Author's Notes: Please see the notes from the previous chapter. :o)

Thursday, September 8, 1977
Harpers' Apartment Building
Early evening/Dinnertime

CeCe opened the door to her apartment and found her mother sitting at the kitchen table. Sitting across from her was a short, plump Hispanic woman with jet black hair pulled into a bun, wearing a flowered dress. She was holding and patting one of Rosalie's hands in both of hers, saying some words of encouragement. "Hi, Mama," CeCe said. "Hey, baby," Rosalie replied. She pointed to the woman and said, "You remember Mrs. Fuentes, don't you? She lived in the same apartment building we did up in Syracuse before we moved into the house. She's living a few blocks from here and working at the hospital with me now."

Mrs. Fuentes stood up so CeCe could get a good look at her. CeCe's face lit up with a smile as she remembered her former neighbor and sometime babysitter. "Hola, Senora Fuentes," she said hesitantly as she realized that her Spanish was rusty from not speaking it in a long time. "Hola, CeCe!" Mrs. Fuentes said with a hint of a Cuban accent. She walked towards her with her arms wide open. She gave CeCe a big hug before stepping back to look at her. "Oh my!" she said. "You've grown into such a beautiful young woman. And you still have those cute dimples."

CeCe ducked her head as she blushed. "Thank you," she replied quietly. Mrs. Fuentes gave her another big hug. "It's good to have you home. Your mami has missed you a lot." CeCe teared up a little as she looked at Rosalie, who smiled and gave her a wink. "Well, I need to head on home. Eduardo is probably pacing the floor because he hasn't seen me since Wednesday," Mrs. Fuentes said. She hugged CeCe one more time. "It's good to see you again, Cecelia." "Thanks. Same here, Senora Fuentes," CeCe replied.

Rosalie came around the table and hugged Mrs. Fuentes. "Carmen, thanks for taking my shift and for the food. I'll bring your pan back to you next week," she said. "Pfft. Don't worry about it. Eduardo says I cook enough to feed an army anyway. I'll talk to you later." Rosalie held the door open for Mrs. Fuentes. She turned around and waved to both occupants, then headed down the steps.

"You're not going to work tonight, Mama?" CeCe asked as she pulled her satchel strap over her head. "No, I'm not, Pumpkin," Rosalie replied. She closed and locked the door. "I'm meeting with your principal at 10 o'clock tomorrow. Your brother got into a fight with your friend Bobby." CeCe's eyes widen with surprise. "Derek and Bobby got to fighting? Why?" she asked. Rosalie let out a quiet sigh and answered, "I don't know. Neither one of them would say. So, Mr. Clayton figures they'll talk in front of the parents." CeCe stood there speechless and deep in thought. "Were they fighting about me?"

Rosalie noticed the intense look of concern and fear on CeCe's face. "You okay, CeCe?" she asked. Her head snapped up at the sound of her mother's voice. "Yes, ma'am," she murmured. Rosalie gave a her a leery look. She wasn't totally convinced by the answer she received, but she decided that for the time being it would have to do. She had another fish named Derek Isaiah Harper to deal with. "Mama, is Derek in his room?" CeCe asked. "Yeah." "Can I go talk to him?" Rosalie chuckled. "Sure you can. Maybe he'll talk to you. I'm going to heat up this arroz con pollo." With that, she walked towards to the kitchen area.

CeCe went into her room and tossed her satchel on the bed. Then she headed to Derek's room. She knocked softly on the door and said, "Derek, it's CeCe. Can I come in?" She heard the door being unlocked. She cautiously turned the knob before entering the room. "Lock it," Derek said as he flopped down on his bed. She locked the door, then turned around to look at her brother. She let out a loud gasp when she saw Derek's face.

"Oh my God," CeCe softly muttered as she walked over to Derek. Tears formed in her eyes as she placed her hands on either side of his face. "Are you okay?" she asked, taking in all of the cuts, bruises and swelling. "Yeah, I'm fine," he replied. He swatted her hands away from his face, then slid across the bed to put his back against the wall. CeCe sat down next to him, one foot tucked underneath her. "Why were y'all fighting?" she asked. Derek made a face. "Why do you THINK we were fighting?" he sneered.

