As soon as the alarm, to get up, sounded, Sarah’s fingers fumbled over the buttons until the noise stopped. Her gray eyes started blankly out in the illuminated room. She had been like this all night, barely getting any sleep. Her cold eyes just stared at the phone, waiting for Miles to never call. She closed her eyes trying to block out the hurt as she made it up in her mind that she wasn’t going to school. Screw her father and Miles, she thought bitterly as she snuggled up in the covers and tried to pretend that she was okay.

Sarah’s lucid gray eyes snapped open as a sharp tap on her window sounded against the silence. The numbers reading on the clock, 11:48 were burning in her eyes as she glanced towards the window. She heard the click of the window opening as Lia adorned in all black climbed into her room. Her hair seemed to be even more vividly streaked with violet as a cigarette hung out of her mouth. "Sarah," Lia stated in a hushed tone still thinking that she was asleep.

Sarah raised herself up on her elbows and looked at Lia sleepily, "What are you doing here?"

Lia smirked taking a long pull of the cigarette and replied, "What no, Lia thank you so much for checking in on my lazy ass who doesn’t come to school today and makes everyone crazy wondering where the hell you are or Lia you hair looks amazing fantastic?"

"It does," Sarah groaned letting her head fall back on her pillow as she tried to close her eyes and block out all the sunlight that was bleeding into the room by the open window.

"It does what?" Lia asked stubbing out her cigarette in the ashtray that had become a permanent fixture in her room thanks to Miles.

"Your hair, it looks great," She murmured trying to keep her eyes open. "So what are you doing here?"

"Haven’t I already stated that?" Lia asked putting her hands on her slim hips accenting her thin figure. "Everyone was wondering where you were at. You didn’t call me, nor Miles, so here I am sacrificing my lunch hour to see if you’re still alive," She stated taking a seat on the edge of Sarah’s bed.

"I did call Miles," Sarah growled, "About fifty times. Tell him to check his caller I.D."

Lia raised an eyebrow and looked at Sarah, "I sense some anger?"

"Damn right you do," Sarah snarled running her fingers through her dark hair. "Last night my father and I had a nice little conversation and well, I’m on house arrest as soon as school ends and I’m not supposed to be even associating with my ‘horrible friends’…"

"Yikes," Lia commented biting her lip while drawing her feet towards her.

"Yeah, so the beach trip is out of the question now. I tried calling Miles last night, but guess he was far too busy," She stated bitterly staring towards the ceiling.

"No, Sarah don’t think that," Lia advised. "He probably had his phone turned off or wasn’t anywhere near it."

"So, he wasn’t with you?" Sarah asked shoving the covers off her slim body as she climbed out of her bed and started pacing around in her pajamas.

"No," Lia replied, "But I’m sure he was with some of the group."

"And didn’t want to be found?" Sarah implied looking out her window.

"Sarah, I know its not my position to tell you what to think," Lia replied standing up and looking at the dark headed girl who was almost on the brink of crying, "But Miles cares about you. He wouldn’t just ditch you like that without a reason. He’s not the type."

Sarah continued to study the world outside the small open square. She ground her teeth as she examined the grass. Lia was right even if she didn’t want to admit it. Miles wasn’t the type to cheat on her. She nodded, "I know, I’m sorry. I’m just so angry. My father has no right to tell me what I can and cannot do after being out of my life for majority of it!"

Lia nodded in agreement and replied gently, "I know, but by the time the beach trip comes around, you’ll be eighteen right? He can’t tell you what to do then…"

Sarah didn’t know how to explain to Lia why she couldn’t go, so she didn’t try. She only nodded and then looked back at the clock. It was almost fifteen after seven, which was when Lia’s lunch period was over. "You’d better get back," Sarah advised pointing to the time.

Lia smiled gently at Sarah and gave her a small hug before she left. "Don’t worry Sarah," She soothed and then pulled back, "Would you believe me if I told you that somehow this would all turn out alright?"

"No," Sarah heard herself saying as she watched Lia climb into the bug and drive off.

Sarah kept flipping channels as she watched some scenes from Days of Our Lives and As the World Turns. She had never watched a soap opera in her life, but in the few seconds of watching she felt herself react to the different characters. She could feel herself being drawn into their world and actually caring about them. She clicked the TV off before she started crying over Katie and Simon’s heartfelt goodbye to each other and closed her eyes. A knock sounded on the door, and if it wasn’t one thing it was another.

"Sarah darling?" Sarah’s mother’s voice sounded through the door. "Can I come in?"

Sarah looked to her calendar. It was the fourth Friday in the month, her mother shouldn’t be around. "Sure," Sarah stated wondering why in the world her mother had put in a guest appearance.

Her bedroom door creaked open as her mother looking like she had just stepped off a Paris runway entered. Her red painted lips formed into a supportive smile as she looked at her daughter. "How are you?" She asked and then immediately cringed, "Oh no, don’t answer that. That was a very, very bad question." She paused going completely still and Sarah silently wished that her mother wasn’t really there. She didn’t want to talk about it. Talking about reopened the wounds, wounds that she’d rather nurse in private. "Your father told me what happened last night," Her mother’s voice rushed.

