A/N: Thank you all so much! Your reviews and faves mean the world to me. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

Chapter 35

I miraculously did not get in trouble for getting detention. Once I explained the situation, including the fact that I had tried to apologize for being rude during an unfortunate meeting in the library, they understood. Tammy's parents just asked that I tried to curb myself when it came to lashing out at others. Thankfully I did not have to explain what happened in detention.

I did, however, take the next step in trying to make friends. Or at least build on the friendships I had started to make.

Cinnamon syrup was as simple to make as a vanilla one was. Thank god that Deanna helped me figure it out. I had no idea how to create one, but her skills as a housewife translated into knowing just what ingredients were necessary. I made a mental note to stick around more and see what I could learn.

It was pure luck that I had Chemistry with Steve the next morning. I dropped the coffee off at his desk, ignoring how Nancy was staring at me as I did so.

"Here," I said. "I think I got this one right. You're not allergic to cinnamon, right?"

"Uh, no," he gave me a smile. "Thanks."

"Just returning the favour." I moved back to my seat. Now I just needed to find Veronica and see if she could help me fix things with Robin. I half paid attention to the lecture as I took notes, more focused on what I was going to say to Robin. I had made a decision before to trust her. I just...had to somehow do it.

"Hey," Steve came running up to me after class. "What'd you put in that coffee?"

"Uh, a cinnamon flavoured syrup and a touch of cream. Why?"

"It was...mondo." I had no idea what that meant. He moved forward so that he was in front of me and turned to face me, walking backwards. "The stakes are raised. Alright, challenge accepted." He took off and I was left staring after him, bemused.

"What's that about?"

I turned to see Veronica stepping up next to me. "Well, that's handy. I was looking for you."

"Bitchin'," Veronica said. "Always happy to be found. What can I do for the primo babe of our class? Heard you and Billy had a fallout, dragging down that bitch Ally and Nancy with you. What happened there?"

I tried not to sigh. I had English next with Billy and I was kind of hoping he wasn't going to be there. "I ran into Nancy at the library the other day and was not...kind. I went to apologize, Ally interrupted and we ended up in detention. Since Billy has no idea how to leave things alone, he cut into an argument between Ally and me. It...exploded from there."

"Well, can't say that you don't keep things interesting," she gave me a grin. "Don't worry, this shit will pass."

I gave her a smile. "I know. Look, I need a favour."

"Go on…"

"I know you've been talking to Robin. Is she...willing to talk to me? Our last conversation didn't really go well."

Veronica paused for a moment. "Robin's just hurt and seeing you with Steve, to be honest, I think she's a bit jealous."

"Of what? The only reason I talk to Steve is because she's not…" I stopped myself. "Steve and I are just friends, and barely even that. Can you just tell Robin that I miss her and her friendship?"

"For sure," Veronica gave me a smile. "Don't worry, Kate. It'll work itself out."

"God, I hope so." The bell rang for class. I was late for English with Billy and the reminder that I had no friends. "We should hang out at some point," I said. "Outside of school."

"Totally. I'll set something up and let you know!" Veronica grinned. "Later!" She turned down the hall and started jogging to her class. I picked up my pace.

I walked in right as the teacher was in the middle of talking about the latest book we'd been assigned. "Nice of you to join us, Miss. Thompson."

"Sorry!"

It took a couple of days before Veronica got back to me. I was supposed to meet her at the mini-golf course on Friday night. I hadn't been mini-golfing in ages. Deanna and Sam both seemed happy to know I was going out and meeting with friends. They didn't say it outright but I could see it in their reactions. The enthusiasm and relief. I made a mental note to go out more.

Veronica wasn't alone when I got there. Carl was with her along with another guy I vaguely remembered from homecoming. I hadn't really seen Carl since that whole incident in the lunchroom when Ally started spreading Tammy's opinions about people.

Veronica waved as soon as she saw me, a wide grin on her face. "I'm so glad we're doing this! It's going to be righteous."

I smiled at them. "Me too. Good to see you again Carl."

"Yeah. Gotta say, I was a bit surprised when Veronica asked me to join but it'll be fun." He looked between us. "You remember Manny, right?"

"Of course," I said, despite the fact that I hadn't. Not really. "How are you doing?"

"Good," he grinned.

"So," Carl clapped his hands together. "Who's ready to lose?"

I couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh! You think you're going to win?" Veronica reached over and poked him. He laughed and pushed her hand away. "Come on, Kate. Let's show them the real champions!" She looped her arm around mine and led me towards the entrance.

Once we each paid, we got the scorecards, balls and putters. Veronica led the way to the first hole and I found myself walking next to Carl and Manny.

"How've you been?"

Carl looked over at me and gave a small smile. "Alright. Just getting ready for applications. Do you know where you'll be applying to?"

I tried to think about Tammy's plans and how I was trying to subvert them. "I'm not sure yet. I mean, I plan to head to Nashville eventually but I might apply to some places close by. Just to keep my parents happy." I looked over at him and Manny. "Where do you want to go?"

