Here's the next chappie! And boy, it's a doozy...
Read on...

-.-.-

Seven o'clock the next morning found Cody lying on her back on her bed, her room a complete mess. Celine Dion was serenading her from the radio on her desk, and she held a brush to her mouth, singing to her ceiling:

"All by myself…
Don't wanna be all by myself anymore…
Hard to be sure,
Sometimes I feel so insecure
And loves so distant and obscure
Remains the cure…"

"Wow…something getting you down?" Remy said from the doorway.

"How long have you been listening?" Cody asked, not bothering to sit up.

"Cody…" she said, sitting beside her on the bed. "Is it Squib?"

"Maybe."

"What'd he do?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Why? What's on your mind?" she asked, patting Cody's arm.

Cody rolled over onto her side, not facing Remy. She sighed, "My dad thinks I should go to school in Massachusetts."

"What!"

"I just got a letter from a school I applied to ages ago."

"But…you're not going…right?"

Cody rolled over to face her. "I don't know," she said. "I just don't know…and I really don't want to talk about that, either." Finally, she heaved herself up off the bed. "I should go take this back to Adena." She picked up the wrinkled pink dress off the floor and left Remy alone in the room.

-.-.-

"Ms. Myers," said a voice behind Cody. "You're looking lovely today."

Cody groaned, "I'm really not in the mood, Rick."

"Not in the mood?" he said, coming up behind her and putting his arm around her shoulders. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing."

"I see. Maybe we could talk about it over dinner tonight?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows at her.

"Rick-"

"I understand."

"I think you're a great guy, Rick, but-"

"Cody," he said, stopping her, mid-sentence. "It's okay. I get it."

"I'll talk to you later," she said, leaving him to walk in the opposite direction.

She approached Adena's door, but didn't knock right away…A noise was coming from the other side of the door. Pressing her ear against the door, Cody listened.

"…Who could ever love you more?"

"Adena?"

What ever was going on stopped immediately, and Cody heard loud footsteps approaching the door. If flew open to reveal Tanis's red face, and her hair a mess.

"Tanis?"

"Hey, Cody…what're you doing here?"

"Oh, I came to give this back to Adena- wait, was that you singing?"

"No," she replied a little too quickly.

"It was!" Cody insisted, "Wow. From what I heard just now, you were pretty good. What was that?"

"Just this song I'm doing for the talent show," she mumbled, blushing. "Here, I'll take that." She took the dress from Cody's hands and threw it behind her onto the floor.

"Listen, is Adena in there?"

"No, she left about twenty minutes ago…why?"

"Well- I- can I talk to you, then?"

Tanis looked surprised. "Uh, sure…come on in," she said, opening the door for Cody. "So what's up?" she asked, pushing some clothes away and sitting down on her bed. Cody sat next to her and took a deep breath.

"Well, last night…"

"Oh, my God! Is it Squib? What happened? Give me all the details-" The look on Cody's face told Tanis she'd made a big mistake and she stopped immediately.

"I got this letter," she started. "A school in Boston offered me a spot in one of their photography classes."

"They what?"

"Look, look, wait. I don't even know if I'm going yet. I just…I need some time to figure out some things. I guess what I'm asking for…is your opinion?"

Tanis looked shocked. "Cody, you can't leave! You just can't!"

"Of course," Cody said with an air of sarcasm, "Who else will you get your homework from when you need it?"

"I mean it, Cody," Tanis said honestly, "We'd really miss you."

"Really?"

Tanis smiled. "Really," she said, pulling Cody into a hug. "But…" she started, "You know what?"

"What?" Cody asked, pulling away.

Tanis stared at the floor, fidgeting a bit. She bit her bottom lip and looked back at Cody, a sincere look on her face. "This may sound mean, but don't take it the wrong way, okay?" Cody nodded. "I think Squib would miss you a whole lot more." Tanis paused, and took in a deep breath, "If you left, Cody, we'd all be sad. But, Squib…I dunno. I don't think he'd be the same."

"And what makes you think that?"

"Can't you see it in the way he looks at you? I know you may not believe it, but I think he's crazy about you, Cody."

"Yeah, well, I'm still deciding."

"It's up to you," Tanis said, getting up off the bed.

"Thanks, Tanis. I'll see you later," Cody said, walking towards the door.

"Hey, Cody?"

"Hm?"

"Just…just talk to him, okay?"

"…I'll see."

-.-.-

"Ladies and gentlemen," Adena's voice boomed over the PA system, "the Cascadia talent show is this Friday! That's right, this Friday! If you haven't already signed up, sign-up sheets are in the front lobby, the-"

"I told you to stay away from that microphone!" President Bates yelled in the background.

"So hurry and sign-up," Adena finished quickly, "And come show us what you've go-Augh!" She was cut off by a loud banging noise, and the hallway went quiet.

"You signing up?" Cameron asked.

"Yeah right," Squib said, wiping the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. "Talent shows are for fourth-graders with nothing but pop songs and clarinets."

"So then I guess you didn't hear about Tanis, then."

"Tanis?"

"Yep. She's singing on Friday," he said, "And apparently she's pretty damned good at it."

"Whatever. I'm going swimming. You in?"

"Can't. Promised I'd go see Gunnerson. He wants to see me."

"Ooh, troublemaker, huh?"

"No clue."

"Hey, uh, Squib?" Cody called from behind him. He turned around.

"Cody…hey. What's up?"

"I was wondering if, maybe, I could talk to you for a bit? It's kind of important."

"Uh…sure. I'm gonna get changed then head down to the pool. I'll meet you there?"

"Sure," she agreed, "I need to do something first. I'll be down in a little while."

"Okay. I'll see you then," he said, and she stalked off with a slight atmosphere of gloominess hanging over her. Squib looked at Cameron, who only shrugged and stepped into their room.

-.-.-

"Hey, Squib," Remy said from the side of the pool as he came up for air. He was the only one swimming.

"Hey."

"You…mind if I join you?" she asked timidly, "There's not too much to do around here. I don't play tennis and I can't find Cody."

"Sure. Enjoy it," he said, "The pool's never empty." He swam another length as Remy took her shirt and pants off, revealing a bright blue two-piece. She sat on the edge of the pool and gradually slid herself in.

"It's cold," she said.

"You get used to it," he said quickly, before going underwater again. He came up a few feet down the wall from her.

"Squib," she said, leaning an arm out of the side of the pool. "I don't mean to be rude or impose or anything…But I heard things with Cody didn't exactly work out as planned."

"What?"

"Well, she was really upset this morning," she explained, inching closer.

"Things are fine…" he said cautiously.

"Well," she said, "You know…if things don't work out between you two…I'm always available." She moved further down the wall towards Squib, until she was nearly touching him.

"Remy," he said, resisting her. "I think you're great and stuff, but-" Before he knew it, Remy's lips were on Squib's and her hands found their way to the back of his neck, pulling him closer. He tried to push her off but she refused. Fuming, Squib grabbed her by the arms, pushed him off of her, and looked over her shoulder just in time to see Cody fleeing from the room, simply furious.

-.-.-

I know what you're thinking: omgwtf! Remy, that bitch! DO NOT worry, I won't let it happen!
Look for an update sometime soon and please review!