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Wilt thou be gone? It is not yet near day:
It was the nightingale, and not the lark,
That pierced the fearful hollow of thine ear;
Nightly she sings on yon pomegranate-tree:
Believe me, love, it was the nightingale. – Juliet, Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene V

Gordon woke up one morning and smiled seeing Bella still asleep her dainty brunette head buried in his chest. They slept together most nights now, even if they still didn't have sex.

"Hey," he whispered, gently rubbing her arm. "Leigh, baby, wake up."

"Mm," she squirmed and woke up. "Hi." She smiled.

"Hi," he said and kissed her. "You should go home. We have camp today."

"Mm," she sighed. "The real world." He laughed.

"Yeah," he nodded. "Plus, Kevin is going to get here in a little bit."

"I see," she nodded. "Will he be jealous? Is this where he usually sleeps?" He laughed and kissed her.

"Yeah," he nodded. "But he's not as soft as you." She laughed. "Plus it's almost eight."

"It's what?" She sat up. He blinked at her. "Shit!" She started pulling her clothes on.

"What's wrong?" Gordon asked.

"My dad is in court today!" She groaned. He looked at her. "Which means he has to be there at nine which means he's probably already up."

"Oh," he said. "So yeah, shit. Definitely shit!" She nodded. "Why did you stay over?"

"I didn't mean to," she said. "But it was so comfortable, and you felt so good." He smiled. "And then we fell asleep."

"Right," he sighed. "So, this might be the last time I ever see you huh?" He winked at her. She giggled and kissed him.

"I'll see you later," she whispered and they kissed again. "Tell Kevin I said hi."

"OK," he laughed.

Bella walked carefully into the house. She wished sometimes that they had a bigger place, with more room for sneaking.

"Bella," she froze hearing her father's voice. She got a shiver up her spine and walked into the living room. "Where were you?"

"I um," she swallowed. "Just at Erica's. We got all caught up planning for camp today and then it was late."

"Don't lie," he shook his head. "You're not good enough at it."

"I was with Gordon," she said. He sighed loudly.

"You know you're not supposed to stay out all night," he said. She got angry quickly.

"You are such a hypocrite!" She said. He stared at her. "I used to stay out all night with Eddie all the time and you never said boo!" He swallowed. "You're not mad that I stayed out all night, you're mad that I stayed out all night with Gordon!"

"Fine, if you want to do this, we will," he nodded. "Yes, I think that you're making a mistake with this boy." Bella looked down. "Sweetheart, you have so much potential, and I don't want to see you,"

"I'm not Eva!" She said. "I know what I want, and I'm not going to throw away everything I've worked for over the past four years for a boy! Any boy, but Gordon cares about me and I care about him!" He looked at her. "He makes me happy, for most fathers that would be enough, and do you know what sucks the most? David makes Eva happy and Stephie makes TJ happy, and that is enough, but me, I have to be happy with the boy that you and Mom picked out for me in the nursery!" She marched upstairs.

"I don't get it," Kevin said. Gordon rolled his eyes and threw him a football as they headed out of the locker room.

"What's not to get?" Gordon laughed. "I'm in love with her. For real this time."

"Yeah, but it's Bella Riley," Kevin said. "I'm telling you, she's evil."

"Because your girlfriend is the Virgin Mary," Gordon nodded.

"Hey," Kevin said. "Anne's got issues, I'm not denying it. But she never dated Eddie Cole!"

"Nah, just you," Gordon said. Kevin laughed. "I don't know, I like being with her. I didn't know if I would, I kept waiting for the big let down, you know? Like when would she stop being the girl I dreamed about. It hasn't happened yet."

"Yeah, because you know who isn't back yet," Kevin said. "It's kind of like how Anne's all normal until her mom's around, or the Nichols kid." Gordon rolled his eyes. "Look I'm happy for you man," Kevin said. "Just as long as I don't have to talk to her more than is necessary."

"Hi," Bella bounced up to them. She kissed Gordon. "Hello Kevin."

"Hey Riley," he grinned. "Keeping my boy warm?"

"God, you're disgusting," she said. He smiled wider. "I have to get to the squad, but I just wanted to say hi."

"Well, hi," Gordon smiled. She giggled and kissed him again.

"Bye Kevin," she waved and bounced away.

"Bye Bella," Kevin waved too. "I don't get it man." Gordon smiled.

"I'm not asking you to," Gordon said. "Come on, maybe if we work really hard, we'll win a game or two this year." Kevin laughed.

