Splintered Reflections Chapter Nine: The Beginning Of Fall, a rugrats/all grown up! fanfic

Disclaimer: Just the usual "yadda yadda yadda". Don't own Rugrats, wish I did. Then there'd be a "Rugrats: Later Years" with real teens, lol. O yea and this is back to PG-13. A few people were kind enough to say what I was thinking too, it's really not that bad to be R. I was just overly paranoid I'd get a flame or something for corrupting some poor kid, with all the underage drinking and stuff. But, hey, not much worse then what you'd see on any television show today so oh well.

Also I don't know much about football so I'm not going to mention a lot about that. I'm pretty sure I have the basics right, I know what the quarterback does and that stuff. Still I could be wrong about this, I'm not a big fan. So yea, tell me if I am!

Brief Synopsis: Phil may have finally realized something he was too afraid to ever admit (i.e. Huge P/K change and a good one at that!), something occurs that makes Lillian realize when she needs someone she ultimately goes to one person, some actual Tommy and Lillian banter, and Chuckie... the babe magnet?

Splintered Reflections

By Heather [TinySweetHeart]

Chapter Nine: The Beginning Of Fall

You can say the sun is shining if you really want to
I can see the moon and it seems so clear
You can take the road that takes you to the stars now
I can take a road that'll see me through
I can take a road that'll see me through.

-- "Road" -- Nick Drake --

Tommy was browsing down the aisle of a local drug store, trying to remember the name of the hairspray his mom had asked for. Outside tiptoeing gray clouds scattered over a white sun laced sky. It was an uneventful Saturday morning when the town was lazily bustling, it wasn't helping their strange cold front hadn't dissipated yet, speaking of a fast approaching autumn. Tommy sighed inwardly and wondered silently whether it was Ocean Mist or Aqua Mist. He was dressed in jeans and a green and white long sleeved shirt.

A recognizable voice called, "Tommy!" He looked over to see Kimmi approaching, smiling. She was also carrying a basket and wearing khakis and a moss green hooded sweater, her dark hair brushing her shoulders.

"Hey, Kimmi. What's up?" he greeted back, returning her grin.

Kimmi shrugged casually and then replied, "Nothing much, just grabbing some stuff. O hey, do you know Natalie?" Kimmi gestured behind her and Tommy glanced past her.

A girl followed Kimmi close behind and she was smiling nervously. Natalie had medium length black hair and sea blue eyes; she was dressed in jeans with a wide pink belt and a black and pink stripped sweater, dangling earrings completing the outfit. "No. Hey," Tommy responded, realizing distantly that she was really pretty.

Kimmi went on to point at Tommy. "Natalie, this is Tommy. She just moved here from Oregon. I've been showing her around," she informed. Then she peaked over Tommy's shoulder and exclaimed, "Oooo, be right back! I see the conditioner I need!" Kimmi brushed by Tommy and down the aisle, leaving the two alone.

It could have felt awkward but it really didn't, Natalie just appeared very approachable. "So, what do you think of this town? Bored yet?" Tommy asked jokingly.

Natalie laughed and shoved one hand into her denim pocket. "Its ok, I'm getting use to it. Besides, it can't be worse then my hometown. We went bowling every Saturday night, enough said," she replied.

Tommy mock winced and remarked, "Ouch, that is bad."

The girl was glancing at Tommy's basket when she reached out, curiously lifting something from it. "Hmmm, ruby red number 8? I don't think that's your color," she retorted sarcastically, holding a bottle of nail polish.

He flushed a little and shifted on his feet. "Yea. My mom asked me to grab her stuff too," he said with a smile.

Natalie arched an eyebrow before nodding appreciatively. "O well how very chivalrous of you," she stated and placed it back in his basket.

Tommy shrugged and kidded in response, "Yea well I used up all her ruby red number 8 last night anyway so I figured I should get her more."

She laughed and her eyes flecked with the beginnings of a friendship. "Right, you probably should," she added, nodding.

Kimmi bounded between them suddenly, basket swinging at her hip. "Alright, they had the conditioner I wanted that smells like gummy bears. You ready to go, Natalie? That movie starts in like a half hour so we better leave now..." she interjected, looking at Natalie. She swung her eyes on Tommy now, realizing she was being rude. "Oh Tommy, you wanna go? It's not a chick flick, I swear," she offered.

Tommy shook his head, looking down at the mounds of colored paper and markers he had to buy. "No thanks. I have a huge project to do and tomorrow's the game so I have to finish it today," he replied.

Kimmi nodded and said, "O right. I might go to that. You wanna go to the football game tomorrow, Natalie?" She was doing her part to make Natalie feel accepted in her new school and well, it did feel nice to have a girl for a friend after being surrounded by testosterone for far too long. Maybe she was trying to desperately replace Phil as her close friend too.

Natalie squinted, scrunching up her nose. "Ahhh, football? I'm not big on watching two guys slam their helmets together," she reasoned.

Tommy's laughed and raised his eyebrows; Natalie certainly wasn't the typical girl from around here anyway. "There's a little more to it then that you know," he objected.

