Chapter 4-

"I hate starting school in April," Charles grumbled the next day, slamming his locker door shut.

"Why?" he heard someone from behind him ask.

He turned around and saw Stephanie.

She was wearing a white tee shirt with black lettering that said: "Roses are red, Violets are blue, but hey who cares? Crayons are too" and then she was wearing a pair of black jeans that had 5 silver stars on the bottom of the left leg and one big silver star on each of her back pockets. Her hair was spiral curled and she smelled like vanilla mixed with berries. She had on a silver necklace that had a silver heart on it bordered with pink rhinestones. He thought she looked gorgeous, of course, she always did to him.

"Because, then I wouldn't have a geometry test Monday that I didn't know half of the crap that you guys learned," Charles said as the 2 headed to study hall.

"Well, maybe he'll let you take the test after you've learned the stuff," Stephanie said.

"Steph, after this test we're going to a new unit in the text book,"

"Oh yeah, but you have all weekend to study. At least it'll be the last unit, one month left and we are official juniors, of course, I'll be going to school with Michelle again," Stephanie said.

"Michelle's your little sister, right?" Charles asked.

Stephanie nodded, "She's 13 and turning into more of a rebel day by day, and she practically lives in my bedroom," Stephanie said, her hair swaying from side to side as they walked, "But anyways, about that test, I could help you study for it if you wanted,"

"Really?" Charles asked, hoping he didn't sound too excited.

"Yeah, just drive to my house after school, just follow my car," Stephanie said.

"Okay, great," Charles said.

Suddenly his day felt 10 times better.

"Hello? Anybody home?" Stephanie called out as she and Charles entered the house.

Nobody answered.

She walked into the kitchen. There was a note on the table;

Stephanie and Michelle,

Your dad and I won't be back until late tonight, neither will Becky, apparently something is going on tonight and they have to do an evening edition of Wake Up San Francisco (then technically it would be, Good Night San Francisco...) But anyway, be back around 9 or 10, DJ is out with Steve, she left her cell phone number if you need anything, and you know my number and your fathers numbers by heart, I think. Jesse and the twins will be home around 6...love you.

-Mom

Stephanie crumpled up the paper and tossed it in the garbage can. She knew Michelle had already read it because there were 2 open cans of Pepsi on the kitchen table and 2 backpacks by the front door.

"Does your sister have a friend over?" Charles asked over her shoulder.

For a minute, Stephanie had forgotten about him even being there.

"Yeah, I think it's her friend Aaron's." Stephanie said, "My rooms upstairs,"

"I know, I've been here before," Charles said.

Stephanie rolled her eyes, "Sorry, forgot," she said with a smile and jogged up the stairs, Charles following.

She heard music coming from Michelle's room, she glanced at her room, the door was shut and Jet was playing in the background with the song Are You Gonna Be My Girl.

She opened up the door a bit and checked inside, her eyes grew wide.

Michelle was on her bed, making out with Aaron.

She shut the door as fast and as quiet as she could.

"What's wrong?" Charles asked as they walked into her bedroom.

Stephanie closed the door behind herself.

"My sister is officially having her first make out session," she said.

"Are you sure it was her first?" Charles asked.

"What are you saying?" Stephanie answered back with a question.

"Nothing, never mind," he said holding out his hands in a surrender form.

"Oh my God, what if she's made out with boys in my bed? Oh, that would be so gross,"

"Haven't you made out with boys in your bed?" Charles asked.

"Yeah, Andrew, but that's different he's my boyfriend, Michelle always gets offensive when I call Aaron her boyfriend. But she's always "hated" him since she was in preschool but it was actually just like you and..." Stephanie drifted off, not finishing the sentence.

Charles knew what she was going to say, "Like you and me,"

Stephanie nodded.

"Not that we would ever do that though," Charles said, cutting the tension.

"Right, r-right, we'd never, d-do that," Stephanie stammered.

For some reason she wanted her answer to be the complete opposite of what came out of her mouth.

They weren't new feelings of course. She had felt them since she was 11 years old.

"So uh, let's get to studying," Stephanie said sitting down on her bed. Charles took a seat at her computer desk and turned the chair to face her.

