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"Okay, Red Team, it's your serve," Georgie called out to the kids on the court. "Ooh, good one Kira! Nice job!"
"Thanks!" the girl shouted back. "Wanna try one?"
"Well, sure, okay!" Georgie stepped into the server's box as the other kids rotated positions. She wound up and popped it over the net, and the teams took turns hitting the ball back and forth.
Skye, meanwhile, was seated at the end of a little wooden bench, arms crossed. At the other end were three giggling children, about the age of 7. There were two boys, one blond and one with black hair, and a little brunette girl. They were all staring at Skye with wide eyes. Skye turned and looked, eyebrows raised.
"Can I help you?" she muttered.
They turned their gaze away and giggled to each other.
Great, even they can sense I shouldn't be here, she thought. She turned her attention back to the court just in time to avoid getting a volleyball in the head. Skye put her hands up, and, to her surprise, caught it.
"Hey, sorry!" a boy called out, a sheepish look on his face.
"Listen-" then Skye stopped herself. She forced a smile. "It's okay. No harm done."
"Why don't you join in?" Georgie asked.
Skye's heart sank. She hadn't played volleyball since high school. And even then, her "physical education" had mostly consisted of figuring out the best way to stand on the court so that her young, sexy gym teacher would best notice her in the short gym shorts. Skye looked around. No one to impress this time. In fact, no one over the age of 15. What did she have to lose?
"Ohhh, all right. Might as well give it a shot."
"Cool, thanks Skye! Why don't you take my place while I go for a water break, okay?" asked Georgie.
"Sure." Skye made her way to the server's box as Georgie exited the gym for the water fountain.
Skye bounced the ball a few times and concentrated on a position over the net. This can't be that hard...
She tossed the ball in the air and gave it a smack. To her surprise, it went over the net, and, even more surprising, landed neatly in the far corner of the court!
"Hey, an ace!" shouted a boy in a red t-shirt. "Cool!"
"Oh my God," she blurted, "did I just do that?"
"That was awesome," a young girl with brown hair said, an approving smile on her face. She held out her hand for a high-five. Skye bent down a little to reach and obliged.
"Do it again!" someone called.
Skye laughed to herself and shook her head in disbelief of the whole situation. If anyone had ever told her a year ago that she'd be playing volleyball with grade school kids she would have had them committed.
Georgie, meanwhile, turned down the hall to where the fountains and snack machines were. Suddenly, she froze, and her jaw dropped in surprise. Maxie and Lucas were making out on the bench by the window! She turned to run but in her panic, she bumped into a trash bin. Maxie and Lucas looked up in surprise.
"I, uh, I was just---I gotta go," Georgie murmured, about to turn and run again.
"What's the matter, little sister, never seen anyone kiss before?" Maxie asked in a rude tone, possessively putting her arms around Lucas. "But then, I guess there's nothing like that on Sesame Street, is there?"
"I'm sorry. I'll just- I'll just leave you two alone." She looked down at the ground, her eyes filling with tears.
"Hey, Georgie, you don't have to run out. It's okay," Lucas said, offering a smile- a smile that filled Georgie with such joy but at the same time, broke her heart into a million pieces.
"Yeah, actually we needed to talk to you anyway," Maxie replied. "I can't drive you home today because Lucas and I are going to the Grille for dinner tonight. We need to celebrate."
"Um, celebrate what?" Georgie asked, almost afraid to know.
"Lucas asked me out today. We're now officially a couple. Isn't that right, Lucas?" Maxie said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, then turning back to sneer at her sister.
Lucas put his arm around her shoulders. "That's right." He smiled, but he couldn't help notice the sad look in Georgie's eyes. "Hey, Georgie, is something the matter?"
"N-no, uh, it's nothing. Just, uh, allergies. Yeah, it's really dusty in the gym. Maybe I should sweep up a bit, or, or something-"
"You are so weird," Maxie said, shaking her head disapprovingly. "Well, Lucas and I don't want to be late for our reservations. See ya." The two turned and began making their way to the exit.
"W-wait!" Georgie called after them. "Who's going to drive me home?"
The only reply Georgie got was the sound of the door slamming. Georgie couldn't believe it. Any hopes she had of going out with Lucas, as minuscule as they already were, were now completely gone. He had found someone else- and it was her sneering sister, no less!
She sunk down on the bench and buried her head in her hands as she began to sob. Well, what did I expect? That a hot, popular athlete like Lucas would choose me over my gorgeous cheerleader sister? I had no chance with him....I never did....I can't believe I was so stupid to think that anyone could ever be interested in a nobody like me....
