Last period, Lolly was in the hall on her way to class, when Trevor suddenly appeared. He gave her a quick unexpected kiss right on the lips. That brief touch anchored Lolly. The smile he gave her was better and deeper than even That smile. This smile was the smile he had for her, just her. He said, “I will call you tonight.”

“Okay, good.”

Gently, he touched her cheek and then was off sprinting down the hall to the boys gym. Lolly felt like she was floating. Had it only been yesterday that she thought everything was over? Twenty four hours could sure make a difference. Though she risked being late for class, she watched him run down the hall and through the gym doors. And then, she burst into a sprint of her own. Really, she didn’t want to be tardy. But if she was, it would be worth it.

On the bus ride home she was alone. Munch had a planning meeting with the Drama department. Mademoiselle Petite and Mr. Drake, the drama teacher, always worked together on plays. Munch of course was helping design and sew costumes. The Musical this year was Hello Dolly. Munch had his heart set on creating the dress for the character, Dolly Levi.

Without Munch beside her chattering away, Lolly was able to enjoy the little bubbles of happiness that kept rising up inside of her. It was a new sensation. She smiled to herself. This now was good. Outside the window the sky was gray, a wind was gusting up and it looked like rain, but for Lolly the sun was shining. It shone bright inside of her until the bus pulled into the trailer park. A red and white Mustang was in front of her trailer. What was Amber doing at the trailer?

Mrs. Anderson opened the bus doors and Lolly got off. Something had happened, Amber wouldn't just show up.. The wind spit a stray drop of rain into her face. She made a dash for the front door. Max and Kevin were close on her heels, but it wasn’t because of the weather. They knew who the Mustang belonged to. When the boys reached the Mustang they both stopped. Max exclaimed, “The only thing that would make this car more beautiful was if a naked lady was draped on the hood!”

Kevin stifled a snicker. Boys!

Lolly went inside. Grandma Toady was in the recliner with Mitzi and Puccini in her lap. On the couch sat Amber. Her shoulder’s were slumped. Absently, she stroked Fluff, who was curled up beside her.

Mitzi announced, “Amber has runned away from home and her mama is gonna steal her car.”

What?

The boys walked inside. Amber rubbed the tears off her cheeks and put on a fake smile. Like two little rooster’s Max and Kevin strutted into the room. Well, Max definitely strutted, what Kevin did was an awkward shuffle. A real BIG smile spread across Max’s face. In an exceptionally bright voice he said, “Hey Amber.”

Amber replied, “Hey.”

Grandma Toady said, “Boys, there are cookies in the kitchen.” The boys didn't move. A little louder she said, "Cookies, kitchen. Amber might like some." These words sunk into Max's head and he ran out of the room, followed by Kevin, his trusty side kick. To Mitzi, Grandma Tody said, “Its time for us to go to the grocery store.” Usually, Grandma Toady went to the store while Max and Lolly were at school. How long had Amber been at the trailer? To Amber and Lolly she said, “You two go for a ride or something. I have a suspicion that if you stay here a certain young man is going to be a pain.”

At that moment Max entered the room. His face literally lit up like the proverbial Christmas Tree. On a napkin he had two cookies. He asked Amber, “Would you like these?”

She said, “You are such a sweetie.”

Max flushed dark red but his eyes got even brighter. Oh my gosh, he had a crush on Amber. A big one. Shyly, Kevin stood behind Max with his milk and cookies. Grandma Toady told Max, “Mitzi, the bear and I are going to the store, do you need anything?”

No response. Max was completely mesmerized by Amber.

Mitzi asked, “If I’m good, can I have M&M’s?”

“Yes, but Puccini can’t.”

“He knows. Poor baby.” Mitzi gave Puccini a kiss on his scarred nose.

Lolly told Amber, “I’ll go put my books up, then we can go."

Max asked, “Where are we going?”

Grandma Toady said, “You are going to Kevin’s while I’m gone. Okay?”

Disappointment registered on Max’s face. He mumbled, “Yes Ma’am,” but he didn’t move. In fact he was still in the living room when Lolly came back through. His eyes were riveted on Amber and he was telling her some goofy story that had happened in gym. Amber looked genuinely amused. Lolly couldn’t help but wonder if the amusement was due to Max’s story, or the way he was acting. Kevin cut her a glance. He had noticed too.

Being the chivalrous boy that he was, Max walked Amber to her car. Amber turned to Lolly and gave her a wink, and then she gave Max a peck on the cheek. Max turned like seven shades of red, but he was beaming. He just stood there in delighted shock. Wow, Lolly wished Amber hadn'y done that. The look on Max's face revealed that his crush had just tumbled into puppy love and that could be rough. The girls got into the car and Amber started the engine. She gunned it for effect, and boy was it effective. If Max got any more excited he was going to explode into a million little pieces, like Puccini's stuffing had when Aunt Jessie put him in the dryer. Mitzi still didn't know about that. Lolly glanced out the review mirror as they pulled away. Still waving Max stood there with the most ridiculous grin.

