Disclaimer: All characters below (Except for Natalie) belong to Ann M. Martin. Not me.
Stacey McGill walked down the busy streets of New York. She had decided to go to college there, her real love was New York.
She was almost twenty. Only five days away. There was nothing like New York in the spring. She was on her way back to her dorm, from work, when she decided to cut through the park.
Stacey had grown up. She moved from Stoneybrook when she was eighteen, back to New York to go to the University. She kept her long blonde hair, but stopped perming it, and it grew out straight, with just a hint of a wave to it. When she was fifteen, she had to get glasses, so her eyes were hidden behind a pair of wire frames. Later she got contacts with color; her eyes now even bluer.
Her sophisticated choice in clothes only grew more so as she grew. She always kept up with the trends, even now, but added something that was all her. Like today she was wearing a black miniskirt with black tights, an oversized white blouse, and shiny, almost kid-like dress shoes on. She looked like she stepped out of a fashion magazine, until you caught sight of the earrings in the shapes of carrots, that her friend Claudia had made for her a few years back. She wouldn't have been able to wear anything of the sort to any job: except for hers. She worked at a trendy boutique where she bought most of her clothes, and they loved having employees as models.
She whisked her way through the park, inhaling the thick scent of lilacs. She glanced down at a planter to see it filled with the purple flowers. She was tempted to pick some and take them back to her dorm, but her roommate, Natalie, had severe allergies, and wouldn't care for the lovely scent as Stacey did.
She kept going down the path. Just as she reached the edge of the park, where she could see the building she lived in, something else caught her eye. A man walking toward her. He was tall with wavy brown hair, and a stack of folders under his arm.
Stacey did a double-take at him. Before she could even stop herself from saying it, she blurted out, "Wes?"
The man turned around, "Yes?"
"Oh my god, Wes Ellenburg." She shook her head in amazement, "I doubt you'd even remember me, I'm Stacey McGill."
His face grew serious, studying her, trying to remember. And then his serious expression disappeared, and he grinned. "Stoneybrook Middle School."
Stacey grinned in return. It was just contagious. "You *do* remember!"
"My god, how long has it been? Four years?" He asked, shifting the folder under his other arm.
"Five." She answered, "How are you doing?"
"Really good, actually...listen, the sidewalk isn't a very good place for this. I know a fantastic coffee shop just across the street and down a couple of blocks. How about we talk there?"
"Yeah, sure. I don't have any plans for the evening." Stacey said, trying to forget about her loose plans of going to the movies with Natalie. But they were only loose plans. They had loose plans for a reason. So if something more important came up, they could be dropped.
Wes grinned. "Let's go."
They walked down to the coffee shop, and sat down.
"So, Stacey, what are you doing here?" He asked.
"College." She answered with a smile, "I got to the university here. Besides, I love New York. Always have. What are you doing here?"
"School for me too. But I teach at a local high school. Geometry." He replied. Then he shook his head, "You've changed so much. How old are you now? If you don't mind my asking."
"I'll be twenty in five days." She said. "How old are you now?"
"Twenty-nine."
"Married?"
"Divorced."
"Oh."
"You married?" Wes asked.
"No."
"Doubted it, but it was possible." He said, grinning.
"Anything is possible. That's my motto." Stacey said, catching his contagious grin.
"And a good motto it is." He stopped for a moment, "So, what are you majoring in?"
"Math. I want to be a teacher." She said, laughing. "I think you inspired me."
"Now that I doubt. You were always a great student, especially in math, you would have gone in that, or a similar, direction."
"All my dad can talk about is how much teachers don't make. My mom loves it that I'm doing whatever it is I want to do. She's one of those real 'follow your dreams' type people. Mostly because she didn't have that option."
Wes nodded. "My dad was like that. I could do whatever it is I wanted, unless I wanted to be something that paid bad. So, he wasn't very happy when I told him I was going to be a teacher. By now he accepts it fine, though. Now my parents just want me to settle down again. And have some kids this time. They're begging me for grandchildren."
