Time of Your Life (Good Riddance!)

This takes place during the last week of school and skips from day to day.

Mr. Alcazar was a very confused man as he stood in the hallway after the last bell had rung, looking into the smug and grinning faces of several of his students who were just about to head home.

"So you want to tell me, Spencer, why, exactly, you're in a towel?"

The trumpet player grinned crookedly at his teacher, adjusting the beach towel he had wrapped around his waist. "I went swimming."

"When!" his Calculus teacher demanded as Jason, Elizabeth, and Sonny tried their best not to laugh. "When could you possibly have had the time today to go swimming?"

"During lunch."

That threw the tall Spaniard for a loop. "And how did you manage to swing that, pray tell?"

Luke shrugged, slipping off one black flip-flop in order to shake a small pebble loose. "We went to Sonny's house for lunch – all of us – and he has a pool."

It still wasn't making any sense to Mr. Alcazar, who was the sort of man who enjoyed having all the answers – although that still didn't explain why he became a math teacher. "You kids only have twenty-five minutes for lunch, and it takes at least ten to twelve minutes for the round trip to Sonny's house."

"Well, you haven't seen the way Sonny drives," Elizabeth quipped, biting her lip to keep from laughing aloud as Mr. Alcazar glared at her.

"So let me get this straight – instead of eating, you went swimming."

Luke was still smirking at his favorite teacher. "Basically. The gals were inside, scrounging around for some food and I just jumped into the pool. Then I got out, ate a sandwich and a pop-tart and this old cheese that I don't think is sitting right, and then Corinthos gave me a towel and we came back to school."

Jason was jingling his keys in his pocket as he listened, grinning, to his friend's story, and the tall blonde was anxious to get going.

Mr. Alcazar, however, was still trying to wrap his head around the situation. "So you went out for a fifteen-minute lunch – at best – and went swimming, borrowed a beach towel, and came back to school."

"Yeah."

"Please tell me you're wearing something under that towel."

Elizabeth burst out laughing as Jason grabbed her hand, waving goodbye to their teacher, while Luke smirked. "That's classified information."

Their teacher was groaning as the four kids excused themselves, more than ready to escape the crowded hallways and get out into the sunshine. "We'll see you tomorrow, Czar!" Elizabeth called, one hand linked with Jason's and the other holding her prized lunchbox.

"Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya, tomorrow-"

"You're only a day awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!"

Mr. Alcazar shook his head and shuffled back to his classroom, convinced now more than ever that his students were all a little touched in the head.


"Can I ask something?"

Caroline Webber looked up from the fruit she was chopping at her husband, who stood leaning against the kitchen counter with his arms crossed over his chest and a very sour expression on his face. The two of them were currently milling around the kitchen – well, Jeff was milling; she, on the other hand, was chopping up some fruit salad for them to take to work tomorrow. "What?"

"Why do we have children in this house?"

His wife quirked a brow at him. "Come again?"

"It's eleven-thirty on a weekday night," he pointed out, tapping his watch for emphasis. "There's school tomorrow, and yet we still have kids in the house. Why?"

Caroline rolled her eyes and smirked down at the fruit. "They're not kids, Jeff – it's just Jason, Sonny and Brenda. And they're not causing any harm."

"They should all be at home in bed."

"Why? Is Wee Willy Winky making the rounds again?" she teased, sliding the fruit into a tupperware container.

Her husband glared at her. "Wee Willy Winky was a pedophile," he muttered. "Damn dirty nursery rhymes."

"Jeff, they're just watching a movie."

"They have school tomorrow, you know," he groused, popping a piece of cantaloupe in his mouth. "And they should all be at home and in bed – after flossing, naturally – and getting the eight hours of sleep they're supposed to. But do they? Noooo. No one ever gets the eight hours they're supposed to and come morning time they're all running around like their pants were on fire."

"It's the last week of school, honey," she replied, handing him a strawberry and watching as he nibbled on it. "They're not doing anything important and as long as they're not tardy, it's no big deal."

"They're eating my chips."

"You're not supposed to have chips."

"I like chips."

"They're not good for your cholesterol."

"Jason ate all of them."

"Oh, he did not – Beth and Brenda did."

Miffed over the fact that his wife had a response for everything, Jeff frowned at his loafers and then leaned back, poking his head out of the kitchen to catch a glimpse of the kids as they watched whatever cheesy movie it was that they were watching. Sonny and Brenda were sprawled out on the couch and Jason and Elizabeth were…

"She's sitting on his lap!" Jeff hissed, abruptly standing upright and glaring at his wife, who was less than concerned than she should be given that their sweet little girl was perched atop some young spiky-haired deviant.

