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Ch 1

‘I can’t believe we’re actually doing this.’ Kian said as their plane landed in Boston. ‘It’ll be a great experience. I have a feeling.’ Shane said as plane taxied to the gate. The guys in Westlife had a little over a year off before recording their next CD. When Kian suggested they get away and go to the States one of their assistants suggested taking some college classes. He spent a semester in Boston and suggested attending one of the dozens of colleges there. The four guys all had different interests. Shane decided that he wanted to take some English classes, Kian choose Psychology, Nicky chose Biology, and Mark choose Art. Since their choices were so different they would all be attending different colleges except Kian and Nicky. Mark would be going to Mass College of Art, Shane would be going to Suffolk College, and Kian Nicky would be going to University of Massachusetts at Boston. All of them would be living in the same building but they all have their own condo. After dropping their bags off they went to go get something to eat. Their condos were right in the middle of the city, unsure of where to go they picked the nearest choice a burger place on the corner. The next afternoon Kian and Nicky had to go to UMass for an orientation and to choose their classes. Mark had two days before he met with an advisor and Shane was going the next morning.

Ch 2

‘Damn him, he can sleep and we all have to get up and go.’ Kian muttered as he met Nicky outside. ‘Yea, lucky him.’ They walked to the train stop and looked at the different lines. ‘Which one do we need to take?’ Kian asked. ‘Look, this one says JFK/UMass Boston.’ Nicky said pointing to a spot on the red line. They walked over to the Inbound Red Line area. Shane only had to walk a block to his school. Suffolk was known mainly for their Law school but they had a great Liberal Arts program. He looked around to see a bunch of younger people sitting in the auditorium. Shane dung his hands in his pocket as he waited to check in. After finding out his tour information and advising session he waited in the large room for his group to be called. Kian and Nicky managed to find their way to the college but finding their advising session was harder. UMass was a large campus on Boston Harbor. Luckily after 20 minutes of walking around they found the testing room where their advising session would be. ‘We’re not the oldest here. I was worried about that.’ Nicky said as they sat at their computers. Kian right away spotted two girls standing by the door talking. One looked over and smiled. Their session started with two advisors talking about the online registration process. When they were left to start looking for classes a brunette came walking over. ‘How are you doing? Need any help?’ ‘Actually, I do. This system is a bit confusing.’ ‘That’s what everyone says until you get used to it. I’m Chloe by the way.’ ‘Kian Egan.’ ‘Nice to meet yea, what’s your major gonna be?’ ‘Psychology.’ ‘Awesome, that’s my major too.’ Chole got him logged into the system and showed him how to look for classes. ‘How are the Professors here?’ Kian asked. ‘Some are though, this isn’t an easy college. As you can tell most people either transfer in or come back after a long break from school.’ They continued chatting as Nicky finished signing up for his four classes. He managed to get in Biology I with a lab, Intro to Chemistry with lab, Calcus, and a writing class. Kian got into three classes Introduction to Behavioral Research, Social Psychology, and a seminar on World Cultures. Once they finished their registration they stopped by the book store to pick up their things.

Ch 3

Mark woke up late that day. He made himself some coffee and flipped on the large flat screen TV. Finding nothing he wanted to watch he took a shower and headed out to explore the city. Across town Shane just finished the tour of the campus and was now speaking to an advisor about his class selections. He choose a basic writing class, a history class, a math class, and an American literature class. After paying his bill in the office he picked up his books and headed back to the condo. Kian and Nicky sat on the train with their bags filled with books. ‘Your only taking three classes?’ ‘Yea, don’t want to over do it. I do want to have some time for the ladies too.’ Kian said smirking as he looked at his phone. ‘Did you get her number?’ Kian laughed as Nicky chuckled. ‘We were there for two hours and you already found a girl.’ ‘It’s not like it’s gonna be serious or anything.’ Kian huffed. ‘She seemed nice.’ Nicky mumbled looking through one of his books. ‘Enough about that, I can’t believe your taking science classes. It’s a year off to relax and your taking serious stuff.’ ‘I wanted to study something interesting, science is interesting.’ ‘Nerd, already reading up.’ Kian said swatting his arm. ‘It’s gonna be a lot of work, I am taking two labs.’ ‘That’s like two classes in one.’ ‘So to you I’m taking six classes.’ Nicky and Kian switched train lines and waited for the Orange line to go back to their condos. When they arrived back at the condos they met up with Shane. ‘You lads want to get some lunch?’ Shane asked. ‘Sure, did yea ask Mark?’ ‘He’s out, I tried calling his phone and he didn’t answer.’ ‘I bet he’s still asleep.’ Nicky said as the three of them headed back out. ‘Nope, he gave me a key and I checked.’ The guys settled on a sandwich shop two streets away. ‘How do yea think your gonna like Suffolk?’ Nicky asked Shane. ‘It seems like a great University. Everyone I met seemed nice enough.’ ‘Kian already meet a girl.’ ‘When?’ ‘At orientation.’ Kian said not looking up from his menu. ‘And?’ ‘It’s not a big deal.’ Shane shrugged and decided to drop the topic.

