On the Right Track

"For the last time, stop doing the wave!" Mr. Alcazar shouted, slamming the chalk onto his desk. Met only with hastily hidden grins and stifled giggles, the Spaniard dragged a hand through his thick hair as he bowed his head, trying to conceal his own smile from the class. But knew he was failing miserably when the giggles grew less discreet.

Even with their AP exam in less than three months, his period six Calculus class seemed to be hell-bent on doing anything but studying. Instead, they were doing the wave.

He shook his head with a chuckle. Arranging the desks in U formation around his desk had most definitely been a mistake.

And seating Sonny Corinthos next to Jason Morgan had also been a terrible mistake. The two track team captains were his very own Pied Pipers, and they were leading the rest of the derelicts astray. Even his perfect little Elizabeth Webber – little being the operative word – was growing more and more hyperactive under the deliberate and defiant guidance of her best friend. Sonny had long been trying to get her loosen up, and it was no coincidence that Mr. Alcazar had nicknamed the two Bonnie and Clyde. In their little corner with Jason and Luke, the two were as thick as thieves.

"Honestly, what am I going to do with you hoodlums?" Mr. Alcazar asked, shaking his head as he allowed a flusteped grin to surface. "It's a battlefield in here every day."

Sonny grinned back at his favorite teacher. "Sorry, Czar, but the battle's been won – we've captured Elizabeth!"

The petite brunette let out a laugh as she reached out to smack his shoulder. "Stop objectifying me, Don Corinthos.".

"Then stop calling me Don."

"Then stop bossing me around, Don."

Jason grinned at the constant banter between the two. "Hey," he broke in, sweeping a gaze across the room. "Do we need to start another wave?"

"No!" Mr. Alcazar burst out, clapping a hand to his forehead. "No more waves – we've had enough. Now you derelicts are going to sit still and learn the Rolle Theorem if it kills you."

"Sorry, Czar," Luke Spencer apologized with a grin. He ran both hands through his unkempt hair as he leaned back in the uncomfortable wooden desk, stretching. "It's about that time."

Elizabeth glanced at the clock. Five minutes left until the bell for lunch rang. This was when everyone put away their books, much to the annoyance of Mr. Alcazar, and got ready for the mad dash to the parking lot. Even though lunch was only twenty-five minutes long, most seniors braved the death trap of a parking lot and the crazy, death-defying drive to the local fast food joints if it meant they could escape PC High for a little while and actually see the outside world. Since the architect who had designed the school several decades ago had been primarily used to designing prisons, it was no surprise that PC High had very few windows, except those on the stairwells.

Jason had told her a while back that he believed he was solar-powered. It made sense, he had claimed. When he got to school, it was dark, which resulted in his early-morning comatose appearance. When he came back from lunch he was always hyperactive, just like he was when he practiced on the track after school.

And Jason was always one of the first kids out the door when the bell rang, sometimes even before it rang. But the most antsy child was no doubt Marcus Taggert, who was busily dumping his notebook in his backpack even as she jotted down the homework.

Marcus always made it a point to leave class approximately three minutes early, just to annoy Mr. Alcazar. Sometimes it amazed her how the man never seemed to be angry with them despite all of their shenanigans.

"Not today, you miscreants." Her teacher's voice boomed across the room as it always did when he was trying to be authoritative. "Today you're not leaving until you learn the Rolle theorem, or so help me God-"

"Hey, Czar, no sweat," Luke drawled, sliding out of his desk and already sauntering toward the blackboard. Mr. Alcazar stared at him in surprise – Luke normally slept through most of the class. It was a welcome change to see him actually displaying an interest.

Elizabeth, however, knew better, and she could barely conceal her smile as Marcus slipped out of the room, waving a grateful hand at Luke for causing the diversion.

"Rolle's theorem," the tall blonde continued, placing a finger at the vertex of the parabola his teacher had drawn. "On every continuous function between point a and b, there shall be a point c that is not differentiable."

He glanced up at Mr. Alcazar, undeterred by the eyebrow the older man lifted in challenge. "So basically, all Rolle Man's saying is that every parabola must have a vertex."

"Exactly," Elizabeth crooned, shutting her own notebook as Luke sauntered back to his seat, shooting a triumphant grin at his teacher.

"You think I don't pay attention, Czar," he scolded, wagging a finger at the smirking Spaniard. "But I know my stuff."

Mr. Alcazar put his hands up in the air, signalling defeat. "Fine, Spence, fine," he agreed jeeringly. "But I don't think Cluver's going to believe me if he catches you sleeping again and I say that you're learning subconsciously."

Luke laughed at the mention of one of PC High's deans. "Don't worry," he laughed as he grabbed his notebook and calculator and stood up. A free spirit, Luke didn't believe in bringing a backpack to school – he said it cramped his style. "I've got him in my back pocket – he loves me."

"You keep telling yourself that, you little hooligan," Mr. Alcazar muttered, rolling his eyes. Luke Spencer was one of his favorite students, and he admired the young man's capability to learn so quickly and effortlessly. Still, the trumpet player was not above his ribbing. "I could tell how much he loved you the last time I saw you sitting in the detention room."

Luke pressed his lips together, a hint of a smirk passing on his face. "Touché, Czar, touché."

Mr. Alcazar shook his head, as he was accustomed to doing repeatedly in this class, and closed his textbook. Something must have occurred to the man suddenly because in an instant, he snapped his head up and scanned the room. "Hey – where's Marcus?"

No one answered. And no one met his eyes, choosing instead to stare at the tiles or study their feet. But Mr. Alcazar thought he saw the tail end of a smirk on Elizabeth's face, and that was all the answer he needed.

"He skipped out again, didn't he?" he demanded.

Elizabeth stifled a giggle as she watched her teacher's nostrils flare when he placed his hands on his hips.