"So what?"

"So WHAT!" He couldn't believe his ears. "She's sitting on his lap!"

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Again, so what? I used to sit on your lap all the time."

"Exactly!" he exclaimed. "And did you at any point realize exactly what I was trying to do to you as you sat on my lap?" She slid him a skeptical look that only reinforced his position. "Exactly!"

"Jeff, just because you were the typical hormonal teenage boy that lacked any semblance of self-control doesn't mean Jason is."

"Doesn't mean he's not," her husband replied stubbornly.

"Jeff, they're young and they're in love. Let it be."

"In love?" Again, he was staring at her as if she had grown three heads. "Who said anything about love? They're just babies – babies don't fall in love! They're mentally incapable of it! First, let's wait for object permanence and then we'll talk about love!"

"Piaget would tell you they already have object permanence," his wife countered smoothly, not even bothering to look up from the fruit. "And I'm telling you they've already got the love part down."

"I don't recall giving anyone permission to fall in love," Jeff pouted, crossing his arms over his chest once more.

"Jeff, it's not going to go away just because you don't like it." She couldn't help but smile at her husband – he looked adorable when he was feeling old. "Jason's a good boy – you've said so yourself on occasion."

"I must have been drunk."

"You were not drunk; you were entirely serious."

"I don't like it."

Wiping her hands on a dish towel, Caroline abandoned the fruit and walked over to her husband, looping both arms around his waist and kissing him on the chin. "He's good for her, Jeff. She's happy."

He kissed her back softly, trying to remember again what it had felt like back in his college days when he had spotted the blonde bombshell that would one day be his wife walking out of the library, a stack of books and a cup of coffee in her hand, and her hair fixed up in a little twist with a pencil. He tried to remember the butterflies when he first talked to her, the exhilaration when she had told him she'd go out with him, the utter bliss the first time he'd made love to her. And provided that Jason and his little girl weren't taking any part in the third sort of activity, Jeff decided slowly, reluctantly, that he could deal with it.

"I don't know why you like him so much."

His wife's blue eyes twinkled. "Because he makes you feel old and crotchety, and I'm all about seeing you miserable."

"I thought so."

She laughed in his arms, resting her head against his strong chest, and Jeff leaned back once more to glance at the kids.

"Why does she have to sit in his lap, though? Is there some sort of National Chair Shortage?"

"Jeff…"

"No, seriously, because if there is, we've got to do something about it. An epidemic of this proportion can't be ignored!"

"Jeffrey…"

"Quick! Someone call Kofi Annan!"

"I'm going to call the nice men with the white jackets if you don't stop it, Jeffrey Webber."

He pouted as she pressed her forehead to his chin. "You're absolutely no fun, you know that?"

"Who, me? I'm tons of fun. You're just getting old."


"Party at Beth's! Here – have a flyer! And you – I wanna see you there! Whoot! Party at Beth's tonight!"

Jason spun around on his heels as Johnny O'Brien flew past him, passing out a bunch of flyers to everyone he met in the hallway. Next to him, Sonny had also stopped and was watching the scene curiously.

"Did you know about a party?" they asked each other simultaneously. Groaning in unison, they both turned and marched over to Johnny, determined to get some answers out of the boy. Just as they were about to grab him and make him sing, Brenda and Elizabeth popped into view, giggling together over something.

"Hey," Sonny was reaching for his girlfriend's elbow, "what's this about a party?"

"Oh, didn't we tell you guys?" Elizabeth asked breathlessly, brushing her bangs out of her face as her gaze darted from Sonny to Jason. "I'm throwing a party – tonight. So be there!"

The two girls were about to run off to class but Sonny and Jason both grabbed them by the waist simultaneously, tugging them back.

"Since when is there a party?" Jason asked, his hands still gripping her narrow hips. "And how the hell is your father not already summoning the SWAT team?"

"Because he's going to be working the midnight shift tonight and won't be knowing about it," Elizabeth answered cheekily, rising up on her toes and kissing him on the lips. "So be there around nine – Bren and I convinced Eddie Mane's band to come, and they'll be there around ten, and the food's already taken care of. See you guys then!"

And with that, the two girls ducked out from Sonny and Jason's hold and scurried down the hall, leaving their boyfriends alone and very confused.


