, concerned. "She always sits with us."
Miguel craned his neck to see Kay and Simone deep in conversation. "It looks like they're talking
about something important," he commented. "It's probably some 'best friend only' talk."
Charity nodded, accepting Miguel's explanation. Reese had a thoughtful expression on his face.
Just then, Jessica approached their table and greeted them. "Hi everyone!"
"Hi Jessica!" everyone chorused.
"How's it going?" Miguel asked.
"Great!" Jessica exclaimed. "I just wanted to make sure that the three of you were coming to Kay's
surprise party tonight."
Miguel paled visibly. "Surprise party?" he asked, barely above a whisper.
"Yeah, you can make it, right?" Jessica inquired.
Reese nodded. "I'll be there," he told Jessica as he pushed his glasses back up.
Jessica suppressed a smirk, knowing Kay's opinion of Reese. "Terrific! Charity? Miguel? I'll see
you there right?"
"Of course I'll be there," Charity replied.
"Same here," Miguel said in a distracted voice.
Jessica smiled brightly. "Wonderful! I'll see you tonight!" With that, she walked away to join her
friends.
As soon as she was out of earshot, Miguel groaned and pounded his head on the table. "I can't believe
I forgot," he moaned. He jumped up from his seat and went to apologize to Kay. Unfortunately, his path
was blocked by a number of young men who were very interested in spending time with this different
version of Kay Bennett.
"Excuse me," Miguel muttered several times as he tried to get through to Kay.
Kay smiled at the young men that surrounded her. Each of them fed her a variation of the same line.
"Isn't it strange how you see someone all the time but never really notice how special they are?"
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a small commotion. Without turning her head, she saw that
Miguel was trying to come over and talk to her. Let's see how you like it, she thought.
"I'm really sorry, but I have to get to class," Kay said apologetically as she stood up. About six
guys volunteered to walk her to class. Kay smiled again and nodded. She and Simone headed to their
next class flanked by the male population of that class.
For the rest of the day, Miguel was unsuccessful in trying to talk to Kay. People would either
surround her so he couldn't reach her, or she would walk away before she saw him approaching. By
the end of the day, Miguel was feeling pretty miserable. He waited at Kay's locker after school with
Charity beside him.
"I'm sure she understands," Charity assured him. "Kay's a wonderful person."
Miguel nodded in agreement. "You're probably right, but I still want to apologize."
Just then, Whitney Russell walked by with Miguel's sister, Teresa. "Hey Miguel, Charity," they
greeted them.
"Hi," Charity and Miguel chorused.
"School is over, why are you still hanging around?" Teresa asked her younger brother.
"I wanted to wait for Kay," Miguel explained.
"You missed her," Whitney informed him. "She's in my English class. We had a test today and we were
allowed to leave as soon as we were finished. She finished ten minutes early."
"She didn't wait for Simone?" Miguel was surprised.
"Simone has a doctor's appointment today," Whitney replied. "My mom came to get her at two-thirty."
"What's the matter?" Teresa asked. "You'll see her tonight."
Miguel nodded. "Yeah, I guess." He didn't sound convinced. He took Charity's hand and they walked
out of the school together. "Will you help me look for a birthday present for Kay?"
"Of course I will," Charity replied. "I'd love to."
The young couple spent the rest of the afternoon looking for gifts for Kay.
her cheeks. He forgot my birthday, she thought. She wiped her nose and sniffled.
"Here you go," someone said kindly.
She felt a piece of cloth pushed into her hand. Kay looked at it and saw that it was a white
linen handkerchief. She unfolded it and saw the initials RD embroidered in one corner. Kay
looked up and saw Reese standing there beside her with a sympathetic expression on his face.
"What are you doing here?" Kay demanded, swiping furiously at her tears.
"I just wanted to make sure that you were okay," Reese explained.
"Of course I'm okay, why wouldn't I be?" Kay retorted.
"Because Miguel forgot your birthday?" Reese suggested. "I'm really sorry, he's kind of dense
sometimes."
Kay laughed humorlessly. "I'd have to agree with you on that." She wiped her eyes with Reese's
handkerchief. "Oh no!" she cried suddenly. Her makeup had left dark streaks on the white cloth.