Sarah only sat there and blinked at her mother, "Yeah?"

Her mother swallow hard and Sarah realized that she had never seen her mother so nervous before. "I’m sorry Sarah, he went a little too far about this," She stated taking the same seat as Lia had done earlier, the edge of her bed. "Senior year is suppose to be your slack off year. It's your last year as a kid and you’re suppose to have fun," She explained tucking a piece of her dark hair behind her ear. "I agree with your father in being worried about the crowd that you’re hanging out in and your grades slipping a little, but Sarah I know you want to go to college and you wouldn’t let anything jeopardize that."

Sarah’s gray eyes looked up at her mother. What exactly was it that her mother was trying to do? Make her feel better? Because she wasn’t, and she sure wasn’t going to open up to her mother about her "problems".

"Sarah," She stated, her hand reaching out and placing itself on Sarah’s. "I plan to talk to your father about this. His solution isn’t fair, and I’m your parent too." Oh really, Sarah thought to herself, well isn’t that a surprise. "So don’t worry yourself over it, okay?" Her mother urged.

"I’m not," Sarah stated simply feeling completely numb to everything.

"Good," Sarah’s mother responded taking her hand from her daughter’s and standing up. She walked to the door and began to open it before turning back. "No one is perfect," She stated her blue eyes looking cloudy as if she was going to cry. "Sometimes it’s the mistakes that lead you to where you’re suppose to be." She gave Sarah another soft smile before walking out and closing the door behind her, and somehow deep within her, Sarah wanted to cry. She knew her mother was right. Mistakes did take you places, and sometimes it’s the place that you were meant to be. Giving Miles her heart and soul was a deep mistake, but it was only a stepping stone to where she should be.

Her eyes darted to the phone where she decided that she wasn’t going to wait on him to call today. She immediately went to her closet and tugged on a black tank top and embroidered jeans. She pulled on a purple sweater on over her shoulders and walked out of her bedroom. As she was walking past the kitchen, she heard her father’s voice booming loud. He was probably talking to a business associate or something equally as unappealing.

"Yeah, fucking bricks right through the window, Gary," He stated, his voice echoing down the halls and running up Sarah’s spine. "Lugar said that it happened earlier today, but no one saw who did it. They just saw the mustang," He added and Sarah heard the scrape of a chair move across the wood of the floor and pressed her back up against the wall. Screaming reds and yellows were splashed across the carpet from the painted sky. Sarah paused the words burning through her mind.

Her father walked to the fridge and opened it. She could hear the shuffling of the containers on the shelf before he closed it again and stated, "Probably some dumbass who was angry at Eric Sermon or one of those guys in the personals department." Sarah heard him hitting the over oven light and took this as her opportunity to make a break for the door. She didn’t want any of her father’s hassles, especially since she knew who threw the bricks in those windows. She closed the door quietly behind her and the click of the lock made her feel like her wings had been bound and were finally being let free.

Sarah hurried to the blazer and pulled out of her driveway heading for anything. The first thing that popped into her mind was a nice glass of chocolate milk and there was only one place who ever fixed it right. She pulled into the parking lot of Happy Day’s and hurried to the glass door. The image that reflected off the glass looked like a wreck. Her dark hair had been piled up in a half ponytail and her eyes were still puffy from crying earlier. She had just slopped together some clothes and anyone who looked at her would see how fallen apart she was. She blinked and felt the cold handle of the door on her fingertips as she entered the time warp.

The gentle crooning of The Platters sounded over the old jukebox in the cornor as the neon cat clock by the bar sounded the tenth hour. "We’ll be closing soon," A girl’s voice stated in a clipped tone. Sarah’s gray eyes snapped to look at Crystal who was busy clearing a table.

It took everything in Sarah’s body not to say something snappy to the girl as she made her way to the bar where Brandis was working. "Hey," He responded polishing an old fashioned ice-cream glass.

"Hi," Sarah replied tucking a piece of stray hair out of her face. She kept her gray eyes to the wooden surface of the bar wanting Brandis to just go to the back, fix her chocolate milk, and not ask her any questions.

"We’re suppose to be closed right about now," Brandis told her setting the glass down and studying her face. Her cheeks were rosier than they usually were and her eyes were a bit on the swollen side leaving him with the conclusion that she had been crying.

"I’m sorry," Sarah stated, "I just really need my chocolate milk defense…" She uttered before she even realized she had said it.

"I’m done!" Crystal called out throwing the rag up on the bar as she untied her apron and set it on a hook over on the other side of Sarah. Sarah kept her eyes well trained towards the wood as if something interesting was there instead.

"Go ahead and clock out. I’m going to fix this and then I’ll go ahead and close up," Brandis responded his gaze never wavering from Crystal. Sarah felt Crystal’s gaze on her as she shrugged and turned on her heel to leave. Sarah touched her fingertips to the base of her hairline and looked up at Brandis who was pouring the chocolate syrup in a glass.

