

Hearts for Rent

By Crystal James

Copyright 2011 Crystal James

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Chapter 1

J.T. read the letter for the third time this morning:

Dear Mr. Jayson Sumtrane,

Congratulations! This letter is to inform you that you have met the requirements to be accepted to Julliard. Please report at 9:00 A.M. on Monday, January 8 to the Julliard auditorium.

Hope you have a great time at Julliard.

Sincerely,

Anastacia Harlow

Dean of Academic Affairs

ALH:btj

He drummed his fingers on the small pub table in his flat. Then, he pushed the play button on his answering machine.

"Good morning, good morning, J.T. I just heard from the director of _RENT._ They loved your audition and hired you on the spot to play Mark. Rehearsals start Monday, January 8 at 9:00 A.M. Call me ASAP. Buh-bye."

"And so, the dilemma begins," Jayson sighed.

His cell phone rang to the tune of "Seasons of Love" and he grabbed it immediately.

"Jayson's cell, Jayson speaking."

"Hey, J.T.! What's up?" a girl's voice asked.

"Trying to figure out what to do with my life."

"Isn't everybody? Did you get your letter from Julliard, yet?"

"Yeah, I got accepted," J.T. said with as little emotion as possible.

"Me, too. We can hang out together."

"Well, you see, there's a slight problem, Heidi. I didn't think I was going to get accepted, so I auditioned for _RENT_ and rehearsals start the same day I'm supposed to be at Julliard."

"You don't even know if you got the part."

"Beverly called me. I'm Mark."

A high pitched scream raced through the phone line. "Ohmigosh, he's my favorite character! You have to do it! You're perfect for the part."

"Yeah, but if I do, then I have to wait another semester and there are only so many openings at Julliard each year," J.T. said.

"Well, don't you think they might waive it, the fact that you got a lead role in a Broadway show that is like the greatest play ever?!" Heidi questioned.

"Ah, so my public awaits," J.T. joked.

"Why don't you talk to the Dean? She seemed like a nice lady."

."Oh, the bun so tight her eyes stretched out and the glasses down to the tip of her nose didn't tip you off?"

"C'mon. Jayson-"

"J.T.—only official people and parents call me Jayson-"

"Fine. J.T., you have just had two opportunities of a lifetime fall in your lap. I'm sure there is a compromise somewhere. Talk to the Dean."

"What about the director and producer?"

"They work with T.V. actors all the time. Obligations are no problem for them," Heidi informed her pessimistic friend.

"Oh, and you're the expert."

"J.T., just think about it. Your name up in lights, your Julliard buddies in the front row. Fame, baby, fame!"

"Please don't break into song," J.T. groaned.

"Oh, all right. But, really, the reason I called is because a bunch of us are going out to celebrate our acceptance letters and I was nominated to call you."

"Who is going to be there?"

"Oh. Ashleigh, Court, Brady, Freedom, Sam, Dashelle, Parker, and yours truly."

"And where would we be going to?"

"Really, J.T., you're a professional now. Don't end your questions with prepositions."

"I'm a music and theater major. Nowhere in my resume do I have an English major. Now, where are we going?"

"Some place where they sing and dance on Friday nights—The Apple Blossom."

"I wish they would like of a better name like Brown Betty's or—"

"Ew!"

"It's a dessert, Heidi. I'll be there. What time?"

"Nine-ish. So, get ready."

"Okay, I'm out. Ciao!"

"Buh-bye. Hope you figure out your dilemma."

"As always."

CHAPTER 2

J.T. walked into The Apple Blossom at 9:00. He could hardly hear himself over the bad karaoke singer. He cringed with pain and walked toward the table of friends.

"Hey, Mark—I mean J.T. Man, you really don't have to dress like the _RENT_ guy all the time," Court remarked.

"You of all people should be talking, Mr. Plaid-pants wearing, guitar toting, Mimi lover. You really should change your name to Roger," J.T. joked.

"Lose the scarf."

"Lose the pants."

"Ooh, this could get exciting," Ashleigh interrupted.

"Okay, if you're so into "being the part," why don't you try out your looks on that girl over there. I heard her name is Maureen," Court suggested.

"Nah, I don't have time. I've got some big decisions to make."

"Like what?" Parker asked.

"Like go to Julliard or appear in a Broadway play as the lead role."

"J.T., you're killing me! Tell them what play!" Heidi screamed.

"Okay, okay. I got the part as Mark, but rehearsals start same day and time as Julliard role call."

"Ouch. Tough break-" Court said.

"I've already had this discussion once today." He looked over at Heidi. "I'm here to have fun. Now, let's show these karaoke rookies what it takes."

"I'm with that. I mean we **are** Julliard students," Court said with a touch of joking arrogance.

"So, what's it gonna be?" Freedom asked. "I'll sing."

"Stick to dancing," Brady warned.

"Oh, c'mon. I can sing."

"By whose definition?" Court asked.

"Merriam-Webster. Ha, ha," Freedom snided. "I've been taking lessons."

"Yeah, but can you do this?" Heidi asked. She asked a soulful first line of _Amazing Grace._

"Oh, boy, here it comes. The anything you can do, I can do better contest," J.T. grumbled.

"No kiddin'." Parker agreed. "I think its time we show these girls what singing is all about."

"Well, go ahead, show us, oh wise one," Ashleigh commented.

"Give us a song," J.T. demanded.

The girls thought for a moment and decided the guys would sing _Glory_ from RENT.

"We don't want J.T. to get rusty," Freedom explained.

"Oh, gee, thanks, Freedom," J.T. acknowledged. "But, I think if we have to sing, the girls have to sing."

"You're on," Heidi said. She spit on her hand and extended it for a handshake.

"And she's the proper one," Parker mused.

"Shut up," Heidi snapped.

"All right, the girls have to sing . . . _Take me out Tonight,"_ J.T. said.

"Oh, boy, a RENT fest," Ashleigh mumbled.

"You girls started it," J.T. remarked.

"So, who's first?" Dashelle asked.

"Ladies, first, of course," Court answered while exaggerating a chivalrous bow.

"You're so kind," Heidi said.

"Freedom, you stay here and judge."

"I don't think so, I'm singing," Freedom remarked.

The guys did a group high five. They knew they would get more applause if Freedom sang. She could dance like no one else, but her singing lacked.

"Boys," the girls sighed in unison and rolled their eyes.

"Let's go, girls, we have a song to sing," Heidi ordered. She led the three other girls up on the stage and grabbed the microphone. "All right, Bohemians, we have a little wager going on at table 5. Those boys think they can sing better than us. We just received our acceptance letters from Julliard and they think they're better than us. So, we need your help. We are going to sing _Take me out Tonight_ from RENT. If you like it give us applause. If you don't , well, bully for you. Any questions?"

Court stood up. "Yeah, can I get your phone number?"

Heidi scratched her cheek with a choice finger. "Okay, girls. Let's blow them away."

The hard guitar drive blared in the speakers and Heidi opened. She had the husky, scratchy voice that was perfect for the song. As the verses and choruses went on, the microphone was passed down the line. When Freedom had a hold of the microphone, she sounded like she reached from her gut and gave the ultimate alto performance. The girls were knocked away as well as the guys. When the song was over, the room thundered with applause.

"Top that, boys," Freedom challenged.

"Oh, we will," J.T. said as he led the guys up on the stage. He grabbed the microphone from Freedom. "Honestly, how many of you are tired of hearing people sing songs from RENT over and over?"

Whistles and screams filled the club. "That's what we thought, so we changed our song, girls. We're going to sing _When a Man Loves a Woman_ by Percy Sledge."

"Oh, boy, here goes the croonin' and swoonin'," Heidi moaned.

"Thanks for your support, Heidi," J.T. said as he winked.

"Music, please," Court requested.

The karaoke jockey started the music and the boys filled the room with a soulful rendition of the song. J.T. got the most applause.

"For those of you that enjoy the stylings of J.T. Sumtrane, he will be playing Mark in RENT at the Madrid Theater coming soon," Parker said in his over exaggerated lounge jockey voice.

"Okay, so who's got the best vocals?" the K.J. asked taking over the microphone. "The girls or the guys? By the sound of your applause, screams, and the throwing of undergarments, how do you like the boys?"

Girls in the crowd stood up and screamed. A few girls did cattle call whistles.

"And the girls?"

The guys in the audience bellowed and applauded. A few of them called the names of the girls.

"I think it's safe to say it's a tie. But, with these guys, it's always a tie," the K.J. announced.

"Good call," Heidi said.

"Okay, the singing's over, so how 'bout a little dancin'?" Freedom asked.

"Do you ever stop competing?" Parker asked.

"You're just jealous that I've got the moves and you don't," Freedom said as she grinded her hips to the music playing.

"Gee, I think I know what they're doing tonight," Dashelle muttered.

"Oh, please. We never sailed on that boat," Parker said. "But, it would be nice to test the waters."

Freedom beckoned Parker to join her on the dance floor.

Court looked over at the two.

"Sheesh. Dancers. Definitely not my breed. I'll stick to singing and acting."

"You do know you're never going to get a job in a musical if you refuse to dance," J.T. said.

"I'll take my chances. So, have you decided what you're going to do about Julliard?"

"I think I'm going to talk to the Dean and see if she can make an exception. She'll probably hate me forever, but at least, I won't give up."

"Good call," Ashleigh remarked.

"But, right now, I'm gonna go have some fun on the dance floor. Anyone care to join me?"

"I will," Heidi said without hesitation.

"I shouldn't have asked," J.T. said, shaking his head and smiling.

"Well, c'mon, let's go swingin!" Heidi exclaimed.

The music had changed from bump and grind to a Brian Setzer song. Girls were flying through the air at the expense of their male partners. Heidi and J.T. made it on the dance floor and began swing dancing. Heidi was very small and agile, so J.T. could throw her, slide her, and do anything else he wanted to in order to look professional. In fact, the two were so good together that a circle formed around them on the dance floor. Even Freedom and Parker couldn't keep up with their friends.

Needless to say, the newly accepted Juliardites danced and sang the night away. They only had a week before role call and J.T. had some big decisions to make.

CHAPTER 3

"Hi, Beverly, it's J.T."

"Hey, there. I was hoping you'd call soon. I need to let the producers know your decision."

"Yeah, about that. I have a hypothetical situation I want you to listen to and then tell me what you would do."

"All right," Beverly said with puzzlement in her voice.

"Say, you received an acceptance letter from Julliard and you also received a call to tell you that you got the lead role in a major Broadway production—"

"I'd say, I'm a very talented person," Beverly answered.

"Let me finish. Both of these things—Julliard and rehearsal—start on the same day and the same time. Now, tell me what you would do," J.T. said.

"Well, first off, I'm pretty sure this isn't a hypothetical situation. I'd say you've got a big decision to make and you better do it soon."

"Do you think I should talk to the dean at Julliard?"

"Whatever it takes, hun. It's your life. Just don't run yourself ragged trying to do both. You'll get bags under your eyes and who knows what else."

"Thanks, Bev. I'll call you back as soon as I can. But, go ahead and let the producers know I want the part."

"All right. Let me know what happens with the dean,"

"I will. Bye."

"Buh-bye."

J.T. hung up the phone and started to dial the number to Julliard. He stopped midway through.

"What the heck am I doing?" he said aloud. "I don't even have a good excuse planned or a valuable argument. I can't call, yet. I have to think of something good to tell her. She's not going to go for, "Hi, I was accepted to Julliard, but I got another once in a lifetime offer, what can you do for me?" C'mon, J.T., think!"

Someone knocked on his door. "J.T., it's Court, I need in."

"Don't you have a key?"

"Um . . no. I gave it back when I moved out."

"Oh, yeah." J.T. walked over to the door and let his friend inside. "What's going on?"

"I need a favor. I didn't get the scholarship that I applied for. I don't have enough money to go to Julliard. Can I get a loan from you?"

"Court, be serious. Won't your parents cover the extra?"

"My parents? What parents? I have no parents. They kicked me out when I told them I wasn't going into the family practice. I have no money, J.T. I need your help."

"Court, I can't do it, man. Why can't you get a loan from the bank?"

"They saw my occupation was actor."

"Oh." J.T. knew that problem all too well.

"O.K., we'll think of something. You're going to Julliard no matter what. Me on the other hand . . ." J.T. stared at the phone in his hand.

"Haven't called the dean, yet, have you?" Court asked.

"I made an attempt and then realized I was going to sound like a blubbering idiot," J.T. answered.

"You're an actor, you can do impromptu. Just come up with some really good comebacks," Court suggested.

"Easy for you to say," J.T. quipped. "You don't have my problem."

"I wish I did," Court said.

"Okay, okay, I get it. I'm calling right now."

"Great. I'll be your coach in case you can't think of an answer. Just give me a pen and paper," Court said.

J.T. rolled his eyes and dialed the phone.

"Julliard. This is Burnetta, how can I help you?"

"I'd like to speak to Dean Harlow, please."

"May I ask whose calling?"

"Yes, you may—I mean Jayson Sumtrane. It's an urgent matter."

"All right, please hold."

J.T. heard Bach's _Minuet in G_ as the hold music. He sat down next to his piano and started echoing the music. Court sang the oldies song with the same tune. About five minutes passed by.

"Sheesh. It's like waiting for a person in customer service."

"Maybe she forgot. Call back," Court suggested.

"Nah, I'll get her eventually. Patience is key."

Someone knocked on the door. Court went over to answer it and Heidi walked in.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Waiting for the Dean," Court answered.

"Wouldn't it be easier to drive up there and see her in person?" Heidi questioned again.

"It took enough just to dial the phone. I don't think in person is a good idea."

"Dean Harlow," a shrill voice came over the phone. "Sorry about your wait, I had a long distance call on the other line."

"That's all right. I was playing along with the hold music on my keyboard."

"Well, that's a Julliard attitude. So, how can I help you?"

"My name is Jayson Sumtrane and I received my acceptance letter a few days ago."

"Did you want to vacate your acceptance?"

"No, ma'am, not at all. I just have a sort of dilemma. I also received the part of Mark in RENT on Broadway."

"Congratulations! That is a hard role to get. I can see you have Julliard quality."

"Thank you, I hope that I do."

"So, what seems to be your dilemma?" Dean Harlow asked.

"Rehearsals start on the same day and time I have to be at Julliard for role call."

"Oh, dear, that is a dilemma. Well, let's see what your options are . . ."

A long pause awaited J.T.

"There's not a lot you can do. You can show up a day later, but I don't know how that will fit into your rehearsal schedule for RENT. I don't think we've had this situation arise since I was here."

"Well, it's always good to try new things," J.T. quipped. "So, it's all right if I show up a day late. I'll see what my rehearsal schedule is going to be and make accommodations."

"That sounds like a great plan, Jayson. I will see you on January 9th at 8:00 a.m.

"I'll be there with bells on. Thank you so much for your help."

"We do what we can at Julliard. Do you need anything else?'

"No, ma'am, I think I have it covered."

"All right. Bye."

J.T. hung up the phone and a smile took over his face.

I'm in!" J.T. exclaimed.

Heidi screamed and Court gave J.T. a manly hug.

"Great! Now you can help me with my problem," Court reminded J.T.

"Oh, yeah, your problem . . ." J.T. repeated.

"What's your problem, Court?" Heidi asked.

"I can't afford to go to Julliard. I didn't get the scholarships I applied for," Court told Heidi.

"Sucks to be you," Heidi joked.

"Thanks for your support," Court sneered not realizing the orneriness in his friend's voice.

"You know I was just kidding. I'll help you out. Hey, what about your parents? Won't they help you out?"

"Nope."

"And why didn't Julliard give you a scholarship?"

"They said my parents made too much money and I could get by without a scholarship."

"Oh, that's easy to fix, Court. Just get your parents to write a letter telling financial aid that your parents will not financially support your education," J.T. explained.

"That would be a good idea, except my parents are never on the phone long enough with me that I can ask them to do that! Typical convo with Dad. Hi, Dad, its Court. Couldyouwritealetter—click."

"Ouch," Heidi said. "That's low."

"Wait a second. You don't live with your parents, they can't claim you, therefore their money shouldn't matter to your education," J.T. said.

"Yeah, what J.T. said," Heidi agreed.

J.T. shoved the phone into Court's hands. "Your turn, Court. You get to call the dean."

"Oh, I think she's had enough pleading calls for today. I'll call her tomorrow."

"O.K., your loss. So, Heidi, why are you here?" J.T. asked.

She pulled out a script from her bag. "I need some help rehearsing my lines for the next T.V. episode I'm doing. I get to be Joey's blind date on a reunion show of Friends _."_

"And how many episodes is that going to be?" Court asked.

"Just one. He realizes he's in love with Rachel."

"Man, that girl gets around," J.T. joked.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Heidi shoved the script into J.T.'s stomach. "So, are you going to help me or not?"

"Sheesh, talk about pushy actors," Court remarked.

"I believe the term is ac _tress_ ," Heidi remarked. "Okay, J.T., you be Joey and Court you can be Chandler. He's visiting from New York."

"This could be interesting considering I've never seen the show before, but here goes –"

Court and J.T. went over lines with Heidi for about an hour. Heidi finally memorized her lines after laughing hysterically at J.T.'s and Court's interpretation of the _Friends_ characters.

Court left with Heidi and told J.T. he'd call the Dean tomorrow so he could go to school.

After his friends left, J.T. realized he hadn't called Beverly back. He quickly dialed the phone and left a message on her voice mail. He was only a month away at becoming a Broadway star and the most recognized Julliard student in his class.

CHAPTER 4

Heidi, Court, Ashley, Dashelle, Parker, Brady, Freedom, and Sam sat in the large auditorium waiting for role call. They all wanted J.T. to be a part of this day, but he had other obligations. Heidi missed him the most. In a month's time, the two had gotten the nerve to finally date each other. She couldn't wait for role call to be done with so she could catch a cab to watch him rehearse.

Dean Harlow walked to the center stage. Her high heels thumped on the hardwood of the stage. The mound of papers she held in her hand echoed when she plopped them on the podium. She took the half circle glasses on a chain around her neck and slid them on to the end of her nose.

"Good morning, prospective students if Julliard. Before I take role call, I need to tell you the expectations we have for you here at Julliard. As you know, Julliard is a very prestigious school and we accept only the most qualified and hard working students. Your schedules will be filled with hard work, strenuous practices, and strict rules. At Julliard, you are expected to attend every class. After all, you are paying for it. Second, no one will get below a C in any course. If you receive a lower grade you will have a hearing and put on academic probation until the matter is cleared. Third, you are to be in this building by 10 P.M. sharp—no exceptions. Failure to make curfew will also result in a hearing and in some cases—expulsion. If you aren't able to meet these standards, please get up and walk out now. Are there any questions before I take role?" Dean Harlow peered over her glasses at the nervous crowd. No one raised their hand. The students were too taken aback to say anything.

"All right, without further ado, let's take role. When I call your name, please acknowledge that you are here. I would advise you to take out a pen and paper so you may write down your room assignment."

Students rustled to fulfill Dean Harlow's command. They did not want to do anything wrong at this point. After the noise subsided, she began role call. Those students who cheered on their friends were scoped out by the dean and received her now famous glare she had instilled earlier in their minds.

The crew couldn't wait to get this ominous task completed. They wanted to set up their rooms and leave as soon as possible so they could see J.T. in action.

***

"How many of you have seen RENT?" the producer asked his new stars. All of the cast raised their hands.

"Great. Now put those performances out of your memory. You are a fresh, young cast. It is up to you to make people laugh, cry, and applaud. Everyone here has a unique quality that will provide the flavor of RENT. It was quality that helped you make the cut. I want to see this musical performed like it never was before. I want each one of you to put your heart and soul into your performance. Make Jonathan Larson proud!"

After the producer finished, the cast broke out in applause. He smiled.

"Yes! That's what I like to hear. Now, before we get started, I'd like each one of you to introduce yourselves and tell us something interesting about you and the part you are going to play in this amazing production. Let's start with you on the left. Don't worry, I'll get your names down soon, but be prepared to be called by the name you play. So, go ahead, person on the left."

J.T. looked befuddled. He hadn't really prepared to tell anyone about his life. But, hey, he was actor; impromptu got him into this mess and impromptu was going to get him out of it. "Hi, I'm J.T. Sumtrane and I'll be playing Mark. My friends say I've been preparing for this role since birth, but I'll let the cast and audience be the judge of that. I'm also really excited to be here and I didn't know what I was going to do when I got a call that I got the part and an acceptance letter from Julliard. But, it all worked out and I'm performing in RENT and going to Julliard. But, don't worry, I won't get bogged down. I live for the fast life." He paused. "And that's all I have to say for now."

"Great. Next."

"Hi, my name is Amber Leigh. I'll be playing Maureen. The most exciting thing I've done in the past year is bungee jump." She turned to the next person in line

"Hola, my name is Pablo Gonzales and I'm playing Angel if you haven't figured out, yet." He let his high feminine voice carry to everyone before he finished. "This role is really a big step for me because I'm married and have three children. So, it's going to be a challenge and a learning experience, but I'm ready for it! So, bring it on!"

All eyes moved to the person next to Pablo. "Hey, my name is Kelso Stark and I'm playing the role of Roger. This play is sort of a life story for me. I really am a struggling musician whose girlfriend died a year ago. And, yes, I am HIV positive. So, if you have any questions feel free to ask. I don't bite and I'm not contagious."

"Okay, well, who is next?" the producer asked.

"Me. My name is Clarissa Legati and I'm playing the part of Mimi. This is my first performance on Broadway and I'm really excited to be a part of this production." She turned to her right.

"Hi, I'm Nelson Afton and I'll be playing the part of Tom and I don't really have any interesting life story to tell, so . . ."

"Hiya, my name is JoAnna D'Aria and I'm playing the part of JoAnn."

The rest of the cast and crew introduced themselves. After these introductions, J.T. and Kelso began singing RENT together for the first time. At the chorus, J.T.'s friends snuck into the back of the dark theater and listened. They didn't want to draw attention to themselves and began whispering back and forth.

"That Roger guy is kinda cute," Dashelle told Ashleigh.

"I was gonna say the same thing. I wonder if J.T. will introduce us."

"I'm sure we can convince him," Dashelle remarked.

"Okay, let's take a break, I think we have visitors," the producer remarked.

"Uh-oh, I think we're in trouble," Heidi mumbled.

J.T. walked to the back of the theater. "What are you guys doing here?! I could get in big trouble for this," he remarked.

"We just wanted to see how you were doing . . .and get introduced to Roger," Ashleigh remarked.

"I don't think that's such a great idea, right now, Ash," J.T. said.

"Why not?" Dashelle whined.

"I just don't." J.T. paused. "So, how was role call? Did Harlow call me out?"

"No," Heidi said. She rubbed up against J.T. "But, I sure wouldn't mind calling you out."

J.T. sheepishly grinned. "Later, Heidi. I gotta get back to work." He jogged back to the stage while Heidi and the rest of the intruders sat back in the back row.

"I think I'll sneak on stage and meet Roger," Ashleigh said to Dashelle.

"You're not serious, are you?!" Dashelle practically screamed.

Heidi brought her finger to her lips to shush her friends. She wasn't going to get kicked out of J.T.'s rehearsal on her friend's account.

"Serious as a severe heart attack," Ashleigh whispered.

"I'll cover for you," Dashelle started, "on one condition. We both check out the goods and then flip for it,"

"My gosh, you two. You sound like he's a piece of meat waiting to be cut for selling," Court remarked.

"Admit it, Court. You'd like it if a girl fought over you for once," Ashleigh said.

"Been there, done that, got the credit card bills to prove it," Court joked.

Ashleigh and Dashelle rolled their eyes. The two girls vaguely remembered the ex-girlfriend Court joked about. If you looked in the dictionary and looked up "gold digger," you would find a picture of her. He was head over heels for the girl, but she only wanted material things. But, Court finally came to his senses and was now the voice of reason for the girls when they seemed to be getting in too deep.

"So, you're telling me that if an incredibly gorgeous girl was up on stage and you had the connections to meet her that you wouldn't go for it?" Dashelle asked.

"First, I wouldn't jeopardize my friend's career just to meet a girl. Second, I've learned that I can't find a good girl on looks. And finally, no, I wouldn't, now that I've lived and learned."

Ashleigh shook her head. She wasn't going to be stopped. She was going to meet "Roger" even if she had to do it alone. While she was scheming, the music cued to be playing _Glory_ and her ears perked and hung on every note that "Roger" belted out. When, the song was over, she stood up and clapped. The rest of the crew slumped in their seats in embarrassment for themselves and for J.T.

"All right, let's take five," the producer said. Ashleigh excused herself because she needed to get some fresh air. J.T. walked back to his friends.

"What is with Ashleigh?" J.T. asked Heidi.

"Boy crazy," Heidi answered.

"More like boy loony," Court said. "She's got the jones' for Roger."

"Sheesh. I told her once that wasn't a good idea. Girls just don't listen to me, do they?" J.T. shook his head and sighed.

"Why isn't it a good idea?" Heidi asked.

"It just isn't, right now. Go find her and tell her that I'll introduce her to Kelso when I get to know him better," J.T. said.

"All right, but we could be too late." Court said pointing to Ashleigh who was headed toward the group.

"And where were you?" J.T. asked.

"I told you I just needed to get some fresh air. Can't I do anything by myself?" Ashleigh asked frustrated.

"Just do me a favor and stay away from Kels-Roger. Stay away from Roger until I get to know him better. I'm just looking out for you," J.T. said.

"Fine."

J.T. looked behind him and saw that most of the cast was on stage again. He said goodbye to his friends and headed to the stage. His friends left and went out to celebrate their first day at Julliard.

CHAPTER 5

J.T. walked into the sterile reception area of the dean's office and tried not to slam the door. He was being too careful and the door slammed shut behind him. He sheepishly smiled at the others in the waiting area. Nonchalantly, he walked over to the secretary.

"Hello, I'm Jayson Sumtrane. I'm here to get my schedule and room assignment for the year."

"You're late, Mr. Sumtrane," Burnetta remarked.

"I made arrangements to meet with Dean Harlow today," J.T. remarked.

"Yes, Mr. Sumtrane, I know, but you are late. You should have been here ten minutes ago."

J.T. glanced at his watch. It read 9:00 a.m.—the exact time he had worked out with Dean Harlow. He looked puzzled, but he didn't want to argue with the secretary. The secretary looked at J.T. and smiled.

"Sorry, Mr. Sumtrane. The dean likes to see that her students arrive early and not exactly on time. She's a stickler that way. I know she is expecting you, but try to be early next time. Take a seat over there and I'll let her know that you're here."

J.T. nodded. He walked over to a seat and sat down. He tapped his fingers on his leg and hummed the songs he had been rehearsing that morning. The people sitting around him either rolled their eyes or started humming along.

"What are we humming?" a young woman sitting next to him asked.

"Stuff from RENT. I just got back from rehearsal and it's stuck in my head," J.T. said.

"You already got a part in town and you just got here?" the young woman asked again.

"Yea, a major part. I'm playing Mark at the Madrid Theater," J.T. said.

His conversation partner squealed. "You have to get me tickets!" she exclaimed.

"If I can, I will. It would be helpful if I knew your name," J.T. said.

"Oh, Petra. Petra Harper." She extended her hand for J.T. to shake. He shook it and Burnetta cleared her throat.

"Mr. Sumtrane, Dean Harlow will see you now."

"Thank you." He headed toward the office.

"Good morning, Mr. Sumtrane," Dean Harlow greeted. She peered over the top of her glasses at the new student.

"Good morning, Dean Harlow," J.T. greeted back.

"Let me explain something to you. There are three degrees of time frames that I go by. If you are hear early, you are on time, if you are on time, you're late, and finally if you are late, then you are wasting my time. Is that clear, Mr. Sumtrane?" Dean Harlow asked.

"Yes, sir—ma'am, yes, ma'am, very clear." J.T. stood with his hands in his pockets nervously waiting to be asked to sit down. He didn't think he was going to get that comfort.

"What is your reason for being late?"

"Uh, I . . um. . .rehearsal ran late. We had to get some kinks out of one of the scenes we were having trouble with."

"Well, that is not acceptable. The producer needs to know that he cannot jeopardize my student's academic career because there are "kinks" as you said. What is his name? I'll have to talk to him." Dean Harlow got a pencil and waited for an answer she could scribble down.

"Gregory Treneli."

The dean scrawled the name on a post-it.

"All right. Now that we have that out of the way, let me make sure we have a few things straight. Just because you are working on a major Broadway production, you are still expected to be at your classes on time and ready to work. You will not get any special treatment because of your status. Do not expect any free rides here at Julliard. Is that clear?"

J.T. nodded his head.

"Also, if your grades start slipping, you will have to decide what is more important. If you get any grade at a C or below, you will be put on academic probation. If the grade slips while you are on probation, you will be expelled. Any questions?"

"No, ma'am," J.T. answered.

"All right. Here is your class schedule; you have several independent studies because of your situation. Do not let these classes slide." She handed him the paper with his schedule typed on it. "And here is your room assignment. You will be in room 215. Your room mate is Mario Vander sickle. Here is your key and please get to work. I'll be calling your producer shortly."

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you for seeing me today. I appreciate being able to be a student at Julliard."

"Well, thank you for being a part of Julliard. Now, go."

"Yes ma'am." J.T. turned around and went to open the door. He realized he still had his hands in his pockets and practically smacked himself in the face when he took his right hand out to turn the knob. He walked out, his face pale. The others in the waiting area had worried looks on their faces as they watched him leave the office.

J.T. walked across the street to the dorms where he would be staying. He thought he was going to room with Court. He had packed up all his belongings from his flat and left them on a moving truck with half of Court's stuff and half of his. Court hadn't told him any different when he had talked to him yesterday. J.T. wondered what was going on.

He trotted up the steps and glanced at each room. Some doors were open and some were not. He reached room 215 and the door was closed. He knocked on the door. No one answered, so he stuck the key in the lock and opened the door.

J.T. looked inside and saw a young man his age sitting in a meditative position.

J.T. wrinkled his forehead. He didn't know whether to say something, or go on about his business in the room. He decided to go for the former, sort of, and cleared his throat.

The meditator still sat in the still position. So, J.T. cleared his throat again. The meditator stared at the intruder.

"May I help you?" he asked J.T.

"Sorry to interrupt your . . uh. . .whatever it was your were doing. I was just going to let you know that I'm your roommate, Jayson Sumtrane, but must people call me J.T."

"Oh, I was wondering if I was going to have a roommate and now I do." The room mate clapped his hands together. "I'm Mario Vandersickle." He flailed out a limp wrist for a handshake from J.T.

J.T. accepted his new roommate's handshake, but was puzzled at his alternative ways. J.T. looked around the room and saw posters of abstract art and playbills from Broadway.

Mario stood up. J.T. didn't look away soon enough. His new roommate obviously felt comfortable as an exhibitionist. Mario walked over and shut the door and J.T. flinched as it slammed.

"So, what is your major?" Mario asked.

"Theater and vocal performance. And yours?"

"Visual arts and choreography."

"Great. Maybe you can help me when I have to start practicing dance moves for my role in RENT."

"No problem." Mario went to the shades and opened the curtains.

J.T. turned around, so no one would see him in the room. "Um, I need to start bringing my stuff in. And if it isn't too much trouble and I'm not stepping on toes, would you mind wearing something when I'm here. I won't be here very often, but I would appreciate it," J.T. requested.

"Oh, that. No problem. I'm used to being home alone. I only do that when I'm meditating. Let me just slip on some clothes and I'll help you." Mario walked toward J.T.

"Oh, that's okay. I have to go see someone about my stuff. I'm not quite sure where he put it. We were supposed to room together, but looks like things changed. I'll be back in a little bit."

J.T. backed toward the door and opened it with his hand behind him. He walked out and closed the door before Mario could walk out with him. J.T. walked outside and continued on the sidewalk. He dialed Court on his cell phone and waited for an answer.

"Court here."

"J.T. What the heck is going on? Why am I not rooming with you?"

"Oh, yeah, that problem. Well, the scholarship I have has me rooming in the low class dorms. Y'know, the ones that are about the size of a cubicle. I couldn't get out of it, so you get the stud duds and I get what was left along with my roommate, Luka, the foreign exchange freak."

"Well, at least you don't have Mario the Magnificent," J.T. said imitating the lisp that his roommate had.

Court guffawed. "Sorry, man. Come on over to 115 and I'll make it up to you. I mean, half your stuff is in my room right now anyway. The other half is sitting in the hallway."

"Nice to know you care," J.T. remarked. His cell phone beeped. "I gotta go, it's Heidi. I'll see you in a little bit."

"Talk to me."

"Dirty or sweet," Heidi said.

"Just talk, Heidi. What's going on?"

"Not much here. Ashleigh and Dashelle are helping me put my private room together."

"How did you get a private room?" J.T. asked.

"Good looks." Heidi giggled. "So, how did your meeting with Dean Harlow go?"

"Not so good. I was late, in her opinion, but I was really on time and then I get ramrodded for being a day late when she knew my circumstances. And to top it off, Court can't be my roommate because of his scholarship and I get stuck with Homo Harry."

"Hey, be nice."

"Sorry. I'm not quite sure if he is or not. I should probably find out, but I walked into the room and he was meditating—"

"That's not a bad thing to do—"

"Naked, Heidi. Beans, franks, and all."

"Ok, that's bad. You could always hang out over here."

"Well, I have a feeling that I won't have to spend too much time over there. Listen, I need to get over to Court's room so I can pick up my stuff. Meet me over there and we'll do something afterwards."

"Okay. I'll see you then. I'll bring the girls with me so we can get done faster."

"If you want. Bye."

"Bye."

J.T. walked inside the building where Court resided. He walked down the hall until he saw Court in his room with Luka, he supposed. He also saw Brady and Sam in the room rummaging through boxes.

"Hey, Mr. Broadway, how's life?" Brady said.

"Could be better," he answered.

"Man, you look like your dog just died. I'll still come visit," Court joked.

J.T. playfully pushed Court's shoulder and Court mouthed an "ow" that was also playful.

J.T. sniffed the air and gagged. "What is that?"

Court pushed him outside and the rest of his friends followed. Court shut the door behind him. "That smell would be Luka."

"Well, at least, I know that you don't have onions and garlic growing in your room."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Sam said.

"He refuses to shower," Court said. "I've got to get out of here, man. The walls are closing in."

"Well, at least he wears clothes," J.T. remarked.

"Um, okay," Court mumbled. "Anyway, here is your stuff. I called the guys over to come help us so we could get it done quicker. Then, we can go out, but the warden, I mean dean, says we have to be back by ten o'clock."

Sounds good to me. Heidi is coming over with the girls, so we should have plenty of help."

"Well, let's get started," Court said. He opened up the door and the stench practically knocked him over. Luka had made himself a snack of sauerkraut and sausage.

"Luka, light a candle, man. You're gonna make my guitar reek."

Luka scowled. He wasn't too happy about his new room mate and he didn't understand most of Court's antics.

"What do you mean?" Luka asked with a heavy accent.

"I mean, the room stinks and its going to make everything else stink," Court explained.

"I don't like you, Mr. Court," Luka remarked.

"Well, I'm not too thrilled about the whole situation either," Court grumbled. Court walked over to the corner of the room and wheeled the two-wheeler over to a stack of boxes.

"Across the street, right?" Court asked his best friend.

"That would be the place. Up one flight of stairs," J.T. answered.

"Well, I needed a work out anyway," Court said.

J.T. and Court loaded boxes onto the two-wheeler. Brady and Sam made more stacks of boxes and the guys headed out the front door. Parker came in to see what they were doing. He decided he would supervise the whole undertaking.

As they headed across the street, they heard a feminine wolf whistle. "Look at our guys at work!" Heidi exclaimed.

"Were not all your guys, y'know. Only one of us is actually attached to you," Brady said.

"Well, were working on two," Freedom quipped.

"Nice try," Brady said. "What do you girls want?"

"Lots of things. But, we wouldn't mind helping J.T. move his stuff into his new place," Heidi said as she walked over to her boyfriend. She grabbed J.T.'s bicep which was hard at work holding boxes. He snorted when Heidi tickled his arm.

"If you're going to help, do it the right way, Heidi."

Heidi playfully saluted and took a box off the stack J.T. was holding.

"So, have you met your new room mate?" Sam asked.

"Um, yeah. I don't think its going to work out very well," J.T. said. "He likes to walk around naked."

"I wouldn't mind that," Dashelle said.

"Wait until you meet him, then you'll see," J.T. said, not realizing the pun he had made.

"Wouldn't mind that, either," Dashelle added.

Court rolled his eyes. "Dashelle, do you ever think about anything besides boys?"

"Not right now. I'm in a new place and I'm hot to trot," Dashelle remarked.

"Better watch yourself. I can't take care of you all the time," Court said, being the "big brother" type to one of his closest friends.

"Well, big brother, I'm a big girl. I think I can take care of myself."

"You know if there's any trouble, we got your back," Sam told Dashelle. "All of us." Sam indicated the other three men by nodded his head toward them since his hands were full.

They finally made it to the door and Freedom opened it. "Where are we going, J.T.?"

"Room 215, but let me knock first. Don't want you ladies to see anything indecent, you know."

"He can be nice when he wants to be," Heidi said smiling at her beau.

J.T. plodded up the steps with his boxes and dropped them at his door. He knocked.

"Entre v'ous," Mario remarked.

J.T. took a deep breath and cracked open the door. "Clothed?"

"Just for you, cutie," Mario answered.