"So what would A divided by X times Y plus Z minus A equal if A was 5, X was 7, Y was 4 and Z was 10?" Stephanie asked they had been studying for at least 2 hours; it was now 5:45.

"I thought this was geometry test, not algebra," Charles said.

"It's the bonus question on the test," Stephanie said.

"Steph?"

"Yeah, Charles?"

"Would you ever, uh, wanna do the things we talked about earlier?"

Stephanie felt heat rising through her cheeks.

"Y-you mean, making out?"

Charles nodded.

"Uh, well, I would be cheating on Andrew," Stephanie said, thankful she actually remembered her boyfriend's name.

"I was hypothetically speaking anyway, I'd never wanna kiss you," Charles said.

Stephanie gaped at him.

"I mean with you having a boyfriend in all, it'd be causing trouble in paradise,"

"But what if I didn't have a boyfriend?" She asked.

What the hell was that? Am I on crack or something? She asked herself.

"Well, if you didn't have a boyfriend, I'd definitely consider it," he said.

"Really?"

"Well actually no," he started, staring at the floor.
Stephanie's face fell.

Charles turned his face towards her. Their eyes locked with one another's, "I mean, I wouldn't have to,"

Stephanie and Charles found their faces growing closer to each other.

Their lips were a quarter of an inch apart.

"Stephanie! Michelle! I'm home!" Jesse called.

Stephanie and Charles almost fell over, the jumped apart so fast you would think the house was under attack by terrorists.

"Damn it," Stephanie heard Michelle curse from the other room.

"See you, Michelle," she heard Aaron say.

Michelle opened up the door to Stephanie's room where she and Charles were pretending to be concentrating hard on "studying".

"Give it up, Steph, you guys were getting ready to kiss," Michelle said.

"Why would you think that?" Stephanie asked.

"Your cheeks are totally flushed pink,"

Stephanie noticed something pinkish red on Michelle's neck.

"Uh, Michelle is that a...hickey?" Stephanie asked.

Charles looked up at Michelle as well.

They heard Jesse's footsteps clomping up the steps followed by Nick and Alex's.

Michelle ran to her room and grabbed her spiked choker necklace and ran back to Stephanie's room, she snapped it around her neck.

Charles and Stephanie pretended to be engrossed in their studies as Jesse opened up the door.

Michelle was sprawled out on the floor "reading a magazine" which was upside down, although she was too distracted to notice.

"Hey girls," Jesse said and spotted Charles, "and guys," he finished.

"Hey Uncle Jesse, I was just reading through a magazine, I'm just gonna go to my room now," Michelle said getting up from where she was on the floor and walking out of the room.

"Dinner in 30 minutes!" he called after her.

Charles turned around and saw Jesse.

His mind flew back to 2 days ago:

Flashback

He and Stephanie were at the food court in the mall talking.

"Reminds me of a kid from my fifth grade class too, I had a crush on him, and I thought he liked me too, so I called him and he said if I ever called him again he would call the cops for sexual harassment, but later on in the year, I found out his dad hit him, and my Uncle Jesse called Children's Aid and had him taken away from his dad and put into a foster home, I never saw him again, but I still really liked him, but I'd always just joke with him and tease him," Stephanie had said.

End Flashback

Charles knew who her Uncle Jesse was now. It was the guy standing at the doorway to her room.

He was the Uncle Jesse who had taken him away from his home and his father.

Not that it was such a bad thing.

"Uncle Jesse, this is Charles, Charles, this is my Uncle Jesse," Stephanie said, interrupting his thoughts.

"Nice to meet you Charles, were you the Charles that Stephanie was talking about 2 days ago?" Jesse asked.

Charles nodded, "I think so,"

Stephanie nodded as well.

"Well Steph, I gotta go, see you Monday. I'll call you later," Charles said gathering up his things in his back pack and slinging it over his shoulder.

He turned to Jesse, "Oh and, thanks,"

"For what?"

"Getting me away from my dad," Charles said and walked downstairs.

Jesse turned to Stephanie, "Charles? That Charles? That's the Charles? Who's dad-"

"Hits him, well used too," Stephanie finished.

