Disclaimer: See previous chapter.

A/N: OK everyone! One more chapter until...THE WEDDING! And some things I need to clarify...Amanda was NOT one month short of her 19th birthday. She was just exaggerating. Her birthday actually happens later, however she is 18 years old (I may be gross at times, but not like that). Also, she is still in high school, but a bit older than everyone else; this chapter and the next all happen before her graduation. The graduation chapter will be chapter 16. Thanks to Mrs. Rhett Butler, canadianfan1984, and Jenna Nelson for reviewing.

(Side note to Mrs. Rhett Butler: Well, I'm glad that it wasn't my fault (not saying it was yours), and thank you for saying I wrote it well. I was worried that I would offend people. Yeah, it was kinda cool that he was proud, wasn't it...I had to have one moment that proved he was proud of his daughter in there, because other than that scene where she got into college, that was never really mentioned. Glad you liked it.)

(Side note to canadianfan1984: {raises her hand} I did! Oh wait, you meant besides me...never mind then. Yes, she is lucky. Wish I could be that lucky. {grumbles because she is only 16 and wouldn't have a chance even AFTER she turned 18} Man, everyone should be that lucky. I never thought my twist on things would be this well received by the public. Let no one tell you that sleeping during Geometry does not produce good ideas. Glad you enjoyed it, and keep reviewing!)

(Side note to Jenna Nelson: Hmmmm...don't believe I've seen that one. Didn't start watching it regularly till this year, and watched it a bit last year, so it must've been the first season. That would explain my cluelessness. Or was that caused by all that Mountain Dew...Thank you for reviewing, and I'm glad you're liking it. Keep on reviewing!)

Chapter Fourteen: Skip Out The Door

"Mrs. Donaldson?" the voice on the PA system said.

"Yes, Mr. Wilson?"

"Could you please send Amanda Hoyt to the office? Her stepmother is here to pick her up for her appointment."

Amanda's friends looked at her in shock. They didn't know about any appointment that day, and frankly, neither did Amanda. Mrs. Donaldson looked at Amanda and told her to pack up her things. On impulse, Amanda asked for the Government homework for that night, and went around to her other teachers to get their homework before she went to the office. She had a feeling she wouldn't be back that day, but she hoped no one had gotten sick-or worse-died.

When she reached the office, Amanda found Jordan sitting in a chair, waiting for her. A crack of her gum made her presence known, and soon she and Jordan were walking to the waiting car.

"So," Amanda said to Jordan. "Is anything wrong?"

"Nope."

"Do I really have an appointment, and just forgot about it?"

"Nope."

"So you just skipped me out of school for the sheer hell of it."

"Yep."

Amanda smiled. "That's the best idea I've heard in a while. How did you manage to do it?"

"I had a little help from the morgue's resident computer wizard," Jordan said as she pulled a piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to Amanda.

Amanda took the paper and read it as they reached the car. "Sudden family emergency, eh? How did you convince Nigel to forge this?"

"Well, it really didn't take much convincing," Jordan said. "And it wasn't technically forgery. My grandmother is having minor surgery today, so technically, there was a family emergency."

"What kind of surgery, if you don't mind me asking?" Amanda asked as they closed the car doors and she buckled her seatbelt.

Jordan buckled her seatbelt and grinned. "She's getting a wart surgically removed from her foot."

The two of them drove away from the school laughing.

"So," Jordan said as she parked the car at the mall. "Where to first? Anywhere in particular?" She was standing outside the car now, staring at her soon-to-be-stepdaughter, who was still sitting in the car, looking stunned.

"Damn. For the first time in my life, I have no idea," Amanda said as she got out of the car, still in awe that she had been skipped out of school. "Anywhere you wanna go first?"

"How about getting something to eat?" Jordan suggested. "There's an Appleby's on the second floor."

"Sounds good to me." Amanda said. "They have really good chicken wraps. And the sports stuff they have in the eating area isn't half bad either."

"Appleby's it is then," Jordan said, and the two of them walked into the mall, hell-bent on getting some of those chicken wraps.