Ch 4

A week and a half later classes started for all of the guys. Shane’s day started off a bit hectic. His first class was moved to another floor causing him to be late. Mark’s day was going well. At his first class he started talking to a few people and had a lot in common with Jake. It turns out they had all the same classes. This was his first year of college but had started taking classes during the summer. After their two classes they went to get a coffee and compared some drawings they had made. Nicky’s day started off busy. When he took a seat in the Biology lab there was already a huge packet sitting there. An older man was standing in the front of the room looking down at a book. Nicky looked down. Biology I with lab syllabus Professor Robert Wilkerson. ‘What did I get myself into?’ he muttered to himself. ‘He’s not that bad.’ A girl said sitting at the lab table next to him. ‘Have you taken a class with him?’ ‘Over the summer. This had all of the study guides in it as well as practice tests. He’s one of the best professors here.’ ‘That’s good to know. I’m Nicky.’ ‘Carlie, we’ll most likely be lab partners since we’re sitting at the same table.’ Nicky nodded and half smiled. The Professor started 10 minutes later explaining the packet in front of them. He explained what they needed to read up on and let them out of class early. Nicky walked out of the building with Carlie as they continued to chat. They exchanged e-mail addresses and went their separate ways. Kian was across campus sitting on a couch with his arm around Chloe. She was talking about her classes so far, Kian wasn’t paying much attention giving her the an occasional nod. ‘Kian, your gonna be late for your class.’ Chole said nudging him. ‘Oh yea.’ he stood up and slung his bag over his shoulder. ‘I’ll see yea later.’ ‘Ok.’ Kian walked fast getting to his class a few minutes late. He found a seat in the back and watched as two girls walked in laughing.

Ch 5

‘I just can’t believe it. Did you go out with him?’ ‘Heck no, what we had was in the past. I’m not getting dragged into his drama again.’ The girls sat at the front of the room. The red head let out a sigh as the brunette pulled out a book. ‘This is gonna be a long semester.’ ‘Shut it, after the spring your done. I still have another year and a half.’ ‘Lizzie, your a lot smarter than me. You are still living at home and working part time. I opted to move out on my own work full time and go to school full time.’ ‘Spaz, you have a great job. I could only wish to be that lucky.’ The Professor walked in and smiled at the girls. ‘Ms. Washington and Ms. Hingston, two of my favorite students.’ ‘It looks like this is the last class I’ll have with you.’ Spaz said sadly. ‘I know your coming back for grad school next fall, I’m sure I’ll have you in class again.’ She nodded as he pulled out his class list. Spaz and Lizzie directed everyone to make their desks into a big circle as Professor Johnson went through all of the names. Kian noticed most of the others in the class knew each other. ‘Mr. Egan, let’s here a bit about you.’ Professor Johnson said breaking him from his thoughts. ‘Erm... my name’s Kian, I’m from Ireland. My mates and I are taking a year off from our job to come to Boston to go to university.’ ‘Very nice, what part of Ireland?’ ‘Sligo.’ ‘Nice to meet you. Spaz, you can go next.’ ‘My name’s Kerrie but everyone calls me Spaz. I’m a senior here and I’ll be graduating in May.’ ‘What about your job? You know we find this interesting.’ Professor Johnson said as Spaz smirked. ‘Currently I work in a Boston Public schools in an autistic classroom. The class I’m in has seven boys grades 6-8. Their ages are 12 to 15.’ ‘Now why is it all boys?’ ‘Well... autism affects 1 in every 94 boys where in girls it is 1 in every 150.’ ‘I’m gonna suggest if you’ve never seen an autistic program you talk to Spaz about visiting her school. The Warren-Prescott has one of the best programs in the city. Lizzie, your up.’ The rest of the class did the same. Something about Spaz struck Kian. She seemed very comfortable with herself unlike all of the other girls in the class. When the class ended a few of the other students went up to ask Spaz about visiting the school she worked in. She took down their names and when they could visit and said she’d check into it. Kian watched her walk out the door and hug a tall brown haired guy. ‘Of course.’ He thought to himself as he went to go meet Nicky.

