Notes: Gabrielle belongs to “Xena Warrior Princess.” Hercules belongs to “Hercules the Legendary Journeys.” All other characters and scenarios are mine. Please send comments to dante0220@yahoo.com .


Prologue [Amazon Village c. 88 AD]

Gabrielle, Bard-Queen of the Amazons, writes….

As Samhain came and went for our friends during their second year in the upper academy, pressures loomed. I recently spoke with Hercules about his own academy experiences and he could collaborate them. Time management is important for us all—whether priestess, Amazon or normal (as they thought themselves then) teenagers.

The Empress watched too and allowed them that illusion for a time. Still, the students did their tasks well too. This is their story….



Chapter 1 [Amherst—A week after “The Hayride”]

[Janet’s House]

Dave sat at the table looking over his Spanish homework. He knew it was done but he wanted everything to be perfect. After scanning the paper a couple of times, he shrugged. “That’s good enough.”

“Are you all right?” Janet asked with concern. She saw the frustrated look on his face and wanted to prevent any mood swings.

“I’m fine,” he assured her, patting her hand. “I’m sure everybody goes through this. I need to get things handed in.” He took out his spiral desk calendar and crossed that assignment off his list. “Only Biology to go.”

She shook her head. “Uh uh, Pal. Take a break. The others are waiting at the Express for you. Remember?”

His eyes went wide. “Geez!” He jumped out of his seat and grabbed his coat. “I can’t believe that I forgot about that! Of all the dumb things!” He sped off on his bike, chewing himself out as he went.

She bit her lip, knowing what was going through his head. He needs to ease up on himself. Then she felt a sharp pain in her side. “What the?” For a minute, it flared and then it was gone. “Strange.” Shaking her head, she went back in the house.


****

[Cappuccino Express]

Garth looked at his watch and sighed. “You think one of us should call him?” he asked the others.

Around the table, the rest of the Cadre shook their heads. They all knew that Dave wouldn’t blow them off deliberately. Still, this was the second time that week for this type of thing.

“He’s been really stressed,” April noted. “Garth, cut him some slack.”

“We do need to get this group project finished,” Steve interjected.

“And we will,” Karen assured them. “Let’s see what happens. We’ve all been under a great deal of stress.” At that moment, she saw Dave rush into the café. “See? He’s here. Cool it.” She waved to him.

“Hey, guys. Sorry. I was buried in homework for Spanish,” Dave apologized sheepishly, sliding into the booth.

“Just as long as you’re here,” Steve declared, giving him an intense glare. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?” Dave wondered.

“You’ve been missing meetings. That isn’t like you,” Frank noted.

“I know. This time management stuff is harder than I thought it would be,” Dave declared, accepting a coffee from the waitress passing by. “Who would have guessed that work and school would be like this?”

“Tell us about it,” April concurred, looking at Karen. “Well anyhow, we need to get this project finished for Biology.” She opened her notebook. “Who wants the introduction?”

Dave raised his hand. “I can take that.”

That might be a good low stress thing for him. Okay, April, let him have it. “Garth, you and I can do the middle. Frank and Steve get the end.”

“Karen can work with me.” Dave indicated, looking at her. “If that’s okay with her.”

“Sure it is. Sounds like a plan. When do we get started?” Karen asked.

“Let’s say…tomorrow night at Gram’s? Come by after dinner,” Dave mentioned.

“Done,” Karen agreed.

April shrugged, repressing her feelings once again. Face it. There’s no hope with him. “Garth, can you stop by the Emporium at 7 tomorrow?”

He nodded, feeling glad to be with her. “I’ll be there.”

Everyone felt glad that things were going according to plan. Or so they thought.

Life was about to throw Dave and Karen yet another curveball….





Chapter 2 [Next Day—APRHS Biology class]

The students sat through yet another lecture on cell protoplasm on the following day. While the book (and the normal curriculum) skirted that issue, Miss Harris, the teacher, decided it was worth three days’ droning to cover it. So she went on and on and on.

For their part, the students tried to pay attention and look serious. For the most part, they succeeded. Their minds were focused on the big group presentation coming up in the next week.

About five minutes before the bell, the teacher changed the subject. “How are the projects coming?”

The students shrugged, as if to say they hadn’t started yet.

