AN: This is the second book of the Allie Bell Series. The first book is called 'Butterfly Underwear', in which I write in first person. Sorry about the confusion, but I'm in a third-person mood, and that's what this one is in!

Chapter 1

Allie Bell pushed back her hat and looked up. The sky was very blue that day, and there was only one group of clouds hanging out, far to the east. It wouldn't bother their perfect picnic day. The fluffy cotton balls suspended in the air were the friendly and pretty kind, the kind that looked like you could poke it and your finger would sink in. The birds chirping in the trees above made the view perfect. She tipped her head further backward to take in more—

A thump from her right brought her back to earth and the preparations for the church picnic.

"Nice catch, Allie Cat," came a teasing voice coming from somewhere on earth as she snapped back into focus and bent to pick up her ball. She almost blushed at the use of her nickname. It had come from her obsession with a Disney movie 'The Aristacats' when she was a little girl. She would always go around the house singing the songs from that movie, and one time her father caught her singing, "I'm O'Malley, the ally cat." And, since her first name was Allie, the nickname stuck.

Allie grinned over at Justin and straightened. "Thanks," she said, tossing it up in the air and praying she'd catch it with ease. She sighed when it plopped gently and safely back into her hand. "I've been practicing all winder, just for this."

"Playing catch with me. I'm sure. Since we play catch so often," Justin said dryly, teasing grin and all still firmly in place. "And since when do you have time between classes and your party-animal roommate to play catch?"

"We do have sports groups that do stuff on weekends," Allie said, knowing very well that she was not answering his question and that he would probably catch her avoidance.

"Quit dodging my question."

A voice cleared—just in time, thought Allie—from a few feet away. Justin's very stressed-out mother who was also the host of the picnic was standing and frowning over at the slacking college students. They were playing catch with a newfound ball that Justin had lost months ago, all the while everybody else worked.

"We have decorating, table moving, sweet-corn husking, sweeping, and balloon hanging to do, all before the people start arriving!" And with that, Mrs. Hughes thrust a bag of crepe paper streamers and balloons into her son's hands. With a shrug, he sat down on the front steps and started blowing up balloons.

Justin's house was huge. He lived in one of those rich neighborhoods out in the country, and his lawn was the biggest Allie had ever seen. It was perfect for the annual church picnic, with plenty of chatting space for the adults and a swing set, pool, and hammock for the kids to play on. Tables, benches, and folding lawn chairs were spread out between the trees, a high school student that had volunteered to help was sweeping the extra large driveway, and people were picking up sticks from the trees that had landed on the lawn, tossing them in the faithful wheelbarrow.

Allie was watching 'the boss', Justin's perfectionist mother, shooting orders left and right to her high school recruits. Allie grinned, forgetting about the balloon on her lips that was in the process of being blown up, and giggled at the sound it made. Justin, turning, sent an odd look her way, which she returned with a smack across the face with her half-air-filled balloon.

He gave her hair a tug. "You look like a little girl with your pigtails."

"It's what I was going for," Allie replied sarcastically. She'd braided her hair into to pigtails and stuck a baseball cap on top, the perfect picnic hairdo.

Having blown up half the balloons in the bag, they focused on winding streamers up the poles and from the windows and tables.

"So…" Allie started, "How was your second year of college?"

"Boring, tedious, and fun," Justin replied, as if it was only typical. "How about yours?"

Allie laughed. "I've never heard those three words used in one sentence, much less describing the same thing." She shrugged. "My year was okay, I guess, considering how much sleep I lost waiting for my roommate to get home. That girl is what you said, a party animal."

"You wait up for her?" Justin's expression softened. Okay, so he wasn't as sarcastic and hard-hearted as she'd once thought. When she was younger, she'd had the biggest crush on him, and had been scared to death whenever facing him because of his sarcastic comments. She'd been so nervous around him that she could never find a comeback to shoot back at him, and therefore hadn't caught his attention whatsoever. Now that she was a college student and didn't care what the heck he thought of her, she'd gotten him good with several retorts and subsequently earned his respect and friendship.

"What am I supposed to do?" asked Allie, shrugging as she handed him a piece of tape. She looked up at him as he twisted the two streamers together and taped them in a sort of upside down McDonald's sign above the window. "I mean, what if she's out there somewhere, hurt or lost or in a situation worse than that, and I'm at home sleeping when I could have done something to help her. I would never get that off my conscience, and I would always feel guilty."

"Does she know all of this?" He cut the ends of the streamers at the bottom of the window, letting them hang down and blow in the wind. He hopped off the table and examined his work.

"What, am I supposed to tell her or something?" Allie asked.

Justin shrugged. "I think my creation looks good."

She gave him a playful shove. "And who came up with the design? And you could have never done it without a tape person. I mean, I was there handing you tape and giving you moral support the whole entire time, and you give me no credit."

"Okay, thanks Allie, for your moral support," Justin said sarcastically.

Just then a wolf whistle sounded behind her. "Well, don't you look just downright bella," said the same voice that whistled at her. "I can see that I nicknamed you well!"

Allie spun and ran to her aunt. "Tia Christie! When did you get here? Why are you here?"

Christie hugged her niece tight and stepped back to examine the younger girl a bit more. "Oh, well, I decided to come and visit, since you're going to be home for the summer. What better a way to spend money than to see my gorgeous niece?"

Allie blushed. "Thanks, Tia. How did you know I'd be here?"

Christie smiled. "I stopped by your house, and your mother said you were here, helping out before the picnic. I decided to come and surprise you." She looked past her shoulder. "Is that Justin I see over there?"

Allie shushed her aunt and blushed at the same time. "Yes, that's him. But… I think things are different now."

"You don't get all sweaty and nervous around him anymore?" asked Christie as if it were the most natural thing in the world to ask.

Ignoring the question and grabbing her aunt's hand, she led her over to Justin, who was standing back to watch the reunion. "Justin, this is my Tia Christie," Allie cleared her throat, "My aunt Christie, whom I think you've met before. It's been a long time."

"Oh, yes, it has," Christie grinned and shook Justin's hand.