The five of us don't all have lunch together for our next set of cla.s.ses, but I was still lucky enough to end up with Kent and Rosie, plus Reilly and Rhiannon. So I don't think hiding out in the library will even be an option for me again anytime soon.

And as a bonus, I get a different teacher for my science cla.s.s next semester too.

Chapter 29.

I'm already liking the Valentine's Day Festival way more than I liked the Halloween one. A couple months after first getting together with Kent, I'm still a giant ball of sappy emotions, and everything from the heart shaped streamers, to the punch, to the kissing booth in the town square speaks to my soul. I love love.

Even though Kent and I are couple now, we still go to the festival with Jen, Rosie and Frank. Or at least we were supposed to, but Frank has decided not to make an appearance. More specifically, he's promised us that there is no amount of money we could have paid him to get him to go.

We wander around the square, eating heart-shaped chocolates on a stick. And once again, I'm on the lookout for my family. My parents aren't here this time around, choosing to use the opportunity when most of us were out of the house to have a date night of their own, going to a restaurant together in the next town over. Reece is here with her now second Fairview boyfriend. This one, Tom, has lasted for three weeks already. From the way she talks about him, I'm a little surprised it hasn't ended already but I wouldn't be surprised if she was holding out until after the Valentine's Day festivities. Both she and Reilly are here with a big group of friends.

Rhiannon, who broke up with Derrick after he bailed from coming to see her for New Year's Eve, is staying home to enjoy having the house to herself. Though I'm at least a little tempted to call and check in... just to make sure she's really there.

"Have I mentioned how much I love your hair?" Kent asks. All four of us somehow convinced our mother to let us re-dye our hair a little earlier than planned so we would have everything looking it's best for Valentine's Day.

And he has mentioned it, multiple times. Instead of going with the pink streak I'd once imagined, I actually ended up going a little bolder. The top of my haircut is still its natural color, but the entire lower half is a deep and vibrant purple. Reece has now gone almost fully blond, and Rhiannon has toned down her red look, but just a little. This time round, Reilly decided to mix it up and add in a few highlights to her own look. And yet somehow, people still confuse us for one another.

"Stop it, I'm blushing."

"You really are," Rosie points out. "You make it seem like he barely ever complements you. Kent, that is not how you treat a lady. You should be telling Reagan every day that she is the prettiest girl ever."

And now I am blushing so hard my face must be bright red, because Rosie is completely teasing both of us. It was only last week that we managed to tone things down enough that she stopped giving us a hard time when we were constantly complementing one another. And even I can admit we were getting a little ridiculous. "Actually, I have good news. Completely unrelated to how attractive I find Reagan."

"Oh yeah?" I ask, giving Kent's hand a squeeze of grat.i.tude for the distraction.

"Well, my mom went to high school with Mrs. Bishop. The lady who runs the animal shelter. If Reece is still looking to get in for volunteering, I can talk to her."

It takes me a second to figure out what he's saying. "Really? That's amazing!" If I can do anything to help Reece find something to get her feet planted here in Fairview, I'm open to the idea.

"Well, my mom gets that she owes your family a bit of a favor."

"Why? Because she showed up on our doorstep on her first day in town looking for new story."

"Unfortunately, no. I think it's because she's planning to do more of the same in the future." Kent grimaces.

I want to ask what he means, but before I can, I see my sisters and their friends appear from around the corner. They're both easy to spot, even within a crowd of nearly a dozen people. It's like I have an extra sense when it comes to them.

Soon enough, our group merges with theirs and I'm one of three nearly identical people in a crowd. At the first opportunity, I pull Reece aside.

"Were you still interested in volunteering at the animal shelter?" I ask.

"Not an option," Reece answers, her smiling falling away instantly. "Maybe by the time we're seniors I'll make enough of an impression around here to try again. But probably not."

"What if I had an in? Or, specifically, Kent did. Would you be interested then?"

"Ummm... yes. I would be interested! And forever grateful. Have I mentioned that Kent is my new favorite person?"

"Hey," Tom says from behind her, pulling her backwards for a kiss. Reece rolls her eyes, but I can tell she's loving the attention.

If nothing else, it's nice to see Reece really start to find herself again. Things didn't go how she'd hoped at first, but I'm starting to suspect that next year will be when she really shines.

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end.