Ch 6

The rest of the week past by quickly and it was finally Friday. Mark was going to see a art gallery with Jake and two of his friends. Shane had a class until four. Kian and Nicky had Fridays off. Nicky spent the day catching up on his reading and notes. Kian slept in and then went to go see Chloe. When Shane got out of class he tried to call Nicky and when he got no answer he decided to stick around school and go catch a play in the schools auditorium. It wasn’t a formal play, just a dress rehearsal but it was something to pass the time. Nicky was on his laptop typing away to Carlie about classes. ‘I’m so board.’ Carlie typed after they had been talking for an hour. ‘Yea, same here. I haven’t been here that long and I don’t know what to do.’ ‘Want to meet up for a movie or something?’ ‘Sounds like a plan.’ Carlie and Nicky set up what movie they were going to see at which theater and set a time. Nicky shut down his computer and hurried to go get ready. The art gallery that Mark and Jake went to was busy. Most of the art work was by current students and tented to be very abstract. Each piece made for a great discussion about what the artist wanted to create. Kian and Chloe were at her place spending most of the time in bed. ‘Want to go out and get some dinner?’ She asked. ‘No, let’s order in. Have you taken any classes with Professor Johnson?’ ‘Not yet, I’ve heard he’s great though.’ ‘He seems nice, everyone else seems to know each other.’ ‘Whose in your class?’ ‘I can’t remember.’ He lied, the truth was he didn’t want to mention who was in the class. What is she knew her? Worse, they could be friends.

Ch 7

The next few weeks seemed to pass by quickly. Nicky was spending a lot of time with Carlie. Kian and Chloe weren’t spending as much time together since her classes were keeping her busy. Shane met a girl named Sarah in one of his classes. She was in the arts program and he had seen her at the play he had gone to. Mark was getting involved in his classes so he was spending a lot more time at school working on his projects. Kian walked into Professor Johnson’s class a bit early. It had become a tradition for him to arrive early and listen in on Lizzie and Spaz’s conversations. Kian was suprised when he noticed Lizzie sitting by herself looking at a book. ‘Hi.’ She said as he walked into the room. ‘Hey, where’s your partner in crime?’ ‘She should be here soon. Spaz went away for the weekend so hopefully she’ll come back in time for class.’ Kian took his seat. He wanted to ask who she had gone away with, deep down inside he knew it had to be a guy. With a great personality and decent looks why would she be single? 10 minutes later Professor Johnson walked into the room. He pointed to Spaz’s spot. ‘She’s on her way. She just texted me.’ Lizzie said looking up from her phone. 5 minutes later Spaz came rushing into the room with a brown haired guy behind her. ‘Hey Dan.’ Lizzie said laughing as he pulled up a seat on the other side of Spaz. ‘I see we have a guest today.’ Professor Johnson said looking up from his paper. ‘This is Dan, a good friend of mine.’ ‘Jeez, all I am is a good friend?’ He said hitting her arm as she blushed. ‘Sorry we’re late, it was my fault.’ He said with a goofy smile. ‘It looks like I left some papers in my office. I’ll be right back.’ Professor Johnson took his keys and walked down the hall to his office. ‘How was Hyannis?’ Lizzie asked excitedly. ‘It was nice. It gave me a extra day and a half out of work.’ ‘Dan, how was the show?’ ‘It went well. I can’t believe this one actually talked me into playing in front of large groups of people.’ ‘Oh shut up, your a natural ham.’ ‘Maybe if i get famous you’ll actually be my girlfriend.' He said laughing. ‘Yea right, I can barely stand being around you as it is.’ Spaz said making a face.