“I think we need to change a few things. David and Karen, can you see me after class please?”

Dave and Karen stared at her incredulously. What did we do? Still they nodded.

“Very good. Class dismissed,” she announced.

After getting curious looks from the others, Dave and Karen headed up for the front of the room.

“Miss Harris, what can I do for you?” Karen inquired.

She looked them over before asking, “I need a favor if I could. I know you both are already working on a presentation together but I was wondering if you could do me a favor? Mark Anderson and Adrienne Mitchell need partners and I think you two have been working together a little too much. Besides, David, Adrienne would like to work with you.”

He winced. “After she called me a freak last year, she wants to work with me? Miss Harris, with all due respect, I really don’t need the grief.”

“I’m not giving you a choice,” she replied firmly.

“Fine. But if she pulls anything, you’re going to hear about it,” he retorted before leaving the room.

Karen frowned. “He and Adrienne do have a history, Miss Harris.”

The teacher glared at her. “He needs to learn that everything in life isn’t always going to be the way he wants it!”

“With all due respect, Ma ‘am, he’s the last person you need to tell that to. He just doesn’t want any problems. And neither do I,” Karen commented, somehow keeping her temper under wraps. “If you’ll excuse me, I really need to get to the cafeteria. Thanks.” With that, she left. First, I have a side trip to make.


****

Meantime Dave stood in front of his locker, trying to collect his thoughts and calm himself down. “Control. You got to have control.” He definitely didn’t need the teacher’s attitude just then. “Everyone’s got a bone to pick, I guess. Of all the things though.”

“Hi, Partner,” Adrienne called.

He turned and saw the tall willowy girl walking down the hall in a tight purple turtleneck and black jeans. “Hey, Adrienne.” Keep your cool, Dave. “Did you have an idea about this project?”

She gave him an empty stare. “I thought you were the bright one. But then again, you and Karen probably shared ideas.”

He squinted at her incredulously. “Excuse me? I do have my own ideas. I was just looking to see if there was something you wanted to work on.” He shoved a couple of books into his bag.

She smirked. “There are other girls in the world besides Karen Alvarez, you know.” She twirled her hair in her fingers and winked at him suggestively.

He had to bite his tongue to suppress the snicker in his throat. She’s coming on to me! Of all the… “Let’s just stick to business, all right? The presentation. I was thinking about cell structures.”

“I had another topic in mind actually,” she countered. “Interpersonal relations between makes and females.”

“This is biology, Adrienne, not social studies,” he disagreed.

“But we do discuss certain…drives…in class,” she noted, drawing closer to him.

I bet you’d like to go further in that direction. He sighed. “I’d rather stay away from sex topics, Adrienne, if you don’t mind.” He felt his head going numb. Great. Another mood swing coming. He ground his teeth and made himself say, “I say circulatory system. Blood flow. Great theme.”

She frowned, sensing she wasn’t getting anywhere. “Whatever. Can we meet tonight to talk about it?”

Seeing Karen approaching, he wanted to finish this conversation as soon as possible. “The library would be good about 6. See you then, Adrienne.” He gave her a smile before locking his locker back up and heading off with his best friend.

Adrienne fumed, seeing that her plan wasn’t going as she wanted. “Just what I wanted. A report on blood. Just wait, Dave. I’ll get your attention yet.”

****

Waiting until they were out of both sight and earshot, Dave exhaled with relief. “Thank you. Geez!”

She smirked. “I knew she was bad news but I didn’t expect her to ruffle your feathers that badly.”

“That’s not funny, Karen. She tried to come on to me.”

Karen chuckled. “Good one, Dave.”

“I’m serious!” he insisted, breathing heavily and rubbing his forehead.

She stopped cold, knowing that he was right on the verge of another mood swing. “What happened?”

“She starts doing all of this twirling stuff with her hair. Then she suggests ‘interpersonal relations between males and females’ as a topic. And get this, she told me that there are other girls beside you,” he recounted.

She felt her blood boil at that comment. What is her problem? First she calls him a freak now she’s coming onto him? “And are there?”

“Are there what?” he asked.

“Other girls besides me?” she wondered, feeling anxious.

He squirmed, not exactly feeling comfortable with the subject. “Karen, you’re my best friend. I really like it when you’re around. And I hope you feel the same way about me.” He blushed.

