Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Even before Mrs. Thomas announced that she was going to walk down each aisle of the classroom and return the test papers, Sue was filled with worry and fear. She remembered taking that test. She'd never forget it as long as she lived.

It was the test she'd stayed up all night studying for- the one that had forced her to sharpen her beloved unicorn pencil so much that the unicorn was completely gone, leaving only two colors- seafoam green and ocean blue. Soon there would be nothing left, and it would be just a memory. A feeling of panic came over her when she recalled the day that her mom had walked into her room and handed her a small paper bag.

"What's this?" Sue asked.

Her mom wore a suspiciously bright smile "It's for you!"

Sue gazed at the sparkly pastel colored pencil adorned with her favorite animal in awe. It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen.

"But why?"

"Well, I had to give you something for helping around the house!"

"But you made me do it!"

"I know, but I just wanted to show you how much I appreciate it."

She hugged her mom tightly. "You shouldn't have done this, Mom. It's so expensive!"

"Not really. I bought it at the Frugal Hoosier!"

Sue treasured that pencil. Her mom may have bought it at the Frugal Hoosier, but Sue knew that it was quite a sacrifice. They didn't have a lot of money as it was, and it wasn't right for her mom to go around buying things that weren't absolutely necessary. A number two yellow pencil would have been just fine.

The memory faded, bringing her back to reality. Why, oh why had she spent all that time worrying about her unicorn pencil when she should have been studying for her test?

The closer Mrs. Thomas came to her desk, the more worried Sue became. She turned around and faced her best friend who was sitting behind her reading his textbook. Or at least he was pretending to read it. But this was not the time for reading-pretend or no pretend.

Annoyed, she pushed the book down with her fingers, forcing him to look at her.

"What?"

"Brad, how can you be so calm?" She hissed.

"What are you talking about? I'm always calm."

This was a lie of epic proportions. Brad had been known to freak out on many occasions-usually those involving song and dance.

"I mean about this test! God, I'm so nervous!"

Brad, being Brad, simply flashed a perfect smile. "Sue, calm down! You've got this!"

She tried to smile back-she really did. Brad was a wonderful guy-the best friend she could ever have. He was always encouraging her in any situation. But no amount of smiles-or even song and dance-would help her this time. Still, she appreciated the reassurance.

"Thanks Brad."

His hand covered hers. "Sue, you're a good student! Just remember that, all right?"

She let out a deep, frustrated sigh. "I guess…"

"Come on, where's the Sue Heck I know and love-the one who is full of self-assurance, sunshine and rainbows?"

Her confidence lifted, she smiled at him. "You're right! I am a good student!"

"That's the spirit!" He shouted, punching his fist in the air and earning an unsettling glare from Mrs. Thomas.

"I know I passed this test with a rainbow of flying colors! I-."

When she felt Mrs. Thomas' presence, Sue slowly turned around and glanced at the piece of paper that lay face down on her desk. The sight sent her heart racing out of control. It was as though any attempt to touch the sheet of paper would invoke the worst punishment imaginable; suspension, expulsion, or worse. But Brad was right. She had to face the facts and the sooner she took control of the situation the better. She shut her eyes and turned the paper over and then forced herself to look.

The red numbers glared at her and a feeling worse than the worst possible seasickness followed. Any minute she was sure that she was going to lose it-and not just mentally.

She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. And then she felt him glancing over her shoulder. "So how bad is it?"

Embarrassed to show the test to even her closest friend (the one person she trusted more than anyone else), she shook her head. "I-I can't!"

"Come on, Sue! How bad can it be?"

When she frowned he grinned brightly. "I'll show you mine if you'll show me yours!"

She couldn't even bring herself to laugh at his attempt at humor. And she had to admit it was funny. Instead she felt like crying.

"Come on…" he coaxed.

"No! It's embarrassing!"

"Please?"

"Oh… all right. I have to show it to someone. You might as well be the first." Her hand trembled as she picked up the paper and handed it to him. He took one look at it and grimaced.

"Ouch!"

"God, Brad I've never done this badly on anything, ever!"

"Calm down, Sue! It's just one test!"

"Yeah, today it's just one test, but what about the next one? And the one after that? I can't do this, Brad! I can't! I don't know what I was thinking, trying to convince

Mom and Dad that I was smart enough to be in Advanced Algebra! I have no idea what I'm doing here! I feel like a complete idiot!"

"You're not an idiot, Sue! You're smart!"

"Not smart enough."

"You're being way too hard on yourself. This was the hardest test I've taken so far! Believe me, I struggled with this one!"

His words made her soften a bit. "Oh yeah? What did you make?"

"You sure you want to see?"

"Yeah."

But when he lifted his paper and she glanced at his grade, she groaned. His grade was much higher than hers. "Gee, thanks Brad. Congratulations."

"I'm sorry." He said. "Maybe I shouldn't have showed it to you."