Ch 8

‘So you two aren’t dating?’ Another classmate, Alex, asked. ‘Nope.’ ‘Are yea single?’ He asked with a smile. ‘Actually I’m not.’ Alex’s smile faded as Lizzie made a face. ‘It’s finally not a secret then?’ She said in a low voice. ‘Nope it’s out in the open.’ ‘Who is it then?’ Mr. Johnson came back in as Kerrie mouthed ‘after class.’ After discussing the chapter and handing out a study guide for the next week’s test class was over. Lizzie all but dragged Kerrie outside. ‘Come on tell me. Who is it?’ Lizzie stopped as another girl came walking over. ‘Hey you!’ ‘Caz, I haven’t see you in weeks. How’s things?’ Kerrie asked. ‘Pretty good.’ ‘This is Lizzie, Caz and I were in a science lab together over the summer.’ ‘Do you know who the mystery man is?’ Lizzie asked. Kian walked over to Nicky who was waiting for Caz. ‘She knows her?’ Kian said motioning to the group. ‘I guess so. She mentioned something about a summer class before going over there.’ ‘No idea. Who are you dating?’ ‘Caz, your gonna freak cause it’s someone you know.’ ‘Just tell us!’ The girls said at once. ‘It’s Nate.’ ‘Our TA from the summer lab?’ Caz asked rather loudly. Kerrie nodded happily. ‘I knew it. You two were awfully buddy buddy by the end of the term. So you’ve been dating since when?’ ‘After the summer semester ended. He was really worried about the whole thing but since I’m not a science major it’s not an issue.’ ‘What does he look like?’ ‘Trust me he’s good looking.’ Caz said as Nicky walked over. ‘Who’s good looking?’ He asked. ‘Just the guy Kerrie’s seeing. Kerrie and Lizzie this is my boyfriend, Nicky.’ ‘I’ve heard about you two. Your in a class with my mate, Kian.’ ‘That we are. Anyway there’s a back to school cruise on Saturday are you two going?’ Kerrie asked. Caz made a face as Nicky looked to Kian who was standing a bit further back. ‘Ki, get over here.’ Kian walked over. ‘Are you going?’ Caz asked. ‘Yup so isn’t Lizzie and her fiancee.’ ‘Kian, want to go on a cruise on Saturday?’ ‘I guess so.’ ‘Cool. Caz, you should go.’ ‘Will Nate be going?’ ‘No, he has a Saturday night lab he’s a TA for.’ ‘Come on, it’ll be fun.’ Nicky said. ‘Alright.’ ‘Cool, it’s going out from fan pier in Southie at 8 want me to pick yea up?’ ‘Is it ok to drive Nicky and Kian?’ ‘Yea, Lizzie and Mike are gonna meet us there.’ ‘Ok.’ ‘I’ll message yea on Myspace with what time. I gotta get going Nate got us tickets for Emerson Hart at Paradise tonight.’ ‘See yea around.’ ‘Bye.’ Kerrie started walking towards the parking lot as Lizzie headed to her next class. ‘Who’s Nat?’ Kian asked. ‘He was our lab instructor over the summer.’ Caz said trying hard not to laugh. ‘What’s so funny?’ Nicky asked. ‘Nothing, just thinking about that who situation.’

Ch 9

Saturday night came soon enough. It was 7 and Kian and Nicky were at Caz’s apartment in Cambridge waiting for Kerrie. Beep Beep. ‘That must be her.’ Caz said grabbing a sweater. The three of them walked down and stairs then outside to see a green SUV. ‘Like my new car?’ Kerrie said rolling down the passenger side window. ‘When did yea get it?’ ‘Last week. My other one was a 2003 so I figured it was time to upgrade.’ They got in the car. ‘This is nice.’ Kian said looking around the tan leather seats. ‘Thanks, I’m a big fan of Saturn cars I won’t drive anything else.’ Kerrie started driving and 15 minutes later they were at fan pier with a large group of other UMass students. At 7:30 they started letting everyone on the boat. ‘I made some snacks.’ Kerrie said pulling two small containers out of her bag. ‘Cookies and brownies. You should eat something so you don’t get to drunk.’ ‘It’s a booze cruise?’ Caz asked making a face. ‘It’s not meant to be one but I’m sure it will be by the end of the night.’ ‘Spaz!’ A brown haired guy came running over and hugged her. ‘Hey Dave.’ ‘Hi Caz, how have you been?’ ‘Pretty good.’ ‘I heard about you and Nate.’ Dave said with his hands on his hips. ‘I guess everyone knows then.’ ‘Shut up, I’m not that much of a loud mouth. I saw you two at the concert the other night. I yelled to you but I guess you didn’t hear me. Anyway... I want you to meet Keith.’ Dave took her hand and dragged her off. ‘I’ll be back.’ She said over her shoulder. ‘He seems interesting.’ Nicky said trying not to laugh. ‘Oh he is. Dave was Spaz and I’s lab partner over the summer.’ 20 minutes later Kerrie came back shaking her head. ‘That man is out of his mind.’ ‘So you met his boyfriend?’ ‘Oh yea, just as interesting as him.’ Caz and Nicky went to go get drinks leaving Kerrie and Kian. ‘It looks like Lizzie didn’t make it.’ Kian said looking around. ‘Yea, she called me today. She went to new Hampshire instead. How are you liking Boston so far?’ ‘It’s nice.’ ‘Meet any girls?’ ‘You could say that, nothing serious.’ Kerrie nodded. ‘What other classes are you taking?’ ‘Behavioral Research and a World Cultures seminar.’ ‘Behavioral research is a drag had to be the most boring psych class.’ Kian and Kerrie continued chatting about classes until Caz and Nicky got back.