She rubbed his shoulder supportively. Even if he won’t say it, he really does like me. Remember what M…Gram said. Don’t push him too much. I’ll wait for you to figure it out, Dave. “You know I do. Let’s get some lunch with the others.”

He nodded and followed her head, feeling glad for at least a momentary respite.



Chapter 3 [White Knight Newsroom—after school]

Mrs. Colavitto worked on some paperwork at her desk in the corner of the newsroom. She wanted to make sure that the next issue got out on time. Caroline’s keeping everyone on top of things. Good thing the kids are working hard. She saw Dave and Karen come in rather hesitantly. Looking them over, she saw that something was wrong. Now what? “What’s going on?”

“We had a change in plans on our Biology assignment,” Dave told her. “We were going to partner up but Miss Harris switched us.”

Their advisor commented, “Working with other people may give you some perspective, Dave. Who did she put you with?”

He frowned. “Adrienne.”

“I see.” She winced, knowing that the girl loved playing head games with him. I wish I knew why she loved torturing him like that. She felt another burning sensation in her neck. As if I needed a reminder of why his moods swing like that. “Have you talked with Adrienne yet about the assignment?”

“I did…and well, she started flirting with me,” he noted. “Look, I’ll work with her and leave the past in the past. But I just don’t want her…well…treating this like a study date or something.” He looked at Karen.

“I wish I could help,” Karen declared. “Mike’s not really high on my want to be with list either. I wish Miss Harris didn’t feel like she needed to teach you a lesson about things.”

“What did she say?” Mrs. Colavitto wondered.

Karen shook her head. “Dave, please don’t blow a fuse over this. She said that you needed to learn that you can’t have everything in life the way you want it.”

Dave laughed incredulously. “She really said that? Who the heck is she to tell me that? She has NO IDEA!”

The older woman went white. Unlike the others, she remembered the Witch and everything related to Rowenshire. “Dave, cool it. Karen, I need to talk with him privately. Can you wait outside?”

“Yeah I guess,” Karen agreed. “Dave, it’s going to be okay. I’ll be outside.” She headed out and closed the door.

As soon as she had left, he asked, “What is it?”

“You know what it is. The ghost,” she told him. “The others don’t remember but I do.” Seeing the incredulous look on his face, she assured him, “I promised to keep it a secret if I could remember. Dave, it’s okay.”

He took a deep breath. “Miss Harris had no right to say that. Nor do I need this garbage…but to avoid trouble, I’ll work with Adrienne. If she starts with me, I’m going right to Mr. Wilson.”

She nodded. “There’s a mature attitude. My advice would be to pick public places. The library, Cappuccino Express or even your grandmother’s. Stay around witnesses. She might not want to be so brazen especially after what happened last year.” She rubbed her chin. “Have you ever considered that she might genuinely like you?”

“Huh?” he asked, feeling really confused.

“Adrienne’s not exactly the most secure girl in the world, Dave. I’ve seen her watching you here in the newsroom. Maybe the games are her way of flirting?” she told him.

“Great. Just when things were getting…well…settled,” he muttered, looking at his hand. While it wasn’t glowing, the scar still stood out. “Can I admit something?”

“Sure, you know that,” she agreed. “And I’ll keep it between us.”

“I…well…am starting to get my own feelings under control. With this respite from the ghost and Firepuss, I…umm…found out that I like someone if you get my drift,” he admitted.

“And would I know this person?” she inquired although she was sure she knew exactly who he was talking about.

He nodded and motioned toward the door.

YES!!!! “Does she know?”

“I told her I like being around her and that I’m glad she’s my best friend. I…well…can’t get the l-word out,” he continued. “I know this sounds silly but…”

“But what?” she wondered.

“There’s the Witch’s father. He’s still out there and I couldn’t take it if he hurt her again.”

She looked him in the eye. “Dave, let her decide if she’s willing to do that. I think she would be. I’m glad though that you’re coming to grips with your feelings. Just tell her.”

“I promise to when I’m ready,” he agreed.

“Don’t wait too long,” she advised. As he left, she sighed. I wish they would just tell each other and be done with it.