"No, it's all right. I'm happy for you." It wasn't a lie; she really was happy for him, but why couldn't she be happy for herself, too?

"Like I said, Sue… you're smart!"

"No I'm not! Brad, my parents are going to kill me!"

Sue, relax, all right? You're parents are great. I'm sure they'll understand."

"They won't understand this. Don't you get it? Do you have any idea how many meetings my mom and dad had to go to in order to get me into this class? Axl is the one who gets bad grades! Not me!"

"Sue-."

"I mean, I'm not perfect, but I get much better grades than Axl! Or… at least I used to…"

"I promise everything will be fine."

"Are you sure?"

He drew an X on his plaid shirt with his hand and smiled. "Cross my heart!"

"Well, I hope you're right."

"I am right! You have nothing to worry about!"

Even though she trusted Brad completely, there was nothing she could do but worry.

Chapter Text

Normally the sound of the last bell would send Sue hurriedly grabbing her belongings to run out of the building. But on that day she moved slower than normal, walking at a snail's pace through a sea of kids as she headed for her locker. When she arrived, she was even more sluggish.

She carefully removed each and every folder and book, along with her sparkly binder and stuffed them into her pink and purple backpack. But when she attempted to sling the backpack over her shoulders, she realized that it weighed a ton and she risked a serious back injury. But her future was fading before her eyes, and an impending backache was the least of her worries. Frustrated, she slammed her locker door shut and winced at the clanging sound that it made.

As she made her way down the hallway, she realized that she was carrying more books than it was possible for one person to read in one evening. But given the fact that she'd completely bombed Mrs. Thompson's Advanced Algebra test, she couldn't afford to take chances. She was determined to study as much as possible, even if it meant using up her entire unicorn pencil in the process.

Walking was an even slower process, due to a sudden wave of kids who rushed past her, nearly knocking her to the ground.

"Hey, watch it, all right?" She yelled at a group of cheerleaders who just laughed as they literally pushed her aside. She wanted to cry, but didn't dare. Besides, what did she care about some stupid cheerleaders anyway? The Wrestlerettes were way better than the cheerleaders would ever be and everyone knew it. Well, okay maybe only she and Brad knew it, but at least it meant something.

Somehow she maintained her composure (and her balance) and began walking down the hallway, albeit more carefully. The crowd had thinned and she gained more confidence. Perhaps she really could do this.

She was almost to the foyer when she was hit again, this time by a bulky blonde-haired wrestler named Dean. "Sorry." He mumbled as she attempted to get out of his way. But unfortunately, getting out of his way meant moving into someone else's path. As she did so, her pink tennis shoe caught on the slick floor and she felt herself flying foreword. It was only a matter of time before she went toppling to the floor, surrounded by half of the student body who would laugh like crazy. She closed her eyes and gasped. But something unexpected happened.

"Whoa! Easy, there!"

She looked up to find herself in the arms of none other than Sean Donahue, who was holding her upright.

"Are you okay, Susie Q?"

For some, strange reason as she gazed into his eyes and saw his smile, her heart began to flutter, just like a butterfly she'd seen on a video in Biology.

"Sean…"

"Yeah, it's me. Wow, good thing I was here. You almost had one heck of a fall!"

She laughed out loud at his joke. "That's funny, Sean!"

"What is?"

"Using my last name as a metaphor? One heck of a fall?"

He grinned. "Oh, right! That was pretty good, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, I…"

"Are you sure you're all right?"

"Yeah, I think so. Thanks."

Suddenly she felt lighter than air. Perhaps it was the way her heart was still fluttering. Or most likely it was the fact that he had carefully removed her backpack from her back.

"I'll take this." He said, hoisting it onto his shoulders. "Whoa, this is heavy! What do you have in here? A ton of bricks?"

"Bricks? Another joke about my brother?"

"What? Oh… right… No, I was just... It's awfully heavy."

"I know, but there are no bricks inside. Just books."

He laughed. I know, I'm just kidding, Susie Q. Wow, I would freak if I had this much homework! I think you should tell your parents because this seems a little excessive, even for this school."

"It's not really homework, I just…" her voice trailed away. She couldn't bring herself to tell him what had happened in Advanced Algebra. "Look, I have to go, all right? Thanks for saving me."

"No problem, anytime!"

The feeling of dread returned and she practically forgot all about how Sean Donahue had saved her from impending doom.

Her chest felt tight and she began to walk faster and faster until she felt him behind her. But she kept right on walking, never daring to turn around. She pushed the door open with her hand and once outside, the cool breeze hit her in the face.

"Susie Q, wait up!" he called to her.

"I-I need to get home, Sean!" She called back, looking straight ahead. "Th-the bus will be here any minute!"

He could feel him walking behind her but she couldn't look at him and once she reached the steps, she hated that she had to slow down in order to keep from tripping.

"All right." He finally said. "But at least let me return your backpack."