"Don't want to disappoint the head cheerleader do we now?" Kevin said.

"You have to be nice to her, man," Gordon said. "She's my girlfriend now. I don't call Anne a lunatic to her face, do I?"

"No, you don't," Kevin sighed.

"Bella," Erica Faber, the junior who was the JV cheerleading captain walked over to her. Bella looked at her and nodded. "OK, we've all been really understanding about this whole Gordon Conway thing, whatever it is, and it's like totally fine for a summer fling. And we're glad that you're over Eddie, but you can't like date him when school starts."

"Excuse me?" Bella said and crossed her arms.

"I mean, Gordon's nice and all," Erica sighed, "but you know that he's not exactly socially acceptable."

"Who are you, my grandma?" She said. She was thinking of course of her Grandma Turner, who had said that same thing. "Let's just get to work, shall we?"

"Bella," Erica said. "I mean, he's Coach Conway's kid, he's only here because the school covers faculty's kids' tuition." Bella stared at the other girl. "And he's on the football team, it would be a totally different if he played hockey or was even like an arts nerd or something."

"Erica," Bella said. "This is none of your business. I am not going to break up with Gordon." Erica went to talk. "Now come on. We have work to do."

Elisa sat quietly in her room looking at the blank paper. She took a deep breath and pressed the pen to the paper.

Dear Eddie,

It took me all summer to get together what I wanted to say to you. I guess I can start with this.

I forgive you, and I'm sorry for not hearing you out at the time. Your letter was terribly unclear and I have no way of knowing what exactly you want from me beyond that, especially since you sent a similar letter to Bella. (We just talked about it, we didn't show them to each other.) I can only guess that you sent us both the letters and you were waiting for who answered. OK, really, that was Bella's guess, but I think she's probably right.

I've missed you so much, hearing from you, touching you. Some days I find myself just wishing that you'd kiss me again. Most of the time when this happens I have to think about how much it hurt at prom, to lose you.

"Elisa," Jimmy popped in, "there's someone here to see you." She stood up and walked downstairs.

"Hunter!" She squealed and hugged him. Hunter smiled and held her close. "Oh, I missed you so much! I thought you were still in Nantucket!"

"It got boring," he said. "I missed you too, I wanted to surprise you, and your Dad said it was OK."

"I'm glad," she said, suddenly feeling very different in Hunter's arms than she ever had before. It felt almost like the feeling she got in Eddie's. "I hear you wild New York kids got tattoos this summer." He nodded and rolled up his tee shirt's sleeve revealing a thin tribal band around his bicep, which also seemed larger and somehow nicer than it had before. "Have you been working out?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Cal gets bored on his own, so I've been going to the gym with him. Maybe I'll try out for the hockey team."

"Oh but won't that kill your and Anne's school outcast reps?" She said. "You wouldn't be able to wear eyeliner anymore." He laughed and they sat down. "How are you doing?" He shrugged. "Are they still not telling you?"

"Yeah, but we're WASPs," he shrugged. "they probably won't tell me until or if the papers get signed. But I mean, my Mom and I have spent the whole summer in Nantucket and he came once, if that's not a separation, I don't know what is."

"One time my mom and I spent a whole summer in LA," she said. "And my dad stayed here, but that was different, she was opening the restaurant there and he had to be at the hospital. I don't think they were separated." Hunter nodded. "Sorry, I'm not helping, am I?"

"Just being with you is helping," he said, softly pushing her hair off of her face. She smiled. He cleared his throat, realizing what it would seem like to someone on the outside, the way the two of them were sitting. "Have you heard from him again?"

"Nope," she said. "I was writing to him when you got here."

"And what's the verdict?" He said. She sighed.

"Just friends, I think," she said. "But when I see him who knows?"

Bella walked quietly into the house and dropped her bag and landed on the couch. She was so tired physically, and now she was exhausted emotionally.

"Hi," she looked up and saw Eddie. She closed her eyes. "What are you doing?" He laughed.

"Waking up," she said.

"You're not asleep," he said. She looked at him. "I'm back."

"Clearly," she raised her eyebrows.

"I wrote you that I was coming home today," he said. She shrugged. "You didn't read my letters." He sat down next to her. "Bella," he pushed her hair off her face.

"Don't," she said, grabbing his wrist. He looked down. "Go home, Eddie, it's been a hard day."

"First day of camp is your favorite day of the year," he said. "Except maybe gala." She looked at him. "Fine," he sighed and stood up. "I guess I'll see you next week when school starts." She closed her eyes as he walked out.

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