The next day, Joe tried once more to talk with Vanessa before school. "Please, just let me explain," Joe begged, stepping in front of Vanessa as she exited her car.

"Okay," she agreed.

"Really?" Joe asked, shocked. He had been prepared to beg a lot more.

"Really," she concurred, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back against her car while she waited for his explanation.

"Franc fell in the...."

"Joe!" Franc shouted, coming over to the twosome, breathing heavily. "I'm glad I caught you."

Joe turned to her and frowned. This wasn't a good time for her to be around. "I found your swim trunks under the bed this morning," she said, holding them out to him. "I thought you might need them today."

"Under the bed?" Vanessa asked, looking at Joe, her expression stormy.

"Vanessa, nothing...." Joe tried to speak but she slapped his face and took off for school.

"Why did you do that?" Joe demanded, turning on Franc angrily.

"Do what?" Franc asked, confused.

"Tell her my trunks were under the bed. I never had them in the bedroom," he reminded her, wondering fleetingly if he had been set up.

"I...I'm sorry," Franc said, fighting tears. "They were mixed up with the laundry and must have fallen off the bed when I was folding it."

Feeling like a heel, Joe blushed. "I'm sorry. I just..." He broke off and ran a hand tiredly across the back of his neck. "I had finally gotten Vanessa to listen to me and now, well..."

"Oh, Joe. I'm so sorry. I thought you two had made up already," she apologized. "I'll talk to her. I'll explain everything," she promised, turning away from Joe and heading toward the school building.

Joe arrived in his English class later that day, not even thinking about the exam he had taken the previous day. When the teacher handed out the papers, he wasn't surprised to notice he had received an A. The teacher then handed out the rest of the students' papers that she had been holding since the last grading period. Joe was glad that he had brought his backpack on the last day of school because he knew there were lots of essays and research papers he was going to get back.

He watched as Mrs. Howe would call out a student's name and then give a thick stack of papers for the student to take home. When his name was called, he went to the teacher's desk and received a stack of papers somewhat smaller than the other students. "I'm sorry, Joe," Mrs. Howe said. "I have looked everywhere, but I can't find the rest of your papers."

"That's okay," Joe told her. "I doubt I'll bother with them again anyway," he admitted truthfully.

School was dismissed shortly after lunch to give the seniors time to go home and prepare for graduation that evening. At home, Joe went to his room and pulled a package wrapped in deep purple paper sporting a blue bow on it from his closet. He knocked on Frank's bedroom door and waited for Frank to tell him to come in.

"You don't have to knock," Frank reminded Joe. "What's that?" he asked, noticing the present.

"Congratulations," Joe told him. "You probably will be bombarded with gifts tonight and I have to leave early in the morning, so here it is," he finished, handing the package to Frank.

"You shouldn't have," Frank said, taking the gift and sitting down on his bed to open it.

Frank unwrapped the package and opened the box. Inside there was an envelope. Frank gave Joe a quizzical look before lifting the envelope and looking inside.

"How did you get these?" Frank demanded, his face breaking into a huge grin. "I was on the waiting list for tickets but never did get a return call."

"Yes, you did," Joe informed him. "I just got them for you." He gave a shrug. "At least I knew it was something you wanted since you had tried to get it yourself."

Joe had given Frank two tickets to the USAF's airshow scheduled for the next morning. Frank leapt off the bed and gave Joe a hug. "Thanks!" he said. "I wish I could take you with me," he added.

"Oh, no," Joe said, holding up his hands and backing away, laughing. "This is one time I am glad I am not going to be around. Flying is your thing, not mine!"

"I won't get to see you off tomorrow morning," Frank said as realization hit.

"No problem," Joe assured him, a little surprised Frank even wanted too. Wasn't he wanting him to be more self-sufficient? "I already asked Franc if she would mind dropping me off at the railroad station."

"Mom and Dad could," Frank said, not really wanting Joe to go off without a proper goodbye.

"They could, but my train leaves at six and Franc's dad is arriving at the airport at seven, so she is going to be up and about anyway," Joe reasoned. "No need for everyone to be out that early."

"I guess you're right," Frank agreed.

"Now, you had better get ready for the big event," Joe told him, leaving Frank alone.

Graduation went well with Phil Cohen being the valedictorian and giving a wonderful speech, which drew heavy applause form students and parents alike. Afterwards, the seniors attended a special dinner with their parents. Joe left for home, bidding his parents and Frank goodbye. He was going to go straight to bed since he had to be up early.

Joe awoke the next morning and showered and changed, being careful not to disturb Frank or his parents. He left them a note on the kitchen table telling them he would write once a week and went outside to wait for Franc. At five thirty, she pulled to a stop in front of the Hardy house.

"I appreciate you giving me a lift," Joe told her, putting his duffel in the back seat and climbing in beside her.

"After all you've done for me and dad at the house, how could I refuse?" she asked good-naturedly. She pulled back onto the road and drove toward the station. They were less than two miles away when a brown sedan came up behind them. As they neared a dirt road leading into the woods, Franc made a left turn onto it.

"What are you doing?" Joe asked. "The station isn't this way."

"I know," she replied. "But that car was making me nervous."

"It's still behind us," Joe observed. "We would have been better off on the main road."

"You're right," she agreed, slowing down.

"Now what?" Joe asked.

"I'm going to turn around," she told him.

"Don't do that," Joe demanded, his attention on the brown car. "I think guy in the sedan wants us to stop."

"I'm sure of it," Franc said, stopping the car and killing the motor.