She no longer cared about her books, or school in general. She just wanted to leave as quickly as possible. But she'd barely reached the end of the first set of steps when she slumped down and began to sob into her hands.

Chapter Text

She was still crying when she felt someone sit down beside her. A comforting arm went around her back.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

She expected to see Brad and had even imagined that it was his voice speaking to her. But instead she saw Sean, looking at her with his dark green eyes. She wanted to tell him everything, but he'd only tell Axl and that would make her feel even worse.

"Come on Susie Q, this isn't like you. What's wrong? I promise I won't tell a soul."

She looked up in amazement. It was as though he could read her mind. But how could a smart, athletic and handsome guy like Sean Donahue possibly understand?

"Hey, it can't be that bad, can it?"

"It's worse!" she cried.

"I see… Is it a guy?"

"No… besides, no guy would want to be seen with me."

"That's not true and you know it! Now come on, tell me what's wrong. Please?"

"Well..." She had already humiliated herself in front of Brad. What harm would it do to show her test to Sean? Her backpack had mysteriously appeared behind her and she turned to unzip it. Among the collection of books in every subject was the purple folder adorned with stars and hearts that said 'Friendship Forever'. Carefully she removed the folder and opened it, cringing as the horrific grade from her test glared at her. Certain that he would never speak to her again, she handed the test to Sean. "Here."

"What's this?" He asked. And then she saw the look in his eyes. "Oh… ouch!"

"That's what Brad said. Oh God I'm such an idiot Sean! What was I thinking, taking Advanced Algebra? It's way too hard and if tell my parents after everything they did to get me into the class, they'll kill me!"

"Advanced Algebra, huh? Who's your teacher?"

"Mrs. Thomas."

"Oh man, I remember her. She's tough. Probably the toughest teacher in school."

"Or I'm just dumb."

"You're not dumb, all right? This stuff is hard! Even I had trouble in it."

"Really? What grade did you get?"

"Oh, well, that… that doesn't matter, but her class was brutal!"

"I don't know what to do, Sean! Brad said it's just one test, but what about the rest of them? Axl's the one who gets bad grades, not me!"

Sean laughed out loud, but then stopped when she didn't laugh along. "I'll tell you what, Susie Q… I have football practice today and tomorrow but the next day I'd be happy to stop by and help you after school."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Really?"

"Sure, no problem."

Instinctively, she threw her arms around him. "Thank you, Sean!"

"You're welcome. Now you'd better hurry because the bus is here."

"Oh, right." She reached for her backpack but he was one step ahead of her, and slung it over his shoulder.

"Come on, I'll walk with you."

"Thanks."

They walked to the sidewalk where the bus was waiting and as soon as she climbed in, he handed her the backpack. "Be careful with that. It's awfully heavy. Maybe next time just bring a few books home, all right?"

She smiled. "Okay, Sean."

"I'll see you tomorrow and I promise I'll be over at your house after school in a couple of days. Coach scheduled an extra practice this week, although I don't know why. We won big against Northern High last Friday."

"Yeah, it was a great game!" She remarked.

"Are you getting on or not?" the bus driver boomed.

Sue turned around in embarrassment. "Oh sorry. See ya, Sean."

"See ya, Susie Q."

She'd barely found her seat when the bus took off. But she didn't care. She just stared about the window at the cute boy who was waving to her from afar.

Chapter Text

When she arrived home, she hurried to her room and slung her much-too heavy backpack onto her bed. She knew that she should get started on her homework right away (and she would), but she couldn't resist reaching for her yearbook and flipping through the pages until she came to his name.

The moment she saw his handsome face, she felt her heart skip a beat and she found that she missed him. But how could you miss someone who lived right next door?

She stared at Sean's picture for as long as possible-that is, until the door flew open and she saw her brother standing in the doorway.

"Axl, I told you to knock before you come in here!"

"Whateves." He replied. "I need a pencil!"

"Get your own stupid pencil, all right? I'm busy!"

"Um, you don't look busy."

"Well, I am, so just leave! There are probably a thousand pencils in your room if you'd just clean it up once in a while!"

"Aw come on- just let me borrow one of yours! You've got to have one somewhere in this-." When he reached for her backpack, he cringed. "God, what's in here? Bricks?"

It had been funny when Sean said it, but Axl just made it sound stupid. "No, they're books, okay? I'm trying to study."

He eyed her suspiciously and then his gaze fell on the yearbook that lay open on her bed. "You're studying the yearbook?"

"No, I-."

"Sue?"

"What? Axl, I said go away, all right?"

"Why are you looking at Sean's picture?"

She was certain that her face was as pink as her backpack. "I-I wasn't." she stammered. "I was just…Um, looking at Jeff Donnelly's picture. Not that it's any of your business."

"Jeff Donnelly, huh? That guy that moved to China over the summer?"

"Yeah, what about him?"

"The guy you've never mentioned at all before now?"