Her sad thoughts were interrupted by the sound of excited chatter. She looked up and saw Skye leading the kids out of the gym and down the hall.
"The game's over, so I'm just bringing the kids back to the front entrance to be picked up," Skye called to her. "I'll be back to help you clean up in a minute!" They disappeared down the hall and Georgie once again began to cry.
Lucas was the only guy who ever paid any attention to me, ever...he's so nice to me....and he's so funny, and smart, and fun to be around.......and obviously, completely out of my league. I could never be "cool" enough for a guy like that...and now that he's dating Maxie, he'll never even look twice at me again. And she'll probably rub it in my face every chance she gets....why does she hate me so much?
"Georgie?"
"Huh, what?" Georgie's head snapped up to see Skye peering down at her, looking concerned.
"Are you okay?"
"Uh, y-yeah. Fine." She wiped her eyes quickly and looked at the ground.
"You, uh, you look like you've been crying. Did something happen?"
"Well.....I....I just...." she broke out in another round of sobs.
"Hey," Skye said, sitting down on the bench next to Georgie, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Do you want to talk about it?" Wow, did I really just say that? I usually can't stand little teenagers. God, this volunteering stuff is making me all mushy.
"Well, I guess so," Georgie began, wiping away another set of tears. "Thanks," she said, as Skye took a Kleenex out of her purse and handed it to the red-nosed young lady.
"Boy trouble?" Skye asked with a knowing look.
Georgie nodded, her shoulders trembling.
"Aghh....men. They never fail to disappoint ya, eh?" Georgie just shrugged. "Well, listen," Skye went on, "you can't let guys bring you down. They're nothing but trouble, and I should know- I've been married four times- although one of them wasn't really my fault, this sick bast- um, I mean, jerk, kidnapped me, and I didn't want to marry him, but, you know how things go, but then we turned the tables on him, my friends and I, and we even danced on his grave, and.....sorry, I lost my train of thought. Where was I?" And why am I telling her all this?!?!?! "Oh yeah, men. Men are pigs. They love ya, they leave ya, they make ya cry all over your new little black Gucci dress. But in the end, us women always come out on top. You know why?"
Georgie suppressed another round of tears. "Why?"
"Cuz we look a helluva lot better in those little black dresses than they do."
Georgie couldn't help but start to giggle, and soon Skye joined in. Well, at least my rambling is finally being put to good use.
"But really, what happened, hon? Who's the bum who made you cry, hmm?"
"Lucas Jones. You know him?"
Skye's eyes widened. "Um, I don't mean to pry, but...isn't your last name Jones, too?"
"It's a long story," Georgie said, her cheeks reddening. "But no, we're not actually related."
"Oookay, I'll take your word for it. So, what did this Lucas Jones do to you?"
"Well, I've...I've had a crush on him for a really long time. And my older sister Maxie knows it. And today....he asked her to be his girlfriend and she said yes, and then she flaunted it in my face."
"Ouch. That stings. Sisters...." her voice trailed off, remembering all the times that she and her "sister" Hayley had gotten into huge arguments. "Ugh. But, hey, what's this sister of yours got that you haven't got, hmm?"
Georgie snorted in sarcasm. "More like what doesn't she have?! She has everything! Perfect blonde hair, shiny blue eyes, dazzling smile....she's captain of the junior cheerleading team, absurdly popular....she has tons of friends and all the guys like her. So I just don't know why she had to pick Lucas." Another tear began to fall.
"Well, Georgie....from what I can see, you're a very intelligent girl, and that counts for a lot."
"Yeah, to whom? Definitely not the guys at school." Georgie muttered.
"Now, I don't know about that! A lot of guys are just intimidated by smart girls. Teen boys like to feel superior, so when they see a girl that's smarter than they are, they get a little scared. And if she's pretty to boot, like you are, well.....they probably just panic when they see you!"
"And that's supposed to be a good thing?"
Skye chuckled. "Okay, maybe I'm not explaining this very well. See, Georgie, I'm sure that a lot of guys would love to go out with you. They just think that they're not good enough for you."
"I doubt that."
"I don't. I can almost guarantee that there's at least one guy out there, who's perfect for you, and is just dying for you to even glance in his direction. The only thing is, don't pretend to be someone you're not just to get him to ask you out. Let him come to you."
Georige smiled. "Thanks, Skye. I really appreciate it. A lot."
Skye returned her smile. "Good. This Lucas guy seems like a big fool. Don't worry about it, Georgie, you still have lots of time to find your Mr. Right. Listen, I'll see you on Saturday morning for my first full day, and we can talk more, okay?"
