PINEWOOD APARTMENTS
KRISTEN'S ROOM
1:49 PM
JULY 3, 2013

"So how was your date?" Kristen asked, fighting to keep her smile alive.

"Great!" Dylan exclaimed, shoving a flower in the blonde's face. "Look, he got me a rose!"

"It's really pretty," she sighed. "I'm glad you had fun."

Obviously her facade wasn't convincing, though, because Dylan sat down next to the Delta and said, "You know I would never have told him yes if you hadn't let me, right? I know you liked him."

"No, truly, it's okay." But her moan gave her away.

"Ehmagawd, Kris! You still like him, don't you?"

"No, Dyl, no. It's fine."

"No it's nawt. I'm gonna call him right now and tell him we can't do this ah-gain."

"No!" Kristen grabbed Dylan's iPhone. "Don't do that for me."

"But it's ahbvious you want him."

"But he doesn't want me," she opposed. "Take him. You're- you're perfect for each other."

"Nawt if you want him."

"It's fine. I promise."

"If you say so. But if you ever want this to stawp, you just have to tell me, alright? Hey, Kris, you're being really brave."

"I know." She smirked.

"What about that other kid?" Dylan said.

"What other kid?"

"That one Kemp was standing with."

"I wasn't looking at the kid Kemp was standing with! I was looking at Kemp."

"Gawd, Kris, you aren't over him at all. It's ahbvious."

"You forgot Massie's New York accent."

"Huh?"

"Awl, nawt all." She grinned.

"Whatevs." She beamed back.

Kristen had successfully changed the subject. Thank God.

AUNT JEAN'S HOUSE
MASSIE'S ROOM
8:53 AM
JULY 3, 2013

Massie stood by her door, waiting for the knock. And sure enough...

She pulled it open. "Hey."

"Voici les enfants, Massie. Merci beaucoup pour les regarder pendant que nous sortons." Aunt Jean tossed in a fleeting smile before pressing $20 worth of American money into the brunette's hand and beginning to step out.

"You're welcome for baby-sitting," Massie responded, knowing perfectly well that her aunt knew English.

Aunt Jean patted her niece on the head and left.

"Okay, girls. Hey, stawp that!" she yelled.

They glanced up, their blue eyes widening innocently. Massie's heart melted. She knew the nine-year-olds were devils, but they just looked so... nice. She wouldn't let that faze her. Gathering her best French, she stuttered, "S'il vous plaît ne pas jouer avec mes bijoux."

Immediately, the twins dropped their hands and stood respectfully.

Massie made a face and an obscene gesture toward her aunt's retreating back. What was she supposed to do with these two for an entire three hours? "Come, Brigitte, Thérèse. Do you want to go to the park?" When they didn't answer, it took her a minute to remember the girls didn't understand English. She repeated the question in halting French.

Giggling, they nodded and stepped up right next to her. It took her another minute to realize they wanted to link arms, as was a popular French action. She slid her elbow through theirs and smirked. She reached across Thérèse, slid her phone into her Diesel purse, and waltzed outside, locking the door.

'They're being surprisingly good today,' she thought, semi-shocked. With a small flick of her hand, she sent them off to play and sat down on a wooden bench. She had buried herself in her phone, so she didn't realize when someone leaned over her until they cleared their throat.

She jumped up and started. "Uh, hi? I mean, bounjour?" she tried.

He astounded her by replying in her own language. "I think your charges are having a tiny problem." He jerked his strong chin toward Brigitte and Thérèse, who were engaged in a shouting match with a few other young girls.

"Oh, um, do you... could you help me out? Just a little?"

"No French?" He grinned.

"Nawt really," she told him with a laugh.

"Alright." He followed her over. "Arrêter!" he ordered.

The girls froze, and Massie took the twins by the hand. That had been easier than she'd counted on, at least until Thérèse cried, "Aïe!" and spun around, aiming a good kick toward a girl's shin.

"How do you say 'what was that for?'" she asked the boy.

He rounded on Thérèse. "Pourquoi avez-vous fait?" he demanded.

"Elle a tiré mes cheveux!" she explained tearfully, rubbing her head.

"Arrêter!" Massie yelled at the girl who had pulled her cousin's hair. "Nous rentrons à la maison!"

She began leading them out of the playground, vowing that she'd never come back. She should have known nothing could ever go right with those girls.

