< Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Nick headed towards the Art Room, his mind jumping from his art project to his portfolio. If the project turned out as well as it seemed in his head, he would be definitely using it in his portfolio. Next to basketball, art was Nick's passion. He loved painting, drawing and doing pretty much anything that allowed him creative liberties. Growing up, he'd gotten into trouble about five or six times for painting on his walls until his parents finally gave in, bought him his own paint set and allowed him to decorate his room the way he wanted. It took him all of sixth grade, but he'd finished the main mural, adding to it little by little until it went from wall to wall, floor to ceiling. Grade seven was spent focusing on the opposite wall, while grade eight led him to one of the walls connecting the two already painted walls. He'd just recently started with the remaining wall and next year he would tackle the ceiling. Each wall represented his life at that time and although he'd only
 been working on it for four years, just by looking at it there was obvious growth in his artistic talent.

Nick's mind wandered to Lance and for a moment, he wondered how his friend was doing at the paper. Nick would have loved to accompany him to the office, if not to provide him with moral support, but he wasn't going to have much time coming up to finish this assignment, and it would most likely take a few days, if not longer, to dry. Then he would still have to do the finishing touches to it and put a protective coat of sealer on it, which should hopefully be finished for presentation in class a week from Friday. He would have to spend every possible moment he could on it, and spending two valuable hours at the school paper was not in his schedule.

He was a few feet from the art room when loud booming music could be heard. Nick bobbed his head as he entered, smiling at his friend. AJ sat perched on a bench, staring at a blank easel with a paintbrush captured between his teeth and his face a mask of concentration.

"Aje!" Nick greeted as he walked through the room to the supply cupboard. He grabbed what he would need immediately and set them up at his usual station. He retrieved his easel from the cupboard and pulled out a blank canvas. After class, Nick had changed into a pair of ratty old jeans that had countless paint stains on it, as well as his 'painting shoes' and old work shirt he'd managed to snag from his father. It was roomy and comfortable, and despite putting a smock over top, was fine if he managed to get a bit of paint on it.

As if noticing he wasn't alone any longer, AJ slowly turned his head to see Nick sitting on his stool, mixing his paints. "Nicky. Good to see you."

"You look intense. You know what you're going to do?" They'd talked about their assignments in class earlier that day, and the conversation had spilled over to lunch where both teens had admitted they had no idea what they were going to do.

AJ's lips curled in a big grin, causing Nick to grin back. He took a deep breath and shook his head. "No idea. I keep looking at this damn white ... THING.." AJ glared at his canvas menacingly, "hoping that it will inspire me. That it will tell me what to paint."

"And?"

AJ turned his glare to Nick, punctuating the look with a growl. "Does it look like I've been inspired?"

Nick giggled in response. He put his head down to look at the colours he'd mixed, frustrated as his hair flopped in front of his eyes. "Aargh.." he complained. "This damn hair!"

"Cut it!" AJ said. Seconds later, he tossed Nick a bandana. "You're always complaining about it, either cut it or bring your own damn bandanas." He rolled his eyes at how Nick smiled sweetly at him as he tied the cloth around his head. "I'm serious."

"I know you are," Nick agreed.

"I am."

"Okay."

Their eyes met and they both started to laugh as AJ gave Nick the finger. "What are you going to paint?"

Nick sighed as he stared at his own blank canvas. "No idea."

The music was blaring loud, the heavy bass vibrating through their bodies as their heads nodded to the beat. They hadn't spoken in what felt like forever as they'd both started working on their projects. The smell of paint permeated Nick's senses and he inhaled deeply, enjoying the slight sting of chemicals. He wasn't too picky on what tools he used to create, pastels were good for some things, while oil paints worked better for others. Sometimes he'd work with charcoal or lead, while a few times he'd even gone with water colours. But no matter what he was using, it wasn't art until he'd gotten his hands dirty.

The clock on the wall showed four thirty. He had been there one hour and had one left. Actually, it was more like forty minutes as Nick would have to securely place his canvas on the rack to dry and clean his brushes thoroughly so that they weren't ruined for tomorrow. The task of getting the paint off of his skin was always a challenge, and more times than not, he ended up going around with odd coloured hands and specks of paint on his face and arms. He'd long since gotten used to it and barely noticed they were there anymore.