Stacey laughed. "My mom isn't there yet. In a few years she will be, though."
"So, what are you? A junior?" He asked.
"A sophomore. But the year's almost out."
"You have any summer plans yet?"
"Not yet. It's still a little early for that. I was thinking about spending a few weeks in Stoneybrook with my mom. And a couple of my friends still live there, so I'd get to see them too."
"I always did like Stoneybrook."
She smiled. "Me too."
There was that weird uncomfortable silence.
"So, you going to teach like high school math or something?" Wes asked, breaking the silence.
"No, actually, I want to teach about maybe fourth or fifth grade." Stacey answered.
"That's great." He smiled at her. "It's so weird just running into you like this. I never see former students. Especially in the middle of New York City. Well, except for the guy who was in my class last year and lives in my building."
She laughed, "Well, I've never seen a former teacher just walking around, and if I had, I probably wouldn't remember them."
"You remembered me." Wes pointed out.
"You were different."
"Oh, how so?"
"You're telling me you don't remember the most embarrassing moment of my life?" Stacey asked, flushing from her adolescent mistakes.
"I can't remember anything in the least negative about you."
She felt her already red face, turn an even darker shade. "Thank you." She was able to whisper.
He grinned, but his smile dropped as he glanced down at this watch. "I have to go." He glanced back up at her. "Will I be able to see you again sometime?"
"Yes, sure." She grabbed a napkin and a pen from her purse. She scribbled down her phone number and address. She handed the napkin to him. "I hope I get to see you sometime soon."
"Listen, Stacey, I'm free tomorrow night. If you're not busy we could maybe go do something?" His lips quivered into a shaking smile.
"Yes! I mean, uh, sure. I don't think I have anything planned. You can call me and we'll set something up, okay?"
"Of course." He said. He stood up, grabbing his folders, he walked out of the coffee shop.
Stacey sat there for a few moments in complete shock. Then she stood up and ran home as fast as she could. She knew Natalie would be there, and this was certainly news!
TBC
Do you like it? Tell me!
Stacey McGill walked down the busy streets of New York. She had decided to go to college there, her real love was New York.
She was almost twenty. Only five days away. There was nothing like New York in the spring. She was on her way back to her dorm, from work, when she decided to cut through the park.
Stacey had grown up. She moved from Stoneybrook when she was eighteen, back to New York to go to the University. She kept her long blonde hair, but stopped perming it, and it grew out straight, with just a hint of a wave to it. When she was fifteen, she had to get glasses, so her eyes were hidden behind a pair of wire frames. Later she got contacts with color; her eyes now even bluer.
Her sophisticated choice in clothes only grew more so as she grew. She always kept up with the trends, even now, but added something that was all her. Like today she was wearing a black miniskirt with black tights, an oversized white blouse, and shiny, almost kid-like dress shoes on. She looked like she stepped out of a fashion magazine, until you caught sight of the earrings in the shapes of carrots, that her friend Claudia had made for her a few years back. She wouldn't have been able to wear anything of the sort to any job: except for hers. She worked at a trendy boutique where she bought most of her clothes, and they loved having employees as models.
She whisked her way through the park, inhaling the thick scent of lilacs. She glanced down at a planter to see it filled with the purple flowers. She was tempted to pick some and take them back to her dorm, but her roommate, Natalie, had severe allergies, and wouldn't care for the lovely scent as Stacey did.
She kept going down the path. Just as she reached the edge of the park, where she could see the building she lived in, something else caught her eye. A man walking toward her. He was tall with wavy brown hair, and a stack of folders under his arm.
Stacey did a double-take at him. Before she could even stop herself from saying it, she blurted out, "Wes?"
The man turned around, "Yes?"
"Oh my god, Wes Ellenburg." She shook her head in amazement, "I doubt you'd even remember me, I'm Stacey McGill."
His face grew serious, studying her, trying to remember. And then his serious expression disappeared, and he grinned. "Stoneybrook Middle School."