"He may have gotten out today, but I'll be ready for him tomorrow," Mr. Alcazar vowed, shaking his head and snorting like an impatient horse.

The bell rang and the rest of the class got up, shooting sympathetic smiles at their flustered teacher.

"Sorry, Czar," Jason called out as he sped for the door. "You never had a chance."

Sonny followed quickly at Jason's heels, anxious to get out to his car. After all, today was Fishy Friday, which meant that just a few blocks down at Long John Silver's, there was a platter of shrimp and a side of cole slaw with his name on it. "Better luck tomorrow!"

Mr. Alcazar shook his head and slumped down in his chair, smiling at the rest of the children as they filed out. Elizabeth smiled cheekily at him and he raised an eyebrow as she walked toward the door. "Even you, huh, Webber?"

"Why, Mr. Alcazar," she replied with a saccharine sweet voice, batting her eyelashes in feigned innocence. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"A likely story, Bonnie," her teacher growled out, squeezing some hand lotion from the tube he kept on his desk. "Don't let those young hoods lead you astray."

Elizabeth leaned her way-too-thick Calculus book against her hip as she quirked an eyebrow at her teacher. "You're aware that these young hoods, as you call them, are honor students and two-year track captains."

Her teacher glowered at her, but his eyes widened before he could flip back some taunting remark. "Wait –the track meet's today, is it not?" His shoulders slumped when Elizabeth nodded. "I should have wished those boys good luck." Always one for school spirit, Elizabeth knew how much her teacher believed in positive reinforcement before big events. The day before Conference, he had dedicated a full ten minutes of his valuable teaching time to give Sonny and Jason a pep talk about the importance of teamwork, moral support, and whipping the other guys' butts. "When do they leave?"

"At about three o'clock," Elizabeth answered matter-of-factly.

Mr. Alcazar nodded. "I'll see them before then. But if I don't, pass along the message for me, Bonnie."

"Will do, Czar," Elizabeth called over her shoulder as she left the classroom and walked up the stairs to her locker.

She knew how much Mr. Alcazar enjoyed the school sports, and track and basketball had always been at the top of his list. He rarely missed a meet, but she knew he'd have to miss this one – it was his little girl's birthday the next day. So while Mr. Alcazar was helping little Sophia blow out her candles, Jason and Sonny would be running the 3200 meter relay.

The track team would be leaving after school and taking the school's athletic bus down to New York City, where all the other qualifying high schools would be meeting. They'd check into a hotel and then get up early the next day to run at the meet. And this wasn't just any meet – it was the State Conferences. This was the big event that the runners had prepared for all year long, and she knew how important it was to Sonny and Jason that their team at least place in the top three.

Brenda was driving down there to cheer the PC High Raider Runners on, that much she knew. It had been all the brunette could talk about ever since Sonny personally asked her to come. She'd played it cool like she always did, saying that she had nothing much to do over the weekend anyway, but inside, her best friend had been jumping for joy.

Elizabeth smiled at the thought. It looked like Sonny was finally taking the initiative and making some headway – his almost-relationship with Brenda was blossoming. And blossom it should, too, especially since Sonny had told all the guys that Brenda was off-limits right at the beginning of senior year. The loudmouth dancer had originally thought she must have been struck by halitosis at the rate the guys disappeared when she walked by, and never suspected that the local Don of the Student Union had everything to do with it.

Elizabeth figured it would only be a matter of time before Sonny worked up the courage to ask her out. For a while, he was able to hide behind seemingly innocent excuses – he'd ask her to come to the Welcome Back Raider Social to 'manage concessions', or he'd invite her to Student Union parties at his house because she'd helped with various projects. And now he was inviting her – or rather, begging her – to drive downstate with them to cheer the runners on. But Elizabeth had little doubt that Brenda would be cheering for only one of them.

The outlook for her and Jason, on the other hand, wasn't so rosy. In fact, everyone seemed to know about "her and Jason" except for Jason. It had even passed the point of ridiculous. Every time she passed by him in the hallway, she'd hear some sort of whistle or cat-call or hooting. Thankfully, Jason remained painfully oblivious to it all.

What with all the talk of Brenda going down to cheer on the runners, Sonny had been unable to escape his fair share of the teasing as well, and Mr. Alcazar even got in on the act during their Calculus class.

On some vain and foolish level, Elizabeth had hoped that Jason would ask her to attend as well. She wouldn't have minded a detached and even borderline flippant, "Hey, since Brenda's coming down to see us, maybe you could, too." It wasn't too much to ask for, right?

Wrong.

Jason had remained even quieter around her than usual, and the only words he said directly to her the entire period were, "Psst! Elizabeth! Start the wave!" How romantic.

And even while wishing he would show some interest in her, Elizabeth couldn't help but feel foolish. Here she was, so completely wrapped up in a tall, blonde, athletic fop of a boy that she could barely seem to do anything right. Things that were so effortless before now required intense concentration; she forgot the most important things and then ran around at last minute when her brain finally kicked in; even her teachers were beginning to wonder, and nothing was worse than having your Chemistry teacher set down his goggles and ask, "Honey, do you want to talk about something?" after everyone filed out of the room.

With a sigh, she stooped down on the tiles to unlock her locker. She was really going to have to shape up soon. There was no way she could continue on like this – she had too many responsibilities, too many duties to risk messing everything up just because she was hung up on some dumb boy.

Some dumb boy with perfect California highlights and bright blue eyes and a body Adonis would kill for.

With an angry huff, she shook her head and yanked the combination lock out. Opening her locker only a few inches, she managed to shove her notebook in and remove her Spanish textbook, then quickly slammed the door back in place and locked it, watching as it bulged out a few inches after she stepped away. She really should clean it out sometime afterschool.

"Beth! Beth!"