"So, you never did tell me how you convinced Nigel to do that note for you," Amanda said. They were sitting in a booth at Appleby's, surrounded by 3 walls of Boston Bruins memorabilia. The waitress had just left with their drink orders, and that left them some time to talk. Amanda figured she'd spend some of it trying to get the bribe done for the note out of it.

"It was easy," Jordan said. "I told him I wanted some time to get to know my future stepdaughter, and he agreed."

"So, you didn't threaten his computer system?" Amanda asked.

"That too, but only if he didn't give me the note," Jordan said with a grin. Amanda had to laugh, because when a person really thought about it, threatening someone's computer system to get what you wanted was pretty damn funny. But she also thought that since Jordan had gone to great lengths to skip her out of school for bonding time, she'd humor her.

"So, what do you want to know first?" Amanda asked.

"Well," Jordan said slowly, trying to think of the right way to phrase her question. "Do you have any problems with me marrying your father?"

Amanda smiled. "Not at all," she said. "I love weddings. The last one I was at, I was only 9 years old and a flower girl."

"Whose wedding?" Jordan asked, curious.

"My older sister's," Amanda said. "I mean, my older stepsister's wedding. She's my stepfather Charlie's youngest daughter from his first marriage."

"You have a stepfather?"

"Yeah. My mom got married when I was 6. She had Jessie when I was 11, and Lori on my 18th birthday. Best damned birthday present I ever got," Amanda said with a smile.

"So, what about the older siblings? How many of them are there?"

"3," Amanda said rather flatly. "Michelle, Melissa, and Justin. Justin's the oldest, then Melissa, then Michelle."

"Do I detect a bit of resentment?"

"Yes you do," Amanda said, "and with good reason, too."

"Would you care if I asked why?"

"Not at all. You see, their mom walked out on them right after Michelle was born, and I mean RIGHT after. Charlie told me that as soon as they came home from the hospital, the mom split. Anyways, when my mom married Charlie, Justin was 25, Melissa was 20, and Michelle was 16. Justin always resented his mom for leaving, but he resented Charlie even more for marrying my mom, seeing as how his new stepmom was 4 years younger than he was. As long as I've known them, he's NEVER been around, I mean NEVER. Never calls Charlie on his birthday, never comes to visit him, never brings the kids around...it just really pisses me off that he takes it out on his dad. Charlie's a great dad to Jessie and Lori, and he was a great dad to me. He doesn't deserve to be treated that way."

"That sucks," Jordan said knowingly. "Similar thing in my family. I found out a few years ago that my brother was actually my half-brother, and it all went downhill from there. So, I guess the next question is, what are the two sibs that you talk to doing now?"

"They live in Pennsylvania," Amanda said. "Some small town named Somerset. Melissa got married when I was 7, and she has two kids; Noah and Tammy. Noah's 11 and Tammy's 10. Michelle got married when I was 9, and she has 4 kids; Chad, who's 10; John, who's 9; and then the twins Jack and Jill, who are 4."

"Jack and Jill?" Jordan said with a grin. "Sounds like a cheesy TV show."

"That's what my mom said when they were born," Amanda said with a laugh. "But Michelle's always been into nursery rhymes, ever since she was little, and that was her favorite, so it was only natural."

"Don't mean to bring up any bad memories, but what about Justin?"

Amanda paused, then said quietly, "He got married right after Mom and Charlie did. He has two kids; Britney, who's 11-same as Noah, and Nick, who's 9-same as John. The last time I saw them was the summer before I started high school. They're great kids, from what I hear. Melissa hears from him more than anyone, so we get all our info from her."

"Where does he live?"

"Last I heard, he was still in Kewaunee. I'll probably hear more about him on Wednesday. Melissa usually calls on Wednesdays."

"Your sisters call to check up on you?" Jordan asked with a smile.

"Yeah," Amanda said happily. "Melissa calls on Wednesdays, and Michelle usually calls on Thursdays, just to see how I'm doing."

"They sound like they're really great sisters."