"I'm so sorry, Reese!"
Reese smiled. "It's okay, you can keep it. I have a lot more at home. My grandmother sends me a
box of them every Christmas. Think of it as a birthday present."
Kay found herself smiling back. "Thank you," she said softly.
All of a sudden, the bell rang, letting the two teens know that they were late for class. "Oh my
gosh!" Kay exclaimed. "We're late!" She jumped off the bleachers and caught Reese's wrist,
dragging him behind her as she ran towards the school.
The two of them were five minutes late for class, earning them both an hour of detention after
school on Monday, since it was Kay's birthday today and the weekend.
Later, at lunch, Kay opted not to sit near Miguel. She and Simone just walked past his table to
sit as far away as possible.
"What's the matter with Kay?" Charity asked, concerned. "She always sits with us."
Miguel craned his neck to see Kay and Simone deep in conversation. "It looks like they're talking
about something important," he commented. "It's probably some 'best friend only' talk."
Charity nodded, accepting Miguel's explanation. Reese had a thoughtful expression on his face.
Just then, Jessica approached their table and greeted them. "Hi everyone!"
"Hi Jessica!" everyone chorused.
"How's it going?" Miguel asked.
"Great!" Jessica exclaimed. "I just wanted to make sure that the three of you were coming to Kay's
surprise party tonight."
Miguel paled visibly. "Surprise party?" he asked, barely above a whisper.
"Yeah, you can make it, right?" Jessica inquired.
Reese nodded. "I'll be there," he told Jessica as he pushed his glasses back up.
Jessica suppressed a smirk, knowing Kay's opinion of Reese. "Terrific! Charity? Miguel? I'll see
you there right?"
"Of course I'll be there," Charity replied.
"Same here," Miguel said in a distracted voice.
Jessica smiled brightly. "Wonderful! I'll see you tonight!" With that, she walked away to join her
friends.
As soon as she was out of earshot, Miguel groaned and pounded his head on the table. "I can't believe
I forgot," he moaned. He jumped up from his seat and went to apologize to Kay. Unfortunately, his path
was blocked by a number of young men who were very interested in spending time with this different
version of Kay Bennett.
"Excuse me," Miguel muttered several times as he tried to get through to Kay.
Kay smiled at the young men that surrounded her. Each of them fed her a variation of the same line.
"Isn't it strange how you see someone all the time but never really notice how special they are?"
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a small commotion. Without turning her head, she saw that
Miguel was trying to come over and talk to her. Let's see how you like it, she thought.
"I'm really sorry, but I have to get to class," Kay said apologetically as she stood up. About six
guys volunteered to walk her to class. Kay smiled again and nodded. She and Simone headed to their
next class flanked by the male population of that class.
For the rest of the day, Miguel was unsuccessful in trying to talk to Kay. People would either
surround her so he couldn't reach her, or she would walk away before she saw him approaching. By
the end of the day, Miguel was feeling pretty miserable. He waited at Kay's locker after school with
Charity beside him.
"I'm sure she understands," Charity assured him. "Kay's a wonderful person."
Miguel nodded in agreement. "You're probably right, but I still want to apologize."
Just then, Whitney Russell walked by with Miguel's sister, Teresa. "Hey Miguel, Charity," they
greeted them.
"Hi," Charity and Miguel chorused.
"School is over, why are you still hanging around?" Teresa asked her younger brother.
"I wanted to wait for Kay," Miguel explained.
"You missed her," Whitney informed him. "She's in my English class. We had a test today and we were
allowed to leave as soon as we were finished. She finished ten minutes early."
"She didn't wait for Simone?" Miguel was surprised.
"Simone has a doctor's appointment today," Whitney replied. "My mom came to get her at two-thirty."
"What's the matter?" Teresa asked. "You'll see her tonight."
Miguel nodded. "Yeah, I guess." He didn't sound convinced. He took Charity's hand and they walked
out of the school together. "Will you help me look for a birthday present for Kay?"
"Of course I will," Charity replied. "I'd love to."
The young couple spent the rest of the afternoon looking for gifts for Kay.