Elizabeth stood up to an excited yell belonging to her best friend. "Hey, Bren."

The tall brunette hopped to a stop before her, a wide smile adorning her face. "Hey, yourself. Want to go eat outside by the band room?"

Elizabeth nodded. It was a nice day outside, and there was plenty of sunshine. It was best to take advantage of it. "Sure." She winced when her hair caught in her necklace. Brenda noticed and moved forward, craning her neck to see what was causing her friend so much discomfort.

"What's wrong?"

Elizabeth winced again. "My dumb necklace. It's snagged in my hair, I think."

Brenda's fingers found the necklace. "Here, let me help."

Elizabeth let out a breath she didn't know she was holding when Brenda untangled her hemp choker. "Thanks."

"Cute necklace," Brenda noted. "Where'd you get it?"

"Actually, my grandma made it for me," Elizabeth explained, her fingers tugging the necklace down. It was a simple, thin hemp choker with several deep blue beads woven into it. "She gave it to me last year on the night of my Honors recital."

Brenda nodded, knowing how worried Elizabeth had been about it and how she'd practiced her piano piece for two solid weeks beforehand.

"It's our good luck necklace, I guess," Elizabeth shrugged. "The recital went great, and every time I needed some luck, the necklace helped."

"It's ma-gic," Brenda crowed, wiggling her eyebrows. Elizabeth laughed, shaking her head. "But, no – I understand. It's cool. Lots of people have luck charms. Sonny has this poker chip that he won over the summer, from when his family went back to visit Cuba and his dad let him gamble for the first time. And Jason's got his blue hackey-sack."

Elizabeth's lips pursed at the mention of Jason. She just couldn't seem to escape him. "Yeah, well. Let's go downstairs before I die of hunger."

Brenda smirked at Elizabeth's change of demeanor. "I second that. I need to fill up before I leave with the track team," she teased. Elizabeth's sigh was so soft that it was imperceptible, and Brenda figured her best friend was just ignoring her playful ribbing as always.

The two made their way down the hallway, Elizabeth trudging under the weight of her new resolution to snap herself out of her Jason-induced stupor, and Brenda skipping with joy at the thought of joining the object of her affections downstate.


The last bell rang and the senior hallway flooded with kids. Some dawdled at their lockers, some raced for the stairs, but most of them were gathered in a rowdy circle around the cross country runners, who stood proudly among their peers wearing their sharp red and blue windbreaker outfits.

Sonny flashed his signature grin complete with dimples as he looped an arm over Jason's shoulders. Jason glanced at him and forcibly grinned back while Sonny answered the crowd's cheers and questions. He loved the school spirit that was being displayed at that moment, and he loved being right in the thick of it. He pumped his fist in the air and lead the crowd in cheering, "Raiders! Raiders! Raiders!"

Jason stood by his side as he always did, the strong and silent captain. Sonny usually handled all the crowds and the questions and the girls. A smirk rose to his lips as he spied Brenda and Elizabeth walking down the hall towards them. The girls crowded around Sonny had better watch out, and for that matter, Sonny should as well.

Brenda pushed through the crowd and Sonny soon found her at his side, quirking an eyebrow at him in amusement and quickly bringing him back down to earth.

"Hey, Bren," he grinned warmly. She smiled back in reply, sweeping a gaze over the students that crowded around them.

"Look at this mob," she remarked in wonder, taking in all the seniors and juniors crowded together like a blood clot. "I've never seen this much energy before."

Sonny shrugged grandly. "What can I say? State conferences."

She nodded. "True." Leaning around Sonny, she tapped Jason on his broad shoulder and smiled warmly when he looked at her. "Psyched yet, Jase?"

Jason rolled his eyes at the outspoken brunette. She knew how much he hated being the center of attention when it came to these things – it wasn't as if he ran his fastest or trained his hardest for these crowds. He did it because he loved to run and compete and because it helped clear his mind. Under ideal conditions, they'd all leave him alone and let him run his race. "Well, I'll tell you one thing – I'm likin' the idea of heading downstate more and more ever since you showed up," he replied sarcastically, squirming away when Brenda tried to hit him.

Luke Spencer was the one to save him from the fiery bombshell's attack. Standing in the back somewhere, safely shielded from the view and the mob, Luke had taken his trumpet out of its black case and started playing the school song. Before long, the entire crowd was tapping and jumping along to the lively notes of his golden trumpet.

"All right, you little demons," came a loud voice down the hall. Sonny, Brenda, and Jason all turned around to see Mr. Alcazar standing firmly at the end of the hallway, his arms crossed over his chest. "I know you're all excited, but you're causing a raucus in the building. If you want to do that, do it outside."

Luke dropped his trumpet, hiding it behind his back and began to slowly slink off down the stairs. The rest of the students, after much straggling, followed him down to the main entrance where the bus was waiting for the runners.

The hallways slowly cleared as the kids ushered the cross country team down the stairs. Mr. Alcazar made his way slowly over to Sonny, Jason, Brenda, and Elizabeth, who still had yet to say anything.

"Just wanted to wish you boys luck," he smiled in encouragement. "Run your best, but don't kill yourselves over it – rememeber, we're proud enough that you boys qualified for state. You're the first team in the history of the school to do so. We've come close many times, but you're the first ones we're sending down to the Big Apple. Do your best – you'll do us proud either way."

Sonny and Jason grinned at each other and each of them shook their teacher's hand. "Thanks, Czar. We'll tell the guys that, too."

Mr. Alcazar nodded and turned away, calling over his shoulder. "And remember – whatever you do, be sure to beat Llanview's butts."

"Not a problem," Sonny muttered under his breath. He turned back to his friends, winking at Elizabeth and smiling down at his feet when Brenda casually rested an arm on his shoulder.