He thought for a moment before he answered. "Colombia. If I can get in."

"Can't do anything but try," I said.

"I'm going to be a chemist," Manny spoke up. "Wherever I get in. As long as the teacher doesn't cheer and call us chemists like Ms. Allen."

"More like deafen us," I added.

"I want to go to Yale," Veronica said. "Or Stanford. Come on, Carl, you're up!"

He moved forward and put his ball on the marker. I looked over at Veronica. "I can see you in Yale," I said. I didn't really know anything about the place but I had a feeling that Veronica was one of those people who could fit herself into anywhere.

"Thank you," she said with a grin. We turned to watch Carl hit the ball. It bounced off one of the sides and stopped about a foot from the hole. "We'll have to keep in touch, whatever happens."

"Totally," I said. Carl headed back to us. "Go for it, Manny!"

"Ladies first," he motioned me forward.

"Alright. Guess I'm up." I dropped the ball at the marker and tried to figure out where to hit it. It seemed like a straight shot but mini golf was not my forte. I hit the ball and watched as it bounced off the back wall, then hit the side before rolling back to me. I heard the others trying not to laugh behind me. I sent them a wry grin and shrugged before trying again.

By the time we reached the 18th hole, any lingering awkwardness was long gone. Apparently, Carl and Manny hadn't really spoken to Veronica before she approached them to join us tonight. We talked about our plans for the future in a bit more detail, as well as subjects in school. I told them about how Buster decided he didn't like me after his surgery but he was finally getting back to normal. Veronica didn't have any pets but Carl had a couple of cats. He said the same thing happened to him after they got spayed. I doubted it was completely the same but it was nice that he was trying to be comforting.

We made tentative plans for next weekend as well and Carl asked if he could bring some more of his friends. I didn't have a problem with it.

Carl and Manny both eventually left after another game of mini golf and Veronica and I sat on a picnic table, eating ice cream.

"So what's the deal?"

I looked over at her. "About what?"

"The whole thing with Billy and Steve. I mean, I know what's happening with Robin but you've only brushed over them. So where's the beef?"

I made a face automatically, confused at the term. "What?"

"Give me the details, girl."

"There aren't really any. Billy is just doing what Billy does: assuming he's god's gift, but I haven't seen or heard from him since the argument in detention. Thank god. It's a bit of a relief if I'm honest. Steve is just being a friend. Don't know if you noticed but I don't have many of those anymore. Least not yet."

"Harsh."

"I don't mean you," I clarified. "Just...others. I don't know."

"No, I get you," Veronica said. She looked away, over at the people. "It's like, totally easy to know people without actually knowing them. If all they see is a bodacious babe, they're not looking at you and that can totally get lonely. We're friends though, Kate. How else am I going to get all the drama," she teased as she nudged me.

I laughed. "Is that all I'm good for?"

"Well, it certainly helps."

I didn't exactly feel better by the time the weekend was over, but I did feel slightly more like myself, like Kate instead of Tammy. There were still rumours going around the school about the detention. Ally glared at me as if I was the source of her problems and Nancy ignored me. I didn't see any trace of Billy. It was a bit of a relief.

I had never been good at preparing ahead of time with Christmas gifts but I had enough free time that it was getting done. It helped that the time spent with El was mainly the two of them creating things. El was fantastic at bedazzling. It almost wasn't fair. I refused to be competitive with a kid though, especially when she was pretty cool about helping me make something for Erica. In return, I was getting her puffy paint and some other things for decorating clothes. Hopefully, she'd like the surprise.

"You good?"

I looked over at Steve. He had started sitting next to me in Chemistry. I didn't blame him if I was saving him from the looks Nancy was giving us. Though, that might have just been for me.

"Yeah. Ready for Christmas?" I asked, glancing over from where I was measuring the liquid we were about to mix.

He released a long sigh. "I guess. My folks get back this week. They go all out, hosting parties and stuff. Want to make it look good."

"Hmm.." I kept my thoughts on that to myself. "Well, you ever need a break, feel free to stop by."

"Thanks. What about you? Got plans?"

Considering I had no idea what the traditions around the holiday were for the Thompson family, I wasn't sure. "Just the usual family things," I said, hoping he didn't ask for details. "Hopefully meet up with some friends. Actually get to enjoy the time off."

"Yeah, be nice to not have homework." He slumped forward and rested his chin on his hand that was propped up by his elbow on the table. "Though I'll have to listen to my dad telling me where I should go to school and why it should be his alma mater."

I rolled my eyes. "University or college isn't the end of the world. Don't let them pressure you to go where they want. That will just make you miserable. Think about what you want and if you don't know, don't worry. It's not like there's an age limit on it. You can take some time before you decide."

He sighed. "Yeah, not my parents."

"Well, I guess you have to choose then. Follow what they want or try to figure out what you do." I poured the liquid I had mixed in slowly.

