A/N: hello all! It's been quite a while since I last updated, but my show is over now and I'm devoting my week of freedom to writing! Yay!
thanks to everyone who reviewed... and kept me in line about updating.

Anywho. I don't own Mort, I own the book, the movie... the haircut, but not him. And I don't own Todd Downey... but does anyone? So I do own whoever isn't in the book, the movie... or you don't recognize.

And away we go!!!!!!!!

Mort had given Mickenzie the only copy he had of his story. She was honored that he trusted her so much, but this story creeped her out. Maybe because it was real. Too real.
"Todd Downey knew that love would never come if he didn't let it. So he decided in that moment she would be his..."

Was this "girl" supposed to be her? Was "Todd Downey" Mort? And what about "Friday Surprise"? What about it? She asked herself He has a big and overactive imagination! Isn't that why you like him?
but the question still haunted Mickenzie, "What about Friday Surprise?"

Mort never talked about his old school. He never mentioned old friends, teachers... and Mrs. Rainey wasn't any help. She hated Mickenzie and Mickenzie knew this.

But her parents wanted to know more, to know everything. The night they went over to talk to Mrs. Rainey, they returned convinced that she was hiding something...
"I think you're being paranoid, mom" Mickenzie said, trying her best to act surprised, but Mickenzie believed this too. That the Raineys were hiding something, something that had happened in Kentucky.

She decided to use her connections at the Newspaper to research on her own. She pulled out the scrapbooks of old papers and began to search.

It was after 2 hours that she finally found something a small AP article in the New York Times, about Kentucky.

Lunch Lady Drowns Self
Owensboro, KY The death of a woman in Kentucky has been ruled a suicide. 57-year-old Bertha Willsonn was found Friday head first in a pot in Owensboro High School's cafeteria. Principal Pam Potter says, "It just isn't like Bertha...to drown...her problems, if she had any she could have come to me..." Students were given the day off to mourn what some called their "best friend" AP

Mickenzie rubbed her eyes in disbelief; "Friday Surprise" it wasn't just a story, but maybe Mort didn't have anything to do with it. I mean, he could have read the same article...but the quick move...the quietness, it was all making sense"

"I'm calling it quits tonight!" Mickenzie said out loud closing the book.

Mort was relatively happy today. He had already decided he was going to tell Mickenzie he loved her. He was actually going to say it too, not just write a note. If only those guys back home could see "Murmuring Morton" now: A big city kid dating an Uptown girl. He was going to get contacts and was letting his hair grow long...he was cool now.
"AaaaY!!" he said into the mirror.
Only a Dork needs to imitate cool to feel it.
"That's not true!"
Is it? Seems to me, like you're a liar...
"I haven't lied! I don't lie!!!!!!"
Mort threw a stapler at the mocking image.

Ring...ring...ring...phone.

Mort still shaking picked the phone up.
"Hello?" he said into the receiver, trying his best to steady his voice.

"Mort? It's Mickenzie, listen...I'm sorry this is such short notice, but I'm going to have to cancel our date tonight..."
Mort was silent on the other end. He'd been preparing and...

"Mort? Are you there?"
"Yeah, no that's um... that's fine, maybe...why?"
"My parents told my grandmother we'd visit her tonight. I'm sorry Mort, really I am. They made the plans a few weeks ago..."
Mickenzie never paused. She was either telling the truth or a well rehearsed lie. Either way it made Mort's temples ache and forehead grow hot.
"So um... I'll talk to you later?" Mickenzie attempted to sound cheery
"yeah, I'll call you tomorrow..."

"Bye." Mickenzie said hanging the phone up gently.
"I love you." Mort whispered to the dial tone.

"Morton!" Myra called from downstairs. "You have a letter here!"
Mort met his mother at the bottom of the stairs and took his letter to his room. It hadn't been sent through the postal service. There wasn't any address or stamp. Only his name, "Mort" written neatly in the center of the envelope. He recognized the handwriting: Mickenzie's

"Dear Mort,
You have no idea how many times I've written and rewritten this letter. It's a difficult one to write.
you have made me very very happy for the past couple of months, and I will never forget all of the wonderful times we shared. I'm afraid; however, that I'm not what you're looking for.
I would very much like to remain friends; I do not intend to cut off all ties! I simply think that us as "boyfriend/girlfriend" just isn't working out. Please don't be mad!

I will always remember us.
Forever,
Mickenzie"

Mort put the letter down. He could no longer read through the blurring tears that steamed up his glasses. He'd been dumped. He loved her! He gave her everything he could. Now she was dumping him, probably for some football player.
Mort didn't need to hear it! He could read. He was a writer for Christ's sake! He knew how to tell fact from fiction. And now he'd simply continue with the story. They'd be friends...forever...

So that's all for now, kids. Hopefully I'll get to write more of this and I'll get it up soon.
REVIEWS ARE MY FRIENDS!!!!!!!! If you get impatient... find a way to keep bugging me and I'll get a new chapter up!
the real twist is coming up. I'm sure of that! Also, look for some of the book characters to make appearances... hmmmmmm interesting....

That's all she wrote.