"So, see you tomorrow?" he inquired.

She stopped. "Can we go with maybe?"

"Sure." With a light grin, he jogged off the other way, his floppy light brown hair flying behind him in the wind.

"Thanks!" she shouted after him. Not that he could hear.

But, amazingly, he turned. "Welcome!"

And then he disappeared for real.

BODY ALIVE DANCE STUDIO
AUDITORIUM
2:04 PM
JULY 3, 2013

It took less time than usual to calm the dancers down, because everyone was so excited for the alternate captain announcement.

Importantly, Dylan stood, preparing to raise her voice. It turned out she didn't need to. "So, my pick is..." She didn't pause for suspense. She paused because she wanted to postpone the inevitable. There wasn't a point. Nothing drastic happened. The power didn't go out, a bolt of lightning didn't strike the studio, there was no panicked scream from across the building. Biting her lip, she mumbled, "OliviaRyan."

"Speak more clearly, Dylan, please," Mrs. Farson instructed, not looking at all sympathetic with her student's plight.

"Olivia Ryan," she announced. "I choose Olivia Ryan."

Alicia stood up straight. "I thought we were best friends. I don't even-" She stormed out. No one followed.

Olivia walked up to the front and shook hands with Mrs. Farson, then Dylan. "Congratulations," the redhead told her warmly.

Honestly, she didn't get the point of having a co-captain. It wasn't like she was going to be sick or anything.

ORLANDO
SARI'S HOUSE
2:18 PM
JULY 3, 2013

"It's true, Claire." Sari sighed. "You have changed. Mandy's right."

"How have I changed?" For some reason, she felt like crying. "How?!"

"I don't know." Sari shrugged.

"I bet Sarah doesn't think I've changed!"

"She does."

"Ugh! Maybe I'll find some real friends who don't think I've "changed" just because I moved!"

"Real friends? Like those girls in Westchester?"

"Sure! Why nawt?" When Sari didn't say anything, she added, "And exactly how have I changed?"

"Let's start with the accent. Stawp, nawt, and I've seen your texts. Kuh-laire? What kind of name is that?! They're making fun of you, Claire!"

"What else? And no they aren't."

"Are."

"Aren't."

"Whatever. Next. The designer stuff. What's with that?"

"I live in Westchester now," she reiterated. "Believe me, that's awl you can wear there."

"There you go with the accent again!" Sari cried.

"Forget the accent! And the designer! Why does it matter if I changed a little?"

"Cuz it's ruining our friendship," Sari told her sadly. "It really is."

"How?"

"We're falling apart. And you and Todd used to be so close. What happened there?"

"He's a brat!" Claire screamed. "He always has been!"

"Not when you were living here. I don't remember him being that way at all."

"Maybe he's the one that changed then."

"Okay, Claire, I've been trying to have a conversation with you, but obviously you'd rather be in Westchester. So go text your little friends. But don't try to hang out with us again. Sorry, Claire." And she left the room, leaving Claire to call her dad for a ride home.

RIVERA MANSION
ALICIA'S ROOM
2:24 PM
JULY 3, 2013

"What the hell! Why didn't you pick me?"

"You messed up, Leesh. I'm sorry, but you're nawt the best dancer at Body Alive."

"Then who is?"

"Other than me, you mean?" Dylan asked coolly.

Alicia growled.

"Olivia Ryan."

"No she isn't! I am!"

"Nawt at try-outs."

"Normally!"

"I had nothing to base this awf of except auditions. I'm sorry, Leesh, but that's the way the cookie crumbles sometimes."

Alicia smashed her phone down and flopped onto her bed, crying her eyes out. Why had that been the one time she messed up? Why then? Why?

"Alicia!" It was the thundering voice of her father.

"¿Qué?"

"El bebé, Alicia! El bebé ya está aquí! Su madre se ha puesto de parto!"

Her mom was in labor? She checked her outfit (an old navy blue smock-dress that barely hit her thighs; she hadn't thought she'd be leaving the house) in the mirror, hastily splashed some cool water on her face, and dabbed it off with a cotton washcloth.

"Alicia!"

"¡Ya voy!" She ran downstairs, once again ignoring the slow elevator. "Preparado!"

Len flung open the door and carried his wife outside, setting her in the limo. Alicia climbed in next to her, and Len sat opposite them. "Vaya!"

