Thursday morning I arose bright and early, forcing myself out of my bed. Today was the zoo trip. Groggily, I trudged my way to my door, ready to go take a shower. Before I could open it myself though, it suddenly burst open, nearly slamming me in my face. In my tired state, instead of having a startled reaction a normal person would, I just stared at it. It didn't register in my mind doors weren't supposed to open like that. Unless you had the force...

             Lance suddenly appeared in the doorway, his gaze on my bed. "Holl— huh? Holly's not here!"

             "What? She didn't say she was staying at Mr. Heywood's!"

             "Quick, get back in the car, we'll go there!"

             "She's not there," I interjected, covering a yawn.

             Lance's head snapped toward me. "Holly! There you are!"

             "Yep. Here I am."

             "Do you need to take a shower, or are you ready to go?"

             "I need to shower... Why are you here? And so early too?"

             A smirk spread across his lips. "Secret."

             "I take it Chris isn't driving us to the school then?"

             "Nope," Lance responded, putting his hands on my shoulders and steering me out of my room, toward the bathroom. "Now hurry and get ready."

             Frowning, I stumbled a bit from his pushing. It was too early in the morning to be forced to walk quickly. "Why hurry? We don't have to be at the school until eight... It's only six."

             "Just go!" Casey urged, opening the door for me. "I'm going to say hi to your mom."

             "Don't, she needs her sleep," I warned her, stopping at the threshold of the bathroom. "Just wait a little bit. She'll wake up at seven."

             Casey pouted. "Fine. I guess we can stay here until seven. We'll have breakfast, Lance."

             His eyes widened. "Good idea!"

             "Don't make a mess," I said, staring at Casey pointedly. "And don't burn the house down."

             She waved me off. "Just get ready. It's supposed to be kind of cold today, so make sure you wear a jacket or something."

             I nodded, slipping into the bathroom. It was nice not to have to shower quickly. The steaming water rid me of my weariness and by the time I was out, I was awake and alert. And pruned. Humming happily, I wrapped a towel around myself and hurried to my bedroom to pull on some warm clothes. After a few minutes of intense debate, I decided to wear a jean skirt with black leggings and a black v-neck sweatshirt. Warm enough to keep me content, but not enough to make me feel overheated.

             I emerged in the kitchen about twenty minutes later, my hair dry and straight, and my face done up my with my usual light makeup. Casey and Lance and my mom were at the table, chatting and eating. It gave me a sense of déjà vu.

             "Morning!" my mom greeted me cheerily. "You look cute today."

             "Thanks," I responded with a grin. "Why are you up so early?"            

             "So early? It's only twenty minutes earlier than usual. And I thought I heard my little Casey and Lance. They haven't been over in forever! I had to wake up early for them. Nowadays I see Chris more than them..."

             I scratched the back of my head awkwardly. "Right."

             "That's because Holly puts mister before sister," Casey told her.

             "I do not! We just never make plans," I defended, feeling my cheeks heat up. "You know I'd choose you over Chris. Depending on the situation."

             She rolled her eyes. "Thanks, Holly."

             "Well..."

             "It's okay. We get her all day today," Lance told my mom, another satisfied smile on his face. "Without any boyfriends."

             "Any?"

             "I started dating Jeremy," Casey told my mom with a wide smile, "so now you don't have to think you're daughter is the only one dating a teacher."

             Since my mom was abnormal, she was absolutely delighted with this news. "You're dating a teacher too? So it runs in our family and our friends! How wonderful!"

             "Mom... you shouldn't encourage this," I sighed lightly. "It's still wrong."

             "Not when the teacher is young!"

             "Well... Well yeah," I agreed, shrugging. "I don't think Chris and I dating is wrong, anyway. And Jeremy is younger. Just don't encourage any sophomores with crushes on their thirty year old teachers."

             My mom wrinkled her nose. "No, I won't. But what about you, Lance?"

             "What about me?"

             "Any hot, young teachers?"