Chapter 4 [Town Library—6:00 that evening]

Dave stood by the front door waiting for Adrienne to show up. Despite every instinct screaming at him to avoid her, he knew that they needed to work together for the sake of this assignment. Just suck it up, Dave. He saw her walk up the concrete steps. “Hi, Adrienne.”

“Hi, Dave,” she greeted enthusiastically.

Remember what Mrs. C said. “Let’s find a table.” They headed for the main reading room and sat down. “Okay, I’m thinking how do we divide this up? Would you like to start the presentation or wrap it up?”

“I’d like to start if that’s all right,” she replied.

He smiled. “Sounds great. Okay. I checked some things out of the school library.” He put a couple of books on the table. “This might give us a start.”

She shrugged. “That’s looks all right. I was wondering if there was anything…well…shorter to read.”

“Maybe a couple of magazine articles? That’s all well and good, Adrienne, but Miss Harris is going to want something with some meat in it,” he speculated. “If you want to see what’s in the indices, that would be great. I think though we can keep it simpler, get the facts and present them in a straight forward fashion.”

“Yeah sure,” she agreed, letting out a yawn. “Sorry, Dave, long night.”

“That’s okay. I completely understand,” he replied. “You want to read a couple of things and I can read a few more things? Then we can meet on Wednesday after school and see where we stand?”

“Sure,” she concurred; the eagerness ebbing from her voice. Maybe if I play him right, he’ll do most of it.

I’m getting a bad feeling about this. “All right. Maybe take this book and see how you do with it. I’m wondering if there’s anything else we can do tonight to get some groundwork?”

She shook her head and looked at her watch. “Mom’s expecting me home shortly. Thanks for the stuff.” She stuck the book in her knapsack and took off.

You’d best hold up your end, Adrienne. With that, he got up and headed to his grandmother’s.


****

[Janet’s House]

“Gram?” he asked, coming in the door. He saw Karen sitting there. “Hey. What’s going on?”

“We were both waiting to see how you made out with Adrienne,” Janet replied.

“How did it go?” Karen asked.

“All right. She was whining about reading too much stuff but otherwise, she minded her manners,” he assured them. “Have you met with Mike yet?”

“For about five minutes at the Express. He wants to talk again tomorrow,” Karen noted. “Sorry things didn’t work out as we planned.”

“That’s life,” Janet told them both as she joined them at the table. “You and the others will get through this, Kids. Just keep your chins up. Okay?”

“Yes, Gram,” they chorused.

“Good,” Janet declared. “If anything happens, just let me or your father know, Karen. I’m sure we can take care of it.”

“I’m sure. I would just like things to be simple. Take care, Dave, all right?” Karen told them.

He smiled and stood to face her. “You too. Hang in there.”

How can I not when he looks at me like that? She grinned. “I will.” With that, she left.

He looked at his grandmother, knowing the expectant look on her face. “What?”

“Nothing, Dave,” she told him, turning away. She smiled though. It’s happening!




Chapter 5 [Wednesday]

[Town library—after school]

Dave had caught up on his other assignments and the Knight, leaving the biology speech as the only thing on his agenda. While waiting for Adrienne, he engrossed himself in an anatomy text, hoping to get some insight into the topic. “The heart pumps the blood through the body by way of arteries and veins,” he recited. Looking at the illustrations, he marveled at the human body’s intricacies. He kept plowing along.

At some point, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Ms. Parsons standing there. “Oh, hi. Sorry, I didn’t mean to hold up traffic, Ms. Parsons.”

“You want to come inside, David? Sorry but Mr. Graves and I were concerned,” she noted.

“I’m waiting for Adrienne Mitchell to show up for our assignment. She was supposed to meet me here after school to work on our class project,” he explained.

“Unless school lets out at 5:15, I’d say she stood you up,” she declared, showing him her watch. She sighed. “I’m sorry to have to tell you that.”

He looked aghast at her. “But this is a grade for both of us! Great!” He put the book back in his knapsack. “I can’t believe this! Gram must be worried!”

“She knows you’re here,” she informed him. “I hope you don’t mind but we called her. She wasn’t surprised. Seriously, you want to come in for a minute and warm up?”

“I think I need a coffee,” he told her. “Thanks, Ms. Parsons, I appreciate the concern. I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon.”

