Ephram got off from school early on Friday so he could go home and change. There was going to be an hour of practice before the actual performance, and they wanted everyone dressed for it. Practically half of the school got to go home early. Ephram stood in front of his mirror adjusting his tie. It was the same suit he had worn for Valentine's Day, and Jig's few stitches had held out well.

As Ephram looked at himself in the mirror, his eyes moved to the reflection of the dresser behind him. His eyes fell dead on the ring box sitting on the top of the dresser. He frowned and turned to face it dead on. It sat like an enemy, mocking him. When Jig wears that ring, he'll lose her. He lost Jig so much with her just having a friend around. What'll happen if she gets married? There's no way Jig can find a person like Desi, who knows Jig and Ephram are just friends. Sometimes when Ephram said it like that even he didn't believe it, the phrase "just friends" breeds doubt. Ephram severely doubted anyone in the world would be as trusting as Desi is. When Jig wears that ring, he'll lose her forever, or until she gets divorced. Though, of all the thoughts plaguing him, the worst of it was, if some guy wanted to ask Jig to marry him, Ephram would still give up the ring.

As Ephram walked down the sidewalk back to school he noticed someone walking along the other side of the road. He stopped and realized it was Jig. She waved to him, just noticing his presence as well, and jogged across the street to him. From what he saw she was wearing a closed black coat, a feminine version of his own, and classy black slacks.

"You wore pants?" he asked her as the two continued along their way.

"Well of course. You forget my instrument goes between my knees," she told him. He nodded.

"Right, I forgot I play the better instrument," he said and she hit him in the arm, and they both chuckled slightly.

The crowd piled into the auditorium pretty steadily. Andy found himself and Delia a seat before looking with his head for any sign of Ephram, or even Jig. He noticed Desi sitting next to Isaac in the front row, and Edna and Irv seated between Andy and Desi. There was a seat vacant next to Irv, and Andy chuckled slightly, knowing he wouldn't be too surprised if Ein was sitting there. Andy's eyes then drifted to a woman walking into the auditorium. It was Penny wearing a smooth black dress that had a rose pattern wrapping around it. Her hair was tied up nicely, and adorned with a few, perfectly placed, primroses. Andy smiled and sat down. A few moments later, the curtains parted.

After the play the four girls got together in the parking lot. Ephram and Isaac joined them. Bright joined them too, but, he was crouched behind a car, not letting them see him. Jig and Isaac had their arms around each other and looked natural that way. Desi noticed the discomfort their comfort had on her boyfriend, and took a gentle hold of Ephram's hand. His skin jumped at the first contact, but calmed with the transfer of warmth from her hand.

"So when does your plane leave?" Amy asked Isaac, really being the only one who felt like speaking.

"In about five hours. I'll be leaving Everwood in an hour…" Isaac said and very visibly held Jig closer. Amy nodded, being aware of the delicate subject matter.

"Well, we'll leave you guys to say your goodbyes; we'll be by the car, Jig, when you're ready…" Amy said nodding to the car she didn't know Bright was behind. Jig nodded graciously to her as the four made there way toward the car, Desi slightly dragging Ephram who seemed to have no attention to what was before him.


Isaac sighed and Jig held tighter onto his arm. She looked up at him, and, by some cosmic bond, he looked down at her at the same time.

"I'm going to miss you, Juliet," Isaac told her, smiling slightly to cover a thousand tears. She looked away from him and pressed her cheek harder to his arm.

"Everything is changing so quickly Isaac, it doesn't even seem like any of it is real anymore. Like this is some dream, and soon I'm going to wake up in LA…."

"It's nicer here, Juliet. You're safe. You don't have to wake up afraid, anymore…."

"But I do. I am afraid. I'm afraid this is real, and I'm afraid it isn't. If it's not real, my life is at danger every day, but my mom will be alive. If it is real, I've moved to paradise, but my mother is dead," she explained. Isaac closed his eyes and patted the top of her head with his hand.

"It's real, Juliet. But don't be sad, this is what your mother wanted for you all along. She wanted you to be safe; she wanted you to be in a world where you had no restraints. That's all the both of us ever wanted for you. And you are safe here, you're safer here then I ever thought I'd admit to," Isaac said and sighed. Jig smiled and looked up at him. She hugged him tighter.

"I'm going to miss you too tiger," she told him. He waved his free hand in the air femininely and made a cute 'meow' sound. Jig laughed slightly.

"Oh I love you," she said and kissed him.

Through some, mean, completely awful, cosmic joke, and against all commonly known laws of nature and the meaning of the universe, Ephram and Isaac found themselves walking around Everwood for an hour. Ephram's attention was on the sidewalk, which with warmer weather on its way was clear and dry. The stars held Isaac's gaze, for he had little seen them in the course of his life. They both knew who they were walking with, but despite their current closeness neither cared to admit it. Finally Ephram let out a loud breath.

"What's her favorite children's story?" he asked. Isaac laughed slightly.

"Roxaboxen. Who was her first boyfriend?" Isaac asked in return. Ephram bit his lower lip.

"You?" he asked questionably. Isaac laughed at the idea.

"No, I'm sad to say. His name was Mickey Osterstrom, in 2nd grade."

"You're kidding."

"Nope. They hated each other all year, but in June he kissed her and they had a quasi relationship for the summer. Then he ate a bug and she dumped him!" Isaac said and they both laughed. Then soon realized they were laughing together and stopped rather abruptly.

"Who was her last boyfriend?" Ephram asked, wondering if Jig had told him about Orrie. Ends up, she never did.

"Um, oh damn and blast, I have no idea…. We lost touch for a few months, when I was in Europe…" Isaac said, obviously not joyous about the loss of communication. Ephram bit his lower lip slightly again but stopped. Isaac was more in the dark than Ephram thought.

"Orrie Jackson, my cousin, ended late December," Ephram informed him. Isaac would have choked, had he anything in his mouth.

"You're kidding me!"

"Nope. His father wanted him to come live with him, Jig told him to go, so he did," Ephram explained. Isaac nodded his head, actually understanding.

"That actually sounds perfectly like Jig. She's always cared about people knowing their father."

"Yeah, I know. It was weird when we went to see her dad's grave," Ephram told him. Isaac stopped.

"You what?"

"Okay, okay, quiet down ladies, now we have Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Some Kind of Wonderful, Pretty in Pink, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and X-Men. Which one first?" Amy asked holding the movies in her hands. The three other girls thought about it. They were all in their pajamas already and sitting in Amy's room. Amy stood by her TV, Desi and Jig sat on the foot of Amy's bed, and Georgianna sat on her own sleeping bag.

"Well, X-Men is for last," Georgianna said. Amy and Desi agreed, but Jig, out of the typical teenage loop, was confused.

"Why last?"

"So when we go to sleep, it'll be fresh in our minds."

"That way we get a better chance of dreaming about Raybans and muttonchops," Georgianna elaborated. Jig nodded her head in understanding.

"But that still doesn't solve which one we should watch now," Amy reminded them.

"Well Ferris Bueller's Day Off is always great to start with. The rest we can watch half asleep."

"Yeah, plus, it's not like we haven't seen them all already."

"I haven't," Jig murmured. The three others looked at her.

"You're kidding?"

"Nope," she replied. Almost instantly the three other girls flew to her, telling her the best parts of their favorites movies from the selection. Jig smiled nervously and tried to listen to each the best she could.