"Is this Summer Adam's office?" A brunette woman asked Lindy curiously.
"Yes, it is." Lindy replied without looking up from the sheets that were spread all over her desk.
"Can I go in there?" The woman asked.
"Do you have an appointment?" Lindy asked, still not looking up from her work.
"No. But I will meet her." The woman said curtly, before barging past Lindy, and pushing open the door to Summer's office.
"No! You can't go in." Lindy scrambled up from her chair, and dashed after the brunette. She wasn't able to stop her entering the now open doors. "Ms. Adams, I'm so sorry! I can call security!"
Summer rose gracefully from her chair, and looking at her flustered secretary and the intruder, smiled. "It's perfectly fine Lindy. Just continue on with your work, and if you could make sure no one interrupts this meeting, that would be great. And...could you push back all my meetings for today one hour? Thank you." She gestured for Lindy to leave the room.
Lindy gave the brunette one more venomous scowl before slamming the door behind her.
Summer looked at her unexpected guest, and gestured for her to sit. "Please Abby, sit."
0oo0oo0oo0
When Liz came in from taking a shower, she saw that Cammie, Macey, and Bex were gathered around something on Bex's bed, and it looked as though it was bothering them. "What are you guys looking at?" She inquired, while still towel-drying her hair.
"We were simply looking at an incredibly interesting book about chemical engineering. I think you'd really enjoy it." Macey answered smoothly.
"Oh…okay." Liz shrugged. "Mind if I read it sometime?"
"Oh, of course not! I mean, we bought it so that you could read it. What would we be doing with a book on chemical engineering?" Bex asked, before handing the thick book to Liz.
"Thanks. Um…would you mind if I read it in the library?" Liz asked sheepishly.
"No!" The trio answered together.
"Alright…I'm going now." Liz backed towards the door, staring at her…unique-ish friends, before opening and shutting the door.
"Whew! I thought she'd never leave." Macey commented, as Bex reached under her pillow and removed the real book that they had been looking at. The book with the secret checklist. They had been looking at the next item on the list:
#2 Find Liz a boyfriend.
0oo0oo0oo0
Abby gratefully accepted the offered chair. She sank into the overstuffed armchair with a sigh of contentment. She then looked at Summer. "I appreciate you receiving me on such short notice."
Summer smirked at her comment, but said nothing.
Abby straightened up a bit. She then began to study the intricate design of the carpet flooring in Summer's office. "I'm not sure if you would be able to tell or not…but I'm not exactly the kind of person who apologizes." At this, she looked up at Summer. "I want to apologize for my behavior towards you. I feel…and many others…" She rolled her eyes at this, and gave Summer the impression that whoever the "others" were, they had given Abby a hard time about her behavior towards Summer. "Well…basically, I want to apologize for being such a bitch. There I've said it." Abby threw up her hands to signal the end of the apology. "Oh, that may have made it seem insincere, but I sincerely guarantee you, it was a sincere and heartfelt apology.
Summer smiled, "Thanks Abby. That meant a lot. I'm also sorry, if I've seen like a bit of a…pain in the ass." Then as though it was an afterthought, "If you'll excuse my rather…crude language."
Abby's formerly solemn face, broke into an easy grin. "Your apology is accepted. I'm so relieved." She put her hand over her heart to signify how it made her heart feel so much better.
Summer mirrored Abby's grin when she saw the gesture. "Why thank you, now I think I will be able to sleep better at night."
Abby laughed at Summer's sarcasm. "You know something? I think that I might just like you." She then lifted herself from the chair, and seriousness returning to her face, said, "And thanks again for seeing me. It…it was…just…yeah." Abby seemed momentarily at a loss for words. "Just, thank you."Abby regained her composure, and walked out the office.
0oo0oo0oo0
"Rip Linguini?" Macey stared incredulously at the boy's file that lay before her. "Now who in the world in their right mind names their child Euripides, and then nicknames them Rip? Rip sounds like some buff hunk…and this guy is like the complete opposite of a hunk, let alone a buff hunk! I don't like him." She slammed shut the file, and flung it onto the growing pile of rejected boys. She then looked at the ever diminishing pile of potential boyfriends for Liz.