"How? He was in a foster home," Jesse said.

"His dad had been in anger management and therapy, he raised a new family and he wanted Charles to be a part of it, he got the judges permission to do so," Stephanie said, "But I think it was dumb of him," she finished.

"It was, I gotta call him up, Charles has to go back to his old home," Jesse said picking up Stephanie's phone.

Stephanie's eyes widened in horror.

No. He's not going back to Fresno. He's not leaving me again like that! What the hell is up with me today? I have to be on drugs. Andrew is my boyfriend, not Charles.

"Uncle Jesse, don't!" she said running over to him and hanging the phone up.

"Stephanie I have to,"

"Don't!" she nearly screamed.

"Stephanie, you have to agree he isn't safe where he is right-"

"I know! Then have him move in with us, he can't move again, it's just not fair!" Stephanie exclaimed, tears running down her cheeks.

"Stephanie, what has gotten into you?"

"You just can't take him away right now, Uncle Jesse, please!"

"Alright, but if his dad ever tries to hit him this time I'll be over his dad like-"

"I know,"

Jesse nodded and put his arm around Stephanie, giving her shoulder a tight squeeze and then walking back downstairs.

Stephanie flopped onto her bed and covered her head with a pillow.

What is wrong with me?

"Morning Steph," Michelle sang out into Stephanie's bedroom the next morning.

"It's a Saturday," Stephanie said groggily.

She glanced at her clock, 7:16 AM.

"Steph! My soccer finals are today!" Michelle whined.

Even if Michelle was punk, she was still a killer soccer player.

"What time does your game start?"

"8:15," Michelle beamed.

"That's an hour away!" Stephanie exclaimed.

"Duh, so wake up!"

Stephanie groaned but got out of bed and tumbled her self into her bathroom.

"Go Michelle!" Danny exclaimed.

"C'mon Michelle, you can do it!" Jesse hollered.

"C'mon Michelle, let's win this thing!" Joey said running up and down the field, keeping up with his soccer team.

Stephanie pulled off her white Aeropostale hooded sweatshirt and tied it around the waist line of her faded flare blue jeans. Now she had on her orange tee shirt that had the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup logo on it with her blue jeans and a pair of plain white Skechers tennis shoes.

Michelle kicked the ball and it landed right into the goal.

Derek and Aaron jumped up and down giving each other high fives while Lisa, Denise, and Teddy ran over from the side lines to congratulate their friends.

Danny, Jesse, Joey, Becky, Nick, Alex, DJ, Kimmy, and Steve all ran over to congratulate Michelle.

Stephanie pulled her hair up into a ponytail and clapped and whistled for her sister.

"Hey, Steph," she heard someone say from behind her.

Stephanie knew who she hoped it would be, Charles.

As soon as she turned around she saw Andrew.

"Hey," She said, giving him a smile.

Andrew kissed her cheek.

"So, I saw Michelle get the winning goal..."

"Yeah, it was great, we're really proud of her," Stephanie said.

"I'll bet. So listen, me and the gang were going to go out for pizza, you wanna come? Then afterward we could go back to my place and...well, you know the rest,"

Stephanie let out a small laugh.

She always would go over to Andrew's after they went out with their friends and they would make out either on the couch or on his bed.

Stephanie glanced back over at her family.

"Hey guys, I'm heading out!" Stephanie called to them, "Congrats Michelle you did awesome!" She said and followed Andrew off of the soccer field.

"Yo, Steph! You here?" Michelle called out.

She, Derek, Lisa, and Aaron walked into her empty house.

Danny and the rest of the gang had dropped them off before going off to do some errands downtown and DJ, Kimmy, and Steve wanted to stop by the mall for the rest of the afternoon.

"I believe there are no extra occupants in the house," Derek said.

Even if he had changed a little in the past 5 years, he would always be the same, dorky, rich, Derek Johansen. Only now he listened to rock music, toned down in the dress code, and his blonde hair was now tousled and hung just to his ears and his bangs always fell in his eyes.

"How precise," Aaron said jokingly.

Michelle laughed.

Lisa placed her hand on Derek's shoulder slightly, "I think it's cute," she said and then gave him a kiss on the cheek.

