A/N: To insomniac, who had a question about why the girls were so upset about the cigarette smoke in chapter two: only two people were upset about Jack smoking, and that was Maggie and Frank. Both were mad because they didn't want Jack to get everyone in trouble. Because even if smoking was common, it still wasn't acceptable at school, especially in detention. I hope that answers your question.

Okay, this is the final chapter before the epilogue. Enjoy!

Chapter Ten: Friends

Jean had never really been in trouble before. Sure, she was in detention, and through no fault but her own, but that was just evidence of her fierce independence and stubborn pride at work. For the most part, she was smart enough to avoid mouthing off to the wrong person, and she knew when to pick her battles, even if she found that it was becoming harder and harder as her eyes were opening to the world around her. But she never went looking for a fight that wasn't already looking for her, and she'd never found herself at the center of a punishable situation.

Until now.

"What's going on in here?" Mr. Reed demanded, striding towards the center of the room. Alice was the only person sitting down, while Jean, Maggie, and Jack were standing in the center aisle, and Frank was still stuck by the side door he'd just entered from. Carl, the only one who wasn't supposed to be there, was right in the middle of everything, frozen in terror at the sight of his angry father.

"There you are!" exclaimed Mr. Vernon, marching up to Carl and grabbing him by the collar. "I found him here earlier, Mr. Reed, playing cards with the others. He ran out of the room before I could catch him, but I've got him now." He smiled triumphantly, obviously expecting praise for his hard work and fast reflexes. Jean almost felt bad for him…but not really.

"Richard," Mr. Reed said slowly. "Please let go of my son."

Mr. Vernon paused for about half a second, then released Carl's collar like it was the wrong side of a hot iron. "Son?" he echoed. He chuckled nervously. "You, uh, you didn't tell me your son was here, sir."

"I didn't feel that you were entitled to that information," Mr. Reed replied stonily.

Mr. Vernon nodded. "Of course. I'm so sorry, sir. I didn't mean…I mean, it just surprised me, that's all. If I'd known, then maybe I could have, you know, dealt with him better or…" He trailed off, finding himself cornered by his own words.

"Maybe you should return to the library," Mr. Reed suggested.

Mr. Vernon nodded quickly. "Of course, sir. I'll be there if you need me." And then he turned and practically ran for the door, nearly tripping over his own feet, he couldn't get out of there fast enough.

When he was gone, Mr. Reed cleared his throat. "Now, would someone like to tell me what on earth is going on?" He was speaking to the entire room, but he was looking right at his son.

Carl couldn't have looked more sheepish or apologetic if he tried. "It was my fault."

"And how is that?"

"I came in and asked them to listen to music and play cards with me."

"That's not true," Jack interrupted, stepping forward. "It wasn't his fault, it was mine. I invited him to hang out with us."

Mr. Reed lifted an eyebrow. "Invited him?"

Jack nodded. "I found him in the hall and brought him back here. It wasn't his fault." He was watching Mr. Reed very closely, eyebrows knitted together with concern.

Mr. Reed looked back over at his son, and the two of them stared at one another for a long, thoughtful moment. Finally, Mr. Reed sighed. "Everyone sit down," he said wearily. "Except you," he told Carl.

Everyone did as they were told, taking their original seats. Except for Jack, who sat next to Alice.

"I don't know what happened here today, and I probably don't want to know," said Mr. Reed, running a hand through his thinning grayish-brown hair. "I especially don't want to know how you, Mr. Reynolds, happened upon my son in the hallway. But I trusted each of you today, and I don't feel like you kept your end of the bargain."

Jean felt her stomach sink with guilt. Sort of like that time she lied to her mom about spending time with a boy she liked, and instead of punishing her, her mother just got that faraway look in her eyes and said that she was "disappointed". Surely that was worse than any punishment she could have given, which was probably the point. Apparently Mr. Reed had been reading from the same parenting manual as her mother.

Mr. Reed sighed. "I expect each of you to report to my office at some time on Monday. We'll discuss the consequences of your actions then. For the meantime, I think it would be best if I stayed here with you for the remainder of the day."