A can of coke dangled in front of his eyes and Nick grinned as he accepted the beverage from his friend. "Oh god, I'm dying here. Thanks." Quite often, Nick would lose all track of time, and spend hours working on one piece. During that time, he would forget everything except the painting, not leaving to eat, drink or even go to the bathroom. It didn't matter how hungry or thirsty he was, nor how badly he had to pee, until he was broken from his daze, he would continue on.

"We need a break," AJ announced as he popped open his own can and drank half of it in one gulp.

"How's yours coming along?" Nick asked. He tried to get a glimpse of it, but AJ had turned it to face the window. He frowned at the frustrated expression on AJ's face. "I'm not feelin' it."

"Wanna talk?"

AJ shook his head. He did want to talk, he just couldn't talk to Nick. He hadn't been able to paint anything substantial for two weeks, since that day in the Soph Quad when Justin arrived with a new friend in tow. AJ had been experimenting with different shades of yellow and blue to make green, often getting frustrated that he couldn't make that exact colour that he wanted. The colour of green that haunted his dreams, filled his waking hours and taunted him with something he could see but not touch. He was in serious trouble!

Never once had Lance made any move to show that he regarded AJ as more than one of Nick's friends, and although they often had great conversations about their interests, AJ worried that it was just Lance's way of being polite. He didn't want to be seen as someone to tolerate when Nick and Justin were off in their own little dramatic worlds. Not that he would ever say anything to risk Lance not talking to him, AJ would do whatever it took to keep going on with it, but at the same time, he couldn't help but wish he knew whether or not Lance felt the same way he did.

In all, AJ found himself to be a very confused fifteen year old, who, although thought he knew everything, in fact knew almost nothing.

"Ahhh, nah. I'm okay. Just feeling a little out of sorts."

Nick narrowed his eyes and nodded. Clearly there was something bothering AJ, and if he didn't want to talk about it, that was his own prerogative. But Nick couldn't help but worry that there was more going on behind his eyes than he was letting on.

They finished their drinks and relaxed for a few minutes before going back to work. AJ got up to switch the CD and Nick was about to request something when the door to the art room opened, startling them both. Joey Fatone stood before them, looking just as startled as they were, until he headed through the large room towards the supply cupboard. He gave a slight nod to both of them, mumbling 'need more paint' as he passed. From the corner of his eye, Nick saw AJ nod once before turning his attention back down to his canvas. Nick's focus didn't falter.

There was a loud crash, followed by another which wasn't as loud. Nick's first instinct was to rush in and see if Joey was okay, but he could still hear the junior growling and cursing under his breath so Nick figured that he was okay. Perhaps ten minutes later, Joey reemerged with two cans of paint. He held them up as if to show both Nick and AJ what he was taking.

"That it?" AJ asked in a bored tone.

"For now."

"Is everything okay?" Nick asked, shocked to even be speaking to Joey. This was the closest he'd ever gotten to talking to anyone in Kevin's group and he couldn't believe he was so calm. At least outwardly calm, as his palms were sweating and his pulse was racing so fast he was afraid his heart might give out. Joey turned to face him head on, frowning in frustration.

"No, everything is NOT okay."

"What's wrong? You look... upset."

Joey sighed and set the cans on the floor with a loud 'thunk'. "The idiot they put in charge of the set painted it, but it's too thin. You can see streaks.. hell, you can still see the wood underneath. He says he put like, six fucking coats on but it looks horrible."

Looking at the paint that Joey had taken from the cupboard, Nick scrunched up his nose in distaste. It was a poor quality paint that wasn't best used for wood based materials. At least not treated wood, which he suspected the set for the play would be. "Did he use that?" Nick asked, pointing to the paint buckets.

Joey only nodded.

"On the wood?

Joey nodded again.

"Is it treated?"

"Uhh, yeah. Probably."

It was Nick who nodded this time. "There's your problem. The wood just absorbs it. It won't keep it bright and usually just sucks it right in so that you barely even know you've painted it. That's why it looks like crap." Nick slid off of his stool and headed towards the art cupboard. He rummaged around in the supplies for a few minutes. When he failed to find what he was looking for, he returned to his stool and picked his journal out of his bag. Ripping off a piece of paper, he wrote something down before handing the paper to Joey. "Use this brand. It's a little more expensive then what you were using before, but it's still cheaper than using all that paint for it to look like crap."