"You still think Bobby did something to me?" CeCe asked. "Derek, I told you the truth! He didn't put his hands down my shirt or my pants. He's been nice to me. That's it." Derek jumped up off the bed. He shook his finger in her face and said in a low voice, "You know what your problem is, CeCe? You don't tell anybody that something bad is happening to you until it's too late. You remember after we buried Daddy you started having headaches and real bad nightmares? I asked you what was wrong, but you wouldn't tell me. It took Mama finding you sleepwalking in the middle of the street about to get run over by a truck to tell the truth!"

CeCe stood up, tears running down her cheeks. "You're still mad because I didn't say anything about the headaches and nightmares? I was littler then. I didn't know what to tell you! But that has nothing to do with you fighting Bobby about something he hasn't done to me. I'm telling you he hasn't touched me." Derek scoffed, turning his back on his sister. CeCe walked around to face Derek. "Mama's gonna ground you for at least another month just for fighting. You gotta stop being hardheaded. Bobby is not the person you think he is. He's not some scary monster," she said.

"I'm not being hardheaded. I'm proving my point about him," Derek said. "Bobby is a bigot like his daddy and a lover boy like his brother. Tomorrow, he'll get what's coming to him." "What does that mean?" CeCe asked. A small smile crept across Derek's lips as he went to sit down on his bed. He leaned against the headboard, his hands folded behind his head. "Bobby's daddy is coming to the school tomorrow. You could see the fear in his eyes." "What's his daddy gonna do to him?" He shrugged. "I don't know. But whatever it is, it'll be worth seeing."

CeCe stood in the middle of the floor, shaking her head in disbelief. "You're wrong about Bobby, Derek," she said softly. "He's a nice person. He hasn't done anything to me." "You've known this fool for only 3 days and already you think he's a nice guy," Derek said. "You need to open your eyes and stop being stupid. And tell the truth." "I AM telling the truth." He narrowed his eyes at her. "I know you, CeCe. You're not telling the truth because you're scared."

"If you knew me, then you'd know I'm telling the truth," CeCe thought to herself. She looked at the ground. "Derek, you're wrong. You're causing trouble for Bobby for nothing," she said. "I'm not causing trouble. I'm trying to protect you," he countered. "If you're trying to protect me, then you'll keep Tank away from me." She let out a long soft sigh, resigning herself to the fact that her brother was hardheaded and stubborn just like their father had been.

CeCe turned on her heel without saying a word. She unlocked the door, opened it and went to her room. She sat down on her bed, looking up at the sky through her window. "Oh, God! There's going to be a lot of trouble tomorrow and it'll be all my fault! I don't want to be here anymore," she thought as she wiped away her tears.

Thursday, September 8, 1977
Home of Bill and Susannah Lewis
Early evening/Dinnertime

Bill had just come down the stairs when someone rang the doorbell. Susannah appeared at the kitchen door. "I'll get it, Susie," he said. He opened the door and found Doreen and Cal standing on the doorstep. "Evening, Doreen. Evening, Cal," Bill said. "Come on in." Doreen gave him a quick hug while Cal shook his hand as they stepped inside. Doreen and Susannah hugged each other. "Cal, it's good to you," Susannah said as she hugged him. "Same here, Susie," he said. "Where's Bobby?" Doreen asked. She laid her purse down on the table. "He's locked himself upstairs in Cara's room," Bill replied.

Doreen started to climb the stairs, but Susannah gently grabbed her arm and guided her towards the living room. "I need to tell you and Cal something first," she said. She pointed at the couch. "Have a seat." Doreen and Cal sat down. Bill sat down in the Queen Anne chair opposite of them while Susannah remained standing. "What's wrong?" Cal asked. "Well, there's 2 things I need to tell you," Susannah said. Cal and Doreen looked at her expectantly. "The first thing is that Mr. Graham is on his way over here to check up on Bobby." "Okay. That's not so bad. We can tell him what's happened and how we plan on dealing with it," Doreen said. "That depends on this other thing I'm about to tell you." "Which is?"

Susannah took a deep breath, released it and said, "The school secretary called and talked to Richard. He said he's coming to the school tomorrow." "I'm confused," Cal said. "Why would she call Richard?" "The school only has Frances' number on file in their records," Susannah said. "It seems what Bobby said about Margie kicking Richard out is true. He must be staying at their apartment." Cal pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay. I can understand that. What I'm not understanding is why in the hell is Richard going to that school tomorrow?!"

