The next morning, Libby and Tabitha met Vern and walked to the bus stop together. They boarded it when it screeched to a halt minutes later and sat with Andie, Abby, Delia, Gordie and Chris. Chris saw Tabitha and asked, "Is this your mentally ill sister?"

Tabitha glared evilly at her sister. "I don't even want to know what you've been telling people about me."

Andie asked, craning her neck to look out the window, "Where's Teddy? He's not at his stop yet."

"Don't worry about it, Andie," Chris assured her. "He's probably just running late this morning."

"Well, he'd better hurry up," she said.

"Andie, you're not his babysitter."

"I know," she said defensively.

She finally spotted Teddy running across the parking lot where his stop was. When the driver eased open the door for him, he bounded up the stairs and made his way to sit with them.

"Hi, Teddy," Abby said cheerfully. "We were just talking about you. Horrible things."

"Shut up, Abby," Teddy sighed. "I have a headache." He looked like he had a headache. His eyes were red, his face was white and his hair was sticking up everywhere.

"Man, it's TUESDAY," Chris chided. "You're supposed to get all the partying out of your system on the weekend."

"Up yours, Chambers," he snapped.

"Guys, don't be stupid," Andie said.

Delia smiled. "They were providing me entertainment."

"How often do you need to reminded that no one wants to hear you?" Abby asked her older sister.

"At least I don't need to be reminded that it's unsanitary to wear the same pair of underwear for a month at a time."

Andie sighed. "We're making a nice impression on Tabitha and Libby."

Abby shot back at Delia, "At least I don't steal unsuspecting boys' virginity and say I'm just going to borrow it for a minute."

"Screw you, Abby," Delia snapped.

Chris said, "Enough, Abb."

Abby pouted for a few minutes. Then she smiled and announced, "I win."

Teddy was trying to read a paperback while the sisters bickered. But as Libby watched him, she saw his eyes were reading the same line over and over and he hadn't turned the page in ten minutes. "What are you reading?" she asked.

"I don't know," he replied. "The letters aren't forming into words in my mind."

"No, the book. What's it called?" she questioned, smiling gently.

"Oh. Um, Animal Farm. I have a test on the last two chapters and I don't even remember how the beginning went."

She nodded. "The animals win. I think the big pig dies. Just say 'all animals are made equal but some are more equal' and you'll get big points for that."

Teddy smiled weakly at her. "Thanks. Have you read this?"

"No. I bought the chapter summaries from a bookstore for only ninety-five cents though."

He laughed, then winced.

She looked at him sympathetically. "You know what's good for hangovers? Milkshakes."

Smiling, Teddy said jokingly, "Where have you been all my life?"

"Up north."

"You're a Canadian."

"Yeah, and you're American but I won't hold that against you." She grinned. [Author's Note: I'm SORRY, I have Canadian PRIDE dammit!]

Suddenly stopping as a duck crossed the road without looking both ways, the bus lurched and so did Teddy's tummy. He put a hand over his mouth and went even paler. Vern squawked, "Do not throw up on me!"

Abby said brightly, "I hope you've learned your lesson."

"Right," Andie agreed. "Stop drinking."

Gordie shook his head. "Nah, just don't come to school when you're hung over."

Teddy just glared. "Shut up," he managed to say in a strained voice. "I'm trying not to ralph all over our new friends and I don't concentrate when you keep talking."

Delia glanced at him. "You think he'd learn."

"Don't bug him, Delia," Andie said.

"I've learned what square roots are," Teddy told Delia. "But it doesn't mean I apply it to my life."

"You're as dumb as you look," she snapped.

"Yeah, funny thing is, you don't look as great on the inside as you do on the outside."

When they were getting off the bus, Libby muttered in Abby's ear, "Looks to me like you've all given up on Teddy too much to find out who he is."

Abby's eyebrows raised and she peered at her, and Libby just gave her a knowing look.