"She's gonna get in sooo much trouble for this," Sonny murmured as he and Jason grabbed their drinks and pushed open the screen door to the back deck. The Webber house was jam-packed with kids and more seemed to be arriving every minute. Every single light on the main floor was on, but the real party was out back. Elizabeth and Brenda had hastily set up lights all throughout the backyard and on the deck and that was where everyone was gathered. Johnny had brought over a couple of folding card tables from his father's poker nights and the pizza boxes were piled on top of that – a generous donation courtesy of Sydney's uncle, who ran a pizzeria – and the drinks were set out on the deck. The band had arrived about an hour ago and quickly set up, and they had launched into a set about twenty minutes ago. The party was a hit, and Elizabeth and Brenda were all over the place.

Jason and Sonny were out back by the band when their girlfriends finally came over, and they were able to usurp two lawn chairs from a couple of sophomores that were deemed cool enough to attend a senior party. Elizabeth and Brenda had grabbed a box of pizza and now settled onto Jason and Sonny's respective laps to eat.

"So, where should I send the flowers for your funeral?" Sonny asked amicably as Brenda let him take a bite out of her slice. "Are you expecting an open casket, or will the injuries be too severe?"

"You worry too much, Corinthos," Elizabeth grinned, wagging a finger at him. "I guarantee you that my parents won't have a clue."

"What about all the trash that collects tonight?"

"Dumpster on Elm – we can just cut through the O'Flannigans' back yard and it's right in the alley next to the kiddie park."

"All the stuff everyone brought?"

"It's just Johnny's tables and the lights that Carol and them brought over – they're all heading back in Syd's minivan as soon as everyone clears out."

Sonny was frowning thoughtfully as Brenda arranged herself comfortably across his long legs. "Aha – you haven't thought of everything, Beth. What about all the noise we're making? Do you honestly think your neighbors won't complain to your parents the next time they see them?"

Brenda and Elizabeth were sharing cheeky grins – the kinds of grins that only served to make their boyfriends exceedingly nervous. "We already hit up the neighbors and told them we were throwing a shin-dig of sorts," Elizabeth smirked, licking pizza sauce of her fingertips. "They know to keep it on the down-low as long as we don't completely go ape."

"How the hell-"

"Hey, they know me," Elizabeth replied defensively. "I'm the one that always bakes them brownies on their kids' birthdays. They know I never do anything like this and so they said they were willing to put up for a night."

"Man, I've gotta move into this neighborhood," Sonny mumbled, stealing another bite of Brenda's pizza.

"You and me both," Jason agreed, shaking his head. Sometimes, Elizabeth really managed to luck out.


Carol Benson's heels made quite a clatter as she pounded down the wooden stairs from the deck. She pushed through a couple of her friends, frantically searching for one in particular, and then she spotted them.

Elizabeth was seated on Jason's lap and the two were commencing to make out as Eddie and his boys kicked off another song that was a mix between hard rock and extra loud, and the two were completely oblivious to their surroundings. Not knowing what else to do, Carol marched up to them and tugged on Elizabeth's shoulder.

The brunette pulled back from her boyfriend in surprise, and Carol winced when Jason glared darkly at her. "What's up?"

The blonde nibbled her lip and toyed with one of her rings. "Um, there seems to be one little problem here, Beth."

"What is it?"

"I think you'd better come inside with me."

She continued to play with her ring, twisting it awkwardly back and forth on her finger as Elizabeth sighed and pushed herself up off of her less than pleased boyfriend. Jason hopped up after her and grabbed her hand, following Carol as the tall blonde quickly pushed her way through the massive crowd assembled in the backyard.

"What do you think it is?"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and glanced up at Jason. "With my luck, someone probably broke a vase."

Carol was holding the screen door for them, anxiously ushering them in, and as soon as Elizabeth stepped into the kitchen, her jaw practically fell to the floor. There, in the entranceway, stood her bewildered grandparents.

"Pappy! Gram! What are you doing here?" Her knees were wobbly as she let go of Jason's hand and walked up to them. The older couple was looking around in blatant shock at the empty pizza boxes, soda bottles, and the grungy band that was playing just behind the screen door. "You were supposed to be spending the night at Uncle Rick's house!"

"We decided to cut the evening short," her grandfather replied in a low, gruff voice, glancing around the house as if to make sure that the structure was still fundamentally sound. There was no guarantee of that when teenagers were on the loose. "And from the looks of it here, we seem to have made the right decision."

Outside, Eddie let loose with a wild chord and Audrey winced, raising one hand to her ear. "Well! You seem to be doing all right for yourself!"

"Gram, I can explain-"

"Jason." Steve Hardy's less-than-thrilled gray eyes fell on the tall young man as he sidled up next to Elizabeth. "You wouldn't have had a hand in this little get-together, would you?"