Ch 10

Shane had been spending a good amount of time watching the play practices. He had an hour break on Monday and Wednesday so he usually spent it in the auditorium watching the practices. One day he be started talking to a few of the actors. Blake was in one of his classes and asked Shane for the notes for the last class since he had missed it. While they were talking a girl came walking over. ‘Hey.’ She said sitting on the chair next to Shane. ‘I’m Sarah.’ ‘Shane.’ ‘Nice to meet you. You’ve been hanging around her a lot lately.’ ‘Yea, this is a lot more interesting then an empty apartment.’ ‘Do you act?’ ‘I did when I was younger but I’ve been sticking to my singing.’ ‘You sing? That’s cool, we actually need someone in our musical since one of the leads had to drop out.’ ‘Which musical?’ ‘Guys and Dolls, we’re putting it on in early December as our big semester production.’ Blake said as Sarah nodded. ‘Which role do you need?’ Shane asked. ‘Blake is playing Nathan so we need a Sky.’ ‘What about you?’ ‘I’m Miss Adelaide. Ciara is playing Sarah Brown.’ Sara said motioning to the blonde on stage looking over the play. ‘What do yea think, Shane? It would save us from holding another audition.’ Blake asked. Shane nodded as Sarah smiled. ‘That’s great. Let’s see what you can do.’ Blake handed him a sheet with the song “Luck Be A Lady” then went to go get the music set up. Shane walked up to the stage looking over the lyrics. He knew he could do this. As the music started Shane belted out the lyrics as Sarah, Blake, and Ciara watched in awe. ‘He’s amazing.’ Ciara whispered to Sarah and she managed a nod. Shane finished the song to a round of applause. ‘That was fantastic.’ The director said walking on stage to talk to Shane. Mark was loving art school. He spent most of his days in an empty classroom painting or walking around the city taking pictures. Mark and Jake were going to a meeting about a first year student art show that their work was selected for. Mark had two paintings and Jake had two as well as a photograph. ‘Hi everyone, I’m Paul Reilly. I will be setting up the art show next month. All of you should be very proud your work had been chosen for the show. This will be a big fundraiser for the college. The tickets are ten dollars for Mass Art students and twenty for everyone else. Many graduates of the college will be at the show and some of you may be lucky enough to have offers for your work to be set up in formal galleries around the city.’ After the rest of the speech they were given handouts about the dates and where the gallery would be held. Mark and Jake were chatting who they were going to bring as they walked to their next class.

Ch 11

The art show approached quickly. Shane, Nicky, and Kian were going to the show to support Mark. Caz would also be going with Nicky. Mark had to arrive at the gallery early to go over a few things so the others met him there. ‘This is amazing.’ Shane said glancing around to see the moderately sized gallery filled with art work. Caz nudged Kian as she spotted Kerrie with a brown haired guy. ‘Is that him?’ Kian muttered. ‘No, it’s her cousin.’ Caz made her way over to them. ‘Hey you.’ She said as Kerrie turned to face her. ‘You made it. Caz this is my cousin Matt and here comes his wife Jo and you know Nate.’ Caz glanced at Kian and frowned letting him know the other guys was Nate. ‘Kian and Nicky are over there.’ ‘I’ll go say hi. Be right back.’ Kerrie walked over to them with Caz. ‘Hey guys.’ She said half smiling. ‘Hi Kerrie.’ Nicky said as Kian nodded. ‘This is our mate Shane. Shane this is Kerrie.’ Nicky said introducing them. ‘So you know someone in the show?’ ‘Yea, another mate of ours. He had a few pieces chosen.’ ‘That’s cool. My cousin, Matt, graduated from here and now works for a gallery in Providence. if your friend’s around I could introduce them and maybe they could show some work of his.’ ‘I’ll go look for him.’ Kian mumbled finding an excuse to go. 10 minutes later Mark came walking over but Kian was no where to be seen. ‘I’m Mark.’ He said extending his hand to Kerrie. ‘Nice to meet you.’ ‘Want me to show you my work?’ Kerrie nodded as Mark lead her over to his first painting. After seeing Mark’s other painting Kerrie introduced him to Matt and left them to talk. Kerrie walked around to see the rest of the work with Nate who had an arm around her waist as they walked. ‘This is nice.’ He said as they stopped at a painting. ‘It is.’ She said smiling as he kissed her cheek. An hour or so later they left the gallery for dinner reservations a few streets away. As they walked out of the gallery Kerrie noticed Kian sitting on a bench looking upset. ‘Kian, are you ok?’ Kerrie asked walking over with Nate not to far behind her. ‘Yea, inside was a bit stuffy.’ He said clearly lying. ‘I guess I’ll see you in class then?’ Kian nodded and got up to walk inside. The morning after the gallery opening Shane got up early to go to practice for the musical. Things were moving fast and costume fittings were in a week. Shane had mentioned the musical to his parents and they were now flying in to see the show.