"You obviously have not seen the secretary," Doreen said. Cal looked puzzled for a minute. "Oh," he said as he realized what she was hinting at. " 'Oh' is right, dear." She looked at Susannah, asking, "Has Bobby said why he got into the fight?" "I didn't even get a chance to see his injuries before he went upstairs, let alone talk to him." Doreen massaged her temple as she muttered, "Good grief." Cal reached over and rubbed her back. "It'll be alright, Dorie. We'll get through this."

Bill got up when he heard the doorbell. As he was walking towards the door, he glanced up and saw Lewis standing at the top of the stairs. "Go to your room, Jedidiah," he said. He paused for a moment, listening for his son's bedroom door to close before he opened the door. "Can I help you?" Bill asked the man who was standing on his doorstep. "Hi. I'm Thomas Graham," the man replied. He reached into his inner jacket pocket and pulled out a business card, handing it to Bill. "I'm from Social Services. I'm Robert Goren's case worker."

Bill extended his hand and said, "I'm Bill Lewis. Come on in." Mr. Graham shook his hand before going inside. He waited while Bill shut the door, then followed him into the living room. Bill made the introductions."Mr. Graham, you remember my wife Susannah and Bobby's cousin, Doreen Reed. This is her husband, Cal." Mr. Graham nodded at the women. Cal stood up to shake his hand. "Have a seat, Mr. Graham," Susannah said, pointing to the chair Bill had recently vacated. She sat down on the couch next to Doreen, Bill sat in a chair next to her.

"I must apologize for coming at such a late hour, but I've been in and out of court and meetings all day," Mr. Graham said as he placed his briefcase on the floor. "Not a problem. We understand," Susannah said. "So, where's Robert?" he asked. "He's upstairs." "Oh. May I go up and talk to him first before I talk to all of you?" "Actually, Mr. Graham, we need to talk to you before you talk to Bobby." Mr. Graham gave Susannah a leery look. "Is there a problem?" he asked.

Susannah looked at Bill, Doreen and Cal. They all nodded their heads, making her the group spokesperson. She pressed her lips together, sighing heavily. "Bobby got into a fight with another student, one of his basketball teammates, at school today," she said. "I see," Mr. Graham said coolly. "Has Robert explained why he was fighting?" Susannah shook her head. "He and the other boy have refused to say anything. Mr. Clayton, the principal, wants to meet with them and parents tomorrow to find out the reason."

Mr. Graham said, "You do realize that Robert's parents or legal guardians need to be at that meeting tomorrow?" "Yes, we're aware of that, Mr. Graham," Susannah said. "My husband and I are going to the school tomorrow." He shook his head. "You can't go. You and your husband nor the Reeds are his legal guardians. Either Mr. or Mrs. Goren need to be there. I'm only allowing him to stay here to give Mr. Goren time to get sober. " "Well, of course, Richard is going to be there, but…" "Then that settles it," he said, waving a dismissive hand. "Let Mr. Goren handle the situation."

"It's not that simple, Mr. Graham," Susannah said. As she opened her mouth, someone rang the doorbell. "I got it!" Lewis said loudly. Susannah and Bill exchanged looks. "Excuse me, please," she said as she stood and walked out of the room. As she exited the living room, Lewis was quickly running down the stairs, beating her to the door. Susannah watched as he threw open the door, pulling Mattie and Tricia inside. "The social worker's here," he said to the girls. She continued watching as he hustled them towards the stairs as fast as he could without pushing either girl down.

Lewis, Tricia and Mattie were halfway up the stairs when they stopped and gasped. Susannah looked up and gasped as well. Standing at the top was a very quiet and battle scarred Bobby. He looked at all of them, then lowered his head. He was ashamed to let them see him in this condition. Susannah recovered first. She stood at the bottom of the stairs and said softly, "Hey, stranger."

Bobby raised his eyes to meet hers. "We love you," Susannah said. He didn't say anything. He looked at the ground as he walked down and sat on the 3rd step from the top. Susannah smiled at the other kids, then headed back to the living room. Mattie finished climbing the stairs first. She sat down behind Bobby, crying as she wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head against his. Lewis and Tricia followed behind her. He sat next to Mattie while Tricia sat down in front of him and leaned back. She shed a few tears herself as she squeezed her cousin's arm in an attempt to comfort her.