             He snorted. "Sorry, but I'm not messed up, Lynn."

             "He's missing out," she told Casey in a carrying whisper.

             "I have a girlfriend though," he declared proudly. "Her name is Lexi. And her twin likes Chris and Holly."

             "Lance!" I cried.

             "What?"

             "Aaron doesn't like me!"

             Lance rolled his eyes. "You're dense, Holly. I bet you also don't know James likes you."

             My cheeks heated up. "I-I did know that..."

             Surprise crossed his face. "Really?"

             "He told me..."

             "My little girl is so popular," my mom cooed, wrapping her arms around my waist. "I feel jealous."

             I peeled her arms off me. "Popular? Ha, good one. But anyway, you guys are distracting me from my question. What do you mean by you have me all day without boyfriends?"

             "We mean exactly what we mean," Casey and Lance said simultaneously.

             My mom grinned. "Did you practice that?"

             They shook their heads. "Nope."

             "We're going to see them," I said, frowning. "They have to chaperone. And knowing Chris, we'll be in his group."

             "We're not going to the zoo," Casey informed me, her eyes twinkling mischievously.

             "We're not...?"

             "Nope," Lance stated. "We're just hanging out the three of us today."

             Part of me was excited for this, but another part was also realizing it meant no Chris.... I shook my head vehemently. What was I thinking? I could easily go a day without Chris! Simple. I'd been with him practically all week, anyway. This was totally doable. "Okay!" I said enthusiastically. "Let's do it!"

             Lance and Casey nodded eagerly. "Alright!"

             "We have to choose something to do though," Lance added after a second. "Casey and I had a few ideas, but eh."

             "What do you want to do?" Casey inquired.

             I pursed my lips, tapping my fingers on the wooden table. "Hmm... Well, I've been meaning to go to the mall to buy some lighter clothing since it's almost summer..."

             Casey's eyes widened. "And while we're there we can look at prom dresses!"

             "Ooh, prom!" my mom said excitedly, her blue eyes lighting up. "That's coming up soon, right?"

             "Yep," I told her, grinning. "So is graduation."

             "Holly is very sure of when those two dates are," Casey commented with a sly smirk.

             I shot her a warning look. "Case."

             "Of course she is! Her and Chris can be a normal couple after that."

             "Yeah, that's it," I responded quickly, seeing Casey start to open her mouth. "Can't wait."

             She rolled her eyes. "Fine. So we'll go to the mall then? Lance?"

             "You know I don't like shopping," Lance grumbled, "but since Holly wants to, I'll go."

             "Aww," Casey cooed. "How cute."

             "Not like that," he said, shaking his head at her. "It just feels like a once in a lifetime chance to hang out with Holly."

             Grimacing, I glanced at the British man. "Guys... you sure do like to rub that in, don't you? I'm sorry. I didn't realize you guys were feeling ignored."

             He snorted. "Ignored? Nah. More like put on the back burner. You talked to us, but not as much as to Heywood."

             "Still... Starting today, I'm going to make plans with you guys at least once a week. Yeah?"

             "Sure," Casey agreed easily. "The mall doesn't open until ten though, so... What do we do 'till then?"

             My mom batted her eyelashes innocently. "The house could use a bit of a cleanup..."

             "Done!" Lance said immediately. "We'll make this house clean as glass!"

             "Is that the right saying?"

             I laughed, shaking my head. "No, Mom. I think he was going for clean as a whistle."

             She chuckled. "Oh, I thought it sounded weird."

             "Whatever," Lance muttered, his eyes glued to the floor. "Where do you want us to start?"

             "The bathroom."

             "Satan," Casey whispered.

             "Hey, you guys offered," I retorted, sighing heavily.

             My mom stood from the table, looking extremely pleased with herself. "Well, I've got to go get ready for work. So actually, you should start in the living room. Holly, make sure you eat breakfast."

             "Okay." If it meant getting out of cleaning for a while, I was going to have a breakfast fit for a king.