"You know, Jason," she drawled, "be prepared to have your own private cheering section right here." The brunette wagged her thumb at herself with a smirk. "And don't say I didn't give you fair warning."

Jason rolled his eyes, wishing Brenda didn't have the power to get under his skin like she did. "Tell you what, Barrett," he tossed back, "how about you stick to cheering for your Don over here and not pay any attention to me?"

A suddenly self-conscious Brenda hastily removed her arm from where it rested on Sonny's shoulder and tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear in a futile attempt to conceal her blush. "Y-you can't escape that easily, Morgan," she chided. "I'll be sure to drown out all the other spectators when you're running."

Sonny laughed, there being no doubt in his mind that she'd do it if it meant Jason would be annoyed.

Jason shot his best friend a dark glare before turning his attention back to Brenda. "I'd rather have hot pokers shoved up my nose than listen to your nasally voice whooping and wailing while I run, Barrett, and that's the truth."

Elizabeth snickered at the zinger, then realized too late that she shouldn't have, for now Brenda's attention was tuned on her. And the brunette was going to make her pay.

"Tsk, tsk," she clucked, her eyes darting from Jason to Elizabeth. "That's not a very nice thing to say. I wonder if you'd say the same thing to Beth if she came down to watch."

Damn it, Elizabeth cursed inwardly, narrowing her eyes at the brunette who dared to put her in the uncomfortable spotlight.

Jason didn't seem to know how to respond, and swallowed noisily before replying, "But Elizabeth's not coming down." The statement seemed to be a question, and it was directed more at Elizabeth than anyone else. "Are you? Would you, I mean?"

Sonny dipped his head to hide his smirk. It wasn't his job to make this as awkward as possible – it was Brenda's, and he knew she wouldn't disappoint.

Elizabeth felt her throat go dry and struggled for a suitable reply. Heck, forget suitable – any sort of reply was more than welcome.

"I'm not sure if I can," she replied honestly. It was the truth – even though she had secretly hoped Jason would ask her to come down, hoping and actually being able to were two entirely different things, as her luck would have it. "I have a lot of work to do this weekend – I already have to start planning out the Senior issue of the paper and I promised to volunteer."

Jason nodded, trying not to show his disappointment, and settled for one of his classic grins. "No problem, Little One," he tossed back easily. "We understand."

Brenda's lips hooked downward. She had really been hoping that she could embarrass her friend into driving down with her. Next to her, Sonny grabbed Jason's shoulder roughly.

"Come on, man, we have ten minutes 'til three," he pointed out, indicating the clock in the hallway. "The guys are waiting, and Preuss is going to kill us if we're late."

Jason nodded, then cringed at the mention of their fiery coach. "Yeah," he sighed, looking away from Elizabeth. "We should get going."

Sonny turned to Brenda, trying to keep his eyes glued to hers and not the low neckline of her off-the-shoulders, 80's style red sweater. "When are you coming down?"

Brenda considered it a moment. "I think I'm going to go home, change and eat, and hopefully be out the door in about an hour and a half."

Sonny nodded, inwardly not really caring what her plans were so long as she'd be down there with him. "Sounds good."

"Yeah," Jason chuckled, running a hand through his silky hair. "It should take us that long to get everyone checked into their rooms, anyway."

Elizabeth had to smile. The thought of fifteen high school boys staying on the same floor in the same hotel was just too funny – she didn't even want to think about how frazzled the maids and bellhops would be by the end of the weekend.

"All right," Brenda crowed with a dazzling smile directed at Sonny. "I'll see you boys later, then."

Sonny nodded, sliding her a flirtatious sidelong glance that made Elizabeth roll her eyes despite herself. "See you soon, Bren."

Elizabeth stepped up and laid a hand on his shoulder, and her bemused grin told Sonny exactly what she thought of the previous exchange. He blushed and looked away as she wished him luck.

"Thanks, Beth." Brenda, still dawdling around, smiled at the two of them.

Elizabeth turned to Jason hesitantly, all mirth gone. "Um, good luck, Jason. I'm sure you'll do great."

"Thanks," Jason smiled, clasping his hands behind his back and stretching idly. His windbreaker pulled tightly across his pectoral muscles, and Elizabeth had to make a conscious effort not to drool.

In the background, Sonny snickered at them and then grabbed Brenda's arm, tugging her a few paces away and speaking to her in a low voice that Elizabeth could barely hear.

"Are you nervous?" she asked Jason curiously, noting his casual stance and the carefree smile his lips twisted into.

"God, yes," he let out on a sigh, allowing a flustered grin. "We've never qualified for state before – there's so much riding on us, you know?"

Elizabeth nodded, and Jason knew she understood the weight of responsibility he felt now better than anyone else would. He found himself wishing he could be more like her – she was always swamped with schoolwork and extracurricular crap alike, and she never complained. Well, except for the Valentine's Day Balloon Sale and the 400 latex balloons the Student Union ordered for all the teachers. Sonny had a nice little bruise on his arm for that stunt. He claimed he walked into an open cabinet, but his friends knew better.

Still, Elizabeth was always able to juggle her duties around effortlessly, completing each one on time and not even skimping on quality. It made him wonder how she did it, how she pulled it all off without a hitch, and it made him wish he could borrow some of her resilience and strength.

"All I know is that we have to place in the top three at least. Everyone's counting on us – I hope we don't screw up."

Elizabeth nodded, watching him carefully. This was one of the first times she was seeing him in this light. Normally, Jason was gregarious and loud and carefree, but his attitude showed her that he was really zealous and focused when it came to things he took seriously. And running was one of them.

"Don't get too caught up in what everyone else is thinking, Jason." She chose her words carefully, feeling odd offering him advice. "No one else outside the team matters. Just do your best and walk away knowing you gave it your all."