Joey looked at the sheet of paper that Nick was holding out to him. He grabbed it and read the few words that had been written. With a blink, he looked up at Nick again with a strange look on his face. Turning to AJ he shrugged, "is this kid for real?"

Without having to think twice, AJ nodded. He held his hand out to see what Nick had written, he gave a smile when was done. "Totally legit man. For the job you're doing, that's what you should be using."

Joey's eyes flickered back to Nick who blushed under his scrutinizing glare. It was an uncomfortable moment for him and to avoid having to watch Joey watch him, he went back to the easel before him. He added a few more touches in the top right corner, painfully aware that Joey had yet to leave, in fact, he was still watching him suspiciously. Nick was about to reach for more cloth to dab at the wet paint when he realized that Joey was now standing behind him, watching over his shoulder.

"Ummm.." He stuttered nervously. Nick's face was a bright shade of red and the fact that one of Kevin's best friends was right behind him, appraising his work was first and foremost on his mind. This was officially, the closest he'd ever gotten to Kevin Richardson in the past two months and he couldn't help but wonder if Joey would tell Kevin who he was. Silently, Nick laughed at himself, of course Joey wouldn't run to tell Kevin about the freshman kid that he was talking to in the art room. Nick's existence meant nothing to them and to Joey this was probably just another student in a school of many.

Nick, on the other hand, was itching to run out of the art room and over to the Report office to tell Lance about everything, not to mention Justin who although would tease him mercilessly, would be as excited for him as he was at that moment. Nick further blushed as Joey looked at the painting and then at him, a grin on his face.

"This is your work kid?"

With a nod, Nick smiled. "Yeah." In trying to find something to paint, Nick's mind had reverted back to science earlier that day when they had been studying astronomy. He had a vision of the solar system, pictures of earth from space sticking out in his mind. Where his last piece had been an underwater collage, similar to a scene from the little mermaid, but not cartoons, he wanted something vastly different. This was different, and Nick had started with a vague outline of earth and then started from there. It wasn't even close to being finished, but he had laid the groundwork for what was shaping up to be a powerful piece. "Why?"

Joey shook his head. "Nothing man, it's just ... fucking amazing. You're pretty good."

Nick's reaction was to roll his eyes and shake his head. "I'm okay..."

"Whatever you say kid. I'm saying, you've got some real talent there." And with that, Joey folded the piece of paper Nick had given him and slid it into the back pocket of his jeans. He turned his head in AJ's direction and gave a wave. "Later McLean."

"Ciao."

Once again, Nick and AJ were left alone. The absence of music was more prominent and Nick stood up on trembling legs to slide a disc in the player. All he could think about was the fact that Joey Fatone had not only just spoken to him, but had told him he was an amazing artist. Nick did a little shimmy as he headed back to his stool, there was a bit of a spring in his step. He passed the spot where Joey had been standing with the paint cans and gave a smile. There, sitting on the floor were the two cans that had been extracted from the cupboard. Nick picked them up and returned them to their rightful place. "I guess he's going to take my advice."

"He should. I don't know who he has in charge of the set design, but they were stupid to use that paint. Cheap ass shit," AJ shook his head in disgust as he went back to his own work.

Nick's concentration was shot after his interaction with Joey so he started to clean up his station and hung his piece in the back to dry. One look across the room at AJ's face told him that the sophomore was still having problems and as much as Nick wished he could help, he knew that AJ wouldn't talk unless he felt comfortable enough to.

"Doesn't it suck liking someone that doesn't like you back?" AJ asked out of the blue. Their eyes met and Nick offered a smile of consolation.

"Yeah. Totally."

"God, this is horrible."

Nick wasn't sure if AJ meant the painting that he was staring at with such disdain or the situation of liking someone without the person returning the feelings. He only nodded in agreement.

AJ's gaze met Nick's and he sighed. "There's someone and I haven't been able to think about anything but them, but I have no clue if they like me back."

Within seconds Nick knew that AJ wasn't talking about a girl. If he was, he wouldn't be playing the pronoun game. People who had nothing to hide said 'she' or 'her', not 'they' and 'them'. Although it had never been officially discussed, Nick had always questioned AJ's sexual preferences. Now, it appeared, his question had been answered, at least partially.

"Have you thought about asking them?" Nick offered helpfully. The look that AJ flashed him was enough to shut him up.