Alex pulled onto the road and raced to the hospital, dropping the family off near the front doors. Ally stumbled toward the entrance with her daughter and husband on either side of her. Panting, she dropped into a chair in the ER.

Len glanced at Alicia helplessly and gestured to the receptionist. She understood in a flash that her father wanted to stay with Ally.

She ran up. "Nurse, my mother's in labor!" she exclaimed, pointing.

The woman dialed a number on the extension landline on her desk. She spoke hurriedly, mostly in code, then dragged a wheelchair out from behind the glass. "Here, sweetie, put your mother in this and send your father over, please."

She nodded and sprinted back. "La enfermera te necesita," she told her dad. "Aquí, Mamá, subir pulg."

She helped her mother in, then wheeled her toward Len, who grasped the handles and wrenched them out of Alicia's grip.

"This way." The receptionist led the family through a door and down a white-tiled hallway, where a doctor was waiting to intercept them.

"Mr. Rivera may stay," he informed them. "But your child may not unless she is over 18 and has permission from both parents."

"It's okay. I'm nawt anywhere near 18 anyway." She strolled back to the waiting room and scooped up an old Collector's Edition of People. She knew everything it had to say.

One hour passed, two hours, three, three-and-a-half. When she was just descending into panic, a harried nurse ran in. She had the kindest molasses-colored eyes she'd ever seen. "Listen up, sweetie, your mother-"

Alicia gasped, and the nurse placed a hand on the girl's shoulder to steady her.

"It's okay. She's okay. But we're having trouble with the baby, and we're considering a C-Section, which will go quickly and have your mother home soon. Your father asked me to tell you what was happening. If you want, you can come inside."

"That would be great." She smiled and followed the woman back to the room.

Ally was shielded by a curtain on all three sides of the bed (the fourth was shoved against the wall.) She could hear the doctor, who obviously spoke Spanish easily, inside, soothing her mother. "Está bien, señora Rivera. Sus gemelos va a estar bien. Está bien. En serio. Todo saldrá bien."

Wait, what?

Alicia collapsed against the wall.

Twins? Her mother was having twins?

AUNT JEAN'S HOUSE
MASSIE'S ROOM
7:36 PM
JULY 3, 2013

"Cena!" she heard the cook call from the dining room. Dinner.

Massie pulled herself out of bed. She'd been relieved of the twins for a while, and she'd spent the last five or six hours dreaming about the boy. She'd Skyped Kristen for about an hour, then texted Inez quickly to ask her if she could bring Massie's favorite necklace to the family jeweler, Mr. Craston, to shrink it.

But other than that, her thoughts had been focused on the guy.

Somehow, she just knew she would go back to that park tomorrow, whether she was baby-sitting again or not.

WESTCHESTER MEDICAL CENTER
MATERNITY WARD
5:13 PM
JULY 3, 2013

Alicia had returned to the lobby and dozed off, one hand clutching her phone, the other holding onto the chair arm. She was shaken awake by a nurse, who had a brilliant beam on his face. His straight white teeth gleamed in his tanned face, and his dark eyes were bright.

"Your mother gave birth to twins!" he told her jubilantly. "Twins!"

"Girls? Boys?" Alicia questioned, expecting the worst. Two sets of XY chromosomes running around would be more than she could bear.

"One of each," he answered. "Can you believe it? Twins!"

"Twins," she repeated. "One of each." One of each.

There would be a girl. A girl. She could dress her up, and bounce her on her lap during Pretty Committee meetings. And when she was older, well, who knew? Maybe she'd even take after Alicia.

"You wanna guess their names?" the nurse asked eagerly.

"How 'bout you tell me?" she giggled.

"The boy is..." He trailed off as Ally entered the room, still in the wheelchair, but appearing perfectly healthy. "Well, I'll let your mother tell you."

"Conozca a su bebé hermano y hermana!" Ally peeled away the blankets covering their heads and began to cry. Alicia stroked her mother's head as she peered at her new siblings. "Zachary Blaise y Melinda Mae Rivera."

Zachary Blaise and Melinda Mae. Zachary Blaise and Melinda Mae. Alicia repeated the names over and over in her head, letting them soak in. Zachary Blaise and Melinda Mae. She couldn't think of anything more perfect.