"A woman who'll wait for the third time around, head in the clouds, feet on
the ground
She's girl he's glad he's found, she's his shipoopi."
---Shipoopi, The Music Man
The next afternoon Summer was awoken by the sound of her phone going off around one.
"Hello?" She groggily asked answering the phone
"It's Kristi."
"Hi. What's up?"
"Well, I've got Becca over at my house and we're just a little curious about how the date went last night."
"If you mean did I tell him about Sam the answer is a big fat no. I chickened out."
"What do you mean you chickened out Summer?"
"She chickened out again?" Summer could hear Becca say in the background
"I couldn't tell him. I don't know if it's because I was scared or because we're finally in this good place and I didn't want to screw that up again."
"If you didn't want to screw things up you should have told him six months ago!" Becca said getting on the line, "There's probably never going to be a good time to tell him. I mean the longer you wait the more upset Seth is going to get when he finds out."
"I know that Bec..."
"Then why don't you do something?"
Summer sighed deeply and then began to speak but was interrupted by Sam crying in the living room.
"That's Sam." She said, "I've gotta go."
"Okay. Talk to you Monday?"
"Yeah."
Summer hung up the phone and made her way into the living room.
"Why'd you guys let me sleep so late?" Summer asked as lifted Sam out of her playpen
"You looked so peaceful. We thought we'd let you rest for a change." Meg said walking out of the kitchen carrying a bottle
"Well thank you."
"So, how was the date last night?" Kellie asked moving from her spot in front of the television.
"I don't even want to talk about it."
-------
The next morning Summer walked into Drama trying not to look Kristi or Becca in the eye. She hadn't talked to either one of them since Sunday afternoon.
"Hey." Wasman said as he and Counterman walked up to her
"You heard about the conversation, didn't you?" Summer asked as she folded her arms.
"Yeah. Kristi called me. And now I am your friend and all but..."
"You've got to take her side, right?"
"Maybe it's because I'm a guy, maybe it's because I saw a lot of similarities between Seth and I, maybe it's because I've watched Sam grow, but if I were him I would want to know that I had a daughter."
"Same here." Counterman agreed
"You guys stop. Please." Summer sighed, "I know. I know how horrible I'm being about all of this."
"Excuse me!" Ms. Casey yelled from the front of the room, "I know I'm being unreasonable here, but could the soap opera formerly known as Drama three please come to an end?"
-------
"Loyalty was this weekend. Did you all have fun?" Mr. Upton asked that afternoon
"Oh yeah loads, up until the cops came and Summer and a few of us had to be questioned by the cops." Wasman said under his breath
"What happened?" Mr. Upton asked
"Wait, you were just questioned? I heard that you were taken down to the station and booked." Missy interrupted
"No, it was just a few questions." Wasman told her
"I still want to know what happened." Mr. Upton said exasperated
"There were these two girls; one is my friend's girlfriend..." Summer began, trying to get her mind on something other than Seth
"Ex girlfriend." Wasman interrupted
"That's right. Ex girlfriend. Anyway she and this other girl got into it one needed stitches, the other got her nose broke. I felt like I was home again."
"Wait, so no one got killed? I heard that someone got killed." Delilah asked
"How did this get around so fast?" Wasman asked shaking his head.
"Wait," Mr. Upton said confused, "They have fights in Orange County?"
"My friends sure did. Like my boyfriend he was at my ex friend Holly's party with his brother Ryan, and they both got into this fight with my best friend ex boyfriend Luke. Ooh and there was this other time when Luke and Ryan got into a fight and they ended up burning this house down. And there was this other time when this guy came to a party and..."
"That was a rhetorical question, but thank you anyway Summer." Mr. Upton said interrupting, "Now if no one objects we need to get on with today's assignment."
-------
Summer walked out of the nursery holding Sam's carrier on her hip and made her way outside towards the library. It had been almost eight months since she was last there. Everyone still got along then, she was still pregnant with Sam, and she still believed that it would be easy to tell Seth the truth.
As she walked into the library she ran into a friendly face.
"Katherine! Hi." She exclaimed
"Hey Summer. Haven't seen you since...well you know early Saturday morning. So I guess in the scheme of things that really isn't a long time, but..."