"Sir-"

"No, Pappy, Jason had nothing to do with this," Elizabeth interrupted. "And I promise, if you can give me two minutes, I'll explain everything-"

"Explain?" the old man asked, taking off his hat and holding it by the rim as the crowd cheered outside. "What's to explain? You're throwing a party!"

"And without your parents' permission, I assume?" Audrey asked, quirking one silver brow at her youngest grandchild. "I hardly imagine that your father would approve of this."

"He'd probably be out searching for his rifle and a good strong water hose," Steve couldn't help but mutter, swallowing his grin when Audrey glared at him. The old man's eyes met Jason's and he tipped his head awkwardly. "I'm sorry, Jason, how rude of me – water hoses are no laughing matter." But he couldn't even make it through the apology with a straight face and Jason smirked as the old man laughed into his fist as his wife rolled her eyes.

"Oh, Steven, honestly," Audrey clucked, her hand clutching his as the band started another rock anthem. "Elizabeth, I just don't know what to say. You'll have to excuse your grandfather and I as we discuss this and try to figure out a suitable course of action."

Jason glanced down at his girlfriend, whose cheeks were tinted pink as she closed her palms together and hooked her thumbs under her chin, and he could instantly see how worried she was. This wasn't part of the plan at all. He could only slip his arm around her waist, tugging her softly into his side, as she watched her grandparents deliberate in hushed whispers.

After what seemed like an eternity, they turned back to her with serious looks on their faces.

"Elizabeth," her grandfather began in a stern tone, and the little brunette instantly knew that she was in for it. But his next words surprised her. "Is it safe to assume that the upstairs has been safe from this rampage?"

Her brows shot up quickly. "Uh…yeah. I haven't let anyone go upstairs – we've all stayed down here."

"All right," Steve nodded as Audrey clasped her purse in front of her. "In that case, your grandmother and I will go upstairs. What time do you suppose this shin-dig will wrap up?"

Neither Jason nor Elizabeth could believe their ears. "Um…in a couple hours?"

Audrey and Steve exchanged glances and Elizabeth watched her grandmother nod once. "All right, then," her grandfather agreed. "And everything is to be spic and span by the time your parents get home, young lady – am I understood?"

"Coming through loud and clear," she grinned back as a feeling of immense relief washed over her. "Oh, thank you, Gram, Pappy."

"Yes, well," Audrey nodded, leaving it at that. "Goodnight, Jason."

"Goodnight, Mrs. Hardy."

And with that, Steve and his wife turned and left, leaving Jason and Elizabeth standing in the kitchen by themselves as the band roared behind them. The little brunette huffed to herself in amazement and then spun around with him, slipping her hand into the back pocket of Jason's jeans as he led her back outside.

"Man. I really manage to luck out sometimes, don't I?"


"Beth – great party last night."

"Yeah, hey, thanks for the invite!"

"Dude, you have to do that again sometime."

Elizabeth smiled and tipped her head at her schoolyard friends as she and Jason sauntered down the hall on their way to Calculus. "It was pretty fun, wasn't it?"

"I'd say so." He laughed when she poked him in the side and squirmed away. "What?"

"You didn't think I'd be able to pull it off," she claimed with a teasing glimmer in her eyes. "Admit it, Morgan."

"All right, fine, I thought your dad was going to run in at any minute armed with an Uzi and start kicking some ass."

"My dad would never touch an Uzi!" she exclaimed, pretending to be offended as he held the door for her and ushered her into Mr. Alcazar's classroom. "A bazooka, sure, he's actually got that on layaway at Sears, but an Uzi? Jason, please!"

"A bazooka," he muttered under his breath as he flopped down into his seat. "Yeah, and I bet the bullets have my name carved into them."

"What are you two belly-aching about?" Mr. Alcazar wanted to know as he got out the attendance sheet.

"We're discussing possible ways for my father to murder Jason."

The teacher's black eyes flew to the young man and he quickly sized him up before replying wryly, "Yeah, I can't say I'm surprised."

"Beth!" Sonny Corinthos didn't have a care in the world as he floated into the classroom, armed only with a solitary pencil. "I was just talking to Eddie, and get this – he told me to tell you that he'd be totally up for playing at any of your other parties."

Mr. Alcazar's dark brows furrowed as Elizabeth laughed. "Party? What party?"

"What rock do you live under, Czar?" Luke couldn't resist tossing out. "Beth threw a bitchin' party last night – pardon my French."

"Beth doesn't throw parties," his teacher huffed in disbelief before eyeing the brunette skeptically. "Do you?"