             "Don't forget to dust," she told Casey and Lance with a wink. "If you do a good job, I'll bake you cookies."

             Lance's head whipped toward her, his eyes wide. "Your famous cookies? With the chocolate chips?"

             "Those are the ones."

             Determined, Lance rolled up the sleeves of his Hollister hoodie. "Okay. Let's do this."

             My mom laughed, waving and exiting the kitchen. "Have fun!" she called from around the corner.

             "I'm just going to eat breakfast," I said quietly, sliding out of my seat, "and then join you guys later..."

             Casey lifted an eyebrow. "You're going to eat breakfast now?"

             "Yeah, why?"

             "No reason," she said with a smirk. "It's just that you'll be able to join us in time to clean the bathroom."

             I wrinkled my nose. "Great."

                                                                 * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

             "Does it look like we're skipping school?" Casey asked in a whisper as we entered the mall.

             "Does it matter?" Lance countered loudly, confidently striding down the main strip. "We probably look like college students anyway."

             Casey didn't seem satisfied. "But..."

             "It's not like we can get in trouble," I told her, grinning at her worry. "No ones going to tattle on us. Unless somehow Chris— Chris!" I gasped suddenly.

             Lance and Casey scrutinized the area. "Where?"

             "No where! Did anyone tell him I wasn't showing up at school today?" I demanded worriedly, searching my pockets for my phone. "Oh no, I don't have my phone," I groaned.

             "Don't worry about him," Lance told me, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. "I texted him."

             "You did?"

             "Mhm."

             Relaxing a little, I nodded. "He didn't say anything?"

             "Nope. For once he was passive," Lance told me. "Now let's stop talking about him and go shopping."

             "Wait," Casey ordered, snatching the back of my sweater and pulling me to a stop. "There's a photo booth. That's never been there before."

             Following her gaze, my eyes landed on a tiny photo booth. It wasn't very tall, maybe around five and a half feet. The outside was made of reflective plastic, with a red curtain covering the cut out entrance. Needless to say, it gave off a cheap feeling.

             "So?" Lance replied, his eyes also on it.

             "Let's take pictures in it!" Casey suggested excitedly, yanking me toward it. "Let's go!"

             "That costs a lot though," Lance complained, following us anyway. "Five bucks for four pictures?"

             "I'll pay," I offered, turning around and grabbing his hand. "Come on! I want to do it too!"

             Groaning, Lance allowed me to lead him into the small, cramped photo area. It smelled a little like mothballs. Casey stood at the right and I stood at the left with Lance, being the tallest, behind us. Lance had to duck, being taller than Casey and I. In front of us with a square touch screen, giving us directions on how to work the booth. Casey pressed a few buttons, trying to get it started.

             "Holly has to put the money in, Idiot," Lance stated after a minute of watching her fruitless struggled.

             "Shut up. I knew that."

             Smirking, I pushed a five-dollar bill into the machine. "Where's the camera?"

             Casey frowned, feeling the area in front of us again. "I don't know—"

             Click. A bright flash came from right in front of her face, causing us all to squint. "Found it," Lance said after a moment.

             "Quick! Pose! The next one is coming in three seconds!"

             "Umm," I hesitated, trying to think of a pose. "I'm not good thinking under pressure— ack!" I choked as Lance threw his arms around Casey and my necks, squeezing tightly.

             Click. The camera flashed again, at the worst possible second. I knew at once that would be a horrible picture.

             "Something else," Casey urged.

             "Gangster pose!" Lance instructed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Like this!"

             I quickly followed his model, folding my arms and pursing my lips. "Yo!" I said for added effect.

             Click.

             "What about for the last one?"

             "I know!" I cried excitedly, twisting on my heel to face my two friends. As I did, my knees buckled from the sudden movement, causing me to fall on them. Lance put his hands under my arms and twirled me around like a ragdoll so that I was face the camera.

             "Say cheese!" he sang.

             Although my position was awkward, I put on my best grin, ready for the picture.

             Click.