Jason was watching her, scrutinizing her as carefully as she had him. When he spoke, his voice was low and raspy. "How do you do it, Little One?"

Elizabeth's eyebrows pinched together. "D-do what?"

"You have way more riding on you than I can even come up with. And what's more, you're always responsible for some thing or another. And yet you never flip out about it – it doesn't affect you."

He watched as her eyebrows climbed up her forehead. "It doesn't affect me? Of course it does! I flip out all the time – or haven't you noticed?"

He smiled at the teasing tone of her voice. Oh, I've noticed, he wanted to reply. Instead, Jason settled for a non-committed, "You don't seem like you do."

She amused him by rolling her sapphire orbs. "Trust me, I do." The words were followed by a self-assured shrug, and Jason could only watch as resilience and competency seemed to radiate off of her. "I just don't let myself caught up in it, you know? I don't believe in dwelling on these things. If I keep myself busy working on what I have to work on, then I don't have the time to sit down and think about how swamped I am. I don't have time to doubt myself, or wonder if I'll be able to get the job done or if I'll be able to keep up with everything else or if I'll actually be able to get some sleep at night. I just push through it all, and don't take a minute to breathe until I've put a good deal of it behind me."

Jason considered her words, tilting his head to the side as he nodded. "Good advice."

Her smile was immediate and dazzling. "I do what I can."

They stood silently for a moment, content to just regard each other. Sonny and Brenda's hushed snickering broke them out of their silent reverie, and Elizabeth shifted self-consciously, not noticing how Jason glowered at his friend with a shut the hell up expression distorting his handsome features.

"Anyway, I'll keep that in mind," Jason got out, his eyes focusing on her once more.

Elizabeth nodded. "Just remember that you're running this for yourself. You guys were obviously good enough to qualify, so I don't think you need to waste your energy wondering if you stand a chance. Don't let the nerves overcome you."

He nodded. "Yeah, you're right. I think I'm the only one that's this worried about it, actually, to tell you the truth. Look at Sonny," he added, gesturing to his friend. "He's fine – he's still cracking jokes and flirting with Brenda. Maybe I should just be more like him."

Elizabeth's eyes flew wide open. "I don't think so," she ground out, one eyebrow raised high. "Don't ever be like Sonny."

Jason grinned. "I don't know, being a dimpled Don has its advantages, I'd think." He was spurred on by the cute little way her eyes narrowed and her nose crinkled. "Just think about it – I could spend my time ruling the school, having my pick of girls, being a general ass and getting away with it…"

"And I could spend my time beating you up," Elizabeth finished, her lips pursed together as she tried not to smile at his teasing.

Jason sized her up quickly, a smirk rising to his lips. "I don't know – you're kind of puny. I doubt you'd get much leverage on me."

Elizabeth bit her lip as she narrowed her eyes at him, letting him know exactly what she thought of his macho attitude. "Don't be fooled – I'd beat you good."

Jason reached a hand out to pat her on the head. "You keep telling yourself that, Little One."

Elizabeth's eyes widened at the gesture, and Jason stopped, thinking he might have taken it a bit far. He told himself to withdraw his hand, but his brain adamantly refused. Instead, his fingers smoothed down her open hair, tucking the lacy curtain of locks behind one little ear.

Elizabeth's eyes stayed glued to his as his fingers trailed over the shell of her ear, wondering why she couldn't form a coherent thought. The gesture was innocent enough, surely. Right?

But a sharp pain behind his hand had her wincing again, and Jason leaned forward hurriedly. "What's the matter? What's wrong?"

Elizabeth's hand was already at her nape. "Nothing, nothing, just my dumb necklace." Jason watched, his hand poised in the air in case she needed any assistance, as she tugged at the hemp necklace. Finally, she managed to tug it off, holding it against her palm.

Jason inspected it. "It looks like the one Sonny wears," he noted. "Only it's got blue beads instead of black ones."

Elizabeth nodded. "Yeah. I guess these things cross gender lines." Jason smiled as she dangled the necklace from her dainty fingers. "Anyway, I love it, but it is forever getting snagged in my hair. It's the clasp – look at it. It may be good luck, but it's not meant for people with long hair."

"It matches your eyes perfectly." Christ, had he really said that aloud?

Even as Jason wondered if his brain had commandeered his mouth of its own accord, a pretty little blush stole across Elizabeth's porcelain cheeks. And at that, Jason had to smile – just knowing that he had that affect on her, that he could do that to her, was enough to erase all his insecurity.

"Thanks."

Jason dipped his head in acknowledgment and began to shuffle his sneakers on the floor. "So," he drawled on, wanting to continue the conversation for as long as he possibly could. "Why is it good luck?"

"Well, I had a piano recital last year, and it was about the biggest thing in my life at that point," she explained. "I was the one that wanted to take piano lessons – my parents thought it would be a waste. And so I completed the first course, but to continue practicing and move on to the next course level – with a professional teacher, too – I had to audition. And my audition was this recital. Now, I'd never auditioned for anything in my life before, you know? And the audience was full of strangers, some of whom I had to really impress if I wanted to keep playing. Plus, it was kind of also about showing up my parents – proving to them that I was good at piano, and that it wasn't a waste of time like they thought."

Jason nodded, not understanding how the parents of someone so inherently bright and talented could be anything but completely supportive, but he didn't want to interrupt her so he kept listening as she spoke.

"My grandma was the only one who knew how nervous I was about that thing. She'd see me practicing all day and halfway through the night – my parents were at the hospital anyway, so they didn't get home until really late, and had no idea whatsoever. And then one night she found me asleep on the piano bench, and she called my grandfather, who carried me up to bed. The next day, they fought off my parents and let me stay home from school. When I finished practicing that night, my grandma came downstairs and gave me this necklace."

Jason watched as she smiled, liking how her whole face brightened at the thought of her loving grandmother.