"Thanks," She managed to mumble trying her best to shield her feelings from him.

"No problem," Brandis returned grabbing some milk and blending it into the liquid chocolate. He took a large metal spoon and it clanked against the glass as he stirred the beverage. He reached for a Styrofoam cup and put more chocolate in the bottom before pouring the chocolate milk from the glass into it and placing the lid on it. "There you go," He added handing the cup to her.

"Thanks," Sarah replied tearing the small triangle from the top and taking a nice big swig of it, "Just what I needed."

Brandis gives her a small smile as he checks his watch, "It’s a little late to be out for a chocolate milk binge, don’t you think?" His dark eyes fell on her and Sarah felt that deep penetrating glaze in her stomach. All of a sudden she just want to break out and cry, but she bit back the tears.

"Chocolate knows no time," She responded light heartedly even though it sounded as fake as Malibu.

Sarah knew that Brandis wasn’t stupid, but she wished with every fiber of her being that he just would understand even though she knew he didn’t. "So where’s Miles?" He asked subtly, but the words stabbed Sarah like knives.

She bit the side of her mouth to keep from feeling the sorrow that laid in her soul as she stated calmly, "I don’t know, nor do I care."

Brandis’ eyes stayed hard on Sarah’s face for a little while before he gave a quick nod. He grabbed for his coat and then turned off the lights in the back. "Well if you still don’t want to go home how about you hit the lanes with me?"

"Bowling?" Sarah sputtered almost spitting out her chocolate milk.

Brandis nodded, "Yeah, me and some of my friends play for fun sometimes, but I’m hell bent on beating them so I need the extra practice and I think you need to get your mind off of him."

"Who?" Sarah replied looking at Brandis who only shook his head and laughed.

"Come on," he encouraged taking her hand and leading her out of the diner. Sarah knew that she shouldn’t, but she did. Sarah tucked the keys to the Blazer in her pocket as she climbed into Brandis’ Jeep. The feel of it was the exact opposite of Miles’. While his interior was soft and cushiony, Miles’ was smooth and hard. Her body automatically betrayed her and sunk into the seat like it was made for her as Brandis drove smoothly to Joe’s Bowl-O-Rama.

The bowling ally was usually packed on a Friday night so Brandis chose to park in the grass. It was disco night where some of the hardcore bowlers dressed in their 1970’s garb to blend in with the groovy surroundings. A disco ball was hung every 3 lanes showering the lanes with fragments of lights as different colored lights danced over the room. Tunes by the BeeGee’s and Abba’ blared on the radio as everyone was given a fluorescent ball to throw at the glow in the dark pins. Sarah didn’t exactly know how she had been in town for exactly half a year and not know about the hippest place to apparently be on a Friday night.

"This is crazy!" Sarah replied holding her bright orange bowling ball as Brandis typed their name into the bowling machine.

"Do you like it?" He asked looking up at the screen as the score card popped up in a bright blue color.

"I love it!" She exclaimed watching an Elvis look alike dance and then roll a strike. She held the ball close to her as her gray eyes scanned the crowds looking. Maybe some part of her wanted Miles to be there as if he knew that she would come. She bit her lip and looked back at Brandis who had been watching the machine set up the pins.

"Ladies first," he announced looking at her. Sarah pressed her lips together and held her ball in her hands as she stepped up to the lane.

"I’m really not good at this," She warned.

"You’ll be fine, just aim for the arrows on the lane," Brandis replied to her right. Sarah’s gray eyes met his dark one’s and electric shocks seemed to the run through her spine as she drew her arm back and focused on the reflective tape on the wooden floor. She rolled it towards them, but the ball betrayed her and veered directly for the gutter. Sarah couldn’t help, but feel a little disappointed as she turned around and raised an eyebrow to Brandis.

He only grinned back at her and clapped his hands, "You’ll do better next time, especially since you’re with one of the best bowlers in Cherry Bend."

"Is that so?" She requested raising an eyebrow and topping the look off with her hands sassily on her hips.

Brandis looked at her amused and drew his arm back. His arm did a perfect swoop; the ball hit the floor with a dull thud as it rolled speedily down the lane. It drew a perfect line down the center until it went catapulting into the curved white pens and then took one sated look at her.

Sarah felt herself ease up a little bit as she threw her shoulders back and looked at him defiantly. "Yeah, well hot shot…I’ll show you," She stated grabbing up her orange pins.

Brandis laughed, "You have got to be kidding me. You can’t even make it halfway down the lane without it hitting the gutter."

Sarah’s gray eyes returned to his face as she smiled coyly, "Want to make a friendly wager on that?"

Brandis looked thoughtful for a moment before he gave a quick nod. "Sure. How about loser buys the winner something at the snack bar?"

Sarah grinned, "You’re going down Brandis."

"Yeah, we’ll see," He stated shining his bowling ball with his shirt.

Sarah threw the ball and she won. The ball went more than halfway through the lane before it landed in the gutter. Brandis won 245 to 92 and even though officially Sarah lost, Brandis paid for the food, but what’s more is that she had forgotten all about the pain of a broken heart.