The sad expression on Linda’s face did not fit how she should feel. Right now she should feel special, like a princess. Nancy and her friends were Linda’s ladies-in-waiting in getting her ready for her big night. That scarlett princess straight sweep train tulle dresses with appliques lace sequined corset should have made her feel regal. The job Linda and her friends, Gemma and Christina, did on Linda’s hair and for her makeup should added to the sense of regality.

Dawn being on the high ground and Kyle doing a lowdown dirty trick was adding more turbulence to the storm front on the mountain her husband choosen to die upon. She could not believe that he drove Linda to school without also taking Ron. How early they left meant that he was also getting them Micky D’s for breakfast. That was not how they treated their children. If any of their children were going to the same place then they all got a ride. If they were going to give one child a small treat then they all get a small treat.

One of the best things about going to any conference was the networking and socialization. The talks, lectures, and Q&A sessions gave the participants valuable information, but the stated purpose of a conference did not help as much as the human interactions. Making those social connections helped those who went to the conference in many other ways than learning about a new trend. The conference-goers made their network bigger by getting new friends, new job leads, and a nice little bullet point to put on their resume.

Being in the now has the disadvantage of sometimes not seeing changes, even expected ones, until they are upon you. The past month both Luke and Mary were in the now. They were oblivious to how close her graduation was. They paid no mind to the changing of the day on the calendar. They made the unconscious decision to do so. How could they enjoy the bliss of being in the presence of the one who completes them if they knew the clock was ticking on it. That soon they would be without each other.

Caution: There is physical and emotional abuse in this chapter beyond force dressing.

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Walking into the kitchen made the already dejected Rick Shell feel even worse. Nothing today was going his way. He spent the entire morning doing his chores before going over to his girlfriend's place. The most time consuming one was him doing a detailed cleaning of the kitchen. Now instead of being able to get an A rating from the Allenghy’s Board of Health, the room would cause any restaurant to be closed immediately.

Dave Penkula was feeling as good as a person with their first hangover. Jordan's ex was also like a person who had way too many the night before because he was the only one to blame for how he felt. Even with protesting about how Jordan should be wearing a tux to the prom, Dave knew it was his fault they were not going together. Worse, they broke up because he was too bullheaded to give in.

Ross Herweg was standing by the classroom door in his trademark pink and black. The senior who was waiting on a friend, Jordan Kerr, had always worn those two colors when he could. If those colors were good enough for the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be in wrestling then they had to be good enough for him. Those colors were great on him because they brought out his confidence. He was assured of himself since kindergarten to wear his favorite wrestler's colors that fact made his stardust shine from him.

"We are not bound by the Earth. We are all radiant beings made of stardust. Once you know this truth you will be forced to reach for your true potential."
Some drunk fool at a bar.

Luke called back home the morning after the reunification of the Saturday Morning Bike Club. Waiting any longer to talk with his family was out of the question. The call would have come as soon as the friendship rekindled but he was sucked up in the moment. By the time the moment quit dragging him by his hand the time was already 9:00. That is way too late to call back to Pittsburgh.

“I am the GOAT! I am the GOAT!” Lynn Stallworth screamed that statement in joy over and over again after his fallen foe left the game server. The GOAT is Greatest Of All Time and this bold assertion was not coming from the victor’s hubris or an overblown ego. With how this gamer just crushed his faceless opponent to advance in the Madden ‘20 tournament the statement was not far off from the truth.

There were no real changes in Luke or Lori’s life until the spring of their junior year. Luke was thriving in California. Good grades, good friends, and good weather helped Luke to live the good life.

Luke's grades were as high as the waves he loved to ride. His being in the top 20 of his class was going to get him into Stanford. The Harvard of the West Coast was his dream school. The university had one of the best, if not the best, computer engineering programs in the world.

Linda Coville went to her closet. The 18-year-old girl wanted to make sure her turquoise ribbon party dress was ready for her big date on Saturday night. Even with the big night out being two days away Linda wanted to make sure her outfit was ready to be worn. What good was it to have a dress that was elegant, modest, and fun if it was dirty when wanted. The dress had the look she was going for that night. That was the perfect look for where her man, Sam Gracia was taking her, the end of school awards banquet.

The video calls back home leading up to Luke’s Christmas visit did more than preserve his connection with his family. That time together strengthened the connection. His mom, dad and sister asking to be updated about previous topics showed how much they were invested in his life. Luke hanging on their words did the same to them.

Dan Murphy was larger than life. His presence filled up the room more than Brian Blessed’s booming voice. People were naturally drawn to him. Dan being the center of attention wherever he was at was just the natural outcome of Dan being there. Some people think it was his striking blue eyes, or his physical frame also being larger than life. The truth was that Dan was an extrovert who took great interest in others. The personal stake he put into who he met, made him a man of action. Dan not only would say the right thing to make people like him, but also do the right thing.

The Summer was dwindling like the sunset on the days leading to the Winter Solstice. Luke took solace about the finish of the endless summer in the fact the school year was another new start. He was going to school but not back to his old school. The impending feeling of winter was kept away by the promise of a new day and a new start. He would have friends looking forward to seeing him at school. More importantly, he would not have a group of kids looking forward to making him miserable. Starting high school was a new beginning, a springtime in Luke’s life.

The accuracy of a forecast was only good if the right factors were taken into consideration. A good forecast could be wrong when an unlikely factor was not taken into account when making the prediction. This was how the reliable forecast of good time with many laughs was wrong for Renee and Matt’s visit to the Lincoln Way Bike Park. The reason for the change to miserable filled with regret was the sight of Lori walking towards them.

Kassidy Morrison was finishing touching up the makeup on her ex boyfriend when she said “Now it time for you to show all my friends what a cheating slut you are.”

Julian “Jules” Miller was just your average 17 year old boy. He was outgoing, charming, and confident. Being an extrovert made it so he ran in many circles. His charisma made it easy to go in and out of those circles. Lastly, having trust in who he was made it so easy to have three girls, Mia San Giacomo, Nina Sisto, and Torry Minot, as his best friends. The mature boy was so well versed in the song which was who he was that he was able to stay close friends with one of those girls, Mia San Giacomo, when she turned him down 2 years ago.