She crossed her legs primly, treating him to a cheeky smirk. "I most certainly do. And for the record, your invitation must have gotten lost in the mail."

He frowned at her teasing. "What did you do?- Oh, wait, let me guess: you kids played a rousing game of Monopoly, ate a TV dinner, flossed and then it was lights out, right? Good times."

Marcus let out a laugh. "Keep dreaming, Czar – the party didn't even start til nine."

"The band showed up at ten," Luke added, "and so did the food. We completely trashed the joint – stayed there til five in the morning. I'm operating on twenty minutes of sleep!"

"That's more than I got," Elizabeth smirked, running her hands through her silky brown locks. "The only sleep I got was five minutes in Mr. Lewis' Spanish class today. Ai, dio mio."

"An all-nighter?" Mr. Alcazar could hardly believe his ears. "You had an all-night party? You?"

"Hey, just trying to live in the fast lane, Czar," she ribbed, her eyes sparkling. "Livin' through it slow in the fast lane."

Jason was the only one that got that, and Mr. Alcazar frowned as the two exchanged knowing smiles. "I know – it was Morgan. He put you up to it, didn't he? How do you sleep at night, Jason, corrupting poor, innocent minds-"

"She's not as innocent as you think," was all the boy said before his classmates exploded in laughter over the unintended innuendo. Elizabeth's ears were pink as she laughed along, and Mr. Alcazar could only shake his head, thinking to himself that it truly was a sign of the Apocalypse when a girl like Elizabeth Webber let loose.


"I can't believe it's the last day of school."

"I can't believe we have detention on the freaking morning of the last day of school."

Stretching out her legs and smoothing the wrinkles out of her white knee-length skirt, Elizabeth frowned at the clock. Seven-twenty. They still had a good ten minutes before the detention monitor would let them all out.

"It was totally worth it."

The monitor, a short, stout lady with black hair, looked out at the twenty-two Calculus students and graduating seniors from over the rims of her glasses. "What did you kids do, anyway?"

Luke was stretching back in his chair, his head thrown back and his eyes closed as he tried to work out a kink in his lower back. "We ditched our Calculus class a couple days ago and went out to a fancy restaurant for a really, really long lunch."

"That's it?"

"Yeah."

"And they put you here?"

Sonny rolled his eyes and tapped one foot on the tiles. "Our teacher didn't even care – he was cool with it. The deans cracked down, though."

"And now we're serving a freaking detention on the last day of school," Taggert chuckled. "It's kinda funny when you think about it."

Elizabeth was already smirking. "You know, it really is. But, hey, at least we go out with a bang."

"With a bang and a couple of farm animals, you mean," Sonny corrected her with a grin.

"Farm animals?" The detention monitor perked up at that. "Oh, no – what did you kids do?"

"Nothing," Luke replied easily, glancing at his watch. In exactly half an hour, a pick-up would pull up to the Band Room's entrance to the building and release three goats into the building, numbered 1, 2, and 4. And he was willing to bet his favorite blue suede shoes that the same deans that dumped them all in here for no reason would have one hell of a time searching for goat number 3. It was the senior prank to end all senior pranks. "We didn't do anything baaaa-d."

Elizabeth burst out laughing at his imitation of a goat's bleating, and the brunette couldn't quite meet the gaze of the confused detention monitor. There were few better ways to end the year than a wild goose – or rather, goat – chase through the building.


"You kids think you're pretty smart," Mr. Alcazar growled as he perched himself atop his desk. "Don't you?"

"It was never stated but always implicitly understood, yes," Luke allowed, dropping his feet on the chair in front of him. "You're looking a little upset, Czar – who spit in your bean curd?"

Their teacher couldn't help but smirk at his students. "Okay, I'll make you a deal – you tell me who was responsible for the goats and I in turn won't tell the administration that there is no Goat Number Three."

Sonny instantly grinned. "You knew, huh?"

"I don't know how the deans haven't figured it out already," Elizabeth giggled, unable to help herself. "Seriously, it's not like it's the most original prank in the book. I was walking by the library and I heard them talking with the maintenance and saying to check the perimeters for the third one. It's ridiculous!"

"And let me make another guess," Mr. Alcazar ventured with a grin. "Luke, you were already called into the principal's office this morning."

"Twice," the boy confirmed. "Thankfully, they got nothing. Those goats won't sing, I know that much. They can't rat me out."

"So who did it?"

"It was a team effort, really," Marcus replied. "Honestly, Czar, the less we tell you, the better – then when they drag you into the dark room with the single light bulb and go all Spanish Inquisition on you, you won't have to lie."