She nodded and replied exaggeratedly, "Right, there's that whole knock some poor person unconscious thing." Tommy rolled his eyes at this and she grinned, continuing slightly flirtatious, "But fine, I'll go. I'll give violence a chance. Just to cheer you on."

Tommy smiled and matched her stare. "Awesome," he said. Kimmi watched the two, her eyes flickering from Tommy to Natalie and back again, aware there was a little of something going on here.

Natalie glanced downward, blushing slightly, and then replied, "See you." She headed down the aisle, toward the check out.

Kimmi turned also to follow when Tommy called, "Oh hey, Kimmi. You talk to Phil lately? I haven't heard from him all weekend."

She paused and looked over at him, shrugging blankly. "No and you know, its not like I have Phil on a leash or something. Call him if you want," she retorted.

Tommy nodded and went on, "Yea I will. I just thought, you know, since you guys use to be attached at the hip you'd know."

Kimmi blinked away the warm light slipping in from outside and objected bitterly, "Yea well, things change. Bye Tommy." Then she turned and continued walking towards the counter, leaving Tommy to decide between Ocean Mist and Aqua Mist.

The bleachers were already crowding with the clapping and whooping of teenagers and parents. The game had yet to start but their team was pretty good and usually gathered a large crowd. The bleaching white sun glanced over the treetops and across the field, there was the thick smell of wood stoves in the air. Tommy stood by the sideline, with a few of his teammates nearby preparing for the game, drinking water, readying their equipment. He scanned the faces in the crowd and spotted Kimmi and Natalie somewhere near the top. They were bundled in thin jackets and scarves, Kimmi smiled and waved. Tommy waved back and grinned. He caught sight of his parents too, his mom waved a mittened hand at him and his father cheered out his name. Tommy laughed and waved to them as well.

Turning around, he was adjusting his helmet when he looked over, down towards the end of the bench. Lillian was standing with Brett, smiling and wishing him luck. He kissed her and then walked off to grab water. Lillian watched after him and then turned, meeting Tommy's stare accidentally. The blades of light outlined her and her eyes flashed with regret. Then she turned, looking down, and walked off to join the cheerleaders, who had started exciting the crowd

"Alright, on the field! Get into your positions!" their couch shouted. Tommy stared down at his helmet and shook off any lingering thoughts. Then he put on his helmet and jogged out to his position, ready to start the game.

The two teams squared off and the rest of the football game passed by pretty evenly matched. However their team were leading by a few points and Tommy was able to score a touchdown in the earlier part of the game. He could hear his mom shrilly screaming out his name as he rose from the end zone and smiled as teammates slapped him with high fives and pats on the back. The game continued on and it was third quarter when Brett was hiked the ball. Darting his eyes around, he waited a minute too long to pass off the ball as players hustled around him. A large guy from the other team slammed into him, colliding him into the hard earth on his left side. He could hear the penetrating crunching of bones and flesh before everything went quiet and black. The crowd waited with baited breath; there was almost an audible silence that passed, as everyone watched to see if Brett would get up. The other player who had nailed him had already stood up and distanced himself, but Brett remained motionless.

Lillian's hazel eyes swelled and she dropped her pom poms to the ground, the first one to run out towards the field. The couch followed as well, jogging out to his fallen player. Falling to her knees beside him, Lillian questioned with tears in her throat, "Brett? Brett?"

The couch came beside her and bent down, holding up his wrist. He paused before stating, as was the usual protocol, "He has a pulse."

This felt too surreal to Lillian, surely this couldn't happen with high school football, someone shouldn't even be wondering whether or not her boyfriend would have a pulse. She knew enough not to move him but she couldn't help but touch his shoulder, wanting to wake him by some miracle. He would wake up, of course he would, of course. "Oh God. What's the matter with him?" she exclaimed, glancing up at the couch for help.

The man shook his head, responding gravely, "I don't know." Looking over towards the sidelines were people stood by helplessly, he yelled, "Someone get the medics!" Then, turning back to the still form of Brett, he knelt down on one knee and questioned, "Brett? Brett, boy, can you hear me?"

It felt like time was stretching out, capturing them in this moment, and it was minutes before suddenly Lillian noticed Brett's eyelids quivering. Finally they slid open and he shifted his gaze around in confusion. "Coach? Lillian?" he asked, his voice dry and uncertain.

Lillian released a breath she hadn't even known she was holding and smiled slightly, taking his hand. "I'm here, Brett," she replied with heavy relief. See, of course he was fine, and now he'd stand up and everything would be like it was.

The couch remained restrained as he went on to say, "How you feelin'? You alright, boy?"

Brett removed his helmet, nodding, his sandy hair clinging to his forehead with sweat. "I think so. Let me just sit up..." he started to reply and leaned up. He came halfway before groaning slightly and lying back, his eyes flickering with disbelief. When he looked up at them again, his voice was fearful as he exclaimed, "Coach, I can't... I can't feel my leg. What's the matter with my leg?"

Lillian's dewy eyes flashed with panic and the couch grimaced, replying, "I don't know, son." Then he looked back at the crowd and the people watching, yelling in frustration, "Medic! Someone get the medic for God's sake!"