"It was just hemp and some beads, but she'd worked on it for two days. She has arthritis, too, in her fingers, so it was really quite remarkable that she was able to weave it together. I came away later that week with a stunning audition, and I've had the necklace ever since. It's kind of a reminder that even though we face challenges – my audition and her arthritis – we can always overcome them." She stopped, blushing again, and Jason's face softened as he swept his eyes over her delicate features. "Listen to me – I sound like something out of Aesop's fables."

"No, no," he assured her. "It was a very nice story, and I can tell how much it means to you. Everyone needs something to bring them luck, even if they don't believe in luck. It's just a matter of assigning value to things, and that's what gets you through, you know?"

Elizabeth smiled. He actually got it. "Yeah, I know exactly what you're saying. Don't you have a certain hackey sack that you say brings you luck?"

Jason's face fell. "Actually, not anymore. My little brother took it from my room, and he lost it. So, no luck for me today."

"Oh, that's terrible," Elizabeth clucked. "I'm sure he feels terrible about it."

Jason shrugged, looking down at his feet as he tapped the toes of one foot on the other. "Yeah, I guess. AJ's like that, though – he's kind of irresponsible. He told me he took it because he wanted to play with it just like I did, so I can't really blame him too much. He's just a kid, after all, and he couldn't stop apologizing. He said it was probably in the garden somewhere, and he was out with his flashlight until my mom told him to come back in and stop trying to extend his bedtime."

Elizabeth chuckled. "I was like that when I was a kid," she confided in him. "I was the outspoken, loud, crazy little kid with sticky fingers and a knack for breaking expensive things."

"You're kidding." Jason couldn't believe his ears. "You?"

"Yes, me," she insisted with a smile. "I used to drive my sister and my parents crazy. The stories I could tell you," she trailed off with a chuckle. Jason laughed, hoping she'd tell him these stories sometime. "It was my grandparents, actually, who managed to calm me down. They were the only ones that I'd listen to, I guess."

A smile lit up Jason's face. "You know, my family tells me that AJ and I were like that with our grandmother. She's lived with us ever since I was born, and I totally get what you mean. Grandparents – they're a different sort of breed." He was rewarded with Elizabeth's tinkling laughter. "So I totally get why that good luck necklace is so special to you."

"Why is the hackey sack so special to you?" Elizabeth wanted to know. She had rehashed her life story – now she wanted his.

And Jason wouldn't dream of disappointing her. "My grandmother crochets," he explained. "And she knits and embroiders, too. I think it was when I was six or seven years old. My little cousin Chloe wanted to go to this artsy-craftsy summer camp deal, but she was only five, and her parents didn't want to let her. So my parents felt the need to step in – as they always do – and volunteer my services. Basically, I'd go with Chloe every day to this camp. It was just a few hours long and held at the rec center a couple blocks away from the hospital."

Elizabeth nodded, knowing which one he meant. She and Sarah had gone there, too.

"So every day, I'd bike over to Chloe's and we'd go together. She'd sit on the handlebars of my bike, but I had to be careful not to let her mother see that."

Elizabeth noted the way Jason's features softened when he spoke about his little cousin. Obviously, he had a strong sense of family, which was rare in boys his age.

"So we'd go there and spend several hours making sock puppets and planting flowers. Chloe loved every minute of it. I, on the other hand, wanted to shoot myself. And then they got us started on knitting and all that crap, and-"

He was interrupted by a peal of laughter. Elizabeth was cracking up like no tomorrow, and all at his expense.

"What's so funny?" he demanded, both hands on his hips. Sure, he liked it when people laughed at his jokes and antics, but this seemed different. She was laughing at him.

"N-nothing," she sputtered. "It's just that I can so picture you with two knitting needles in your hands-" she glanced at his large hands and exploded with laughter again. "And I think it's so cute that you did that all for your cousin."

"Yeah, well," he shrugged, blushing under her praise.

"So go on," she urged, moving closer.

"Well, we had this one project where we each had to sew or knit something. Chloe naturally just sewed a skirt for one of her dolls. Unfortunately for me, I had no clue about how to do anything related to sewing, seeing as how I spent the lessons at camp squinting at the baseball game on the janitor's tiny television. So I came home and whined so much about how stupid it all was and how I'd never want to sew anything because I could just go out and buy it that my grandmother took me up to her room and got out her old Singer."

"Oh, boy, this is getting good," Elizabeth teased, swallowing her smirk when Jason narrowed his eyes.

"Anyway, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," he continued, his eyes twinkling. "She got it out and asked if I had ever played hackey sack. I had no idea what she was talking about, but then she said that all the young boys back in her days used to play it. So she told me what it was and helped me make the inner lining for it. Then she got out some blue yarn and her needles, and put them in my hands and actually showed me how to knit. It was the strangest thing, and addicting, too. My dad couldn't stop laughing when I accidentally brought my knitting to the table!"

Elizabeth giggled again, enjoying hearing about his family. This was a different side of Jason, one that she had never seen before –and she liked it. He was always professing this devil-may-care attitude, but inside, he was a really sweet boy.

"So long story short, my grandmother and I made a hackey sack for me. I've had it ever since then, and it's never failed to bring me luck. Well, until my doofy brother lost it," he added with a touch of resentment. "My grandmother will just say that we can make another one, but that's not the point. I want my old one."

Elizabeth nodded. "Understandable. I just hope AJ finds it in the garden after all."

Jason sighed. "That makes two of us. In a perfect world, he'd find it, oh, right now," he shrugged with a quick glance at his watch. "And then when my parents would drive down to see me, he'd give it to me before the race. Fat chance, though." He winked at Elizabeth, his lips curving into a rue grin. "Guess I'll have to find a new good luck charm."