“That’s fine,” she agreed, as he left. Of all the mean tricks to pull! Honestly, to not even leave word with either his grandmother or us….


****



[Cappuccino Express—Ten minutes later]

Dave paid for a mocha and took it to a table dejectedly. I’m going to fail this assignment. I just know I am.

Says who? He heard a familiar voice ask.

He looked up to find his grandfather’s spirit sitting across from him. They can’t see me. Just listen. Work on it yourself if you must. You can do it. Meantime, there’s someone who needs to talk to you. Have faith, Dave. With that, he disappeared.

Who would want to talk with me? He glanced over at the counter to find Karen staring sadly at some slips. Now what? He walked over. “Hey. What is it?”

“Dave? I thought you would be with Adrienne,” she presumed.

“Guess who stood me up,” he informed her. “And Mike?”

“Same here,” she noted. “So I agreed to help out this afternoon. I get off in ten minutes if you wouldn’t mind waiting?”

“Sure. Escort you home too?” he asked hopefully.

She smiled. “I’d like that. Just let me wrap things up.”

He found a table and resumed reading for the project. About five minutes in, he heard an “ahem.” He looked up to see Adrienne standing there. “Look who the cat dragged in.”

She put her hands on her hips. “Don’t be that way with me!”

He looked at her sarcastically. “Excuse me? Look, I waited for you at the library for two hours. If anyone here’s going to be ticked off, that’s me.” He took a deep breath. “However, that’s not going to get us anywhere. Take a seat. Did you do that reading?”

She shook her head.

“Adrienne, come on. We need to get this project finished,” he told her, trying to remain calm.

“I know that! We’ve got other things going on too!” she snapped.

“We do but this is a quarter of our grade for the marking period,” he retorted, feeling the numbness again. “Look. See this? I read two books, did our other homework and worked my shift yesterday.”

“Well good for you! Some of us aren’t so lucky,” she fired back tersely.

“A man, or in this case—a woman, makes his own luck,” he quipped, looking around them to make sure they weren’t causing too bad of a scene. “Believe me; I understand about stress and meeting these deadlines. You can do it.” Seeing her look at the table, he directed, “Look at me.”

She raised her head. “It’s so much.”

He nodded. “I know. Just keep pushing ahead, all right? Baby steps. We each need to take a part in this.” Seeing that Karen was ready, he told Adrienne, “I’ll see you tomorrow at the library about 6. That’s when my shift’s over. All right?”

“Sure,” she agreed tersely.

“All right,” he replied. “Remember, this isn’t a competition. We’re in this together. All of us. Have a good night.” As he approached the counter, he saw Mrs. Campbell standing with Karen and both of them smiling at him. “What?”

“Very nicely done,” the older woman complimented. “You diffused the situation and even gave her a pep talk in the process.”

“I wish I could sit with her but Gram needs some things done. Besides, well…I promised someone I’d see her home,” he noted, feeling conspicuous for some reason.

“I see,” the owner presumed humorously, eyeing them both. “You wouldn’t want to keep her or your grandmother waiting, would you?”

“No, Ma ‘am,” he concurred. “Karen, shall we?”

“We shall.” She giggled. “To the bikes?”

“Where else?” He led her out the door. A minute later, they rode off into the twilight, heading toward the green.

As they did, Adrienne scowled. You did it to me again, Karen. But I’ll get the last laugh. One day, I’ll make Dave see that I’m better than you. She looked at her shaking hands and remembered the fits she had put up with all afternoon. I’m being punished for that crack last year. I know it. She got up and stormed out of the café.




Chapter 6

[Next night—6 PM; Town Library]

Dave wrote his ending time on the time card and put it away. With all of his friends needing help, he hadn’t finished shelving books. However, as Ms. Parsons had concurred, public service was more important. The books could wait for such things. What a shift! He walked out into the main reading area.

Adrienne waited for him there. “Hi, Dave.”

“Hey, Adrienne,” he asked, looking at her. “You all right?”

“Just a little tired. It’s nothing,” she indicated, dismissing her peakedness.

He eyed her carefully but chose to say nothing. Is she sick? “Okay, take a seat.” When they had done so, he asked, “How’s your reading going?”

“I did a little as you suggested. It’s so complicated,” she noted anxiously.