"Axl, what are you saying?"

"I'm just saying it's weird that you're staring at a guy's picture that you've never spoken to before!"

"I've never spoken to Justin Bieber either but I stare at his picture! And I know for a fact that you've never spoken to Natalie Portman!"

"Hey, how did you know about that?"

"Just… get your stupid face out of here, please?"

"Okay, but something's going on and I'm going to find out what it is!"

"Axl, what are you doing?" She watched in horror as he went to her backpack and unzipped it. "I still need a pencil! I'll just take this one!"

She sprang from her bed and tried to run after him. "No! Not my unicorn pencil! Come on, give it back!"

He held it up high and laughed, moving it in the air as she lunged for it. And for good measure he pressed on her forehead to keep her from reaching it. "Nope, it's mine now!

Well what's left of it, anyway!"

She reached him just as he slammed the door and then sighed. So much for her favorite pencil. Knowing Axl, it would get lost in the abyss of his room and she'd never see it again.

"Whatever, Axl! Goodbye!" She said to the emptiness.

For good measure she took one last glance at Sean's picture and went to find a good hiding place for her yearbook. However, when the page fell open again, she noticed Sean's unmistakable handwriting; 'To Susie Q, friends forever, Sean Donahue'.

It was funny how such simple words could make her smile.

Chapter Text

She was awake well before her alarm clock went off the next morning (not that she'd gotten any sleep for tossing and turning) and she spent the extra half hour quietly rummaging through her closet for something suitable to wear to school. Normally she would have chosen her pale blue sweatshirt with kittens on it and a pink pair of jeans, but that day she needed something more. After what seemed like forever, she finally found it.

Excitement filled her as she reached into her closet and searched through the rainbow of colors that made up her wardrobe. When she removed a dark blue sundress with tiny yellow flowers scattered across the neckline, she knew she'd found the right thing. Paired with a pale yellow shirt, it was perfect. She'd almost forgotten that she owned it, for it was far beyond something that she would normally wear. But once she spotted it in the store, she knew she had to have it. Buying the dress wasn't planned, but when her dad had come home and announced that he'd gotten a raise and wanted to take someone shopping, she was happy that she was the only one around. She wholeheartedly agreed to go with him and they made their way to the Orson Outlet Mall. When they arrived, she couldn't believe her ears. Her dad actually suggested that she pick out whatever she wanted. So while he went to the Plaid Shirt Barn next door, she popped into a boutique. It was there that she saw the sundress, hanging on a rack.

He returned moments later carrying a bag containing what had to be a new plaid shirt, she showed him the dress. At first he didn't seem impressed, but when she showed him the price tag (90% off!) he bought it for her, and then mumbled something along the lines of "It's about time". She wasn't sure what he meant, but she was pretty sure that it had something to do with the change in her wardrobe. When she asked him to repeat what he said, he just nodded and said "Nothing. It's great!"

She smiled brightly. "Really?"

"Yeah, I like it!"

She admired herself in the store mirror and twirled around. "Thanks! So do I!" She couldn't wait to get it home, but since then she hadn't had an occasion to wear it… until now.

She could have picked something else to wear to school, but nothing else seemed suitable. And once she made up her mind, there was no changing it. Now she stood in front of her full length mirror and smiled. Perhaps she was a bit overdressed for school, but she didn't care. After all, a girl had a right to look her best. When she was satisfied with her appearance, she picked up her much too heavy backpack and dragged it into the kitchen.

Her mother was the first to notice. "Wow! Look at you, all dressed up! Where did you get that dress?"

"Dad bought it for me."

This set off her mother and Sue wished that she hadn't said anything at all. Her mom's glare went to her dad, who just looked at her. "What?"

"So you'll buy Sue a new dress but not me, huh?"

"Frankie-."

Her mom threw down her dishtowel. "Well, that's just great!"

"Look, how was I supposed to know that she was going to buy a dress? I took her shopping and told her to buy whatever she wanted. But I figured she'd come out with… I don't know a rainbow purse or something!"

Sue recoiled when her mom shot her a look similar to the one that her dad received. "I'm sorry, Mom. I didn't know."

"It's fine." her mom said. "You look very nice."

Sue held out the hem of her dress and twirled around. "Thanks!"

"And you!" She snapped, glaring at Sue's dad. "You owe me a dress!"

"Fair enough." Her dad said, picking up the newspaper.

They sat down to breakfast and began to eat.

"So…" Sue's mom asked. "What's the occasion?"

She looked up in horror. She hadn't expected this question, although she probably should have.

"Oh, um… today is picture day!" she lied.

"I thought that was last week." Her dad remarked.

"Well, it was, but um… these are retakes!" Sue lied again, by way of explanation.

"Retakes? But honey, you said that the last pictures were the best you'd ever taken. And I have to say I agree."

"Right, Mom, but… well, those came out so good, that I… I wanted to take them again. Maybe these will be even better!"

