looks beautiful," Ellie said.

Abby simply nodded, but Ellie could tell she was intrigued.

"Now he's working on a house up on the Bar Harbor Road. He has restored the outside, and he's

doing the interior now. I hear it looks wonderful."

More silence.

"So did he end up marrying Summer-Ann Bouffard?"

Ellie's smile faded. "No, no he didn't. I think things ended rather badly for them."

Abby feigned a look of horror and clapped a hand to her chest. "Cupid's Couple didn't make it? Please

tell me it isn't so."

Ellie smiled slightly and shook her head. "Your sympathy is overwhelming."

"Yeah, well, I didn't know either Chase or Summer-Ann very well, so it's a bit hard to get too

emotional over it."

Ellie remained silent for a moment. She didn't like to meddle in other people's lives. It wasn't her style, but she knew Abby had had a crush on Chase Jordan all the way through high school. Ellie had known back then, but never mentioned it. She had been nursing her own rather sizable crush on someone unobtainable, and she certainly didn't want anyone to ask her about it.

So she'd never brought up Abby's crush on Chase. But now, she felt like she had to try and discover if her sister was still attracted to him. She couldn't bear to think of Abby spending her life with a passionless, dull man like Nelson.

She knew Abby would think she was being a hopeless romantic, and maybe she was, but she believed everyone deserved nothing less than true love. After all, it was the theme of so many books, plays and poems that it had to be an absolute truth, right?

"Outside of Cupid's Couple, didn't Chase get another senior superlative in your high school yearbook?"

she asked.

Abby shrugged. "I don't recall."

"I'm sure he did." Ellie pretended to ponder the subject. "Oh, yes. He got Class Clown too."

Without hesitation, Abby said, "No, he didn't. He got Prettiest Eyes."

"Are you sure you didn't know Chase well?" Ellie asked, gently.

Abby didn't respond. She turned and looked back out the window.

As soon as they got home, Abby excused herself under the pretext of needing to get her clothes unpacked. Truthfully, she needed to get away from Ellie and her leading questions. She needed to be alone.

Why on earth was her sister suddenly so chatty about Chase Jordan? Yes, she did see him at the restaurant. Yes, she did talk with him. Why did Ellie seem to find the encounter so significant?

Ifanything, Abby would rather have just forgotten the whole incident. It brought back all the reasons why she didn't want to return to this wretched little town in the first place. The man spoke to her, and she suddenly acted like English wasn't her first language. She acted exactly like she had in high school.

Abby sighed and fell back onto her bed. The springs squeaked like they had every night of her childhood. Why should she be surprised? Things really did not change in Millbrook, Maine.

She curled onto her side, dragging the blankets with her, cocooning herself in familiar scents of lavender and fresh breeze. The homey smells seemed to soothe her frayed nerves, and she let her eyes drift shut. She needed to rest a moment.

Within minutes, she was dozing, caught in a place between reality and dreams.

It was May 30th, 1988. She was standing outside Mill-brook High School. Parents hugged their graduating children, smiling proudly and snapping pictures.

She looked down at herself. The gold of her Honor Society sash stood out garishly against the maroon material of her cap and gown.

"Congratulations, sweetie," a voice said. Abby turned to respond, but when she did, she realized the person was talking to another student. Abby immediately looked away.

She continued to watch the scene before her. The happy grins of the graduates and the pleased looks on their parents' faces made her feel envious and out of place. It was times like these when she missed her parents the most Her grandmother had wanted to attend the ceremony, but her health had prevented it. And even with her sisters there, Abby still felt terribly, terribly alone.

Then she saw him. Chase leaned against the school wall. He was smoking a cigarette and looking bored with the whole event. He took a drag of the cigarette, closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the bricks. The action knocked his cap forward over his eyes. With irritation, he tugged it off and tossed the cap, tassel and all, into the trash can beside him.

His response would have been rather humorous, except Abby felt his behavior went beyond mere annoyance with the cap. He looked upset, hurt even.

Suddenly, Chase Jordan seemed to be just as alone as she was.

"Your speech went great," Ellie said, and Abby stopped watching Chase to glance at her sister.

"Thanks," she said distractedly.

