A/N: Just thought I'd add this short chapter to keep you guys updated.

Chapter 12: Take Me On

"…and then he asked me what we were doing on Friday. So, I hope you don't mind, I told him we were free. And now, we are all going out," Jenny had been talking non stop since Allison got into the car.

"Wait a minute?" Allison interrupted for the first time. As fast as Jenny spoke, it was hard to get a word in. "You told him that I would hang out, with him?"

"Yes," Jenny answered not remotely concerned about the tone Allison's voice had taken. "What's wrong with that? I mean, Alan is cute, right?"

"It's not that," Allison added. She was beginning to get a sense that Jenny really didn't understand, something that did not surprise her in the least. The first thing Jenny had said when she entered the car was that back in the cafeteria Alan had asked about her. Well aware of her situation with Andrew, Jenny had found it easy to tell him that Allison would want nothing more than to hang out on Friday. "Well it's just that Andy and I-"

But Jenny cut her off. "I know for a fact," she started, "that you and Andy have not made it official."

"But-," Allison tried to interrupt.

"Just hear me out Al," Jenny added. "You and Andy were just dating and now you're on a little break. So it's only natural that you explore your options while you sort things out."

Allison's head was hurting. Jenny's line of thinking didn't make any sense. She and Andrew were not on a break, she was just angry. It was a minor, temporary set back, and she couldn't think of any way in which going out with Alan was going to change any of that. Plus, as soon as her anger subsided Allison was going to talk to Andrew and then everything would be right between them. Jenny was making it sound as though their relationship was a lost cause, or superficial at the least.

Changing topics fast, Jenny began talking about the plans for Friday night. She mentioned going out to dinner and catching a late movie or even going down to the pool hall. Allison wasn't listening, her thoughts were elsewhere. She was hoping that her next conversation with Andrew would sort everything out and she could put the whole Alan situation to rest.

Jenny was more than happy to drop Allison off at her house, which turned out to be only a short distance away from her own street.

Before driving away she turned to Allison and said, "Cheer up Al, it should feel good to be liked by everyone." When Allison did not crack a smile Jenny added, "Look, I'll pick you up tomorrow morning okay?"

"Sure," Allison managed. She watched as the red Pontiac pulled out of the driveway and turned down the street.

With nothing more than a coke from the fridge, Allison spent the rest of the afternoon up in the attic trying to do her homework. She found it especially hard to concentrate because she kept casting stares at her phone, even managing to pick up the receiver a few times just to see if the line was clear.

Her thoughts kept creeping back to Jenny and the Alan situation. At first, when she caught them together in the cafeteria, Allison thought he was interested in Jenny. But of course, she found out otherwise. It made her stomach queasy thinking about all the shit Alan had put her through in the past and even more so when she remembered the lame pick up attempts he had resorted to recently. Allison decided that the only way anything could happen between them was if she was completely inebriated, or out of her mind.

Images of white rooms and stray jackets were interrupted when the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Allison? Hi it's Andrew."

"I know"

"…"

"…"

"So."

"So?"

"Well I thought I'd call so we could talk about what happened, you know?"

"In other words, you're going to apologize for your behavior at dinner?"

"Yes, I mean No. Wait what?"

"Oh you forgot how you acted like a complete ass in front of my mother already?"

"I didn't do anything wrong, Allison. Don't you think you were over reacting? It wasn't that bad."

"Of course, I should be used to all the bashing right? Why should I want anyone stand by me, right?"

"I did stand by you!"

"You should have said no to dinner Andrew! After everything we talked about at detention did you honestly think I would want to go through with that, with my freaking mother of all people? It was a fucking nightmare!"

"I'm not psychic Allison."

"I didn't expect a sixth sense Andrew, just a little understanding."

"I don't know what to say."

"Don't say anything. We just aren't ready for this yet. Listen I'll talk to you later okay? Bye."

"Bye."

Allison waited until she heard the dial tone before hanging up the phone. The conversation had gone nothing like she had expected.

"Fuck," she said as she started getting ready for bed.

When her alarm went off at six, it took all of Allison's strength not to throw the wretched machine out the window and go back to sleep. A million excuses for her to miss school raced through her head as she got ready for school. School had become a drag again. Now that she and Andrew were fighting she had nothing to look forward to. Memories of her days as the bag lady started surfacing in her consciousness but she brushed them away as she combed the tangles out of her wavy hair. Her only consolation was that she wouldn't have to submit to the misery of the bus.

Jenny was in the driver seat of her car, fixing her lipstick in the overhead mirror. The stereo was on full blast and Allison noticed a few of the neighbors peeking from behind closed curtains.

"Morning Sleeping Beauty," Jenny said as Allison squeezed into the back seat of her convertible. "So did you speak to Andy?"

Allison had thought about how she was going to handle the situation all day. The most logical conclusion, and the safest, was that she wasn't going to tell Jenny anything else about what was going between her and Andy. This way she wouldn't have the urge to interfere. Allison wasn't in the mood to talk about it.

"Well," she answered quickly. "I guess he got busy, he didn't call me."

"Poor thing," Jenny exclaimed. "He was probably to scared to talk to you cause he thinks you're going to break up with him. Oh well, at least now you have Friday to look forward to.

"Yeah," Allison said quietly not entirely convinced. She was trying her hardest to come up with an excuse to bail on Friday but couldn't. Allison knew that going out with another guy would not help her relationship with Andrew at all. If anything, it would merely put more strain on it.

Jenny and Leslie rambled on about Friday and the upcoming dance until the arrived at the school parking lot. Not vaguely interested in the theme of the dance "Moonlight Café" Allison had remained quiet for the length of the ride. Once in school she jumped out of the car and said goodbye before either of the girls had a chance to stop her.

Walking into Math the first person she saw was Alan. He was sitting at his desk smiling up at her. It was a smile that Allison recognized; the guy was falling, hard.

"Did Jenny tell you about Friday?" he asked.

"She mentioned it," she said truthfully. "But I don't think it's such a good idea Alan."

"Why? Look we're just going to hang out. It'll be fun. At least it will keep your mind busy so you won't feel bad anymore. You're still feeling bad aren't you?"

"You have no idea," she sighed.

A/N: Have something to say? Let me hear it.