J.T. rubbed his forehead and scrunched his face. He noticed that Mario had been more comfortable (if that was possible) in greeting him than last time. He walked in and noticed Mario's outlandish outfit. It was pair of black spandex pants and a bright orange button up shirt topped off with a fluorescent green beret.

"Actually, it's not just for me. My friends are waiting downstairs to bring up my stuff. Let me warn you, they're mixed company."

"Oh, wonderful. I like meeting new people. Especially when I can get to know more about you, roomie."

"Uh, yeah. Anyway, they'll be up in a minute. I'll be right back."

J.T. went down the stairs and tried to keep his composure. As soon as he hit the bottom step and looked at his friends, he burst into laughter.

"Ohmigosh, you guys, you have got to see this get up Mario has on. He looks like he stepped out of the Eighties. Never mind, you'll just have to see it. Let's just get these boxes up to my room." J.T. beckoned his friends to get the boxes and follow him.

On his way up, he heard the phone in his new room ring. Mario fluttered out of the room and sang out to J.T. "Telephone, J.T. It's Dean Harlow."

J.T.'s eyes darted from side to side. He put down the boxes in his room and his friends followed suit. He picked up the Picasso looking object that he figured was the phone since it had a cord and number buttons on it.

"Hello, Dean Harlow."

"Good afternoon, Mr. Sumtrane. I am calling to let you know that I talked with your producer. Although, he was not too happy about it, he agreed to keep your rehearsal time on exact time and if there is a problem with a scene, he will work it out the next day. He does realize that you may miss some rehearsals due to your different classes, but you are still in the cast," the dean remarked.

"And I'm still playing Mark, correct?" J.T. asked hopefully.

"Oh, of course. He wouldn't do something like that on my account. You do need to talk to him when you're at rehearsal tomorrow, though. He needs to go over some things that we discussed."

"Okay. I hate to be rude, ma'am, but I'm trying to move in right now and I need all the time I can get. Thanks for your call."

"You're welcome, Mr. Sumtrane. Have a good day tomorrow."

"I'll try. Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

J.T. wanted to slam the phone down, but he didn't know how it connected to the cradle, so he threw it at Mario. "Do something with this, please."

Mario hung up the phone.

"I'm going to hate the dean by the time my years here are up. Do you want to know what she did, the little witch?" J.T. asked pacing the floor addressing his friends.

"Calm down, J.T. Just tell us what's going on," Heidi said walking over to J.T. She put a hand up, so he ran into it and quit pacing.

"She talked to my producer. She "discussed" some things with him. I am so going to get my butt chewed out for that tomorrow morning," J.T. said. He balled his fists up and inhaled deeply.

"What's the big deal, big guy?" Mario asked. "So, she talked with your producer. Can she really control him that way?"

"I don't know and I wish I didn't have to find out," J.T. said.

"It'll be okay, babe," Heidi assured him. "Let's just get your stuff in here, so we can go out."

"All right. Mario, do you mind helping us out?" J.T. asked.

"Oh, no, not at all. I need to get physical anyway," Mario giggled.

The other guys rolled their eyes at the abstract creature before them.

"Where did this guy come from?" Brady whispered to Sam.

"San Francisco," Mario answered, overhearing the question.

Brady gave Sam a knowing glance. Mario walked by and followed J.T.

"Looks like you've got competition," Court told Heidi.

"I think I'll risk it. J.T. doesn't swing that way," Heidi said.

"You never know," Court sang.

"Grow up," Heidi said. "Let's just get this done, so we can go out."

"No problem," Court said.

The group went back down the stairs and out the door. It took them about three trips from Court's room to J.T.'s room to get everything settled. When they were finished, everyone except Mario met at the Nocturnal. The party there didn't start to get going until about 9:30 and the group completely forgot about their 10 o'clock curfew. They were about to find out what happened to rule breakers the next morning.

CHAPTER 6

J.T. tumbled out of bed when his alarm went off at 5 a.m. He threw on his clothes, trotted down the stairs and hailed a cab. The sun seemed so bright that he slipped on his sunglasses before he got in the cab.

"Madrid Theater," he told the cabby in an incomprehensible tone.

"What?" the cabby asked.

J.T. repeated his request and the cabby headed toward the theater. J.T. jumped when his phone sang.

"J.T. here," he answered.

"We are in big trouble," Court said. "I mean serious trouble."

"What did WE do?" J.T. asked.

"Broke curfew—by about 4 hours."

"Are you serious? We have a curfew? "

"According to Dean Harlow, we do. She did a bed check last night and she noticed that eight of us were gone. We're supposed to be in her office at 11:30."

"Man that is just great. I have to go from one burning to another. Why didn't you tell me we had a curfew, Court?"

"I thought I did. And if I didn't, Harlow should have told you when you talked to her."

The cab stopped in front of the theater. J.T. handed his driver a wad of bills, gave a "thank you" nod and headed inside, still talking to Court.

"So, we don't even make it one day into school and we're already on probation?"

"Looks like it, man. Unless we get off on being young and stupid."

J.T. mimicked a laugh into the phone. "Listen, I gotta go. Rehearsal starts in 5 minutes. I'll see you in the dean's office."

"Yeah, I'll be there with bells on. Bye."

"See ya." J.T. turned off his phone and looked around for Greg. He saw him looking over the script in the front row. J.T. took a deep breath and walked to the stage. Greg looked up and saw J.T.

"J.T., we need to talk. Come down off stage for a minute," Greg directed.

J.T. trotted down the stairs of the stage and stood next to Greg. "Something I can help you with?"

"Yes. The Dean from Julliard called me yesterday and decided to tell me how to run my show. Of course, I took everything to heart, but she can't tell me what to do. I understand that you are a student there and I also understand that you have obligations there, but you have obligations here also. If you think you can't handle the two, make your choice now. I don't want to keep getting calls from your dean. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir. May I ask what she told you?"

"She told me to cut my rehearsals down, so you could get to your classes on time. I can't do that."

"I know. She thinks she can run everything. I've noticed that attitude when I went to see her yesterday."

"Well, just let me know when you need to cut out. I'm not cutting rehearsals, but I can help you out in some ways," Greg said.

"Thanks, sir."

"Please, call me Greg. I hate the formality."

"Okay, Greg. So, can we start, because I'm already in big trouble with the dean on the first day. Apparently, I have a 10 o'clock curfew that I wasn't told about."

"Man, things just aren't going your way."

"No kidding. "

"Well, then, let's get this show on the road." Greg turned toward the stage. "Roger—I mean Kelso, let's start rehearsing our lines."

"Sure. I'm up for that," Kelso remarked. He looked pale and sickly today.

"You all right?" J.T. asked.

"Fine. Just having one of those days," Kelso remarked. "I'll feel better when we get started."

So, J.T. and Kelso delved into their scripts and rehearsed the beginning scenes together. When they finished a scene and practiced some songs, J.T. asked to talk to Kelso.

"I know that we barely know each other, but I need to ask you a favor that I told my friend I'd do."

"Okay." Kelso looked puzzled.

"You might not want to go along with it, but I'm going to ask you anyway. You probably saw her the other day. Her name is Ashleigh. She wants to meet you."

Kelso nodded. "I'm up for that. Just as friends, though."

"That's how things usually go with her. Friends first. But, I haven't told her the history of your past."

"That's okay. I'll leave that up to me. Actually, I usually tell people what they're getting into before anything happens."

"Okay, then. Well, when do you want to meet her?"

"Tonight's fine. Just give me a time and a place."

"I'll talk to her and let you know. Have a phone I can reach you at?"

"Yeah." Kelso wrote down his phone number and handed to J.T.

"All right. I'll talk to you later. I gotta get to class." J.T. rushed out of the theater and stood at the corner trying to hail a cab. Five minutes later, a cab rolled up and J.T. got in. He was on his way to seal his fate as a Juliardite.

***

"Good morning, everyone," a tall blondish dark skinned man greeted in an Australian accent. "My name is Darren Wise, you can call me Darren or D, but never Professor or Mister. Welcome to my improv class. Let me make sure everyone is here that is supposed to be and find out who is not."

Darren went through role call. Court, Brady, Sam, Parker and J.T. were in the same class, but the girls were nowhere to be found in the room. They weren't even on the role call.

J.T. leaned over to Brady. "Where are the girls? I thought they had this class."

"You'd know better than I would, J.T. You've got connections with their leader," Brady said.

J.T. rolled his eyes.

"They might have left town before they got sentenced," Court joined in the conversation.

"Good call," Sam remarked.

"Guys, be quiet or we're going to get in trouble," Parker said.

The guys went "ooh" and showed their hands shaking.

Darren cleared his throat and walked over to the five guys. "It seems we have our first volunteers for our first improv," Darren said. "Your names are--?"

The guys introduced themselves when they were pointed out.

"Go on up and pull out your fate from the box."

J.T. went up to the front of the room and pulled out a slip of paper from the box of improvisation ideas. He smiled when he saw what he and his friends had to act out.

"In the dean's office for violating curfew."

Court, Sam, Parker and Brady covered their mouths so no one could see them holding back their laughter.

"Talk about a quick rehearsal," Brady remarked.

"Mmm hmm," Sam said.

They walked up to the stage and took their places. Court was going to play the dean while the other guys were going to prove their case. Court played the dean to a T, with his walk and imitation of her voice. The class broke out in fits of laughter.

"Well, this wonderful quintet just kept their A," Darren graded.

***

"Maybe we should have stayed in the improv class," Heidi wondered aloud.

"Why?" Freedom asked. "I didn't like the looks of that guy teaching the class. He seemed kind of creepy."

"Well, looks aren't everything," Dashelle said. "I agree with Heidi."

Their dance instructor cleared her throat. "Good morning, newbies. My name is Carlotta Rischkev. You will call me Madame Rischkev. I have been teaching dance for over 20 years and if you have a problem with my style, then you know how you got here and you know how to get out of here. Let's go ahead and do some stretching before we get started."

The students in the class stood next to the pointe bar and started going through ballet positions. When they finished stretching, Madame Rischkev asked for volunteers to begin her rigorous dance testing.

The girls sat in the back corner making conversation. Heidi's eyes bulged out of her head when she saw what they were going to be tested on. "I can't do that!" she exclaimed, covering her mouth and realizing her voice was too loud.

"SHH!" Dashelle warned. "She'll make you go next."

"Well, it would be better than sitting here watching these girls go through all that pain. She expects us to do a back bend and spring into splits?! She's gone off her rocker."

"Don't sweat it, Heidi. You're a natural dancer. You can do this stuff," Ashleigh remarked.

"Hope we're not graded on this," Heidi remarked.

"Guess I'll be the first to find out," Freedom said. She cleared her throat and noticed that Madame Rischkev was looking for her next victim.

"I'll go next, Madame Rischkev," Freedom volunteered.

Madame Rischkev smiled and asked her to come forward. "Name, please?"

"Freedom Strong. My parent's were big into the Sixties."

Madame Rischkev nodded. "How long have you been dancing. You look very toned."

"Since I was five."

"Very nice, dear." Madame Rischkev circled Freedom and examined the muscles in her body with her eyes.

"Um, Madame Rischkev, are we getting graded on this test? I mean is it going to be a permanent record?"

"Oh, no," Madame Rischkev laughed. "I just want to see what kind of skills my students have, that's all. Now, let's get started."

Madame Rischkev asked Freedom to do several moves to show her flexibility and abilities. When she was finished, she joined her friends.

"Well, you're definitely going to get an A," Heidi remarked.

Freedom held up her right hand and blew on her nails and then balled up a fist and rubbed her hand on her breastbone, like she was polishing an apple. "Y'know, I do what I can."

An hour later, Brady, Sam, J.T., Parker, Court, Heidi, Freedom, Dashelle, and Ashleigh met up in the hall and headed toward their fate like it was Armageddon.

The gang dubbed J.T. as the spokesperson for them all when they walked into the lobby. They said he could talk for them since he had been in the Dean's office earlier and had a bone to pick with her anyway.

J.T. strutted up to Burnetta and told her that his friends and he were here to see the dean. He tapped the face of his watch with his finger. "And let her know we're on time." His watch read 11 o'clock.

"Have a seat, Mr. Sumtrane. I'll let Dean Harlow know that her violators are here," Burnetta said without looking up. She hit a button on her phone and let her boss know that she had visitors.

"We got this covered, ladies. Fortunately, our improv class let us practice our buttering up skills in class," Court said.

"You mean, you guys are all ready known as the trouble makers?" Heidi asked.

"No, just luck of the draw," J.T. said. A smile widened across his face, but faded when Dean Harlow's door widened and she leaned in the door frame with her arms crossed.

"I'm ready to see this group of misfits now," Dean Harlow remarked.

"Oh, no she didn't," Dashelle whispered to Ashleigh. "She better check herself before she starts talking to me like that."

Dean Harlow cleared her throat and threw daggers with her eyes at Ashleigh and Dashelle for speaking. "Please come in."

The nine students went into the Dean's office like lambs knowing they were about to be slaughtered. No one sat down until Ms. Harlow asked them to.

"You've been charged with violating curfew. Fortunately, we have not had this happen before on the first day before classes, so I would like to know what possessed the nine of you to start breaking Julliard guidelines on the night before starting classes. Would anyone like to tell me why this happened?" Dean Harlow scanned the group.

J.T. decided to say something. "Dean Harlow, you never told me that there was a curfew, let alone any explanation as to what would happen if I did happen to break the rules. So, I think that I should be left out of this trial, but I would like to defend my friends," J.T. pleaded.

"That is no excuse, Mr. Sumtrane. I gave you a handbook for you to review," Dean Harlow remarked.

"I'm sorry to say, but the only thing you gave me when I came in to talk to you yesterday was my room assignment, schedule, and the third degree," J.T. said.

"Do not talk to me like that, Mr. Sumtrane. I clearly remember giving you a room assignment, schedule, and student handbook," Dean Harlow repeated.

"Don't you record your conversations? I did not get a handbook, Dean Harlow. I don't want to argue that point anymore. You brought us here because we violated an outrageous curfew for nine twenty somethings. Ten o'clock is not feasible in our brains. We like the night life, we're grown up, and we can make our own decisions."

"Mr. Sumtrane, I do not want to hear another peep out of you or I will write you up for insubordination and you will be on an even more strict schedule than you all ready are. Is that understood?"

J.T. nodded his head, taking the "another peep" comment to the fullest extent.

"Is there anyone else that would like to tell me what went on and where you were last night when the resident directors did bed check?"

Court stood up from his seat and leaned on the Dean's desk in front of him. "We were out. What we do on our own time is none of your concern as long as it does not affect our academics. If you will notice, all of us had classes this morning and we were all there on time. You can even ask our professors who took their first role call this morning. In fact, Brady, Sam, J.T., Parker and I even participated in a group improv."

"Sit down, Mr. Ashton. If you would like to say something, you can say it from your seat."

"I will not sit down. I am twenty-one years old and if I want to stand, I am going to stand. I am not a child who can be punished for not doing what I'm told."

"Mr. Ashton, I am asking you to sit down, please. I would like to hear someone else tell me what went on last night."

Court threw his hands up in the air. "You ask us what went on and I told you what went on. Ten o'clock is a ridiculous time for anyone to be home in New York, for Pete's sake!"

Dean Harlow stood up behind her desk and slammed the palms of her hands on her desk. "Mr. Ashton, keep your voice down. Now, please, sit so I can hear from someone else what went on or I'm going to have to expel you for insubordination."

Court plopped down in his chair. "That's your favorite word, isn't it?"

"Mr. Ashton, one more time and you're out."

Court took a deep breath and thought about giving Dean Harlow a Nazi salute, but he held back. He did not want to ruin his chances of being discovered at Julliard.

Dean Harlow sat in her chair and folded her hands on her desk. She peered over her glasses and looked at the four girls. "Ladies, do you have anything to add to your friends' statements?"

Heidi started to mumble something.

"I'm sorry; I can't hear you, Miss Wiers. Please speak up."

"I said if you weren't so single minded, I'd say something. But, you don't want to hear our side to your ridiculous rules, so I'll be quiet, so I won't get insubordination thrown in my face, too."

"I'll listen, Miss Wiers. Why was your little gang out past ten when I remember in my speech at orientation that I told you the consequences for violating the rules of Julliard. And if you have any doubts, I have the notes from my speech right here." Dean Harlow shoved a manila file folder across the desk. Heidi shoved it back.

"I don't need proof. I would like to know how long you have had this curfew," Heidi said.

"The curfew has been in place for over twenty years. I find no reason to change it."

"Well, we do," Ashleigh added. "We are a group of people who feel that we need to help this school make some changes. So, we would like to make a proposal. We've thought about this and discussed it. If we can get 75% of the student body to sign a petition that says that the curfew needs to be changed to accommodate the changing times of our lives. In return, we will keep the ten o'clock curfew until changes are made and do anything else that is required for us to stay off probation," Ashleigh said.

"Does this include the entire group sitting in front of me?"

Everyone of the group nodded their head.

"What would you like the curfew changed to?"

"No curfew," Court said. "The student body is old enough to take care of themselves."

"That is not acceptable, Mr. Ashton. We need to do some bargaining."

"Fine. We will ask the student body to choose between three times. Midnight, one, or two in the morning."

"That seems feasible. Remember, for now, you need to be in at 10 p.m., no excuses. We will be doing a room check each night for each one of you until I see this petition that you seem so adamant about, Miss Downing."

"That will be fine," Ashleigh remarked.

Heidi looked over at J.T. whose face was fuming. "May we leave now before J.T. blows up?"

"Yes, you may. I want that petition by the end of next week," Dean Harlow remarked.

"Oh, you'll get it sooner than that, if I have anything to say about it," J.T. said as he walked out with the rest of the group.

When the door was shut behind them, J.T. let out a guttural growl. "Get me out of here! That woman is going to make me crazy!"

"SHH!" Heidi warned. "She can hear you, ya know."

"Good. Maybe she'll hear this. If her head wasn't shoved so far into her behind, she might see that everyone is different and she can't control us all like a bunch of puppets. She'll get hers, sooner or later. I have to go."

J.T. stomped out of the room and the rest of the group followed behind.

CHAPTER 7

"EEEEEEEE," Ashleigh squealed. "I get to meet Roger!" she exclaimed while jumping up into the air numerous times.

Heidi put a hand on her friend's shoulder to calm her down. "Ok, in English, what did you just say?"

"I, Ashleigh Dawn Downing, get to meet Roger one on one, thanks to your boyfriend."

"How the heck did you get that arranged?" Dashelle asked. She was putting her belongings up on the shelves in her room.

"J.T. talked to him this morning when he was at rehearsal. I'm going out with him tonight. Ohmigosh, what should I wear?"

"Clothes would be a nice touch," Heidi remarked.

Ashleigh rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Duh!"

"So, what is Roger's real name?" Dashelle asked.

"Kelso—Kelso Stark. Isn't that dreamy?" Ashleigh gazed into the air.

"Oh boy, I think we've lost her," Freedom said. She was on the top bunk making her bed.

"Honey, she was lost the second she saw that guy in the theater," Dashelle said.

"Seriously, girls, what should I wear?" She went across the hall to her room and opened up the closest. She pulled out a stack of clothes and threw them on her bed. "I don't want to look to desperate, but I want him to be begging for my number."

"Can't you just go out with someone without falling head over heels for them the minute you see them?" Heidi asked.

"Did you not see this guy? He is incredibly gorgeous!"

"He looks like Court on a good day, for goodness sake," Heidi remarked.

Dashelle made a sizzling sound. "Talk about a big time burn. But, yeah, he does look like Court, so why aren't you going out with him?"

"I don't want, Court. I want Kelso. If I could just look into his eyes and see that he feels the same way I do, then I know that we were meant to be."

"You are a hopeless romantic," Freedom remarked. She rummaged through the outfits that were lying on Ashleigh's bed.

"More like hopeless, without the romantic," Heidi said.

"Why can't you be happy for me?" Ashleigh asked her friend.

"Just trying to keep your feet on the ground, that's all."

Freedom held up a red spaghetti strap shirt with a slanted hem and a pair of black tight pants. "How bout this?"

Ashleigh grabbed the clothes out of Freedom's hands. "Perfect! Now, I'd love to sit and chat, but I have a date to get ready for, so I will talk to you later and tell you how it goes. Get those petitions ready."

"Be back by ten o'clock or we're in big trouble," Heidi said.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Bye, bye." Ashleigh herded everyone out of the room and shut the door behind them.

***

Heidi's phone chirped.

"Swiss Miss Central, Heidi speaking."

J.T. guffawed at his girlfriend. "What are you doing tonight?"

"Oh, I thought I'd print off about 1,000 petitions and spend the evening shoving them under doors. You?"

"I thought we could go out dancing, but get back by 10 for lock down."

"Where were you planning to take me?"

"The same place Kelso is taking Ashleigh."

"About that, you have created a monster and her former name is Ashleigh."

"Huh?"

"Come over to my place and I'll tell you all about it. We can get this petition thing started and then go out. I'll see you soon, k?"

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye."

***

Ashleigh sat at a table in one of the finest restaurants she had even been in. The lighting was set in a romantic mood and the menu items were more expensive than she had anticipated. She sat with her chin resting on her hand. With the other hand, she twirled a thornless rose with her fingers. This was her sign that she was Ashleigh looking for Kelso.

Finally, he walked in. He was wearing a dinner jacket with a white shirt and tie. He seemed very classy as he walked towards the girl with the rose and gorgeous smile.

Kelso extended his hand. "Hi, I'm Kelso."

Ashleigh tried to say hello, but her mouth opened and no words came out.

"You must be Ashleigh."

She nodded.

"Y'know, if you don't say a word, that would be nice, but I'd really like to get to know you."

Ashleigh tried to say something, but the only thing that came out of her mouth was a squeak. She covered her face with her hands, so Kelso couldn't see her face reddening.

At that moment, Heidi and J.T. walked into the restaurant. J.T. noticed Kelso and Heidi noticed Ashleigh.

"Okay, she's either really embarrassed at something he asked, or she can't speak," Heidi whispered to J.T.

"Ten bucks on the latter," J.T. joked.

"Jayson!" Heidi exclaimed in a whisper.

"Whoa! No full name calling, please. Let's just go over there and see if we can help out."

J.T. and Heidi headed for the table with their two friends.

"Hi, J.T. And who is this lovely lady with you?" Kelso asked.

"Oh, she's Heidi," J.T. said teasingly.

"I see that you've met Ashleigh," J.T. said nodding his head toward her.

"Yes, I have. She seems extremely shy."

"Oh, she's not, Kelso. She's just overwhelmed. Once you get her talking, she won't stop for days," Heidi remarked.

"Hey! That's not nice!" Ashleigh said.

"She speaks!" Kelso teased. He flashed a bright white smile at her.

"Why don't you two join us?" Kelso asked Heidi and J.T.

"Oh, no, that's okay."

"No, really. You should join us," Ashleigh encouraged.

"All right. If you insist." J.T. pulled up chairs for Heidi and himself.

Heidi was right. When Ashleigh finally spoke, you couldn't get her to keep quiet at all. Kelso didn't mind. He seemed to be mesmerized by his date, even though he was going to tell her that he wanted to be friends before he got into anything serious. He had a feeling the friends thing wouldn't last long, because he was falling for Ashleigh quickly.

Heidi glanced at her watch. "It's 9:45, we need to go."

"Huh?" Kelso asked.

"Just a little something we worked out with the dean. We have to be back at Julliard by 10, or we get expelled. No big deal."

"Well, why don't I come with you? Isn't there a lobby?"

"Yeah, there is. But, I'm not sure if that would fly with the warden," J.T. said. "She seems to think that we have to be in our rooms at 10 p.m. no matter what."

"That's fine, Kelso. You can come back with me. We'll just stay in my room for a little while," Ashleigh said, cutting off what J.T. was going to say.

"All right. Let's get going then."

Kelso and J.T. scrounged up their money and paid the bill and went on their way to the dorms.

CHAPTER 8

Ashleigh and Kelso headed up to her dorm room. She left the door ajar and sat on her bed. Kelso didn't come near the bed, but instead sat on a bar stool that was sitting in a corner.

"You can sit over here. You look like you got in trouble, so you're sitting in the corner," Ashleigh said. She patted the spot next to her on her bed.

"That's okay. I'll just move the stool over next to you." Kelso scooted the bar stool over to the bed.

Ashleigh propped her head on her hand and gazed into Kelso's piercing blue eyes. His long, blond curls mesmerized her, but she knew there was something he wasn't telling her and the only way to find out was to ask straight out.

"So, Kelso, what do I not know about you, yet?"

"Oh, there's lots of things you don't know about me, yet, but I'm sure you'll find out."

"Well, give me a briefing, "Ashleigh requested.

"This may change the way you look at me, but I have to tell you or I would just be leading you on."

"Go ahead, spill it."

I have—"

RRRRRRRRRRRRING! The fire alarm went off and Ashleigh didn't hear a word that Kelso was saying. They headed out to the front of the dorms and saw smoke rising from the top of the building. Ashleigh and Kelso spotted the rest of their friends and walked over towards them.

"All right, who decided to pull this prank? Was it you?" Court asked Brady who was standing and staring at the smoke.

"No, man, I didn't have a thing to do with that!" Brady exclaimed.

"It is the girl's dorm. They either forgot to turn off their curling irons or didn't blow out one of their girly candles," J.T. said.

"Hey, now, not all of us are girly girls," Freedom said.

"Jury's still out on you," Brady said under his breath.

Freedom playfully hit Brady with the backside of her hand. "Yeah, well, you're no manly man as I recall. You still sleep with a teddy bear."

Kelso guffawed as he listened to this conversation.

"Well, isn't that special," Parker chimed in.

"It is not a teddy bear. It is a grizzly bear that my little sis gave me before I left home."

A chorus of "Aw, how sweet" broke out from the group.

"Okay, so what are we going to do about this, guys. We're supposed to be the front runners of a campaign to get curfew extended and now we have this to deal with," Heidi said, pointing to the flames at the top of her dorm.

"That's what you're worried about. Not that fact that we all got out and nobody got hurt, but the fact that we need to extend curfew?!" Dashelle exclaimed.

"I'm just looking at the bigger picture. The dean is going to think that we need to keep this outrageous curfew, so things like this won't happen again," Heidi remarked.

Dashelle shook her head. "Heidi, did you ever think that this occurred before curfew?"

"Oh, yeah," Heidi practically whispered. She looked at the ground embarrassed.

J.T. lifted his girlfriend's head up with his finger. He flashed a grin at her. "You were just being practical, that's all."

"Yep, that's me, little miss practical." Heidi rolled her eyes.

"ATTENTION, students of Julliard," a voice sounded from a megaphone. "There is no need to panic. There was a small kitchen fire in one of the suites that is now under control. No one is to remain on the top floor this evening. Please go to the lobby or find an empty bed in another dorm room. And for those of you that do not live on the top floor, please be kind and accommodate those who do. You may return to your dorms at this time."

The girls headed back to their dorm. The guys walked with them until they got inside.

"So, I guess I should probably go now," Kelso told Ashleigh.

"Oh, you don't have to go just because everyone else is. We weren't finished talking," Ashleigh remarked.

"For now we are. I want you to think about what I told you before we went outside," Kelso said. He gave Ashleigh a peck on the cheek and left.

Ashleigh scrunched up her face. She didn't remember what Kelso had said before they were hurried outside. She would have to think hard about their conversation because of her memory loss. Ashleigh shrugged her shoulders and walked to her room.

The phone jingled in the dorm of J.T. and Mario at midnight. Mario lifted off his sleeping mask and fumbled for the phone.

"Hi, hi," he answered.

"Uh, Mario, is it? Can I speak to J.T., please? It's Heidi."

"Hold on just a minute, sweetie. I'll have to wake him up. He came right home and hit the bed as soon as the all clear was called. Wait just a sec."

Mario tiptoed over to J.T. and nudged him. "Psst, J.T. Heidi's on the phone."

J.T. opened one eye. "Tell her to call back later. I'm sleepy and grumpy."

"Any other dwarf you want me to recall for her?" Mario said. He giggled.

"Just give me the phone, Mario." Mario presented the phone to J.T. with a limp wrist.

"Hello," J.T. answered groggily.

"I've got a problem."

"And it can't wait until morning?"

"No, it can't. I can't get to sleep."

"So, you decided to wake me up so I could suffer, too--"

"No, I said someone could stay in my room tonight and she took me up on the offer. When she wasn't talking constantly, she turned to snoring so loud that I think the whole floor can hear her. I need a place to crash."

"Well, all the girls are over there, so pick one."

"J.T.," Heidi whined.

J.T. smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand. He knew that voice and he knew what the next thing said was going to be.

"I was wondering if I could come over. All the girls have other people with them and I don't want to impose on them."

"Well, Mario and I like it pretty quiet over here right now."

"I promise you won't hear a peep from me. I just need to get some sleep," Heidi said.

"Let me talk it over with Mario. I'll call you back. Bye." He trampled over to where the phone cradle was and hung up the phone.

"Hey, man, gotta girl comin' over. Cool with you?"

"Just peachy," Mario said. "Just tell me when to leave and I will."

"Oh, nothing like that, Mario. She just needs a place to sleep tonight. Seems it a little crowded over at the Burn Unit," J.T. said recalling the name the gang had given the girl's dorm.

"Fine. Just as long as I can get beauty sleep, I'll be fine." Mario slipped the sleeping mask back over his eyes. "Night, night."

J.T. called Heidi and told her to come on over. He laid a sleeping bag out on the floor for himself and let Heidi take the bed. She fell asleep immediately. J.T, on the other hand, could not get comfortable. He was up when the resident director came by to do a second bed check.

The key slowly turned in the door and J.T. shot up.

"BED CHECK!" the resident director warned. He swung open the door and flipped on the light. When he saw Heidi, he looked at J.T.

"Not good, J.T. Gonna have to write you up for this."

"What the heck did I do this time?!" J.T. asked with anger tinting his voice.

"Girl in the room after hours," the resident director answered.

"Oh my gosh. She couldn't get to sleep over at the other dorm because of all the commotion, so she came over here. Should she be punished for that?? Hmmm?? She has an early class and she needed to get some shut eye. In fact, she woke me up, so she could sleep."

"Aww, isn't that sweet? But it's not going to hold when you tell the dean."

J.T. growled. "I should have just stayed in my flat instead of moving in here. I have never been in this much trouble in my life!"

"I'm just doing my job. Anyway, her RD is going to notice that she's not in her room and she's going to be in as much trouble as you."

"Man, you don't understand. We are all ready on probation for breaking curfew the first night here. Then, you want to report us because you caught my girlfriend trying to be responsible and get some sleep, so she wouldn't be tired in class tomorrow. I mean, I all ready have Mario in here, what's another girl gonna do to me now?"

"Well, Mario is a special case."

"Oh, he's special, all right," J.T. sighed.

"What's her name?" the RD asked.

"Heidi."

"What dorm?"

"The one that was on fire earlier. I don't remember the name."

"Fine. I'll tell the dean the situation, and she can take it from there."

"Great. I'm so thrilled that you're looking out for me," J.T. said with sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"Good night." The RD left the room and shut the door. J.T. threw his shoe at the door and grunted.

"If I drop out of this place, I hope you know it's because of this crap!" he yelled after the RD.

CHAPTER 9

"So, how did the meeting with Harlow go this time?" Court asked J.T. as they sat waiting for their professor to arrive.

"Better than expected. She actually let me talk this time," J.T. said.

"Whoa, she must have taken some medication," Court joked.

"No kidding. She says that she'll overlook what happened because of the circumstances. Her words not mine," J.T. remarked.

"And what did she say to Heidi?"

"I have no idea. She's supposed to meet with her tomorrow. Right now, Heidi is concerned with getting this petition out, so the rest of us can go play."

"I'll be glad when it's over with. I can't stand being home at 10 at night. I feel like I'm 16 again and my parents just gave me keys to the car," Court remarked.

"You actually got to stay out that late? I'm surprised they trusted you."

"Hey, man, I was with you!"

"Exactly. Do you remember what we did when we were 16?"

Court and J.T. daydreamed for a minute about their younger days. They were sitting in their Shakespeare class and waiting for their professor. He had been out for the first week with the flu, so classes had been cancelled. Rumors had spread that he was the worst professor in the whole bunch of instructors that Julliard had ever hired. Court and J.T. had to see for themselves.

Dr. Graham walked into the room. He looked like he stepped out of a storybook about teachers. He wore a brown corduroy sport jacket with brown leather patches on the elbows. His short, disheveled gray hair stuck out in every direction. His button up shirt stuck to his body like a magnet attracted to metal. He almost ran into the room and threw his briefcase on the front table.

"Good afternoon, fellow Shakespeare lovers," Dr. Graham remarked. "My name is Dr. Graham and I'll be your instructor for this class. The first order of business is the syllabus." Dr. Graham pulled out the syllabus from his briefcase, licked his thumb, and counted off the number he needed and slid them onto the tables of students. "Your first assignment is to read the first act of _Romeo and Juliet_ and recreate a scene in front of the class." Dr. Graham scanned the room through his thick glasses. "I see that the men outnumber the women in this class, so you'll find that you have to be true Shakespeare actors. Since I'm still a little sick, I'm going to leave class early. Office hours are on my door if you need to talk and any other information is in the syllabus. Goodbye."

Dr. Graham picked up his briefcase and ran out of the room. The class looked around at each other with blank stares.

"So, I guess were just going to have to learn on our own," Court said.

"Sounds like it," J.T. said.

A girl with long, blond curls came up to Court and put a hand on his shoulder. "Hi, would you mind being my Romeo?" she asked.

Court's eyes darted from side to side. "Uh, okay, I guess, but it's okay to call me Court."

The girl chuckled. "Well, you don't have to call me Juliet. Ok, actually, you do. My name is Juliet. So, when do you want to get together?"

"Anytime before 10."

"Oh, yeah, that little rule. You don't have to worry about that when you're with me. My mom is the dean's sister and Aunt Stacy tends to overlook those things when it comes to her niece."

Court turned to J.T. with a wide grin on his face. He raised an eyebrow and mouthed "all right!"

"So, is tonight okay with you?" Juliet asked.

"Okay? It's great with me. Where should we meet?"

"My dorm room—the burn unit. I'm staying in Heidi Weir's room right now. I think you know her."

J.T. put his hands over his face and shook his head.

"Why don't we meet at the Julliard Café." Court nudged J.T. "This is Heidi's boyfriend and I think they want to be alone tonight."

Juliet squealed. "Oh, you're J.T. Yeah, we can definitely meet there, Court. I'll see you then." She walked out of the room and Court and J.T. looked at each other.

"I'm either going to get into really big trouble or become the dean's pet," Court remarked.

"Guess we'll have to find out." J.T scooped up his books and walked out with Court. Heidi was waiting for them outside the door.

J.T. put his arm around Heidi and kissed her on the cheek. "So, what are you up to?' he asked her.

"I have a problem."

J.T. exhaled deeply. "What would that be?"

"I'm supposed to meet with the dean earlier than I thought and I don't have these petitions signed. I wanted to show her the progress, but I don't have any progress to show. Look!" She slipped the petition in front of J.T.'s face. He grabbed it.

"No problem. I don't have any more classes today and the rest of the guys need something to do. Problem solved."

"Man, why do you get me into these things?" Court whined.

"Because you need to figure out that person that you just flirted with," J.T. snapped. "Go ahead and tell Heidi who you're partnering up with."

"Juliet. The girl that was in your room the other night."

"And hasn't gone back to her room, yet?! I can't stand her."

"She's the dean's niece," Court said trying to find something good to say about her.

"And she let's everyone know. She walks in late to every class I'm in with her. She ignores all rules all the time and gets away with it. I think it's time someone shows her the ropes of responsibility or she is going to wind up in big trouble."

"Well, Heidi, dear, I'm not a babysitter."

"Well, Court, be prepared. That's all I'm saying. She is very high maintenance from what I've heard. And she just broke up with her boyfriend because he wouldn't buy her a pair of shoes that she wanted."

Court hit his forehead with the palm of his hand. "Oh, great. Not again. Why are they always attracted to me? Do I look like I'm a money tree?"

"You do have a nice trunk," Heidi grinned, "and your branches aren't bad either."

"So, what am I? A shrub?" J.T. joked. They began walking Heidi to her pointe class.

"No, you're much more than that, but I can't think of a good comparison." Heidi stood on her tiptoes and gave J.T. a peck on the cheek before entering her class. "Get those petitions signed for me, okay. Bye." She disappeared.

"You heard her, Court. Put on something skimpy, so we can get these signatures," J.T. remarked.

"I think you've been spending too much time with Mario."

J.T. rolled his eyes. "What I'm trying to say is that we have to get these girls to have a reason to be out later than 10. Call up the guys and have them meet over at my room in 30 minutes. See you then."

Court, Brady, Sam, Parker and J.T. stood at a table in the front lawn of Julliard. They had put on their "woman-ogling" shirts that were sure to get attention. J.T. wore a tight fitting short sleeved T-shirt that accented his muscles well. Court, who defied the weather, wore a white sleeveless T-shirt and tied his trademark plaid shirt around his waist. His tattoo of the logo of RENT caught the attention of the girls that walked by.

"You know, you look exactly like the guy who plays Roger," one of the girls remarked.

Court smiled. "Well, I haven't heard that before." He leaned over on the table. "I'm doing a poll and I need your opinion. Who do you think I could get a date with easier—you or your friend that hasn't taken her eyes off my friend over there."

The girl glanced over at her friend who stared at Brady who had his shirt off. "Oh, definitely me."