"With this administration, that's not too much of a stretch," their teacher mumbled under his breath before changing the subject. "So…today's your last Calc class. You hooligans must be dancing for joy."

"We're dancin' on the inside, Czar," Luke grinned, tossing him a wink. "Dancin' up a storm."

"No more integrating, no more deriving, no more figuring out the area under curves," Sonny sighed happily. "Yeah, I can definitely get behind that."

"No more crunch sessions, no more lame puns, no more drill sergeant bits," Elizabeth added with a chuckle as Mr. Alcazar glared at her. "Sounds good to me."

"Hey, as long as I get a halfway decent score on the AP exam, it's all been worth it," Jason announced, linking his fingers behind his head. "That's what I'm out for."

"I think you did well," his teacher assured him. "You got a 4 on the practice exams we took, almost a five. You should have done well. All of you most likely did well."

"Did you know that Columbia only accepts a 4 or a 5 on Calc, otherwise you have to take it there for gen ed?" Elizabeth demanded, throwing her hands in the air. "What kind of cracked rule is that?"

"You can't be worried you got a three, Beth," Sonny drawled. "You're fine."

"Columbia," Mr. Alcazar was murmuring softly under his breath, a faraway look on his face. "You're going to be at Columbia next year."

Elizabeth's nod was almost imperceptible. "That's right."

"And you – NYU, right?"

"Yup."

"Penn State, Boston University, Georgetown, NYU?"

"Right."

"Uh-huh."

"You got it."

"Yup."

He shook his head in amazement. "Wow. It still hasn't hit yet, you know?" The students exchanged curious and somewhat embarrassed glances with each other as Mr. Alcazar smiled down at the waxed floor. "You're all outta here – you're done. You're moving on. Seems like just yesterday, you were a bunch of scared little juniors coming in from Tracy's pre-calculus sections."

Luke shifted in his seat, uncomfortable with the sudden nostalgic display and did what he did best – made a joke about it. "You're not going to get all sappy on us, are you, Czar? 'Cause, seriously?- I can get the same thing from Oprah. Damn scary lady."

Mr. Alcazar smirked at his favorite troublemaker. "Do you remember the time you showed up wearing a fez hat?"

Luke's blue eyes lit up at the unexpected question. "Oh, yeah – I almost forgot about that! I'm going to have to dig that old thing out; it's going to come in handy next year!"

Their teacher was laughing to himself. "You had a bell tied from a string on the inside of your hat, and every time I turned my back you'd shake your head and the bell would ring. By the end of the hour, I was begging you kids to come clean just because I was so curious to find out how someone was doing it."

Taggert was laughing. "And we wouldn't tell you for a week – classic."

"And you-" Lorenzo's lips curled in a mock frown, "I was never able to stop you from ducking out five minutes early, was I?"

"I told you a million times you never stood a chance, Czar," Jason reminded him, stretching out his long legs in front of him as Sonny snickered.

Mr. Alcazar just stared at Jason for a moment, tilting his head to the side as he thought. "You know," he started, rubbing his chin with one hand. "I think, out of everyone in this room, that Jason has changed the most this year."

The boy frowned at that. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, not in a bad way," his teacher assured him. "Not like that at all. You just used to be so loud and…sociable, and then you really just calmed down. The rest of you clowns can take a lesson from that!"

"It's 'cause of the Missus," Luke smirked, tossing Elizabeth a wink. "Ever since she sank her claws in to him, Morgan's been as quiet as a mouse."

"I'm going to throw my shoe at you," the little brunette warned, taking off her high-heeled sandal and waving it at him to prove her point. "I'll bean you good."

"And you, Bonnie," Lorenzo clucked, teasing her, "you've become so violent."

"Hasn't she?" Jason couldn't help but laugh at his girlfriend – she was so adorable when she was angry. "It's fun to get her all fired up."

"You really need to stop with the double entendres, there, man," Luke chuckled, wiggling his brows suggestively.

"Big word coming from you, Spencer," the blonde tossed back. "Sure you didn't sprain your brain using it?"

Lorenzo laughed as Luke made whipping motions in the air complete with sound effects. "I'm going to miss the way you kids fight."

"We'll come back at the same time to visit you and we'll fight then," Elizabeth assured him with a small smile. "We're all like the Three Stooges with calculators."

"Be sure you do-" he interrupted eagerly. "Come back and visit, that is. You're my first crop of AP students and…you're probably the most fun class I've ever taught. It's been my pleasure to teach you for this past year."