Jean glanced across the aisle at Maggie, whose eyes looked about as big as saucers. She caught Jean looking at her, and their eyes met. She saw Maggie's face relax a bit, and her face curled into a slow, subtle smile. Jean felt herself smiling back at her, and Monday seemed so far away.

Because no matter what punishment they received, it was all worth it.

Mr. Reed cancelled the remaining sessions for the teachers' orientation seminar and stayed with them for the rest of the afternoon. Carl was there, too, of course, right next to his dad at the table at the front of the room. Jack had returned Carl's deck of cards, and Carl spent the rest of the afternoon playing solitaire while Mr. Reed looked on.

The rest of them sat as still as they possibly could and didn't make a peep. Though she could only see the back of his head, it looked to Maggie that Frank was doing his best not to fall asleep. Jean read from the same book she'd been reading from all morning, writing notes in the margins and underlining certain passages. Jack had borrowed some paper from Alice's notebook and was doodling on it, while Alice watched him and tried not to laugh.

Maggie spent the rest of the afternoon making a grocery list and trying to figure out how to tell her father that she might be in more trouble with the school now than when he dropped her off for detention. If she told him what happened—with the card playing and the fighting and the food stealing—he obviously wouldn't be very happy with her, and he would probably give her the same lecture he always gave about being a beacon of light in a dark, immoral world. But Maggie figured that she could deal with that if she had to, because there was so much more that happened that day that he would never know about, and the trade-off was more than worth it.

At three o'clock, Mr. Reed stood from his seat at the front of the room. "You're all dismissed," he announced. "Please don't forget to visit me in my office at some point on Monday morning."

Maggie tucked her grocery list into her purse and stood from her seat. Jean was packing her pen and book into her knapsack, and Maggie waited for her without really knowing why. When Jean was finished packing up, she joined her in the center aisle, and without saying anything, they started walking out together.

"Are you going to tell your parents about your extra punishment?" asked Maggie as they exited the cafeteria through the side door.

Jean shook her head. "Not if I don't have to. You?"

Maggie smiled. "Same. But if he finds out, I'll probably be in even more trouble than if I'd just told him."

Jean laughed. "Me, too."

Maggie glanced down at Jean's bag, where a corner of Jean's book was poking out on top. "Is that the same book you were telling me about earlier? The female something?"

"The Feminine Mystique," Jean corrected her. She pulled it out and handed it to Maggie for her inspection. "It's amazing."

Maggie had never read a book that she could ever call "amazing" and figured that it must be pretty good if Jean, who seemed pretty smart and probably read a lot, could use such a strong word to describe it. "What's so amazing about it?" she asked.

Jean paused for a long time, choosing her words carefully. "It makes you wish things were different," she said finally. "It makes you wish the world was a better place."

Maggie scrunched up her nose. "That sounds depressing."

Jean smiled. A sad, dreamy ghost of a smile. "I can be. But I like to think that things can get better."

Maggie considered this as they continued walking out to the parking lot. Her father was parked by the curb, and Jean's mother's car was parked right behind him. Maggie started to give Jean her book back.

"No, why don't you take it?" said Jean, pushing it back gently. "Just read it and see what you think." She smiled. "You can tell me how much you hated it on Monday."

Maggie smiled despite her best attempt not to. "Okay. And you can tell me how much you hated my daddy's sermon on Monday."

Jean laughed out loud. "Okay, deal."

Maggie tucked the book into her bag so that her father wouldn't see it and ask what it was about. "See you later," she said to Jean.

Jean waved and started walking towards her mother's Lincoln Continental.

When she settled into the car, Maggie's father gave her a strange look. "Who was that?" he asked, glancing into the rearview mirror for another look.

Maggie paused, unsure of exactly how much she should tell him. Finally, she smiled and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

"A friend."

Frank fished his keys out of his pocket as he made his way out to the parking lot where he'd left his car that morning. His chest was tight with dread imagining the look on his father's face when Mr. Reed called the house on Monday morning to inform him that his delinquent son had earned himself a few hours with the custodians in addition to his detention and, of course, losing his "Man if the Year" title. It felt like one thing on top of another, and Frank wondered if he was ever going to stop getting in trouble or if he was just cursed for life.