"Sure."
"Great. Bye, Georgie." With that, Skye left.
Oh, shoot, Georgie thought, There goes my only other chance of a ride. How was she going to get home? Maxie wouldn't be home for hours; Felicia was out of town for the whole month; Mac was at work...she didn't have enough money for a cab...
Well, maybe I have at least enough for a bus ride, she thought, rummaging through her purse. To her dismay, there was no money in it...just a lip gloss, tiny mirror, her housekey, and a folded piece of paper. Curious, she took it out and unfolded it.
555-7138. Dillon.
Georgie's eyes widened in surprise. He must have slipped it in her purse last week when they were at Maxie's party. She knew he could drive....should she give him a call? She hemmed and hawed for a few moments but finally realized that this was her only way home. Taking a deep breath, she called his number.
********
"So what kind of girl leaves her sister stranded? In a thunderstorm, no less?"
Georgie glanced out the window; it was pouring, and in her upset state, she hadn't even noticed. "Well, that's Maxie for you. One look at a boy and she loses all sense of responsibility."
"That's a real crappy thing to do. Why do you put up with it?" Dillon asked, driving Ned's hugely expensive car down the freeway, tapping his hands on the wheel to the beat of the music playing on the radio.
"Well, I don't really have a choice. She's older than me, so whatever she says goes."
"It shouldn't have to be that way. Family is supposed to look out for each other." His tone soured. "Or at least that's what they say in my Sociology class," he added, turning to look straight ahead, a sad expression washing over him.
"Thank you so much for picking me up, though," Georgie said. "I owe you big time." She laughed. "I guess now I owe you big for two things, don't I?"
"Don't worry about it," Dillon replied, "I love any opportunity to drive. I love it."
"Well, you've got a great car. A Porsche, wow. I don't know too many kids our age who have one of these."
"Oh, it's not mine. It's my half-brother Ned's."
"Oh. Well, that was nice of him to let you borrow it."
"He didn't."
Georgie began to snicker. "So you've got a pretty weird family situation, huh? The Quartermaines, wow. And I thought my family was weird-"
"I love this song," Dillon interrupted, looking to change the subject. He turned up the volume really loud so they wouldn't have to talk any more.
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
But you can try sometimes
You just might find
You get what you need
Oh yeah
"This is the greatest soundtrack," Dillon shouted over the music, after a while. "It really adds to the overall effect of the movie."
"Um....what movie?" Georgie asked sheepishly.
"The Big Chill," he replied. "You know, with Glenn Close? The one where their college friend commits suicide so they spend a weekend together after his funeral?"
Georgie shook her head. "No, I've never seen it. Sorry."
"That's okay. Don't apologize. Anyway, it's a really powerful movie, one of my favourites. It's not as old as some of the other ones I like, but it's really killer. You might like it."
"Yeah, it sounds pretty cool."
"Hey," Dillon said, lowering the music back to bearable volume. "Do you want to come over tomorrow and watch it?"
This caught Georgie by surprise. "You mean, like me and you?"
Dillon grinned. "Yeah, you and me. I think you're really.....I, um...I think you'd like The Big Chill a lot."
"Well, o-okay. Sounds good."
"Cool."
"Oh, here's my house. Thanks again, Dillon. It was really great of you to pick me up."
"No problem. Give me a ring tomorrow and I'll come get you so we can watch the movie."
"Okay. Bye."
Dillon drove away, and Georgie found her hand shaking a bit as she unlocked the front door. Did he just ask me on a date? He....nahh. No way. He probably just feels sorry for me because I'm such a loner. Not even my sister can stand to be around me. I'm sure he just sees me as a little sister type, just like Lucas. Oh well...it's not like my social calendar is exactly filled to capacity, anyway...
*******
Quartermaine Mansion
Skye came in through the patio entrance; Lila's garden was in full bloom and she had wanted to stop and see the tulips on her way to see Ned, to discuss some details for Alexis's funeral. She stopped herself when she saw Ned asleep on the couch, baby Kristina on his chest, also sleeping.
"Goodnight, Princess Brat," she whispered. Then, not wanting to wake them, she went right back through the patio entrance. Nowhere else to go but her cottage, Skye made her way to her midnight blue Sebring convertible. She sighed as she revved the engine. Tomorrow would be a long, tiring day, with Alexis's funeral. She may as well get to bed early, get rested up. It's not like I have anyone to go to a late dinner with, anyway.
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
But you can try sometimes
You just might find
You get what you need
Oh yeah
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