Ch 12

It was the Friday before Halloween and Kerrie was having a costume party at her apartment. Nicky and Caz were going as well as Kian, Mark, and Shane. ‘This is gonna be so much fun.’ Shane said as he, Kian, and Mark waited for a cab. ‘Yea, i hope he’s not there.’ Kian said fixing his pirate hat. ‘You two have good costumes. I don’t really like mine.’ Mark muttered playing with the tale on his lion’s costume. The cab pulled up and the three of them got into the backseat. As they drove closer to the apartment they saw a good number of people in costumes. ‘This must be some party.’ Shane said in his best Elvis voice as Kian laughed. They waited for the elevator as Kian noticed Lizzie and a guy walking in. ‘Hey Lizzie.’ Kian said as she waved. ‘Hi Kian, this is Mike.’ ‘These are my mates Mark and Shane.’ ‘Nice to meet yea.’ Lizzie and Mike were dressed up like a princess and prince. ‘Did you hear Kerrie and Nate broke up?’ Lizzie asked as Kian’s mouth hung open. ‘When?’ He stammered. ‘Last week. He will graduate with his Phd is December and is moving to Florida to teach. Nate wanted her to go with him but she said no and they broke up.’ Lizzie said finishing the story as they all got off the elevator at Kerrie’s floor. ‘Wow.’ ‘Yea, they seemed really happy...’ Lizzie trailed off knocking on Kerrie’s door. A brunette dressed up as a fairy. ‘Come on in. Kerrie!’ ‘Hey Kayte, nice costume.’ Lizzie said as Kayte smiled. ‘I’m Kerrie’s sister, Kayte.’ Lizzie introduced Kayte to Mike and Kian before she noticed someone else to go talk to. Kerrie came over walking over dressed up like a vampire. ‘Hey guys, did you meet my little sis?’ ‘Lizzie was in the middle of introducing everyone when she got distracted.’ ‘Anyway this is Kian, Shane, and Mark. This is my sister Kayte.’ Kayte looked nothing like her older sister. She had long brown hair and her complexion was darker. ‘Nicky and Caz are around here somewhere. Their costumes are a riot.’ Kerrie said grinning. ‘What did they finally choose?’ Kian asked. ‘Posh and Beckham.’ ‘I gotta see that.’ Shane said walking off as Mark followed. Kayte noticed the look like was giving her sister and went back to go find her friends. ‘I heard about you and Nate’ ‘Yea, things got to serious to fast.’ Kian nodded as he lowered his gaze to the floor. ‘What about you?’ ‘Still single.’ ‘Yea.’ ‘Hey Kerrie, someone is on the phone for directions.’ Kayte said walking over with the phone. Kerrie took the phone and walked into the next room giving directions to her apartment.

Ch 13

After a few hours at the Halloween party Mark and Shane left. Shane was going to meet up with Sarah and Mark was going to catch a movie with Jake. Nicky and Caz were having a great time chatting with the other guests at the party. Kian was also more at ease knowing that Kerrie was single. They talked for a bit inbetween her taking care of everything that was going on. By 1am most of the crowd had died down all that was left was Kerrie, Kian, Kayte, Caz, Nicky, and Kayte’s date Kevin. ‘Ker, you know I’d love to help clean up but we both have to work in the morning.’ Kayte said as Kevin nodded. ‘Go ahead, there’s not to much of a mess anyway.’ ‘Great party, Spaz.’ ‘You two behave!’ Kerrie called as they walked out the door. ‘We’ll help yea clean up.’ Caz said as Nicky made a face. Kian went around collecting half filled drinks to dump down the sink. Nicky held a trash bag as Caz dumped empty cups and plates in the bag. Kerrie was putting away all of the food and drinks. At Shane’s apartment he and Sarah were going over lines for the musical. Things were going well between them. ‘It’s gonna be great to be back on stage.’ Sarah said smiling as she finished her lines. ‘Yea, it will.’ Shane said from his spot on the couch. ‘How was the party?’ Sarah asked sitting next to him. ‘It was fun. Kian’s happy the girl he likes is now single.’ ‘Lucky him.’ ‘Yea, I was starting top get sick of listening to him whine about her.’ Shane said smirking. ‘I’m hungry how about I make some pancakes?’ ‘Sounds good, I’ll help yea.’ Mark and Jake went to go see an indepent movie in Harvard Square. An hour into it they decided to leave since it was boaring. They walked across the Square to a bar to get some drinks and food. ‘I don’t know why we choose that one.’ Jake said looking over the menu. ‘Yea, I thought I was gonna fall alseep.’ Mark said covering a yawn. A waitress came over and they ordered a pizza and some sodas. ‘Are we still going to work on getting some photography in tomorrow?’ ‘Yea, let’s meet up in the afternoon.’ ‘I know you want to sleep in.’ ‘Exactly.’ Mark said grinning.

