Calli's face colored. "Well, I like her. She's very nice and polite-"

"Yeah, polite is important," Hayden interrupted. "When did you discover she was a girl?"

Calli looked away. "The night she stayed at the house. But not until much later that night...actually not until we were..."

"How could you not know?"

"I just thought she was a pretty boy. Boy, was I surprised."

"I bet. So what does this mean? Are you gay?" Too.

"Hay, I don't know what it means. I'm so confused. I mean, I've been with a couple of guys."

"You have!"

"Yes, Virgin Mary, I have. It was no big deal. But this is nothing like that. I mean, I'm no expert, but something feels right about this. Maybe because it's something new or forbidden, but whatever it is, I'm having fun. Joey treats me better than any of the guys I've dated, so I don't see anything wrong with it, for now at least."

Joey returned to the table with two bottles of Rolling Rock. She set one in front of Calli and took a long pull on the other one. "You sure I can't get you something?" Joey asked. Her smile was wide, warm, and friendly.

"No, thank you. I need to get going. I'm looking for my friend. I thought she might be here." Hayden stood to leave. Calli reached over and touched her arm.

"Hay, I hope you find her."

Hayden smiled. "Thanks."

The first few notes of Madonna's song Crazy for You played on the sound system. "Hey, babe, this is a great song. Care to dance?" Joey stood and offered her hand to Calli, and Calli accepted it.

"I'll see you later," Hayden said.

"Okay. Let me know how it goes," Calli said.

Hayden walked toward the door and turned back just in time to see Calli melt into Joey's arms as they swayed on the dance floor, just the two of them, holding each other close as if nothing else in the world mattered. How she wished she could be that way with Abbey.

Chapter Twenty-three.

It was three agonizing days before Hayden heard from Abbey again. She left a message for her at work with John Thorpe. When Hayden clocked in for work that morning, he handed Hayden the message with Abbey's name and a phone number with a Youngstown area code. Her mind was a crazy mixture of relief, hope, and fear as she tried to find a private place to call her back.

"Abbey, where are you? Is everything okay?"

"I had to leave Erie. I'm back in Youngstown."

"What happened? Did Ann hurt you?"

"Not physically, but I couldn't do what she wanted."

"What was that?"

"She wanted me to come back to her and live our life like nothing ever happened, like her relationship with Jackson never happened. I just couldn't do it."

Hayden felt her heart lift. Things were falling into place and soon she and Abbey could be together again. "Do you want me to come down there?"

There was a telltale beat of silence on the other end of the line. Finally, Abbey spoke. "Oh, Hayden, that's probably not a good idea. It's not that I wouldn't love to see you, but I need some time to think and sort out what to do next. If you were here, I wouldn't be able to do that."

Hayden's heart sank. "I see."

"I know this probably isn't what you want to hear. But I need to get my head on straight. A lot has happened and I need to figure some things out."

"Can't we figure it out together? I can be there in an hour." Hayden felt like she was grasping at straws. She would do anything to be with Abbey again.

"No, that wouldn't be right. It wouldn't be fair to you. Anyway, you'll be starting cla.s.ses soon. Concentrate on school. That's your future, and that's what's important now."

Those were not the words Hayden wanted to hear, but she knew in her heart Abbey was right. "Is it okay when I come home for Thanksgiving to stop by and say hi?"

"Sure, that would be nice."

Abbey hung up with the feeling that she was embarking on a new beginning. For the first time in her life, she was truly on her own. Yes, it was scary. She had gone from her parents' home straight to Ann's. But deep inside, she felt this was the right thing to do, something she had to do to move on with her life.

As far as Ann, Abbey knew she could carry a grudge, but she couldn't stay mad at her forever, could she? She would let the dust settle, then eventually contact Ann to get the remainder of her things. Maybe by then, Ann would come to her senses and realize that there was nothing left to hang on to in their relationship.

Abbey's life was here now. Youngstown wasn't such a bad place to live. It was a small community. She loved the ethnic festivals in the summer. The winters were cold and snowy but not paralyzing like those in Erie. She loved teaching at St. Mary's. Her work had brought her here, and it was as good a place as any to start her new life.

Chapter Twenty-four.

Things had settled down considerably in Abbey's life. It took about a month before she got up the courage to contact Ann and ask to pick up her belongings. Even under the circ.u.mstances, it was difficult for Abbey to say goodbye to her old life. She and Ann did have many good times, and she hoped to still cherish them in the future.

Although Ann was being cooperative, she refused to be at the house when Abbey moved out. Abbey had rejected several pleas from Ann to give their relationship one more try. So Abbey accepted the fact that it was just too hard for Ann to be there when she was used to most things going her way. Abbey figured Ann could have made things a lot more difficult for her by being there or not letting her get her things at all. For that, Abbey was grateful and saw it as a sign of a truce.

As time went on, Abbey felt a certain lightness within her. She was on her own now, and it wasn't so bad. With only a few more weeks before school started again, Abbey occupied her time with fixing up her home and getting ready for the new school year. She even took a cla.s.s at Home Depot to learn how to wallpaper.

A week before cla.s.ses began, she and some of her colleagues got together and collected school supplies for the kids in their cla.s.ses who couldn't afford them. Her life had changed drastically in the past few weeks, and even though she was lonely at times, she was content.

On a hot August afternoon as Abbey was cleaning up after finishing her bathroom wallpaper project, the doorbell rang.

"Coming," Abbey shouted as she wiped paste from her hands. She did a half step backward when she saw through the screen door that it was Sara Crissman, Hayden's mother, standing on her porch with a Saran-wrapped plate of chocolate chip cookies.