Bobby patted Mattie's hand. "Stop crying, Matt. It'll be okay," he said quietly. But he knew telling her to stop crying was like telling Niagara Falls to stop flowing. "The social worker is going to take you away from us," she said. "You don't know that." "A social worker being around usually ain't good news, Bobby," Tricia said. He gave her a sideways glance. "Both of you are crying for nothing. If Mr. Graham is going to place me somewhere else, then I'll deal with it." "But you belong here with Lewis and his parents, not some strangers," Mattie said. Bobby just sighed and shook his head.

"Why were you and Derek fighting anyway?" Tricia asked. "Derek thinks I-I did something to hurt CeCe," Bobby replied. "Did you?" "God, Tricia! I swear you make me want to scream sometimes. No, I didn't." "I was just asking. Geez." "Will you two stop it and focus on what's happening!" Lewis said in a sharp hushed tone. "Mr. Graham's going to make Bobby stay with his dad and you guys are fighting over stupid stuff! Shut up, be quiet and listen!" Tricia and Bobby felt thoroughly chastised by their friend's words. They looked at each other, both of them saying "sorry" at the same time.

Bobby, Lewis, Mattie and Tricia sat quietly on the stairs, listening to the adults decide Bobby's future.

"Who was at the door, Susie?" Bill asked. "That was the troops rallying around their comrade," Susannah replied. "Troops?" Mr. Graham asked. "Bobby's friends," she explained. "Ah. Of course. Anyway, I was explaining to everyone that Mr. Goren has every right as Robert's parent and legal guardian to make decisions regarding his son's well being. That includes attending this meeting with the principal tomorrow morning." "But, Mr. Graham, you don't understand," Bill said. "Richard has never shown any real interest in Bobby's life or well being. It's either been Frances or us or the Reeds who deal with him or any problems he has." "Mr. Lewis, I'm sorry, but the law is on Mr. Goren's side. What you've told me about barring him from the meeting is wrong and inexcusable. You cannot do that."

Doreen jumped up from her seat. "Damn the law, Mr. Graham!" she said in frustration. Cal tried to grab her arm to pull her back down, but she jerked away from him. "Doreen, settle down," he said firmly. She glared at her husband. "Don't tell me to settle down, Calvin Reed! This is Bobby we're talking about. Don't tell me not to be upset!" She looked at the social worker. "Mr. Graham, I know that part of your job is to look out for the best interests of children. Making sure that they are safe, have shelter and are well taken care of. I understand all of that. But when it comes to Bobby Goren, you are totally out in left field."

"Mrs. Reed, I sympathize with you, but Mr. Goren has shown an interest in his son. I can't turn my back on that," Mr. Graham said. Doreen's mouth dropped open. "Richard doesn't give a damn about Bobby! It hurts me to say that, but it's a fact. The only person Richard cares about is Richard. Heaven help the person who stupidly gets in the way of his wants or his needs." "Mrs. Reed, I think you're over exaggerating the situation." "No, I'm not. Even before he and Frances were dating and got married, Richard had always been a gambling, drinking charming sweet talker who always got what he wanted come hell or high water. What you saw at the hospital on Tuesday was a small taste of what Richard could do to him."

Mr. Graham reached into in his briefcase and pulled out a manila folder. "This is Robert's file. I've reviewed it more than once since he was assigned to me. Nowhere in here does it say he's been abused by his father," he said as he shook the file at Doreen. "I can't go by hearsay and speculation." "You won't find anything in there because we have always managed to help Frances and Bobby before Richard did any serious harm either one of them," Doreen said. "I'm speaking from years of experience, not hearsay or speculation, Mr. Graham. You keep trying to force Richard to take responsibility for Bobby, his own flesh and blood, I can practically guarantee what happened on Tuesday will happen again. Only this time someone will get seriously hurt before help will arrive."

Susannah said, "Mr. Graham, there are seven people in this house right now who love Bobby very much. We all want what's best for him. My husband and I and the Reeds are just asking for a chance to help him." Mr. Graham regarded the 4 people who were looking anxiously at him. He touched the tips of his fingers together repeatedly for a minute before letting out a deep sigh. "I consider myself a tough, but fair and reasonable person. I'm not a hard hearted person, but I do expect rules to be followed," he said.

