A/N:

This is for madier1095 and UnknownPen. Thanks for all the support. I've got cool ideas that I'm trying to incorporate into future chapters. It's gonna get interesting pretty soon, so stay tuned.

Chapter 3

Abby could not believe her mom had managed to keep such a huge secret. It was the greatest surprise ever, to hear that her best friends had actually been keeping in touch with her mom, and had plotted out their visit to Kenya. Mrs. Lincoln had actually bought their tickets, although one way. She and her husband would pay for their holiday expenses too, for they had decided that the kids needed to enjoy some time together with no worries at all. They would pay for a trip to the Mara, as well as one to the coast along Diani Beach, where the kids could enjoy some sun and sand.

"Thank you, Mama," Abby would say with the sweetest smile at almost every opportunity.

"You're welcome. Don't forget to thank Daddy too. He also helped bring this into reality, you know."

"I'll thank him as soon as he gets back," Abby said as she carried some snacks and drinks out to the pool area where a group of teenagers were having a good time. Music was blaring from two huge strategically located speakers, and people were dancing all over the place. Abby had invited her friends from school over so they could meet her best friends.

One of her classmates seemed to be trying very hard to impress Nigel. She kept going up to him every few minutes to talk, but Abby could see her trying to be a little seductive in her bathing suit. She would strike very convenient poses from time to time. Nigel wasn't complaining. He would be found stealing a few glances of Natasha and smiling to himself whenever she took a dip in the pool, or when she'd bend over to pick up some random item from the ground. Her bob hair cut clang to her brown face whenever her head appeared above the pool's surface. Apparently knowing that Nigel liked what he saw, she'd smile and wink at him before going for another swim, probably with hopes of enticing him into the pool. Nigel lowered his dark sunglasses from his forehead onto the bridge of his nose so that he could enjoy the view a little more discreetly.

"Abby, I'm enjoying the pool party," Pauline said as she approached her, dripping water with every step. "T'was a great idea to throw this bash for your peeps. They look like they're having a blast."

"Yeah, I'm glad people are having a good time," Abby replied as she scanned the environment.

"And girl, I like what I see," Pauline said as she stared straight ahead.

Abby followed Pauline's gaze until her eyes settled on Hoagie, who was engaged in some random banter with four other dudes as they grilled sausages, steak and burgers. Hoagie had grown his thick, wavy brown hair to cover the back of his neck, but it was not quite shoulder length yet. His locks fell over his forehead and to the sides of his face, where they dipped down low into v-shaped sideburns. He had grown accustomed to running his hand through his hair whenever it obscured his vision. Abby smiled as she continued to take him in. Her buddy had become so many types of fine, it was sinful. He wasn't chubby anymore, and that was because he had hit the gym and converted the fat to muscle. He was still more big-bodied than the other guys at the party. But as far as Abby was concerned, his new physique suited him just fine. He had this little goatee growing on his chin that added to his sex appeal. He was broad shouldered, and stood at about 5' 9". Abby struggled to look away before she could get busted staring at her best friend. She had to; it wouldn't be easy trying to convince people that she was just appreciating the spectacular landscape.

The beats blasting from the speakers brought Abby back to her senses. Everybody went crazy when the next song was played, as they jumped around and danced to Bob Sinclair's track:

DANCE (DANCE)

NOW EVERYBODY MOVE (MOVE)

NOW EVERYBODY SHAKE (SHAKE)

NOW EVERYBODY…

(…EVERYBODY DANCE NOW!)

With that, Abby went to dance with the DJ, who just happened to be her boyfriend. Grooving next to them were Wally and Kuki, who were looking exceptionally cute together. It was obvious to everyone they were an item, much to the dismay of some of the chicks at the party. Wally's wet hair clang to his forehead. Nowadays he wore his hair short around the sides and back of his head (about an inch), and growing it longer on the top, much like a crew cut. But he would style the top pointing upwards in random directions, giving him kind of a bad boy look. Kuki's hair covered her bare back, making her look even hotter in her two piece bathing suit whose top was a halter.