"Have you thought about telling Kevin?" AJ was telling him something right there and Nick certainly did not miss it. Whoever it was AJ was talking about, was a guy. Nick felt a surge of happiness that he wasn't alone, not that he'd been alone before, but it was different when your friends supported your lifestyle and when they could relate to it. Nick's lips curled into a giant grin and he nodded.

"Every single day."

AJ furrowed his brow, his face was a mask of shock. "Really?"

"Really. I'm always wondering what would happen if I said something to him. If I told him that I have this huge crush on him. Sometimes he likes me back and we ride off into the sunset together," Nick blushed at how queer and girlie that sounded. He was pleased when AJ didn't laugh at him.

"And other times?"

"Other times, he laughs." Nick frowned and scrunched up his nose. "Those times are what keeps me from saying anything."

AJ nodded, he definitely understood. "Yeah."

It was all Nick could do to keep from asking AJ who he was talking about. He wondered if it was anyone he knew, if it was Josh who even Nick had to admit was pretty cute... even sexy. Or if it was one of Josh's friends that had come by the table that night at the Shake Shack. Or if it was someone else at the school, someone that none of them would even suspect AJ having a crush on. Nick secretly hoped it wasn't Kevin Richardson because it would really suck if they both had a crush on the same boy. Especially if one of them actually GOT Kevin Richardson, and that one wasn't him.

He finished cleaning up and smiled at AJ who began to follow suit. "What time is your mom picking you up?"

"Five thirty."

AJ nodded and picked his painting up. He looked at it for a few minutes before turning to look at Nick. "If I show you this..."

Nick's pulse sped up. After all of the issues AJ had been having that afternoon, he never expected him to offer to show him what he'd been working on. He desperately wanted to see, but hadn't wanted to push him too much. Now he was being given the opportunity to see it. "Yeah?"

"I need you to do two things for me. One, give me your honest opinion. I want to know if it sucks or if it's good.. or if you think I'm nuts."

"Can I answer that now?" Nick asked, raising his hand. Both of them laughed nervously, it broke some of the nervous tension in the room. "Because I've already decided you're nuts."

"Screw you." AJ stuck out his tongue. "I'm serious, I want your honest opinion."

"What's the second?" If Nick was right, he could have swore he saw AJ's cheeks darken. He was blushing and trembling just a little bit.

"You can't tell anyone. At least not right yet."

Nick nodded, his face was completely serious. He understood the need to sometimes keep your work to yourself and not have anyone see it or talk about it. Sometimes he poured his heart and soul into a painting and as much as he wanted everyone to see it, he didn't want to share it with anyone. "Of course. But if you don't want to..."

"Oh, I don't mind you seeing it Nick. I know that out of anyone, you'll understand. You'll see what I'm trying to get at.. you'll see past the aesthetic part of it and look deeper. I just... It's intense."

The room was thick with emotion and Nick gave his friend a reassuring smile. He knew that time was running out and he was going to have to leave relatively soon to meet Lance on time at their lockers, but he didn't care. Right now he wanted to be here for AJ and help him sort through whatever was troubling him.

Nick's gasp echoed through the room the second AJ turned the painting around and Nick got a clear view of it. He knew exactly who AJ had been talking about earlier and why it was that he was so turned inside out.

"It's beautiful," Nick breathed. His eyes were opened wide and his jaw had gone slack. There were butterflies in his stomach and he was fully aware that AJ had entrusted him with something important. There was a voice in his mind that told Nick that he was the only one who had was privy to this information. His eyes darted from the painting to AJ's eyes which were clouded with uncertainty and raw confusion. "Beautiful, it's... perfect. I mean, the shade. You managed to capture it, which isn't easy because that's not a typical shade of green."

It was AJ's turn to gasp. He put the painting back onto the easel and twisted his hands together nervously. "Uhhhh... what... it isn't...."

Nick raised an eyebrow, daring AJ to contradict him. "It isn't?"

"Is it that obvious?" AJ looked tortured and Nick wanted nothing more than to hug him and tell him it was going to be okay. He couldn't lie though and only nodded his head.

"Sorta. I mean.." he looked at the painting and felt his skin break out in goose bumps. AJ had painted a pair of eyes, eyes that took up the whole canvas and were staring at you. It wasn't the fact that they were eyes that was effective, but more so the shade of green that the eyes were. It was a shade of green, mixture of yellow, that Nick had only ever seen once. He was looking into Lance's eyes, except magnified by a million. It was obvious that the painting was not at all finished, but it was completed enough for Nick to know that Lance had been the inspiration behind it. "That colour... it's... they're HIS eyes."