Doreen opened her mouth to protest, but Mr. Graham held up his hand to stop her. "Please let me finish, Mrs. Reed." She sat down without saying a word. "You can go to the meeting tomorrow. If Mr. Goren does show up, then he has the final say about whatever punishment is handed down. I strongly suggest that someone speak with Mrs. Goren about having other legal guardians besides her ex-husband appointed for Robert." He looked at Doreen, a small grin gracing his lips. "You were about to say something, Mrs. Reed?" She smiled from ear to ear as she shook her head. "Only to say thank you," she humbly answered.

Susannah reached over and squeezed Mr. Graham's hand. "Thank you," she said. He bowed his head slightly. The kitchen timer went off, so she got up. Bill asked, "You'll stay for dinner, won't you, Mr. Graham?" He shook his head as he placed the folder back into his briefcase. "I should be going." Susannah paused by his chair on her way to the kitchen, touching his shoulder. "Please stay. We insist," she said. He chuckled lightly. "Of course, I'll stay."

Susannah smiled as she walked out of the room. As she was heading towards the kitchen, she made a small detour. She stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at the 4 teenagers sitting there. "Everybody go wash your hands. We're having chicken potpies for dinner," she said. She pointed at Bobby. "We're going to have a talk after the meeting with Mr. Clayton." Susannah walked away before anyone had a chance to respond.

Thursday, September 8, 1977
Harpers' Apartment Building
Bedtime

It was 11:05 p.m. CeCe was laying in her bed, unable to sleep. She was worried. Worrying about what Bobby's father was going to do to him tomorrow. "His daddy is gonna kill him because of me. I know it!" Her mind raced with all sorts of scenarios of how Bobby would meet his demise. "I gotta know what's going to happen." CeCe laid there for a few minutes until she couldn't stand it anymore. She threw back the covers as she felt a dull throbbing pain in her forehead. "The headache is back." She took off her nightgown and quickly dressed in some street clothes and shoes.

CeCe opened her bedroom door slowly and quietly. She slipped out of her room and walked to Rosalie's bedroom. No light was shining underneath the door, but she had to make sure she was asleep. She opened the door just a tiny bit, turning her head to the side to listen. The soft snoring emanating from the direction of the bed told CeCe that Rosalie was definitely asleep and would stay that way until the alarm went off.

CeCe sighed softly as she closed Rosalie's door. She knew that if she got caught, she'd be in deep trouble. She stopped briefly to rub her forehead. The headache was beginning to grow stronger. Feeling her way in the dark, she found Derek's keys hanging on the key hook. She took them and one of his hooded jackets, making her way to the door. She unlocked the door, being extra careful not to make any noise with locks. She opened it and walked out. She locked the door behind her, then put on the jacket, throwing the hood over her head, before going down the stairs and out the front door.

Thursday, September, 1977
Home of Bill and Susannah Lewis
Bedtime

Bobby was back in Lewis' room, laying in bed, staring up at the ceiling in the dark. He couldn't sleep knowing that tomorrow all hell would break loose if Richard showed up at the school. "Why couldn't I have a normal family like everyone else?" He heard a tiny plinking sound coming from the window. "What in the world was that?" He raised his head when he heard the noise again. He listened intently for the sound to occur again, but it didn't. "I must be going nuts now," he thought as he dismissed the sound. As soon as he laid his head down, the plinking sound came back.

Bobby got up, turning on the desk lamp. "Turn the light off," Lewis mumbled grumpily as he turned over and pulled the covers over his head. Bobby ignored the mumbling and went to open the window. He looked down, seeing a dark hooded figure standing next to the house. The figure reached up and pushed back its hood, revealing a crying CeCe. She stood there looking at him. He gave her a small smile. "I'll meet you out front," he said. She nodded, then walked away.

Bobby closed the window. He pulled off the pajama bottoms he was wearing and put on some jeans, slipping his bare feet into his sneakers. He grabbed his jacket and turned off the light. "Where are you going?" Lewis asked sleepily when Bobby opened the door. "Go to sleep. I'll be back," he replied as he walked out.

Bobby found CeCe pacing back and forth on the sidewalk when he emerged from the house. "Is that Derek's car?" he asked. She stopped pacing and nodded. "Does he know you're here?" "No. Nobody knows I'm here," she said quietly. "Geez, Louise," he said as he massaged the back of his neck. He held out his hand after putting on his jacket. "Gimme the keys." She handed them to him without any hesitation, then followed him to the car. Bobby got into the driver's seat; CeCe got in the passenger's seat.

