A/N: For all of you who are wondering, I made a typo in the last chapter. The play they're doing isn't "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", it's the bastardized version that Johnny Depp is in, and it's just called "Sleepy Hollow". I'm sorry for any confusion, but I swear I didn't think that there was a difference.
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All eight teenagers exited the school together, chatting and laughing about that day's rehearsal. Catherine was walking at the head of the group, and she invited Gil to walk with her and choose a place to go hang out. Gil declined with as much dignity as he could muster, stepping quickly to walk in the back of the group with Jim, and hiding the blush that was creeping up his neck.
Feeling disappointed, Catherine took out a crinkly pack of Lucky Strikes and, cupping the flame from her lighter with one hand, lit the cigarette that she held between her teeth. Taking a long drag, she turned to the rest of the group and said loudly, "We're going to a coffee shop. We're going to be friends and talk about each other!"
Sara blanched. She hadn't even told Greg and Nick about her mother killing her father, much less a whole group of people she barely knew. "Maybe I can steer clear of that," she thought nervously.
Warrick was having similar feelings. He knew that they were going to ask why he didn't live with his parents. Not feeling ready at all, he braced himself for the questions he felt sure were inevitable.
Nick wasn't quite as nervous, but the cogs in his mind were whirring at top speed trying to think of a way to avoid the subject of babysitters. He didn't want to lie, and he knew it was an unlikely topic, but the fear still gnawed at the back of his mind.
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"Eight medium mocha lattes, please," Catherine said, deciding the orders for the rest of the group. "Put it on Sam Braun's tab."
The others gaped at her. Sam Braun, the infamous Las Vegas tycoon, surely wouldn't be associating with a bunch of freshmen. But when the barista asked her name and Cathy replied "Catherine Willows," in a voice as cool as can be, flashing a school ID, they thought she couldn't be faking.
Collecting their lattes and heading to a large table in the back of the shop, Greg and Sara were whispering about how Catherine could know Sam Braun. When they were all seated, Nick asked bluntly, "How do you know someone like Braun?"
"He used to date my mom, and we're still in touch. He's already bought a car for my sixteenth birthday. He's sort of trying to make up for the fact that I never had a father, I think." While Catherine was talking, Gil was looking at her, entranced by her story.
"Enough about me," she said, jerking him out of his reverie, "Let's hear about…Nick. Tell us the origin of that Texan accent."
Nick looked at her and raised his eyebrows. "I'm from Texas, genius," he said plainly. "I lived there until I was ten."
"Well of course you're from Texas," Catherine persisted. "I mean, why did you leave? Are you chasing down some girl who said she'd meet you in Las Vegas when you were both eighteen and could get married? Come on, humor me."
Nick knew very well why his family had left, and that was the very subject he was avoiding. Gritting his teeth, he steeled himself for the lie that was about to burst, full bloom, from his mouth. "My parents wanted a change of scenery, I guess."
"Oh." Catherine wilted. She turned to Greg and asked, "Where are you from?"
Greg looked delighted at the thought of sharing about his family, and launched into a long monologue about his Papa Olaf and an eventful Christmas dinner, ending with a Norwegian proverb. "Trå lett når møte en kones familie," he said knowledgeably.
Sara told about her foster family, leaving out, of course, that they weren't actually related. She once slipped up, almost calling her foster father "Mr. Peterson", but catching herself before it was too late. This attracted a quizzical look from Nick, but no one else seemed to have noticed.
Before long, it was almost dark and the group parted, walking in separate directions and each thinking about their new friends. Warrick was relieved that he'd never had to share why he lived with Grams, and he was glad.
Nick, however, was still mad at himself for lying about coming to Las Vegas. "Why can't I just come out and say it?" he asked himself, "It's three simple words. I was raped."
But now that he was thinking about it, the pain of the trials and the lawyers came flooding back, and once again he was a scared nine-year-old boy, and he just wanted everyone to leave him alone.
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A/N: Wow, that's a powerful chapter for character development. I'll answer more reviews in the next chapter, but only if I get some reviews to answer! That means you!
I still love you, don't worry,
Maddy
P.S. Sorry about the weird paragraph spacing, I'm on the computer at my mom's house and it won't let me do what I want!
P.P.S. Greg says "Tread lightly when meeting your girlfriend's family." His story is about him inviting his first girlfriend's family over for a Christmas dinner and having his grandfather ruin it...If enough people review I'll tell you how.