As soon as they turned the corner, Amber said, “That was priceless. Your cousin is just too cute. Poor little guy. Gosh, I remember what it was like to be totally smitten and twelve years old.” Her face grew sober and she said, “Things were a lot easier back then.”

Were things easier? Most of what Lolly remembered about being twelve sucked. Between getting her period and having a body that was in a massive and continuous state of change that messed with her mind, twelve had been a dandy year. Poor Max. She had never seen him look at any girl, the way he had just been looking at Amber.

From the glove compartment, Amber grabbed an eight track taped and shoved it into her eight track player. The haunting music of Pink Floyd filled the car. The song was about a lunatic in motion and it was giving Lolly the creeps. What she wanted was for Amber to talk, but she wasn't talking. The only thing to do was wait. The song finished and Amber ejected the tape. She asked, "Wasn't that awesome? Pink Floyd is Bill's favorite band. He drove all the way to Tucson Arizona last April to hear them play. He said it was amazing and he's gonna take me to their next concert, no matter where it is."

Not sure what to say, Lolly said, "Cool."

"I know right." Amber grew silent again. She headed onto the high way, gunned her car and then drove onto the feeder. They stopped in the parking lot of an abandoned donut shop. Amber said, "Last night was TERRIBLE. I think Daddy is okay with me quitting school, but he would never say that out loud. Not even to me. He did tell Mom, ‘Maybe a semester off would give her time to get things sorted. ' Well my mom acted like he didn’t say a word. She looked straight at me and told me in that cold hard voice she uses, ‘You are staying in school, no ifs ands or buts.’ And then she threatened to take my car away. It was a gift! I got it for graduation. A parent just doesn’t take back a gift. If I still had the little Pinto I got when I turned sixteen I could manage the payments, myself.” She patted the red leather seat and said, “But this baby, I can’t afford.”

Stunned to silence, Lolly just listened. Would Trevor get a car on his sixteenth birthday? A car he planned to take Lolly to Corpus Christi in? What was it like to have money like that? She didn’t expect to have a car until she could pay for it herself.

Amber continued, “I talked to Bill last night. We might get a place together, but we got to save up. So whether I like it or not, I've got to keep going to stupid college and keep living with my stupid parents. If there were no Bill, I would go live with my Nanny Carol. She would take me in a heart beat. But she lives in Baton Rougue, Louisiana, so basically I'm stuck. Your Grandma told me, not to look at it that way. She said, I need to go slow and not make a decision in anger. I am pretty damn angry right now, but I don't think time or anything else under heaven is going to change my mind about college. I HATE IT."

Lolly asked, “Is there anything I can do?”

Amber’s expression suddenly changed. “Oh, my God, I can’t believe I didn’t think of this before. Mom told me I had to get a tutor. If I go back to school would you be my tutor? I swear, my mom will pay good money and maybe with your help, I just might pass. What’d you think?”

Honestly, Lolly could only think MONEY! Her own money. She had never had her own money before. What would she do with it? Buy books—Duh! Amber was waiting. She said, “But, I'm just a high school sophomore."

"All the crap they are shoveling is basic. You helped me pass my Lit class, I'm sure you can help me with the rest."

"I totally suck at anything math."

Amber grinned at her. "Doesn't matter. I won't be taking any math next sememester."

"What if your mom doesn't approve?"

"Just give me an old report card and she will agree, especially if I act all excited about school. Thank God, classes don't start until the end of January. I can work all I want to between now and then. Every dollar I make will take me one dollar closer to getting out on my own."

Lolly wasn't sure that living with a boyfriend counted as being out on her own, but she kept that thought to herself. "I'll ask Grandma Toady when we get back, if she says yes, I'm down for it."

Amber asked, "Do you think your Grandma would mind if we had my tutor sessions at your house?"

"It can be pretty noisy at my house. Can you study while listening to a tap dancing four year old?"

"Sure. I can study anywhere just as long as I'm not at my house with my mom breathing down my neck like a dragon lady. Beside, I really like your house. It feels so homey and your grandma reminds me of my Nanny Carol. Do you think your grandma will agree?”

Grandma Toady would. Helping people was her thing. Lolly said, "I think so."

“Good deal. One life problem solved." Abruptly, Amber changed the subject, “So how did things go today with my knuckled headed brother? By the look of you, I think things are better.”

Lolly couldn't help but smile. “Yeah, they are. He apologized.”

“What, my always right brother actually apologized? You got some kinda voodoo girl! And, I like it!"

This compliment pleased Lolly. No one had ever told her she had voodoo.