"They didn't give a damn that I wasn't their real sister. They always treated me like I was their blood sister, and defended me against anyone who made fun of me. I remember one time, Michelle kicked this one guy's ass for calling me 'the Baxter bastard' in front of her and Melissa. I must have been 8 years old, and it was the funniest thing in the world. I mean, the guy was at least as tall as Peter, and he was 23; and there was Michelle, 18 years old and only 5'7, beating the living shit out of him...she did get grounded for two weeks, but that was only for the fighting." Amanda grinned at the memory. It was one of her favorites of Michelle, and the one that stuck out most in her mind whenever she thought of her younger years with her sisters.

"Sounds like it was a good fight, then," Jordan said.

"Mom said it would've killed on Pay-Per-View," Amanda said with a laugh. "She was almost never mad at Michelle, even when she inadvertently taught me to swear."

Jordan laughed. "How did that happen?"

"Michelle was babysitting me, and she was on the phone with one of her friends. This friend just happened to let it slip that Michelle's boyfriend was cheating on her, and Michelle screamed 'that son-of-a-bitch!' at the top of her lungs, and I heard it. Later that night, I asked my mom what it meant. The looks on hers and Charlie's faces were priceless." Amanda looked a bit wistful when she remembered that, and Jordan noticed it immediately. There was a long pause as the waitress brought their food and drinks, and an even longer pause while they ate for a bit.

"Still hurts to talk about your mom, doesn't it?" Jordan said gently.

"Yeah," Amanda said. "Guess it doesn't stop."

"I've been in that same situation," Jordan said. "My mother was murdered when I was about 10 years old. I've spent the majority of the past 3 years trying to find out who did it, with no luck. I finally gave up on it. I finally figured out that I was hurting the people I loved by doing it, and I didn't want to hurt them anymore."

"Like dad?" Amanda asked.

"Your dad's a good man, and he's a good cop. But this was one murder mystery he got sick of being involved in. Every time I got close to finding out, I'd shut everything and everyone out, including him. He almost walked out on me last year, and that's what woke me up. I didn't want to lose him, so I did everything I could to keep him, including giving up the search for my mother's killer. It's been tough, but it's been worth it."

"I want to find the bastards that killed my mother," Amanda said with a fire in her eyes. "Not for me, but for my little sisters and Charlie. They deserve to see some justice."

"And what about you?"

"I just want to get on with my life, and if getting those guys helps me do it, then so be it."

They talked a lot over lunch (Chicken wraps and Oreo milkshakes), and then they decided to do some shopping. Jordan discovered that along with singing and sarcasm, Amanda had an extraordinary talent for shopping. Amanda had a credit card for a great deal of the stores, including one for Aeropostale, "But only so I can get PJs." She also discovered that Amanda was able to pay all the bills on time, due to the incredible amount of money she had saved from working in Wisconsin.

"I've never known an 18 year old who could actually pay off their credit card bills on time," Jordan said as they walked to the car, purchases in hand.

"Well, you've never known me and my friends before," Amanda said as they reached the car and got in. "We do a lot of things people don't expect."

"Like that table dancing?" Jordan asked with a slightly evil grin.

"My god, how many times do I have to say this? It wasn't REAL table dancing. All we did was get up on the bar and show off our new dance routines. It's not really table dancing unless you're doing it in a strip club."

"And how do you know that?"

"Lexi and Lucy's older brother Tom told us."

"That works."

"Yep," Amanda said. "It also worked when our moms found out about it..."

"Thanks for the ride Jordan," Amanda said as they parked in front of the apartment building. She then thought of something that could pose a problem: her dad.

"Does Dad know that you skipped me out of school?"

"Yeah," Jordan said, looking surprised. "Funny thing is, he actually encouraged it..."

"That is obviously not my dad, then," Amanda said seriously.

"Yes, something must have happened to the REAL Woody Hoyt," Jordan said, laughing at Amanda's mock seriousness.

Amanda waved one last time at Jordan before going into the building. As Jordan drove away, she thought, "This is going to be one interesting parent-kid relationship..."