It all felt unbelievable, like a faded dream, as the ambulance workers scattered over to them, lifting Brett onto a stretcher carefully. Lillian watched Brett glancing around scared and in shock and she reached out to take his hand. "I'm going with you," she said, following.

There are quiet spots in hospitals, where the nurses don't usually frequent and the hallways echo with bare silence. Lillian was submerged in one of those little hiding places, a few chairs that could be a sort of waiting room by a couple vending machines. Magazines were strewn about on a small table and the white walls were blinding in the florescent lights. She sat there, still in her cheerleading uniform, staring down at the tiles, lost in thought.

"This seat taken?"

She blinked her gaze up to see Tommy walking towards her. He was dressed in jeans and a plaid button up shirt over a navy long sleeved shirt. She was shocked to see him, of all people, but at the moment nothing really seemed that unlikely. "Everyone already left. Brett's in surgery right now," she replied unreadably, not answering his question.

Tommy sat down on the chair by her, shrugging. "Yea I know. I figured you might want some company," he stated.

Lillian knew there was a lot to be said, a lot of unanswered questions, a lot to apologize for. But all she could do was stare ahead and reply, "Thanks."

There they sat in the stillness, side by side, staring ahead at the empty walls. Finally Tommy's voice ruptured the silence, "I hate hospitals. I always remember when I was six and I had to get stitches in my head because I was wrestling with Dil and got knocked into a coffee table. But at least I could make him feel guilty for the rest of his life."

The girl arched her eyebrows and responded, "You know, I actually remember that."

Tommy glanced over at her in disbelief and retorted, "No way."

Lillian turned her face to him, smiling faintly. "I totally do! And the next day Phil and I went to your house to watch some tape and your head was all bandaged up. You looked like a mummy. Then you showed us your stitches and it was so disgusting. Yea, thanks a lot, I'm just now getting my appetite back, by the way," she informed and then stared ahead again.

Tommy grinned slightly and admitted, "Wow, I was a prick when I was little."

Lillian nodded. "Yea, you were. Nothing's changed," she replied matter-of-factly and remained straight-faced.

The boy looked to her and exclaimed in mock indignant, "Hey."

Lillian smiled and laughed, continuing, "Kidding." He chuckled to himself and shook his head, looking down. There was a pause as Lillian shifted her eyes around, at the sterile room. God, she was in a hospital, this was real. This was really happening and at least someone was there with her to try and get by it all. "You know what I hate about hospitals? The smell. It's like a mix of latex gloves and feet," she breathed.

Tommy raised his eyebrows and remarked, "Well you know, people are sick here. Life and death stuff. Sorry they can't make it smell like roses for you, Lillian."

She smiled slightly ahead and when she replied it was in a perfect Angelica impersonation, "They should. I mean, don't they know who I am? I'm freakin' important with a capital I ok."

Tommy laughed slightly and commented, "You just sounded so much like my cousin I was scared."

The girl nodded and responded, pressing her head back against the wall, "Yea I scared myself a little too. You know, she's not always like that."

Tommy grinned sarcastically and scoffed, "Right. When she's not eating kittens and riding on her broom."

Lillian rolled her eyes and objected, "Really, she's not! If you got to know her, you'd know that. She can actually be pretty cool sometimes."

Tommy crossed his arms and stared at the long hallway ahead. "Well thanks but no thanks," he said back.

There was a comfortable silence between them then, as they each drifted into their own thoughts. Somewhere far off, a cart squeaked on wheels, pushed along linoleum before it finally halted. "You know, you were doing really great out there today, before everything," Lillian eventually spoke up.

Tommy sat up a little and shook his head. "No, I was just ok today," he replied.

Lillian's eyes turned to him and she smiled. "No, you were great! Seriously. Brett thinks you're going to get scouted," she admitted.

Tommy couldn't help feeling surprised the star player of their team had said that about him. "Really?" he questioned.

Nodding, Lillian went on, "Yea, we were talking about it. You're only going to get better. Brett said by the time you're a Senior you'll be better then anyone out there."

The boy smiled slightly, humbly, and replied, "I don't know. Brett, he's really good. He's going to get recruited. I mean, well..." His voice trailed off as he realized the possibility, the uncertainty if Brett would even play again, if he'd be well enough to get a football scholarship.

Lillian was pulled back to reality and looked ahead again. "Yea," she replied quietly.

There was another pause in time before Tommy glanced over at Lillian again. "You hungry?" he questioned.

Drawn from her whirlwind thoughts, she gazed sideways and responded, "Starving."

Tommy pointed to the vending machines and offered, "Candy bar?"

Lillian smiled slightly. "Ok," she said.

He started fishing through his jean pockets, searching out wades of dollars and coins. "Let me see what I have here. I'm kinda broke at the moment..." he admitted.

Still smiling, she arched her eyebrows and suggested, "I can buy, Tommy..."

Tommy raised a hand and jokingly shook off her offer. "No, no. My treat," he replied.

Lillian laughed and remarked, "I owe you."