Elizabeth blinked, a light flashing in her deep blue eyes. "Hey – I've got it!"

Jason stared at her. "Got what?"

She smiled back at him, holding out her hand. "Your new good luck charm!" she exclaimed triumphantly.

Jason looked at the dainty hand in front of him. The hemp necklace lay nestled in her palm, the blue beads sparkling under the fluorescent lights. "I-no, Elizabeth, I couldn't," he sputtered, backing away a step. "You love that necklace – I can't take it."

"Borrow it then," she urged, pressing closer. "Just for the weekend – it'll bring you luck, I'm sure of it. It's a grandma thing."

Jason grinned, considering it. It was a mighty tempting offer, and he liked the idea of having something of hers with him as he ran at the state conference. It was kind of like in Idylls of the King, where Lady Guinevere gave Sir Lancelot her handkerchief to wear around his arm as her favor. "I-I don't know…"

"Take it," she insisted, standing up on her toes and reaching for his neck. She had looped the necklace around him and was cinching the clasp before he could even form a coherent thought. "There. Now you have a substitute good luck charm."

Jason felt a warm blush steal up his neck, igniting where her fingers had brushed so innocently and sweetly against his skin. Oh, boy. "Uh - thanks."

Her eyes sparkled. "No problem."

"No, really," he insisted, his light blue eyes penetrating her dark ones. "Thank you. I really appreciate it. No one – no one's ever done something like that for me."

Elizabeth smiled at his rambling. "Hey, like I said, no problem. I mean, since I can't come myself…you know." He nodded. "But you only get to wear it on one condition."

"What?" His eyebrows knitted together when he timidly asked, fearing that she'd snatch it away.

"You have to stop being nervous and doubting yourself." Her smile was small and sincere. "You have no reason to. You'll be wonderful – I know it."

Jason felt his lips pull into his widest grin yet at her words. She was amazing. He rarely managed to work up the courage to talk to her, and yet she still gave him great advice, told him personal stories, and believed in him. "Yes, ma'am."

"Good," Elizabeth nodded once.

"And you have to promise me something, too," Jason warned her, quirking an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

"You have to promise not to breathe a word of what I told you about knitting to anyone."

Elizabeth's eyes twinkled at his words. "Not even Sonny? How about just Sonny? Oh, Sonny?"

"No!" Jason exclaimed, jumping back when Sonny approached them.

"What, Beth?"

She smiled sweetly at Jason, never removing her eyes from him as she spoke to Sonny. "You boys are going to miss your bus."

Jason sighed in relief as Sonny glanced at his wristwatch and swore. "She's right," he got out, grabbing his red duffel bag from the floor. "We've gotta go – now."

Jason nodded, swooping up his own track bag. "Thanks, Little One," he grinned, shooting Elizabeth a grin that made her insides flutter. Jeepers creepers, did that boy have any idea how gorgeous he was?

Sonny smiled warmly at Brenda and squeezed her hand before he turned and walked down the hallway, calling out his goodbyes to both of them and missing the way Jason winked at a blushing Elizabeth. "We'll see you in the Big Apple, Bren! Bye, Beth!"

"Bye," the girls called out, waving as Sonny and Jason disappeared down the stairs.

Hardly a second had passed before Brenda pounced on her. "All right, Webber, what was that all about?"

"What was what about?" Crap. She was screwed. Brenda wasn't about to let this one go.

"You know what I mean," the brunette replied witheringly, tossing her dark locks. "What were you and Jason so wrapped up in?"

"Nothing," Elizabeth insisted defensively. "We were just talking."

"About…?"

"What else? Conferences! Geez, Bren!"

Brenda's lips curved into a sour twist. "Wrong. Try again."

"Look, he was nervous. I was just giving him advice."

"You two were laughing," Brenda accused as if it were something heinous.

"He was telling me about something funny he did when he was little."

"Oh," Brenda crowed with a dazzling smile. "So now we're at the 'Share Childhood Stories' phase? Wow, you two don't waste any time!"

"Give it up, Bren, seriously." Elizabeth turned around and started walking for the stairs, knowing Brenda would only follow at her heels.

"Fine," Brenda relented, a mischievous note in her sultry voice. "But this isn't over, Web. It's just beginning."

"Yeah, most original line ever, Brenda – you must be real proud."

Brenda ignored the sarcastic comment and turned her attention to the skies. "Was there any rain in the forecast for this weekend, Beth?"

"Scattered showers tonight, overcast tomorrow," Elizabeth replied easily. She had made it a habit to check the weather before she left the house, despite how everyone teased her for it.

"Good to know," Brenda smiled, sneaking a sidelong glance at her best friend. Now, it was time to get to work. "It'll be nice for the races tomorrow."

Elizabeth nodded. "Yeah, should be. I hope it's not as frigid in the City as it is here."

"Well, we get the Canadian winds, so I should think downstate would be a little warmer," Brenda supplied. "I wish you were coming with me, Beth. Think about it – it'd be so much fun! Me and you on the road, my Dean Martin CD's on rotation in the car, seeing all the boys run, going out afterwards. It'd be great!"

"Yeah," Elizabeth sighed, frowning at the tiles. "It sure would be."

"Then why don't you come?" Brenda pleaded, urgently placing a hand on Elizabeth's shoulder.

"Because I told you – I have so much work to do," Elizabeth reasoned.

"Oh, please," Brenda huffed. "You can do that later. The senior issue doesn't come out until May – you have more than enough time to plan it. Plus, what are the other editors for? And you volunteer all the time – send some of the other National Honor Society members down there. Let them get in their hours."

"But Bren, I'm an officer – I have to show up every Sunday and do it."

"No you don't," Brenda disagreed. "That's not a rule. It's just a rule you made up in that noble, selfless mind of yours. You don't have to go. You can come downstate with me." She paused as another thought occurred to her. "Is it because your parents won't let you?"

