Chapter 3 – A long time ago…

The bell rang, signaling the end of second period. Keely Teslow collected her books and made her way to the front of the classroom.

"Hold on a minute, Ms. Teslow."

It was Mr. Hackett. What does he want?

"Where were you this morning Ms. Teslow?", the vice principal inquired.

"Ummmm… here. I mean, in school. I came to school on time today. Sir", Keely responded in a tired voice.

"The morning announcements Ms. Teslow! Where were you? Matthew McNamara had to fill in."

"Oh, didn't I tell you? I quit." Keely darted for the door.

"I'm not finished Ms. Teslow. You're grades are slipping. You're not participating in school functions or extra curricular activities. If something is wrong Ms. Teslow, might I suggest a visit with the school counselor?"

"I thought you were the school counselor." Keely rolled her eyes.

"I'm your algebra teacher Ms. Teslow. Neil Hackett is the school counselor. Stop by sometime, I hear he's a very good listener."

What a strange, pathetic man. "Thanks for the suggestion, but I think I'll pass."

"Ms. Teslow, might I remind you that the college application process is not far away? I certainly hope you weren't counting on a glowing letter of recommendation from the H.G. Wells' well regarded vice principal, because unless you get your act together, you won't be getting one. Now get to class Ms. Teslow".

Keely left the classroom in an even worse mood, and made her way to third period with Via.

"Hey Keely, wait up!" It was Matt McNamara. "Got a second?"

Matt McNamara was a tall boy, with sandy blonde hair and blue eyes. His hair was long and unkempt, but it suited him. He was handsome, to say the least. Keely had a crush on him before she met Phil.

Keely ignored Matt, and turned to Via. "Maybe it would help people out if I just wore a sign that said, 'LEAVE ME ALONE!'"

"Sorry if I'm interrupting something. It's about the morning news", Matt apologized, despite having done nothing wrong at all.

"Congratulations Matty! The job is yours! I just told Mr. Hackett that I quit".

"But that's just it, I don't want the job. I just wanted to make sure you'd be back tomorrow, but apparently…"

"I quit." Keely finished his sentence.

"That's too bad. You were a natural. In that case, you think you could help me with the transition? Give me some pointers sometime?"

"Listen carefully Matt, here's all you need to know. Look into the camera. Smile. Read the queue cards. It's as simple as that". Just then, the bell rang. "Great, now I'm late. Thanks, Matt!"

Matt smiled, and walked away. He smiled. What's his problem? Does he think I'm funny or something?

"What's the deal Keely? He was just being nice. Matt McNamara was just being nice to you, and you might as well have spit in his face", Via asked her friend.

"He's such a phony. I don't need people to be nice to me. I'd rather them be sincere".

"Maybe he was being sincere. You don't even know him. Why don't you try to get to know him Keely?"

"How many times do I have to remind you Via, I'm with Phil!"

"How many times has Phil called or written since he moved Keely? Face it, he's over you. And maybe it's time you got over him!"

"If you were my friend Via, you'd know why I can't do that". Keely stormed off.

For the first time in her life, Keely Teslow felt like she had no friends. She couldn't accurately explain her feelings to anyone. To everyone around her, the Diffy's disappearance was so odd. One day they were here, the next they were gone without a trace. Keely felt truly alone.

At lunch, Keely walked past Via's table, pretending not to notice, and made her way to the corner to sit by herself.

"Is this seat taken?" It was Matt McNamara.

This creep again. What kind of signal do I have to send to get him to leave me alone? Maybe if I say nothing, he'll go away.

Matt took a seat, pretending that Keely had invited him to do so, even though she had in fact said nothing.

"Listen Keely. I'm sorry if I said something earlier to offend you. I was just trying to be friendly. If you don't want any company, I'll leave you alone". Matt began to get up.

"Matt, wait". Keely was only now beginning to feel badly about her rude behavior. "I'm the one that owes you an apology. I'm going through a tough time right now, but it was no excuse for my rudeness. I'm sorry".

"Do you feel like talking about it?", Matt asked sincerely.

Keely sensed the sincerity in the way Matt posed the question. "No… not right now. Soon though, I think".

"Okay. How about this Friday? Wanna get coffee or something?", Matt asked.

"Yeah. Coffee sounds good"

Keely realized immediately that she might be getting herself into a murky situation. But she needed a friend. Someone to confide in. Someone like Phil. And she thought Matt might be that person.

Phil wouldn't want me to be miserable. He'd want me to make new friends. I just have to make it clear to Matt that friendship is all I'm looking for.

This is how Keely justified the date to herself.

"Listen, I wish I could tell you everything. But I can't. All I can tell you is that Phil's family was suddenly uprooted, and I haven't talked to him since. I may never get to see him again. So that's why I've been so depressed recently", Keely explained to Matt at the coffee shop.

Matt's eyes lit up for just a second.

Oh no. His eyes. He's interested, and he thinks he just saw an opportunity. I have to tell him I'm not interested.

"What, is he in witness protection or something?", Matt asked.

"Something like that". Why didn't I think of that? What a great excuse! If I told mom or Via that, maybe they could have sympathized with my situation better. Okay, focus Keely. You have to tell him. Now.

"Listen Matt…", Keely began. But the words wouldn't come out. "I'm having a great time tonight. Thanks. For everything".

After the date, Matt walked Keely to her doorstep.

Oh no. That look. He's going to kiss me. What have I gotten myself into? Why didn't I just tell him I wanted to be friends. I don't want to betray Phil!

Instead, Matt placed his hand on Keely's cheek, and hugged her. "Goodnight Keely".

"Goodnight Matt". Keely gave a sigh of relief. She felt warm inside. It was the first time she felt that way since Phil had left.

Author's Note: I've got two finals on Thursday that I should be studying all day for. But if I get enough reviews, I promise I'll have another chapter up sometime Wednesday. This chapter was a detour from the story I want to tell, but I felt it was important to show Keely's perspective. Next chapter will be back to the future, and should shed some light on Phil's plan to return to 2006. Oh, and I realized as I was writing this that I gave Matt the same name as a character from the show Nip/Tuck. It's coincidental, as this Matt isn't supposed to be like that Matt in any way.