When the song ended Abby went over to the grill. "Wow, Hoag, the food smells great," she said as she looked at the juicy steak.

"Tastes even better, I can assure you," he replied, feeding her a piece that he had cut a few moments earlier.

"Mmmm," Abby moaned, "It's really good," she said with a smile as she enjoyed Hoagie's culinary delight. Unbeknownst to them, Steve had seen how Hoagie's hand had lingered a bit too long at his girlfriend's mouth.

"Lemme take some of this around," she said, piling the sausages and pieces of steak onto two plates. The guests dug in quickly, and Abby had to replenish the reserves before her friends could get cranky.

Natasha walked up to Nigel for the umpteenth time that day. "So, are you gonna come for our prom?" she asked.

"Uh… I don't think so, it is your prom after all."

"It shouldn't be a problem, you should come. I could be your date," she said slyly. And with that she hurriedly went looking for Abby, to ensure that her friends from home would come for the prom; well, Nigel especially.

xxx

"Hey Abs," Kuki shouted down from the staircase, "Can I use your laptop? I'd like to mail home."

"Sure Kuks. Send my love," Abby replied. She'd been lying down on the couch, resting her feet on Nigel's lap as he stretched his arm over the headrest. Hoagie and Wally were each sitting in separate chairs, with the latter crossing his right leg over his left knee in typical male fashion. They were watching Salt in the TV room. The stereo surround of the home theatre made all the sounds significantly more awesome. But Abby's mind wasn't really on the movie, despite the fact that she really loved action movies, and was a self-proclaimed greatest fan of Angelina. She was thinking about what had transpired the previous night.

Last night was prom night. Abby had already convinced her KND crew to show up for it. Mrs. Lincoln had rented tuxes for the boys, while the girls had gone shopping to buy a dress for Kuki a few days earlier. As Abby was preparing to get dolled up for prom, she saw Hoagie in the bathroom with a razor in hand, busy scrutinizing his jaw line. She had bought a pack of Gillette razor blades for the boys. The door had been left ajar, so without much thought she walked in. He saw her reflection in the mirror.

"Hey," he greeted as he continued to look at her reflection. "Just wondering what I should do with this today," he said as he pointed the razor at his stubble.

Abby took the shaving cream from the cabinet and sprayed it into her hand. She rubbed it into a smooth lather then stood in front of Hoagie so that she could apply it on his face. "Gimme the razor, Hoagie," she said as she rinsed her hands.

"Uh…are you sure you know how to work this? My face is not the same as your legs you know," he said with a nervous laugh.

"Don't worry, just trust me. Look, it's triple action," she said, showing him the three blades of the razor. "The first blade cuts close, the second, closer still. And the third chops your head off!" she said with a laugh as his eyes widened in fear. "I sure do crack myself up," she continued. Then all smiles aside, she said seriously, "Trust me."

Hoagie allowed himself to be gently pushed down onto the edge of the tub, so that Abby could have his head at a comfortable height. The young lady before him put the razor under running water then brought it up to his face. She began to shave the left side of his face, before moving to the right. Hoagie looked up at her face and noticed the concentration etched in it. Abby carefully avoided the goatee, and after a few minutes she was done.

"Hmm," she said.

"What is it?" Hoagie asked as he began to worry.

"Nothing. It's just…the skin really is as smooth as they say in the ads," she said in slight awe as she let the top side of her hand and fingers feel his clean shaven skin. Coming back to her senses she said, "Alright, all done. You can clean up now." As she turned to leave, Hoagie grabbed her hand as he stood up. She stopped dead in her tracks, turned and looked up into his blue eyes that were staring intensely into hers. After what seemed like an eternity, he softly said, "Thank you." Abby just nodded and made a beeline for her room, shutting the door behind her. She leaned against it, and let out her breath before deeply sucking air into her lungs as she tried to regulate her heartbeat. Dammit, I shouldn't have gone in there, she thought to herself.