Elizabeth snorted. "My parents don't really care as long as I get good grades. That's all they're worried about – that my grades are good enough for Johns Hopkins next year." She sighed. "I'm not worried about them."

"Then why can't you come?"

"I don't know!" she burst out. "I've never been out of state before without one of my parents or grandparents with me. And we're going down to New York City, for crying out loud! It'll just be the two of us and about fifteen boys, all down in the city with no adults whatsoever, because you know Coach Preuss isn't going to spend his time chaperoning us."

"So that's what you're nervous about," Brenda said softly. There was a pause, one that she was hesitant to break. "Are you afraid Jason'll put the moves on you?"

Elizabeth's head snapped up. "No!" she exclaimed. "Of course not!"

"Then what is it?"

The petite brunette looked away, and Brenda could see her face flush as red as a tomato. "Nothing."

"Don't you dare give me that, Web," Brenda scolded, pulling on her best friend's elbow until she looked at her. "What is it?"

Even though she was mortified under Brenda's interrogation, Elizabeth couldn't help but let a giggle escape her lips. "Believe it or not, I'm afraid I'll put the moves on Jason."

Brenda stared at her, shell-shocked. It was a long moment before the brunette could contain herself, and when she did, she burst out laughing. "Wait – what!"

Elizabeth shrugged, grinning. "I don't know – shut up," she added when Brenda had to sit down on the pavement because she was laughing so hard.

"Elizabeth!" Brenda squealed, almost toppling over. "I never knew you had it in you! Woah! And I never in a million years thought I'd hear that! Woah – wait, now you've got to tell me everything!"

"What's there to say, really, Bren?" Elizabeth asked, sitting down next to her. "I mean, you've seen us on the rare instances when we're together – just the two of us. We ignite. It's as simple as that. It's like no one else is around us, and we're in our own little world. Something clicks, Brenda, when I'm with him, something that I never even knew existed."

When she found the courage to look back at her friend, Brenda's face was hard and stoic. "Where's your necklace?" she demanded, her voice cold.

Elizabeth's gaze dropped to her hands, and that was all the time it took for Brenda to discard her stony façade and burst out into laughter once more.

"I gave it to him," she said meekly.

"YES!" Brenda crowed, pumping both fists into the air in triumph. "Why?"

Elizabeth shrugged. "I don't know – he lost his good luck charm, I gave him mine."

"I saw you putting it on him," Brenda admitted with a smirk. "You should have seen his face."

Elizabeth's heart skipped a beat. "Oh, no – Bren, what did he look like? Was it a 'what the hell does she think she's doing' look? Did I go too far? Damn it, I knew I went too far!"

"No, no, Beth, no," Brenda reassured her with a comforting smile as she gently patted her hand. "Not at all. He looked so surprised and so – I don't know – genuinely happy when he figured out what you were up to." She quirked a brow at her best friend. "What were you up to, by the way?"

Elizabeth bit her lip. "I don't know what you're trying to say."

"Oh, you do, too," Brenda insisted, scooting closer. "You, dear friend, were shamelessly flirting with him."

Elizabeth stared at her through narrowed eyes, then decided that to deny it would be futile – Brenda knew her too well. "It's true."

"I knew it." Brenda's smile was brilliant. "Just like he was flirting with you after your little tumble outside Sydney's locker."

"He was not flirting with me then," Elizabeth scoffed.

"He was, too, but I'm not going to argue about it," Brenda snipped. "And I'm not going to argue with you about this anymore, either. You're coming down to New York with me, Elizabeth Webber, and that is that."

"But Brenda," Elizabeth sputtered. "I can't – I just told you why."

"Look," Brenda said, her eyes blazing with determination. "This is what's going to happen. Unbeknownst to you, I have the same fear about myself with Sonny." She hurried on, not paying attention to Elizabeth's cheeky grin. "He's a real snake charmer, I can tell you that much. So this is what we're going to do: you're going to watch out for me, and I'll do the same for you. We'll have a great time, just the four of us."

It sounded good. Very good. And very tempting. "I don't know," Elizabeth hedged. "My parents still don't know." She snapped her mouth shut when Brenda hurriedly shoved a cell phone into her hands. "And I haven't packed anything."

"Neither have I," Brenda exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. "So you go home, throw together a duffel bag – and you'd better bring some club wear, Web, or so help me God, I will maim you – and grab some fruit and a granola bar and I'll pick you up in two hours. We'll have dinner with the boys when we're settled in our room."

"That's another thing," Elizabeth started in. "Where are we staying? Brenda, we can't just throw this together at last minute. There are so many details to consider – how long it takes to get there, how much money we'll need, what to bring, weather, gas, possible delays, food, where we're going to stay, with whom and for how long-"

Brenda rolled her eyes. Typical Elizabeth. "It will take about three hours to drive down, maybe four with really bad traffic; bring enough dough for fast food and cab rides and shopping; bring your jeans, sweatshirt, sneakers, heels, sunscreen, mittens, hat, coat, and some really spicy clubwear; weather's good, like you already said; my dad gave me a ton of gas money, so no sweat; fast food and maybe two nice restaurants; and last but not least, my big brother has an apartment in the city that we're welcome to stay in, because he's on a business trip. Does that answer all your questions?"

Elizabeth's mouth hung open and Brenda smirked at her. "See, Beth?" she ribbed. "You can plan these things at last minute." She hopped up from her seat on the pavement and held out a hand for Elizabeth. "So, you going or what?"

Elizabeth glared warily at her as the two resumed their fast walk to the parking lot. "You make a convincing case, Barrett, but I'm still not sure…"

Brenda couldn't help but smile wickedly. It was time to dish out the heavy artillery. "Did I happen to mention that Jason runs all his races shirtless?"