"Would you mind putting that in writing?" Court shoved the petition over to the girl he was flirting with.

"Hold on just a minute," J.T. interrupted. "My mischievous friend here hasn't told you what you are signing. This is a petition to get the curfew changed from 10:00 to a later time. You have to sign your name and pick one of the times that you would prefer to have as a curfew. Then, you can continue to reel him in," J.T. explained.

"Well, it's about time somebody did something with the curfew," the girl said. She scrawled her name down and chose the time she would rather be in.

Court peered over to check her name. "Thank you, Erika Latchki," Court said.

"You're welcome, guy that looks like Roger."

"Court. Court Ashton."

Erika took a piece of paper from her purse. "Here's my number. Let me know how the petition goes."

"I will."

Erika walked away without her friend.

"Hi, I'm Brandi," she finally told Brady.

"Hi, there, Brandi, I'm Brady. Would you like to sign our petition?"

"Sure."

Brady shoved the petition over to Brandi and she scribbled her signature on the line below Erika's.

"When you get done with this, why don't you give me a call." Brandi took Brady's hand and wrote her number on his palm. "Bye." She winked and walked away.

"C'mon, Court has two girls after him, J.T. already has one, and Brady just got one of the shy but forward ones. When am I going to get my turn?!" Sam complained.

"Probably when I get mine," Parker remarked. "That would be next to never."

"I think your luck is about to change," J.T. said. He nodded his head toward a leggy brunette walking their way. She was talking to Freedom and didn't notice the table in front of her. She ran into it and cursed.

"Excuse you," Sam remarked.

"Sorry. I'm just a little clumsy," the girl said and flashed a blinding white smile.

"Nice to meet you Clumsy, I'm Desperate." Sam held out his hand for a handshake.

Freedom shook her head. "Sam, be nice. This is m friend, Gretchen. Gretchen, this is Sam."

"Hi. Would you like to go to a movie tonight?"

"Sure. What time?" Gretchen asked.

"Oh, anytime before 10, since that's when the warden wants us locked down."

Freedom winked at Sam. "Don't you wish there was something we could do about that?"

"Oh, but you can." Sam grabbed the petition from Brady. "Just sign this paper and we could stay out as late as one in the morning." He sounded like a game show host or a guy on an infomercial.

"What's the catch?" Gretchen asked suspiciously.

"No catch. Well, you will catch me," Sam remarked.

"Oh, yeah, about that. I just broke up with my boyfriend and I don't think I'm ready for anything serious right now. But, the movie would be nice." Gretchen leaned over on the table and signed the petition. Sam bit his lip and glared at Freedom.

"So, I'll get your number from Freedom and call you later. Bye."

Gretchen walked away with Freedom who gave Sam a wave and blew him a kiss.

"Ouch. Someone just got burned," Court remarked.

"No kiddin,'" Sam snapped.

"One of these days, you are going to find out that Freedom is your counterpart in just about everything you do," J.T. said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sam asked dumbfounded.

"You'll end up with her in the long run," Court explained.

"No, no, no. That is not going to happen. She's not my type—I mean as a girlfriend. As a friend she is, but other than that, there is no way that could happen."

"You just wait. She'll come back to haunt you," Court said.

"Whatever. Let's just get this petition signed, so I can go out and party again."

The boys stayed in the front lawn until the sunset and they couldn't see anymore. Then, they packed up and told Heidi the news.

CHAPTER 10

Ashleigh sat in her room having an internal debate whether or not to call Kelso. She knew that he had something very important to tell her, but he thought she all ready had heard it. She wondered if it would be hard for him to repeat it. What was she going to do?

The phone rang and it broke her concentration. She grabbed it hoping it was someone besides Kelso.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Ashleigh, it's Kelso."

"Oh. Hi." Disappointment coated her voice.

"Well, nice to hear from you, too," Kelso said sarcastically.

"Oh, no, that's not how that was supposed to come out. I was just thinking about something and you sort of were the reason."

"Uh-oh. I think I know what you're thinking about," Kelso said.

"You do?" Ashleigh asked surprised.

"Yes. I thought about what I said to you the other night before you left and then I realized you probably didn't hear what I said through the fire alarm. So, how about we have dinner after my rehearsal tomorrow? You could just meet me at the theater, since I know you know where that is."

"That would be great." Ashleigh's voice had a tinge of relief in it. "What should I be prepared for?"

"A night of laughter, actually. We're having our costumes fitted tonight."

"Not that. I mean should I be ready for good news or bad news?"

"That? I don't know. It all depends on how you look at it."

Ashleigh sighed. "You sure are a secretive person."

"Hey, I'm trying to tell you something, aren't I? Don't blame me for not trying. It's the fire alarm's fault."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll see you tomorrow. What time?"

"Around 8. Bye, Ashleigh."

Ashleigh loved to hear him say her name. It rolled off his tongue so well. So, she returned the favor. "Bye, Kelso."

She hung up the phone and sat on her bed still in confusion.

***

Court sat in a booth waiting for Juliet to show up. He wasn't sure what he was getting into, but he didn't mind testing it out. He glanced at his watch. She was all ready 15 minutes late. He wondered whether or not he should leave or give her a little more time. When he decided to do the former, Juliet ran inside searching the café for him. She spotted him and hustled over to him before he could get away.

"I am so sorry. I was caught in a meeting with Aunt Stacy. She wanted to know how I was doing and all that kind of stuff. I had to nod my head and say everything was going okay, which was a bold face lie because I'm not doing okay. I can't stand my professors, my dorm room still smells like burnt rubber and my boyfriend and I aren't on speaking terms. Well, he isn't really my boyfriend anymore, but I still wanted to be able to talk to him. Guess, that's not going to happen." She plopped down on the seat of the both. "So, how are you?"

"Not so excited about this class we have to act in. I can't stand _Romeo and Juliet."_

Most guys can't."

"No, I mean I really can't stand it. My ex-girlfriend used to read it to me all the time and asked me why I couldn't be more like Romeo and I told her because I'd rather live than die for some lovestruck girl."

"Oh." Juliet looked down at the table with disappointment.

"So, let's just find a scene and get it over with. I pretty much know the lines by heart thanks to her."

"Well, then, you pick." Juliet shoved the book over to Court.

Court shoved the book back. "You really don't want me to," he snapped.

Juliet glared at Court. "What is with you? You seemed like a nice guy when I asked you to help me out, but now you're all . . .all moody."

Court inhaled and exhaled deeply. "Oh, boy, here it comes."

"Here what comes?" Juliet sniffed as she dabbed her eyes with a napkin.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to act this way. Its just that, well, you were late and you didn't call me to tell me you were running late. The last time a girl ran late on me was because she was on a date with another guy. I know we're not dating, but it would've been nice for you to call me."

"I couldn't. I was with my Aunt Stacy. She would have gone crazy if I told her that I had to call a guy to tell him I was running late. She knows who you are, Court."

"Well, duh. My friends and I are practically in her office everyday for breaking some pud rule of hers."

"Sheesh, you have an attitude."

"If you don't like it, then find somebody else to help you out."

"Nah, I like it. It's kind of sexy."

Court rolled his eyes.

"And I told you not to worry about Aunt Stacy, anymore. She won't bother you if you are with me."

"You don't get it. That's all the more reason to bother me. If she is so lenient with you and she finds out you're with one of the hoodlums she tracks, I'm in more trouble than any of my friends."

"Whatever. One day you'll understand. Let's just find a scene and get it ready for Dr. Graham."

"Fine."

Court was not happy with Juliet. It seemed he was talking to a brick wall. He listened to her talk, but only could think about the other girls that kept walking by his table and smiling. He wanted to get up from where he was and go flirt, but he felt obligated to stay with the whiny little girl he had flirted with earlier. Too bad that he couldn't just walk away. He was nicer than that and his girl friends would have killed him if they knew he did that. Why did he have to be so nice?

CHAPTER 11

Heidi paced in the lobby of the dean's office. She was rehearsing what she was going to say about the petition she was hugging to her chest. Hopefully, the dean would overlook what had happened a few days earlier when she had wound up in J.T's dorm. If she had let him off the hook, why shouldn't she be let off the hook?

"Dean Harlow will see you now," Burnetta announced to Heidi.

"Thank you," Heidi remarked. She walked into the familiar office she had seen on the first day of Julliard.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Wiers. So, we meet again."

"Yes, I suppose we do."

Dean Harlow took off her glasses and motioned for Heidi to sit down.

"It seems to me that your RD found you missing from you room around midnight and another RD found you in the boy's dorm at the same time. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Heidi clenched her teeth. She didn't want to get on Dean Harlow's bad side by telling her that her niece drove her out of the room, but she didn't want to lie either.

"It's true," she finally answered.

"And whose room were you in?" Dean Harlow asked.

"My boyfriend's," Heidi mumbled.

"Pardon?" Dean Harlow cupped her ear, so she could hear Heidi confess again.

"J.T.'s—I mean Jayson Sumtrane's room—my boyfriend."

"Oh, I see." Dean Harlow picked up her pen and began writing down something.

"No, he's not like that. He would never do anything like that. I just needed some sleep because I had a 7 o'clock class the next morning. Things were pretty hectic over at my dorm since the fire had broken out over there. I offered to let someone sleep in my room since she lived on the top floor, but she didn't sleep. Instead, she kept talking to me and I couldn't get her to stop. Finally, she fell asleep, but she snored so loud that it woke me up. So, I called J.T. because I knew he wouldn't have a problem with me coming over and sleeping in his room. In fact, he put a sleeping bag on the floor for himself and let me sleep in his bed. Please, Dean Harlow, don't expel me. I worked too hard and too long to get here. I need this more than anything. Please don't expel me." Heidi wiped the tears that were streaking down her face after her explanation.

Dean Harlow sat in silence. She looked at the girl sitting across from her who was having an emotional break down. She didn't want to expel her, but she needed to know that what she did was unacceptable behavior.

"Why didn't you go to another dorm room in your dormitory?" Dean Harlow asked.

"They were full. My friends had all ready taken in some of the girls from upstairs and I didn't want to get in the way."

"You're an awfully selfless person, aren't you, Heidi?"

Heidi looked up surprised. This was the first time Dean Harlow had used her first name since she had talked to her.

"Yes, ma'am, I guess I am."

Dean Harlow contorted her lips into a smile. "I'm not going to expel you—"

"Thank you." Heidi started to stand up.

"But," Dean Harlow interrupted. Heidi sat back in the chair. "I am going to ask that you do some community service for the school. You need to realize what you did was unacceptable at Julliard and remember not to let it happen again. So, for one month, you are going to work with Madame Rischkev at the community center and give dance lessons to the underprivileged children that come there. You will not be getting paid and I expect that you sign in and out with Madame Rischkev so I know that you are not taking this lightly."

Heidi nodded her head.

Dean Harlow looked at the papers in Heidi's lap. "Is there anything else, Ms. Weirs?"

Heidi looked in her lap and realized she was going to leave without explaining what had happened with the petition. "Oh, yes. I just wanted to let you know, that 50% of the school population has signed the petition for a later curfew. Well, I think so, anyway. I need to check a list of the students to make sure there is no double signing or fake signatures. Is there anyway you can help me with that?"

"Certainly." Dean Harlow pushed a button on the phone and told Burnetta to print out a student list for her. "You'll have to check your petition in the office. I don't want the student list to leave here for confidentiality reasons. There's an empty conference room next door. You can use that for the time being."

"Thank you."

"No problem." Dean Harlow stood up from her chair and Heidi did the same. She walked Heidi to the reception area and told Burnetta to give her the student list. Then, Heidi went into the conference room and checked her petition.

***

Ashleigh knocked on the door frame of Dashelle's door.

Dashelle looked up from the thick book of plays she was studying. "Hey, stranger, come on in."

"Stranger? Have I not been around as much?" Ashleigh asked concerned.

"No, I haven't. I've been busy with studying and stuff, that I just haven't had time to talk to any of the gang," Dashelle remarked.

"Oh, yeah. Guess I haven't noticed."

"Gee, thanks. You don't even notice that your best friend is gone."

"That's not what I meant, Dashelle. You know that. Why do you think I came over here?"

"To borrow my clothes," Dashelle joked.

Ashleigh smiled and rolled her eyes at the comment. "I need to talk to you."

"So, what are we doing now?"

"This is serious, Shell. It's about Kelso."

"Oh, boy. You've fallen hopelessly in love with the guy and you want to tell him that, but you're afraid to because you don't want to seem too forward. Right?"

Ashleigh shook her head.

Dashelle looked at her friend concerned. She had never seen the look on Ashleigh's face before. She got up from her chair, walked over to Ashleigh, and put a hand on her shoulder.

"What's wrong, Ash?"

"I don't know. He was trying to tell me something the night of the fire, but I didn't hear it. And now, he wants to tell me tonight at dinner. I don't understand why he won't tell me over the phone. I've tried to get him to tell me, but he says he wants to explain in person."

"Well, at least he wants to see you again," Dashelle remarked.

"Yeah, I guess."

"Yeah, I guess?" Dashelle repeated. "You were dying to meet this guy, hoping he would like you and all you have to say is 'yeah, I guess?!' He practically spent all night with you, obviously getting to know you better and when he thought the time was right, he was going to tell you something. Stupid fire alarm didn't help his cause at all, did it?"

Ashleigh snickered. "Guess not."

"You know who's to blame for this, don't you?"

"No, who?"

"J.T. He got you into this mess and he's going to get you out of it." Dashelle picked up the phone and dialed J.T.'s cell phone.

"J.T. here."

"J.T. –Dashelle. What's up?'

"Just on my way to rehearsal. What's going on?"

"Ashleigh."

"Huh?"

"Apparently, Kelso is supposed to tell her something tonight that seems very important and she's all bent out of shape about it. Any suggestions as to why?"

"I have no idea, Dashelle. I'll see him in a few, though. I can ask him then."

"All right, I'll let her know. Have fun. Bye." Dashelle hung up and looked at Ashleigh who had a placid look on her face.

"Don't worry, hon. J.T.'s gonna find out for you."

Ashleigh looked at her watch. "I'm not supposed to meet him for a couple of more hours, but I kinda want to see how he is in action. Kelso said he had to be fitted for costumes tonight."

"You just want to see him with his shirt off," Dashelle teased.

"Yeah, so. Wanna come with me?"

"You bet."

Dashelle grabbed her jacket and they giggled all the way to the theater.

***

Kelso and J.T. looked over their script for the next scene they were about to rehearse. Kelso looked at J.T. for a second and noticed a scowl on his face.

"Hey, man, what's up?"

"Huh?" J.T. asked. He shook his head to clear the cobwebs out of his mind.

"You look like you're thinking about something important."

"Oh, I got a call from Heidi today. Remember our friend the dean? Well, she let me off the hook, but she told Heidi she had to do some community service."

"Sounds like discrimination to me," Kelso remarked.

"You, too. At least I know somebody's on my side. Heidi said she didn't think it was since she was the one that came into my room—"

"Whoa. Don't need to hear the details, man. Pretty sure I know what happened next."

"Kelso, I'm not like that and neither is Heidi."

"So, what does that say about me? Am I too much of a bad boy for you?"

"There's nothing wrong with how you live your life."

"Good. Cuz I'm sure not going to change just because you think I'm a bad seed."

"Man, what's going on with you? You don't seem yourself tonight."

"Sorry. I'm just a little sidetracked. I mean I went through what I was going to say to Ashleigh and I said it the other night, but she didn't hear a word I said. So, I have to do it all over again tonight. Once is hard enough."

"Oh. That's what she's bugging about. I got a call from her best friend today and she said that Ashleigh was strung out about what was going on tonight with you two."

"What did you tell her?"

"Didn't say a word. Not my business. I told her I'd talk to you, but since it's about that, I think I'll let you handle it. She doesn't need to hear those things from me."

Kelso turned his head to sneeze and saw Dashelle and Ashleigh walk in and sit in the back row of the theater. "Speak of the devil. She's early and she brought a friend."

J.T. looked in the direction of his friends. "Oh, that's Dashelle, Ashleigh's best friend."

"If you two are finished reading over the next scene, let's get it blocked," Greg announced.

"All right," Kelso said.

The two men hoisted themselves up from the stage and went to their positions.

Dashelle and Ashleigh sat whispering so they wouldn't disturb what was going on onstage.

"Does Kelso look normal to you?" Ashleigh asked.

"Yeah. I mean there's no antennae poking out of his head or tail wagging behind him," Dashelle remarked.

Ashleigh gave her friend a playful push on the shoulder. "I know that. He looks like there's no color in his face."

"Probably just the lighting or make up. They do make men wear make up during rehearsals, don't they."

"I guess. Let's just watch."

J.T. and Kelso finished the scene and J.T. went off stage. Kelso had to rehearse with the girl who played Mimi. Ashleigh scrunched up her nose.

"I could do so much better than her," Ashleigh sneered.

"You're just jealous."

"No, seriously. She doesn't know the lines. She doesn't know the play. She doesn't have the heart of Mimi."

"You mean, she doesn't have the sex kitten attitude that you could portray."

"Dashelle, you're mean."

"No, I'm not. Why don't you go up there and see if she needs an understudy."

Ashleigh shook her head furiously. "There's no way that will ever happen."

"Do you want me to ask for you? I will, ya know."

Dashelle started to rise from her chair and Ashleigh pulled her back down. "Don't make a fool of yourself," Ashleigh remarked.

"Why can't you stand up for yourself, Ash? If you want something, go after it. You have everyone else doing your dirty work. J.T. got you Kelso's number, you asked me to find out what was going on with Kelso. Why can't you stand up for yourself and do things on your own. Are you scared?"

"No, I'm not. Some friend you are, knocking me down again after I get back up."

"Ashleigh, you have got to learn to take care of yourself. We aren't always going to be around. I mean, after we graduate, the guys are gonna go in all different directions."

"You don't know that," Ashleigh stated.

"Yes, I do. Why do you think J.T. has his resume and headshot all over the place in New York and Hollywood? Heidi's trying the same thing. I mean, she's all ready had guest spots on some major shows. We are in Julliard for a reason—so, we can get out and make some money. Why are you here? Just tagging along with the rest of us?"

Ashleigh rose from her seat and started yelling. "I have plenty of reasons to be here. I'm a dancer and a darn good one, too. I'm going to be a star, too, ya know. I've had lots of bands and movie choreographers call me up. I'm not tagging along; I'm working, just like everybody else around here."

J.T. heard the voices from backstage and peeked around the curtain. He didn't dare walk onstage and say he knew the two that were arguing. Kelso shaded his eyes and saw Ashleigh standing. He had not heard her be that loud before.

Dashelle stood up. She wasn't about to be scolded like a child. "Listen, Ashleigh, I'm not going to take this. If you want some support, don't come looking for me anymore. Find your way home by yourself." Dashelle grabbed her stuff and stormed out of the theater. Ashleigh looked around the theater. The actors stood onstage staring at her. She plopped down in her seat and slumped down into it, so no one could see her.

"Well, I'm sure that was a nice little break we had, people. We've just finished the last scene for tonight, so stick around so you can get measured for costumes. See you all in the morning. Good night." Greg slipped out of the theater and expected the rest of the cast to stay to get poked and prodded for costumes.

Kelso trotted to the back of the theater and slid into the seat next to Ashleigh. He looked at her tear stained cheeks and put his arm around her.

"Why the frown, sweetie?" Kelso asked.

"I'm not having a good day," Ashleigh remarked. She wiped her face with the back of her hand.

"I heard," Kelso said.

"Sorry. I just don't like it when people tell me that I'm a leach. I'm still trying to find out what I want to do and I've had some really bad auditions lately. I'm more nervous than usual and I miss steps and cues. It's driving me crazy."

"You? Miss a cue or a step? That's impossible." Kelso pulled Ashleigh up out of the seat and drew her near to him. "Show me what you have to do."

Ashleigh looked befuddled. "I just dance."

"You _just_ dance? C'mon, Ashleigh. I haven't known you for very long, but you don't just dance. You feel dance, you make dance, you work dance," Kelso said as he rubbed up against her.

Ashleigh's face formed into a small grin. "What are you doing? You've got it all wrong. Have any music around here?"

Kelso grabbed Ashleigh's hand and took her backstage. He found an old stereo and turned it on. The song playing was a fast dancing song. The beat pounded and Ashleigh began to dance. Kelso leaned on a stool and watched.

"Don't just stand there, Kelso. Dance with me." Ashleigh grabbed Kelso's arm and spun him around. The choreographer came backstage to pick up her things to go home, but she stopped and watched the two dance. When the song was over, Ashleigh and Kelso were laughing at each other.

"Excuse me, Kelso, who's your friend?"

Kelso gained his composure and cleared his throat. "Oh, this is Ashleigh. We were just having a little fun waiting around for costumes."

"Mm hmm." She shoved a card in Ashleigh's hand. "You're good. Give me a call. See you later, Kelso." The choreographer put on her backpack and left the theater.

"KELSO STARK!" a voice that could peel wallpaper exclaimed. "Come get measured."

"Be right there," Kelso said. "You gonna be okay back here or do you want to go onstage with me?"

"I'll just wait back here." Ashleigh was twirling the business card in her hand.

"Okay." Kelso gave Ashleigh a quick hug and ran onstage.

J.T. snuck up behind Ashleigh and tapped her shoulder. She jumped.

"J.T.! Don't do that!"

"Sorry. I just didn't want to break your concentration."

"Oh, that. I was just thinking about what I should do about this?" She showed the business card to J.T.

"Go for it. If she thinks you're good, then you're good. Kayla doesn't just pass those cards out to everybody."

"You're just saying that."

"No, I'm not. You should have seen the crew that came in here for open auditions. She rejected about two-thirds of them and the other third she narrowed down, too. If she wants you to work for her, don't back down. Assert yourself, woman."

"Great. You're going to yell at me, too, aren't you?" Ashleigh asked.

"Uh, no. What went on with you and Dashelle anyway?"

"Differences of opinion, that's all. Don't think we'll be agreeing anytime soon."

"You better. I don't think the rest of us can take you and Dashelle not talking."

"You'll get used to it."

"Whatever." J.T. peeked at his watch. "I gotta go. I told Heidi I'd meet her after rehearsal." J.T. turned on his heels and took a few steps. Ashleigh went after him.

"Hey, wait a minute. Did you find out anything about what Kelso wants to tell me?"

"Just listen to him. He means no harm. See you later." He left Ashleigh confused and on the verge of tears—again.

CHAPTER 12

"Help me, J.T.," Heidi whined to her boyfriend over the phone.

J.T. was walking towards her dorm. "What now?"

"The petition isn't going as well as I thought. Dean Harlow let me compare my petition to the student list and I have a lot of double and triple signatures. Some kids thought it would be funny to sign names like Sylvester Stallone and J-Lo."

J.T. chuckled.

"This is serious. Quit laughing."

J.T. knocked on the door of Heidi's dorm room with his ear to the phone. "I'm not laughing. I'm chuckling. Big difference."

Heidi opened the door with her ear still to the phone. "What are you doing here?" she asked into the phone. J.T. took her phone and hung it up.

"I'm taking you out. Got a problem with that?"

"I need to get this done. I've got a deadline and I've got homework to finish up."

"Take a break, Heidi. C'mon. We haven't spent that much time alone together since we started dating. I just want you and me to go out by ourselves."

"But, J.T., you're not listening. I have—"

"A deadline, I know. I have a deadline, too. If we don't get out of this place in less than five minutes, I'm going to have to take some drastic measures."

Heidi walked toward J.T. and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Oh, and what would those be?" She smiled.

J.T. pressed his forehead against Heidi's and looked into her eyes. "You don't want to find out." He kissed Heidi's nose.

"Fine. We can go out for a few minutes—"

"Hours."

"Hour, and then you can help me figure out this problem I have right here."

"Okay. Let's go."

***

Brady tapped on Freedom's door.

"Come in," Freedom sang.

Brady pushed open the door. "I could be a serial killer for all you know."

Freedom glared at Brady. "Don't think a serial killer would knock."

"So, I was looking for your friend, Gretchen's phone number and I seemed to have lost it."

"Hmm. Isn't that a pity," Freedom sighed. "She's not your type."

"The pretty, leggy, blond isn't my type? Where have you been?"

"Seriously, Brady, you could do better."

"You mean, I could do you."

Freedom looked at the floor.

"Wait, I didn't mean that like it came out of my mouth. You know that," Brady apologized.

"I was hoping you were going to put your foot in your mouth after you said that," Freedom said smiling. "Really, Brady, Gretchen isn't your type. She has no idea what she would have gotten into if you actually had her number. She's rude and she's manipulative."

"Sheesh. Don't you girls have any friends that aren't witches," Brady remarked.

"What?"

"Court went out with the girl that was in Heidi's room on the night of the fire and she had the same problem. It was all about her and Court walked out on her."

"Oh, the dean's niece. Didn't Heidi warn him about her?"

"Guess he didn't take her advice." Brady walked closer over to Freedom who was sitting on the floor doing dance stretches. "Listen, I don't have anything to do tonight and it looks like you don't have anything to do tonight, so why don't we get out of this place."

"Are you asking me out on a date, Brady Parker?" Freedom teased.

Brady waved his hand in front of her. "No, no, we can invite the others with us. I just thought I'd come over here first, since your room was the closest."

Freedom playfully punched him in the arm. "You lazy bum."

Brady shrugged.

"C'mon, let's go get Dashelle and Ashleigh. Heidi told me she was busy tonight, so she's probably out with J.T."

"Okay, let's go."

***

Ashleigh and Kelso walked hand in hand to a little diner that wasn't far from the theater. Kelso opened the door for Ashleigh and she slipped in front of him. They sat down and Kelso handed Ashleigh a menu.

"The hoagies are really good here," Kelso remarked.

"That's great. I'm not really much of a meat eater," Ashleigh confessed.

"Oh. You're a vegan?"

"No, not really. I just have to be in a mood to eat meat and today I'm not."

"Mm hmm. Already did some back biting today and you can't take anymore."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Ashleigh whined.

"Nothing." Kelso put his menu up to his face to hide the smile he had pasted on his face.

Ashleigh got up and moved the menu out of the way. "Don't do that. I'm sorry I made a spectacle of myself during your rehearsal."

"There's no need to apologize to me, Ashleigh. I enjoyed the break from work."

The waitress came up chomping on her bubble gum and asked for their order. The two politely gave their choices and the waitress stomped away.

"Hope I'm never like that," Ashleigh said a little too loud.

"Shh!" Kelso put his finger to his lips and looked at Ashleigh with eyes bulging out of his head.

"What?"

"That's my sister," Kelso answered.

"Are you serious?"

"No."

"Kelso, don't do that to me. You're awfully feisty tonight."

"Yeah, I know. I'm just trying to get the nerve up to tell you what I need to tell you."

The waitress came by and slammed their glasses on the table. Ashleigh's sloshed over the rim of her glass. The waitress threw down some napkins so Ashleigh could clean it up herself.

"This place has got to get better help," Ashleigh yelled after their waitress.

"I'm sorry we're not getting better service, but, I needed to tell you what I'm going to tell you in a quiet little place and this is the best I could do."

Ashleigh took a sip of her drink. "So, what's up?"

"I'm not feeling too well these days."

"So, take a break from rehearsals. A couple of days and you'll feel brand new."

"I wish I could, but it's not that easy." Kelso took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair. "I don't know how to tell you this, Ashleigh." He took a chug of his drink.

"Just tell me, Kelso. I'm listening. I'm not going to turn my back on you no matter what you say. If you just want to be friends, I understand. If you never want to see me again, that's fine, too. Just spit it out."

The waitress came back with their plates and shoved them in front of the correct person. Then, she threw the check on the table and walked away.

Kelso reached across the table and covered Ashleigh's hands with his. "Look at me, Ashleigh."

Ashleigh tilted her head and looked into Kelso's eyes. Her eyes twinkled and Kelso's looked hurt and afraid.

"What's wrong?" Ashleigh questioned.

"The character I'm playing in _RENT_ is more like a life story for me. My girlfriend died a year ago of AIDS and I found out about six months ago that I'm HIV positive. That's what I tried to tell you the other night."

"Oh," Ashleigh whispered. Her hands fell out of Kelso's grip. She looked down at her plate and pushed it away.

"If you want to leave, go ahead. I just needed to tell you that before anything got serious," Kelso said.

Ashleigh stared at Kelso. "You think I'm that shallow? You think I'm just going to walk out on you because you're HIV positive. What kind of person do you think I am?"

"I think you're an amazing person and I'd like to know you better if you'll let me. I just don't want to hurt you," Kelso said.

Ashleigh bit her lip. "Will you excuse me a minute," Ashleigh said. She pushed her chair out and quickly walked to the bathroom she had spotted earlier. When she got inside, she backed up against the wall and slid down until she was sitting on the sticky bathroom floor. There, she let the tears flow.

***

"Dashelle," Freedom sang outside her door. "I know you're in there. I can see the light's on."

"Go away," Dashelle ordered.

"Don't think so," Freedom said.

"And just how to you plan on getting in here if I don't let you in?" Dashelle asked.

"I have my ways." Freedom took a bobby pin out of her hair, slipped it in just the right spot of the lock on the door and swung it open.

"How did you learn to do that?" Brady asked.

"Brothers," Freedom answered. She looked over at Dashelle and saw that she had been crying and now she had a scowl on her face.

"What happened?" Freedom asked Dashelle. She walked over to her desk.

"Nothing."

"Oh, that's a big, fat lie," Brady remarked.

"Stay out of this, Brady. I'm not in the mood to talk to any male species right now."

Brady hissed like a cat and backed away. "I'm just going to be cowering over here in the corner if you need me."

Freedom shot him a warning with her eyes. She looked back over at Dashelle. The pictures of Ashleigh on Dashelle's desk caught her eye. They were all heads.

"Uh, is there a reason you have shrunken heads of Ashleigh all over your desk."

"Oh, just doing a little remodeling of my pictures that's all."

"What happened?"

"I told Ashleigh what I thought of her always waiting for someone to do something for her and she got mad at me. I don't blame her, but we've decided not to speak to each other anymore. I blame Kelso."

Brady sighed from the corner of his room and shook his head. "Glad I'm not a girl."

"And so are we, Brady. So are we," Dashelle remarked.

"Uh, don't you think that's a little drastic not talking to each other? I mean you two have been best friends since eighth grade," Brady said.

"Well, it's time to move on. We're doing different things and we have different ideas and its time I stop helping her out and not doing what I want," Dashelle said.

"So, move on. We're going out with everybody that isn't currently occupied and you're first on the list to kidnap," Freedom said. She was trying to put the pictures of Ashleigh's heads back into the correct picture.

"I can tell you Ashleigh's occupied. She's out with that boy. Court's around somewhere. I saw him on my way back from stranding Ashleigh. I don't know about Sam and the others."

"J.T. and Heidi are alone tonight," Dashelle said. "Don't think we should bother them."

"Well, then, let's go get the guys and see how much trouble we can get into," Brady said.

"Let's go."

CHAPTER 13

Ashleigh washed off her face and wiped away the tears. She had been in the bathroom for about five minutes. Most of that time was spent crying and uncontrollably sobbing. She didn't know what to do. She liked Kelso and she wanted to get to know him better, but she didn't want to get so involved that she would watch him deteriorate. She didn't know how to handle this situation.

"Hey, honey, you all right in there?" the waitress asked as she tapped on the door. "Your man wanted me to check on you."

Ashleigh sniffled. "I'm fine," she whispered.

"What? Speak up."

Ashleigh had been crying so much that her voice was gone. She walked over to the door and cracked it open. "I'm fine. Could you tell him I'll be out in a minute?"

The waitress shrugged. "I guess." She walked away and yelled to Kelso what Ashleigh had asked her to say.

Ashleigh looked at her cell phone. She wanted to call someone and ask what she should do. Dashelle would have been the easiest to call earlier in the day, but now she would just tell Ashleigh that she needed to figure it out on her own. Freedom wouldn't understand. She didn't have these kinds of problems after she made a vow to herself to stay single and just have fun. So, Ashleigh put her cell phone back in her pocket and walked over to Kelso. He looked frustrated and confused. She walked over, but didn't sit down.

"I thought you might have crawled out the bathroom window," Kelso remarked.

"Oh, no. I just had to collect my thoughts. You laid some pretty heavy info on me, ya know."

"Yeah, I know. Sorry, but I didn't want to get you into a situation that you couldn't handle."

"Well, I'm not sure how to handle it, Kelso."

"Do you want to go somewhere else and talk about this?" Kelso asked hopefully. "I paid the bill while I was waiting for you."

"Yeah, let's go to my place. We can talk about it there. Although, I don't know how much talking it's going to take to get me to understand what's going on with you."

Kelso stood up next to Ashleigh. He put his hand on her shoulder and looked into her sad eyes. "You'll understand. I promise." His hand slid down her arm and he held her hand. She leaned into him and tears soaked his shirt. "No, don't do that. You're too beautiful to cry about me." He kissed the top of her head.

Ashleigh stepped back. Kelso handed her a napkin to dab the tears. "Let's go, before I start doing this again," Ashleigh requested.

They walked out of the diner and walked until they could find a cab to take them to Ashleigh's dorm.

***

"So, where shall we go?" Freedom asked no one in particular. She was standing amidst Brady, Court, Sam, Parker and Dashelle.

"Let's go to the place that got us in trouble the last time we were out," Brady answered.

"Heidi would freak out if we did that," Dashelle said.

"Oh, come on, live a little. Heidi isn't here and she doesn't control you," Brady remarked. He raised his eyebrow and looked at Dashelle. "Or does she."

"No, she doesn't. I am perfectly capable of making my own decisions."

"Well, then, let's go get our groove on," Court said. "I'm on the prowl. The last girl I had a date with couldn't stop talking about herself and I'm ready to find a girl that will listen and shut up every once in a while."

"Watch it, Court. You don't know what you're asking for," Brady said.

"Oh, I know exactly what I'm asking for," Court said. He hailed for a cab and the crew slipped in and was off to find romance and fun.

***

J.T. sat in Heidi's room watching her mull over the figures she had come up with from working with the school roster.

"I don't get it. Why would people write fake names on a perfectly rational survey? Don't they want out of this prison?"

J.T. smiled. "Maybe they're used to rules and aren't old enough to see that they have minds and ideas of their own."

"Yeah, well, they should listen to me."

"That won't solve the problem."

Heidi grunted and threw a pillow at J.T.

"Oh, great, repress your anger and take it out on me. That makes me feel a whole lot better."

"I just want to be able to go out without having to report to Dean Harlow every time I have to sneeze or take a crap."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. A little TMI, for me."

"What?" Heidi asked confused.

"Sorry, Mario-ism. TMI means too much information."

"Oh, yeah, Mario. There's another issue I'd like to address."

"He's not your issue. He's mine. And I think I may have a solution to that problem, but let's get back to your problem. How are we going to get this petition signed and ready for the warden?"

"Don't call her that. She's a nice person once you get on her good side."

"That'll take awhile for me," J.T. groaned.

Heidi looked at her watch. "Oh, no. I'm supposed to be at the community center in five minutes."

"And now you've gotten on the Dean's bad side once again."

"Jayson!"

Heidi grabbed a few things in her hand and headed out the door. She grabbed J.T.'s wrist and took him with her.

"Where are you taking me?"

"With me. You said you wanted to spend some time with me and this is the only chance I have."

"Oh, great. Inner city rug rats and dancing sounds like an awfully romantic evening."

J.T. was running to keep up with Heidi. He wasn't sure if Heidi was the right choice for a girlfriend about now. He had always been good friends with her since they met while rehearsing for _Grease_ in their high school, but right now she seemed to be overwhelmed with college and didn't have any time for a real relationship. He wanted to talk to her about what he thought, but he didn't want to put more on her plate as it was. So, he followed her into oblivion and into the community center.

CHAPTER 14

Court walked into the Nocturnal rubbing his hands together.

"All right, ladies, I'm single, I'm hot, and I've got what you want," he said.

Freedom rolled her eyes. "Ashton boys. They don't make them any other way, do they?"

"Probably a good thing they don't," Brady said. "C'mon, Court, let's get you something cold to drink so I can pour it on your head when the testosterone gets to be too much."

"Good idea," Dashelle said. She looked around the club and noticed that there wasn't any action. "I vote we get this party started, Freedom. What do you think?"

"I approve your message." Freedom grabbed Dashelle's hand and dragged her onto the dance floor.

"You're not going to go after her?" Court asked Brady.

"Nah. I got plenty of choices here, don't want to eliminate anyone."

"Chicken," Sam remarked. He imitated the sounds of a chicken and flapped his wings.

"Shut up, Sammy boy," Brady snapped. He scanned the club and noticed a leggy blond staring at him. She started to walk over. "Incoming. Hot chic coming our way."

The girl stopped in front of Brady. "Hiii! Wanna dance?" the girl's nasal voice stung in Brady's ears.

"Um, sure." He went with the girl onto the dance floor.

Court looked at Sam. "Charity work."

"Oh, come on. He's got a plan. He's going to dance with the girl, making sure he's next to Freedom to make her jealous. The next thing you know, he'll drop the girl and get things going with Freedom."

"Sure," Court remarked. "I need a drink." Sam and Court walked over to the bar and ogled at the bartender.

Parker went onto the dance floor to see if he could find anyone desperate enough to "teach" him how to dance. He always had a plan.

"I bet you ten dollars I can get her number," Court said.

"Bet you twenty I can get it first," Sam said.

"You're on."

The bartender walked over. "What can I get you two tonight?"