Axl rolled his eyes. "I smell something."

"Yeah, it's probably you!" Sue snapped.

"Yeah Axl." Brick chimed in. "When's the last time you took a shower? , something does smell different…" He climbed off his chair and went over to Sue, sniffing the air.

"It's Sue!"

"I don't smell!" Sue shrieked. "I took a shower and everything!"

"No, I meant that you smell…" Brick sniffed again. "You're wearing perfume!"

Quickly she finished off her breakfast and grabbed her backpack before anyone could say anything else. The sooner, she got to school the better. At least there no one would question her choice of clothing. Or at least she hoped not.

Chapter Text

When she arrived at school, she was more than happy to return her books to her locker. What was she thinking, carrying every one of her books home in the hopes of trying to learn everything overnight? Her back ached from carrying her heavy backpack the day before, but she did her best to act like nothing was wrong. However, that afternoon when she entered Mrs. Thomas' Advanced Algebra class, she couldn't help but wince in pain as she sat down at her desk. She was oblivious to the stares that she received from the other students, but Brad rose to his feet, his mouth open.

"My God, Sue! What happened?"

She sat down somewhat causally and smiled. "What are you talking about?"

"This…" He gestured to her dress. "You look wonderful! You're a vision of loveliness!"

She blushed at words that seemed strange coming out of his mouth, but that were nice to hear anyway. "Thanks, Brad."

"So what's the occasion?" He leaned forward and sniffed. "Oh, that perfume is heavenly! What is it?"

"I don't know." She admitted. "But thank you."

When the bell rang, Mrs. Thomas greeted them and began class by announcing an assignment and another test, which made Sue groan.

"Don't worry, Sue." Brad said from behind her. "You'll do much better on this one."

She appreciated his reassurance but she didn't believe him. Still it was a sweet thing to say.

"Have you shown your parents your test paper yet?"

She thought about Sean and how he had been so sweet when she reluctantly showed him her test the day before. But she knew that her parents wouldn't be so sweet. "No…" She said meekly.

"Well, don't worry about it, all right? Everything is going to be fine."

While Mrs. Thomas lectured at the front of the room, Sue found that she couldn't concentrate. And by the time class was over, she looked down at her notebook to find hearts, stars and a name written in the margins….

Sean.

Embarrassed she did her best to hide her notebook from view and continued taking notes on what Mrs. Thomas was talking about. But she couldn't stop thinking about him, wondering when she would see him again.

"You really do look nice, Sue." Brad said as they walked out of Advanced Algebra. "Are you sure there's no special occasion?" And then he gasped. "Oh God, it's not picture day, is it? I meant to wear my blue sweater vest! Oh, this is terrible!"

She feigned surprise. "It's not? Oh I thought it was."

"Well, thank God it isn't because I couldn't leave with myself knowing I had my picture taken in this horrible t-shirt!" He glanced at his shirt that had a picture of a local band. "What was I thinking, wearing this?"

"What are you talking about? It looks great on you!" Sue said.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course!"

His eyes narrowed. "So if it's not picture day, why are you wearing that outfit?"

"Oh I just…"

"Sue, I know when something's up and something's up, isn't it?"

The bell rang, saving her from further embarrassment. "There's the bell. I've gotta go, okay?"

"All right, but this isn't the end of this!" He warned.

"I've gotta go, Brad!" She called to him from the hallway. "See you later!"

Grateful to be away from Brad, Sue made her way into the hallways, silently searching for Sean at every corner.

Chapter Text

As it turned out, Sean was nowhere to be found. Darn it, why did she have to get all dressed up to get his attention if he wasn't anywhere in sight? Suddenly she began to worry. What if he'd gotten sick? He wouldn't be at school, which meant that he wouldn't be coming over to help her with her Advanced Algebra.
But then she felt a tinge of guilt. What was wrong with her, getting mad at Sean for getting sick? He certainly couldn't help it and she was supposed to be his friend!

She quickly brushed off the thought of him not being able to help her. It wasn't like he had promised; he'd only offered. But the worry returned when she remembered the horrible grade that she'd gotten on her last test. She feared that she'd never be able to master Advanced Algebra and at that rate, she'd never finish high school! Oh this was terrible! But then she remembered Brad. Of course! He was the perfect person to take Sean's place! Not only did he sit behind her in class, but he was a great motivator and definitely understood the subject far more than she.

"Hey, Susie Q!"

At the sound of his voice, her heart raced and skipped a beat. She was so happy to see him that she threw herself into his arms and hugged him, but then quickly backed away when he blinked in surprise. "Wow, that was some greeting!" he said. "It's nice to see you too."
She looked him up and down, taking note of how handsome he was in his blue and yellow Hen's Letterman jacket, grey shirt and jeans.

"Sean…" She said. "Thank God!"

"What's wrong?"