The two had been "friends with benefits" since the seventh grade. And their "benefits" were very, very, intense.

"Gag me." Michelle remarked.

"Now that's cute," Aaron said, running a hand through his shaggy brown hair that hung just below his ears with honey brown highlights.

Lisa laughed. Her long ruby red hair with strawberry colored streaks swayed from side to side.

Just then the front door opened and Stephanie bounded inside.

Michelle peaked inside the living room where Stephanie was.

Her blonde hair was pulled into a sloppy ponytail and she could see a love bite on a corner of her neck.

Michelle laughed and rolled her eyes, "She changes like the weather."

"Huh?" Aaron asked.

"Yesterday she was all over Charles, and today she's all over Andrew, so tomorrow she'll be all over Charles," Michelle said, pulling her strawberry blonde hair out of the ponytail it was in. The red dyed tips of her hair sprayed across her shoulders.

She kicked off her cleats and motioned for her friends to follow her upstairs so Stephanie wouldn't see them.

Stephanie ran up the stairs to her bedroom and tried to put cover up over her hickey.

She felt bad about making out with Andrew, even though he was her boyfriend, she felt like she wasn't being loyal to Charles.

"Crap, how come my foundation won't work?" She asked herself aloud.

She knew Michelle had makeup that would work, she had done it before, Stephanie had figured out. Charles was right. Yesterday wasn't her first encounter with Aaron.

She knocked lightly on Michelle's door and then stepped inside.

Her walls were almost painted the same as Stephanie's only instead of pink border it was hot red. She had a red bedspread with black and white streaks across it. She had a television close to her bed with a cable box and DVD/VCR. She had a built in cubby painted black that held her 5 disk CD player, next to it was three long shelves packed with CD's and two more with DVD's. She had posters all over her walls of bands like Simple Plan, Good Charlotte, Blink 182, Green Day, American Hi-Fi, and Sum 41 and then movie posters of her favorite movies, The Perfect Score, School of Rock, Just Married, and Coyote Ugly. She had other built in shelves around her room that had pictures of her and her friends and a few of her, Stephanie, and DJ.

Clothes and shoes were scattered around her floor and her closet was open.

Michelle, Derek, and Aaron were sitting on her bed and Lisa was digging through her closet.

"What's up, Steph?" Michelle asked.

"I need a foundation, and none of mine work,"

"The love bite was that intense? Damn." Lisa said.

Stephanie rolled her eyes, "How did you...never mind,"

Michelle stood up on her bed and jumped off of it walking over to her dresser which was covered with make up.

Stephanie was surprised Danny never got onto Michelle about her room being a mess, when Stephanie was Michelle's age, she got into big trouble for her room being a mess, but since Danny had married Vicky, he had definitely cooled down a lot.

Michelle rummaged through her many foundations and cover ups and then found one that matched Stephanie's complexion.

"Now hold still," Michelle said and lifted her hand up to apply it to her neck.

"Michelle, I can do it myself, I'm sixteen," Stephanie said and took the foundation out of her sister's hand and applied it to her neck, glancing in the mirror to see if it worked.

It did.

"Where do you get this stuff?" Stephanie asked, surprised that hers didn't work.

"The mall, Hot Topic, Icing, you know, the usual suspects," Michelle said with a smirk.

"Well, thanks," Stephanie said, handing the foundation back to her sister.

"No problem," Michelle said with a smile.

Stephanie smiled gratefully at her sister and then waved to her friends and walked back into her room.

"So, who do you think she likes better? Charles or Andrew?" Derek asked.

"Charles. Why else would she want a hickey covered up?"

"Um, you're dad, maybe?" Lisa asked.

"No, dad has seen Steph's hickeys before. No, she did it so Charles wouldn't see. They almost kissed yesterday, but Jesse and the boys showed up."

Aaron scoffed, "Well I know the last part was true, but how would you know that the first part was? You and me were...never mind."

"Oh my God! Derek they were so making out!" Lisa shrieked.

"I noticed something very awkward between the two..."

Michelle's rosy cheeks turned fire engine red.

"She likes Charles, not Andrew. It's always been that way...always will," Michelle said to herself.