"MGD," Court ordered.

"Rum and coke," Sam said.

"Interesting combination," the bartender said.

"Were you expecting us to get some kind of girly drink?" Sam asked.

"No, I was expecting you to get my number," the bartender said. "My name is Lily, by the way."

"Well, maybe you can settle a bet for us, Lily. One of us said we could get your number first, so who's it going to be," Court asked.

"I vote that guy over there." She pointed to a tall, muscular man who was the bouncer at the club.

"Oh, come on, now," Court remarked. "We're just having a little fun."

Lily smiled and leaned over the counter. "So was I." She set the boys' drinks in front of them. "I'll make you a deal." She took a pen from behind her ear and a piece of paper from her pocket. "I'm gonna write down my phone number and tear it in half. That way, you two won't fight over who got the number first." She scrawled her number on the paper, ripped it in two, and handed Court one half and Sam the other half.

"See you later." She walked away.

"How dumb was that. There has got to be some better goods around here." Court got up from the barstool and walked towards the dance floor.

Sam stayed where he was. There was no way he was going to get up and dance to get a girl. He thought his luck would change if he stayed at the bar.

***

Kelso and Ashleigh sat in Ashleigh's room staring at each other. They had been silent since they got into her room.

Kelso sneezed.

"Are you okay?" Ashleigh asked.

"Yeah. Just some allergies."

"Oh."

"Listen, Ashleigh. You don't have to walk on eggshells around me now that you know what's going on with me. Just treat me the way you would any other boyfriend you would have."

"Boyfriend?" Ashleigh asked. "I didn't know that's what you thought about us."

"Of course I do. I knew it the minute I met you," Kelso said.

Ashleigh's shy smile sneaked onto her face.

"Oh, great. She's gonna quit talking again," Kelso joked. He flashed a toothy smile at her.

"I'll talk. I just have to take in the compliment." Ashleigh sat with a smile and then quickly went to a straight face again. "So, about this boyfriend/girlfriend stuff. What exactly should we be doing?"

"Well," Kelso said. He slid closer to Ashleigh on her bed and turned her head toward his. "I think we should be doing this-" Kelso planted a tender kiss on her lips.

***

Heidi sprinted into the community center. J.T. followed behind.

"So sorry, Madame Ricshkev, I was doing school work and didn't notice the time."

"Well, Ms. Wiers, as long as it was schoolwork, you are excused." Madame Ricshkev examined J.T. "Who is this fine young specimen?"

J.T. extended his hand so he could shake Madame Ricshkev's. "Jayson Sumtrane. I just tagged along to see what kind of help I could be."

"Do you know how to dance?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Well, let's get started people. Ms. Weirs, I would like you to take these girls and teach them a simple combination. Mr. uh, Sumtrane, is it? Take a few of the girls and work with them. Sorry that we don't have any young gentlemen, yet."

"They'll learn one day. Male dancers get the girls," J.T. joked.

"Jayson!" Heidi exclaimed. Her cheeks blushed.

"I was just making a joke, Heidi. Take it down a few decibels."

"Please quit arguing and get to work."

"Madame Ricshkev, I would feel more comfortable if Heidi and I worked with the girls together."

Madame Rischkev nodded. "That's fine. Get the girls together and teach. Chop, chop." Madame Rischkev clapped her hands together twice and walked away.

J.T. and Heidi looked at each other with blank stares.

"You have a class with this woman?"

Heidi nodded.

"I'm sorry, I had no idea that Julliard rented out the loons."

"J.T., hush! There are little ears around."

"I'm sure they think the same thing that I do."

At that moment, five girls walked into the room.

"You're pretty."

"Thanks," J.T. answered. He smiled.

The girl rolled her eyes. "I wasn't talking to you."

J.T. rolled his eyes, too. "It was a joke."

The girl put up her hand to form a brick wall sign and walked away.

J.T. shaded his mouth with his hand. "She's going to be a fun one," he muttered to Heidi.

"All right, girls, my name is Heidi and this is J.T. We are going to be teaching you some dance moves the next few weeks."

"I hope they aren't lame. The last teachers we had taught us ballet," a girl with a nametag that read BreeAnne sighed.

"Trust me, they won't be," J.T. said.

"Will you teach us hip hop?" Jolene asked.

"Well, this is your hip," J.T. began and pointed to his hip, "and this is how to hop." He hopped on one foot.

"You're not funny," the "brick wall" girl remarked. Her name was Danielle according to her name tag.

"Did it look like I was trying to be?" J.T. asked.

Heidi shook her head. Obviously, J.T. did not do well with children. She was going to have to run this show by herself and he was going to be the comic relief. She butted into the conversation before any more damage was done.

"Let's get started, I'm going to teach you a simple jazz combination."

"I'll let you do it," J.T. said. He threw up his hands and backed into the corner to watch his girlfriend in action.

***

Brady stayed on the dance floor with the leggy blond for two songs. She talked on and on, but he was too busy watching Freedom's gyrations with other guys on the dance floor. He finally got up the nerve to ditch the leggy blond before the third song started.

"You want something to drink?" Brady asked his "date."

"Yeah, a Corona would be great."

"Great. I'll be right back." Brady walked away from blond girl. When she wasn't looking he slipped away out of sight and found Freedom dancing with a Latin man.

He cleared his throat. "What are you doing?" Brady asked Freedom.

"I'm dancing. What are you doing, besides making a fool of yourself?"

"I'm not a fool. You're the one dancing."

"Listen, Brady, if you want to dance with me, just ask."

Brady looked at the Latin lover dancing with Freedom. "Do you mind?"

"Yes, I do."

"Whoa. Wait a minute. If my friend whom I've known for at least 6 years wants to dance with me, he can. Be a man and back off, Romeo."

"Okay. Guess I won't be getting your number tonight."

"Guess not. Bye." She waved the man away and grabbed Brady.

"Thank goodness. I thought I was going to have to listen to him all night."

Brady caught on to the dance movements and shadowed. "What was his problem?"

"Talked too much. Thought he was God's greatest gift to women, yadda, yadda, yadda."

"Oh, I see. And what am I?"

"Brady." Freedom smiled. She knew that would get to him. She was tired of the games they played and was ready to start something. She just wanted Brady to open the invitation to her. She definitely wasn't going to be the first one to say anything.

Court slid onto the dance floor next to Brady and Freedom. "So, how's the scenery?"

"Dull. Haven't found a decent prospect all night," Freedom remarked.

"Once again, what am I?" Brady asked.

"Look at her, man. She's icing ya," Court said nodding toward Freedom.

"Huh?" Brady looked confused.

"We'll be right back, Freedom. I need to have a word with my blond friend."

Freedom threw her hands in the air. "Whatever." She backed up and started dancing with the guy behind her.

Court drug Brady off the dance floor and to a barstool.

"What the heck is wrong with you? I saw the way she was dancing when you walked over to her."

"Court, it is not going to work. She's just a tease. I've known that since the day we met."

"She wants you, man. Look at her. Why won't you go after that?" He pointed to the dance floor.

Brady looked over and saw Freedom. She wasn't paying any attention to the music, but she sure knew how to catch a guy's eye if she wanted his attention.

"I'm not doing it, man. I don't want to ruin the friendship."

"Ohmigosh, you sound like such a girl."

Brady shoved him. "Hey, what happened to Sam?"

"Dunno. Probably dancing with a hot chick."

"He's not that lucky."

"Well, at least he isn't standing around moping about some girl and avoiding the subject."

"Fine, Court, you want me to go make a fool of myself, I'll go do it. I hope this makes you happy." Brady jumped up from the barstool and walked back to the dance floor.

***

"Kelso, should we be doing this?" Ashleigh pulled away from him with a perplexed look on his face.

"There's nothing wrong with a kiss," Kelso said. "It won't hurt you."

Ashleigh stood up and scratched her head. "I mean, you know what this leads to and I know that I'm not supposed to walk on eggshells, but I'm not really comfortable with this right now."

Kelso heaved a sigh. "Ashleigh, I wouldn't do anything to make you feel uncomfortable. We'll take things slow." He looked at his watch. "I need to go. I've got early rehearsals." He got up from the chair and walked towards the door. He was going to go for a kiss, but got a hug instead. "I'll give you a call tomorrow. In the meantime, don't worry about me."

"Okay, I won't. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Bye." Ashleigh shut the door quickly when he left. She sat down on her bed with her head in her hands and sobbed.

CHAPTER 15

Heidi and J.T. left the community center after they had finished working with the girls. J.T. seemed to have a lot of fun working with them, but Heidi treated it more like a daunting task. She stressed out and still had a disgruntled look on her face.

"Why the long face, babe?" J.T. asked.

"Too much stuff to do, that's all," Heidi remarked.

"Well, don't worry about it. We've got some celebrating to do."

"What are we going to celebrate?"

"The fact that we're together. Let's go to the Nocturnal and see what's going on," J.T. suggested.

Heidi looked at her watch. "We don't have much time."

J.T. stopped in his tracks. "Heidi, quit living by the clock. If we want to go out, then we go out. Quit stressing. Everything will be okay in the long run."

"But, what if we—"

"We won't."

"What happens if—"

J.T put his finger to her lips. "It won't. Trust me. Can you do that?"

"We got caught last time."

"Heidi, you have to trust me."

"J.T., I've got work to do. Quite frankly, I don't see why you are going out when you've been having rehearsals and classes stacked on top of each other. I don't have time to play games and I can't risk getting stuck in the dean's office again."

"Heidi, what's going on? You used to jump at the chance to go out. Now, you're little Miss Suzy Study."

"J.T., I don't know if you've noticed, but I have to work hard at whatever I need to do. I can't just let everything sink in and it'll all come in the morning. Being at Julliard is a big deal for me and my family. If I don't make it here, I'm failing." Tears were welling up in Heidi's eyes.

"Heidi, I don't know what's going on, but I don't think we are going to work right now."

J.T. waited for a response. He wasn't getting one. "Heidi?"

Heidi opened her eyes wide, so J.T. could see the tears. "I need some time to think. I'm going to go back to my dorm and work. If you want to join me, I'll be there. If not, I'll see you tomorrow."

J.T. was torn. He didn't want to leave Heidi this way. She wasn't in any condition to walk alone, but he didn't want to be with her right now. He also needed time to vent and think. He stood on the sidewalk thinking. Heidi's muted sobs would break his thoughts.

"I guess I'll see you later."

Heidi walked away. J.T. didn't follow. He walked a few more feet into the door of the Nocturnal. He walked up to the bar and ordered a beer.

Court spotted him and walked over. "I thought you were out with Heidi."

"Um, I don't think I'll be doing that for awhile," J.T. remarked. He took a slug of his drink.

"What happened?"

"She's wound too tight right now. I don't know what's going on with her."

"Girl problems, probably," Court mumbled.

J.T. glared. "Seriously, Court."

"Hey, man. I'm just trying to help."

"So, what have you tried to fix lately?" J.T. asked.

"That." He pointed to Brady who was dancing with Freedom.

"Good luck. Brady doesn't go for the obvious."

"Well, I think I scared it out of him."

"This I've got to see." Court laid money down on the bar and walked over to the dance floor with Court.

Brady did a double take. "Where's Heidi?"

"Not here," J.T. snapped.

"Problems in relationship land?" Freedom asked. She danced over to J.T. and he followed her lead.

"Yeah, I guess," J.T. grumbled. "So, how's the action around here?"

Freedom whispered something in J.T.'s ear. He guffawed. "That good, huh?"

"I'm gonna go check it out for myself. Court, why don't you come with me?" He looked over. Court had found some of his own action, so J.T. looked around for himself. When he didn't see any good prospects, he went back to the bar for another drink. To his surprise, he saw Ashleigh nursing a Corona. Her eyes were bloodshot and her face was tear stained. He went to sit next to her.

"So, how did your date go?" J.T. asked.

Ashleigh jumped. She didn't realize J.T. was sitting next to her. "Oh, hi."

"Well, how was it?"

"I'd rather not talk to you about it. I just want to sit here and drown my sorrows if you don't mind," Ashleigh remarked.

"At least tell me why you're crying. I've already made one girl cry tonight. I don't need another."

"Why didn't you tell me, J.T.? Why didn't you tell me he has HIV?" Ashleigh questioned.

J.T. took a deep breath. He knew he was going to have to face this eventually. Tonight wasn't the night for it, though. But, he put himself in this situation. "He wanted to tell you, Ashleigh. He wouldn't let me. I knew the first day I met him. That's why I didn't want you to go after him."

"I don't know what to do. On one hand, I like him and I like spending time with him. On the other hand, I don't want to get too attached because he might not be around much longer. I made him feel bad, J.T. I didn't mean, too."

"What happened?"

"I told him I didn't feel comfortable, so he left. I shouldn't have opened my mouth."

"Why don't you feel comfortable?"

"I don't know what I should do or what I shouldn't do. Should we kiss, should we um . . . y'know. I'm just confused."

"Did you ask him anything about what he's going through?"

Ashleigh shook her head. "I'm scared I'll say something I'll regret. I don't know how to handle this."

"Well, do you like him?"

"I did—I mean I do. Knowing what I know now shouldn't change things, but it does." Ashleigh shook her head and took another drink. "I've got to stop thinking about this. Wanna dance?"

"Yeah. Sounds good to me after the night I've had."

They made their way to the dance floor. A swing song was on which reminded J.T. of Heidi. It also reminded Ashleigh of Heidi.

"Where's your better half?"

"Separated at the moment. Don't know how it happened, so don't ask."

"Okay." Ashleigh let it go. J.T. led her in spins and throws to the music. When the song was over, they dived right into hip hop.

Court, Sam, Parker and Dashelle came over to the two of them. "We're getting ready to head out. Just wanted to know if you wanted to come along?" Court yelled over the thumping sounds of the dance floor.

"Yeah." J.T. stopped dancing. "You coming Ashleigh?"

She looked at J.T. and then at Dashelle. "Um, I think I'm gonna hang out a little longer."

"Ashleigh, it's close to curfew and it's dark. Come with us," Court said.

"Are you going to protect me?" Ashleigh questioned.

"Well, there is safety in numbers," Dashelle said. She noticed the tear stains on Ashleigh's face. "C'mon, we'll talk and the boys can puff out their chests and pretend they're important."

Ashleigh smiled. "Fine. I'll go."

"What about Freedom and Brady?" J.T. asked.

"They left already," Court said. "Things happen when you put a wager on it."

J.T. shook his head. "Why don't you pay for Julliard by being a bookie?"

"The thought has crossed my mind," Court remarked.

The group walked outside and toward the dorms. Ashleigh walked slowly behind the rest of them. Dashelle lagged behind until she was walking with Ashleigh.

"Anything you want to talk about?" Dashelle asked.

"Not with you," Ashleigh snapped.

"Ash, I'm sorry about earlier. I said some things that I didn't mean. It just that sometimes, I wish you would do something for you and not worry about what everyone else thinks or does."

"Don't try to apologize right now, Dashelle. I've got some things on my mind which isn't going to help the situation. Just let me walk in silence. We can talk later."

Dashelle shrugged. "Ok. I just wanted to say I was sorry." She walked up to the rest of the crew. "What's going on with Ashleigh?"

"Guy problems," J.T. remarked.

"I thought things were going good with Kelso?" Dashelle remarked.

"Things are fine with Kelso," Ashleigh said overhearing the conversation. "He just told me something that I'm not sure about handling."

"What?" Court asked.

J.T. shook his head and made a motion like he was cutting his throat.

"It's okay, J.T. Kelso has HIV and he just told me tonight," Ashleigh choked out.

"Oh," Dashelle whispered.

"That's a lot to put on a person on a third date," Court replied.

"You're telling me," Ashleigh said. "I told J.T. that it shouldn't change things, but in the back of my mind I'm debating on what to do." Ashleigh paused for a moment. "What would you do?" she asked no one in particular.

"Ashleigh, I thought we talked about this," Dashelle said remembering their earlier fight.

"I know. I just want an opinion. I mean, I want to be with him, but I don't want to watch him slowly deteriorate. I can't watch a person slowly die and still be attached emotionally. I can't do that again. I just want some advice."

The crew had made it to the girl's dorm. "You guys wanna come in?" Dashelle asked.

"No. If I go through that door, I'm going to have to go talk to Heidi and I'm not ready to do that right now."

"Great. We've got two star crossed lovers in the mist," Sam remarked. "I'm sure you and Mario will have a lovely evening together."

"Bite me," J.T. grumbled.

"Whoa. I think I better step away before he blows up," Sam said.

"We need to get this guy back into the world of bachelorhood," Court said. "We'll see you girls later," Court said.

The guys waited until the girls walked inside the dormitory. Then, they walked over to Court's dorm. Luka was sitting in the lobby letting his aroma seep through the entire building.

"Uh, maybe we should go to J.T.'s," Sam suggested.

"Good call, Sam."

"Guys, I need to get back and do some work. I've got to run lines and then I've got some homework to finish up, so I can skip class tomorrow."

"What? You can't skip class," Sam remarked.

"Watch me. Then, watch what the dean does." J.T. smiled.

Court shook his head. He told J.T. goodbye and walked to his dorm room with Sam. J.T. walked to his dorm room. When he got there, Mario had his "art" sprawled out on the floor, but he was nowhere to be found. He had to tiptoe around it so he could get to his desk. He took his phone out of his pocket and noticed that he had missed a call. He wasn't surprised to see that it was Heidi.

J.T. sat the phone on his desk and got out his script. He had too much work to get done, so he opted not to call Heidi right away. He sat staring at his lines, but he couldn't get them to sink in. He gave up and got out his Shakespeare homework. He had to interpret one of the scenes from _Romeo and Juliet._ In the middle of writing, Mario burst through the door in a fashion only he could muster up.

"Hey, there, J.T. Sorry about the mess. I figured since you were out, I'd work on my art portfolio. I'll clean it up in two shakes of a lamb's tail."

"Fine."

"Oh by the way, your lady friend called like ten times while you were out. I wonder why she's not with you."

"None of your concern, Mario."

"Just trying to make conversation. Don't shoot the messenger."

"I'll call her later." J.T. finished his assignment and packed it away in his bag. When he finished, he looked at his phone. The message light was still blinking, but he still wasn't ready to call her. He knew that he had ruined a good friendship by turning it into a relationship. On the other hand, he knew that it wasn't all his fault, either. Heidi wasn't trying or giving him any time of day right now. She was too busy with petitions and studying.

In the mist of J.T.'s thinking, his phone rang. It wasn't who he expected.

"J.T."

"Hey, J.T., it's Kelso."

"Hey, man. What's going on?"

"Not a whole lot. I thought I'd still be out with Ashleigh right now, but she cut things short tonight."

"I'm sorry, man. She told me that you dropped the bomb on her."

"I wouldn't call it a bomb. I just had to tell her the truth."

"Well, how did it go?"

"I'm not with her right now, so you figure it out," Kelso snapped.

"Sorry, man. I've got some girl problems of my own that I'm dealing with. I'd rather help you out, though. You seem to be into Ashleigh."

"Yeah, man, I am. I haven't felt this way since Apryll."

"Her name was Aprylll? Sheesh, you really are bringing art to life," J.T joked.

"Yeah, whatever. So, did I freak out Ashleigh? It seems like every girl that I've gone a date with since I found out has blown me off. I don't want her to do that. She seems like a person that I want to get to know a lot better than I do now."

"Good. You just have to get her to talk to you again."

"Yeah, that's what I called you about."

"Oh, boy. I'm going to get stuck in the middle again, aren't I?"

"No. I just want your opinion. Should I not call for a few days or should I call right away? I don't want to seem like I'm pushing her, but I don't want to lose her."

"Listen to yourself, Kelso. You sound like a girl."

"Fine. I'll call her tomorrow. See you at rehearsal tomorrow." Kelso hung up.

J.T. looked at his phone. The message light blinked. He had missed another call from Heidi. He threw the phone on his desk and walked out of his room.

***

Ashleigh walked into Heidi's room. Heidi was sitting on her bed with the petition on her lap. Dashelle was at her desk looking at different signatures.

"Hey," Ashleigh barely said.

Heidi looked up. Her eyes were swollen with tears. Her face matched Ashleigh's all too well.

"What's up?" Dashelle asked.

"Just wanted to talk to somebody. I'm willing to listen, though, Heidi."

"J.T. and I decided to not see each other for awhile. He said that I wasn't making time for him and I was too busy doing other things. He's the one that should have these problems. He's got ten things stacked up on his plate every day. Why am I the one getting the short end of the stick? Huh? Why am I the bad guy, here?"

"He tried, Heidi," Dashelle said. "He made sure that he would take you out and he helped you when you needed it."

"Yeah, well, he also got me community service," Heidi snarled.

"And, he was right there with you, tonight, wasn't he. He wanted to spend time with you and you blew him off," Ashleigh said.

"I see that you talked to him," Heidi remarked. "I wanted a neutral opinion."

"He was just blowing off steam. I had to tell him about Kelso and he had to tell me about you."

"I'm glad he's going around telling everyone about us."

"Heidi, we're friends," Dashelle interrupted. "We all know when one of us isn't up to par."

"Then tell me why I feel so bad," Heidi blurted out before more tears ran down her cheek.

Ashleigh reached over and hugged Heidi. She knew somewhat what she was going through. Of course, she knew that J.T. meant a lot more to Heidi than Kelso did. They had grown up together, and she had just met Kelso.

"Why do I always screw up good things?" Heidi questioned.

"It's not your fault, sweetie," Ashleigh said. "He's just a boy and he is genetically engineered to cause problems."

Heidi laughed. "You crack me up."

"Well, wait til you hear what happened with Kelso and me. Then, you'll believe that boys are meant to cause problems."

At that moment, J.T. walked into the door. He was about to walk all the way in, when he saw that Dashelle and Ashleigh were in the room. He ran his fingers through his hair and looked at his watch.

"Should I come back later?" J.T. asked.

Heidi looked up at the clock. "Tomorrow would be better. Its almost curfew, which I'm still working on."

"Oh, I'm not worried about curfew anymore. I've decided that if the dean wants to get on my case for every little thing that I don't need to be here."

"You're dropping out?" Ashleigh assumed.

"Not, yet," J.T. said. "But, I'm seriously considering it." J.T. waved goodbye to the girls. "I'll talk to you tomorrow, Heidi."

"Sure," Heidi said with little emotion.

CHAPTER 16

A note slipped under J.T.'s door at five o'clock in the morning. He picked it up and tried to read it without his glasses on. He was recovering from the drinks he had the night before. His glasses were causing a headache. He fumbled for his glasses and almost poked himself in the eye. The note was signed by the RD.

Jayson Sumtrane,

Please report to the dean's office ASAP. This is an urgent matter regarding your activities last night.

J.T. crumbled up the paper and threw it in the trash. He threw on some running pants, crammed a hat on his head and went out the door to go to rehearsals before he had to go to class. He was fed up with the dean and he wanted to take out his frustration at rehearsal. There, he could be a whole different person. He would make it to the dean's office eventually, but he had to deal with his job first.

He hailed a cab. The same cabbie seemed to pick him up everyday, so there was little conversation about where to go. In fact, there was hardly any conversation about anything. The cabbie finally broke the silence today.

"So, what play is going on?" the cabbie asked.

"Rent," J.T. answered. "We're just starting to block everything, so it'll be awhile before were ready for the real thing."

"I figured it was a newer one. I keep seeing all these young kids go to your theater. I just wish they would write some more plays with characters my age," the cabbie said. "I came to this place 20 years ago and you're looking at the best job I could get."

"Sorry, man. This kind of fell in my lap. I had auditioned because I didn't think I was going to get into Julliard. Lo and behold, I got the part and accepted to Julliard. But, that's about to change. The dean has been on my case ever since I walked into her classrooms."

"Are you nuts? You can't quit Julliard! Do you know what it takes to be a Juliardian? When I came here 20 years ago, I was at Julliard. Then, I quit. Look where it got me." The cabbie pulled up in front of the Madrid.

"I'll think about it," J.T. said. He handed the cabbie his fare and walked into the theater.

Inside, Kelso was waiting for him. He was the only one in the theater so far. The director had not even made it yet.

"Just the man I wanted to talk to," Kelso remarked. "And no, it's not about Ashleigh."

"Well, what is it?"

"I might not be able to go through rehearsals much longer. I need an understudy. Have any ideas?"

"Are you feeling that bad, man? I thought you were just in the beginning stages."

"I am, but I have a lot of doctor appointments coming up and I need to know that I have someone on my side if I can't make it on the stage. I've been having a lot of flu like symptoms and I don't want to risk anything."

"So, are you bailing out?"

"No. I just want to spend some time with the ones close to me. Don't get me wrong, I want to get through these rehearsals and make it on stage. I just want to know that I've got someone backing me up if I can't make it."

"Let me make a call."

"We'll have to run it by Greg," Kelso said.

"Duh." J.T. got out his cell phone and dialed Court.

"Court, what are you doing this morning?"

"Sleeping, like most right minded people do, J.T. It's six o'clock in the morning!"

"Thanks, Court. I really needed you yelling after the night I had last night. I was calling because Kelso needs an understudy."

Court sat up in is bed. "You're yanking me, right?"

"No, I'm not. He's got a lot going on right now. Listen, it's not for certain that you'll get the part, but it would be helpful if you could come down this morning and see how it goes. Greg would have to audition you, but let's face it, you're a natural Roger like everyone says I'm a natural Mark."

"Fine. I'll throw on some clothes and get there."

"Do us a favor and shower first," J.T. joked.

"Ha ha," Court sneered. "Bye."

J.T. hung up the phone. "It's settled. Court will be down in a few."

"Great. Now, that that's off my mind, I can think about my Ashleigh dilemma."

"Whoa," J.T. said. He covered his ears. "Brain overload. I can only do so much for you in one day."

"I wasn't going to burden you with it. I just have to figure out how to handle things. I tried to call her last night, but she didn't answer her phone. And I definitely wasn't going to call her this morning. I just need to figure out how to get through this. J.T., I want to go out with her and spend time with her." Kelso looked down at his hands that had track mark scars on them. "She may be the last girl I'll ever fall in love with."

"Can I say one thing, Kelso," J.T. said glancing at the track marks. "You did it to yourself. No one made you get HIV. Ask questions, man."

"I did, J.T. She didn't know. Don't pin the whole thing on me."

"Well, if you want to get with Ashleigh, you're going to have to stop that." J.T. pointed to the scars.

Kelso looked down at his hands. "Bad memories, man. I quit . . .a long time ago. Just stuck on smokes, now."

J.T. shook his head. "Ashleigh is a good girl. She wants someone who will take care of her."

"I am—I will. I just need to talk to her," Kelso said.

J.T. stood up from where he was sitting. "You have a phone. Let the fingers do the dialing." He walked away. Somehow, he knew that Court was walking into the theater. He had a connection with his best friend. He knew when he was coming, when he would call, and what he was thinking. They were like two people intertwined into one.

Court walked over to J.T. He looked at Kelso.

"What's with him?"

"Ashleigh."

"Ahh." Court found a way to change the subject. "So, when do I audition?"

"As soon as the director gets here. Why don't you come run lines with me? Not that you'll need the script or anything."

"Naturally."

J.T. rolled his eyes. "C'mon." He motioned for Court to jump onstage with him.

***

Brady's alarm went off. He slammed down the off button and looked on the bed next to him. Freedom was asleep. He walked over to the bed and shook her.

"Freedom," he whispered. "Time to get up, so I don't get reamed."

"Mmm," Freedom grunted.

"Freedom," Brady repeated. "Get up."

"Relax. Just give me a few more minutes."

"I don't have a few more minutes. The RD lives across the hall and he tends to frequent my dorm room early in the morning and late at night."

Freedom slowly sat up. "Must be the same guy that lives in J.T.'s dorm."

"Probably related somehow. Now, I'm going to put this in the nicest way possible. Get out quick."

"Sheesh. You're awfully nervous in the morning."

"Freedom, you're testing my patience."

"Well, I tested something else last night and it seemed to be working."

Brady growled. He threw Freedom's jacket at her, opened the door, and shoved her out into the hall. Unfortunately, he shoved her into the arms of the RD.

"Morning, Brady," the RD greeted.

"Morning," Brady mumbled.

"Who's your friend?"

"Travis, met Freedom. Freedom this is Travis."

Freedom flashed a smile and waved. "I need to get going. I'm late for my class. I just came by to ask a question about another class." Freedom walked backwards toward the stairs. She blew Brady a kiss and trotted down the stairs.

Travis eyed Brady. "You know the drill."

"Oh, c'mon, man. She just said she came by to ask a question."

"That would have worked, except for the fact that I saw you sneak her in last night, past your curfew."

"Why are you bugging out? We are just friends," Brady snapped.

"Then, tell me why you are always hanging out with her every time I see you and the rest of that crew you hang out with."

"Friends."

"I don't buy it."

"Fine," Brady said. He slammed his hand on the door jamb. "Give me my summons and I'll go do my time." He walked away and went down the stairs after Freedom.

***

"Good morning, Ashleigh, it's Kelso. If you're awake, please answer the phone. I'd really like to talk to you, babe." He paused hoping she would answer her phone. After a disappointing silence, he said goodbye and turned off his phone.

Court and J.T. walked up to Kelso.

"Kelso, you remember Court."

"Yeah. He's perfect for this part," Kelso said smiling.

"I know the lines by heart. I've got to get this one," Court said, trying to prove himself. Instead, he sounded like a little boy bragging about himself.

"Court, take it easy. We're not even sure you're going to get the part."

Greg walked in. He looked confused as he walked over to the three young men. He didn't recognize one of them.

"Mind filling me in on what's going on?" he asked the trio.

""Greg, you're here," Kelso remarked. "I need to run something by you." He covered his mouth and coughed. "I'm going through some tough times right now and I think it would be a good idea to have an understudy. So, I asked around and J.T. made a call. This is Court. He knows all of the lines all ready and he's perfect for the part. Do you think you could audition him as an understudy?"

"I'll tell you what, Kelso. I'll let Court hang out here today so he can see what he's getting into and then he can audition for me tomorrow. I'll put out an ad and call some agents that I work with to get some other actors to try out for the part. No offense to you Court, I just want to see what my options are."

"Thanks, man," Court said.

Kelso's phone rang. He looked at the caller i.d. and saw that it was Ashleigh. He looked around and saw that most of the cast had arrived. She was going to have to wait until rehearsal was over. He put his phone on silent, so she could leave a message.

J.T. shook his head. He knew who had called. He should have answered the phone. Ashleigh was going to go crazy if she didn't get to talk to him. Then, J.T. stopped criticizing Kelso. He still hadn't said a word to Heidi since he had seen her at her dorm. She would have to wait for him to call, too.

***

Freedom walked into dance class with a smile on her face. She looked over at Heidi and Ashleigh. They looked like their dog had just died. Freedom walked over to her friends in distress.

"So, what's going on?" Freedom asked.

"J.T. dumped me," Heidi said in monotone.

"Kelso has HIV," Ashleigh answered with the same enthusiasm as Heidi.

"Whoa," Freedom started, "that's a lot of information in 5 seconds. Give me a minute to process all of this."

"He hasn't called," Heidi said. "He came by last night, but I didn't want to talk to him, so I told him to leave."

"He called," Ashleigh said. "I waited to call back, but he isn't answering."

"Probably at rehearsal," Heidi remarked. "J.T. turns his phone off when they rehearse. He says the producer doesn't want any distractions."

Dashelle walked up to the three girls. "Okay, Freedom, I want details. I just bumped into Brady and he wasn't too happy. What did you do?"

Freedom sighed. "Oh, yeah. I spent a little too much time in Brady's room last night and well, um, let's just say I ran into his RD on the way out."

"Freedom!" Heidi exclaimed. "Do you know how hard I've worked to get us a good curfew and you go and do something juvenile like that."

"Hey, watch it. As I recall, someone else around here decided it would be okay to sleep in a co-ed's room."

"Yeah, look where it got me. Community service and an ex."

"Stop it, Heidi. You know he wants to work things out with you. You should have talked to him when you got the chance."

"Don't change the subject. We were this close to getting a curfew changed and now all our hard work went up in smoke."

"He'll fight it. He doesn't give up easily." A smile turned up on Freedom's face. "I found that out."

"What exactly happened last night?" Dashelle asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know." Freedom raised an eyebrow.

"You're bad," Dashelle remarked.

Freedom shrugged. She looked at Heidi who had her face in her hands. Tears crawled out of her hands. Freedom sat next to her on the floor and put her hand on Heidi's back.

"What's going on, Heidi?" she asked.

"I can't do anything right," she sobbed. "I had a boyfriend, now I don't. I try to help an entire school, and I fail. My grades aren't good enough-" She wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "I shouldn't even be here."

Dashelle sat on the other side of Heidi. "Stop it, Heidi. You're just upset. J.T. just had a bad night last night. He wouldn't say anything to hurt you. Who else would come to your dorm in the middle of the night to talk to you? He may have broken the rules, but he cares about you," Dashelle tried to comfort her friend.

"And I didn't mean to stay so long at Brady's. It was an accident. We'll get the curfew changed. It's not a big deal if we don't."

Heidi sniffed. "But, I told J.T. I'd take care of it. And now, he wants to drop out. See, it's my fault."

Ashleigh put her hand on her friend's shoulder. "Don't be so hard on yourself. J.T. isn't leaving because of you. He's leaving because of her-"

Dean Harlow walked into the dance studio with Madame Krischev.

"Good morning, ladies," Madame Krischev sang. "Dean Harlow came to observe our class this morning. So, let's do our best and show her what wonderful students we have here at Julliard."

Freedom rolled her eyes. Dashelle joined her. Something was strange about the way Madame Krischev was acting. They wondered what was going on. Dean Harlow was acting suspicious, also. She stood in the corner the entire class period and watched Freedom, Ashleigh, Dashelle, and Heidi the whole time.

CHAPTER 17

J.T. walked into the Dean's office. Burnetta looked up for a moment.

"Mr. Sumtrane, what a surprise," she said sarcastically. "You're late."

"Look again, Burnetta. I wasn't told a time. For all you know, I could be early," J.T. snapped.

"I'll let Ms. Harlow know you're here."

"That would be great," J.T. said. His voice dripped with sarcasm. He backed up and found a chair in the waiting room.

Brady walked in. He saw J.T. and scowled. "What are you doing here?" Brady asked.

"What am I _not_ doing here?" J.T. answered with a question. "She probably saw me sneeze and checked some code that said it was a violation."

"Oh," Brady whispered.

"So, what brings you to these parts of Julliard?" J.T. asked.

"Freedom stayed a little too long and left a little too early from my dorm," Brady replied.

"See, this is what I'm talking about. This dean is worried about so many things, that she's not letting us have fun in our college years. She has got to loosen up or she's going to lose her students. I'm this close to dropping," J.T. said. He showed Brady his thumb and ring finger just a few millimeters apart. "This close."

Dean Harlow walked out of her office and leaned against the doorjamb. Her arms were crossed and she peered over her glasses. "Mr. Sumtrane, I've been expecting you."

"Better now than never," J.T. answered.

"You mean better late than never," Dean Harlow snapped.

"Well, Ms. Harlow, I can't be late when I'm not told a time."

"We'll discuss it in my office, Mr. Sumtrane." She stood up and presented the room to J.T.

J.T. walked into the room, but he didn't let his eyes leave the dean's. He was doing his best trying to stare her down.

"Is there something you need to talk to me about?" Dean Harlow asked.

"No, is there something you want to harass me about?" J.T. asked.

Dean Harlow sat down. She motioned for J.T. to sit and he did.

"Yes, there is. I noticed that you were not in your room when the RD did a bed check."

"What time was this?"

"Around 10:00."

"Oh, so you're not sure what time. As I recall, you have to have an exact time and cause to write me up."

Dean Harlow pushed her glasses to the end of her nose and stared over them at J.T. "It was 10:18. As I recall, there is a deal going that nine of the Julliard students are to be in their dorm at 10:00, no questions asked until a petition is signed with 75% of the student body's signatures. And as I recall, a Mr. Jayson Sumtrane is one of those nine students."

J.T. shoved his hands deep in his jacket pockets and exhaled. He stared out the window.

"Mr. Sumtrane, I am talking to you. You need to look at me when I talk to you."

J.T. rolled his eyes and looked at Dean Harlow. He got up from the chair and leaned on the desk. "I am not a child and I don't need to be talked down to. I am an adult and I have a right to stay out as late as I want. If your precious RD would have done his job, he would have told you that I still wasn't back at 12:00. I had a lot on my mind and I needed to get away from all of this. I have rehearsals that last for a minimum of 3 hours, my classes are piling up, and I'm having some relationship problems. I do not need you to keep track of my every waking moment. I came to Julliard because I thought it would give me opportunities. All it has given me so far is a headache and probation!"

"Mr. Sumtrane, you are out of line!" Dean Harlow yelled.

"No, I'm not." He stood up and walked over to the door. "I am out of here. I've got better things to do than to waste my time talking to a brick wall. Goodbye." J.T. walked out of her office and slammed the door behind him.

Heidi walked by and saw the scowl on J.T.'s face. She didn't think this was a good time to talk to him, but she opened her mouth anyway.

"Hi, J.T., what's going on?" she asked.

J.T. stopped in his tracks. "Look at my face, Heidi. Does it look like anything good is going on?" he snapped.

Heidi's lip quivered. She was trying not to cry, but her tears failed her. "I'm sorry, J.T. I just thought that maybe you'd like to talk to someone that didn't make your blood boil every time you saw her."