"I-."
This time it was he that moved toward her. When his hand went to her shoulder, she felt a shiver go up her spine. "Something happened, didn't it? Was it Advanced Algebra again? Look, I'm sorry I've been busy with football practice lately but I'll be at your house after school. tomorrow, I promise! Hey, I can even give you a ride home! I mean, it's not like I don't know where you live!"

She laughed a little too much at his joke but then stopped when she caught him looking at her. She glanced down at her dress. Clearly she'd chosen the wrong outfit.

"What's wrong?"

"Um, nothing… I… Wow, you look amazing, Sue!"

Her cheeks flushed. "Really?"

"Yeah, that dress is… wow… just…."

"Thanks, Sean."

There was a moment's pause and then he said. "Listen, I've gotta go but I'll see you tomorrow after school..."

"You don't have to do that, Sean. I can ride the bus."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I… I'll just see you later."

"Okay. Bye Susie Q."

"Bye, Sean."

She almost kicked herself for backing out of a ride home but she knew that she'd be inanely nervous sitting in his expensive car, attempting to make conversation. It was better to have him meet her at home as they had planned. She just had to find an even better outfit to wear to school tomorrow.

She was so happy that she practically floated to her next class and through the rest of the day. When the last bell rang, she hurried to her locker, but this time she carefully put her books away, taking only her Advanced Algebra textbook and her notebook with the hearts and stars on it into her backpack. It was much lighter and easier to carry that way. Her back no longer hurt, thanks to the aspirin she had taken the night before, and thankfully she didn't have to tell her parents. If she so much as mentioned her back pain, she'd want to know how it had happened and then she'd be forced to tell them about how she'd carried the entire contents of her locker home because she was worried about her academic future. It would lead to a discussion about her grades and eventually she'd have to tell them about her Advanced Algebra test. It wasn't as though she was afraid of them; not really, anyway. She just worried about what they would think about their reaction to their only daughter getting such a horrible grade on a test in a class that she begged to be let into. They'd never understand.

As she stared out the window of the school bus, her mind drifted back to the day before when she'd nearly been trampled in the hall. Thankfully Sean was there to save her.

She thought about him all the way home. When she walked through her front door, she barely heard her parents' greetings and instead walked right past them in a trance.

"What's wrong with her?" She heard Brick ask.

Axl laughed. "What's not wrong with her?"

She glared at her brother, who was lying across the sofa wearing nothing but boxer shorts and socks and eating pretzels out of a bag.

"Very funny, Axl!"

"Something's going on with you!" He said, eyeing her suspiciously.

Sue feigned innocence. "What makes you say that?"

"You're acting weirder than ever and look at what you're wearing!"

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Sue shot back. "I think I look nice!"

"Well, you thought wrong!" Axl said, laughing at his comment.

"You just don't know fashion when you see it! Besides, Brad and Sean both said I looked nice!"

"Good for Brad and Sean!" Axl said sarcastically. "They must have been delusional!"

"Just leave me alone, Axl!" Sue yelled, wanting to strangle her brother for insulting two of her favorite people. "But give me my unicorn pencil back!"

"In your dreams!"

"Axl!"

"Axl, do what your sister says, whatever that is!" Her dad said, walking into the living room. He pushed Axl aside and sat down on the sofa, taking control of the remote.

Brick said nothing and continued to read his Planet Nowhere book. As usual he was oblivious to everything else in the world. But maybe that was a good thing.

"Axl took my unicorn pencil out of my backpack, Dad!" Sue whined. "And now it's probably buried in his room somewhere! I need that pencil!"

"Oh come on, it's just a stupid pencil!"

"No it's not! Mom bought it for me! And you know that we don't have a lot of money!"

"Axl, get off your duff and go to your room! Don't come out until you find that unicorn pencil! And when you get back I'm going to personally watch you give it back to Sue!"

"What? No way!"

"Yes, way! Now do it!" Her father ordered. "And put on some clothes while you're in there so that you can be properly dressed for dinner!"

"Fine!" Axl grumbled as he climbed off the sofa and walked into the hallway.

Sue was pretty sure that it was just going to be the four of them eating dinner that night. For no way would Axl be able to find her pencil in time. She smiled just a little, at the thought of him tearing his room up, looking for her unicorn pencil, his stomach growling to no end.

Chapter Text

Sue concentrated as hard as she could on dinner, but it was nearly impossible. Thoughts of Sean came at her from every angle, getting in the way. She couldn't help but wonder what he was doing at that very moment. Most likely he and the rest of the Donahue's were sitting down to dinner in their perfect dining room, having a perfect meal. She sighed and stirred her mashed potatoes around with her fork, hoping that her family wouldn't notice. But of course, they did.

"Sue, is something wrong?"

She glanced at her dad. "No, why?"

"Well, you've been pushing those potatoes around for the last five minutes!"

"Oh…"

"Honey, are you feeling all right?" This, from her mom.

"Yeah, I'm fine." she half-lied. "I was just-."

