Phil smiled as Keely came up to her locker. "Hey Phil," she said, popping a pill into her mouth, then spinning her combination. "What's up?"

"Not much… I'm in a rush, and I know that you didn't get the last problem on the math homework…"

"How do you…" Keely trailed off, remembering who she was talking to. "Thanks, Phil," she said, and opened her locker. Phil smiled.

"Okay, here's the homework, Keely… I'll explain it later, but I have to… go now…"

Keely nodded, and Phil rushed down the hall.

Just as planned, there she was, walking up to the locker. Phil was beginning to have second thoughts about his whole plan. His heart was beating much harder than normal, and he felt he needed to swallow something down, but just couldn't do it… His stomach twisted and churned as she spun the lock…

Then he began to wonder if he had made the roses a bit too young when he used the New Ager… what if he did? What if he made a fool of himself?

But he didn't, he saw. As she opened the door, he saw that six white roses rested neatly in their places. He breathed out a sigh of relief as she gathered them in her hand.

"Hey," Phil said, finally gathering the courage to talk to her.

"You did this?" she asked. He nodded, and after a beat, she nodded too. "I suppose that makes sense… I mean, Owen would never be this thoughtful… I mean, his lift doesn't exactly stop on all floors… but I always thought… you and Keely…"

"I guess not," Phil said, smiling. "But I suppose we all eventually reveal our darkest secrets…"

"You don't say," Via replied, sounding a little distant. Snapping back, she added, "And sometimes we never know how alike we may be…"

It was later that day when Bonnie and her beau George were at his house that Bonnie remembered something she'd promised Keely.

"Oh… Georgie?"

"Yeah, Bonnie?" George asked.

"I think I need to go… I totally forgot, I'm sorry… I just need-"

"Are you doing something you shouldn't be doing?" he snapped, throwing an accusatory look at her.

"What? No, where did you get a crazy--"

"Are you giving me attitude?" George asked.

"I'm not giving you attitude!" Bonnie protested. "I just--"

Bonnie was interrupted by a slap on the face. "You're talking back… Sounds like you've forgotten…"

"Forgotten?" she asked, confused, as George walked across the room.

"I'm worried, Bonnie," he said, looking around in the closet, and finally finding what he was searching for. "I'm worried about you an awful lot."

Bonnie's eyes widened in horror as George produced a belt from the closet. He snapped it, and it made a fine cracking sound in the air. "Georgie… no… please, I can remember…"

"I know you will remember," he said, smirking nastily, and lashed the makeshift whip at her. It licked her right forearm, leaving a bright red mark. Accentuating every pause with another lash of the belt, he added, "You'll remember not to talk back… you'll remember to be honest with me… you'll remember any time you think of seeing somebody else… and you'll remember that if you try to avoid it, it's gonna get worse." Bonnie continued to back away.

"I won't--"

SNAP, went the belt, striking Bonnie's legs. She let out a small whimper, and continued to back away.

He stopped, swinging the belt from one hand, ominously. Bonnie dimly thought that it didn't look like a belt, more like a snake, and that maybe this snake was poisonous… maybe this wouldn't end until she was

dead.

"Georgie, please," she pleaded, bumping into the wall. Nowhere to run.

"I just want you to remember what I've told you," he said. The belt continued to snap, striking her knees, licking her backside, slapping her shoulders…

"I'll remember," Bonnie cried out. She started to slide to her knees, as the blows began to stop.

"Get up," George commanded, and Bonnie slowly rose to her feet, after wiping away the tears from her eyes. "Your eyes are red. Have you been crying?"

"No, George," Bonnie lied. Showing weakness in front of George was not associated with good memories.

George looked her up and down, and muttered, "Just go… get out of my sight…"

Bonnie slowly left the house, afraid that any sudden movements would result in some more teaching of lessons. She hopped in the car, and drove home, trying to keep her mind away from George Gray.

And as she pulled into the driveway, she broke down and cried, burying her head in her arms.

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