“Who would have thought there’s so much stuff inside of us?” he asked, giving her a helpful smile. “Let’s get cracking….”


****

[Two hours later]

During the next two hours, the two teenagers compared notes. He was pleasantly surprised that she had done a little more than he had suggested. Still, as much as she tried to suppress them, he could tell she was shaking and wasn’t all that well.

Finally at 8, he shut the book. “I think we’ve done all right for tonight. This is great.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” she replied.

“I mean it,” he insisted. “Why don’t you go home and get some sleep? Maybe draft your part of the presentation over the weekend? We’ll talk on Monday.”

She stood up slowly and nodded. “Okay. I’ll see you then.” She walked out of the library and into the night. I wish he’d see me home. I bet if I were Karen, he would walk me in the door.

He looked at her as she disappeared from view. There’s something going on with her. I just wish I knew what it was.



Chapter 7

[Wednesday morning—Biology class]

After a long weekend of doing assignments and handing them all in, Dave and the others were ready for their presentations. Garth and April; Karen and Mike; Steve and Frank presented well on their subjects.

Then it was Dave’s turn. He gave Adrienne the thumbs up for confidence. During their meeting on Monday night, he discovered her anxiousness about presenting in front of groups. After admitting his own fear, she felt better.

Miss Harris sternly called, “David Dubois and Adrienne Mitchell?”

“We’re set,” Adrienne told her, trying to keep her composure. “Hi, Everyone, we’re doing the circulatory system. I’m going to do the general overview and Dave’s going to do some specifics. Here goes….” With that, she started reading her prepared talk, as he flipped the overhead transparencies.

Halfway through, they switched places. As she flipped overheads, he described the various systems in the body, giving a cursory overview to them.

Even though they went over the ten minutes allotted by seven minutes, the teacher allowed them to continue. This is really good.

“Any questions?” Dave asked finally. Seeing hands shoot up, he looked at his partner. “You want the first one?”

Adrienne smiled. “Sure.” She picked one and took the question.


****


[Cafeteria]

As the Cadre sat down and started into their lunches, they felt relieved that the presentations were behind them.

“I never want to go through that again,” Frank stated.

“You will,” Steve disagreed. “I hate speaking like that too but my parents say it’s a part of everything.”

“You did fine,” Garth assured Frank. Turning to Dave and Karen, he added, “You too.”

Karen shrugged. “Working with Mike is like chewing nails but we managed okay. Watching Dave coach Adrienne through the whole thing was an experience. You deserve combat pay for that one, Chief.”

He shook his head. “She just needed a confidence boost. I wish that she’d stop looking at me though.”

Garth looked over his shoulder and could tell that Dave’s assessment was right on the mark. “She likes you.”

“Hopefully, she just wants to be friends,” Dave responded, feeling very uncomfortable about the tall brunette staring at him. “Great job, everyone. See you all later.” With that, he got up and walked away.

Karen shot Adrienne a glare. Sorry, Sweetie, but he’s taken. Find someone else. She took a purposeful sip of her drink.

It seemed that another entrant had dropped into the Dave sweepstakes.



Conclusion [A week later]

[White Knight Newsroom]

Dave pulled another assignment from his slot and looked it over. “Time management for students, huh?” He smirked. “Figures.”

“Like it?” Caroline asked, coming up behind him. “We figured you’d be able to gush all over that topic.”

“You did, did you?” he teased. “Well, I need to think of some people to interview. Maybe we can turn this into a student opinions column for the Knight’s “Quick Shots”? What do you think?”

She nodded. “I like it. You do like thinking on your feet, don’t you?” Seeing Mrs. Colavitto standing there, she declared, “Mrs. C wants to talk with you. Great job on the presentation and for dealing with Adrienne.”

“Thanks,” he told her before she left. When he and the journalism advisor were alone, he asked, “What can I do for you?”

“I just wanted to tell you that I’m proud of how you handled things over the past two weeks particularly the Biology assignment. Miss Harris said you and Adrienne did a fantastic job. I asked that she not put you in that position again though,” she informed him.

“Life’s full of tests. We just deal with each one as it comes,” he retorted.

“You should use that quote for the next assignment,” she advised with a grin. “Seriously though, what about Adrienne?”