Staring over at her, he teased, "Yea and you better give me the fifty cents. I'm serious." To this Lillian rolled her eyes and Tommy finally rummaged around for enough change. Standing, he went over to the machines and started jamming in a few coins. "Ok, it just ate a quarter. Stupid machine. Maybe I should get someone?" he grumbled, punching in a few buttons for the money to return back out but that obviously wasn't working.

The girl shook her head, lifting herself up to sit Indian style on her chair and then rubbing her hands together to keep away the threadbare chill in the air. "I haven't seen anyone around here in awhile. Seriously, this is where they keep the people they don't want to have to deal with I think. We can just share. Grab a Reeses," she said.

Tommy nodded, remarking, "That's my favorite."

Lillian smiled softly and replied, "I know."

The boy stopped himself from thinking of anything more, now was not the time to think about how much he missed her or talking like this with her. He turned, pushing in the rest of the money and then the appropriate button. Soon he was walking back over and opening the wrapper. He passed her a chocolate cup and smirked, "Here ya go. And don't say I never gave you anything."

Lillian nodded seriously and started eating her snack. "Wow. A whole Reeses. Thank you so much. And you wonder why you don't have a girlfriend," she quipped.

Raising his eyebrows in a wounded expression, he replied, "Well ouch. That hurt."

Lillian smiled slightly and rolled her eyes. Releasing a sigh, she went on to say, "No it didn't. You know there are plenty of girls in school who would love to share a Reeses with you."

Tommy grew a little too excited over this idea and questioned, "Why? Am I what you girls talk about in the bathroom?"

She nodded fake seriously and responded, staring down at her candy, "O yea. We just talk about how great and cute you are. There is even a Tommy Fan Club, its awesome. We have tee shirts, mugs, we had stickers but those were all sold out."

He gave her a deadpan stare and retorted, "You're joking."

Lillian looked over at him with a smile and relinquished, "Yea."

Sighing, Tommy shook his head. "And to think, I wasted a Reeses on you," he mused to himself.

The girl nodded, finishing up with her food and licking at her fingers. "I know, that was good too. It makes me want milk though," she replied.

"Yea me too," Tommy agreed. Then, looking over at her, he went on to ask, "How long you gonna stay here for?"

Lillian shrugged, staring down at her hands in her lap. "I'm not sure. I keep thinking I'm going to leave any minute now but I just can't. Not until they tell me he's ok, he's out of surgery. But that's stupid, I don't even know how long it's going to take," she said.

"Is he ok?" Tommy questioned.

She still couldn't meet his eyes as she informed, "His left leg was broken in two parts, and he's got a crushed pelvis. They said he's going through six hours of surgery right now, and he's probably going to need more."

Tommy felt a weight in his stomach, at least everything was fixable with surgery but still, that was a pretty major injury. He'd have to be in a wheelchair, probably get pins in place, go through physical therapy. Brett had always seemed like an ok guy; even after all the stuff Tommy had said when he started dating Lillian. It made him feel a little bad now that he thought about it and Brett certainly didn't deserve this. When stuff like this happened you had to put away all your past resentments. "Are his parents ok?" he wondered.

Nodding slightly, she interlocked her fingers and responded, "I saw them. They seem fine, just worried. It could have been a lot worse; the doctor said he's lucky he's not paralyzed."

Staring at her, he said in a concerned voice, "Are you ok?"

Lillian looked upward now, facing him, and pushed back a strand of chestnut hair behind her ear. "I'm fine," she stated with an underlying sad note. Her eyes were damp when she went on, softly, "It was just scary. How much everything can change in an instant, you know."

Tommy nodded, glancing ahead, and replied distantly, "Yea."

The girl was staring at him and her eyes flickered over the outline of his face. He was always there, no matter what. No matter how much they had yelled at each other the other week or how much she had let him down, he was still always there for her. Always. And suddenly she thought about how she couldn't imagine him not being there. Lillian's voice was flecked with urgency when she whispered, "Promise me this will never happen to you ok."

He looked over at her again, a little surprised, but then he nodded slightly. "Promise," he responded simply, even when he knew that was an impossible thing to promise someone. Then they were both looking ahead again and the silence moved fluidly around them. And he waited with her.

Tommy sat at his computer desk, typing up a paper for his English class. The whole Monday school day had been pretty uneventful, with most people talking about what had occurred to Brett. Lillian hadn't been to school, she probably had stayed home to let whatever buzz there was die down and be with Brett at his hospital room when he came out of unconsciousness from surgery. The burnt orange sunlight filtered in through his window and he was dressed in jeans and white long sleeved shirt with a red logo.

Suddenly there was a knock at his door and a familiar voice called from the other side, "Open up! Police!"

Tommy smiled to himself and circled around on his chair as the door swung open to reveal Phil. "That stopped being funny around the third grade, Phil," he replied.

Phil grinned back cockily. "When will you learn? Most of the time I just say stuff to make me laugh," he remarked. The boy was wearing jeans and a short sleeved dark blue polo shirt over a long sleeved white shirt.

Tommy laughed and shook his head. "So what's up?" he questioned.

Phil shrugged, responding, "Nothing much. I'm running to get food, you wanna go?"