J.T. frowned. He motioned for Heidi to come towards him. She walked forward and he hugged her. "I'm sorry, Heidi. All the things I said last night, I didn't mean for those words to come out that way. I just wanted you to have some fun. You've been so stressed out lately and I miss the fun we had. You're a best friend and I don't want to watch you turn into the woman that is behind those doors." He kissed the top of her head.

Heidi wiped her eyes. "So, are we going to work this out?"

"Yeah, I suppose so. But, we are going to have to do it at a long distance." J.T. let free from the hug and held onto Heidi at an arm's length. I'm not staying at Julliard anymore. I've had enough of the Dean Harlow runaround."

"No, J.T., you can't do that. We'll get the curfew fixed. You can't just throw away your spot at Julliard."

"I have other options, Heidi. Did you forget I'm starring in a Broadway play?"

"You can't leave, J.T," Heidi pleaded. "I need you here."

"I don't want to stay, Heidi. Not if it has to be like this all the time. I practically have a meeting with the dean every day."

"There is a way you can end those. Its called following the rules." J.T. let his hands slide down Heidi's arm until he was no longer holding on to her.

"J.T., you can't do this."

"I would be a much happier person."

"If you go, I go."

"Don't be ridiculous, Heidi. You have to finish what you started. You can't leave now."

"Take your advice," Heidi snapped. She walked away and left J.T. in the hallway alone.

J.T. rubbed his forehead. He thought he was going to be fine with his decision, but he didn't think it was going to affect Heidi. His eyes stared down the hallway and his mind wandered off to what he was going to do about his girlfriend.

***

Kelso knocked on the doorjamb at Ashleigh's dorm. Ashleigh was sitting at her desk working on homework.

"Come in." She didn't look up from her homework or ask who was going to enter.

"Hey," Kelso greeted.

Ashleigh froze. She wasn't ready to talk. She wasn't ready to see Kelso. She wasn't ready to face what had come knocking at her door, literally.

"I brought you something." Kelso put a yellow rose in front of her nose.

"Yellow?"

"Red is so cliché. I hate being like everybody else."

Kelso pulled up a stool next to her. "What are you working on?"

"Oh, just Shakespeare stuff. Kind of boring, actually."

"Boring. The greatest romanticist ever recorded." Kelso spouted off a line from Romeo and Juliet that made Ashleigh blush. "I knew I'd get you to smile, somehow."

Ashleigh put her hands on both of her cheeks and noticed the heat. "Probably the first smile I've had since last night."

"Yeah, about last night. If you have questions, you need to let me know. I can answer them. Don't be afraid."

Ashleigh got up from her desk and walked across the room. She didn't look Kelso in the eye. "I know I shouldn't be afraid, but I am. I mean, I've never been in a situation like this before. I don't know what I'm supposed to do." A stream of tears streaked down Ashleigh's cheek.

Kelso stood up and walked over to his girlfriend. He brushed her arm with his fingers. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do, either, Ashleigh. I'm a dead man walking. But, I do know that I want to spend the rest of my time with you. I don't think I've ever had this kind of connection with anyone before. You laugh at my jokes, no matter how stupid they are. You dance with me whenever you feel like it. And, you are the most caring and sensitive person I know." Kelso wrapped his arms around Ashleigh in a hug. He brushed her hair away from her ear and whispered, "I'm falling in love with you."

Ashleigh pushed his arms away. "Don't do this to me, Kelso. Don't do this right now. I can't . . .I mean . . . I won't . . ." Ashleigh took a deep breath. "Don't make me do this now, Kelso. You can't bring this on. It's not fair."

"Fair? You want me to be fair? I can't help this, Ash. I didn't know what I was getting into when J.T. asked me to go on a date with you. I just thought we'd be good friends. I didn't know I was going to fall in love. I didn't want to get this close to anybody after I was diagnosed. I cut myself off from the world after my girlfriend died. In fact, I still don't go out in public much anymore. I don't even know how I ended up being part of a Broadway play in my condition. I stayed home with the lights out. Just me and my guitar. I cried, Ashleigh. I cried like a baby. Yeah, I know it sounds like I took a few lines out of _RENT_ , but I didn't. This is my life, and I'd like for you to be a part of it. I don't care if you cry. I don't care if you can't handle it. I just want you to know that I need you in my life."

Ashleigh looked at her hands. She was so nervous, she was shaking. "What's going to happen, Kelso? What do I need to know?"

"Sit down."

Ashleigh walked backwards until she fell onto her bed. Kelso sat beside her. He grabbed her hand. "I'm having some trouble right now. I told the director that I needed an understudy because I'm going through lots of treatments. I don't feel very well. Kind of between a flu and a cold. Some days, I don't want to even get out of the bed because I feel so bad."

"Why did you pick me? I mean, you have all those other girls around you everyday at rehearsals. I've seen them pawing at you. Why did you pick me?"

Kelso smiled. "As I recall, you picked me."

Ashleigh playfully punched Kelso in the shoulder. "Excuses, excuses."

"So, are you okay with this?" Kelso asked.

A half-smile crept onto Ashleigh's face. "I'll try to be."

"Good." He kissed the top of her head, then looked at his watch. "Oh, man, got another rehearsal I've got to be at. These two a day rehearsals are going to drive me to an early grave."

"Hey."

"Just an expression. Calm down. Hey, why don't you round up your friends and we can all go out after we get done. I think we are just working on blocking, so it won't take that long."

"Okay, I'll see what I can do."

***

"Court, your best friend is about to make the biggest mistake of his life," Heidi told him over the phone.

"What did J.T. do this time?" Court asked.

"He says he's going to drop out of Julliard," Heidi remarked.

"WHAT?!" Court exclaimed. "Where is he? I've got to go talk to this boy before he does something stupid."

"Probably at rehearsal."

"Oh, shoot. I forgot I'm supposed to be there, too. I'm trying out to be Kelso's understudy. Listen, let me get my stuff together and I'll meet you outside your dorm. Sound good?"

"Yeah, I'll be waiting outside."

"See you in about ten minutes. Bye."

Heidi hung up her phone, grabbed her purse, and went towards the foyer in her dorm. On her way, she ran into Dashelle and Brady.

"What's up with you two?" Heidi asked.

"Brady got in trouble," Dashelle said.

"So, what kind of time did you get?" Heidi asked Brady.

"I have to teach art classes to a group of old biddies at a nursing home."

"Oh, that'll be fun," Heidi retorted sarcastically.

"Yeah, you're telling me. The dean said that if any of us screwed up again, she would have us on so strict a probation that we would be on lock down for the rest of our years at Julliard."

"Well, then, we don't have a chance, Brady. Thanks for screwing things up. I really appreciate how considerate you were to get caught."

"Heidi, lighten up," Dashelle snapped. "The whole world does not revolve around what you've been trying to do. We've made some mistakes, but the weeks almost up and we can get things worked out. Chill out!"

Court walked into the dorm. "Ready, Heidi?"

"Yeah, I guess," she sighed.

"Whoa, mopey. If you are going to try to convince J.T. to stay, that is not the way to do it," Court remarked.

"Where's he going?" Brady asked.

"He told me he was going to drop out," Heidi said.

"That's insane. We're going with you," Dashelle said. She grabbed Brady's arm and pulled him out of the dorm with Court and Heidi in tow.

Court hailed a cab for the crew and the crammed into the backseat. Heidi would not talk to Brady or Dashelle. She was mad at them for causing yet another problem in her plan to get things better for the entire student body. Court was going over lines out loud. He got mad when he couldn't remember the next line. Every once in awhile, Heidi offered the forgotten line.

The cab pulled up in front of the Madrid. The gang pooled their money together and paid the cabbie. The cabbie scowled when he noticed the small tip he received. The gang walked off as quickly as they could. They felt bad about not having enough money to give the cabbie a good tip.

Court walked in first and scoped the room for his best friend. J.T. looked up from his script and saw his friends in the back of the room. He jumped off the stage and walked to the back of the theater.

"Hey, what's going on?" J.T. asked.

"A little bird told us that you are going to drop out of Julliard and we came by to tell you that you are making a big mistake," Court remarked.

"How would you know? You're not me," J.T. remarked.

"Do you remember how hard you worked to get yourself here, Jayson? This wasn't just a pipe dream. You have the talent and the know how. Don't bail on us just because the dean is driving you mad."

"Court, I can make decisions on my own. I'm an adult. If I choose to quit Julliard, I choose to quit. There is nothing anyone can say or do to get me to change my mind."

"Okay, well, what's going to happen when this little gig of yours is over?" Brady asked.

"Find another one. If I got this one, I'm pretty positive I can get another." J.T. crossed his arms. "Now, are you people going to stay here and support me or are you going to turn your backs and walk out on me."

"We'll stay," Heidi started, "but, not because we agree with what you're doing." Heidi plopped down in a seat and crossed her arms.

J.T. kissed her cheek. "I knew you'd understand." He turned around and ran back onstage. Court followed after him.

"What is going on with you, man? It's like you've changed into a whole different person since we started Julliard. I can tell you right now that you're tortured soul act isn't going to work with me."

"I'm just tired of butting heads with that lady. I came here because she asked me to and now all she does is give me grief."

"Did you forget that she also let you come a day later than everyone else and she's been willing to work around this rehearsal schedule you have going."

J.T. shook his head. "You don't get it, Court. Just let me do things my way." J.T. hopped onto the stage.

Court shook his head. He was going to get his friend to stay no matter what it took. He also knew that he had an army of friends behind him if he needed it. He looked to the back of the theater, held up his hands and shrugged his shoulders. Heidi shook her head, too.

Kelso and Ashleigh walked in.

"We were looking for you guys," Ashleigh said. "Kelso was going to invite you all to go out after they got finished with this rehearsal."

"Well, we might be helping J.T. pack if he doesn't get a grip," Heidi snapped.

Ashleigh scrunched her face up. "Huh?"

"Jayson has decided he is going to quit Julliard."

"Oh, no he isn't," Ashleigh said. "He went through too much to get here and he's not going to screw it up now."

"So, what are you going to do about it, Ashleigh?"

"Has Court talked to him?" Ashleigh asked.

"Um, yeah. It looked like he was talking to a brick wall," Brady said.

"Hey, why don't I try," Kelso said. "I mean I'm a neutral party. Maybe I can get him to change his mind."

"Go for it," Heidi grumbled.

"I will." Kelso headed for the stage. Before he could talk to J.T., Greg called everyone to the stage to go over the events of the evening rehearsal. They had to do some critical blocking tonight and rehearse a couple of songs that the choreography had been amended. He said it was going to be at least an hour and a half before anyone would be able to leave. Finally, he announced the night of the first performance. It was going to be the first week of next month. This day was only three weeks away. Greg also reminded everyone that there were going to be two rehearsals every day from now until the performance date: one in the morning and one in the evening. He was not going to take any excuses for not showing up.

"Well, there goes my social life," Kelso sighed.

J.T. raised his eyebrow. Kelso must have been able to talk to Ashleigh he thought. Either that or he was in the hunt to find someone else. He looked out to the back of the theater and saw Ashleigh. He changed his answer to the former and not the latter.

"So, gang, let's get started. Kelso and J.T., let's go ahead and run through "Dying in America. We made a few changes to the choreography. Watch Kayla."

Kelso and J.T. watched the new steps that Kayla went over. When she was finished, they ran through the song.

"Great, you two. Take five," Greg told the guys.

Kelso and J.T. walked off the stage and into the back of the theater where the whole crew was.

"So, J.T., I hear you're skipping out of Julliard," Kelso remarked.

"What are you going to do about it?" J.T. asked.

"Well, your friends are trying to stop you from making the biggest mistake of your life. Man, you've got all you've ever wanted and you're willing to throw it away, just like that." Kelso snapped his fingers at the end of his statement.

"You can't change my mind, Kelso. Everyone else has tried and failed."

"Yes, but they just don't want you to leave them at school all alone. I'm not part of that crowd. I'm part of the crowd that sees you when you're not running from class to class. I'm part of the crowd that sees you as a professional. You're working your butt off just to keep this part and to still be in school. In my book, that takes one guy with cajones. Don't act like a spoiled brat, just because you don't always get your way. Stay."

"Well, Kelso, thanks for that wonderful after school special speech. I'll take that into consideration while I'm packing."

"You can't go," Heidi interjected. Kelso and J.T. had made it to the gang of friends in the back of the room.

"You of all people should want me to go after the way I treated you," J.T. said.

"You didn't treat me different than anybody else I know. They've all said those things that you said. I just needed to hear it from someone who knows best. But, apparently, you don't know best if you're going to skip out on us now."

"Why is it so important that I stay?" J.T. whined to the group.

"I'll take this one," Court said. He pulled a piece of paper from his back pocket. "I believe this was written in 5th grade." He cleared his throat. "When I get older, I want to go to Julliard so I can be famous. I want to perform on Broadway with lots of famous people like John Travolta and Brook Shields. Of course, if I don't make it into Julliard, I'll just go to Broadway with just some clothes on my back and audition for everything that is available. Then, when I make it to Broadway, I'm going to invite all my friends to come watch my show every night. I'll even get them free tickets. Of course, I'll have a girlfriend by then and I'll propose to her on opening night. But, enough about girls. I want to get good grades and do really well in all my classes so I can make it to Julliard first. I think this is the most important thing if I want to make it to Broadway. I'm not going to let anything stop me including any people that say I can't do it or think that I am too outgoing to stay in a very prestigious school." Court looked up from what he was reading and peered at J.T. "Do I need to go on?"

J.T. sighed and shook his head. "I get the point."

"So, you'll stay?" Heidi asked.

J.T. looked over at the stage. They were about ready to do a full cast scene. "I'll think about it and get back to you after I pack."

Heidi growled. She stood up from her chair. "Jayson Tyler Sumtrane, I am not going to stand here and watch you throw your dream away! In fact, I'm not going to even watch you at all. If you want to talk to me, I will be in my dorm room studying. Goodbye." Heidi stomped out of the theater.

J.T. put his hands on his face and let them slide from his forehead to his chin.

"Aren't you going to stop her?" Ashleigh asked.

"Not in the mood to deal with her right now. I've got other thoughts on my mind including that it is time to get back on the stage and earn my keep. Let's go, Kelso." He grabbed Kelso's arm and pulled him toward the stage. Kelso turned to the group and mouthed "I'll work on him."

Ashleigh took Heidi's chair. "Why are we so troubled? We came to this place without any cares and threw caution to the wind. Now, Brady and Freedom are getting way too close for comfort. Heidi and J.T. are star crossed lovers and well, I haven't really talked to Kelso since he dropped the H-bomb on our relationship. Why the heck did we want to come here again?"

"Dreams," Court remarked. "And for your information, I haven't had any problems with all this romance stuff going around."

"And we're all very thankful for that," Sam chimed in.

"Shut it," Court snapped.

"Just trying to explain," Sam remarked.

"We have got to come up with a plan to get J.T. to stay," Freedom thought aloud.

"Well, we can't very well get any ideas here," Brady told his girlfriend.

"Yes, we can," Ashleigh interrupted. "We can all moo at the moon."

"Huh?" Court asked.

"We'll all break into his room and hide all of his things and force him to stay. Who's with me?"

"Got nothing else to do," Dashelle remarked. "I suppose I can help out."

"Girls, what makes you think Heidi hasn't started all of this all ready?"

Dashelle and Ashleigh looked at each other. "We gotta go."

The gang got their things and rushed out of the theater. J.T. and Kelso looked confused as they saw their friends running out of the room.

CHAPTER 18

Heidi knocked on the door to J.T. and Mario's dorm. No one came to answer. She knocked again and yelled for Mario to answer the door. He called out that it was open and to come on in. She walked in. Mario was sitting in his yoga pose naked. Heidi turned away quickly while she yelped.

"Oh, sweetie, sorry. I didn't know it was you. I'll put some clothes on lickety-split." Mario got up and walked over to his dresser. Heidi backed out of the room. "I'm just going to wait outside until you're decent."

"You're going to be waiting a long time," Mario quipped.

"Seriously, Mario. I've got some important business to take care of. Let me know when I can come back in." Heidi walked the rest the way out of the door and shut it behind her. She saw Ashleigh and Dashelle coming up the stairs while she was waiting for the "all clear" from Mario.

"What are you doing, Heidi?" Dashelle asked.

"Oh, I'm just going to disrupt J.T.'s plans **,** that's all."

"Care for any help?" Ashleigh asked.

"Sure."

Ashleigh whistled and their male and other female counterparts appeared. Mario finally opened the door and let J.T.'s friends enter.

"So, what are you planning on doing to poor little ol J.T.?" Mario asked.

"He wants to leave and we are not going to let him," Heidi answered.

"Well, have fun. I have a gallery showing to go to see. Toodles." Mario walked out the door.

"Okay, the first thing we are going to do is get this guy a different room mate," Sam said.

"Working on it," Court mumbled. "Mario, the wonder gay can room with Luka, the Lithiuanian."

"Okay, first things first. We are going to take all of his clothes and take them to my room. His suitcases are in the top shelf of his closet. Get them and get started," Heidi ordered.

"Boys, you get the heavy stuff and take it across the hall to Sam's place. J.T. will never know what's going on when he gets here. We are all going to meet back here and force him to stay in this room until he decided that it's best that he stays. We've got to come together and think of a plan in an hour and a half. Let's get crackin'."

"Way to take charge, Heidi," Court said. "But, don't you think that if we pack all of his stuff it will be easier for him to leave?"

"Not if he can't find it," Heidi sang. "Now, get to work! We don't have much time before he gets back from rehearsal."

"Yeah, and I've got a date with Kelso. So, quit yapping, Court. Hey, aren't you supposed to be at the rehearsal?"

"This is more important," Court said.

"Oh, so you're blowing off my boyfriend so you could hang out here. What kind of friend are you?"

Heidi stepped in between Ashleigh and Court before they could say anything else to each other. "Ashleigh, deal with it. Our friend, J.T. is confused and he's trying to run away from it. Your boyfriend and the rest of the RENT cast can deal with one understudy gone for a day. So, buck up and get over it."

"Whoa. Haven't seen this Heidi in awhile. Where have you been hiding?" Court asked.

"I was on vacation." She shoved a box in Court's hands. "Now, move it."

"Yes, ma'am. I'd salute but my hands are full."

Heidi mimicked a laugh and shooed him away. Her phone rang and she looked at the caller i.d. before she decided to answer it.

"Hey, J.T. I thought you would still be in rehearsals."

"Yeah, well, I am, but I wanted to know if you wanted to go out tonight before I get all of my stuff together to leave. I think I might go back to my flat. The rent has been paid for this month and I can just resign my lease."

"Sure, I'll go out with you tonight. When do you think you'll be done?"

"Oh, by 8:15."

Heidi looked at her watch. That was only an hour away. She cringed. "That doesn't give me much time to get ready. So, I've got to get off the phone. I'll see you soon. Bye."

Heidi yelled to everyone in the room. "We have an hour, people. MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!"

***

"So, how are things going with you and Ashleigh?" J.T. asked. He was sitting on the edge of the stage taking a break before they had to get started rehearsing again.

"She's still scared, but there's not much I can do about it. I mean I've told her what's going on with me and what I think about her. She seems upset or afraid to get near me every time I try to get close to her."

"Well, if you told me what you told her like you did, I think I'd be afraid to get close, too."

"I know, but, I thought she'd be different about it."

"She's a very sensitive person. She always has been. You have to be careful with how you handle her," J.T. remarked.

"I just want to kiss her," Kelso admitted.

"Ok, number 1: has anyone told you that some of the things you say sound like they are coming from a girl and number 2: you haven't kissed her, yet?"

"Yeah, well, I have sisters and no, I haven't really kissed her, yet. I mean a peck on the cheek here and there, but not the kind of kiss I really want to give her."

"Here's my advice, ease in to it. Don't scare her and she'll be fine."

"Yeah, I guess." There was a silent pause. "So, have you thought more about staying at Julliard? I know all of your friends are kind of upset that you said you were leaving."

"I think they took it the wrong way. I'm just leaving the campus. This dorm life is not for me. Especially with the way the dean has been treating me. I'm ready to get my own place back and do what I want to do when I want to do it. If I want to stay out until the wee hours of the morning, I should be able to without having to ask for permission."

"Maybe you should explain that to the rest of your crew. I'm sure if you told them what was going on they could deal with it. You just blew them off earlier without any explanation."

"Well, I'm more concerned about Heidi than anybody else. She seems to be so codependent these days that I'm worried about what she'll do when I leave her behind."

"She'll survive. I've known types like her. Everything turns out okay in the long run."

"How do you know?" J.T. asked a bit puzzled.

Kelso hopped down from the stage. "Trust me, I know."

J.T. followed behind Kelso. "Why are you being so secretive?"

"Why are you so concerned about me? I think you should be more worried about how the next hour is going to be. We've got some major work to do. Don't worry about the mess I'm in and get over your brooding twenty something pity party for me attitude."

Kelso's voice rose as he was talking and then it turned into a coughing fit.

"Whoa, man, slow down. I didn't mean to upset you," J.T. said.

Kelso waved his hands in front of him as a gesture not to worry about it. His coughing would not stop. J.T. asked if he was okay, but Kelso wasn't able to answer. He grabbed his throat and stopped.

"Greg!" J.T. yelled. "We need some help here. Kelso's about to—"

Before J.T. could finish his sentence, Kelso put his hands to his mouth and choked up blood.

"Oh, I did not need to see that," one of the dancers remarked.

"Do you need an ambulance?' J.T. asked his friend.

Kelso nodded. He felt his way to a chair and sat down. "Quick," he barely whispered.

J.T. got on the phone and called an ambulance. He relayed all the information and the ambulance told him what to do while they were on their way.

"I think we'll call it a wrap for today folks," Greg announced. "Let's just get Kelso back in good health."

The ambulance sirens sounded and finally stopped in front of the theater. They hooked Kelso up to every machine possible for tests and finally decided to take him to the hospital. Before Kelso was shipped away, he asked J.T. to call Ashleigh and tell her to go to the hospital. J.T. agreed and called his friend. He went outside to hail a cab.

"Ashleigh, if you're not sitting down, you need to be. I need to tell you about Kelso."

Ashleigh had been helping Heidi pack up clothes. Her face turned pale and she backed into J.T.'s bed before she fell into a sitting position. "What's going on, J.T? Don't make me wait for answers."

"Kelso went to the hospital. He started to cough up blood before rehearsal. He asked me to call you so you would know. He'd like you to come to the hospital if you can," J.T. said.

"Oh. I'll be there as soon as I can," Ashleigh said. She looked at her watch and paused. "When do you think you'll be done with rehearsal?"

"Oh, I'm done now. Greg said that we could wrap it up after Kelso's incident. I'll be coming to pack up my stuff in a few minutes." He finally tracked down a cab to take him back to the dorm.

"Okay, I'll tell Heidi. And then, I'm on my way to see Kelso. Bye."

"Bye."

"Heidi, Dashelle, anybody!" Ashleigh called out into the halls where her friends were playing musical chairs with boxes of J.T.'s stuff.

"What?" Heidi asked.

"J.T's on his way here. They cut rehearsal early, because . . .because," Ashleigh took a deep breath. "Kelso had to go to the hospital." She got those last words out, but hiccupped a sob at the end.

"Oh, sweetie," Heidi walked over to her friend and gave her a hug. "This can wait. You go and see Kelso."

"I don't want to go by myself. I'll just wait until J.T. gets here, so he can give me more info and then you guys can come with me," Ashleigh said.

"Are you sure?" Dashelle said. "I mean, I could go with you and the rest of the crew could meet up later."

"No, I think I need to stay here for a bit before I go face Kelso. I mean, I, um, haven't been the most consoling girlfriend the past few days. I don't know what I'm supposed to do in a situation like this. I've never had this happen before."

"We know, girl. We'll help you out with this," Court said. He put his hand on her shoulder. Ashleigh gave a half smile.

J.T. trotted up the stairs and saw all of his friends standing in the hallway.

"Well, what a nice going away party," J.T. remarked.

"Not so fast, mister. You will be staying here and you can't do anything about it. We'll discuss more about it later," Heidi remarked. "But, right now, you need to tell Ashleigh about Kelso."

J.T. told Ashleigh all he knew about Kelso. "They took him to General Hospital. He looked okay to me, but I don't know how bad this coughing up blood is supposed to be. I'm learning just like you."

"I need to go see him," Ashleigh said. She went into J.T's room and gathered her things. "Anybody want to come with me?"

Everyone decided to go with Ashleigh, but they all agreed to let her go into Kelso's room and have some private time with him. They group hailed a cab and made their way to General Hospital.

CHAPTER 19

Ashleigh walked into Kelso's hospital room. He had an IV poked into him and some machines buzzing and whirring next to him. Ashleigh found a chair and scooted it up to the side of his bed.

He smiled. "Hey, sweetheart. I was wondering if you were going to make it," Kelso whispered.

"Yeah, well, I wasn't sure if you wanted me to come running or if you wanted me to let you steam for awhile before I showed up," Ashleigh remarked.

"Huh?"

"I'm sorry, that came out way wrong. I just don't know what to do, Kelso. I mean, you've dropped a bombshell in my lap and now I'm just supposed to sit here and wait for you to waste away. I don't know how to handle that, Kelso, I really don't." Ashleigh's tears appeared in pools under her eyes.

Kelso reached out his hand and grabbed Ashleigh's. "Its okay, Ash. I'm going to be fine."

"Don't lie to me."

"I'm not. This has happened before. I just get a little overworked and tend to get panicked and do things like this. Don't worry about this," Kelso said.

"You can't tell me not to worry, Kelso. I'm a worrier. I'm going to worry whether you like it or not," Ashleigh said.

Kelso guffawed. "That's what I love about you. You don't take anything for granted."

"I try not to. I'm going to worry and I'm going to cry, so you just have to get used to it," Ashleigh said. She took the back of her hand and wiped the streaks of tears on her face.

"I have no problem with that." Kelso looked at Ashleigh straight in the eye. "I do have a problem with you sitting in a chair when there is a perfectly open spot right next to me on the bed."

Ashleigh got out of the chair and sat on the bed where Kelso had put his hand.

"So, what do we do now?" Ashleigh asked.

"Well, I didn't really make a list," Kelso joked.

Ashleigh rolled her eyes. "My friends are outside. We could invite them in," Ashleigh suggested. She got up from the bed, but Kelso pulled her back down.

"No, not yet. I want to talk to you for a bit."

"What do you want to talk about?"

Kelso took a deep breath. "I know that we haven't had that much time together, but I do know that I haven't felt this way about anybody else that I've been with. You're sweet and caring and you always want to please people." Kelso cleared his throat. "I love you, Ashleigh." He reached over to the table sitting next to him and handed her a small box. "Open it."

She did. Inside was a solitaire triad diamond. "I didn't know when the right time would be, but I think now is as good a time as ever. Ashleigh, will you marry me?"

Ashleigh swallowed the lump in her throat. Her eyes bulged from their sockets. She opened her mouth to say something, but only a high pitched squeak came out.

"Was that a yes?"

Ashleigh got up from the bed and paced the floor. "I need a minute."

"Ashleigh, dear, I don't have that much time," Kelso tried to joke.

"I haven't known you that long and what I do know about you makes me scared," Ashleigh remarked. She stopped in her tracks and looked at Kelso directly into his eyes. "I need to step out for some fresh air. I'll be back with an answer."

"Okay, as long as it is today," Kelso remarked.

Ashleigh blew a kiss to Kelso and walked out the door. Heidi walked over to her when she came out.

"You don't look so good, Ash. Is he going to be all right?" Heidi asked concerned.

"Yeah, he'll be fine, but I don't know if I'll be." She walked over to a chair and plopped down into it. "He asked me to marry him."

A chorus of "whats" and "huhs" erupted from the group.

"Well, what did you say?" Dashelle asked.

"Nothing. I can't make that decision right now. I mean, I've still got school to think about and other things. I can't just throw all of that away and get married."

"And you don't even know if he's worth marrying," Court remarked. Court hit his forehead with the heel of his hand. "I'm sorry, Ash, that didn't come out like it was supposed to."

"Life story, huh," Ashleigh quipped.

Court mimicked a laugh. "What I meant was that you haven't known him that long and you don't know that much about him."

"Not true, actually. We've been talking a lot and I mean A LOT because, well, we don't do much else. We've been kind of uncomfortable around each other lately since he told me that he has HIV."

"Isn't that a sign that you aren't ready to get married?" J.T. asked.

"No, that's a sign of miscommunication," Ashleigh said. "I get so frustrated trying to figure out what I'm supposed to do that I come off as uncomfortable or annoyed at him and I'm not. He's the sweetest guy in the world and I've hurt his feelings at least five times this past week. That's not who I am, guys. I've got to walk back through that door and give him an answer and I have a feeling it is not going to be the answer he wants to hear and that is going to crush both of us. Any ideas how I'm supposed to pull this off?" Ashleigh said in a panicked voice.

"Say not yet," Heidi suggested. "He has to understand that you're not ready for the kind of commitment he's asking for since you've only known him a short time."

"Or say yes, but tell him that you don't want to get married right away. You've got some things you need to take care of first," Dashelle added.

"Um, Shell, I don't think that is going to work in his condition," Ashleigh mumbled.

"Oh, right," Dashelle whispered.

Ashleigh grunted. "Why does all this stuff have to happen to me? I just want to go back to my dorm room, put on my PJs, and sleep this whole thing away," Ashleigh remarked.

"There's a reason for everything," J.T. said. "This is not going to go away. Just like the idea that I'm not going to be on campus anymore. I'm not dropping out, I'm just moving back to my own place. Some of you people took it the wrong way and went crazy with it. I'd really like my stuff back, so I can move back to my flat."

"Um, J.T., my dear, that will never happen. You're going to have to fight us all to get your stuff and leave our little academic paradise," Ashleigh said. "Now, can we get back to my problem?"

"Problem?" Freedom asked. "You just had an incredibly gorgeous, incredibly romantic, incredibly talented guy ask you to marry him as a dying wish and you think that is a problem? Honey, what planet are you on that you can't understand what kind of a compliment that is!"

"Freedom, you'd feel a lot different if this was happening to you."

Freedom raised her hand up to Ashleigh's face and shook her head.

"So, is it going to be yes or no?" Heidi asked her friend.

Ashleigh put her hands over her face. "I don't know."

Dashelle came over to Ashleigh and leaned her arm on her shoulder. "This would be one of those times where you have to be a big girl and make decisions on your own," Dashelle remarked.

"Dash, don't down play this. This is a really big step here and I need more than one hour to think about it. For Pete's sake, I need more than one day to think about it. Of course, if I don't know the answer now, then it is probably not a good idea to say yes. I mean if I really wanted to do it, then I would know the answer right away. Right?" She looked into Dashelle's eyes for reassurance. "Right?"

"Ash, it's not my place to say."

Ashleigh grunted. "Why does everything with Kelso have to be so complicated?" She paced and finally landed back in a chair.

"He's an actor, they like that," J.T. joked.

"Thanks, J.T. That really cleared up things for me."

"No problem."

"Um . . .does anybody else want to go see Kelso while I mull this over. He's probably freaking out and thinking I left the building," Ashleigh requested.

"I'll go." J.T. knocked on the door to Kelso's room before he went in. Kelso was looking out the window. He had the opened ring box in his hand.

"Hey, man, how ya feeling?"

"Okay, I guess. Is Ashleigh still out there?"

"Yes. She's really torn up about that." He pointed to the ring box in Kelso's hand.

Kelso smiled. "Oh, yeah. Think she'll say yes?"

"Kelso, take a step back from your life for a minute. Put yourself in Ash's shoes. She just found out that you're HIV positive, you're in the hospital, she thinks you don't have that much longer to live and you want her to make a life changing decision. What would you do?"

"Oh, man, I am an idiot. Thanks for the hit over the head, J.T. I can't believe I just made the biggest mistake of my life."

At that moment, Ashleigh came to the door. Her smile faded.

"Am I interrupting?" Ashleigh asked.

"No, sweetie. I just had an insight given to me by your friend over here," Kelso said. "J.T., could you excuse us for a minute."

J.T. put his hands up and backed out of the room.

Heidi came up to him after he got out of the room. "So, you just want to get out of the dorm, but still be going to Julliard?"

"That's the plan," J.T. said. "So, can I get my stuff to go."

"J.T., we need to talk. Let's go somewhere where we can get some stuff out in the open without any interruptions."

"Fine, we can go to the hospital cafeteria. I haven't had anything to eat."

Heidi agreed and they walked silently to the cafeteria. After they went through the buffet line, they sat down. Heidi sighed.

":J.T., I really need you right now. I know that I haven't been the greatest person to be around. I mean, I've been moody and I've been working too much and I just can't get out of this all work and no play mode. I need you to be my rock and help me to have fun. I also need you to tell me to stop and live a little every once in awhile. You can't do that if you're across town all the time. Please stay, J.T."

"Heidi, that was a really nice speech, but I've made up my mind. I can still be there for you, I'm just going to a little further away."

"Well, what am I supposed to do when I can't just walk across the street to get my mind off things."

"Wait a minute, I thought we broke up," J. T. said trying to clear his head.

"Well, yeah, we did, but I'm trying to reconcile. It was my fault that we broke up and I'm trying to fix things."

"Heidi, this is not what I want to keep doing. We've been having this on again off again romance. We had a lot more fun when we were just friends."

Heidi reached across the table and put her hand on top of his. "Don't do this to me, J.T. You are the only one that I can talk to right now that is sane. I really need you to stay here."

J.T. looked at Heidi with brooding eyes. "What's going on with you? You aren't acting like yourself at all lately."

Heidi turned her head away from J.T. quickly. "I did something terrible."

"Huh?"

She slowly turned to face J.T. again. "First, let me say that I'm not telling you what I'm about to tell you so you'll stay. I'm telling you so that you'll know how much you mean to me and what lengths I'll go to keep you with me."

"Heidi, sweetheart, you are starting to scare me."

"Well, get ready for this then." Heidi took a deep breath. "I tried to kill myself last night." Heidi pushed up her sleeves to show J.T. the slit marks she had made with her nail file.

"Heidi!" J.T. exclaimed. He lowered his voice to a whisper when he heard himself. "Why—what—why—what the heck were you doing?"

"I've got too much on my plate, J.T. I thought that if I just went away, everything would go along with it. I thought about calling you last night before I did it, but something stopped me. I don't know what stopped me, but I couldn't bring myself to call you. I thought that you would have some kind of sixth sense and come rescue me like you usually do." She looked down at the table. "I guess I was wrong," she mumbled.

J.T. got up from the table, walked over to Heidi and pulled her up from her chair. "C'mon, I think there is someone you need to talk to right now," J.T. remarked.

"No, J.T., I'm not going to tell anyone about this." She pulled her arm away.

"Oh, yes you are," J.T. ordered. He grabbed her arm again and pulled her behind him.

They walked back upstairs to the lobby with all of their friends. Heidi stopped J.T., but he drug her along until they got to the psychiatric ward of the hospital. A nurse was at the front desk.

"Can I help you folks?" the nurse asked.

"Yes, this is Heidi Weirs. She tried to slit her wrists last night and kill herself. I don't care how long it takes or how much money it is going to cost, she needs to be admitted right away."

"J.T., what are you doing?!" Heidi exclaimed.

"I'm rescuing you," J.T. said. "What you did to yourself last night is serious stuff, Heidi. I don't want to come and see you one day and find you lying on your dorm room floor with a suicide note next to you saying "I just couldn't handle it anymore.""

"You can't leave me here," Heidi hiccupped. Her tears formed pools in the canals of her eyes.

"Believe it or not, doll, I know what I'm doing. I was once in your shoes. Now, they'll probably keep you overnight for observation and then you'll be an outpatient for awhile." J.T. grabbed Heidi in a bear hug and kissed the top of her head. "Everything's going to be fine."

"I didn't tell you this so you'd take me back. I told you this because I trust you," Heidi said.

"And I'm telling you that I was a jerk and I shouldn't have said those things to you. I'll stay at Julliard for awhile . . . and I'll get our curfew problem worked out."

J.T. wanted to say one more thing to her at that moment, but he held back. He didn't want Heidi to get even more confused than she all ready was. So, he slipped his arms away from her, told her goodbye, and headed back to the crew waiting in the lobby.

CHAPTER 20

Ashleigh stood by the window in Kelso's room staring out the window.

"Okay, so I think we need to talk about my proposal," Kelso finally said. "And in order to do that, I need you to look at me and quit avoiding eye contact with me."

Ashleigh shook her head. "I'm sorry, Kelso. I just have a lot on my mind right now."

"So do I and I need to talk to you about it," Kelso remarked. "I don't think I should have sprung the million dollar question on you when I'm like this."

Ashleigh smiled. "Kelso, it's all right. I just took the question too seriously in my overdramatic sort of way."

"Ashleigh, it was a serious question. And right now, I'm not going to ask for an answer right now. I should have known that you'll need some time to think about it and quite frankly, I don't think I'm going anywhere anytime soon. So, whenever you're ready to give me an answer, I'll have the ring with me."

Ashleigh walked over to Kelso's bed and leaned over close to him. "Can I try it on?" she whispered.

Kelso smiled. "Sure, babe." He took the ring out of the box and slipped it on her ring finger.

Ashleigh took her hand away and looked at her hand with the ring on it. "Mrs. Kelso Stark, huh?"

"No, Mrs. Ashleigh Stark. You are your own person."

"And how long do you think you'll be in this condition?" Ashleigh asked unsure of how to word her question.