             "Now let's grab them and see how they turned out," Casey said, pushing me aside so she could slip out of the photo booth.

             Lance slipped out next, leaving me alone. I glanced at the camera, an idea forming in my head. "Hey guys, do you mind if I take one more set? By myself?"

             "Just don't get naked," Casey responded. Right after, she burst out laughing. "Oh my God! Holly! You have to see these!"

             "One sec," I told her, shoving another five dollars into the machine. After quickly fixing my hair, I got into position.

             For the first picture, I hooked my thumbs toward my chest, smiling brightly. For the second, I made a heart by curing my hands and pressing the tips of my fingers together. For the third, I formed makeshift guns with my pointer fingers and thumbs with both hands, pointing them at the camera. I panicked a bit when it came to the last photo. I hadn't thought that far ahead.

             "Holly!" Lance randomly shouted, banging his fist on the outside of the photo booth.

             I let out a little shriek of surprise, just as the camera flashed. For a few seconds I stared at it in disbelief. Then scowled. "Lance!" I cried, nearly bringing the curtain off its rod as I whipped it open. "What the heck!"

             Both he and Casey were snickering. "I got you," he told me, now laughing loudly. "Did it get caught with the camera?"

             "Let's see," Casey said, snatching the photo strip before I could even climb out of the booth to get it.

             "H-hey! Don't look at that!"

             Ignoring my words, Casey stared down at the picture. After a moment she looked back up at me, her mouth forming a small o. "Holly..."

             "What?"

             "This is so adorable!" she gushed, her eyes dropping down to the strip again "I love you? Aww!"

             A blush blossomed on my cheeks. "It's not really..."

             "Chris is going to love it! You're so cute!" she continued. "Lance! Look at this!"

             He went over to her, his eyes scanning the picture as well. A grin appeared on his face after a few seconds. "I love you, huh?"

             "Guys, stop," I murmured, dropping my gaze. "I just... feel bad for ditching him today. I mean, I don't regret it. I like hanging out with you guys. But..."

             "I get it," Lance interjected quickly.

             "Me too," Casey added, offering me a warm smile. "You really love him."

             "Yeah."

             "He should feel lucky he got you," Lance declared. "You're too good for him."

             I laughed. "You have the backwards."

             "No, I don't," he responded seriously.

             My smile dropped from my face. "Lance..."

             His expression fell as well. "Did I say something wrong?"

             "No," I told him, taking a few steps forward and throwing my arms around him. "I just love you. You too, Casey. Come here."

             Grinning, she slipped under my arms and hugged Lance and myself. "I love you too, Holly."

             "You guys are great friends."

             "You are too, believe it or not," Lance informed me.

             I pulled away and grinned at him. "I know I am."

             He rolled his eyes. "Maybe Heywood's cockiness is rubbing off on you."

             Casey snorted.

             "What?"

             "Don't use Heywood, cockiness, and rub in the same sentence."

             "Casey!" I cried.

             She smirked. "What? We don't want anyone getting the wrong idea."

             I stared at her, flabbergasted. It was amazing what kind of things came out of her mouth. Especially how they never seemed to make her embarrassed.

             "Let's not talk about that and start shopping," Lance proposed, a look of disgust on his face. "Casey, give Holly the photo strips so you don't lose them. We can cut them up later."

             "Sure," Casey responded, handing the photos over to me. "I call the last one."

             I peeked at the pictures. It took all I had not to burst out laughing. The first three were expected, seeing as how we knew what kind of faces were making, but the last one was horrible. It featured Lance grinning widely while he held me up, Casey looking at us and laughing, and me, looking like a drunken person who couldn't stand.

             "Holly, keep up!"

             Shoving the pictures into my wallet, I hastened after my two friends. "I'm coming, I'm coming!"

             "Where do you want to go first?"

             "Hollister," I told them. "Let's see what's on sale."

             Lance grinned at me. "Still buying off the sale rack, I see."

             "I'd rather not pay forty dollars for one shirt, thanks," I responded dryly.