"I know what you mean." Summer smiled
"Good. So, I probably shouldn't be telling you this but all Seth could talk about Sunday on the way to the airport was you."
"Really?"
"Uh-huh. It actually got kind of annoying."
"Like what did he say? In detail."
Katherine laughed, "How much time do you have?"
"An hour and a half. Meg's coming to get me today."
"You're not going with Wasman or Becca?"
"Kristi, Becca and I aren't really speaking at the moment."
"Why don't you come with me then? I have more than enough room in the car."
"Are you sure?"
"Totally. Come on."
-------
Fifteen minutes later Summer and Katherine sat on Summer's bed talking while Sam took a nap.
"So, aren't you going to ask me?" Summer asked pulling a pillow up to her chest.
"Ask you what?" Katherine asked trying to play coy
"Why I haven't told Seth yet."
"No, I'm not going to ask. I mean I love Becca and Kristi dearly but unlike them, I know that ultimately I have no say in it."
"Thank you Katherine."
"It's no problem."
-------
That night Summer sat at the kitchen table finishing off a much needed bowl of chocolate ice cream while talking to Seth on the phone.
"So you want to tell me what's wrong?" Seth asked
"What makes you think something's wrong?" Summer asked
"Your voice. You sound distant. Like something's wrong."
"Becca, Kristi and I got into a fight over something stupid. Now we're not speaking."
"I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault. Hopefully we'll be able to talk it out tomorrow. We've got a fundraiser at night and the only thing worse than being out in the cold for hours upon hours is being out in the cold for hours upon hours and having someone be mad at you."
"That's true. "
Summer sighed and looked up at the clock.
"Hey, so it's almost one here, so I've got to be getting to bed if I don't want to have to OD on caffeine to be able to function tomorrow."
"Yeah, I need to get started on some homework. Talk to you tomorrow?"
"Talk to you tomorrow."
"Bye."
"Bye."
Summer pushed end, put her empty bowl in the sink, and headed towards her bedroom. She ran her fingers against her sleeping daughters cheek.
"I wish so much that you could know you're daddy." She whispered, "But now isn't the right time. But soon."
She's girl he's glad he's found, she's his shipoopi."
---Shipoopi, The Music Man
The next afternoon Summer was awoken by the sound of her phone going off around one.
"Hello?" She groggily asked answering the phone
"It's Kristi."
"Hi. What's up?"
"Well, I've got Becca over at my house and we're just a little curious about how the date went last night."
"If you mean did I tell him about Sam the answer is a big fat no. I chickened out."
"What do you mean you chickened out Summer?"
"She chickened out again?" Summer could hear Becca say in the background
"I couldn't tell him. I don't know if it's because I was scared or because we're finally in this good place and I didn't want to screw that up again."
"If you didn't want to screw things up you should have told him six months ago!" Becca said getting on the line, "There's probably never going to be a good time to tell him. I mean the longer you wait the more upset Seth is going to get when he finds out."
"I know that Bec..."
"Then why don't you do something?"
Summer sighed deeply and then began to speak but was interrupted by Sam crying in the living room.
"That's Sam." She said, "I've gotta go."
"Okay. Talk to you Monday?"
"Yeah."
Summer hung up the phone and made her way into the living room.
"Why'd you guys let me sleep so late?" Summer asked as lifted Sam out of her playpen
"You looked so peaceful. We thought we'd let you rest for a change." Meg said walking out of the kitchen carrying a bottle
"Well thank you."
"So, how was the date last night?" Kellie asked moving from her spot in front of the television.
"I don't even want to talk about it."
-------
The next morning Summer walked into Drama trying not to look Kristi or Becca in the eye. She hadn't talked to either one of them since Sunday afternoon.
"Hey." Wasman said as he and Counterman walked up to her
"You heard about the conversation, didn't you?" Summer asked as she folded her arms.
"Yeah. Kristi called me. And now I am your friend and all but..."
"You've got to take her side, right?"
"Maybe it's because I'm a guy, maybe it's because I saw a lot of similarities between Seth and I, maybe it's because I've watched Sam grow, but if I were him I would want to know that I had a daughter."