"Oh, I'll probably be out of here in a few days." Kelso looked the other way. "But, I can't make any promises."

"Yes."

Kelso was taken aback for a moment. His mouth opened and closed, but nothing happened. "What?" he finally eked out.

Ashleigh took Kelso's hand in hers and put her other hand on his cheek. "Yes, I will marry you, Kelso. It may not be right away, but I will marry you before you make your final curtain call in life."

"All right, I'll book us a chapel in Vegas," Kelso remarked.

"Cute, but I don't think so."

"Come closer."

Ashleigh leaned closer and Kelso gave her a kiss that made her legs feel like Jell-O.

"I've got to tell my friends. Let's get them in here." Ashleigh opened the door and was about to tell them to come in when she saw the look on everyone's' faces.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Heidi," J.T. answered.

"Where is she?" Ashleigh asked. "I've got some really important news to tell every one."

"She's in the psychiatric ward," J.T. announced with a stoic face.

"Huh?"

"You heard him the first time, Ash," Court remarked. "Our friend, Heidi tried to kill herself last night and J.T. has decided that it is his fault."

"Well, it is," J.T. said. "I was the one that told her that she wasn't any fun anymore and I was the one that was supposed to be there when she needed to talk to someone and I blew it." J.T. sighed. "But, enough about me." He smiled. "What's the big news that you have for us?"

"Well, I'd rather tell you guys with Heidi in tow, but I guess we'll be visiting her later." Ashleigh flashed the ring in front of her friends. "I said yes."

"HOLY COW!" Dashelle screamed. She got up and looked at the ring. "He must be a darn good actor to get you a rock like that! Where can I get one?"

"First, you need to find a man," Freedom remarked.

"I've got a few prospects," Dashelle snapped.

"So, when's the big day?" Brady asked.

"Well, we didn't really set an actual date, yet."

"But, any idea when?" Parker asked.

"Sort of," Ashleigh mumbled.

"When?" Dashelle asked.

Ashleigh took a deep breath. "Before Kelso—"She stopped before she could finish the rest of the sentence and ran down the hall. Dashelle followed after her. She caught up with her friend at the drinking fountain in front of the rest room.

"Sweetie, are you sure you want to go through with this?"

"Yes, I'm positive. I didn't think that I did, but after talking with Kelso I decided that I didn't want to be with anyone else. I just don't want to think about what's going to become of him down the road. Why do I have to end up being the tortured soul?"

"You had a choice," Dashelle said.

"No, Shell, I didn't," Ashleigh remarked. She started to walk back to the lobby. "Believe it or not, someone else decides who I am supposed to end up with and He thinks it's pretty funny that I got caught up with Kelso."

"Oh, I doubt He thinks it's funny. He probably knows that you're the best thing that Kelso needs right now."

Ashleigh put up her hand to signal Dashelle to stop. "If you are planning on making me cry, you're doing a great job. Just stop talking about Kelso and me. I'm supposed to be happy right now and you are making me really depressed."

"I'm sorry, Ash, I was just trying to make things easier for you."

"Well, they're not, okay. I just told a dying man I would marry him, one of my best friends apparently tried to kill herself last night, and to top that off the glue of this entire crew has decided that Julliard isn't his place to be and he's going to leave us hanging. How does that make you feel?" Her voice rose as she turned the corner to see her friends.

"Why do you make everything about you?" Dashelle asked.

"Oh no, we are not going through this again," Freedom retorted. "You two are going to drive me to an early grave if we have to go through this every time you get mad at each other. So, just chill out." She turned to Ashleigh. "I'm going to guess that Dashelle was trying to get you to calm down and tell you that everything was going to be okay." She turned to Dashelle. "I'm going to guess that you were just being Dashelle trying to solve Ashleigh's problems and Ash took it the wrong way. So, just get over it and understand that you two always give each other mixed signals."

"Well, aren't you a regular Dr. Phil," Brady joked.

"Can it," Freedom snapped. "I'll solve your problem later."

"Now, I don't think you need to apologize to each other because there is nothing to be sorry for, but I do think that you need to explain to each other what you were trying to accomplish."

"Why aren't you a shrink?" Court asked.

"They don't pay as well."

Court guffawed. "Good reason." He looked around. "Where'd J.T. go?"

"Probably upstairs to see Heidi."

"I'm gonna go check," Court remarked. He headed toward the stairs. Little did he know that through all of the commotion going on, J.T. had slipped into Kelso's room and was talking to him about his future.

***

Court asked the nurse what room Heidi was in. He walked toward the room. Before he made it to the door, Heidi ran up to him and put her arms around him in a hug.

"Great, Court, you've come to rescue me. Get me out of here," Heidi pleaded.

"I can't do that," Court said.

"Yes, you can. We just have to walk out those doors." She pointed to the doors that were only a few feet away.

"J.T. checked you in here for a reason. I can't just go against my best friend and take you out of here."

"He threw me away, Court." Heidi sniffled.

Court squeezed Heidi. "No, sweetie, he didn't throw you away. He took you to get help. You know how J.T. is. If something is too big for him to handle he has somebody else help him. I know that he would never throw you away, girlie." Court tried to console his friend.

"So, why did you come up here?" Heidi asked.

"Well, I thought J.T. would probably be up here. He is really upset that he wasn't there for you. But, I'm not going to get into that since you have enough on your plate all ready. I have good news, though." Court took a step back from Heidi so he could see her face.

"Ashleigh and Kelso are going to get married."

Heidi's face lit up. "Really? Oh man, I've got to get out of this prison!"

Court kissed the top of Heidi's head. You'll be out in no time." He paused. "Now, I've got to find J.T. We've got to get back to rehearsal before they found someone else to do our parts. I'll see you soon." Court winked and walked back downstairs to the lobby.

CHAPTER 21

A few days later, J.T. was sitting in the lobby of the dean's office. He was rehearsing in his head what he was going to say to Dean Harlow when she finally decided to speak with him. He looked at his watch. He had been waiting 30 minutes for her to call him in. He was getting tired of waiting and had a notion that Dean Harlow was making him wait on purpose. He walked up to Burnetta.

"Any idea when the warden—Dean, I mean dean is going to see me?" he asked.

"I'll let you know when she is available, Mr. Sumtrane."

"I'm running on a tight schedule, Burnetta. I have to be back at rehearsals in an hour plus I have a class that requires some prepping to do. So, I would appreciate it if you would ask about what time Ms. Harlow can clear her oh so busy schedule so that I can have a word with her."

"Well, Mr. Sumtrane, I didn't know that you had such high priorities to deal with. I'll let her know that you need to speak with her immediately." Burnetta picked up the phone to call into the dean's office.

J.T. mouthed "thank you" and waited at the desk for an answer.

"She will be out in a minute."

"That's what you said half an hour ago," J.T. seethed.

"Have a seat, Mr. Sumtrane. She will be out shortly."

"I don't think so, Burnetta." J.T. walked over to the door of Dean Harlow's office and beat open the door. Dean Harlow was sitting at her desk pecking at keys on her computer.

"Dean Harlow, I have a very important matter to speak with you about and I don't have much time before I need to be at rehearsals."

"Mr. Sumtrane, I don't believe I asked for you to enter my office, yet."

"Well, I believe that I have been waiting out in the lobby for over half an hour and can't wait any longer if I am going to get to the places I need to be on time, like you so implied by the first meeting that we had about my attendance here."

"I am a very busy person, Mr. Sumtrane. I do not have time to be harassed by students who break rules on a daily basis."

"Dean Harlow," J.T. said through gritted teeth. "I am here to talk to you about the curfew petition. I took over for Heidi since she is otherwise indisposed."

"And where is she?" Dean Harlow asked.

"She is in the psychiatric ward at the hospital. She had a mental break down with all the things she has on her plate and tried to kill herself a few days ago. So, being the person that I am, I told her that I would take care of her pet project. So, here it is." He threw a manila folder on her desk. "Seventy-five percent of the student body has spoken. They believe their new curfew should be 2:00 a.m. The surveys and signatures are in there. Any questions?"

Dean Harlow smiled. "Oh, Mr. Sumtrane, you drive a hard bargain. I do believe that 2 a.m. is a little late, but since the student body has spoken there is nothing I can do about it."

"Well, Ms. Harlow, I'm glad we worked something out. When do you expect to let the student body know about the changes?" J.T. asked.

"I'll send out an e-mail and make sure the professors relate the message to their classes about an upcoming meeting on Wednesday. Is that good enough for you, Mr. Sumtrane?"

"Yes, ma'am, I believe it is." He looked at his watch and put his sunglasses on. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a rehearsal to get to," J.T. announced. He backed out the door and was on his way to rehearsal.

***

Ashleigh walked into Heidi's hospital room. She had been spending a lot of time with Kelso there and decided she needed to talk to Heidi about her situation. She walked into the room and saw Heidi curled up on the corner of the hospital bed.

"What's going on?" Ashleigh asked.

"Wishing I was someplace else," Heidi answered.

"Me, too. But, you take what you can get."

There was a long uncomfortable silence. Neither girl knew what to say to each other.

"J.T. hasn't come to see me since he put me in this cell block," Heidi whispered as she looked out the window.

"Oh, honey. I'm sure he meant to. He's just really busy with rehearsals and classes."

"Yeah, he's really busy finding things to do so he can avoid me."

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself, Heidi. I came up here to try to cheer you up. J.T. wants you to get better and he's blaming himself for what has happened. He's not avoiding you; he's trying not to hurt you anymore than he has."

Heidi looked over at Ashleigh. A trail of tears streaked down her face. "It's not his fault, Ashleigh. Tell him that."

"I have. Court has. We all have. He's just too stubborn to listen to anyone that can change his mind. But, enough about J.T., let's talk about me." Ashleigh smiled. She flashed her ring in Heidi's face. "I'm getting married!"

"Holy crap! What did he have to put in hock to get you that?"

Ashleigh giggled. "He won't tell me, but I'm pretty sure it was his guitar."

"He sold his guitar?" Heidi asked puzzled. "He must be in love."

"That's what we think. Kelso's getting released tonight. I was hoping you would, too, so that we could all go out and celebrate."

"That's not up to me to decide. I've been here for three days and no one has paid any attention to my progress. Why don't you go talk to the nurses and see what they think?" Heidi asked hopefully.

"I think that's something you need to talk to the nurses about." Ashleigh leaned over and gave her friend a hug. "I gotta go. Kelso's waiting. We'll be waiting for you." Ashleigh walked out of Heidi's room and back to Kelso's.

Kelso was sitting in a chair wrapped up in a blanket. He jumped when Ashleigh walked in the room.

"I didn't mean to startle you," Ashleigh apologized.

"That's okay. I was just daydreaming about our life together. I'm ready to get out of here so we can get started," Kelso said.

Ashleigh bit her lip. She wanted to say something, but she didn't want to hurt Kelso's feelings. She wasn't sure on when she wanted to go through with the big event, but she knew that she wanted to do it soon. Her idea of soon might have been different from Kelso's idea of soon. She just wasn't sure how to handle their differences.

Kelso looked at Ashleigh and saw fear creeping into her eyes. He slowly got up from the chair and put the blanket over the back of it. Then, he walked over to Ashleigh and put his arms around her.

"I'm not trying to rush you, sweetie. I just want to have as much time as possible with you," Kelso said.

"Are you saying there isn't much time for you left?" Ashleigh asked swallowing a sob.

"That's hard to say. I mean this is the third time I've been in the hospital in the past six months. The doctors say that I'm doing okay, but if I'm really doing okay, should I be in this place on average of every two months?"

"Probably not," Ashleigh whispered.

Kelso kissed the top of Ashleigh's head. "C'mon, let's get out of here and see what the rest of the world is up to. I've been out of the loop for a few days."

"Well, let me get you up to date on my world. One of my best friends has been checked into the mental ward upstairs for trying to kill herself, J.T. is still thinking about leaving Julliard, and I have no idea how to handle everything that has been thrown at me since I came to school." Tears trickled down Ashleigh's face. "It isn't fair!" she screamed and pounded on Kelso's chest. He let out a slight cough. "Oh my God, I'm sorry."

"That's okay, Ash. Everything is going to be okay." Kelso squeezed Ashleigh in a bear hug. "I'm still here and I'm not going anywhere for awhile. Things will work out and everyone and everything will be back to normal soon."

"Don't lie to me, Kelso! I hate liars!" Ashleigh exclaimed.

"I'm not lying, Ashleigh."

"You don't know if things are going to get back to normal. You're not the one who decides that. Don't feed me a bunch of crap just to make me feel better. It doesn't work when Dashelle does it and it certainly doesn't work when you start throwing it at me. I am tired of everyone telling me things will be okay and this is what God has planned for me. I wish everyone would just leave me alone and let me make my own decisions about _my_ life!" She wriggled out of Kelso's grip.

Kelso backed away from her and looked at the floor. "I'm sorry, Ashleigh. I'm so sorry," he whispered. He took the back of his hand and wiped his tears away.

"Kelso?" she asked timidly. "Are you crying?"

"No. Real men don't cry," Kelso remarked.

"That's a bunch of bull, too. Why are you crying? What did I say to upset you?"

"You just told me what I've wanted to say to just about everyone that I've come in contact with the past year, but instead I've just nodded and carried on with my life. People tell me that everything is going to get better and God has plans for me, too, but I can't believe a word they say. Do you see, Ash? Do you see that we have the same thoughts and hopes? Do you understand why I don't think I can live without you?" He reached out for Ashleigh's hand, but she wouldn't give it to him. "Don't do this, Ashleigh. Don't let me hang on to nothing, when all I want is to be with you until I die."

Ashleigh looked at his face. His trail of tears dripped down onto his shirt.

"I said the truth, Ashleigh. I haven't said the "D" word and actually come to terms with it until now. That's what you have done to me. I didn't want to believe that I was going to die young, but you made me realize that it is okay to go to the great musical in the sky. I just needed someone to tell me the truth and that was you."

"I can't do this, Kelso. I can't be the one," Ashleigh said.

"Yes, you can," Kelso remarked. "You have to be the one." He tipped her chin, so she could look into his eyes. "You're the only one I have left." He leaned forward for a kiss and she gave in to him. They slowly pulled away from each other.

"Why does it have to be me?" Ashleigh asked.

"Why does it have to be me?" Kelso repeated.

***

J.T. walked into Heidi's empty dorm room. He stood in the doorway and stared at the picture of them together from their senior year in high school. They were still in costume as Sandy and Danny from Grease. He walked over and picked up the picture to take a closer look at it.

"Why did things have to become so complicated so fast? It was so much easier a few months ago," J.T. told the picture.

"You're telling me, man," Court said as he walked in on his best friend. "I thought I'd find you here. How did the meeting go?"

"Fine, curfew is 2. She's going to call a meeting on Wednesday to let everybody know," J.T. said in a monotonous voice.

"Cheer up, J.T. You got what you wanted," Court remarked.

"No, no, I haven't." J.T. put down the picture and walked toward the door. "I gotta go see about someone."

"We're going to be late for rehearsal," Court called after him.

"Better things to do, man. I'll be there as soon as I can. Go without me," J.T. remarked. He ran out of the dorm door and whistled for a cab. "I have got to get a bike to move faster around this town."

A cab pulled up and J.T. hopped in. "The hospital and step on it."

"Uh, this is New York. Which hospital are you talking about?"

"Just keep going straight. I'll let you know when you get there. Now, move, please."

"Sheesh, talk about your rude New Yorkers."

"I'm not a rude New Yorker. I'm from the Village."

"One and the same."

"I have half a mind to get out of this cab and find some other cabbie to take me."

"And I have half a mind to not care what you say. You know how you got in the cab and you know how to get out of it," the cabbie remarked.

"Lucky for you, I don't have time to find someone else, so, let's make this drive as pleasant as possible-which means it will be better for the both of us if we keep our traps shut."

"Fine by me. Just don't forget to pay me when you get out."

Fine."

The cabbie drove and J.T. sat in the back with his arms crossed. He couldn't believe how rude some people were in New York. He just wanted to get to Heidi as fast as possible. He looked out the window in hopes that the hospital would be in sight soon. After five minutes, he finally saw what he was looking for.

"Right here, please. Pull over."

The cabbie swerved over to the curb and put out his hand for payment. J.T. forked over just enough cab fare for the ride and a tip.

"That's all you're going to give me?" the cabbie asked.

"Do a better job next time. I'd work on my people skills if I were you."

J.T. turned around and ran into the hospital. He hit the elevator button until the doors slid open. When he finally made it to the psychiatric ward, he ran down the hall until he got to Heidi's room. He didn't even knock, he just swung the door open and walked in. Heidi let out a small scream from being frightened by the door slamming open.

"This isn't where you need to be, Heidi," J.T. said.

"And I suppose you know where I need to be," Heidi said.

"No, I don't. I don't know a lot of things. I do know that you need to be with your friends to help you work out this problem. Being stuck in this hospital where nobody knows who you are, what problems you have, and your dark secrets is not the answer to what's going on with you," J.T. remarked.

He pulled Heidi up by the arms off her bed. "C'mon, let's go."

"I can't just walk out of here, J.T. The nurses have to release me. I have to sign papers. It's all a bunch of red tape before I leave."

"Fine." J.T. looked around. "We'll just go out the window."

J.T.! We can't do that. We'll get in trouble."

"By who? The hospital police?"

"Yes."

"Heidi, listen to me. You have got to get out of here. I did the wrong thing by admitting you in here. In fact, I've done a lot of wrong things since we decided that we were going to be a couple. I know I've screwed up and I want to make it up to you. So, get your stuff and let's go out the window."

"I can't, J.T. The nurses will catch us."

"Heidi, for once in your life, take a risk. You don't belong here."

Heidi looked down at the floor. "I don't belong anywhere."

J.T. took his hand and tilted her chin up so Heidi was looking at him. "You don't really believe that, do you?"

"Why do you think I tried to do what I did?"

"Heidi, you belong with us-with me. I mean I didn't realize how much we belong together until I looked at the big picture. Everyone is going off in separate directions since we got here. Ashleigh found Kelso. Court is—well, Court is Court. And the two people we thought would never get together, finally have. You and I are the only ones that glue this dysfunctional friendship together."

"That's just it, J.T. I'm tired of being glue." She walked away from him. I want to be able to find someplace where I belong and sometimes I want somebody else to be the glue."

"Fine, I'll be the glue. Now, let's go. I have to get to rehearsal soon."

"I'm not going, J.T. You can't make me."

"What are you? Five?" J.T. reached out for her hand and grabbed it. "You are coming with me."

"No," Heidi refused. She pulled her hand out of his. "I'm not going with you."

"Yes, you are." J.T. picked Heidi up and threw her over his shoulder. He walked out of the room past the nurse's station with Heidi beating on him and yelling to put her down.

Every time they passed someone, J.T. would just smile and wave. Occasionally, he'd ask how they were doing.

They made it outside and J.T. got a cab again.

"Madrid Theater, please."

"Well, look who finally knows where they're goin','" the cabbie remarked.

"Oh, great, you again."

Heidi leaned over. "J.T., what's going on."

"Nothing. Just a little failure to communicate in the taxi world." He looked back up at the cabbie. "Just take us to the Madrid Theater. Same deal as before."

"No problem. I got better things to do than to waste my voice talking to you."

"Amen."

The cabbie put the car in drive and sped off toward the theater.

CHAPTER 22

"Well, look who finally decided to show up," Greg remarked as J.T. took the stage.

"Sorry, Greg. I had something I needed to do."

"Okay, yeah, whatever. Just get the show on the road, man."

J.T. started in singing the first notes of "Rent."

Heidi was watching from the back biting her nails. She sat next to Ashleigh and Dashelle.

"What's the matter with you, Heidi? You're acting like you're not supposed to be here," Ashleigh asked.

"I'm not. J.T. broke me out of the hospital. I didn't sign any release forms or anything," Heidi answered.

"Oh. Didn't you want to be out of there anyway?"

Heidi scratched her head. "Yeah, I guess. I'm just—I don't—what the heck is going on with J.T.? I mean he comes into the hospital says all this stuff to me then practically carries me out of the hospital kicking and screaming after he put me in there. What is he trying to prove?"

Ashleigh shrugged her shoulders. "Hey, new subject. Want to go shopping with me later? I've got to look for a dress."

Heidi gave Ashleigh a puzzled look. "You're really going to go through with it, aren't you? Do you know what kind of risk you're taking?'

Ashleigh looked away from her best friend. She didn't want to cause Heidi any trouble. She knew how important Heidi was to J.T. and she didn't want to be the one responsible for driving Heidi off the edge. But, she had to say something. The brief silence was uncomfortable.

"I know, but it's what Kelso wants. We had a really long talk and we both decided that we should get married as soon as possible. And I wanted you and the rest of the girls to be in the wedding, but I'm sure you all ready knew that. Kind of a given, when we've all grown up together."

"Sure." Heidi practically said under her breath. She was still feeling a little withdrawn from her friends. After all, they didn't really come visit her or help her out at her stay at the hospital. What kind of friends did she have? She just felt like curling up into a ball and crying.

"Hey, sweetie," J.T. said concerned. "Why the tears?" He wasn't in the scene they were rehearsing and came back to talk to Heidi.

"I don't belong here. I don't belong with you. And I definitely don't belong with any of these people who are my so-called friends." Heidi got up and started for the door.

"Heidi, wait." J.T. walked towards her, but she was all ready at the door. He stopped and watched her walk away. He had to make the decision to either go after the girl and ruin his career or stay inside and lose the only girl he ever cared about. J.T. looked at the stage and then the door. He took a few steps toward the door and then pivoted around and walked to the stage. He shook his head. He couldn't believe he just made the biggest mistake of his life. J.T. went through his lines without his heart in it.

Court caught up with J.T. at the end of rehearsal.

"Where'd J.T. go?" Court asked his friend.

"Huh? I'm right here," J.T. answered confused.

"No, no you're not. You screwed up your lines for once. You've known the play word for word ever since you went to see it for the first time 3 years ago. What's going on with you?"

"Court, what would you say if I asked Heidi to marry me?" J.T. asked.

"That would be great, if she was even talking to you. I saw what happened."

"Her mood swings are really starting to get to me. I mean I should've walked out of here and gone after her, but I can't ruin the opportunity of a lifetime. I've worked too hard and too long to get here. I mean, she's the one that told me to go for it and now she can't stand the fact that I've got a life and a career. I can't go after her at every drop of the hat . . .even though I want to. Somedays, I just want to forget coming to rehearsal and spend the entire day with her, but I can't. Career or the girl—girl or career. Man, I am screwed!"

Kelso walked over to Court and J.T. "Can I catch a cab with you guys?"

"Only if you want to here the drama king over here pine over Heidi."

"He's sure heard my share of pining. I think I can handle it."

The guys walked out and Court whistled for a cab. The yellow taxi screeched to a halt in front of the trio. J.T. looked in the front seat to make sure they didn't get his favorite cab driver. They were in luck-it was a woman with no sign of being a jerk.

Court asked the cabbie if he could sit in the front with her. He told her he didn't want to sit in the back with his friends who were sulking over their girlfriends. She smiled and told him to have a seat next to her.

"Do you have a privacy window or anything?" Court asked.

"This is a taxi, not a frickin' limousine," she joked.

Court smiled at her cute smile. He liked the way her long brown hair glistened in the New York sun. If the sun hit it just right, highlights of red and blond showed up. They talked the entire way to the dorms. When the boys got out, Court gave her a generous tip. She gave Court her phone number.

"Thanks, Angie. I'll call you."

"I'm going to go find Ashleigh," Kelso remarked.

"And I'm going to go talk to Heidi," J.T. said.

"And I'm going to find some way to get Angie to my dorm tonight."

"Go out, man. You don't have to stay in the dorm."

"Aren't we on probation?" Court asked.

"Not anymore. The petition went through. Go out and party until 2 A.M. We might join you."

"Okay, man, see ya. Good luck." Court headed toward his dorm room. Kelso and J.T. walked toward the dorm where their girlfriends were. When they got inside, they went opposite directions.

J.T. found Heidi in her dorm room, curled up on her bed staring at nothing. J.T. stood in the door frame and started talking.

"I'm sorry I didn't come after you, Heidi. I should have and I didn't. There's a lot of things I should do as your boyfriend, but I don't. I know. I mean, things were so much easier when we were just best friends, but I don't want to be just best friends anymore." He walked over to Heidi and kneeled down so he could look Heidi in the eyes. "What are you thinking, angel eyes?"

Heidi's lips crept into a smile and then faded away. "I think you're trying to sweet talk me, just like you always try to do when you know that I'm not really feeling one with the world."

"Is it working?" J.T. asked.

"No. I think you should go."

J.T. shook his head and took Heidi's hand. "No, I can't do that. I did that once all ready today and that was a big mistake. C'mon, let's go out."

"Why? By the time we get anywhere, we'll have to come back."

J.T. hit his head with his palm. "I forgot to tell you. The petition worked. The dean has extended the curfew to 2 AM. So, c'mon, let's go to one of the clubs and do some dancing. We haven't danced together in a long time."

"I don't feel like dancing. I feel like packing my bags and going home. I don't belong here."

"Heidi, stop talking like that. You belong here just as much as I do. You're the one that convinced me to stay here and now you're trying to leave me here by myself. That's not fair."

"Well, life's not fair, J.T. Stop trying to sweet talk me and just leave me alone!" Heidi yelled.

"No." He pulled Heidi up off the bed. "I am not going to leave you alone until you talk to me. I don't want us to end up not talking about our problems. I want to know what's going on in that head of yours. We're friends, Heidi. I've known you since this." He picked up the picture of them in their Grease costumes. "Tell me what I'm doing wrong. I don't want to screw this up!"

"Fine. You want to know what you're doing wrong?! You want to know why I'm so mad at the world." She got up off her bed and stood inches away from J.T. She jabbed at J.T.'s chest with her finger. "Well, here it is, Jayson Tyler. Not once have you said anything close to the fact that we were meant to be together. Not once have you not looked at me like I was more than just your best friend. I might as well be Court the way you look at me."

J.T. grabbed her finger and guided Heidi's hand down to her side. "I'm sorry." J.T. leaned into her to kiss her. She backed away.

"Don't. Just don't. You're trying to make up for it and it's not going to work. I don't want your pity. I just want you to really look at me. Tell me what you think of me. Be honest." Heidi walked away from J.T. and looked out the window.

J.T. looked at Heidi. Her blue eyes carried the weight of her world. Her blonde hair cupped her face and her cheeks dimpled every time she smiled. God, he missed that smile. He'd do anything to see her be happy again.

He went up to her at the window. J.T. pushed her hair off to the side so he could whisper in her ear. "You're beautiful."

"Don't lie to me," Heidi said. "Why would you say that now considering how long we've known each other?"

"I'm not lying." He spun her around and took her face in his hands. "You've always been beautiful. And, if I wasn't such a nice guy, I would jump all over you and let you know that."

"Exactly, why don't you jump all over me?" She pushed his hands down away from her face.

"C'mon, Heidi, you and I both know I'm not that type of guy. I just want you to be happy. I want you to go out, let your hair down, and have some fun."

"And I want something more, but you won't do it, because you don't think I deserve it. I'm not beautiful. I'm just the girl next door."

J.T. slammed his fist down on Heidi's desk. "Stop it! Stop feeling sorry for yourself. You are the most beautiful girl I know. You are right, that I've never looked at you than more than just a friend. But, just a minute ago, I did. I don't know what to say anymore or do anymore to make you happy. I want my friend—girlfriend, Heidi back. I want you to be able to look me in the eyes when I talk to you. Those eyes that sparkle and dance and hang on every word. Would you please just let me have that? I don't want to jump all over you. I want you to love me the way I love you."

There was a silence and Heidi reached over and put her hand on top of his clenched fist.

"You love me?"

J.T. looked over at Heidi and saw the sparkle come back in her eyes. "Yes. Why do you think I try so hard to make you happy?"

"You love me?"

"Everything about you." He started to hum and softly started to sing "You Are So Beautiful to Me."

When he was finished, Heidi flashed her smile at her boyfriend. "I love you, too," she said with dancing eyes. They kissed.

Heidi pulled away and J.T. looked at her confused. She had a sly grin on her face. "C'mon, let's go dancing." She grabbed his hand and dragged him out the door.

CHAPTER 23

Kelso and Ashleigh thought they were the first ones to arrive at the club.

"Where is everyone?" Kelso asked over the blasting music.

"They'll be here. Are you ready for this?"

Kelso pulled Ashleigh closer to him so they were only millimeters apart. "Yes. I've never been more ready in my life."

"Are you sure this is how we want to do this? I mean, my family wanted to be at my wedding."

"If you want to do something different, we will. I will do whatever makes you comfortable," Kelso remarked.

"I'm comfortable right now," Ashleigh said. She leaned in for a kiss.

Someone cleared their throat behind them. Ashleigh turned around.

"Um, hi, Court."

"Hey, Ash. This is Angie. Angie, these two lovebirds are Kelso and Ashleigh."

Everyone exchanged their hi's and nice to meet you's.

Court looked in front of him. "Well, look who finally came back from the dead."

"What?" Kelso asked.

Court pointed over to Heidi and J.T. on the dance floor. They were grinding their hips into each other and stealing kisses at every moment they could.

"Whoa, I've never seen them do that before," Ashleigh said.

"Well, I think the Swing King may have got lucky," Court remarked.

Dashelle, Sam, Brady, Parker and Freedom walked over to the table where most of their friends were sitting. The music had stopped and J.T. and Heidi walked hand in hand over to their friends.

"So, J.T., need a cig?" Court asked.

"Huh?" J.T. asked.

"C'mon, you two were practically having sex with your clothes on," Court remarked.

Heidi blushed. "Court!"

"She's blushing. Something must be up," Ashleigh noticed.

"We were just having fun, that's all," J.T. said. He scratched the back of his head. "And now, I need to go douse my face with cold water or I'm going to be in big trouble later." He gave Heidi a peck on the cheek and walked towards the restrooms.

"Wait up, man. I want to talk to you," Court said. He started to walk away and turned back around. "Sorry, Angie, this is everyone. Everyone this is Angie. I'll be right back." He pushed his way through the crowd.

"Is everyone going to be here all at the same time tonight? Kelso and I have something really important to tell you guys."

"We can fill the boys in. Just tell us," Freedom said.

Kelso and Ashleigh looked at each other. "We'll wait."

"Actually, I'll go see what's taking them so long." Kelso walked away from the table.

"Are we the only group of friends that we know where the guys have to go in a group to the bathroom?" Freedom asked.

Everyone shrugged. "So, Angie, how did you meet Court?" Dashelle asked.

"I gave him a ride."

"I'm sure you did," Brady said under his breath before he took a drink from his bottle of beer. Freedom backhanded him in the gut.

"I'm a cab driver. I took him home from rehearsal. Sheesh, some men are so immature," Angie retorted looking directly at Brady.

"Well, some girls are too overdramatic," Freedom said staring Angie down.

"You mind saying that again?" Angie sneered.

Brady slid in between the two girls. "Whoa, ladies. Let's not fight. I should have known to keep my big mouth shut."

"Exactly. So, why don't you just run off and leave this little argument between her and me."

"Freedom. My name is Freedom in case Court didn't fill you in on it."

"What are you, some kind of hippi freak?" Angie asked.

"Court better get back before his date wigs out on us," Parker leaned over and whispered to Heidi.

Heidi nodded.

"So, what's going on with you and Heidi? Did you ask her?" Court asked.

J.T. wiped off his face with a paper towel. Court didn't think he was serious about having to cool off, but apparently, Heidi had done something to his best friend.

"Just taking baby steps, man. I haven't asked her, but if you think about it, you know when I will. I'll need your help, though."

Court scowled. "What?"

J.T. put his hand on Court's shoulder. "Fifth grade, remember. Let's go." He walked out of the bathroom with Court behind him. They bumped into Kelso.

"Good, you guys are done. There's something that Ashleigh and I need to tell everybody. Come on."

The three walked over to the rest of their circle of friends. Brady was still trying to run interference between Angie and Freedom. They were two insults away from a cat fight.

"Court, do something, please," Brady asked desperately.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"This she-devil over here insulted me and my boyfriend," Freedom remarked.

"Oh, please. We rib you two all the time and you take it with a grain of salt."

"Yeah, but I don't know her and she doesn't know me. No one should talk like that if they don't know us."

"I'm so sorry for trying to make conversation," Angie snapped. "I thought you'd have the intelligence to catch on."

Freedom ripped her large hoop earrings off and slammed them into Brady's hand. "That's it, girl. We're going rounds."

"Oh, no, you're not," Brady said picking up Freedom around her waist and moving her away from Angie. Freedom struggled to get away from Brady, kicking and yelling.

"I think we better get on the dance floor," Court told Angie.

"I don't dance," Angie told Court point blank.

"You do now." Court grabbed her wrist and dragged her onto the dance floor.

"Wait!" Ashleigh called after them. "We have something to tell you. Can't any of you stand to be inches from each other anymore?" Ashleigh asked. "Kelso and I need to talk to everyone."

Court walked back over to the group with Angie close behind. He made sure Angie and Freedom were nowhere close to each other.

"Make it quick, Ash. For your friend's sake."

"Okay, all right, here goes. Kelso and I are going to get married tomorrow. We talked a lot about it and we want everyone who is close to us to come with us. So, please come with us out to the ocean tomorrow."

"I'll be there," Dashelle remarked.

"And I do believe that since tomorrow is the big day, this should be an impromptu bachelor and bachelorette party," J.T. remarked.

"Oh, no, J.T. I've been to one of your parties before," Ashleigh said.

"Then, you'll know what I'm up to. Let's go, Court. We've got some evil planning to do."

Court rubbed his hands together. "MWahahahahaha." He followed behind his best friend.

Heidi watched J.T. as he sweet talked the DJ at the front of the club. He was always good at getting people to do what he wanted. He turned around and saw her staring at him. He winked and mouthed something she couldn't quite understand. She smiled and nodded, but didn't say anything. He mouthed it again and motioned for her to come over to where he was.

"Hey, Heidi, where are you going?" Ashleigh asked.

She pointed over to J.T. "I'll be right back, I swear."

"That's okay. I know you've got to take care of something." Ashleigh smiled. "Get some ice water on me."

"Ashleigh! What is with everyone tonight? J.T. and I were just having fun."

"I believe what you were doing out there is called foreplay," Parker informed his friend.

"No, no it wasn't. Just good old fashioned F-U-N."

"The only thing old fashioned about that was it didn't lead on to anything more on the dance floor," Ashleigh said.

Heidi blushed. She grabbed Freedom and Ashleigh by the arms of their shirts. "Come with me, please. You come, too, Dashelle."

"Okay, all right." The girls walked with Heidi.

"Some bachelor party this is. Where'd all the girls go?" Kelso asked.

"Believe me, they will be back," Sam said. "But, until then, I'm gonna go scope out the action. Want to come?"

"Nah, I'll stay here." Kelso sat on the barstool.

"Your loss. Parker, you coming? There's a girl over there making cow eyes at you."

Parker turned and saw the girl his friend was talking about. "I'm game." He walked over to the table with the girl.

Angie looked at Kelso. "So, how long have you known the girl?"

"A few weeks."

"And you're going to marry here just like that? You must love her bad."

"Yeah, I do," Kelso sighed.

"You don't sound to thrilled about it."

"I'd be more thrilled if it wasn't the circumstances around it."

"She pregnant?" Angie intruded.

"No! Why does everyone always assume that if its circumstances, it means pregnancy. I have HIV."

Angie stepped back away from Kelso. "Nice talking to you. I have to go find Court." She walked towards the table where Court and J.T. were concocting their evil party plan.

"Ok, missy, what's going on with you and J.T.?" Ashleigh asked.

"He told me he loved me," Heidi answered.

"Seriously?" Freedom asked.

"Yes."

"So, that's why you were two bump and grinds away from getting busy," Dashelle remarked.

"Dash, you know neither one of us would do that," Heidi said.

"Well, did you tell him you loved him?" Ashleigh asked.

Heidi smiled and stopped in front of J.T. "Yeah, I did."

"Okay, ladies. Here's the plan." Court's eyes glanced at the girls. "Um, Ashleigh, I do believe you have some business to take care of over there. Y'know, tall, blond, answers to the name of Kelso." He turned Ashleigh around and pushed her toward her fiancé.

She walked back over to the table where Kelso was sitting. "Why do you look so sad."

"I dunno. Once you tell someone you're infected they don't want to touch you with a ten foot pole. Why do they always act that way?"

"Not everybody acts that way. I don't. My friends don't. Don't worry about what other people think about you."

"I can't. I've always worried about what other people thought about me. That's why I don't tell anybody I have HIV unless I get to know them first. Well, except for now. I just told Court's date and she wouldn't even talk to me anymore."

"Her? Don't worry about her. She's as dense as the shallow end of the pool. I don't know what Court was thinking when he asked her to come here."

"I don't think he was thinking—unless he was using his brain below the belt."

"Yeah, he tends to do that when he's had a dry spell."

"Good to know. So, what are you friends up to?"

"I don't know, but quite frankly, I'm a little scared for both of us," she joked.

The music stopped and the DJ handed the microphone to J.T.

"Rumor has it, that there are two people out in the bar that are about to give up their bachelor and bachelorette hood. So, to commemorate this special night, their friends and I have decided to embarrass them royally. So, Ashleigh and Kelso come on up."

Ashleigh and Kelso made their way to the stage. "This is going to be very embarrassing," she told Kelso through clenched teeth.

"Nah, it'll be fun," Kelso remarked.