Sonny was eyeing him skeptically. "Wait a minute – you hated our stunts. Remember how we did the wave behind your back when the Principal came to talk to you?"

"Or how we ducked out five minutes early every single day?"

"Or how we'd pull out your puzzles and play with them instead of taking notes?"

"And the time we grabbed the CD player and blasted it and formed a mosh pit in the center of the room?"

"Or when we ditched your class to go to lunch?"

"The showtunes, people, you can't forget the showtunes!"

Mr. Alcazar was laughing as the students tossed out every grievance they could think of. "Well, sure, I had to pretend to be angry with you. What kind of teacher would I be if I encouraged that sort of preposterous behavior?"

"What do you mean, pretend?" Sonny asked suspiciously.

"What do you mean, preposterous?" Luke wanted to know. "Look, man, our religion's got nothing to do with it."

Lorenzo burst out laughing at that and had to compose himself before he could speak. "You kids were the most lively bunch I ever got to teach. And even though you drove me crazy, at the end of the day I knew you'd come back to me with the work done. And that made it all worth it."

"Aw, Czar, you're not going to cry, are you?"

"Ooh, he so is."

"You're such a girl, Czar – woah, just kidding! Jesus, don't hurt me!"

"See, I knew it was only a matter of time before we made him cry."

"Scratching that off my To Do list…"

"It's impossible to have a genuine, heartfelt conversation with you miscreants," Mr. Alcazar groused, glaring at his amused students. "Everything's a joke, huh? So, what, I'm not even allowed to say goodbye to my favorite students? To tell them that they made me want to come into work every day just to see what kind of crazy crap they'd pull next? That I'll miss them and I hope – I know – they'll do well wherever they go?"

Elizabeth was watching him with a watery smile on her face, and she bit her lip before she spoke, calling for everyone's attention. "Come on, guys, we've got one last chance. Let's make it good – for the Czar. On three."

"One," Sonny counted off, knowing exactly what was going to happen as their teacher stared at them in confusion. "Two…Three."

"Is this the little girl I carried? Is this the little boy at play?"

Lorenzo covered his eyes with a groan, unable to keep from laughing. "Oh, no!"

"I don't remember growing older; when did they?"

"Okay, I get it, you guys will miss me, too, fine-"

"When did she get to be a beauty? When did he get to be so tall?"

"All right, all right, I get it! We're good!"

"SUNRISE, SUNSET! SUNRISE, SUNSET! Swiftly flow the days! Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers, blossoming even as we gaze. SUNRISE, SUNSET! SUNRISE, SUNSET!"

"I hate you all."


"Our last lunch in the cafeteria." Carol Benson cocked her head to the side, studying all her friends who were currently crammed around the lunch table. "I'm kinda going to miss this place."

"Not me," Elizabeth disagreed, settling back on the plastic chair she was sharing with Brenda. "It's hot, crowded, noisy, and the food is tasteless. But, hey, dorm food won't be any better."

"I won't miss it, either," Sonny declared, wiping breadcrumbs from his fingers. "But I will miss these cheese sticks. Jason, did you know that they served cheese sticks here?"

"Yes."

"How come I was never made aware of it?"

The blonde rolled his eyes. "It was a conspiracy, Sonny. A betrayal of epic proportions."

"Clearly," he huffed, finishing off the last of his lunch.

"What about you, Jase?" Carol interrupted, playing with her carrot sticks. "Yay or Nay?"

"Nay," he answered quickly. "I'm not going to miss this cafeteria at all – Elizabeth's right: it's always full and very noisy and gives me a headache."

"Exactly," the little brunette agreed. "Good riddance to Port Charles High's Commons. We're done here, thank goodness."

"Oh, come on now, Beth," Emily Bowen grinned at her as Ace snagged a couple of her gummy bears. "This cafeteria wasn't all bad."

Jason watched his girlfriend stiffen in her seat as Brenda smirked. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Emily's sinister grin spread from ear to ear. "What about all those happy moments you spent sitting at our table, ogling Jason?"

Sonny burst out laughing and Brenda soon joined in as Elizabeth's face flooded with color. The brunette waved a finger at Emily, desperately trying not to give in to the urge to grin. "Shut up."

"The way you'd watch him as he walked back and forth, the way you'd let out those little sighs-"

Jason's grin was proud and somewhat cocky as he reached out to wrap his arm around his girlfriend's tiny waist. With a groan, Elizabeth let her head fall to the table with a soft smack. "I hate you all."


"What are all the girls crying for?" Jason wanted to know as he, Sonny and Elizabeth inched down the hall. The last bell had just gone off and the senior hallway was flooded with senior students and teachers. "It's not like this is some emotionally traumatic deal."

