4. Annie Braddock – July 18, 1999

"What do you know about Woodstock?" Sam glanced up from his sandwich to regard Annie Braddock. She sat sideways at his and Jet's corner booth of the mall cafeteria, one arm resting the table with other resting on her left knee.

Jet stopped fishing around in his box of crackerjacks long enough to ponder the question, then shrugged. "It was an old thing my Mom probably went to, but Pops was too stuffy to think about. Why?" He asked, raising his voice above the sudden commotion of the crowd. "What is going on?"

Sam twisted around in his seat at the same time Jet barely cast a glance over his shoulder. Three grown men were shouting about something in front of the Wendy's vendor, looking none too pleased. "Nothing unusual," Sam turned 'round in his seat and refocused his attention his sandwich. Jet followed suit.

A sly sort of smile graced Annie's chapped lips as she said, "Well, I was wondering if you were interested in going to Woodstock '99 with me."

"Woodstock '99?" Jet repeated the name incredulously. "You're saying that like I should know what it is."

"How could you not know what it is? It's like, the one thing everyone's been talking about," Annie said, affronted. "It's the biggest music event of this year."

Jet spared Sam a glance, searching for verification. Sam nodded with a pitying expression. "It's a pretty big deal."

"I was busy trying not to flunk Algebra. Excuse me for tuning the real world out," Jet snarked.

"Anyway, the point is, I might know someone who knows someone who has tickets for Woodstock '99."

Jet looked thoughtful, a laugh slipped from Sam earning him a glare from Annie.

"What? He said. "You're kidding yourself if you think that's a legit offer. He's probably a scalper."

"Sam's got a point," Jet crunched on his caramel peanut popcorn as obnoxiously as he could as two nosy girls passed the table. They shot him a dirty look then moved a bit faster down the path of tables to wherever they were going. "And, there's like, two or three days before the event actually starts? You're absolutely certain this guy is on the level?"

"Alicia has never lied to me about this kind of stuff before," Annie stated, stressing her friend's name. Lowering her voice, she gestured that they move in closer. Jet and Sam obliged her, Jet crushing his box against his chest, Sam leaning away from his sandwich. "Her brother got a security gig, and someone he knows decided not to go. There are, I think, three tickets. She's totally all about helping me out."

"Where's this taking place?"

"Rome, New York. Basically on the East Coast," Annie said. Both boys leaned back, their faces expressing mutual disagreement. There was no way in hell they were leaving the West Coast just for a concert.

"Can't we watch this on pay-per-view? Or MTV?" Jet asked.

"I mean, I guess, but, we'd be going on a road trip! Think about it, you and me –"

"And, me," Sam added, raising an eyebrow at her exclusion.

" –Going across the country to see Sevendust – Sevendust, Jet," Annie emphasized. "It'll be worth the trip."

"Pops isn't gonna let me take the car," Jet said. "And driving all the way to the East Coast? I can't afford that, neither can you, Annie."

"Well, can't Sam help out? I mean, he's a billionaire."

"I'm also sixteen years old, as of June," Sam glared. "I can't even touch that money until I'm, like, eighteen or something."

"Fine. Alicia tells me that her brother is taking his van to New York. Maybe we can bum a ride with them. Our parents don't even have to know."

"I think they'll definitely notice three teenagers missing from the house. Our silence is unbecoming and my dad can't go a day without fighting with me."

"So, why not move in with your mom?" Sam asked.

Jet shook his head. "Not a chance."

"Mom still not budging on that?" Annie winced sympathetically.

"Well, not to derail your heartfelt argument for the Woodstock of our generation, but, no," Jet frowned. "Mom figures if I can patch things up between myself Sam, I can try a little harder with Dad. So, if you were hoping to use Pasadena as a cover, sorry to tell you, that would tip Pops right off. Also, Mom goes everywhere in her station wagon."

Annie covered her face with her hands and let out a low groan. "This blows, I wanna go so badly."

"Hey, it doesn't sound like you'll have a hard time ducking your family, unlike me and Sam. You should absolutely go if you want, Annie."

"It you won't be the same without there. That's why I told you about the tickets," Annie pouted. "We totally deserve a summer break away from home."

Jet reached over and grasped her hand. Sam went back to eating his sandwich – now lukewarm – trying not to roll his eyes at routine he thought Annie was pulling on his friend. "I'll tell you what. It's not a live performance, it's not even a road trip, but I'll pay for the pay-per-view. My TV's bigger than yours and we've got DirectTV. We can make a whole day of it."

"Yeah?"

"Totally. We can thrash in the living room for authenticity's sake," Jet grinned. Sam bit the inside of his mouth at the moonstruck expression slowly spreading across Annie's face as her fingers intertwined with Jet's. "Have I told you how much I love you, Jethro Eugene Bradley?"

Sam raised an eyebrow, Jet's grin turned into a full blown smile. "It's Jet, Annie. And, yeah, but you're only saying that because I'm your boyfriend."

"Doesn't make it not true," She said.

Sam pretended to make choking noises as he stuffed the last of his sandwich into his mouth.

Author's Note: Historically, there hasn't been a girl Jet has dated that Sam didn't dislike for one reason or another (even if they weren't terrible), and Jet's girlfriends never liked him a great deal either.

Annie Braddock is the name of the character in the 2007 comedy, The Nanny Diaries, starring Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans. The novel the film is based on is a pretty solid weekend read that ends too abruptly and thus the film provides better closure.

Also, it's so weird, reading up on Woodstock '99, and finding out what a nightmare dumpster fire it turned out to be despite some great acts that attended? I only vaguely remember the MTV advertisements and radio hype.