Tommy nodded, turning to save his computer file. "Yea, sure," he said.

Phil flopped onto Tommy's bed, lying back and propping himself up on his elbows. "Cool. I had to get out of my house anyway. Now because my sister's boyfriend's in the hospital suddenly I can't even speak to her without my parents yelling at me. Because they didn't just catch her coming home at five AM a few weeks ago, because she's not queen of the alcoholics. No, now she's innocent little Ms Perfect because her boyfriend's got a broken leg," he admitted with annoyance.

Tommy turned in his chair to shoot him an irritated look and counter, "Its broken in two places, Phil. He's got a crushed pelvis. That is pretty bad."

Phil rolled his eyes and snorted, "Come on, it's Brett. Its rough but hey, maybe its life telling him to keep his pants on."

Tommy completely swiveled the chair around now, his brow knitted with a little too much concern. "What? Why? She tell you something?" he asked.

Phil cringed and snorted, "What? No, I was just joking. I mean, I don't know what they do. God, gross, if she ever tried sharing all that stuff with me like I was Opra or something..." As the initial disgust wore off, Phil became aware of something else and looked over at Tommy accusingly, "She told me how you stayed with her at the hospital."

Tommy shrugged, glancing down. "Oh yea, well you know. I was there and I saw her sitting there by herself. I didn't want her to be alone," he reasoned.

Phil's voice rose with anger and exasperation. "Why not! She's my sister but even I know she's been a bitch to you, Tommy!" he exclaimed.

Tommy looked over at Phil and started to object, "I know, but maybe we can be friends..."

Phil's eyes were wide with understanding and he was shaking his head with disbelief. Smiling sardonically, he stated, "You like her."

Tommy creased his brow and tried to sound convincing when he replied, "What? No."

Phil sat up straight now and cried, "Oh come on! You do, Tommy. And it's a big mistake."

Tommy cut him with a glare but it was less then sure. "Look, Phil, I'm not stupid. I know she's screwed me over but that still doesn't change we use to all be friends. And maybe we can be again. I mean, right now she needs me -" he began to say.

Phil interrupted, scoffing in a low voice, "No, dude, you're her stand-in boyfriend."

Tommy shook his head and remarked angrily, "You don't get it, Phil."

Phil stood from the bed, looking frustrated and defeated. "Fine, whatever. When she turns on you again, don't complain to me about it," he huffed, walking towards the door to leave.

Tommy rose from his chair as well and shot after him, "You know, Phil, what you're doing with Kimmi. That's not being smart, that's being scared."

This caused Phil to freeze in place before spinning around. In the heat of the moment he didn't feel like denying it any longer anyway, so what if Tommy knew he had feelings for Kimmi. So what, because he was smart enough to just leave it at that, not risk everything. "Yea, so what! Because I don't want to get hurt or to hurt Kimmi! But you, Tommy, its like you're blind! Lillian's going to end up using you again!" he shouted.

Tommy met his glare and responded, "Yea well, at least I'll know I tried, there won't be any 'What If's. That's more then I can say for you."

Phil shook his head slightly and turned, storming out the door. Tommy could hear him along the hall and then he was gone. Tommy sat back down in his chair and turned around, staring at the screen. He forced himself to continue with his paper, because he didn't need to think about what Phil had said. He was wrong, he didn't understand, Tommy could handle himself when it came to Lillian, he wasn't an idiot. This time he didn't expect much so there was less of a risk, at least that's what he told himself.

God, who knew there were so many freaking words for modes of transportation in Spanish? Tren, autobus, coche, taxi, bici, para caminar. Really, who cares? All you need to know is they all get you somewhere, preferably a mall. Angelica tapped her pen against her desk and rested her chin on her hand, trying hard not to nod off as their teacher rambled at the board. The girl was dressed in a pale blue long sleeved shirt layered over a white tank top and a pleated white skirt, her flaxen hair pulled half back.

A girl nearby, who was pretty popular and a Junior as well, leaned over towards Angelica's desk. Her name was Hillary and she was fairly attractive, with long curly brown hair and dark eyes. She was dressed in a red sweater and black pants. "What's up with Chuckie Finster?" she questioned quietly.

Angelica's eyes flickered over to where Chuckie sat and she had to admit, she had been wondering the same thing when she watched him walk into class that day, something actually she'd been realizing for over a week now. Was he taller or something? His braces were off, that much she was sure. And his clothes weren't so bad, his hair was a little shorter as well so he must have had a trim. But really... what was it? "I don't... know," Angelica mumbled in disbelief because truly, she didn't, but there was just something about him.

Hillary was staring at Chuckie as well when she went on, "Well whatever it is, he's like hot now."

Angelica could scarcely believe it was her saying it but all the same, she breathed, "Yea..."

The girl's voice jolted her from her own thoughts when she questioned, "You think he'd go for me?"

Angelica turned to face her and reply, "What?"

Hillary shrugged, flushing slightly. "You know, go out with me?" she went on.

Angelica glared, crossing her legs. "Why are you asking me? I don't know. He's just a Sophmore anyway," she retorted.

