A/N: I had to update right away! I knew what I wanted to happen on Sunday, and I couldn't wait to write it down! Let me know if you like it! ;)

Chapter 15

Sunday, October 8, 1995

Steph's POV

I woke up early Sunday morning and shuffled in to use the bathroom and shower. All squeaky clean, I belted my robe around my waist and headed back into my room to get dressed for work.

I met my mom in the hallway. She was coming out of her room as I was headed into mine. She had started to tell me "good morning," when she gasped and reached her hand up to touch my neck. Crap!

"Stephanie Michelle Plum! What happened to your neck?" she screeched.

I blushed. "I burnt myself with the curling iron." I lied weakly.

She glared at me. "I knew that boy was trouble! You are grounded for the rest of the week, young lady! And that boy is not allowed in this house until he picks you up for the dance on Saturday!"

"Mom!" I gasped. "I was going to invite Carlos to come over for dinner tonight!"

She folded her arms across her chest. "Absolutely not!"

I clenched my hands into fists, angry tears welling up in my eyes. "I'm grounded for my birthday? And I can't even go out after the Homecoming game? Thanks a lot, Mom!"

The angry look on her face wavered for a second. Evidently she hadn't realized everything that I'd be missing out on by being grounded this week.

"Well, maybe the whole week is a little harsh." She amended, looking down. "3 days. Today, Monday, and Tuesday."

"Fine." I growled, stomping back into my room to change. I knew that I should have been happy that she shortened my punishment, but I just couldn't find it within me to be grateful right now.

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Carlos walked into the bakery and smiled when he saw me. "Hey, Babe!" he grinned, his eyes crinkling up at the corners. In spite of my bad mood, I couldn't help but smile back at him.

"Hey!" I responded. I blushed, remembering what had happened the last time we greeted each other that way.

Carlos saw my blush and got a wicked grin on his face. "Thinking about yesterday?" he teased.

My eyes opened wide. "It's a good thing there aren't any customers in here right now, Batman!" I said, smacking him on the arm.

He looked around as if he were just noticing that we were alone. "Hmmm… all by ourselves!" he teased. He picked me up and sat me on the low counter behind the display case, fitting himself between my legs.

He wagged his eyebrows at me, looking more like Lester than himself. "So about your request from last night…" he teased, eyes sparkling.

I punched his arm, sticking out my tongue. "Absolutely not, buddy! First of all, wrong time! Second of all, I am not losing my virginity behind the counter of the Tasty Pastry!"

He burst out laughing and let me hop down, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "Babe! You know I respect you more than that, right?"

I leaned my head into his shoulder and nodded. Yeah, I did know.

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Carlos bought a Danish and coffee and sat at "our" high table by the counter, visiting with me in between customers. "So what are your plans for tonight?" he asked, taking a big bite.

I blew out a sigh and leaned against the counter. "Well, I was gonna ask you to come over for dinner, but…"

"But…" he prompted when I didn't continue.

I bit my lip. "But my mom saw my neck this morning, and I'm grounded for the next three days."

Carlos looked pained. "Sorry, Babe!"

I shook my head. "It's not all your fault. I enjoyed you leaving them there."

He gave me a small smile. "So I can't come over for dinner tonight?"

I shook my head. "Definitely not for the next three days. And you might not be allowed over at all until Saturday."

He walked over and leaned against the counter next to me. "Does that mean I can't follow you home after work?"

I shook my head. "Nope. Well, I guess you could follow me to my house, but you can't pull in the drive."

"Can I still visit with you here at work?"

I smiled. "My mom never said you couldn't. And it is a public place…"

He wrapped his arm around me. "Well, at least there's that."

"Yeah." I sighed and pushed off of the counter, picking up the napkin dispensers that needed refilled. "Promise me it won't be too terrible."

"It won't. I'll still see you at school. Then I'll bring dinner and hang out here 'til you close. I can even still take you to the bank and follow you home. The only real difference is that I'll have to get my good night kiss here instead of on your front porch."

I laughed. "That might be better anyhow! At least here my mom won't be flicking on porch lights and knocking on windows!"

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Carlos helped me get ready to close, the same as he had almost every night for the past week. But this time we were quieter, not joking around and talking as much as we usually did. Instead of looking forward to leaving, I was dreading it. Because I knew that once I left, I wouldn't see Carlos again until school the next morning.

When we walked out to his car, I slid across the front seat and buried my lips in his neck.

He groaned. "You're going to make me wreck the car if you sit like that while I'm driving."

I smiled and sat up just a little bit, resting my head on his shoulder. Once we'd deposited the bank bag, he took me back to the Tasty Pastry to get my car. He climbed out and took my keys from me, unlocking my car. He pinned me up against it and kissed me thoroughly before whispering, "good night" and opening the car door for me.

I leaned up to whisper something in his ear, and he stood up straight, searching my eyes. "You're sure?"