AJ's thumb had made its' way to his mouth where his teeth were biting on the nail nervously. "Is it...?"

"Phenomenal. Scary as hell because.. dude, his real eyes are pretty creepy. Cool, but creepy. And these are giant, cat eyes. But..."

"I can't turn it in!" AJ announced regretfully. He heard Nick snort and nodded his head. "What? I can't. You know that our work will be displayed for the rest of the school to see in the cabinets on each floor. Everyone is going to know... HE'S going to know!"

"And if he knows?" Nick questioned. There had been many times in the past few weeks since meeting Lance where Nick suspected that Lance wasn't entirely straight. It was a topic that he avoided discussing at all costs, which only further fueled Nick's suspicions. The only thing he didn't understand was that Lance knew he wasn't straight, but still didn't want to talk about it with him. All he could conclude was that he wasn't ready to talk about it yet and when he was, he would eventually let Nick know. "Will that be so bad?"

"What if he's not straight?" AJ grumbled sadly. He scowled at Nick's laughter which echoed in the room.

"I don't think you have anything to worry about."

"How can you say that? How do you know?"

"He is one of like.. four people in this school that isn't interested in banging Brit or Christina. And believe me, I know exactly how many guys they have lined up for them. We see them every damn day at our lockers."

"Four?"

"Well, you don't find them attractive, do you?" Nick paused as AJ grimaced. "I could care less, Justin doesn't want them..."


"Justin's straight?" AJ said weakly. Even he knew that argument was moot. Nick started laughing again.

"Still to be determined. And Lance has already said that he thinks they're 'okay'. So as far as I know... he's not exactly looking for someone with girl parts."

"Has he said anything to you?" AJ asked hopefully. Unfortunately Nick frowned and shook his head.

"No, he won't talk about it at all with me. Girls or boys. Which only makes me further convinced that he's not entirely straight. But don't tell him that we've talked about this. I don't want him to get upset with me for talking about him like that."

AJ snorted. "Yeah, that's the first thing I was going to do. Oh Lance, Nick and I were talking about whether you are straight or not in the art room today. What got us talking about that you ask? Oh, I think you're absolutely hot and can't stop thinking about you and what it would be like to kiss you."

Nick's eyes widened at AJ's admission. Both of them went an impressive shade of scarlet. Nick's surprise turned into excitement and he hugged his friend. "Awesome! That's exactly how I feel about Kevin and it's so nice to have someone who understands." The large clock on the wall caught Nick's attention and he saw that it was twenty five after five. "Oh damn. I have to go. Gotta meet Lance..." Nick giggled at how much darker AJ's blush got. "You should come!"

AJ shook his head. "Can't. Gotta do some stuff around here and then I have to get home." He grabbed Nick's arm and held it firmly. "Please don't tell him what I told you. If he finds out, I'd rather it be from me."

Nick nodded and gave AJ one last hug. "No problem. Later." He said good bye and sprinted out the door and towards his locker. Thankfully the hallway was empty and Lance hadn't gotten there too early. Nick opened his locker, thinking about his afternoon. He gave a soft squeal and jumped up and down, trying to expel some of the nervous energy he had building up. He couldn't wait to tell Lance about Joey coming into the art room and what he'd said about his painting. As much as he wanted to tell Lance that AJ liked him, he knew how devastated he would be if someone broke his confidence, so he simply vowed not to say anything.

He was bouncing on the balls of his feet when Lance came rushing down the hall. Lance's eyes were dancing with excitement and he had a giant grin on his face.

"Where have you been?" Nick asked. He was only five minutes late, but Nick had been dying to talk to him.

"Sorry. I got caught up." Rushing, Lance opened his locker, grabbed a few books from the shelf and threw them in his bag. He pulled out his knapsack and his sweater before slamming the door shut. "Oh my god, I have so much to tell you." Lance gushed as they rushed down the halls towards the front doors. They could see the Carters' SUV parked out front and ran the rest of the way.

"Me too!" Nick answered. He threw open the front passenger side door and slid in, waiting for Lance to climb into the back. "Hi mom!" Nick said, punctuating his greeting with a kiss to her cheek.