Ch 14

It was the Tuesday before Halloween and Kian walked into class. Kerrie was sitting at her desk looking over her notes for the test that day. ‘Hey Kian.’ She said glancing up as he took his seat. ‘Hey.’ He said feeling nervous as he sat. ‘Do you have any plans for Friday?’ She asked putting her notebook down and turning to face him. ‘Actually I don’t all my mates are spending it with their girlfriends.’ ‘I was wondering if you’d like to go to Salem?’ ‘Salem?’ ‘Salem’s where the famous witch trials took place. It’s the Halloween capitol of the world.’ ‘Sure, what’s there to do?’ ‘Haunted houses and all sorts of fun stuff. Everyone dresses up it’s so much fun.’ They talked about the details until Lizzie came in looking upset. ‘What’s wrong?’ Kerrie asked seeing her not being her cheery self. ‘We broke up.’ She said staring at her book. ‘Lizzie, I’m sorry.’ ‘Don’t be. He was being an asshole to me all weekend. I’m just pissed off I fell for his act again.’ ‘Want to come to Salem Friday with Kian and I?’ ‘No thanks, I think I’m just gonna hang at home and watch a few good romantic dramas.’ Professor Johnson walked into the room carrying a stack of tests. ‘Are you guys ready?’ ‘Of course.’ Kerrie said half smiling. ‘The rest of the class better get here soon because there are no make-ups and I’m canceling class for next Tuesday because I’ll be away.’ ‘Lucky you.’ Lizzie said playing with her pen. A few more people walked in as the test was handed out. After finishing they were free to leave after finishing the test. Lizzie seemed to rush through the test and was the first one out the door. Kerrie and Kian finished their tests around the same time and walked outside together. Kerrie stopped when she saw Nate standing outside waiting. ‘Do you want a ride home?’ She asked opening the door to walk outside. ‘That would be cool Nicky finished early today.’ ‘Kerrie, can I talk to you for a minute?’ Nate asked walking up to them. Kerrie nodded and walked over to a table with him. ‘I tried calling your phone but I just got your voice mail.’ ‘Nate, what do you want to talk about?’ Kerrie asked. ‘I miss you and I want us to get back together.’ Kerrie looked at the ground. Secretly she had wanted this to happen but she knew that getting back together would hurt her in the long run. ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea. After Christmas your moving to Florida and it won’t work out.’ ‘Will you at least let me talk to you about it?’ ‘Let me think about it. I should go I’m giving Kian a lift home.’ Kerrie turned to see Kian talking to a brown haired girl. She looked a bit familiar like they may have taken a class together. Kian looked annoyed as she tried to kiss him. ‘Chloe, I don’t want to do this anymore.’ He said moving away from her. ‘Are you serious?’ ‘I am.’ With that Kian turned and walked over to Kerrie. ‘That seemed painful.’ She said smirking. ‘It was a bit. How did things go with you?’ ‘He wants to get back together but I don’t think it’s a good idea.’ Kian nodded trying not to smile.