"Yeah, I liked that analogy you made between high school and MTV. It was very hip of you," Marty informed her.

"Thanks," Abby said again, but her attention was already back on Chase.

A group of their classmates now encircled him. His usual easy smile was in place and his posture held its customary negligent grace. Whatever signs of unhappiness that had been there were now gone, if they'd ever been there to begin with.

She'd obviously imagined it. After all, what did Chase Jordan have to be upset about?

"Super speech, Abs," a sickly sweet voice said from beside her.

Abby turned to find Summer-Ann Bouffard and two of her clique, Patty and Candace, grinning at her.

Abby stared for a moment, all logical thought seeming to vanish from her mind. Ellie and Marty stared in the same fashion-as if Summer-Ann were someone famous.

Of course, at Millbrook High, she practically was. She was on the cheerleading squad. She had a huge smile and an even bigger chest, and she was Chase Jordan's girlfriend. That was as close to celebrity as anyone got in this town.

Summer-Ann leaned toward Abby with a look of concern. "Are you all right?"

Abby blinked and then cleared her throat. "Yes, yes. I'm fine. Thank you-for the compliment on my speech, I mean."

Summer-Ann's sugary smile returned. "I was wondering, would you like to come to the graduation party with us?" She gestured to herself and her friends. Abby's stomach jumped like she had just gone down the first huge drop on a roller coaster.

Summer-Ann Bouffard was asking her to go to a party with her. Amazing!

"Yes, I'd like to come," Abby said, trying to sound calmer than she felt.

Summer-Ann's vivid green eyes narrowed as her smile widened. "Great. How about if Chase and I pick you up at your house?"

The ground seemed to shift under Abby's feet. She was going to get to arrive at the graduation party with Chase Jordan. She wasn't going to go as his date-that fantasy was too outlandish to be considered anyway. But arriving with him and Summer-Ann, that was still incredible.

"That would be great."

Summer-Ann smiled again, her eyes glittering. "Good. See you around seven."

"Okay." Abby smiled back. She watched as the three girls walked away in a haze of giggles. She felt like giggling too.

Marty grabbed her arm. "You have to get ready!" she exclaimed, and the three sisters hurried home on their own cloud of laughter and excitement.

"You can't wear that," Marty stated.

Abby studied herself in the mirror. The bulky cable-knit sweater and baggy jeans did make her look a bit like a fisherman. All she needed were rubber boots and a knit cap.

"Wear your black skirt with the red flowers," Ellie said.

"And my black turtleneck sweater," Marty said as she raced from the room to retrieve it.

Quickly, her sisters helped her change, and she stood in front of the mirror again. Abby scrutinized the

outfit, twisting to see as much of her backside as she could.

"It looks nice," Ellie said.

Abby frowned. "I don't know. I think this skirt makes my hips look huge."

Marty shook her head. "It makes you look feminine."

"And the sweater is too tight." Abby tugged at the sides.

"It shows off your..." Marty gestured toward her own much flatter chest.

"Great," Abby said with dismay, a blush burning her cheeks.

"Abby, it really looks good," Ellie assured her.

Abby tugged at the sweater one more time, then sighed. "I'll be cold."

"Not once the boys get a load of you." Marty grinned. Ellie elbowed Marty.

"I'm not interested in getting the attention of any of the boys," Abby said a little too forcefully.

Marty looked dubious.

Ellie smiled in her usual supportive way, then said, "I'll get you my shawl. That should be warm enough."

Both her sisters left the room, which gave Abby the chance to look at herself again. She normally wore

this skirt with a long oversized sweater, but with Marty's more fitted turtleneck, it did make her look

curvier. And there was no denying that the outfit showed off her bust line. Abby pulled at a lock of her hair that fell from the loose bun she wore. She should do something different with her hair, but she didn't really know what.

"You better hurry up," Marty called from down the hall. "It's nearly seven."

Sighing, Abby tucked the errant hair behind her ear. This was as good as it was going to get.

She slipped on a pair of worn loafers that she wished were cute sandals and headed down the stairs.

When she stepped into the living room, Marty shouted, "Ta-da!" holding out her hands like she was Vanna White revealing a vowel.