"Jason Morgan, you're a cold, unfeeling monster," Brenda sniffed, punching his shoulder right before wrapping her arm around Carol's shoulders.

Elizabeth smiled warmly up at her boyfriend as he rolled his eyes, and her fingers softly stroked the golden hair at his temple. Everyone was hugging around her, guys and girls alike, and although she was sad to see them all go, her eyes remained dry. She was never one for a public display of emotion, and even during the days reaching this last day – the last layout session, the last NHS meeting, the last day they'd have to clean out their lockers – she had never once felt the urge to cry. And as her friends milled around her, she was fairly confident she wouldn't. She loved some of them dearly, yes, and she would miss most of them, but she wasn't a wreck over it.

Sonny was shaking hands with one of his teachers and Jason was standing in a huddle of his former track mates when Luke Spencer appeared behind her. Elizabeth barely had time to do anything but yelp in surprise when his strong arms closed around her waist and the boy lifted her up off the floor, swinging her around once.

"I'm gonna miss you, kid," he muttered, finally setting her down and giving her a quick hug. "You were always my favorite midget."

She laughed and pulled him back for another hug. "You take care of yourself, Luke."

The trumpet player gave her a two-finger salute and sidled through the crowd, saying goodbye to friends he met along the way. Taggert, Mr. Dillon Hornsby, Michael Quartermaine, and several other male classmates and teachers gave her a hug as Elizabeth milled about in her hallway. Johnny appeared behind her not too much later, picking her up and swinging her about just like Luke had done.

"I always wanted to do that," he announced simply, chucking her under the chin before moving off to see the rest of his older friends that were graduating this year and leaving him and all the other juniors behind.

Elizabeth met up with all her fellow newspaper staff members, and then finally all of her girlfriends. Most of them were crying and they stood together in a huddle for several minutes before the girls slowly drifted off one by one, sniffling and grabbing a couple tissues despite the fact that they would undoubtedly see each other frequently over the summer.

No tears in sight as she quickly hugged Mr. Alcazar goodbye, and she nodded sincerely when her favorite teacher implored her to visit whenever she had the chance. Jason had said goodbye to most of his friends – she noted with a brief flicker of surprise that some of the guys looked emotional as well – and soon joined her and her remaining girlfriends.

Brenda gave her a hug and a wink, squeezing her shoulder with one hand reaching for Sonny's hand with the other. "We'll see you guys later, okay?"

"Later, Bren, Sonny," Elizabeth smiled as the couple walked away. Jason arms wrapped around her waist and she leaned her head back against his chest as several of their other friends walked by, offering their best wishes and goodbyes.

"Hey." His lips whispered over the delicate shell of her ear as she rested her hands on top of his. "I've gotta cut out a bit early – I'm supposed to pick AJ up from school and drop him off at Chloe's, so I'll see you later, okay?"

I'll see you later, okay?

The familiarity of the phrase washed over her and all of a sudden, it hit her. This was the last time they'd be standing in their senior hallway. Thinking back, Elizabeth couldn't even count all the times she had milled by her locker with Lauren and the girls, catching a glimpse of Jason as he returned from his class, the times she had followed him down to lunch, ogling him – as Emily would say – shamelessly the whole way, the times they'd been frowned at by Mr. Alcazar when he would catch them kissing in the halls.

And that first day that started a whole series of encounters: the day she had fallen in front of Sydney's locker and he had scooped her up as if she were a little doll. That's where they were standing right now, at that same junction of the two hallways of the senior floor.

Tears clouded her vision as she felt him pull away, loosen his grip around her waist, and Elizabeth couldn't for the life of her begin to explain why she was suddenly crying. Jason didn't notice and stepped back, fishing for his keys, and then her small hands reached out for him, grasping at him.

"Jason-"

He stopped when he saw the mist in her eyes, the quiver in her lower lip, and Jason quickly stepped back up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her softly. She relaxed under his lips as a soothing warmth spread through her, and she gazed up at him with starry eyes when he pulled back.

"Hey." His nose nudged hers as he tucked her silky chocolate locks behind her tiny ears. "I'll see you later."

She returned his warm smile, feeling slightly silly at her sudden quasi-meltdown, and nodded as he backed away, still smiling at her. His blue eyes were twinkling and she waved him on, watching as he turned, fished the keys out of his pockets, and ambled toward the stairwell.

The hallway was almost empty when she turned around, and Elizabeth nodded once to herself. They were all gone, but then again, they'd all see each other later.