“What about her?” he inquired. “I helped her through an assignment. I want to be her friend. That’s it.”

“Have you told her that?” she queried.

“Not in so many words but she’s seen Karen and me together,” he insisted. He shook his head. “I wish she could take a hint.”

“You’re not the best at giving them, Dave,” she observed. “You might want to add this to the agenda as well.”

He winced. “Terrific. First she rips into me. And now, she’s making my life difficult the other way.” He recalled his classmate’s sickly appearance from the week before. “I did want to ask if she’s okay. She looked ill last week.”

“She hasn’t said anything to me or anyone else,” she told him. “Then again, I have noticed the same thing. Really white complexion and the shakes?”

He nodded. “You’ve got it. I hope she’s okay.” He looked out the window toward the green. And I hope she doesn’t have any ideas. Great. Just when I get the Witch out of my life, something else enters the picture. Adrienne, why don’t you understand that I want to be friends?


****


[Adrienne’s house]

Adrienne sat in her small bedroom. She knew her parents wouldn’t be home for hours yet. However, she wanted to get home before anyone noticed her latest batch of fits. “Why won’t they stop? WHY?” She had no idea nor did the doctors as to what was causing the sudden spasms. She was eating properly and getting rest.

Finally fifteen minutes into the fit, it stopped. “Whew!” She stood up and took a deep breath. “I wish it would stop,” she muttered. She headed over to her corner desk where some pictures were sitting. Among them, Dave’s looked at her. “I’ll make you see that I’m better than Karen. Just you wait!”

She sat and sulked, brooding over the setback and thinking of how to win his heart for her own.



****



[Janet’s house]

Karen knocked hesitantly on the front door. “Gram?”

Janet opened it and smiled. “Karen? Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. We survived our presentations,” she reported. “As you predicted.”

“I told you that you’d do a great job,” the elder woman assured her guest. “Come in. What’s troubling you?”

Karen sat down and looked at Janet. “It’s that obvious, isn’t it?”

“What’s going on?” Janet wondered, sitting down opposite to her. “You can tell me.”

The teenager shook her head and laughed derisively. “You aren’t going to believe this. We can’t.”

“Try me.” The anxious grandmother probed the girl’s features for any clue.

Karen revealed, “It’s Adrienne Mitchell. She apparently has a thing for Dave too.”

“I see.” Janet frowned, trying to consider the complexity of the situation. While Dave was dealing with his own internal situation, he had ignored the external square developing around him. Three girls who are interested in him. From her conversations in the Emporium, she knew that April had feelings for him as well. Dave, you certainly know how to make things difficult, don’t you? “And how do you think he feels?”

“He says that he wants to be friends with her and that’s it,” Karen said.

“All right then. I’d leave it at that. Karen, things will work out as they should. Take comfort in that,” Janet advised. Seeing Dave coming down the street, she added, “We can talk more about this later. He’s coming.”

Dave walked in the house and saw Karen sitting there. “Hi. I was going to come by the Express later.”

“Good thing I caught you. Tonight’s my night off,” Karen told him. “How are you doing?”

“A lot better. Get this—the next assignment’s on time management,” he replied, giving her a smile.

“That’s funny,” she agreed. “You’re going to interview April and me, right?”

“That was the plan along with a couple of the athletes and maybe a few others,” he declared. “Seriously, are you okay?”

She shrugged. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You looked a little annoyed when I left. I hope I didn’t do anything,” he informed her.

“You’re fine,” she assured him. She was going to ask about his feelings for Adrienne but decided against it. Best let it rest for now. For now, he’s with me. She grinned at him. “Thanks for being you.”

He looked at his grandmother and saw the other shrug. “No problem, I guess. Karen, you don’t have to worry about speaking your mind with me.”

“Really?” she inquired.

“Really,” he told her. “Adrienne’s got her issues. Mrs. C just spoke to me about her. So she’s got a crush on me. After last year’s encounters, I’m not interested in being any more than a friend to her. That’s it. Meantime, I’m glad you’re here.”

Karen took a deep breath, feeling very relieved. “Me too. I’m glad you’re around me too.”

Maybe the next batch of assignments would come soon. However, for now, they had all found a measure of peace. And in that, they could take comfort.


THE END (for now)