Hillary nodded and then glanced over at Chuckie again. "Yea but... He's like hot now. I'm gonna ask him if he'll go to the dance with me after class," she said dreamily.

Angelica looked over at Chuckie and scoffed, "Well fine, if you wanna settle for him."

Hillary furrowed her slender eyebrows at Angelica and sat back into her seat, giving her a questioning glare. "Whatever, Angelica," she snorted and went back to pretending to listen to their teacher.

Angelica was furious. She didn't exactly know with who, all she knew was she was pissed off. And it had a lot to do with Chuckie Finster. "Wow, you finally combed that huge mop of hair so I can see the blackboard," she shot just loud enough for the boy and a lot of others to hear, smirking.

Chuckie kept his gaze ahead and sighed. "Angelica, maybe you don't get it because you were dropped on your head a few times at practice. But me not turning around? Yea, that means I don't care," he remarked coldly.

Teens around her stifled their laughter at this and Angelica crossed her arms, making a loud humphing noise. Her gaze was burning, what exactly had happened? To make Chuckie suddenly the one with the upper hand in all of this, the one who called the shots? He was suddenly confident and acting like he didn't need her, that was the "big change", and suddenly other people where starting to realize what she had. She knew who she was furious with, as much as she wanted to deny it she was mad at herself. And it had a lot to do with Chuckie Finster. God, how she despised Spanish class.

Lillian walked down the hallway connecting B wing from the C wing of their high school, the early morning sunlight falling in ribbons down from the skylights overhead. She carried a few notebooks up to her chest protectively and was wearing jeans and a white long sleeved shirt with a shell necklace, her hair down in natural waves. There were a few clusters of students along the lockers and walls, they were all talking is hushed voices and when they noticed her, they paused, giving her their hollow smiles before returning back to their whispering after she passed by. She knew what they were saying. "Isn't it horrible! I feel so bad, he's still in the hospital. He might be like crippled! God, she couldn't even go to school yesterday, I bet it was too hard." It wasn't like they were saying anything cruel or callous but still, it didn't make her feel any less alone.

She saw the windows of their school library and the twin doors, past the glass she caught sight of a familiar figure at a table. Lillian walked straight, pressing open the doors, and past the rows of shelves lined with books. A few librarians watched over the students, this was also where studies were held so there were a good amount of teenagers at their tables but they all had their noses in books or homework they had forgotten to do last night. Smiling, she slid into the opposite seat and said, "Well I don't think staring at a blank paper will make something appear on it, Tommy. Just a guess."

Tommy blinked up at her, surprised, and then grinned. "Oh, hey... You sure? Even if I stare at it for an hour?" he responded, looking back down at said clear paper. He was dressed in jeans and a black long sleeved shirt.

She nodded and placed her stuff on the table. "Yup, pretty sure. So, what is it for?" Lillian asked.

The boy groaned, leaning back and shaking his head. "English. We have to write an exploding moment on some current topic, like the death penalty. I hate creative writing, I'm not good at it," he replied.

Lillian admitted, "I love exploding moments, they're fun."

Tommy gave her a disbelieving look, cocking an eyebrow, and remarked, "Did you just say exploding moments are "fun"? Wow and I thought I was a geek."

She smiled back mock sweetly and shot, "You still are. But they really are, you can write whatever you want. What could be more fun then that?"

The boy looked around and replied jokingly, "Uh a lot of things actually. Geometry. Sticking this pencil in my eye." He held up his pencil to make his point and Lillian rolled her eyes.

Resting back in her chair, she crossed her arms. "Uh hu, well Mr. Smart Ass, let me know how that goes for you," she teased.

Tommy smiled and continued, his elbows on the table, "I'm kidding. You have to help me anyway. You owe me, remember the Reeses?"

Lillian raised her moss eyes to the ceiling and exclaimed, "Oh God yea, a whole Reeses. What am I thinking? I should be carrying you around on my shoulders."

Tommy shook his head, comically humble. "No, that's ok. Just put a good word in for me with my fan club," he replied.

She laughed and retorted, "Of course." Then she sat further upright and leaned against the table, fixing Tommy with a questioning stare. "So what's up with Chuckie?" she asked.

Tommy looked clueless when he said, "What do you mean?"

Lillian continued on, shrugging, "Everyone's talking about it, well a few girls anyway. He's... changed. He just seems different."

The boy scratched the back of his neck distractedly and responded, "I dunno. I talked to him this morning, he doesn't seem different to me. His braces are off, maybe he grew like an inch, but that's about it."

Lillian glanced out the window, a scattering of morning light creasing over her face. "He just seems more confident, I guess. You wouldn't notice anyway, it's a girl thing," she commented matter-of-factly.

"Oh really?" Tommy asked.

She nodded and went on, "Yea, guys don't care about that stuff. But if a guy's confidant, no matter who he is or what he looks like, girls are going to notice. Every girl knows that."

Tommy looked serious when he mused, "Huh. We need to hang out more, you can teach me this stuff."

Smiling, she scoffed, "Yea and what, create a monster? I don't think so, Don Juan."