"h.e.l.lo, Ms. Crissman," Abbey said. To her dismay, her voice broke slightly.

"h.e.l.lo, Miss Spencer. I hope you don't mind me stopping by."

"No, not at all. And please, call me Abbey. Would you like to come in?"

"Only for a minute, then I have to get to work."

Abbey led Sara into the kitchen and motioned for her to have a seat. "Can I offer you something to drink? Lemonade? Iced tea?"

"No, thank you...Oh, these are for you. I just baked them." Sara handed Abbey the plate of cookies.

Abbey removed the Saran wrap. They were still warm. "Mmm, they smell delicious." Abbey picked one up and bit into it. "They are delicious. Is that b.u.t.terscotch I taste?"

Sara nodded. "Yes, that's how Hayden likes them. Chocolate chips and b.u.t.terscotch. These are her favorite."

A nervous fluttering p.r.i.c.ked in Abbey's chest. She paused for a moment, hesitant about her next thought. "So how is Hayden doing?" Abbey sat at the small kitchen table across from Sara. "She should be finishing up her orientation soon."

"I think she's a little homesick, but otherwise she's doing fine. She's asked me every time she calls home if I've seen or talked to you. That's one of the reasons I stopped by, so I could tell her I saw you. Also, I can't thank you enough for all you did for her. She said you two spent some time together this summer. I don't know what you said or did to her, but it really made an impression on her."

Abbey's heart felt like it was stuck in her throat. What did Hayden tell her mother? She obviously didn't tell her about that night in Abbey's room or else Sara would be trying to choke her instead of bringing her cookies. "Well, Hayden is a smart girl. I know she'll do well at Mercyhurst and make a great nurse someday. I think she has you to thank for that."

Sara looked down. "That's nice of you to say. I only wanted her to have a chance at a better life. I don't think that would have happened without your help and encouragement."

"Thank you for that," Abbey said.

Sara stood. "I better get going. I have to be at work soon."

Abbey walked Sara to the door. "Thank you for stopping by and for the cookies. Please let me know how Hayden's doing. And if there's anything I can help her with, don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you, Miss Spencer."

"Abbey," Abbey corrected.

"Abbey." Sara smiled and left.

Abbey closed the door behind her and practically slid to the floor in relief. Wow, I didn't see that coming.

Chapter Twenty-five.

On the first day of the new school year, Abbey was writing on the chalkboard, pointing out how Macbeth had been compared to Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra and how Antony and Macbeth seek a new world, even at the cost of the old one when there was a knock on her cla.s.sroom door. Father John Walters, the princ.i.p.al, stepped into her cla.s.sroom. Abbey knew this wasn't a good sign because the only time Father Walters came to your cla.s.sroom was when there was a death in your family or something terrible had happened to a student.

"Miss Spencer, I'm sorry to interrupt, but can you please come down to my office when your cla.s.s is over?"

"Sure, Father. Is everything all right?" Abbey smiled an uneasy smile.

Father Walters looked down. "It's a private matter, Miss Spencer. We'll talk in my office." A chill ran through her body.

Calmly, Abbey returned to her cla.s.sroom. She set the chalk down and brushed her hands together. "For tomorrow's a.s.signment, read chapters three, four, and five. There might be a quiz, so be prepared." The bell rang and the cla.s.sroom erupted in adolescent chaos as her students left to move on to their next cla.s.ses. Abbey took in a deep breath and headed down the hall to Father Walters's office.

As Abbey sat in one of the wooden chairs outside of the princ.i.p.al's office, she couldn't breathe. She felt like any minute she was going to pa.s.s out. She thought about running away, but she knew if anything was wrong, that would only make things worse.

"Father Walters will see you now," Edna, his secretary, announced. Edna stood all of four foot ten inches and was maybe a little taller before osteoporosis took its toll on her crooked spine. It was rumored that Edna had been at St. Mary's when the school opened in the late 1960s. I'm sure she's seen a lot, Abbey thought as she followed Edna into Father Walters's office.

"Thanks for coming in," Father said. His smile was without malice, almost apologetic as he motioned for Abbey to take a seat. He closed his office door and settled himself behind his desk. Abbey's pulse pounded, her face felt like it was on fire as she sat in the princ.i.p.al's office.

Father Walters opened a manila envelope that sat in the middle of his desk. "I received this from the president of the school board this morning. Can you tell me what this is all about?" He removed a photograph from the envelope and slid it across the desk in front of Abbey.

Abbey's hand trembled as she reached across the desk and pulled the photo closer to her. She closed her eyes, opened them, and looked down at the photo. It was the one Ann took of her and Hayden in the hall of the Holiday Inn.

Father Walters leaned forward in his chair and looked at Abbey. "Is that you in the photo, Miss Spencer?"

Abbey nodded.

"And the girl in the photo. Is that Hayden Crissman?"

"Yes, Father." Abbey's voice broke.

"When was it taken?"

"This past summer...June or July, I think."

"It looks like it was taken in a hotel. Is that true?"

"Yes, it was."

Father Walters shifted in his chair. "Can you explain to me what you would be doing with a student-?"

"Former student," Abbey interrupted.

"A former student in a hotel and why someone would take the time to photograph it?" His voice was strained, almost pleading with her for a reasonable explanation.

"Hayden was in Erie this summer, as I was. We ran into each other there and spent some time together."

"What kind of time?"

Abbey bit her lip and looked down at her lap. "We went to a play at Mercyhurst one night. I was staying at the Holiday Inn, and she came to visit me there."

"Miss Spencer, did something inappropriate take place there?"