Stacey grinned in return. It was just contagious. "You *do* remember!"
"My god, how long has it been? Four years?" He asked, shifting the folder under his other arm.
"Five." She answered, "How are you doing?"
"Really good, actually...listen, the sidewalk isn't a very good place for this. I know a fantastic coffee shop just across the street and down a couple of blocks. How about we talk there?"
"Yeah, sure. I don't have any plans for the evening." Stacey said, trying to forget about her loose plans of going to the movies with Natalie. But they were only loose plans. They had loose plans for a reason. So if something more important came up, they could be dropped.
Wes grinned. "Let's go."
They walked down to the coffee shop, and sat down.
"So, Stacey, what are you doing here?" He asked.
"College." She answered with a smile, "I got to the university here. Besides, I love New York. Always have. What are you doing here?"
"School for me too. But I teach at a local high school. Geometry." He replied. Then he shook his head, "You've changed so much. How old are you now? If you don't mind my asking."
"I'll be twenty in five days." She said. "How old are you now?"
"Twenty-nine."
"Married?"
"Divorced."
"Oh."
"You married?" Wes asked.
"No."
"Doubted it, but it was possible." He said, grinning.
"Anything is possible. That's my motto." Stacey said, catching his contagious grin.
"And a good motto it is." He stopped for a moment, "So, what are you majoring in?"
"Math. I want to be a teacher." She said, laughing. "I think you inspired me."
"Now that I doubt. You were always a great student, especially in math, you would have gone in that, or a similar, direction."
"All my dad can talk about is how much teachers don't make. My mom loves it that I'm doing whatever it is I want to do. She's one of those real 'follow your dreams' type people. Mostly because she didn't have that option."
Wes nodded. "My dad was like that. I could do whatever it is I wanted, unless I wanted to be something that paid bad. So, he wasn't very happy when I told him I was going to be a teacher. By now he accepts it fine, though. Now my parents just want me to settle down again. And have some kids this time. They're begging me for grandchildren."
Stacey laughed. "My mom isn't there yet. In a few years she will be, though."
"So, what are you? A junior?" He asked.
"A sophomore. But the year's almost out."
"You have any summer plans yet?"
"Not yet. It's still a little early for that. I was thinking about spending a few weeks in Stoneybrook with my mom. And a couple of my friends still live there, so I'd get to see them too."
"I always did like Stoneybrook."
She smiled. "Me too."
There was that weird uncomfortable silence.
"So, you going to teach like high school math or something?" Wes asked, breaking the silence.
"No, actually, I want to teach about maybe fourth or fifth grade." Stacey answered.
"That's great." He smiled at her. "It's so weird just running into you like this. I never see former students. Especially in the middle of New York City. Well, except for the guy who was in my class last year and lives in my building."
She laughed, "Well, I've never seen a former teacher just walking around, and if I had, I probably wouldn't remember them."
"You remembered me." Wes pointed out.
"You were different."
"Oh, how so?"
"You're telling me you don't remember the most embarrassing moment of my life?" Stacey asked, flushing from her adolescent mistakes.
"I can't remember anything in the least negative about you."
She felt her already red face, turn an even darker shade. "Thank you." She was able to whisper.
He grinned, but his smile dropped as he glanced down at this watch. "I have to go." He glanced back up at her. "Will I be able to see you again sometime?"
"Yes, sure." She grabbed a napkin and a pen from her purse. She scribbled down her phone number and address. She handed the napkin to him. "I hope I get to see you sometime soon."
"Listen, Stacey, I'm free tomorrow night. If you're not busy we could maybe go do something?" His lips quivered into a shaking smile.
"Yes! I mean, uh, sure. I don't think I have anything planned. You can call me and we'll set something up, okay?"
"Of course." He said. He stood up, grabbing his folders, he walked out of the coffee shop.
Stacey sat there for a few moments in complete shock. Then she stood up and ran home as fast as she could. She knew Natalie would be there, and this was certainly news!
TBC
Do you like it? Tell me!