Suddenly the librarian was glaring at them severely from her desk and raising a finger to her lips. "Shhh!" she warned. The pair looked over at her before turning to face the table and laugh quietly under their breath.

Still laughing, Tommy questioned, "So what are you doing in my study? Besides getting me in trouble?"

The smile on her lips turned bittersweet as she fingered the edge of her notebook. "I'm supposed to be in history right now but our teacher won't be there all week, I bet the substitute won't even realize I'm gone. Really, I just wanted to talk to someone normal for a change. It's creeping me out, how everyone's treating me. Its always "How is he?" and "I'm so sorry" or the stuff I can't answer, like "Is he gonna play football again?", "Are they gonna give him that scholarship still?", "When's he getting out of the hospital?". And I don't even know, and I don't feel like thinking about it all day long. I know they're just worried and I guess that's selfish -" she started to explain.

The boy shook his head, adding, "No that's being honest."

Lillian nodded and continued, "Yea well. I sit with him in his room and he's not in a lot of pain, I know that. But it looks... bad. And I know he's just trying to not make me worry. But I can't help it, because the doctors don't know anything. They don't know how long it's going to be before he can walk, before he can leave. And I don't know if its right but I don't want to think about that all the time, you know." As she finished her eyes were glassy and she searched over the tabletop.

Tommy replied solemnly, "Yea." He did feel bad, what had happened to Brett, it could have happened to anyone out there on that field. But Brett was the one who took a hit wrong and fell on a bad spot and it was just horrible luck that no one deserved. There was a pause before he cracked to break the heaviness, "So, you girls really talk about me in the bathroom huh?"

Lillian gave a wet laugh and looked up at him, smiling. "Oh yea. You're even on the wall of honor, you know. Some girl wrote 'Tommy is so fine!' on the wall. It's insane," she retorted sarcastically.

"Really?" Tommy asked mock hopefully.

She shook her head and admitted, "No."

Tommy sighed and replied, "Its because I'm not confident enough huh?"

Lillian leaned back, her arms stretched out to the table. "No, believe me, you are. You have confidence coming out the ass," she kidded.

Tommy gave a lopsided grin and joked, "And it's a mighty fine ass, might I add."

Lillian's eyes swelled and she exclaimed. "Wow, you just sounded so much like my brother it was freaky."

Tommy feigned seriousness when he remarked, "Ok, I've got to stop that."

Lillian laughed and replied, "I know."

Tommy glanced down and touched the empty sheet of paper in front of him. "I can't even think of how to begin," he wondered aloud.

Resting her elbows on the table, Lillian nodded and responded, "That's always the difficult part. But once you start, it gets easier." But she was glancing at him when she said it, because it was true. She thought they'd never be back here again, be able to be friends, that too much had changed and they had as well. But it seemed as soon as they started with one word, it was all there again, all that had kept them as friends through the years. It had never left and this time they weren't fighting it because for the first time Lillian was realizing how much she missed and needed this.

Tommy looked up and smiled slightly. "Yea. It does," he said.

Kimmi was coming from the school as the classes let out, students swarming around her. The day was perfect and crisp, a gilded sun scattering across the cement in bands. Kimmi was dressed in a zip up tan sweater over a dark brown tee shirt and jeans, her dark hair dropping to her shoulder blades. Another school day gone by and she had managed to go without seeing Phil once. Perfect. All last week it had been the same thing and when she did see him, she'd turn around and walk the other way without a word. It wasn't mean but it was avoiding him and the situation because she'd had about all she could take of him moving in whenever he wanted and then pulling back just as fast. She'd hung out with Natalie and Tommy and her brother and it was fine. It wasn't the same, there wasn't anyone to make her laugh or get her jokes or call an ass, but it would have to do.

She could see Chuckie's car in the distance and then suddenly she heard a recognizable voice call, "Kimmi!"

Kimmi sighed inwardly and continued walking, not even glancing back. She could hear his footsteps close when she replied flatly, "You're going to be late for practice."

Phil followed her between cars, walking just a little quicker. He was wearing jeans and a tan sweater with two red stripes running along the chest. "Yea well they can wait a little. I have to talk to you," he told her.

Kimmi was glaring ahead, into the light glinting off windshields in bursts of white. "I heard what you did to Izaac, Phil," she countered.

The boy shrugged as he continued after her. "He was asking for it," he responded.

Kimmi rolled her eyes to no one in particular and retorted evenly, "Yea well I can handle things on my own, thanks."

Phil called with a little frustration, "I know. Look, will you just stop. I need to talk to you and usually that means, you know, you turn and listen." He reached out to grab her arm gently and stop her.

Kimmi whirled around, tossing off his hand. There was mounting anger flickering in her eyes when she quickly replied, "I'll save you the trouble, ok Phil. What happened was a mistake. You were drunk, you were desperate. These things happen. Got it ok. But I can't go back to the way things were, ok. Because I'm sick of this and maybe... Maybe it would be better if we just didn't talk for awhile."

Phil was serious for once, realizing the mistakes he'd made and how he'd really hurt Kimmi without even realizing it, as much as she tried to be strong and act like he hadn't. "No, wait. I know what I've done to you was messed up and I never meant to hurt you ok," he started to say.