"Where are we going?" CeCe asked. Bobby didn't answer. He turned on the car's ignition, put it into drive and drove way. She sat back in her seat, staring straight ahead. "Where are we going?" she asked again. "You'll see," he replied. "He's mad at me," she thought. Bobby made a few left and right turns before arriving at a well lit and busy park.

Bobby remained silent as he parked under a street light and got out of the car. CeCe got out as well, scurrying around the car to catch up with him. He pointed at a picnic table and said, "Let's go over there." She rubbed her forehead as they walked. The headache pain was starting to increase. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "What's wrong?" he asked. "Nothing. I bumped my head on the doorframe when I got out," she lied.

Bobby sat on top of the picnic table, his elbows resting on his legs. CeCe sat next to him. "Is it always this busy?" she asked as she looked around the park at the people who were either jogging or walking their dogs or hanging out. "Yeah. A private security company patrols the place," he said, watching a pair of female joggers jog pass by with his eyes. CeCe reached over and touched the side of Bobby's face. He turned his head, nuzzling his cheek in her hand.

Tears welled up in CeCe's eyes. The cuts and scrapes Bobby had on his face bothered her. "Are you okay?" she asked. He chuckled. "I'm okay. I've looked worse than this," he said. She withdrew her hand, placing it in her lap. She bit her bottom lip and looked down at her hands as teardrops rolled down her face. "D-D-Derek thinks that you've done something to me. Is that why y'all were fighting?" He let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah, pretty much," he replied. She rubbed her fingers back and forth over her right eyebrow. "I knew it! This is my fault!"

CeCe said, "Derek said you looked scared because your daddy is coming to the school tomorrow. What is he gonna do to you?" Bobby scoffed as he looked away. "He doesn't scare me," he said. "You didn't answer my question. Is he gonna do something to you?" He just shook his head, not saying a word. "You don't need to know what's gonna happen," he thought. "Bobby, please tell me," she begged softly. "You don't need to know."

CeCe slid off the table, rubbing her temple as she went to stand in front of Bobby. "I do need to know," she pleaded. "Is he going to hurt you?" He looked her in the eye and said, "Don't worry about it." "I have to worry about it! Your daddy is gonna hurt you because of me, because of what I look like. I'm not worth all of this trouble you're going to have!" Bobby jumped off the table. "How can you say that?!" he asked, a tinge of anger in his voice. "I don't care what my dad does to me! I choose my friends, not him." "Being friends with someone who is different from you shouldn't cost you your life," CeCe said.

"Are you saying you don't want to be my friend anymore?" Bobby asked. "Of course I want to be your friend!" CeCe exclaimed. "But I don't want you to get hurt because we're friends. I'm not worth it!" He crossed arms over his chest. They stared at each other in silence. "You are worth the trouble," he finally said. She hung her head low, shaking it despite the increasing dull throb of the headache. "He's gonna kill you because of me," she said.

Bobby shrugged his shoulders. "Then I'm glad I got to meet you." CeCe glanced up and noticed the little smile on his lips. He uncrossed his arms as she closed the space between them, wrapping her arms around his waist. He could feel her crying as he wrapped his arms around her. "Don't give up on me yet, CeCe. I'll make it through this," he said. He held onto her until he felt her crying subside.

Bobby let go of CeCe, holding her at arm's length. "You feel better?" Her shrug was so faint that he almost missed seeing it. "A little," she sniffed, wiping her nose on her jacket sleeve. Her headache was still there. "Let's go," he said, taking her by the hand to lead her to the car. They rode in comfortable silence on the way back to the Lewises' home.

Bobby put the car in park, opened the door and got out. CeCe slid into the driver's seat as he closed the door. She rolled down the window, allowing him to lean down and rest his arms in the window frame. He noticed the pained look on her face. "You okay?" he asked. She nodded lightly. They looked at each other, unsure of what to do or say. Finally, CeCe leaned over and kissed Bobby's forehead. "Good night," she said. "Good night." His legs began to feel like jelly as he stood up and stepped back.

CeCe gave Bobby a small wave before she rolled up the window and drove away. He stood there for a moment, trying to recover from her kiss. He shook himself a little then walked towards the house. "Please let tomorrow go smoothly," he thought as he went up the steps. "Better yet, keep my dad away from all of us."