"Same here." Counterman agreed
"You guys stop. Please." Summer sighed, "I know. I know how horrible I'm being about all of this."
"Excuse me!" Ms. Casey yelled from the front of the room, "I know I'm being unreasonable here, but could the soap opera formerly known as Drama three please come to an end?"
-------
"Loyalty was this weekend. Did you all have fun?" Mr. Upton asked that afternoon
"Oh yeah loads, up until the cops came and Summer and a few of us had to be questioned by the cops." Wasman said under his breath
"What happened?" Mr. Upton asked
"Wait, you were just questioned? I heard that you were taken down to the station and booked." Missy interrupted
"No, it was just a few questions." Wasman told her
"I still want to know what happened." Mr. Upton said exasperated
"There were these two girls; one is my friend's girlfriend..." Summer began, trying to get her mind on something other than Seth
"Ex girlfriend." Wasman interrupted
"That's right. Ex girlfriend. Anyway she and this other girl got into it one needed stitches, the other got her nose broke. I felt like I was home again."
"Wait, so no one got killed? I heard that someone got killed." Delilah asked
"How did this get around so fast?" Wasman asked shaking his head.
"Wait," Mr. Upton said confused, "They have fights in Orange County?"
"My friends sure did. Like my boyfriend he was at my ex friend Holly's party with his brother Ryan, and they both got into this fight with my best friend ex boyfriend Luke. Ooh and there was this other time when Luke and Ryan got into a fight and they ended up burning this house down. And there was this other time when this guy came to a party and..."
"That was a rhetorical question, but thank you anyway Summer." Mr. Upton said interrupting, "Now if no one objects we need to get on with today's assignment."
-------
Summer walked out of the nursery holding Sam's carrier on her hip and made her way outside towards the library. It had been almost eight months since she was last there. Everyone still got along then, she was still pregnant with Sam, and she still believed that it would be easy to tell Seth the truth.
As she walked into the library she ran into a friendly face.
"Katherine! Hi." She exclaimed
"Hey Summer. Haven't seen you since...well you know early Saturday morning. So I guess in the scheme of things that really isn't a long time, but..."
"I know what you mean." Summer smiled
"Good. So, I probably shouldn't be telling you this but all Seth could talk about Sunday on the way to the airport was you."
"Really?"
"Uh-huh. It actually got kind of annoying."
"Like what did he say? In detail."
Katherine laughed, "How much time do you have?"
"An hour and a half. Meg's coming to get me today."
"You're not going with Wasman or Becca?"
"Kristi, Becca and I aren't really speaking at the moment."
"Why don't you come with me then? I have more than enough room in the car."
"Are you sure?"
"Totally. Come on."
-------
Fifteen minutes later Summer and Katherine sat on Summer's bed talking while Sam took a nap.
"So, aren't you going to ask me?" Summer asked pulling a pillow up to her chest.
"Ask you what?" Katherine asked trying to play coy
"Why I haven't told Seth yet."
"No, I'm not going to ask. I mean I love Becca and Kristi dearly but unlike them, I know that ultimately I have no say in it."
"Thank you Katherine."
"It's no problem."
-------
That night Summer sat at the kitchen table finishing off a much needed bowl of chocolate ice cream while talking to Seth on the phone.
"So you want to tell me what's wrong?" Seth asked
"What makes you think something's wrong?" Summer asked
"Your voice. You sound distant. Like something's wrong."
"Becca, Kristi and I got into a fight over something stupid. Now we're not speaking."
"I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault. Hopefully we'll be able to talk it out tomorrow. We've got a fundraiser at night and the only thing worse than being out in the cold for hours upon hours is being out in the cold for hours upon hours and having someone be mad at you."
"That's true. "
Summer sighed and looked up at the clock.
"Hey, so it's almost one here, so I've got to be getting to bed if I don't want to have to OD on caffeine to be able to function tomorrow."
"Yeah, I need to get started on some homework. Talk to you tomorrow?"
"Talk to you tomorrow."
"Bye."
"Bye."
Summer pushed end, put her empty bowl in the sink, and headed towards her bedroom. She ran her fingers against her sleeping daughters cheek.
"I wish so much that you could know you're daddy." She whispered, "But now isn't the right time. But soon."