Ch 15

All the guys met that night for dinner over at Shane’s place. Every Tuesday night they had dinner together at one of their apartments. Nicky went to go answer the door knowing it was Kian. ‘What are yea so cheery about?’ ‘I have plans Friday.’ He said proudly as they walked into the kitchen. ‘With who?’ Mark asked opening a beer. ‘Kerrie we’re going to Salem.’ ‘Is it a date?’ Kian shrugged as he sat at the table. ‘That’s great man.’ ‘It is but Nate wants them to get back together.’ ‘What about you and..... what’s her name again?’ Nicky asked. ‘I ended things with Chloe today.’ ‘Wow, the ladies man finally found a girl he wants to settle down with. I’m happy for yea.’ Shane said stirring the sauce on the stove. ‘I don’t even know if she likes me.’ ‘I’ll ask Caz, I’m sure she can find out.’ ‘Is that a good idea? I don’t know if I want to be the topic of gossip.’ Nicky made a face. ‘I’m sure these things will be talked about anyway. I just want to help yea out.’ After dinner Shane had to go to a practice while the other three went to watch a soccer game at Mark’s place. When Kian was engrossed in the game Nicky went into the other room to call Caz. He told her about Kian’s plans for Friday and before he asked she offered to find out how Kerrie felt about Kian. After ending her call with Nicky Caz dialed Kerrie’s number. ‘Hello?’ ‘Hey Kerrie.’ ‘Hi Caz, how yea doin?’ ‘Pretty good, how are you?’ ‘Busy making dinner for my parents.’ ‘Want me to call you later?’ ‘No, I’m just putting everything in the oven. What are you doing Friday?’ ‘Going out with Nicky.’ ‘That sounds fun.’ ‘What about you?’ ‘I’m going to Salem with Kian.’ ‘With Kian, like a date?’ ‘Not exactly. More of a friendly outing.’ ‘I think you like him.’ ‘Even if I did Nate wants to get back together.’ ‘He does? Since when?’ ‘Today, he stopped me right outside of class.’ ‘What are you going to do?’ ‘I don’t know. We wants to talk to me about it.’ ‘Isn’t he moving to Florida?’ ‘Yea, before we broke up he wanted me to go with him. I can’t do that cause I need to finish my degree.’ ‘What about after you graduate?’ ‘You know I want to backpack through Europe.’ ‘He could go with you.’ ‘Nate is exactly the type of guy I hoped to end up with but it’s the wrong time.’ ‘Kian’s a nice guy.’ ‘I know that. I know he just got out of a relationship too.’ ‘I don’t think they were serious.’ ‘She seemed serious about him. She was clinging onto him while I was talking to Nate.’ ‘I only met her once but I know Nicky said they weren’t serious. I thought they had broken up a few weeks ago.’ ‘I better get going the doorbell just rang.’ ‘Ok, good luck with supper and have fun Friday.’ ‘You too, bye Caz.’ ‘Bye Kerrie.’ Kerrie hung up then phone and went to go answer the door. Caz called Nicky back. ‘What did she say?’ Nicky asked excitedly. ‘I defiantly thinks she likes him because she wasn’t too keen on seeing him with Chole.’ ‘Hmm... I was right then.’ ‘But Nate wants to get back together.’ ‘They’re broken up and he’s moving.’ ‘I know.’ ‘Alright, thanks for talking to her.’ ‘Not a problem.’ ‘I’ll call yea back after the game.’ ‘Sure. Bye Nicky.’ ‘Bye Caz.’

Ch 16

Things for the play had hit a road block both Ciara and her understudy were both sick with the flu and Blake had to go to New York for his uncle’s funeral. Formal practices were canceled for a full week so everyone could rest. Shane and Sarah continued working on their parts together. Both of them had their parts fully memorized and were ready for the performance even though it wasn’t for over a month. One day Shane and Sarah were taking a break from their practice and went to get a coffee. Shane and Sarah kept each other amused telling funny stories about what they had done when they were younger. ‘I had a good time today.’ Sarah said nearly two hours later. ‘Me too. I was wondering if you wanted to go out to dinner tomorrow?’ Shane said quickly. Sarah smiled and nodded. ‘That sounds like fun, a nice break from all the rehearsals.’ ‘Want me to meet you outside the dorms at 6?’ ‘Sounds like a plan. Thanks for the coffee, Shane.’ Sarah gave a small wave as she started down the street to the dorms. Shane smiled to himself as he started to go over plans in his head. It was Halloween and Kian sat in his apartment nervously waiting for Kerrie to call him. The phone rang and he jumped up. ‘Hello?’ ‘Hey Kian, it’s Kerrie. I’m on my way now. I should be there in 10 minutes.’ ‘You got out of work early.’ ‘I faked sick.’ She said with a pretend cough. ‘Good one.’ ‘Thanks, see you in a few.’ Kian out down the phone and finished getting his things together. He took the elevator downstairs as Kerrie’s car pulled up blasting Jack’s Mannequin. ‘I brought my costume.’ ‘Good cause everyone is gonna be dressed up in Salem. I was thinking we could stop to get something to eat on the way then head in.’ ‘Good idea, I didn’t have any lunch.’ After stopping for pizza Kerrie drove the next thirty minutes until they reached Salem. By the time they got close to the area they became stuck in traffic. ‘Is it always like this?’ ‘From the end of September on. May to August is is backed up a bit but not this much.’ Kerrie ended up parking in a lot just over the foot bridge in Peabody. ‘This is so exciting. You were right everyone is dressed up.’ Many other people were walking into Salem from the Commuter Rail station all dressed up for their night out. Kerrie showed Kian around the waterfront and they went into a few of the shops before getting in line for a haunted house. ‘Is it scary?’ Kian asked as the line started moving. ‘It’s not to bad. This is one of my favorites.’ When they walked into the haunted house a man with a pig snout was their guide. He came up behind Kerrie and snorted in her ear. Kian jumped a bit but Kerrie laughed it off. ‘Your not scared missy?’ ‘No, not yet.’ ‘You will be. Old Drac is in here and he’s thirsty for some warm blood.’ The guide went back to the front as Kian moved closer to Kerrie. ‘I’ll protect you.’ Kerrie said taking his hand. ‘I meant to protect you.’ ‘If you say so.’ Kerrie said smirking.

to be continued...