"So serious…"

Startled, Frank looked up to see Susan leaning against the driver's side door of his car, arms folded over her chest. She was wearing a bright green sundress with a white cardigan, and her long, dark hair was pushed back with a white headband. She was smiling up at him, obviously amused that he hadn't noticed her until she'd spoken.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, more sharply than he intended.

At the tone of his voice, Susan's smile slipped away. "I told Bev to drop me off. I wanted to surprise you."

Frank frowned. "I thought you were going shopping this afternoon."

"I was, but after we talked on the phone I decided that I wanted to spend the afternoon with you instead." She paused. "I'm sorry. I thought you'd be excited to see me."

Frank shook his head and took a step towards her. "No, I am. I'm sorry. You just surprised me, that's all. I was…thinking."

Susan smiled. "I could tell. What were you thinking about?"

Frank shook his head and stepped closer, taking one of her hands in his. "Nothing. It doesn't matter."

"Tell me."

Frank shook his head again and slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her against him. "No, I don't want to think about it anymore."

Susan relaxed against him and didn't say anything else. He felt her fingers stroking his back, felt her warm breath against his shoulder. He let his chin rest against the top of her head - a perfect fit - and closed his eyes against the afternoon sun.

"I don't know. I think it looks like a cat."

Alice laughed and grabbed the piece of paper out of his hand. "It looks like a frog!"

"No, it doesn't." Jack snatched it back from her and looked at it very closely. "Okay, maybe a little bit."

Alice laughed again, for about the one millionth time all afternoon. She was scaring herself with how loud she was being, with how easy she was finding it to talk to someone and have fun. "Told you."

Jack shook his head. "Well, I think it looks pretty good anyway." He stuffed the paper into the pocket of his jeans and pushed open the door leading out to the parking lot. Alice saw her sister's car at the curb, and Betty was sitting in the driver's seat listening to music. She was bobbing her head up and down and mouthing the words to a song that Alice couldn't hear.

"Is that your sister?" asked Jack, motioning in Betty's direction.

"Yes." Alice paused awkwardly, not wanting to have to say goodbye and get into the car. "Well…"

But Jack didn't make a move to leave. "So, are you going to tell all of your friends about what happened today?" he asked, eyes twinkling with mischief. "You going to tell them what a troublemaker you are?"

Alice smiled, but only for a moment. "Actually, I don't have any friends," she said quietly. "Well, not really." Suddenly her study group partners didn't count, and she didn't know why. Or maybe they'd never counted and she just hadn't realized it before.

Jack's mouth curled into a slow smile. "Neither do I." He paused. "Want one?"

Alice blinked in surprise, then smiled slyly. "I don't know," she said tentatively. "Will you let me smoke one of your cigarettes?"

Jack burst out laughing. "You want one of my cigarettes?"

Alice shrugged, but she could feel herself blushing. "Maybe," she said.

Jack studied her closely for a moment, apparently unable to keep the smile off of his face. "Okay," he said finally. "I'll give you one of my cigarettes….if you give me one of your stories."

Alice's eyes widened. "Oh, no, I couldn't," she blurted, without even thinking about it.

Jack made a clucking sound with his tongue and shook his head sadly. "This could have been the beginning of a beautiful friendship. But now…" He shrugged.

Alice watched him closely for a moment, considering her options. Her stories were such a private part of her life, and she didn't know how ready she was to show that part to someone she'd known for less than a day, someone who could very well take the heart she was offering and smash it into a thousand little pieces. But wasn't that how it worked? Weren't the best things in life worth risking everything for? Summoning every ounce of courage she could muster, Alice took a deep breath and said, "Okay."

Jack lifted his eyebrows. "Okay, what?"

Alice pursed her lips together nervously, hoping she was doing the right thing and scared out her mind that she wasn't. "Okay, I'll let you read one of my stories…"

Jack paused. "But?"

Alice took a deep breath. "But you have to give me time to write something new."

Jack stroked his chin, obviously pretending to take this under consideration. "Okay, I can do that," he agreed. "How long will you need?"

Alice shrugged. "I don't know. A few days?" Or years, she thought.

Jack nodded. "Maybe you could bring it to lunch on Monday."

"Lunch?" Alice echoed.

Jack grinned, and her stomach fluttered pleasantly in response. "You bring the story, I'll bring the food."