"For you, maybe. They haven't known you since the eighth grade."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot." Kelso smiled at Ashleigh. "I'm sure I can make it worth your while."

Ashleigh raised her eyebrows and looked at Kelso. She knew she wanted to marry him. She knew _he_ wanted to marry her. But, there seemed to be something missing every time they went out together. He said that he had fallen in love with her, but he hadn't said I love you since that day at the hospital. In fact, she didn't even remember saying I love you back that day. When was he going to say it again? Was he going to say it? She at least wanted that before they got married tomorrow.

"Okay, lovebirds, here is the deal," J.T. began. "Your friends have compiled a list for a scavenger hunt for the both of you." Court handed Kelso a list and Ashleigh a list. "You have the rest of the night to find that someone and retrieve something from their wallet or purse. Everyone going to play along?"

"Yeahs" and whistles were heard. "Okay, let the games begin."

Kelso and Ashleigh looked at each other. "I can't believe they want me to ask that!" Ashleigh said pointing to a line on her page.

"I can't believe they want me to ask that," Kelso added pointing to a different line on his page.

"Oh, well, should we do this together or split up?"

"It'll be easier and quicker if we split up," Kelso suggested.

"All right," she leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you in a bit."

She turned to go on the scavenger hunt, but Kelso caught her by the arm. "Whoa, wait a minute. You're not going to leave me with a weak kiss like that."

"Weak? "

"Yeah, that would've been a nice kiss . . .if you were my grandmother."

"I kiss like your grandma?"

"There's a striking resemblance," Kelso remarked. "You are going to go off and talk to all kinds of guys without me. I want something to remember you by in case they sweep you off your feet."

"They won't."

"Not if I have anything to say about it." Kelso pressed up against Ashleigh, pushed her hair back and planted a kiss on Ashleigh's lip that made her kick up one leg.

"Well, now Mr. Stark, I do believe I won't forget that."

"You better not. Now, let's go get this list completed, so we can go someplace alone."

"Um, all right." Ashleigh didn't know what else to say. She wasn't quite sure what Kelso meant when he said he wanted to be alone. They were always getting too close to each other when they were alone. Once they got to close, neither one of them would give in to the other. They just pushed each other away and stared out the window. Why exactly were they getting married, she thought.

They walked in opposite directions in hopes of finding enough people to fulfill their list.

"All right, Angie, how about that dance?" Court asked.

"I told you, Court, I don't dance," Angie reminded her date.

"Everybody dances," Court remarked. "You just shake your bootie," Court joked.

"Well, shake your bootie with somebody else. I don't dance."

Court let out a deep sigh. "You are coming with me and we are going to dance." He took Angie onto the dance floor.

"Thank God, she's gone," Freedom grumbled.

"Hey, what was with you tonight?" Brady asked. "The first impression she got of us was you wanted to deck her."

Freedom eyed Angie on the dance floor. "There's something I don't like about her, that's all."

"What?" J.T. asked.

"I don't know, yet. She's too defensive," Freedom remarked.

"Oh, and you're not?" Parker asked. "The first words that come out of your mouth are always defensive."

Dashelle put her hand up to Parker. "Just stop right there, Parker. We've had enough fights in this group of ours over the past few weeks. We don't need to start any more."

"Then, I suggest you find someplace for me to go before I stick my foot in my mouth."

"Fine. Follow me." Dashelle walked onto the dance floor and Parker decided he would follow her.

Angie looked at Court on the dance floor. "Court, I'm serious. I don't dance."

"I can teach you."

"Many have tried, many have failed," Angie remarked.

Court started moving to the dance beat pounding from the floor. He put Angie's hands around his neck and he put his hands on her waist. "You just haven't had the right teacher," he whispered. "Whatever you do, don't look down. Look right here in my eyes."

"This is so Dirty Dancing," Angie remarked.

"Hey, it works. Trust me."

J.T. and Heidi came over to them on the dance floor. "Well, here they are. The most sexually frustrated twosome I know," Court joked.

"Court, would you stop it, please," Heidi pleaded. "For the last time, we were just having some fun."

"Then, why did you set my friend J.T.'s face and other various parts on fire?" Court asked.

Heidi looked at J.T.'s face. He crossed his arms as he looked away and nervously whistled.

"I think we need to go find out how the scavenger hunt is going," Heidi said as she left the dance floor hoping J.T. would follow her. Thankfully, he did. They bumped into Ashleigh who was talking to someone that was #13 on the list: the oldest guy in the club.

"How's it going, Ash?" Heidi asked.

"Well, the list is going all right, but I'd rather be with Kelso right now. Thanks for not making that possible," Ashleigh remarked.

"Oh, come on, Ashleigh, you'll have the rest of your lives to spend together."

"You mean the rest of his life. Look at him over there." She pointed. "He hasn't looked that way since he was in the hospital."

J.T. looked at Kelso for a minute. Ashleigh was right. What was he thinking? He should've thought of something else for the impromptu party. Then, the idea came to him.

"New plan, scavenger hunt is off. We're going to play a new game," J.T. said. He looked over at Heidi who was staring into space. "What's the matter, Beautiful?"

"Is it true? What Court said?"

"Uh, can we talk about that later? This isn't the place I want to talk about that," J.T. asked.

"I guess," Heidi sulked.

"I promise. I won't let it go."

A half smile crept onto her face. She nodded.

J.T. went off to find Kelso.

Kelso was sitting with a beautiful woman. She was talking with a foreign accent-number 5-a woman from another country.

"Change of plans, Kelso. Follow me." J.T. motioned Kelso to follow him to the table where this whole big charade started.

The rest of the group showed up shortly sans Angie. Court said that she got a call and had to go back to work. Freedom gave a sigh of relief. She knew she wasn't going to be able to control her feelings about Angie any longer than she had.

"Okay, Bohemians, it has been drawn to my attention that I screwed up," J.T. remarked. "So, in order to fix this mess, I have come up with a new game called How Well Do You Know Kelso or Ashleigh. So, this is how the game goes. Each one of us is going to come up with a question for these two-the more embarrassing the better and Kelso has to answer about Ashleigh and Ashleigh has to answer about Kelso. Kapeesh?"

J.T. looked around the table for nods and okays. "Who wants to go first?" J.T. asked.

"I'll go," Dashelle said. "This one is for Kelso. What is Ashleigh's favorite movie and why."

Kelso snickered. He knew the answer to this one. "The Little Mermaid. She has a crush on Prince Eric."

"Okay, so this is more embarrassing than the scavenger hunt," Ashleigh remarked.

"My turn. Ashleigh, what celebrity does Kelso think you look like?" J.T. asked.

Ashleigh looked down at the floor. She couldn't look anybody in the eyes when she answered this one. "I'm a combination of a brunette Jessica Simpson from the chest up and a J-Lo from the waist down."

"You told her that?!" Court asked.

"Not what you guys think," Kelso remarked.

"Were you in the same room at the time?" Freedom asked.

"Hey, I'm smart enough to know that is not something I'm going to tell her face to face."

"I'm up," Heidi remarked. "Kelso, what was your first impression of Ashleigh when you first saw her. And I mean, the first time you saw her and didn't know anything else about her."

"Oh, come on, Heidi. This is supposed to be fun, not mushy," Parker grumbled.

"It doesn't have to be. Inquiring minds want to know."

Kelso smiled and looked at Ashleigh. She smiled back and rested her chin on her hand waiting for his answer. "I thought that she wasn't my type."

Ashleigh stopped smiling and turned away like she'd been slapped in the face.

"Let me finish, Ash. You were too beautiful for words and I had never been with anyone that was as drop dead gorgeous as you are. There was no way that I thought you'd want to go out with me. I mean, look at me. I've got scars of track marks all over my arms. I'm so skinny and pale and I look like death warmed over for Pete's sake. Why did you want to hang out with a guy like me? That's what I thought."

"Kelso, you didn't look like that when I first met you," Ashleigh said.

"Yeah, I did. I was hiding behind the jacket."

"No, you weren't. You were hot. Ask Dashelle, she knows what I was thinking the first time I saw you. She even thought the same thing,"

"ASH!" Dashelle exclaimed. Her cheeks reddened.

"When I saw you for the first time up close, I looked at your eyes. Everyone knows that's my weakness." Ashleigh looked straight into Kelso's eyes like there was no one else around. "I saw hurt in your eyes and I wanted to fix it. Your smile was gorgeous, but I knew you were trying to overcome something. I just didn't know what it was and now I know." The two sat and stared at each other in silence for a minute. No one said a word until it got incredibly uncomfortable for the rest of them. Of course, that was when Court spoke up.

"This one's good, Court remarked. Ashleigh, who's the better dancer-you or Kelso."

"Oh, that's easy," Ashleigh said. She pointed to herself and gave an onery grin. "Me."

Kelso pointed at her. "You?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Uh oh, I think we have a failure of communication," Brady noticed.

"Oh, no we didn't. I'm the better dancer, hands down. Ask anybody around," Ashleigh joshed. She knew she was going to get what she wanted in a minute.

"Do you really want to settle this here?" Kelso asked grinning.

"Yes. I can dance circles around you."

"Only to keep up with me," Kelso remarked.

"Well, let's do this, then," Ashleigh slammed her palms down on the table.

"What is with this group and contests?" Kelso asked.

"We can't accept the fact that anyone is better than us," Ashleigh remarked. "Meet me on the dance floor. You'll see me. I'll be the one the crowd is gathering around." Ashleigh walked away.

The group of friends let out a hissing burning sound in unison.

"I think you just got served," J.T. remarked.

"Yeah, I believe I did." Kelso took a drink of his Bud Light and then walked onto the dance floor.

"We might as well go see the show," J.T. said. He walked to the dance floor with the others close behind.

Ashleigh was being her normal sex kitten self on the dance floor. That was the only time she was a sex kitten, though. She was working the crowd every chance she got. Whenever she saw Kelso, she danced over to him and playfully summoned him to come join her.

He played along and hesitantly made his way over to her. Once they were together, the competition began. Whatever she would do, Kelso would copy and add something new. Things got a little hairy when Ashleigh ended her dance combination with the splits. Kelso thought for a second before he started his dance combination and ended with a back flip.

Ashleigh looked at him for a minute. He was having a good time and he didn't even look like he had HIV. Kelso was smiling and laughing. She looked at his eyes. For once, she didn't see hurt in his eyes, but the happiness she'd been searching for. The music stopped.

"I think it's a tie," Ashleigh told her fiancé.

"Yeah, but it sure was fun trying to outdo each other," Kelso said.

"Hmm, I wonder what else we could outdo each other on," Ashleigh thought aloud.

Kelso grabbed Ashleigh in a bear hug so they were facing the same direction. "I can think of a few things," he seductively whispered in her ear.

Ashleigh's knees turned to Jell-O. "Check, please," Ashleigh spat out.

"Wait, our game isn't finished, yet," Parker said. "I know I said I didn't want this to turn into something mushy, but I think everyone wants to know the answer to this one. Its one for both of you."

"Make it quick, Parker," Ashleigh snapped.

"All right, okay. When was the first time you told each other I love you?"

Kelso hands dropped to his sides. Ashleigh looked up at Kelso. The hurt came back into his eyes.

"No, not now," Ashleigh whispered to the floor. She didn't want anyone to hear her.

Kelso stared at Parker while he was thinking of his answer. He knew he said those words to Ashleigh. He had to have, right? He just couldn't remember when. Maybe, his medication was playing tricks with his mind. That's why he couldn't remember.

Ashleigh knew the answer. He had only told her once. It always seemed to be a given. They didn't need to say it for it to be true. Or did they?

"Parker, that's personal," Ashleigh finally said.

"You don't remember, do you?" Parker asked knowingly.

"That's not it," Kelso said.

"Yeah, that's not it," Ashleigh said. She walked toward the door and Kelso went after her.

"Parker, what kind of question was that to ask?" Heidi asked.

Parker shrugged. "Obviously, the wrong one." He looked at his watch. "Well, its getting late, I'm gonna go back to the dorm and hit the books."

"I'll come with you," Dashelle said.

The rest of the group went their separate ways-well, almost their separate ways.

CHAPTER 24

J.T. and Heidi ended up in her dorm room.

"So, you did it, Heidi. You accomplished Operation Curfew," J.T. said. He was searching for anything to talk about.

"Yeah, I guess I did," Heidi sighed. She threw her keys on her desk and twirled around to look at J.T. "Can we talk about tonight now?"

"What is there to talk about? Kelso and Ashleigh are as love torn as ever."

"Not them, Jayson. Us."

J.T. looked out the window. "Oh, that." He plopped down on Heidi's bed. She came over and sat next to him.

"Are you going to act on it?" Heidi pressed her lips against J.T.'s neck.

They fell back onto the bed. J.T. rolled on top of Heidi. She groaned while she fumbled for the buckle on his belt and he nibbled on her ear.

"Please, not now," J.T. mumbled.

"What?" Heidi asked.

"This can't be happening now," J.T. pulled away from Heidi and sat up. "We can't do this."

"I need this, J.T. I need to know that we mean something."

"Heidi, I can't. I really want to, but my heart and my brain are having a battle. I love you and I want to finish what we just started, but my heart is telling me to hold off." He stood up and turned his back while he fixed his belt.

"You're not making sense, J.T. Why won't you touch me?"

J.T. turned back around to look at Heidi. She had the look that he had seen hours before. The look where she was on the verge of tears. He hated that look on her.

"God knows, I want to touch you. I want to touch you so much, but if I do, it will cause so many problems. I don't want you to look like that, Heidi. Please, don't cry."

Heidi crossed her arms and looked at her boyfriend. "I'm beginning to feel like Ashleigh," she said.

"Huh?"

"Every time we say something to get closer, you pull away. Every time. I'm afraid to tell you what I really want because I don't want to lose you."

"Heidi, you don't want to finish what we just started. You're too smart to do something like that and I don't want to hurt you. I just want us to stop trying to analyze everything we do and just be a couple. Can we just do that?"

"Why would you say you love me and not act on it?" Heidi wiped away some tears that had trailed down her cheeks.

J.T. closed his eyes for a second. He wasn't getting through to her. "Don't you get it, Heidi? I am acting on it. If we did do something, do you know how clumsy and awkward it would be? Just let me love you my way, okay. I want to be able to look you in the eyes. Heidi, look at me."

Heidi sniffled. "I can't."

J.T. went over to her on the bed and tipped her chin up to look at him. She wouldn't look him in the eyes.

"Heidi, I'm holding back because I love you. Do you understand?"

Heidi pushed J.T. hand away from hers. "Yeah, I understand. I understand that I'm not good enough for you to sleep with. Why are you wasting your time with me, anyway?"

J.T. inhaled deeply. "I don't want to hurt you, Heidi. I just want to wait for the right time." He looked at her eyes that were staring at the floor. "I've found the right person, we just haven't found the right time." He kissed the top of her head. "I gotta go. I've got an early rehearsal tomorrow." He got up and walked toward the door.

"I love you," Heidi said.

J.T. smiled. He winked. "I love you, too. Good night." He walked out the door.

***

"Do we need to say it?" Ashleigh asked Kelso. They were sitting at a coffee shop sipping cappuccinos.

"Do you think we need to say it?" Kelso asked. "I know what you think about me. You wouldn't have said all those things in front of everyone if you didn't."

"I think we need to say it," Ashleigh remarked.

"I love you," Kelso said. "I love your eyes, your skin, your laugh, pretty much everything about you. I wouldn't have asked you to marry you if I didn't believe any of that."

"Why didn't you say that before?" Ashleigh asked. "Why did you have to wait until Parker prodded it out of us to say it?"

"I honestly thought I had said it before. A lot of stuff goes through my mind when I'm on medication. I get things jumbled up and I don't remember some things."

"That was something that's pretty important to me," Ashleigh said.

"I know. I'm sorry I waited until now, but asking you to marry me was pretty much a given."

"Yeah, I guess it was." Kelso put his hands on top of hers sitting on the table. "So, do you have something to say to me?"

"I've said it all ready. You just never returned the favor," Ashleigh remarked.

"When?"

"Every night after I talk to you. Every time you leave the room and I'm still there. Every time we hung up on the phone. You just never heard me."

"Well, I'm here now and I'm not leaving until your mouth says those words to me."

"Oh, well, in that case. I'm not going to say it for a very long time."

"I hope its soon. I do have to go to rehearsal tomorrow morning."

"Um, you have something else tomorrow, too, you know. Something we should probably finish planning."

Kelso grinned. "Oh, yeah, that." He coughed. "Man, I hate this. There has got to be a better way to go than this," he sighed.

Ashleigh grinned. "There is. So, let's finish our plans."

Kelso and Ashleigh talked about what was going to happen tomorrow. He was going to go to rehearsal in the morning. Everyone was going to meet at the theater afterwards to get married on the beach. They finished talking about their plans and finally left the coffee shop.

Kelso walked Ashleigh to her dorm. Ashleigh put one foot inside and then turned around.

"I love you, Kelso," Ashleigh said.

"I know." He gave her a kiss on the cheek and walked away.

CHAPTER 25

Kelso's body slumped in the seat in the front row of the theater. He made it to rehearsal, but he was having a hard time actually rehearsing.

"Greg, I can't do this anymore, man," Kelso said giving up.

"You have to," Greg remarked. "We're all counting on you."

"Court has to do it. I'm fading fast. If I get back up on that stage, I'm going to screw everything up. You'll be better off without me."

"You feeling all right, Kelso?" J.T. asked sincerely.

"No, not really. Let's just get this rehearsal over with. I've got something to do later."

"Yeah, we know," Court remarked.

"Okay, then, let's get this show on the road. We have opening night two weeks away. Court, I trust you can do as well as Kelso has playing Roger."

"Might not be my life story, but I'm sure you won't be disappointed," Court said.

The rehearsal went on without Kelso. He sat in the front row and waited for Ashleigh to show up. Near the end of it, she finally showed up with the rest of her friends.

Ashleigh went behind him in the second row and covered his eyes. "You're not supposed to see me. What are you doing down here?"

"Not having a good day," Kelso answered. "Hopefully, it'll get better now that you're here."

"What's wrong?"

"I walked home last night because I didn't want to wait for a cab. Apparently, a guy with a debilitating disease shouldn't do that. I've been hacking and coughing all morning. I've even blacked out a few times."

"You sure you want to do this today?" Ashleigh asked concerned.

"There's nothing I want to do more. So, uh, go hide behind that motley crew of yours so I don't see you."

"Okay, I will, but close your eyes first." Ashleigh took her hands away from his face and jumped into the front row so she was sitting next to him. She made sure Kelso's eyes were closed and planted a kiss on his lips. Their tongues danced in each other's mouths. Then, Ashleigh pulled away.

"This rehearsal better end soon," Kelso said with his eyes close.

"Trust me, it will end soon enough," Ashleigh replied. She walked over to her friends so Kelso couldn't see her.

Kelso cleared his throat and turned his head around to the friends. He was trying to sneak a peek at Ashleigh, but Heidi caught him trying to steal a glance. She shook her head.

"So, exactly, how are we supposed to get to the beach together if I can't even look at her?" Kelso asked.

"Simple. You ride in one cab with the guys and Ashleigh rides with us." Heidi smiled. "You can handle being in the cab with these goofballs."

"Hey, I've been putting up with two of them everyday."

"Welcome to our world," Heidi teased. "How much longer is this rehearsal?"

Kelso covered his mouth and coughed. "I don't know. Greg wants to work out all the kinks today. It could take hours."

"Sounds like J.T. has finally met his match with perfectionism," Heidi remarked.

"Well, if you want it to go faster, we could stage a riot," Brady suggested.

"That could be arranged . . .if you don't let me see, Ashleigh," Kelso said.

"Nice try, Kelso," Dashelle remarked. "Everyone knows you're not supposed to see your bride on the day of your wedding."

Kelso went into a coughing fit again. Ashleigh cringed. This couldn't be happening today. They had made big plans for the wedding. Kelso could not go into the hospital today.

"Stop," Ashleigh ordered. "Stop it, right now, Kelso Stark. You can't do this to me today."

Kelso continued coughing. He held up one finger to signal for Ashleigh to wait a minute. "Baby doll, I can't help it. It's my own fault. I chose to share the needle. This is what I get. I'm a bad person. If you don't want to marry me, I will understand."

Ashleigh jumped over her friends so Kelso could see her. Kelso stood up and turned away. "Don't look at me, now," Kelso said.

"You look at me, Kelso. I'm so scared. I need you here with me. Don't die on me today. Not this day. Not any day. You stay here and you look at me, because if you don't, I will go crazy. Kelso, look at me." Ashleigh whirled Kelso around so their eyes met.

Kelso's eyes were like shallow pools. The tears brimmed his eyelids. "You don't want to see me like this, Ashleigh. I'm weak and I'm fading. How many times do I have to subject you to my tears? I'm sorry."

Ashleigh knew what she was getting into for the first time. Kelso was embarrassed. He couldn't be the strong, caregiver for Ashleigh. He had to leave that to her. She was the one that was going to have to handle everything, and he didn't want to leave that burden to her. She had to think of the words that would let him know that she could handle what was being put on her plate.

"Kelso, I'm not leaving. I want this as much-even more than you do."

"I can't make you do this. I love you too much for you to have to go through this with me. I don't have much time left."

"I'm going to marry you, Kelso Stark and you cannot stop me. I don't care what I have to go through with you as long as I am with you."

"Ash, you don't understand what my life is anymore. I wake up each day thinking it is my last. If we get married, you are going to wake up wondering if each day is my last, also. I don't want to see that hurt in your eyes everyday." Kelso sat down in the front row. Ashleigh knelt down in front of him.

"Do you see the hurt in my eyes now? Look at me!" Ashleigh wailed. "Kelso, please, look at me. Don't turn away from me. Marry me right now. I don't want to feel like this anymore. I'm scared and I need you. Hold me and look at me, and tell me those things you say to make me feel needed. Just look at me, please, that's all I want. Look at me."

"For Pete's sake, Kelso, look at her," Heidi pleaded.

Ashleigh had tears streaking down her face. She wanted to shake Kelso, but she knew that may cause more problems. She didn't want to wait for the beach. She wanted to say her vows to him right now because she was afraid she was going to lose him if she waited any longer.

Kelso took his thumb and wiped away some of Ashleigh's tears. "Don't cry. You are so beautiful until you cry. I don't want that face. I want the happy, brave, Ash that I know. Please, don't cry for me."

"I'm not crying for you. I'm crying tears of anger and fear. I don't want to wait to go to the beach. I'm scared what that may entail. Are any of your co-stars ordained ministers?"

"No, we have to get married at the beach. I have a surprise waiting for you."

"Oh, just tell me."

"I can't. We have to wait."

"I'm impatient. Let's get married here, on the stage. The place where I first saw you. Please, Kelso, I can't wait any longer."

"Uh, sweetie, Greg may object to us taking over his time in the theater."

"J.T. and Court can talk to him," Ashleigh suggested. "I don't want to lose you."

J.T. and Court walked over to the almost newlyweds. "What's going on here? Why all the crying and yelling?" J.T . asked.

"Just nerves, J.T., that's all," Ashleigh said while she got up and wiped her face with the back of her hand.

"Well, Greg heard what was going on and he has decided to cut rehearsal short. We are ready to get to the ocean."

"I don't want to go to the ocean," Ashleigh remarked.

"What?" Court asked. "Do you have other plans that we don't know about."

"I want to get married here."

J.T. and Court looked at Kelso. He shrugged.

"I can't help it if the girl changed her mind. I told her I had a surprise for her at the ocean, but she won't believe me. So, she thinks for some reason, there is an ordained minister in the company and wants to get married here."

Greg walked over. "That was some nice acting on your part, Kelso. Almost like you actually were dying today. You really didn't have to make the lady cry, though."

"Doesn't take much with her," J.T. quipped. "It's a bizarre trait of all these girls." J.T. said waving his hand at the rest of his girl friends.

"Well, if you want to get married here, I have the book." Greg displayed a small Bible in his hand. "I've been ordained for a while. And, there are plenty of wedding dresses in the back for Ashleigh to choose from."

Ashleigh punched Kelso in the shoulder. "That was a mean little trick you played."

"I know, but I really didn't mean to make you cry."

"It was inevitable."

"So, do you want to get married here or not?"

"I would love to get married here, but we don't have the dresses for the bridesmaids, the tuxes, a photographer, the cake-"

Kelso put his finger on Ashleigh's lips. "Don't worry about it. It's taken care of courtesy of your friends."

"But, how did-, what did-"

"Go find a dress. The girls will go with you."

"Okay." Ashleigh walked backstage and the girls followed behind. Kelso looked over at J.T. and Court and motioned for them to come over to him.

"I may have been acting, but guys, I think I may have acted too much."

"What?" Court asked confused.

"I'm not feeling too good."

"Kelso, you can't do this today. Ashleigh will have a heart attack. You have to pull it together, man," J.T. ordered.

"I don't know if its nerves or if it's the illness, but I can't get it under control," Kelso remarked.

"Yes, you can, Kelso. Take deep breaths. You are not going to break Ashleigh's heart today," Court said.

"Just, go get ready and think about what this day is going to mean to the woman you love. You can be weak afterwards."

"Thanks for your support," Kelso mumbled.

"No problem. Now, go," J.T. ordered as he shoved Kelso to the opposite side of the backstage where Ashleigh was.

***

The pit orchestra began playing "Amazed." Freedom, Dashelle, and Heidi walked down the aisle in two-piece aqua chiffon dresses. Their hair was pulled back and each one had a white hibiscus over their ear. They walked up onto the stage which had been made into a makeshift ocean scene. J.T., Parker, Court, and Brady stood beside Kelso in anticipation of Ashleigh coming down the aisle. The orchestra finished "Amazed" and paused. Then, they played the Bridal March. The company of Rent stood up and looked behind them as Ashleigh entered the theater. Her blond hair was a pile of curls on top of her head that were enclosed with a wreath of hibiscus to match her bridesmaids. Her dress was pure white chiffon that flowed with her dancer legs. She floated up to the stage and took Kelso's hand. Kelso smiled.

"Should we skip who gives this woman?" Greg asked.

"No. There's someone here that will give her away."

Ashleigh's eyes darted from side to side. She was confused. "Do I have to pick someone to give me away?"

"You'll see. Just be patient." Kelso turned his attention to the audience. Ashleigh's dad was hobbling up the isle on his crutches.

"Daddy? How did you know?"

"Someone called me."

"What happened?"

"Motorcycle accident. Don't worry about me, this is your day." Ashleigh's dad made his way up the steps. "Okay, we're ready now."

Greg proceeded with the particulars of the wedding. Ashleigh and Kelso had written their own vows. Kelso reached into his pocket and pulled out a small sheet of paper. His hands were shaking. Ashleigh reached over and put her hand on top of his.

"Are you all right?" Ashleigh asked.

"I'm fine. I just think this might be better if you sit down. I'm going to blow you away." Kelso winked.

Ashleigh kneeled.

"Would someone please get the lady a chair?" Kelso asked.

Court ran backstage and found a white wooden chair for Ashleigh to sit in. Ashleigh sat in the chair and Kelso kneeled in front of her.

"When I first met you, I knew there was something in your heart that would show me compassion and understanding. I wanted to be with you and I didn't want anything to come between us. I know it has only been a few weeks, but I have fallen deeply in love with you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you-whether it only be for a few days or twenty years. Ashleigh, you have the biggest heart and the greatest strength of anyone I know. You're honest and you let me know when I'm doing something that doesn't fly with you. So, Ashleigh, I am going to give to you my undying love and heart. You hold my heart in your hands. I love you."

Ashleigh bit her lip.

"No crying," Kelso whispered.

Ashleigh took a deep breath. "All right, my turn, but I want to look into your eyes." Ashleigh slipped off the chair and knelt in front of Kelso. "I'm not that great at putting together amazing words, but I am pretty good at finding the right song to express my thoughts. So, I thought I would find the perfect song to sing for our vows. But, then, I realized that what the songs are is just words-not my words-with a little accompaniment. So, I nixed that idea. Kelso, these past weeks have been amazing. When I've been afraid and lonely, you have been right there to comfort me. When I didn't understand what you were going through, you found the humor in it. You make me laugh, you make me smile and most of all, you love me for who I am and the decisions I make in my life. I want to spend every waking and sleeping moment with you, Kelso. To sound like a cliché, I will always love you."

Kelso smiled at Ashleigh and wiped away the tears that had been streaking down her face halfway through her vows. He looked at Greg. "We're ready for the rings, now."

Greg knelt down in front of the couple. At his cue, the rest of the wedding party got on their knees. Ashleigh and Kelso got their rings from Dashelle and J.T. and Greg went through the exchanging rings speech with them. Finally, the moment came where Greg told Kelso he could kiss the bride.

Kelso leaned in for a kiss. One hand grazed Ashleigh's slender waist while his other hand cupped her cheek. Ashleigh felt weightless in his hands. Kelso slowly guided Ashleigh onto her feet with him. They turned to the theater audience and saw that everybody was kneeling. Ashleigh motioned for them to stand up.

"Ladies and gentlemen, by the state of New York and the power invested in me, I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Kelso Stark."

Kelso's knees buckled and he fell to his knees. "Ashleigh, get somebody," he whispered.

"Kelso, get up. No more joking around."

Kelso looked at Ashleigh with fear in his eyes. "I'm not joking, Ash."

His head rolled on his neck like it wasn't attached to the rest of him. He slumped down and fell sideways. J.T. and Court ran over to him.

"He's not breathing," Court assessed.

"Kelso, you can't do this today! Not today. Not on my wedding day!" Ashleigh yelled. She pushed Court out of the way. She put her head down to Kelso's chest to see if his heart was pounding. She could hear a faint heartbeat. She tilted his head back and proceeded to do CPR on Kelso.

"Kelso Stark, you are making me very angry!" Ashleigh screamed when there was no sign that he had responded to the CPR.

"What do we do, J.T.? I don't know what to do," Court asked his best friend out of the side of his mouth.

"Did someone call the ambulance?" J.T. asked.

"Yes, it's on its way," Heidi said as she hung up her cell phone. She walked over to Ashleigh. "Ash, you have to stop."

"No, I'm not stopping. He promised me he wouldn't do this today." Ashleigh wiped tears off her face with the back of her hand. Her makeup smeared. "Now, please, just let me do this." Ashleigh continued CPR.

The EMTs rushed in with their equipment. They asked Ashleigh to move out of the way, but she insisted on staying right next to Kelso. The EMT got out his AED.

"He's HIV positive," Ashleigh warned the EMT.

"Good to know," the EMT said. He was a bit more cautious as he went on to see if he could get Kelso to breathe again. Ashleigh waited by Kelso's side. She closed her eyes and bowed her head. Her friends looked at her and knew what she was doing. So, they all stopped in all of the commotion and did the same.

Ashleigh grabbed Kelso's hand and rubbed his new wedding ring. "C'mon, Kelso. I'm just asking for one more day. If I could have anything, that's all I want. Kelso, please, one more day. I don't ask for much, but I need you to be with me for one more day."

A weak cough came from Kelso's mouth. He looked up and saw the sad, scared eyes of Ashleigh. "I'm here, baby," Kelso mouthed.

Ashleigh reached over the EMT and hugged Kelso.

"He's going to have to go to the hospital for observations," the EMT said.

"I know," Ashleigh said. "Just give us a minute, please."

"The quicker he gets there, the better," the EMT sang.

"We've been married for 30 seconds. He'll get there," Ashleigh snapped.

"Okay." The EMT threw his hands up in the air and backed away.

"Ashleigh, I'm so sorry. I didn't think that was going to happen. I tried to stop it. I just thought it was nerves, but I guess not. You need to know that my condition isn't getting any better. "

"I know, Kelso. I've noticed."

Kelso took a deep breath. "This may be the last time I go into the hospital."

"Well, that's good isn't it-"

Kelso put his finger on Ashleigh's lips. "And I'm probably not going to check out alive."

CHAPTER 26

Heidi sat on the back of a chair staring at Kelso and Ashleigh. J.T. snuck behind her and brushed the hair off her neck. He nibbled on her neck.

"Jayson, stop it."

J.T. scowled. "Ooh, the full name. Even more reason to continue."

Heidi wiggled away from J.T.'s nibbling. "Why do you do this to me? Why do you start something you are not going to finish?"

"Who says I wasn't going to finish?"

"You did. The other night."

J.T. thought for a second. "Oh, yeah, you're right. Sorry." There was an uncomfortable silence between them and then Heidi spoke up.

"Jayson, do you really love me? I mean do you love me like Ashleigh and Kelso love each other. Would you do anything to keep me alive?"

"Yes, Heidi, I love you. Why are you having second thoughts about that?"

"Because, if you really loved me, you'd let me show you."

"That's not true, Heidi. You show me all the time that you love me."

Heidi stepped down off the back of the chair and turned around to face J.T. "No, I mean show you, Jayson. Every time I see you, my temperature rises a few degrees and my stomach ties in knots when you walk towards me. There are some times when I just want to jump all over you, but I can't. I don't know how to control myself anymore. I want to be with you, Jayson, because I don't know what else to do to make you see that I don't want to be with anyone else but you."

J.T. smiled. "I do all those things to you?"

Heidi shook her head. "You don't know the half of it."

"Heidi, we had this conversation once before. I'm not ready to make that commitment to you just, yet."

"But, I need you, too," Heidi whined.

"Can I just tell you that I'm getting closer to being ready?" He cupped Heidi's face in both of his hands and kissed her on the forehead.

"When will that be?"

"Have patience, Heidi. It will be soon enough." A sly smile came across his face. "Until then, you can continue being hot for me all you want."

"This isn't something to joke about, Jayson Tyler!"

"Relax, Heidi."

"J.T., you don't understand what's going on in my brain right now, do you?!" Heidi sobbed. "I keep thinking that I'm not good enough for you. Or, that you want to see other people. We always go out with our big group of friends. It's like since the other night, that you're just avoiding being alone with me. I'm so afraid of losing you. You know what extremes I went to, Jayson. Please help me."

J.T. grabbed Heidi in a bear hug. "Heidi, I want you. I have always wanted you. I may have made some stupid mistakes from time to time, but I keep coming back for you. I'm just asking for a little more time to sort some things out. I am NOT going to leave you again, I promise. Please stop crying. That's what hurts me. Every time I see you cry, I feel so small and helpless. My stomach turns in knots because I know there is nothing I can do to help until you stop crying."

Heidi sniffed back tears. "I can't help it, J.T."

"Well, let's just take our mind off of this elephant in the room and go to the hospital with Ashleigh and Kelso for a little while. Then, we'll go back to my place and I'll lock Court out and we can have some alone time. Is that a deal?"

"If Court's not going to be there, then you got a deal."

J.T. smiled. He took Heidi's hand and escorted her out of the theater and out to hail a taxi.

***

"This probably isn't the right time to bring it up, but I really want to know. What is waiting for me at the beach?" Ashleigh asked Kelso. He was lying in the hospital bed he had been in three times before since she had met him.

"Wait til I get out of here and I'll show you," Kelso answered.

"Kelso, you and I both know that you're not going to get out of here."

"Well, then, sneak me out tonight and we'll have one last night together."

"Stop it. Don't say "last." You have to be positive about this situation."

"I am being positive. I am positive that I am going to spend my wedding night on the beach and not in this dingy, drab, rat hole where I'll be poked and prodded out hourly starting at 2 am. You have got to let me go to the beach with you."

"Things are different now, Kelso. I know it has only been a few hours, but I'm still your wife and I made a promise that I would take care of you in sickness and in health."

"I'm fine, Ash. Just one more night on the beach."

"I can't, Kelso. I don't want to be the one responsible for—"

"Whoa, sweetie, wait a minute. You are not responsible for what has happened or will happen to me because of my disease. I made some dumb choices and me lying in this hospital bed is my fault, not yours."

"Why didn't I marry you a few weeks ago, when you were healthy? We could've had so much fun together."

"We can have fun now." Kelso pulled Ashleigh over to the side of the bed. "We could have lots of fun, if you take me to the beach." Kelso kissed Ashleigh so hard that she trembled.

"Umm . . .I'll see what I can do. You wait right here." Ashleigh walked out of the room and saw her friends waiting in the lobby.

Dashelle got up to ask Ashleigh how Kelso was. Before she could get any words out of her mouth, Ashleigh grabbed Dashelle's hand and ran with her to the elevator doors.

"Ohmigosh, I'm in a big dilemma here. I'm not going to ask you what I should do, but I'm just going to lay it out on the table and you tell me what you think. Okay?"

Dashelle tried to answer, but Ashleigh was too quick with her words. "Kelso wants me to sneak him out of her for tonight and take him to the beach. I was talking about having fun and he turned my fun into an innuendo. So, I'm not exactly sure what should happen here, since you know, I am married, but he has HIV and he wants to, y'know, I think, but I'm not really sure where he got that idea from. Well, yeah, I can since that's what married people do—but, not that often, according to my brother. Anyway, I really want to sneak him out of here for one night, because quite frankly, this is probably the last week that he is going to be alive." Ashleigh swallowed back the sob that was forming in her throat. "I am NOT going to cry. I knew this was going to happen and I will not cry!"

"It's okay to cry, Ash," Dashelle reassured her.

"Not this time. I have cried too many times and I'm tired of looking like a blubbering idiot. I really want to take him to the beach, Shell."

"Then, take him to the beach. You can do that."

"Here's the other part of that dilemma. I don't know what to do if he gets sick or has a relapse while we are there tonight."

"You did just fine today," Dashelle said.