I nodded, and a wicked grin broke across his face. "Ice cream it is!" he said as he helped me climb into the car.

He followed me back to my house and watched me pull into the drive. But instead of pulling in after me, he kept going down the street, headed home. My stomach lurched as I sat in my car and watched him leave in my rearview mirror.

I stomped up the steps to the porch and angrily turned the knob on the front door. I yanked it open, and then slammed it shut behind me.

My mother came out into the foyer, her hands on her hips. "Stephanie! Don't slam that door!" she lectured.

"It slipped." I muttered under my breath and headed to my room to drop off my coat and purse.

My dad called out from the living room. "No Carlos for dinner tonight?"

I threw my stuff in my room and stomped back down the stairs. "No!" I growled.

My dad turned to look at me. "You guys get into a fight?"

I flopped down onto the couch and huffed out a breath. "No, Mom grounded me for three days. Didn't she tell you?"

He raised his eyebrows. "No." Turning his head towards the kitchen, my dad called out, "Helen!"

She walked into the living room and turned her back to me, facing my dad. "Yes?"

"Why is Stephanie grounded for three days?"

My mom's cheeks turned a bright pink. If possible, I think she was more embarrassed than I was. "Look at her neck, Frank!"

My dad looked over at me, and I rolled my eyes, pulling the neck down on my turtleneck.

He shrugged his shoulders. "And?"

She stuck her hands on her hips. "What do you mean 'And?' Do you want our daughter pregnant by Christmas?"

"Mom!" I screeched, shocked.

My dad pursed his lips. "Come on now, Helen! Stephanie isn't that kind of girl! That's the whole reason she's not dating that Dickie boy anymore. I trust her to do what's right, and I would think that you would, too."

My mother blew out a breath, exasperated. "I trust her. I don't trust him!"

I stood up, my own hands on my hips. "Carlos has never been anything but a gentleman with me, mom!" Well, except for last night…

She glared at me. "A gentleman would not leave those kinds of marks on your neck, Stephanie!"

"Maybe I wanted him to!" I said, eyes narrowed.

She threw her hands up in the air. "Do you see why she's grounded?" my mother yelled.

My dad scrubbed his hands across his face. "I think you're both overreacting!"

"Overreacting?" we both screeched at him in unison.

Luckily for my dad, the timer went off on the oven, and my mother ran back in the kitchen to pull out the roast.

I threw myself back down on the couch, still miffed.

"It'll all blow over, pumpkin." My dad said, reaching over to pat my knee.

"Well thanks a lot for sticking up for me!" I grumbled.

He smiled. "I'll talk to your mother later, OK?"

" 'K." I agreed, slightly mollified.

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Dinner was not fun. It was tense and uncomfortable. My mother and I spent the entire time trying to avoid eye contact with one another, and the silence was deafening. My dad just sat with his head down, shoveling in food and trying to pretend that nothing was wrong.

I choked down my meal and a small piece of pie. When I finished, I stood up and started clearing the table. I gathered up all of the dishes and took them into the kitchen. Without a word, I started scraping them into the trash and packaging up the leftovers. After her few attempts at talking to me were met with stony silence, my mom gave up and walked out into the living room to watch television with my dad.

Feeling sorry for myself, I finished washing and drying the dishes, put them all away, and wiped down the counters. When I was done, I headed towards the stairs. "I'm going up to my room to finish my English paper." I called into the living room.

My mother looked up from her crocheting and looked almost sad for a minute before she nodded and looked back down. My dad just grunted that he had heard me, never taking his eyes off of the TV.

I walked into my room and turned on the light and the radio. I pulled out all of the materials that I needed- my notebook, my class notes, pens, pencils, and "The Grapes of Wrath." I got everything set up on my desk and then I pulled my door shut and headed into the bathroom.

I left the bathroom light off and made sure that the door was mostly closed, just open a crack. Tiptoeing across the floor, I slowly eased the bathroom window open and gingerly climbed out onto the roof of the back porch. Holding my breath, I lowered myself down onto the trash can and hopped down into the backyard. I stayed close to the house until I was past the kitchen window, and then I ran towards the alley.

Carlos picked me up and spun me around. He kissed me hungrily, pinning me against the fence that ran along the back of the alley. He pulled back, resting his forehead on mine. "Babe! I loved watching you climb out that window to come and see me!"

I blushed, and he began nibbling on my ear lobe. "But you act like you've done that before. Should I be jealous?" he teased.

I grinned and smacked his chest playfully. "Only of Mary Lou. She's usually the one I'm sneaking out to see."

He grinned. "Good to know!"

I laced my fingers through his and tugged him down the alley towards his car. "You promised me ice cream, mister!" I teased.

He grinned. "Yeah, I did."

TBC

I've been waiting for an excuse to ground Stephanie and make her sneak out the bathroom window! Hey, JE says she used to do it all the time! I figured why not give her some practice! ;)