"This is impossible. Who could possibly be good enough for Liz? Same IQ? Same interests? It's like impossible!" Bex burst out. Her sentiments echoed the private thoughts of both Cammie and Macey.
Liz suddenly burst through the bedroom door, followed by Tina who was screaming and dancing. "The Blackthorne boys are back! The Blackthorne boys are back!" When Tina realized that they were not going to give her the attention that she wanted, or inquire how she had come across the information, and having realized that they had received the information, she ran out of the room still screaming, so as to let the entire dorm know about this extraordinary news.
The sudden entrance of Tina and Liz had forced Macey to dive over the rejected pile, since there were no more potentials.
Professor Buckingham came soon after Tina had left, and announced that the girls had five minutes to prepare themselves for meeting the boys downstairs in the landing. She glanced at Macey sprawled over Bex's bed, Bex stuck underneath Macey, Cammie hanging half off Bex's bed her chest covering the checklist for Liz, and Liz standing with her mouth gaping open, and made no comment. There wasn't even a flicker of amusement, though inside she was shaking with laughter.
"Hey Liz." Cammie waved from the ground. She slowly slid her legs down to the floor, and secretly grabbing the book and shoving it under Bex's bed, began to get up from her uncomfortable position.
"Hey Cammie." Liz regained her composure, and smiled as Bex struggled to get herself free from beneath Macey.
As Bex finally freed herself, she accidentally kicked a couple files onto the floor. Cammie, Bex, and Macey froze instantly for a few brief seconds, before Bex and Cammie jumped into action. They scrambled to pick up the files that were lying in the open, and would be dangerous in the wrong hands, specifically the hands of Elizabeth Sutton. Macey didn't move a muscle, afraid that if she did, Liz could potentially snatch one of the precious files from beneath her.
Unfortunately for them, Liz was faster than both Cammie and Bex, because she hadn't froze. As she picked up one of the files, all of the girls inwardly winced.
"Who is Rip Linguini?" Liz asked genuinely curious. She continued flipping through the loose leaflets within the file, without looking at the girls for an answer. She suddenly stopped, and looked at the current sheet again. "You have gone through his trash?"
"Well," Cammie tried to shrug and act nonchalant. "We all know the benefits of looking through a boy's trash. It can…definitely show what the boy is like." She looked around desperately for agreement. Both Macey and Bex nodded their agreement.
"Incredibly beneficial to romantic relationships." Bex said, before realizing the impact of what she had just said.
"Who's about to start a romantic relationship? And…is it with Rip Linguini? Because…I'm afraid I don't approve." Liz held up the photo paper-clipped to the file, which showed a platinum blonde haired boy with Harry Potter-like glasses and braces that surrounded his face.
Macey cleared her throat, and slowly and hesitantly raised her hand. "Well…not with Rip Linguini…but a romantic relationship, yes."
Liz clapped her hands, and squealed happily. She opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Professor Buckingham opening the door, and ordering the girls to go downstairs to greet the boys.
She stood to the side of the door, to make sure that the girls did actually come out of the bedroom. She then shut the door, and walked behind the girls, so as to make sure that they didn't try to escape and avoid meeting the boys.
As Cammie, Macey, Bex, and Liz descended the stairs, they were greeted by some familiar faces, while some they had not seen before.
Bex saw Grant, and he lifted his hand in some sort of half wave, which is often how boys communicate hi. The girls surrounding Bex thought that Grant was waving to them, and swooned, while attempting to appear coy. Bex waved back, irritated with the sea of swooning girls. She gently touched Macey's arm to tell her that Grant had waved at her, but Macey's attention was elsewhere.
Macey was gazing at Liz, and a boy directly below her. Jonas.
Bex and Cammie followed the direction where Macey was staring at, and immediately, simultaneously noticed that it was Jonas. Liz's slight blush did not escape their intense gaze, either.
Bex looked at Cammie, and then Macey. They mentally scolded themselves for not thinking or even considering Jonas. The same thought was going their minds. How could they possibly have overlooked Jonas? He was perfect. How could they have missed him? It was inexcusable. Jonas. Perfect Jonas.