"Look. It's the Eiffel Tower," exclaimed Willow as she pointed out the window of the shuttle van. "Everybody get lots of pictures and we'll share them all when we get home. I have to thank you again, Christine, for making me part of this great adventure. I'm lucky to be your cousin." "You're lucky to be so pretty and shapely. You're lucky to have such understanding parents. You're lucky that Mitchell, for whatever reason, decided to take a chance on me that day at the mall. We're all lucky that Highland won that first football game. I'm lucky I'm not in tears right now because I'm so happy," Christine said. "We're all happy, Sis, but you've got more reason to be happy than the rest of us girls. Tonight, you're going to go to bed a girl and waking up a woman," stated Hailey with genuine happiness for her sister. "Spring Break in Paris with your hunky boyfriend. I don't think it can get much better than that." "It would get better if everyone left my personal life out of their discus
"If Christine gets cold feet, or her conscience won't let her go through with it, I'd be willing to trade with her, just because that's the kind of friend I am," volunteered Jordan. "Thank you, Jordan. Christine, you're so lucky to have friends like Jordan," stated Melissa sarcastically. "She's willing to take a bullet for you, if the need arises." "Gee, thanks. I don't think I'll need any help, however. I have all the protection necessary, so those 'bullets' will not be hitting the intended target. There's really no need to worry about me. I'll make sure that the gun is empty by morning." "That's how class valedictorians talk these days?" demanded Hailey. "A few months ago, she hadn't ever been on a date and now she's talking about single handedly unloading a dangerous weapon." "I never said anything about using my hands, at least not tonight." laughed Christine, as Hailey was the one to blush this time. "If I may change the subject once again, we're invited to a costume party t
"Mom. Look at Christine. She's got a boy sitting at the table with her. And he's gorgeous." exclaimed Hailey. "This doesn't make any sense unless she's tutoring him or something." Melissa Leonard was exhausted as she made her way back to the food court in the mall. She had been clothes shopping with two of her three daughters for the last four hours. Hailey, her youngest daughter and a few months shy of 16, was determined to be the best dressed girl in the sophomore class. Melissa had escorted Hailey as she spent the last three hours looking at hundreds of outfits and trying on dozens of them. "How is it that Hailey is such a slave to fashion, while Christine could care less?" wondered Melissa to herself. "I don't think it took us half an hour to select Christine's entire wardrobe for her senior year. Of course, it was much easier since Christine still insists on those bulky, loose pants, baggy jeans, and oversized tops and sweaters. She just doesn't seem to have any interest in fash
"Christine, I can't believe you just said that. He sat with you for twenty minutes, chatted you up, asked about your school and family, and even asked you on a date. Does that sound like something a guy would do if he had no interest?" demanded Melissa. "You need to get out more, Baby. You're going into your senior year. I know your grades are important and you want to get into pre-med at Stanford, but you need to have fun Sometimes, too. You'll do even better in your studies if you're happy and enjoying life. Mitchell seemed like a really nice young man. He didn't ask you out because of some pity he felt for you. I saw him looking at you before he realized we were headed to your table. Believe me when I say this: he liked what he saw. That much was obvious." "Yeah, Sis. I saw it, too. I was just kidding about getting you different clothes, and him not being interested in you. I'm sorry I said that. I was just jealous that he was sitting with you instead of with me. I don't know how y
The Eagle section was dead silent, but the Highland side made up for it. High fives, loud cheers, and whistles swept through the stands. Christine realized that she was one of the loudest fans as she yelled and screamed her approval. Her sisters and mother were right next to her, showing their excitement over the turn of events. "My God, Christine. He must have thrown that ball fifty yards. He sure seems serious about winning this game and keeping his date," laughed Maddie. "Hailey, let me have those binoculars so I can get a good look at our hero." Maddie focused in on number twelve as he and his teammates slapped each other on the back. She quickly determined that Mitchell was an extremely popular man now. He was taller than all but a couple of linemen and looked every bit as strong. Then she saw him scanning the Highland cheering section, obviously looking for someone. "Wave ladies," Maddie instructed as she held her free hand high and whipped it around. "Our hero is looking for
"I can't wait for the dance tomorrow night," added Hailey. "I just want to see the faces of everyone when they see my sister with the best-looking guy in the place. He’ll dance with me a few Times. You won't mind, Will you, Christine?" "Please don't get all carried away, Maddie and Hailey. Mitchell was nice to me today. I admit that it made me feel pretty darn good. But he isn't my boyfriend. You saw how those girls looked at him. What are my chances of keeping him interested in more than a week or two? I never had a boyfriend, let alone one like Mitchell. I'm not good at playing games and using sex to keep him isn't even on the table. I'm not going to take a chance on ruining my reputation, or my future over some boy," insisted Christine. "Christine, sex should never be used to control a partner, so I can't argue with that attitude. But it doesn't have to ruin your reputation, or your life, if you're mature and responsible," counseled Melissa. "It can be a wonderful experience that
Christine was certain that Mitchell would be insulted and leave the house. For her part, she had never been so humiliated. "Dad," cried Hailey. "It's okay, Hailey. Your dad has a good point there. I'll tell you this, sir. I never intended to force Christine to do anything against her wishes. I would never do that, unless it was done to save her from pain or injury. I asked her out and she declined, but her reasons sounded hollow to me, so I decided to press Christine a little. If Christine simply tells me that she truly does not want to go with me tonight, I will leave and never bother her again. However, Sir, it is my belief and hope that Christine is more than willing to accompany me to the dance. Let's ask her when she comes down, shall we?" "Okay, son. You stated your case well. We'll do that, but there are a couple other things that you need to know," continued Christine's father. "You'll never go out with Christine again if you use alcohol, or tobacco. If I hear that you drive
Christine was surprised both by Mitchell's response to her apology and his declaration that she had a great family. She thought it over and realized that she'd never given much thought to how lucky she was to have the family she had. Maddie had loaned her the red dress and spent hours helping her prepare for her first real date. What more could you ask from a big sister? Christine also realized that she knew almost nothing about Mitchell and really needed to learn more. It then occurred to her that that was the very reason people dated. She had underestimated its value. Mitchell had spent some time with Tim Smith in an effort to know what to expect at the benefit dance. It was important to Mitchell that he make friends and be accepted in his new town. He didn't want to ruin things because he didn't understand customs in the area. He felt as prepared as he could be for what he expected to be a very memorable evening. As Christine and Mitchell entered the VFW hall, a tall thin girl app