"Hi Mrs. Carter," Lance echoed with a grin. Both boys were practically twitching with excitement.

"Hi boys!" She looked at the two teens and gave a hearty laugh. "Have you had too much candy boys? You're both wired."

"Just excited," Nick answered with a giggle. "What's for dinner?"

"We're having pork chops."

Nick stuck out his tongue and scrunched up his nose. .

"You live on..." Mrs. Carter asked Lance as she pulled out of the parking zone and onto the street.

"Cannifton Crescent," Lance answered. "Sixteen-oh-five." Nick's mother nodded and headed in that direction. "We're having tacos tonight Nick, do you want to come to my house for dinner?"

Nick's eyes widened and he looked at his mom with a pleading pout. "Please mom, can I?"

He received a narrowed glare in response. "It's sort of late to be imposing on the Bass' for dinner Nickolas. We should really give them more notice, and he hasn't even asked."

Nick pouted as Lance shrugged. "She won't mind. I can ask her when I get home. If she says okay, can he? Please Mrs. Carter?"

With both of them pouting and pleading, Jane Carter simply laughed and nodded. "Fine. Fine. But only if she says it is okay. I don't want her to think that I'm pawning you off on her."

"Awesome mom, you're the best." Nick said, kissing his mother's cheek once more.

"Then we can talk about today..." Lance said as he tapped Nick on the shoulder.

"And your homework young man?" Jane asked Nick.

Nick rolled his eyes. "I'll do it at Lance's. He's taking sophomore math so he can help me with my homework."

Lance blushed as Jane Carter looked at him through the rear view mirror, eyes clearly showing she was impressed. "Wow, sophomore math? Aren't you only in grade nine?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Well then, of course you can do your homework there tonight. But I want you home by nine young man, and I will check that homework to make sure that you've done it. But first," Jane said as she pulled into the driveway of 1605 Cannifton Crescent. "You need to ask your mother if it's okay he stays for dinner."

"Thanks Mrs. Carter," Lance called as he jumped out of the SUV and scrambled into the house. Minutes later he came running back out with a giant grin on his face. "She said it's okay."

That was all Nick needed to hear as he was out of the car faster that Jane could blink. "Bye mom!" He yelled as they both ran into Lance's house. Seconds later, a woman appeared at the door. She yelled something up the stairs before heading out the door towards the Carter's vehicle.

"Hello, I'm Diane Bass." The two women shook hands.

"Jane Carter."

"Thank you for driving Lance home. I was going to come and get him but he said that Nick offered to drive him home."

"I hope that Nick staying for dinner isn't an imposition," Jane said warmly. She could see where Lance got his southern accent, not to mention his manners.

"Oh, heavens. Lance mentioned that he was going to ask if Nick could stay. I hadn't started dinner so it was fine. Not that I don't make too much anyways, so either way it would have been just fine. It's just so great to see that he's made such wonderful friends. He talks about Nick and Justin constantly."

Jane nodded with a smile. "Yes, Nick and Justin are like frick and frack. It was a refreshing change when Nick came home and was talking about someone else for once. I wondered if those two would actually branch out and invite others to join their tight circle of friends." The two women laughed. Their conversation was cut short by a girl standing at the door.

"MOM!! Lance kicked me out of the basement!!"

Diane Bass sighed and rolled her eyes. "These kids. I swear, if they don't kill each other, they're going to kill me with their fighting." Jane laughed in empathy.

"I've got three girls and two boys, so I understand."

"Well, it was nice meeting you. We should get together for coffee sometime," Diane suggested. "Seeing that the boys will probably be spending a lot of time together."

Jane agreed. "I'll give Lynn a call as well, that way you can meet her." When a look of confusion crossed Diane's face Jane clarified. "Lynn Timberlake. Justin's mother." Diane's confusion turned into a smile.

"Oh, for sure. Sounds good. I'll give Nick my number and you can call."

"Okay." Jane started the motor and gave a nod. "I should get going. God knows what I will find when I get home. If I take too long they get restless and all hell breaks loose."

Almost instantly they heard another cry coming from the house. "MOOOOOOOOOOOOM!"

I guess that’s my cue too."

The women bid each other good bye with promises to meet for coffee sometime soon. As Diane made her way back into the house, she thanked God once more for Lance having met such nice boys at school and relieving her guilt of having to uproot the family.

End Chapter 6


Chapter 7 >