"I know what it is!" Axl butt in.

Sue's eyes widened in horror. "You do not! You-wait! How do you know?"

"Ah!" Axl shouted, pointing at her as though she was a character on one of those dumb old TV shows that her grandpa liked to watch.

"What? Axl, there's nothing going on!" But she knew that there was no way he'd believe her.

"So you know what's going on here?" Her dad asked.

Axl flashed his famous grin. "Actually no I don't. I lied."

Sue was horrified. "Axl!"

"Knock it off, both of you! Sue, finish your dinner! Axl, go to your room!"

"What did I do?"

"You mean besides annoy me? Nothing yet, but I'll think of something."

"Axl, my unicorn pencil?"

"And find Sue's pencil! I Thought I told you to do that earlier!"

"Axl, do what your father tells you, right now!" Her mother said.

"Fine, I'll go." Axl said, holding his arms up in surrender. "But I know something's up and I'm going to find out what it is!"

"AXL!" Sue screamed.

"What is going on here?" Her mom asked.

"Nothing, Mom! I swear! Axl's just being a pain!"

"Actually both of you are being pains in my -."

"Mike-."

"What about me?" Brick asked, glancing up from his book. They were the first words he'd spoken since they sat down to dinner.

"Just sit and read your book and you'll have nothing to worry about." Mike said. To Axl he asked; "What do you know about something going on with Sue?"

Sue felt the panic rising inside of her. She braced herself for whatever it was that Axl was going tell her parents. Knowing him it could have been anything, but "H-he doesn't know anything, Dad! He admitted it! He knows nothing at all because there's nothing to know!"

"Wow for someone who says nothing is going on, you're sure worried about something!" Axl pointed out.

"Sue, just calm down, all right?" Her mom said. "Axl, go to your room!"

"I can't calm down!" Sue said, her voice quivering. Any moment she was going to start crying and then they'd be sorry.

"Go, Axl! Now!"

"All right, I'm going I'm going!" Axl said. "But I can guarantee you I'm going to find out what's going on with her!"

When he was gone, the dinner table fell silent. But then Sue took a deep breath. "Dad, Axl still hasn't given me back my unicorn pencil! I know it was almost all gone, just a couple of colors left, but I can't ask Mom to buy me another one!"

"That's what this is all about? Some silly pencil?"

"It's not silly, Dad, it's-."

"Mike, just drop it, okay?"

"Okay, I'm going to watch TV then."

"That sounds like a good idea. I'll come in there when I'm finished cleaning the entire kitchen but I hope you don't mind if my hands are rough and dry from scouring all the dishes and the floor like Cinderella."

"Nope, that's fine."

Sue's mom rolled her eyes and sighed. "Thanks for the confidence."

"You're welcome." Her dad replied. "Sue, aren't you going to finish your dinner?"

Sue pushed her plate away. "I'm not very hungry anymore. I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

Against her parents' protests, she made her way to her room, where she could be alone with her thoughts-even if those thoughts were of Sean Donahue.

Chapter Text

Even after she tried reading her favorite book, 'The Magic of Unicorns and Rainbows', five times, she still couldn't sleep. In her darkened bedroom, Sue tossed and turned as images of Sean invaded her every thought. In less than twenty four hours he'd be at her house, helping her with her Advanced Algebra. She had no idea when she finally drifted off to sleep, but when she woke the next morning she felt groggy and just plain terrible. Before she could even get out of bed, Frankie rushed into her room and sat down beside her, placing her cold hand just above Sue's eyebrows.

"You're awfully warm, Sue."

"I'm fine, I promise." Sue replied.

"Maybe you should stay home from school today. Axl can-"

"NO!" she didn't mean to shout and Frankie was certain to know that something was up. Quickly she came up with an excuse… which wasn't an excuse at all. "I mean,

I can't miss school! I have to go to Advanced Algebra!"

"But Sue-."

"I know how hard you and Dad worked to get me into that class and I-I don't want to fall behind. I'll be all right, Mom."

"Well, okay, but if you feel the slightest bit of discomfort, I want you to go to the nurse's office and have them call me, you promise?"

"I promise."

"Great, now get dressed. I don't want you to be late."

"Thanks, Mom."

When Frankie was gone, Sue looked through her closet, determined to find yet another perfect outfit for school. It took longer than she intended, but she finally decided on a pink sweater and leggings with black dots. It was far less inconspicuous than her sundress from the day before, but still sophisticated and stylish- or so she hoped.

"Wow, you look great! Frankie said when Sue walked into the living room. "Don't tell me… today is makeup day for the makeup class pictures?"

"No…"

"Oh come on, Sue. I was just kidding!"

Sue feigned laughter, but as usual, Frankie saw right through it, and approached Sue for another temperature check. "You don't feel as warm as before, but-."

"Mom, I'm fine, okay? I need to get to school!" Seconds later she was almost hit squarely in the face by the front door.