Kimmi stared hard to the side, hair splaying into her eyes, and interrupted in a cold tone, "You didn't hurt me, I don't care what you do, Phil."

She still had to act like she didn't care. Good, old stubborn Kimmi. She was almost as stubborn as him. He exclaimed with exasperation, "Will you just listen to me, Kimmi? I rehearsed this thing yesterday." She finally looked up at him, her eyes questioning. Phil went on, "I was trying to save our friendship but it was ruined anyway, ruined by me trying to deny what was happening between us. How I'm starting to really like you." Her face washed over with surprise and softened slightly, the sun now behind her and framing her outline. Phil continued nervously, "And I'm sorry. But I never wanted to loose you; I didn't think I could take that chance. I mean, who else would whoop my butt in basketball or keep me humble?" Kimmi laughed faintly at this, her eyes growing moist, even if she'd never thought she could be "one of those girls" who got all teary-eyed over something romantic. Phil smiled and then said, "Abbey dumped me because I couldn't go steady with her. One little word but I couldn't say it, it didn't feel right. We weren't even dating other people but I just couldn't because I knew, there was someone else. And it's you. For a long time now, it's been you."

Kimmi was trying to hold back real tears now, a wind laced with frost swilling by. "Phil..." she breathed.

Phil wasn't exactly sure what her reaction would be so he hurriedly added, "And we can go slow, I don't care. We don't even have to date right away if you don't want. I just hope you'll give me another chance. I'll try not to screw up too bad this time around." He grinned a little crookedly and Kimmi laughed.

She couldn't think of anything to say so she moved foreword, leaning up to press her lips to his. He felt warm when all around her was a frosty chill and she clutched onto either side of him, two smiles melding together. She could feel his fingers on the hollow of her back and their shared breathes. Maybe this was better then any words. Kimmi pulled back and Phil was still holding onto her when he teased, "So, your house or mine?"

Kimmi laughed and pushed him off lightly, rolling her eyes. "Go to practice," she shot back.

He swung around and was heading back up to school when he turned, walking backwards. Phil called to her, "What? Just because we're dating now you think you can boss me around huh? Well you're right. See you, Kimmi."

Kimmi smiled in his direction and replied, "Bye, Phil." She walked towards her brother's car far off by the last row of automobiles, she could see vaguely Chuckie looking annoyed at how long she'd made him wait. The sun splashed in gold puddles around her and the bracing air smelt of snuffed out matches. In the woods past the parking lot she could see the first few freckles of red, yellow, and burnt orange leaves. Autumn was here.

Closing Notes: I'm not sure how many cups are in a Reeses so yea I could be wrong. Yuck, I hate Reeses! Well I hate peanut butter so there you go. Let's have a discussion about this. Ha ha, kidding. And now enough about me...

The early beginning of the autumn season, the beginning of Kimmi and Phil together, the beginning of a friendship between Tommy and Lil, the beginning of a more confident Chuckie, and oh yea, the beginning of Natalie. I was getting a little sick of the same melodramatics that seemed to be the usual themes of the other chapters (i.e. Lil and Tommy fighting, Kimmi putting her feelings aside for Phil) and knew it was time for a little movement in the plot. So changes, changes! O yea and there was also a Phil/Tommy fight in there somewhere, which is sort of what you'd expect Phil to say, I mean he doesn't want to have to see Tommy be used by Lil. When Brett was hurt it sort of forced Lil into a mini-realization that when she needs to talk to someone, none of her so-called new friends are really there to listen or take her mind off things. It's Tommy who she ultimately goes to. I think their conversations pretty much explains why Tommy is so stuck on Lil, even after all she's done, they just work you know. I like writing them as more friends then yelling at each other, ha ha. As for her friends and who they think she should hang with (Meaning no one but them), well you'll just have to wait to find out! About Natalie, I'm not going to try and make her a main character or anything, its pretty much the same thing as Brett. I am trying to make her stand out a little in the way she dresses and how she speaks a little more maturely and has her own opinions. Ok, enough about her, lol. Chuckie is just a bit of a buzz at school. Did that ever happen in your school? Where suddenly you came back from summer vacation and some person was the talk of the school because "they changed so much"? And have you ever heard how girls will say confidence is a huge thing in a guy? I know I have heard that a lot and I guess it sort of is but I really don't think it's that big of a deal. Still girls are starting to notice Chuckie for the first time and well, it seems Angelica missed the boat. And yay, Phil and Kimmi are together! Woo woo, what Tommy had to say to Phil actually sunk in, as well as what he figured out after dating Abbey and realizing she just wasn't Kimmi.

Next up, the school Homecoming dance! I can't think of anything to say without giving up too much so I'm just gonna shut up. Not your typical "dance chapter" though I think. But you know me, I like to throw in some unexpected stuff! O yea, and the person who was wondering if Angelica and Chuckie "did it"? Nope, like I said, it was all innocent. I think that would have been a huge leap in their relationship if they did, I'd like to think Angelica wouldn't just sleep with someone and then the next day leave them. At least in my story, she's a little better then that. Haa.