Alice smiled. "What about my cigarette?" she asked him.

Jack let out a sharp laugh. "You're serious about that, huh?"

Alice felt her face warm up again, but she nodded. "I wouldn't have offered to write you a story if I wasn't."

Jack shook his head and started rummaging around in his pocket. He pulled out one of his hand-rolled cigarettes and held it out for her to take. "Here, this is a down payment. You'll get another one when you bring me my story."

Alice took the cigarette from his hand and studied it carefully. "This isn't, um…"

Jack burst out laughing. "Just tobacco," he promised.

Alice let out a breath of relief. She could only imagine the look on her father's face if she came home from detention with marijuana in her pocket. Not that a real cigarette was much better, but still…

"I think your sister's getting impatient," said Jack.

Alice glanced up quickly, looking over her shoulder. Her sister had stopped singing along to the music and was watching the two of them was unabashed interest. Alice immediately stuffed the cigarette into the pocket of her khaki skirt and pushed her glasses up. "Well, I guess I should go then," she said, unable to keep the disappointment out of her voice.

Jack nodded. "I'll see you on Monday."

Alice bit her lip to keep herself from blurting out something stupid like, "You promise?" Instead, she nodded and gave him a little wave. "Monday," she said firmly.

"Don't forget your story."

Alice grinned and turned away from him. She was halfway to the car when she suddenly stopped and turned around. "Wait!" she exclaimed. She took a step towards Jack, who hadn't moved. "You never did tell me what you did to get in detention."

Jack grinned, bright and genuine. "I didn't?"

Alice shook her head.

Jack pursed his lips together, feigning hesitation. "Well, I don't know, it's kind of embarrassing…"

Alice resisted the urge to go up and swat him. "A deal's a deal," she reminded him.

Jack laughed. "Okay, fine. I was late to class. Two days in a row."

Alice paused. "That's it?"

Jack shrugged. "Guilty."

Alice tried not to smile, but it was very possible that she was never going to be able to stop, ever. The whole day had been nothing but one huge surprise after another, and from the most unlikely sources. "Well, don't be late on Monday," she warned him.

Jack lifted his hand in salute. "Yes, ma'am."

Alice saluted in return, then turned and started walking quickly towards her sister's car. She hadn't even closed the door behind her when she felt Betty's fingers closing around her wrist.

"Who is that?" she demanded.

Alice's breath caught in her throat, but then she realized that Betty was smiling. "He's cute!" she exclaimed.

Alice let out a breathy laugh. "You think so?"

Betty, who was watching Jack walk down the sidewalk toward the street, nodded. "Definitely. Like James Dean in Rebel without a Cause."

Alice sighed and leaned back against the seat. "I love that movie."

Betty studied her closely for a moment. "You're different," she said finally. "Really different. What happened to you?"

Alice couldn't even say anything. She felt so close to bursting that all she could do was smile stupidly at her older sister, who knew her better than anyone in the whole world.

"You're in love!" Betty exclaimed, eyes wide. "I'm right, aren't I?"

Alice buried her face in her hands, just to hide that goofy smile. "I don't know," she moaned.

Betty pulled Alice's hands away from her face. "Yes, you are! Oh, my God, Alice!" she shrieked, like she wasn't a wife and a mother and a beauty queen, but just some giddy teenager at a slumber party, begging for all the details.

And Alice wanted to tell her the details, too. Suddenly she wanted to tell Betty everything, and at the same time, absolutely nothing. Because it was there and it was hers and she wanted to shout it from the rooftops, but there was this fear deep down inside that if she told someone that it wouldn't be real anymore and it wouldn't be hers and it would all disappear like it had never happened in the first place.

"I don't know," Alice said again. "I don't know."

"Tell me what happened," said Betty, cheeks flushed with excitement. "Tell me everything."

"I don't know what happened," Alice responded truthfully.

Betty shook her head in disbelief. "I have never seen you like this!" she exclaimed. "Okay, I have…but not in a really long time."

Alice knew what she meant. Not since Betty had moved out and their parents stopped saying her name at the dinner table. "Yeah," Alice said quietly.

Betty finally took a deep breath, and the excitement in the car dissolved into something more manageable. They sat there for a moment in silence until Betty reached forward and tucked a lock of Alice's strawberry blonde hair behind one ear.