He looked over at me, confusion lining his features. "What I want?" He seemed to think about it for a moment as he looked away. "I know what I want. No more monster dogs wanting to eat my face."

I let out a startled laugh. He glanced over at me and I covered my mouth. I didn't know why it was so funny, though maybe it had to do with the sardonic tone he had taken.

"Thompson!" the teacher called out. I looked over to see the mixture we had been working on bubbling over.

"Shit!" Steve and I both scrambled to grab our books and notes out of the way. I didn't really know what it would do, but I wasn't about to take chances.

The teacher headed over to us. "Chemists!" she called out. "This is why you must pay attention to what you're doing!" she looked at Steve and me. "Grab your protective gear and start cleaning it. Use the standard mixture for this."

"You can leave your stuff here," Manny called out.

I looked over at him and smiled. He was in the next row over at the back. "Come on," I muttered to Steve before heading over. "Thanks, Manny."

He grinned at me. "Least I can do for how badly you lost last weekend."

I laughed again. "We'll get a rematch and then we'll see who loses." It would still be me, but it was no fun just admitting that.

"Rematch?" Steve asked. "Thanks," he said as he placed his stuff on top of mine.

"Couple of us played mini-golf on the weekend. Veronica set it up," I told him. "You wanna join next time?"

"Uh-"

"Yeah, Harrington. Come join us. It's always better when there's a bunch of us. Maybe then Kate won't be the absolute worst."

"Hey!" I stuck my tongue out at him. "Just you wait," I pointed. "Come on, let's clean up the disaster you made," I told Steve.

"Me? You're the one holding the beaker!"

"You distracted me!"

Sam invited me to join him at the movies. Apparently, it was a bit of a tradition for him and Tammy to see something once school was out. It was a little odd. I hadn't really spent a lot of time with Tammy's dad one on one. Aside from the times I was getting into fights at school and he drove me home.

"Well?" he asked as we stood outside the theatre. "What do you want to see?"

There weren't a ton of options. It wasn't like a cineplex but one instantly caught my eye. "Ghostbusters?"

He looked at me in surprise. "Really?"

I shrugged. "Yeah, why not?"

"I thought you would have chosen...Romancing the Stone." He made a face as he said it and I tried not to laugh. I couldn't really picture Sam watching a romance movie.

"I'll go with mom for that," I said. It was a fun movie but Deanna would enjoy it more. At least, I thought she would. "Let's do Ghostbusters!"

"Alright," he said, acting resigned. I caught his smile though. "Let's do it."

"There is no Dana, only Zhul!" I tried to imitate the line in my best voice.

"Are you the Key Master?" Sam replied back. Both of us started to crack up laughing. The movie was a great choice. It was easy to get invested and for a moment it felt as though I was back home, watching it in a theatre for a retro throwback night.

We left with the crowd and while it wasn't insanely packed, it was still enough that it didn't take much to stumble into someone.

"Sorry 'bout that," I said. I had bumped into an older woman. She looked around Deanna's age.

"It's alright," she gave me a sad smile.

The man at her side had an arm wrapped around her. He held out his hand. "Evening, Sam."

"Marsha, Wallace," Sam said, shaking his hand. "How are you doing?" The crowd moved around us.

"Okay," Marsha said softly. "Just…"

"We hired someone," Wallace said. "To find Barb. We just…"

"It's not a bad thing to have hope," Sam said. "I wouldn't stop either."

The missing girl. These were her parents. Oh god. My throat went dry as I tried to think up something to say. Their girl had gone missing and I was next to a man who didn't even know he had lost his because there was an imposter in her place. I had taken her place. I suddenly felt sick.

"Thank you," Marsha said. "So many...people don't think we should."

"We had to remortgage the house," Wallace said.

"That expensive?" Sam asked, frowning slightly. I could already tell that he didn't approve.

"Well, it takes a lot," Marsha said quickly. "With searching. He said he would…" she stopped herself from going further again.

"I hope it works," I spoke up without thinking. "I hope...I hope you find answers."

"Thank you," Marsha said. She reached out and touched my hand. "That's very kind."

"It's the truth. I wouldn't want to be-" I cut myself off. "My dad's right. It's not bad to have hope. Sometimes it's all that matters."

"Smart girl you got there," Wallace said, looking away from me to Sam. "Keep her close."

Sam's hand moved to my arm furthest away from him and he pulled me close, into a half hug. "I will. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to call. You both should come over for dinner. I'll get Deanna to call and set up a day."

"Thank you," Marsha said. She turned to look at her husband and touched his arm. "Let's go." She gave me another sad smile and I thought I saw tears start to build up in her eyes before she turned and walked away.

"It's a hard time for them," Sam said.

"Yeah, of course," I looked at him. "Not knowing is the worst."

He gave me a look and nodded. He pulled me close and kissed the side of my head. I felt a rush of paternal affection. I missed my dad, but if I had to choose any substitute, it would be Sam. "Let's go home to your mother."

[tbc]