"I was scared out of my mind and there were other people there to help. Wait, I can get a nurse." Ashleigh scrunched up her face. "But, where would she stay because I don't want her to stay that close, just close enough to help if I need her to."

"See, you figured it out all on your own," Dashelle said. "You're going to be fine."

"Yeah, right. I have the plan in mind, but I'm not sure if I can put it into action."

"Ashleigh, you have got a group of friends sitting in that lobby that would do anything to help you. All you have to do is ask."

"Do I have to give them all the details I gave you?" Ashleigh walked toward the lobby with her best friend.

"I wouldn't be too specific, if you know what I mean." Dashelle nudged Ashleigh in the ribs with her elbow. Ashleigh rolled her eyes and walked back into the lobby with the rest of her friends.

"How are you doing, Ash?" Freedom asked.

"I'll be fine if you guys help me out. I need to get Kelso out of here just for tonight."

"Why?" Sam asked puzzled.

"Its our wedding night, Sam."

"And that's a big deal because?" Brady asked. Freedom hit him in the stomach.

"Okay, enough said. What do you want us to do?"

"Well, first, I need you to listen to my plan." Ashleigh looked around at the doctors and nurses pacing back and forth from nurse's station to different rooms. "But, I don't think I can tell you here. So, let's go down to the cafeteria."

Sam, Freedom, Dashelle, Parker, Court, Heidi, J.T. and Ashleigh went over to the elevator. Dashelle pushed the up button and everyone waited in silence. The doors opened and the entire group got into the elevator.

"I'm going to hyperventilate with all of us in here," Heidi warned.

"This won't take long, Heidi. Just breathe," Ashleigh remarked.

"That's the problem, Ash. I am," Heidi said.

J.T. went up behind Heidi and rubbed her shoulders. "Relax," he whispered in her ear.

"Okay, we're all good at acting, right? Well, its time to use the famous line, "No, I'm not a doctor, but I play one on TV. Somehow, we need to snag a few white coats and clipboards, a wheelchair, and my husband. Any ideas?"

"J.T. and I could run back to the theater and get some white coats, but I don't think we need any clipboards."

"Yeah, we'll just need Kelso's which is sitting outside his door."

"Can I be the naughty nurse with the wheelchair?" Brady asked.

"Get serious, Brady," Freedom warned. "Everyone knows the naughty nurse has blond hair. Right, Heidi?"

Heidi's face was pale. "Huh?"

"I'll explain later," J.T. mumbled. "Just say okay."

Okay," Heidi said.

"Court, I'm going to need your boyish charm to wow a nurse for me for the night. I need her to go to the beach and stay there in case Kelso has any problems. Can you do that?"

"Can I do that?" Court asked in a nonchalant sort of way. "The ladies love me. Of course, I can."

"Well, this is going good so far. We just need to have some muscle to get Kelso into a wheelchair and a quick get-away car."

"You want a quick get-away in New York City? What have you been smoking?"

"Apparently, not the same stuff you have," Ashleigh quipped.

The elevator stopped and the doors open. Heidi pushed her way through her friends and rested her hands on the back of a couch. She breathed so hard that she was hyperventilating. She looked up and saw her friends staring at her. "What? I get a little nervous in cramped places with eight people."

"We noticed, Heidi. So, are you with me on this little escapade?" Ashleigh asked.

"Yeah, let's get this show on the road," J.T. said. "Heidi will come with me and we'll go get the clothes we need."

"Um, Brady and I will go see if we can hunt down a cab and keep it occupied for awhile."

"I'll go flirt with the nurses," Court said.

"Court! This is serious!" Ashleigh exclaimed.

"I am serious. You need a nurse and I'll get you one."

"Okay, guys. Thank you. I'll meet you back in Kelso's room in an hour."

The gang went their separate ways on their missions.

***

The entire group had fooled everyone in the hospital. J.T. had dressed up as a doctor and wheeled Kelso out of the hospital and loaded him in a taxi for "further testing." Court had used his charm to ask one of the nurses to stay in a hotel room by the beach for a night to help Ashleigh and Kelso if there were any problems. Brady and Freedom had made the cab go in circles for thirty minutes until they saw Ashleigh and Kelso come out of the hospital. They gladly changed seats with the newlyweds. The cab driver drove them to the beach.

Ashleigh helped Kelso out of the cab. They took each other's hand and walked over to a small little cottage that had a beach front view.

"I borrowed it from a friend for the night," Kelso said. "It was his wedding present to us."

"Well, that was nice of him."

"There's more."

Kelso opened the door. The only lighting was about 100 candles. There were red rose petals scattered over the white furniture. Kelso took a bouquet of white roses off the coffee table. "These are for you."

Ashleigh smelled the roses and smiled. "They're nice."

"Let's go sit on the couch," Kelso suggested. They walked over to the couch. Kelso flipped a switch and a fire kindled in the fireplace.

"Did your friend happen to leave any clothes here. I mean this dress is nice, but I don't want to ruin it since it isn't mine."

"Don't worry about that. The costume department said you could have it, but I think there are clothes in the bedroom."

"I wonder what surprise is waiting in there for me," Ashleigh sighed.

"You'll see." Kelso winked.

Ashleigh walked into the bedroom. Lying on the bed was a white silk gown. Ashleigh turned to Kelso. "What's this?"

"You're evening wear," he quipped.

"Kelso, um, can we talk about this. I'm not really sure if this is a good idea," Ashleigh whispered.

Kelso moved from the doorway and walked over to the bed. "What's not a good idea?" he asked."

"What were you expecting us to do once we got here? I mean, I know it's our wedding night and that usually means—"

Kelso grabbed Ashleigh's hands and sat her down on the bed. He looked her in the eyes. "I'm not asking you to do anything you don't want to, Ash. I just want you to feel like this is your night and I wanted to do everything I can to make it special."

"Kelso, you don't have to give me fancy clothes or a fancy room to make me feel special. All I really want is to be with you."

"Well, here I am, baby, warts and all."

Ashleigh leaned over and kissed Kelso. They fell back onto the bed and Kelso's hand grazed Ashleigh's side.

"Kelso," Ashleigh whispered, "We shouldn't be doing this."

"Ashleigh, we're just kissing."

Ashleigh pushed him away and looked into his eyes. "Well, this kissing is going to lead to more than just kissing and as much as I want it to continue, it wouldn't be good for your health or mine."

"I just want to touch you, Ashleigh. We're married. Can I at least have that gift?"

Ashleigh got up from the bed and walked over to the window that was overlooking the ocean. She crossed her arms over her chest as if to protect herself from anything that might happen. She prayed for God to give her an answer of what she should do, but it seemed he wasn't giving her what she wanted. Kelso grabbed his cane and limped over to her. He put his hand on her shoulder.

"Ash, are you scared of me?" Kelso asked.

She couldn't speak, but shook her head "no."

"Please talk to me. I don't want you to be scared of me. I don't have much longer here, y'know. This day is just as important to me as it is to you. I don't want our last night together—"

Ashleigh turned toward Kelso. "This isn't our last night together."

Kelso cupped Ashleigh's face with his hand. "In all honesty, it probably is. Don't be scared of me. Let me hold you this one last time before I go."

Ashleigh sniffed back her tears. Her hands were trembling. "Kelso, I . . . I . . .can't. I'm sorry." She ran out of the room.

Kelso dropped to his knees and gasped for air. He could barely cough.

Ashleigh came back into the room and saw Kelso struggling. She picked up the phone and dialed the nurse.

CHAPTER 28

Ashleigh walked out into the hospital lobby. Her face was pale and tear stained. Dashelle walked up to her.

"How is he?" Dashelle asked.

Ashleigh sniffled. "The doctors give him," she stopped to gulp back a sob. "A few more hours."

"Oh, honey." Dashelle grabbed her best friend in a bear hug.

Heidi put her hand on Ashleigh's back. "What do you want us to do for you?" she asked.

"I dunno. Just keep me company for a little bit, okay? I don't want to be here alone when he—"

"Okay, you don't have to say it," Court said. "We won't make you say it."

"Thank you, Court." Ashleigh and Dashelle let go of each other and Ashleigh plopped down on one of the sterile hospital chairs.

The rest of the gang took Ashleigh's cue and sat down in the chairs in silence along with her. Court looked over at Ashleigh. He was like a big brother to her when her own brother wasn't around. He had been there when her mom died of cancer. He had been there when her brother had been temporarily paralyzed in a car accident. He had been there when she had met Kelso and found out about his disease. Why was he always there for her during the bad stuff?

"Ashleigh," Court whispered as to not startle anyone.

She looked up at Court. "What?"

"Let's go take a walk. I think you and I have this routine down by now," Court said. He held out his hand so she would get up.

"No, I can't do that this time, Court."

"You have to. If you don't you'll just sit here and get sadder and sadder. Now, c'mon, let's go."

"Court, I don't want to go," Ashleigh protested.

"Ashleigh, you need to go," J.T. said.

"I am staying right here! No one can convince me otherwise. I don't want to leave my husband. Just let me stay right here in this chair and sulk if I want! Just please, leave me be!" Ashleigh screamed.

Court's eyes showed the pain Ashleigh was going through. They were kindred spirits. "Okay, Ash, I'll take a rain check. I'll just sit and leave you alone for a little bit, but I'm not happy about it at all." He sat down in the chair next to Ashleigh.

"Ashleigh, is Kelso awake?" J.T. asked.

"Sort of. They have him on morphine to try to ease the pain."

"Can I go talk to him?" J.T. asked.

"Yeah, I guess. He needs to see someone that isn't a blubbering mess."

"Okay." J.T. grabbed Heidi's hand and headed into Kelso's room.

J.T. walked towards the bed where Kelso was lying. He was off all the life saving machines and just had a morphine drip. His eyes were open, but they were glazed over.

"Kelso, it's J.T. Are you sure you want to go out like this? I mean, a needle got you into this mess and you want a needle to take you out."

"I don't have," Kelso stopped. He struggled to get the words out of his mouth. "a choice."

"I'm not sure if Ashleigh is going to be able to deal with this. She's a tough lady, but she's seen death more than any of us here. What do you want us to do to help her through this?"

"Tell her . . .I'm . . . I'm . . . sor . . .sorry."

Ashleigh peeked into the room. Heidi was standing holding hands with J.T. She could tell that Heidi didn't know what to say or what to do with death staring in her face. Heidi was avoiding making eye contact with Kelso or any other item in the room. J.T. was trying his hardest to help, because that was his nature. He was a fixer. If something wasn't going the way it should, he always stepped in and tried to fix it. He may not even know you, but he would always help.

Ashleigh walked in the room and J.T. looked up. "We'll leave you two alone," J.T. remarked. He squeezed Heidi's hand and they left.

Ashleigh knelt at Kelso's bedside. She took his fragile skinny hand in hers. "How can the best day of my life be the worst day of my life? I was so happy for us and then I am so sad for us, because there isn't going to be an us for much longer. Kelso, why did you have to love me so much? I can't take it. I just want all this pain and sadness to go away. I'm not blaming you for anything and I'm not going to accept your apology. I'm not sorry one bit for loving you. I'm sorry that we didn't get to spend more time together." She stood up and kissed his cheek. "I love you, Kelso Aaron Stark."

She walked away from the bed and looked out his window. "Okay, God, this isn't funny anymore. You can bring Kelso back at any time. I know that I've made some stupid decisions in my life, but I don't regret this one. I just want my husband to be my husband for more than one day. I can't be alone, God. Don't make me be alone. I can't do it, anymore!" Ashleigh yelled and fell to her knees. She put her head in her hands and let wailing sobs escape her. Her friends heard her in the lobby, but no one moved. Court and J.T. looked at each other. They both knew someone needed to go comfort her, but Court knew that Ashleigh didn't want to deal with him. He nodded to J.T.

J.T. went into the hospital room by himself and didn't say a word. He knelt down beside her and put his hand on her back. "God, please be with my friend, Ashleigh. She's hurting so much right now and she just needs to know that you are doing what is best for her. You sent her an angel and she's having a hard time dealing with the departure. We can't stand to see her or Kelso in pain. So, if it is time for Kelso to go, please let him go peacefully in his sleep and let Ashleigh know that you have plans for her that will help her cope with the loss." J.T. felt a warm hand on his. He looked over and noticed that Heidi had knelt down beside Ashleigh on her other side.

"Amen," Heidi whispered.

J.T. got up from his knees and helped Ashleigh to her feet. "We will always be here for you. You will not be alone."

Ashleigh wiped her tears with the back of her hand and nodded. "Thank you." She walked over to Kelso again and touched his face. "It's all right, you can go. I was being selfish, but I know that you don't want to live like this. No more pain and no more tears."

Kelso slowly turned his head towards Ashleigh. His face twitched as he tried to smile. He wanted the last thing he saw before he laid into rest to be the beautiful face that he loved-the love of his life. Before he could say anything, he needed to take a deep breath.

Ashleigh watched the monitor next to him and saw that his heart rate was slowing. The nurses had gone over what the machines meant one last time with Ashleigh before they gave him the morphine. They told her that if his heart rate took a dramatic drop that he probably was going to be leaving her soon.

Kelso took a deep breath. Ashleigh leaned in to him so he did not have to struggle. He tried to get out his words, but he could not speak. He gasped for air and tried again. Ashleigh had not said anything to him through his strain. He just needed to hear her voice one more time.

"What is it, Kelso?" Ashleigh asked. She knew he was struggling and whatever he wanted to say was important or he wouldn't be trying so hard.

Kelso tried again. But, his voice had gone and his will was fading. Ashleigh looked at the monitor again. His heart rate had dropped even more.

"Stupid machine. Why are you dragging this out?! Let him go! He wants to go!" Ashleigh ripped the cord out of the wall. A loud beep rang throughout the hospital. Nurses came running into Kelso's room.

"Get out!" Ashleigh screamed. "Leave! Let him be! Just go away and leave us alone!" Ashleigh shoved the nurses out of the room and slammed the door.

Court looked over at the shut door. He ran his fingers through his hear and knotted his hands on top of his head. "I can't take this! I have to go in there." He rushed to the closed door and opened it. Ashleigh was kneeling next to Kelso just staring at him. She turned around and Court could see the tears in her eyes.

"He's gone, Court," she whispered.

"Oh, Ash." He walked over to her, picked her up from the floor, and let her cry all over his shirt.

Chapter 29

Ashleigh sat on the flawless white couch that was in the middle of Kelso's apartment. She sat curled up hugging a picture of Kelso and smelling the scent of his cologne on his shirt that she had put on. A week had passed since he had died and Ashleigh had not left his apartment-their apartment. She hadn't been to any classes or answered any calls from her friends. Instead, she sat in the dark on the couch grieving for her lost love. Why was she having such a difficult time with this? She hadn't felt this bad when her mom died. Not even this bad when he grandma had died. Why was Kelso pulling her into this deep depression?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. "Go away, please," Ashleigh answered.

"Ashleigh, its Court. We're all worried about you."

"I don't want to talk to anyone. Please, just leave."

"Ashleigh, I don't have much time. The show starts in three hours."

"Well, don't let me burden you, then."

"Ashleigh, open the door."

"No."

"Ashleigh, don't make me make a scene. You know I will."

"Court, I don't want to see you."

"C'mon, Ash. Open the door. I need to talk to you." Court paused. "And, I need to use the bathroom. I just gulped down one of those humungous drinks from Sonic. My eyeballs are floating!"

Ashleigh grinned. Court always knew how to get her to smile in any situation. She hoisted herself up off the couch and put the picture of Kelso back on the marble mantle. Then, she walked over and unlocked the door for Court.

"Come in, do your business and leave." She walked away from him.

"I don't really—"

"I know, Court. What do you want?"Ashleigh snapped.

"I-we miss you. What have you been doing?"

Ashleigh waved around the apartment with her hand at the overloaded boxes. "I've been sorting through all this. Kelso's family won't even come up to help. They said to keep whatever I want, and to throw the rest out. How am I supposed to know what's important?" She picked up an old trophy. "What if this has sentimental value to his mom? I don't know what to do with it." She threw it in a box.

"Well, maybe, his family isn't ready to deal with losing a child."

"Oh, and I'm ready to deal with losing a husband. I'm supposed to be strong and handle all of this?"

"They are probably still dealing with their memories."

"Memories? Memories? That's all I have." She walked over to the fireplace mantle. She swiped her hand across the mantle and cleared all the pictures onto the floor. "I don't want stinking memories! I want him!" Ashleigh pounded on Court's chest with her fists.

He let out a breath of air and grabbed Ashleigh's wrists in his hands so she wouldn't hurt herself. "Why, Court, why? Why does God hate me so much? Why does He take away everything I love? How come He has to punish me? What did I do?"

"You didn't do anything." Court furrowed his brow. He wished J.T. would have come with him. He would probably think of something to say that would help Ashleigh much more than he could. He stood in silence for a minute and searched for something to say that would make Ashleigh feel better. Court was a little new with all of this "God stuff" as he called it, but Ashleigh wasn't. What would make her understand that God wasn't punishing her?

"Ashleigh, God does not hate you. He doesn't give you anything you can't handle."

Ashleigh looked at Court's eyes. "I can't handle this."

"Yes, you can. You are a strong young lady. You have seen death so many times in your life. You can deal with it."

"No, I can't. I don't know what to do. I mean, I knew that Nona was going to die and I had time to be with Mama before she died. But, this . . .this was just so sudden. I feel so lost."

Court looked at Ashleigh in the eyes. They clouds of grief and depression covered them. He had never seen her like this before. She was right about having time to process her grandmother and mom's death. He had been there with her for both of them. When no one else was around in the middle of the night, Ashleigh would call him to talk. Court was there for all three of the deaths that haunted his friend. He knew that Ashleigh was taking Kelso's death the hardest. She was able to deal with her grandmother and mom's death because there was time to prepare for it. But, Kelso had left her too soon and too fast. Court didn't want to see her like this.

"Ashleigh, all of this will take care of itself. God put you in Kelso's life for a reason and he took you out of it for a reason. He has plans for you. He knows that you can withstand this." Court did not know where these words were coming from. He felt as if someone was taking over his thoughts and talking through him. He felt a silent presence in the room and was thankful that he wasn't talking with Ashleigh alone.

Ashleigh hadn't noticed before, but Court had some of the same features as Kelso-his hair, his nose. His eyes. The eyes that could draw her in at any moment. Eyes the color of heaven. She was too busy looking at Court to hear what he had said. She had seen his lips moving, but the words were not comprehensible to her ears. She had other plans in mind. Ashleigh leaned in and kissed Court. His hands dropped from her wrists and went to her waist. He didn't mean to, it was just a natural instinct when a girl kissed him. Their lips hung on each other for a few moments, then they toppled back onto the couch. Court struggled to get out of Ashleigh's grip.

"Ashleigh, I'm not Kelso. We can't-I don't-" Court strained to say through forced kisses from Ashleigh. He rose up from her grip and the couch and walked towards the door.

"Why not?" She walked over to Court.

"We tried that once. Remember? You have high standards and I have wandering eyes." He turned around and looked at Ashleigh square in the face. "And, besides, I don't want to be that guy."

"What guy?" Ashleigh looked confused.

"That guy that takes advantage of the situation. The guy that preys on girls on a rebound and then gets hurt by the girl the second she has recovered. I mean, I usually am that guy, but I don't want to be that guy to you." He paused. "I just want to be your friend and protect you from those guys."

"Well, why didn't you protect me from Kelso?"

"Don't blame me. I didn't introduce you to him. J.T. did. Blame him." Court looked at his watch. "In fact, you can blame him at the show tonight."

Ashleigh turned from Court. "Oh, I'm not going," she mumbled.

"What? You have to. I'm a nervous wreck. I need all the support I can get. What if I forget my blocking? What if I forget my lines? I mean, you know the lines better than I do."

"Court, I can't. It would be too hard."

"Too hard? Ashleigh, I've known you a long time. You don't give up that easy."

"I don't have anything to wear."

"And you never have good excuses." Court opened the door. Dashelle, Heidi, and Freedom were standing in the door jamb.

"All right, ladies. This is an intervention," Dashelle remarked.

Freedom looked at Ashleigh and shook her head. "Oh, honey, what have you done to yourself?"

Ashleigh looked at herself. Her hair was knotted on top of her head. She had on one of Kelso's old shirts and a pair of old black yoga pants with holes in them. She did look awful. "You noticed, huh?"

"We don't have time for answers. Let's got to work," Heidi grabbed Ashleigh's hand and led her towards the bedroom.

Court started to walk out, but stopped by Dashelle. "Find our friend, Ashleigh. She 's so lost."

Dashelle patted Court's arm. "I'll do what I can."

***

The girls went into Ashleigh's makeshift bedroom and cleared a spot off the bed.

"Court's worried about you," Dashelle said.

Ashleigh sat on the bed and gave a half smile. "He's always looking out for me, huh? My adopted big brother."

"This was his idea to get us to come over here and get you out of this apartment," Freedom said.

"Girls, this is really sweet of you, but I can't go tonight. I mean this was supposed to be Kelso's night to shine. And, well, you know how the story ends."

"The story isn't ending, it's just beginning. And if you can't go for Kelso, go for J.T. and Court. They are having a hard time dealing with losing a friend, too and they need all the support they can get right now," Heidi remarked. She went over to the closet and pulled out a purple sundress with giant Hawaiian flowers all over it. "Seriously? You own this?"

"Girl, we need to go shopping!" Dashelle said. "We have two hours to find the Ashleigh that everyone knows and loves." She threw Ashleigh a pair of skinny jeans and the bright red shirt she had worn on her first date with Kelso. "Get dressed. We're going out."

The girls ran from boutique to boutique. Ashleigh fought them every step of the way. She did not want to go to the show. She knew that when she walked into the theater, her thoughts and her memories of Kelso would overtake her. She would see him on the stage rehearsing lines with Mimi. If she went backstage, she would see him sitting on that stool watching her dance. And most of all, she would see the ocean scene where they said their vows. The girls didn't understand how she felt. They just wanted her to go along with them like she always did. Hadn't Dashelle said something about making her own decisions? Well, she had decided she wasn't going and Dashelle and the rest of her friends were making other plans.

"I don't want to do this!" Ashleigh pleaded. "I just want to curl up in the apartment and be alone."

"No, not an option," Heidi said. "It's been a week, Ash. You need to get out and be with people. Things are not going to get better if you just sit in the past. Kelso would want you to be there."

"Why is this so important to all of you?" Ashleigh begged.

"Because, Ashleigh, we are concerned about you. We are here for you and we need you to come back to the world with us. You need to show everyone that you can cope with whatever comes your way," Dashelle said. She was searching through a rack of dresses. "Aha, I found it. Go try this on." Dashelle shoved a red skirt that had a halter top at her best friend.

Ashleigh grabbed the dress from Dashelle and stomped to the fitting rooms. "Fine, but I do recall someone telling me it was time to make my own decisions!" she yelled while opening a dressing room door.

Chapter 30

J.T. and Court were standing backstage. Well, J.T. was standing—Court was pacing.

"Relax, man. You'll do fine," J.T. assured his best friend.

"Oh, easy for you to say. You've had a few weeks to rehearse. I'm pretty much going cold turkey here," Court snapped.

"Are you forgetting you pretty much know this play by heart anyway?" J.T. asked.

"Not the same, man. I'm freaking out!"

"Just an audience. You've had an audience before. Pretty sure you have even had a camera shoved in front of your face," J.T. reassured him.

"I know, I know. I just haven't been in front of a live audience in awhile." He stopped pacing and pulled back the curtain. "I wonder if they got Ashleigh here." Court looked around didn't see the girls, yet.

"Oh my gosh." He paused between each word. "J.T., my parents are here."

"What?" J.T. was as shocked as Court was.

"I'd prefer not to repeat that phrase," Court mumbled.

"How? Why?"

"I have no idea. I mean I sent them tickets, but I didn't expect them to actually show up." Court covered his mouth and swallowed. "I think I . . .um . . ." He nonchalantly backed up and headed to the nearest bathroom. Apparently, his nerves had got the best of him and were about to spew forth.

"Hi, Jayson."

J.T. looked up. He saw Heidi wearing a black dress with a bandeau top. She had straightened out her usual curls for the occasion. He smiled. "Hey, beautiful. How'd you sneak back here?"

"I have my connections." She grinned. "Just came back to wish you good luck." She walked over to him and kissed him on the mouth. J.T. put his fingertips against her sides and slowly ran them down. Heidi pressed up against him, but J.T. pulled himself away. He did not want to have anything hinder his focus on the job he was about to do. Heidi stopped as Court rounded the corner.

"We'll finish what we started after the show," Heidi whispered in J.T.'s ear. She turned to Court. "Knock 'em dead."

"We all ready did," Court said under his breath.

Heidi covered her mouth and blushed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way."

"I know," Court said. He put his arm around her shoulder and hugged her. "Thanks for the good luck. Did Ashleigh make it?"

"I think the rest of the crew is trying to cajole her inside the theater. She won't set foot inside. At least we got her in the cab, though. We even got her to get out of that awful outfit she had on earlier. She's fighting every step of the way. Brady and Sam almost had to carry her to get her to leave the apartment."

"She needs to be out of that apartment," J.T. said. "It's not going to help her to stay there."

"She needs to be here. She's never acted this way, before. . and I've seen her through a lot of deaths in her family."

"We'll get her here, Court. You just think about what you are here to do tonight."

"That's the problem, Heidi. I can't. My wonderful family has decided to grace me with their presence on opening night without any warning and I've been hurling in the bathroom for the past five minutes."

"Too much information. On that note, I'll let you two prepare." Heidi walked back into the theater to see if the rest of the gang had made it into the theater.

"J.T, are you seriously not even a bit nervous about what you are about to do tonight?" Court asked.

"Not, yet. Wait until intermission. I will be a whole different person. Believe me," J.T. said.

"How long do you think you can keep her waiting? She's not a very patient person, you know," Court said.

"I'm not either. This just seems like the right thing to do. Okay? I want to make her happy."

Ashleigh turned the corner inside the theater and stopped. Her path was blocked by Kelso's headshot with an "In loving memory" banner draped around it. Dashelle saw the wells of tears starting to form in Ashleigh's eyes and grabbed her hand.

"It's okay," Dashelle whispered.

"I can't do this, ladies," Ashleigh protested. "If I can't even make it into the door without tearing up, how am I supposed to get through a performance that was meant to be his and will blatantly not be when Court does it."

"Because we are all here to support you. We will not let you do this alone," Dashelle encouraged.

"C'mon, Ash," Freedom said. "The show is about to start." Freedom grabbed Ashleigh's other hand and the two girls guided her into the theater. They found the front row seats where Heidi was waiting and sat down.

***

"Man, look at you. You're not even breaking a sweat. How are you not nervous about this?" Court asked J.T.

"I dunno. I'm not so nervous about the show, but more about the grand finale," J.T. answered

"Oh, yeah, that. Good luck."

"Two minutes, boys and girls. Two minutes!" the producer announced. "Please take your marks."

"All right, Court. This is it." J.T. said. He made sure he had his mic on and walked out onto the stage. He looked at the audience that was almost standing room only. He forgot how popular RENT was until he saw everyone staring at him. "Good evening, everyone. Each night we dedicate this performance to the man who created it, Jonathan Larson, but tonight we also have someone else who deserves a dedication. If any of you came through the grand entrance, you noticed a headshot of Kelso Stark. He was our self proclaimed real life Roger. Unfortunately, he lost his battle with HIV last week and will not be performing tonight. In his place, will be Court Parker. So, tonight we dedicate this performance to Jonathan Larson, our great friend, Kelso Stark, and his widow, Ashley Stark." J.T. paused and walked off the stage. "And now, on with the show."

Heidi looked over at Ashleigh whose face was very pale. "You ok?"

"I never got to use that name. I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with that name," Ashleigh remarked.

"You don't have to keep it," Heidi said. "But, I would. It's a nice memory."

"Yeah," Ashleigh whispered. "Just a memory."

The lights went down and the opening act began. Court and J.T. sang the first song. At one point when Court did not have to sing and he thought no one was paying attention he mouthed "thank you" to Ashleigh. She sheepishly smiled and fumbled with the hem of her skirt. As the story went on, she began to enjoy it more and more. She didn't forget about Kelso, but she put her fear and depression in the back of her mind so she could take in the performances of her two best guy friends. They were having a blast. The second act began, J.T. hopped off the stage and drug Ashleigh onto the stage. She sang without a mic during "Seasons of Love." Fortunately, Greg, the director, was encouraging this sort of behavior tonight. He liked doing things differently every once in awhile. He thought it might spice up the review.

When Court starting singing "Your Eyes" he looked up at Ashleigh and almost through the person who was playing Mimi. He thought he could hear a voice saying, "Look at her. Look how beautiful she is. Why are you holding yourself back?" It was either his conscious or Kelso speaking to him from beyond. "Take care of her," he heard. "Don't ever lose her."

When Court stopped thinking about the voice, he heard that he was singing a duet.

"I thought this was a solo," Heidi said aloud.

"Not anymore," Freedom said. She pointed to where she heard the other voice.

J.T. was walking towards Heidi singing. He helped her up out of her seat for a moment and then he knelt down. The music faded. "Heidi Ann Weir, would you make my boyhood dream come true tonight. We have known each other for a long time and loved each other even more as the days have gone on." He opened up a ring box with a solitaire diamond in it. "Will you marry me?"

Heidi covered her mouth to muffle the squeal that was forming. She could not find any words to answer, so she nodded her head.

"Yes?" J.T. asked.

Heidi nodded.

Yes!" J.T. answered. He slid the ring onto her finger and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Sorry to propose and run, but I've got a show to finish." He ran back onto the stage and the music started up again.

At the end of the show the montage played of the cast. Instead of seein Angel as the last image of the show, Ashleigh looked up and saw a picture from her wedding. Kelso was all smiles as he watched Ashleigh walking down the aisle to marry him. Ashleigh turned her head away like she had been slapped in the face. Her tears stung as she tried to convince herself not to cry.

"Ash, let it go," Dashelle said. "It's okay."

"I have got to stop this," Ashleigh said. "These tears won't bring him back. He'd want me to be happy, right?"

Dashelle nodded. "So, get out one last good cry and then let's go to the cast party."

"We've got VIP passes," Heidi said.

"You're still around?" I figure you would have bolted at the last note of the last song," Ashleigh said.

"I'm trying to restrain myself and if I have to wait any longer, I'm going to explode. C'mon, let's go!" Heidi grabbed Ashleigh's hand and practically ran backstage. She didn't let go of Ashleigh until she saw Court in front of her. Then, she ran to J.T. and practically barreled him over.

"Why did you make me wait? You know I don't like to wait!" Heidi screamed.

"Because, you are worth the wait," J.T. answered. He kissed her gently on the lips.

Heidi stepped back and looked at J.T. Her blue eyes were dancing with excitement. "So, does this mean . . .?"

J.T. rubbed his forehead. "Heidi, we have plenty of time for that."

"But, why not now? You're the one that I want to be with, so there isn't really a reason to wait anymore."

J.T. sat Heidi down on the step beside the stage. He made sure that they could have a private moment before he started to talk. "Yes, there is a reason to wait. I don't want you to have any scars. I want to touch every part of your body." He moved her hair away from her ear and whispered. "Even the parts that are hidden from me. I want to kiss every inch of you."

Heidi's stomach flipped. If J.T.'s words could do that to her, what exactly was going to happen when he touched her?

"I won't have scars, J.T. I'm ready."

"Heidi, I'm ready, too, but I have morals and values and I don't want to screw this up. I've hurt you once all ready and I don't want to do it again. So, please, can you wait? Because, when I wake up in the morning, I want you to still be right next to me and not leaving to go to your place. I want you climbing the walls for me."

"What makes you think I'm not all ready?" Heidi mumbled.

J.T. smiled. "Trust me, you won't want to leave the house when I'm done with you." He paused. "I won't want you to, either."

Heidi looked at J.T. with glistening blue eyes. "How can you be so patient with me? I keep wanting more and you keep telling me to wait." Her lip quivered. "I'm sorry."

J.T. pulled Heidi close to him, so she could rest her head on his shoulder. He ran his fingers through her silky blond hair. "Oh, sweetie, there's no reason to be sorry. You should be patient with me. I have prayed every night for God to make me strong enough to stop myself from throwing myself at you. In fact, even before we were ever a couple, I said that prayer. I'm only asking you to wait because that's how I'm coping with this. If I have to wait, you have to wait."

"Who says we have to wait?" Heidi rose her head from J.T.'s shoulders.

J.T. raised his eyebrows. "You know who."

"Seriously, Jayson. You and I are almost 22 years old and we haven't. . .I think there is probably a loophole in the teachings once you get our age."

"No, Heidi, there isn't. Please, just wait a little longer. I'll make it worth the wait, I promise."

"Why don't we just go to Reno and get the ceremony over with," Heidi suggested.

"No, Heidi. You wouldn't want to do that. Your family wants to be there. I know you've waited for this moment all your life. It's what little girls dream about, right? So, get the plans made and I will show up in my tux and rented shoes. Okay?" He took her hand and kissed it. Heidi's body tingled at his touch.

"Mr. Sumtrane, I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Dean Harlow interrupted.

"No, nothing at all. Apparently, I can't have too much of a quiet moment with my fiancé," J.T. snapped.

"I just wanted to congratulate you on a job well done. You did a fantastic job and I loved the artistic license you took tonight. This was by far the best version of Rent I have seen so far."

"This wasn't your first time?" Heidi asked.

"Oh, no, dear. This is probably my tenth or eleventh time. This is one of my favorite Broadway shows."

"Wow, the dean is a Rent head."

"Yes, but I'm still the dean and I still expect to see you in class bright and early tomorrow morning. Don't party too hard."

J.T. saluted. "Yes, ma'am."

Dean Harlow rolled her eyes. "There is no need for that, Mr. Sumtrane." She turned to Heidi. "Congratulations, Ms. Wier." She turned and walked off.

"Hey, let's go find the rest of the crew."

"I'm sure they're all hoarded around a bunch of free food and drinks next door."

"As long as they save some for me, that's fine."

Chapter 31

"Court, can I talk to you?" Ashleigh asked. Court was sitting on the bar at Mac's. Mac was gracious enough to close the doors and have the cast party right next door to the theater.

"I don't know what is stopping you. Go ahead." He took a sip from his bottle of Bud.

"This is important, Court. I need your full attention," Ashleigh begged.

Court put his bottle on the bar. "Okay, Ash, let's go outside." He opened the door for her and followed after her.

"I'm sorry about the way I acted earlier today. I don't know why I did it," Ashleigh blurted out.

"It was just a moment of passion, I understand," Court joked. "The ladies can't get enough of me."

"Are you all ready drunk tonight? It hasn't even been ten minutes since the show let out."

"No, no, I'm not." Court shook his head and laughed. "Okay, maybe a little."

"Court, I really need to talk to you. Sober up," Ashleigh pleaded.

"I'm just joking. I want to see you laugh again." He brushed his hand against her arm. "I haven't seen you laugh in awhile."

"Court, I'm so embarrassed. I didn't mean to throw myself at you like that earlier. I mean, we are just friends, and you were right. We tried to be more than friends once a long time ago and it didn't work. So, why should it work now? I am just so frustrated right now. I don't know what I want. Wait, yes, I do. I want Kelso back. I want him standing right here and I want to kiss him and tell him what a great job he did playing Roger."

"Thanks, Ash. I appreciate your confidence in me," Court mumbled.

"No, not like that. You were wonderful. In fact, there were a few moments that I actually thought Kelso was playing the part through you."

"You too, huh?"

"What?"

Court took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair. "Ashleigh, I lied to you earlier today."

"What are you talking about?"

"I want to be that guy. No, not _that_ guy—the guy. I'm tired of always being that guy you run to when things aren't going your way with your dates. I want to be the guy you are running from."

"You definitely are drunk, Court Ashton." Ashleigh walked towards the door to go back into the bar.

Court walked after her. He grabbed Ashleigh's arm and turned her toward him. "No, I'm not, Ashleigh. I know that this probably isn't a good time to tell you this, but I need to tell you now. Tonight when I was singing, I heard this voice telling me to take care of you. Ashleigh, I'm pretty sure it was Kelso talking to me. See, he still wants what's best for you."

"Court, I can't do this right now," Ashleigh said.

"I know you can't. I know you need time, but I don't know how much time. Only you know that. I know you have to deal with losing Kelso. Just hear me out, Ashleigh. I want to be with you."

"What about all the other girls? If you want to be with me, you know what has to happen."

"There aren't any other girls. I find myself comparing them to you all the time, but they aren't you. They don't have the hair, the eyes, the compassion you have."

Ashleigh blushed. She had never heard Court talk like this about anyone. She still wasn't sure if it was actually Court talking or the beer.

"Ashleigh, take all the time you need. Just remember that when you have gone through your grieving and your second or third rebound guy, that I will be right here. Well, not right here, I don't think Mac wants me to stay that long. But, I will be there when you are ready."

Ashleigh looked up at Court. His eyes told his story. She smiled. "I'd like that, Court." She leaned into him for a hug. Court took a deep breath of her hair as he wrapped his arms around her. "I just need to time."

"That's fine." Court slyly grinned. "My heart will always be for rent."

# # #

About the Author

Crystal James lives in Kearney, Missouri with her husband, two boys, and two dogs. In her spare time, she teaches. Currently, she is taking a hiatus from teaching high school. She was a teacher for the past three years. Crystal enjoys spending time with her family, reading good books, and watching a good movie every now and then.

Coming Soon

Broken Roads (Hearts for Rent II)