"Well, you know what this means, don't you?" she said, brushing another strand from her younger sister's shoulder.

Alice smiled warmly. "What?"

Betty grinned. "You have to get a manicure," she said, as if it was obvious.

Alice couldn't help but laugh. "But you're not good at putting on the polish. You always get the bubbles in there."

"I know, I'm terrible," Betty admitted. "We'll go to a salon."

Alice paused. "I don't have any money."

Betty waved her hand dismissively and reached forward to put the car in drive. "It's my treat."

Alice offered a sad smile. "I love you, Betty."

Betty looked over at her and beamed. She looked happier than Alice had seen her in a long time. "I love you, too."

Jack watched Alice until she was safely packed away in her sister's car – which was really, really nice – then took the sidewalk leading to the main road that passed in front of the school. It was still nice outside, cool and sunny, and it was on days like this that he was actually kind of glad that he didn't have a car.

As he walked, he thought about the conversation he'd just had with Alice. It was kind of frightening how easy he'd found it to talk to her, how effortlessly he'd opened up to her without even realizing that he was doing it, or that he wanted to. He wasn't kidding when he'd told her that he didn't have any friends. He'd spent years flitting between groups or skirting the edges, never committing himself to one group or another. He didn't know why really, only that it had never felt right. He understood himself better than anyone else did, so it was easier to keep to himself than to try and force anything. Besides, he could trust himself most of the time, but he couldn't say the same for the people around him. They always had a way of surprising him in the worst ways.

Until today. Alice was his friend now. He could see it in her eyes, that excitement, and it both comforted and terrified him all at once. Someone was depending on him to be there, and he couldn't bear to disappoint her. He didn't want to either, but he had the distinct feeling that someday he was going to hurt her, without even meaning to.

One day at a time, he heard his mother say.

Jack smiled despite himself. He wondered what his mother was doing right then, if she'd finished all of her work for the day or if she was still ironing. He hoped that she was finished. He wanted to walk through the front door and see her standing relaxing in the living room, feet propped up on the ottoman, watching I Love Lucy reruns. Maybe he would even take her out to dinner so that she wouldn't have to cook. He had some money saved up – not a lot, but enough for something simple. Maybe she would let him, just this once.

As he rounded the side of the building, he caught sight of Carl and Mr. Reed descending the steps in front of the school. Carl was holding his radio and a baseball mitt, with a baseball and his deck of playing cards nestled into the web. Mr. Reed was saying something, possibly lecturing, and Carl was nodding along dutifully. Mr. Reed removed a keychain from his pocket as they reached the car.

Just as they got to the car, Carl tipped his mitt to the side, and the ball and card deck spilled out onto the pavement. Mr. Reed grabbed the ball before it rolled under the car, but the cards apparently hadn't been closed properly, because a few of them slipped out. Carl lunged for them and started sliding them back into their box.

Jack watched them, unable to tear his eyes away. Because while Carl was frantically grabbing at the loose cards to catch them before they blew away, Mr. Reed was glued in place, unable to move. He stood there watching Carl with this sad, tender look on his face, like there was something he really needed to tell him but he just couldn't find the words. Jack felt his chest tighten with sudden emotion as Carl looked up at his father, asking a question that Jack couldn't hear. Mr. Reed paused, then shook his head slightly and handed Carl the baseball that he seemed to have forgotten he was holding.

The two of them piled into Mr. Reed's dark blue sedan and pulled out of the parking space, and Jack watched until their car disappeared around the corner before he started walking again. It was only when he approached the space that the two of them had just been standing that he realized that Carl had missed one card. Picking it up, he found that it was the two of spades, which wasn't very special unless you were playing spades, but Jack knew that he would miss it eventually. He slipped the card into his inside jacket pocket, knowing that he could return it on Monday when he made his visit to Mr. Reed's office to receive his additional punishment.

As he continued walking, Jack felt himself smiling, and a wave of something like giddiness washed over him. Yes, he would take his mother out tonight, somewhere really special. And they would order the biggest dessert on the menu. Yes, indeed.

A/N: There's only one chapter left, the epilogue. Please review! It seriously makes my day. :)