A/N: Hey guys. Happy Reading!

Even though it was summer, Jamie still woke up early in the morning out of habit.

His parents were already having breakfast when he joined them.

'Jamie, I am going with Erin to do some shopping for Nikki.' His mom informed him.

'Don't get into any trouble while I am gone.' She smiled teasingly.

'Mom!' He groaned while his father smiled amusingly.

'You can always join us hon.'

Jamie laughed. 'Seriously mom, I am not interested in walking around the mall while looking for little pink dresses.'

'Well…' his mom drawled. 'I just thought you would be interested in spending a little time with your family before you go to Maine.'

Jamie's heart skipped a beat. 'Really?' He couldn't contain his excitement.

His father interjected. 'But first, we are going to talk to Sam and his parents.'

'I know Sam, honey. He is a good kid. He'll take care of them.' Mary reassured her husband. 'But I'll go over the plans with his parents.'

Panic was slowly making its way into Jamie's heart. His parents were getting too invested in his fake plans and he wasn't sure how it would end.

'Guys, I am not a little kid anymore. You don't have to do all this.' He protested futilely.

Mary grabbed her son's hand and squeezed it. 'You will always be our baby Jamie and we would never be able to forgive ourselves if something happened to you.'

Jamie tried to prevent the feeling of guilt from overcoming him.

'I'll be fine mom. Don't worry.'

Frank pushed his chair back and stood up.

'Well, I am off to work.'

He kissed his wife and ruffled Jamie's hair.

'You are a good kid Jamie. You have earned this trip.'

'Thanks dad.' Jamie quietly said. He could not hold back the guilt anymore.

After her mom left, Jamie quickly picked up the phone to call David.

His friend picked up after a few rings.

'Jamie, did your parents agree?'

'Yeah, they did.' Jamie morosely replied.

'Then why do you sound like your dog just died?'

'Never mind. What about Sarah? Did her folks agree or is she sneaking out?' Jamie asked jokingly.

'Luckily for us, Sar's parents agreed. So she ain't sneaking out of her home anytime soon.'

'Just lying to her family like the rest of us,' Jamie commented.

'Aww bro, don't feel bad. Besides your parents raised Danny. You are definitely an upgrade so they won't be that mad.'

'That's what I keep telling myself,' Jamie laughed in amusement.

'See. That is why we are best friends.' David sounded like he had solved a big problem.

'Sure dude. Let's just hope that Mandy's dad gives her permission too.'

By the evening, everyone had gotten the go-ahead and Mary had talked to David's parents. The whole affair had went surprisingly well. Jamie was actually astonished.

Excitement and nervousness warred within Jamie's mind as he lay in his bed in the night. He tossed and turned but couldn't sleep.

After a while, he got tired and climbed out of his bed.

He wasn't surprised to see the living room light switched on and his father going over some papers.

Hearing the sound of his footsteps, Frank looked up.

'Can't sleep?' Jamie reluctantly stopped.

'I just wanted to grab a glass of water from the kitchen'. He quickly deflected the question. He wanted to avoid any conversation so he wouldn't have to tell more lies to his father.

'Well, it doesn't look like you have been sleeping. Why don't you sit with me for a while?' Frank patted the space next to him.

Jamie ran a hand through his hair. 'I have some stuff to do in the morning dad. It is better if I just go to bed now'.

He quickly moved out of his dad's view, towards the kitchen.

When he was back in the safety of his room, Jamie breathed a sigh of relief.

He had always been a good kid apart from a few exceptional events so he did not have a plethora of experience in being dishonest to his parents. His siblings on the other hand seemed to have it in spades.

He shook his head. He couldn't just turn his back now. LA was waiting for him and he was ready to have the time of his life.

His phone beeped at that moment, diverting his attention.

Mandy had texted him asking if he was awake.

Jamie decided to call her in return. She picked up instantly.

'Hey Jamie' she sounded a little despondent.

'Babe. Is everything okay?' Jamie inquired concernedly.

'No. I am missing my mom. A lot'.

Jamie and Amanda had been dating for over a year. Her parents had divorced just two months ago while his father had gotten the full custody. Her mom wanted to focus on her career.

'I am so sorry Mandy. Did you call her?'

'I don't even know which city she is in right now. She might not be in this country. We are just drifting apart. Did she really love me to begin with?'

Amanda seemed to be on the verge of crying which tugged at Jamie's heart strings. At the same time, a surge of fury at Mandy's mom rushed through him.

'Of course, she loves you Mandy.' Jamie soothed.

'She just loves her career more,' Amanda finished for him sarcastically.

'Babe, you know that's not…' Jamie begin to say something but was short by Amanda's dejected 'forget about it.'

'I wish I could hug you right now Mandy. You have me, your dad and your friends. You have your mom too. You just don't realize it right now.'

'I wish you were here too but let's not push our luck.' She completely ignored the other half of his sentence.

'I am just starting to realize how much I suck at this deceit thing.' Jamie supplied.

He knew that Mandy wanted to change the subject.

TBC…

A/N2: Did you guys like the chapter? Reviews are always loved and appreciated.

A/N3: I just wanted to let everyone know that this story is going to move at a slower pace. The fall semester is approaching its end and I am under the pressure of quizzes, assignments, essays blah blah.