"Oh sorry." Axl said, trying unsuccessfully to hide his laughter.

"I'm glad you think it's funny, because I don't!" Sue snapped, brushing past him to get out of the house.

"Axl, did you tell Sue how nice she looks today?" Frankie asked.

"No, why?"

"Because she does and since you're her brother, you should tell her that."

"I will when she does, but until then I won't!"

"Axl!"

"What!"

"Never mind, Mom! Just forget it!" Sue said. "I have to get to school!"

"Oh my God, what is your obsession with school?"

"Well, Axl, there's a prize when you finish! It's called graduation!"

Axl went on and on about the benefits of laziness but Sue simply ignored him (which was pretty easy to do) and ran for the bus, anxious to get to school.

If picking out her clothes to wear to school had been impossible, then getting through the day was a thousand times harder. And even that was an understatement. As they had in her sleep and at dinner the night before, thoughts of Sean swirled in her head. If only she could tell one of her friends like Carly, she'd feel a lot better, but she was way too embarrassed. She trusted her friends with most things, but not with this. She'd never hear the end of it if her constant thoughts about Sean Donahue were to fall out into the open. It was best to keep it to herself. Eventually a new guy would surface and take over her thoughts and Sean Donahue would go back to being the boy across the street. She just hoped it happened soon.

Somehow she managed to get through most of her classes without falling apart, but Advanced Algebra was an entirely different story. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't concentrate on a word that Mrs. Thomas was saying. And when Mrs. Thomas caught Sue staring out of the window and called her out for it, the sound of laughter was overwhelming.

"May I have the hall pass, please?"

"All right, but hurry back. I don't want you to miss anything and believe me, Sue Heck; you don't have the luxury that other students have of missing important information."

Sue wasn't sure just how deep humiliation could run, but she was sinking fast. She could feel Brad's sympathetic stare without even looking at him as she took the hall pass and mumbled a polite thank you to Mrs. Thomas before carefully sprinting down the hall to the girl's restroom. It was there, in the far corner stall where she carefully closed the door and stood with her head leaned against it, crying like there was no tomorrow.

Minutes later she forced herself to calm down and washed her face in the sink. She returned to the class room, once again, ignoring Brad's concerned look.

"Are you better now, Sue?"

"Yes, Mrs. Thomas. Thank you." Sue mumbled, returning the hall pass. She went back to her desk and sat down, trying even harder to forget about the tree outside of the window-the one that reminded her so much of the tree in the Donahue's yard that Sean helped her climb so many years ago.

"Now, that concludes the instructions for the next assignment, which I have written on the board. It is to be handed in tomorrow morning, no questions asked. And there will be a test on Friday."

The class groaned, almost in unison and just seconds before the bell rang. Sue sprinted out of her seat and headed for the door, but not before she was stopped by Brad, who put his hand on her shoulder.

"Sue, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. Why?"

"Come on, it's me. I know when something's wrong. Believe me, I'm the master at being able to tell when something's wrong."

"Brad…"

"I thought I was your best friend!"

"You are, but… I have to go, all right?"

She moved past him and headed for her locker, feeling guilty when she saw him standing in the doorway, watching her. He was the best friend that anyone could have-and she was clearly the worst. If she couldn't tell him what was going on in her life, then she really and truly had no one. And that was the most awful feeling ever.

Chapter Text

By the time she got home, she was so nervous she could hardly breathe. It wasn't as though Sean had asked her out on a date. That would have been much worse-in the best sort of way-and he'd come over to their house more times than she could count. But this time he wasn't coming over to see Axl. He was coming over to see her.

She dropped her backpack onto the living room floor and hurried to her room. It was time to do something drastic. Flinging her closet door open, she grabbed a pink shirt and a red one and carried them both into the living room.

"Mom, which one of these shirts do you like the best? Because I-."

She froze when she saw not her mother but Axl standing in the middle of the living room, wearing a stupid grin on his face. Her backpack lay on the sofa, unzipped and in Axl's hand was her purple notebook adorned with stars and the words "Friendship Forever" on the front. But inside was something that she didn't want anyone to see.

"I think I like this one best!" he grinned.

"Axl, what are you doing with that?"

"It was right here on the table so I picked it up!"

"W-well… put it back! Right now!"

"No, I don't think so. In fact, there's something very interesting in here."

Her eyebrows rose. "What are you talking about?"

"Ah, wouldn't you like to know?"

"Yes, I would! Now hurry up and tell me!"

He opened the folder and that's when she saw it-the page of notes that she'd taken in Advanced Algebra. Even though she was standing too far away to actually read it, the hearts and stars told her all she needed to know. He wouldn't…. he couldn't….

She looked her watch. Sean would be over any minute and she still hadn't decided what to wear so she rushed to her room and put the two shirts back into the closet.

What she had on was fine-or at least it would have to do. Besides, if she changed her clothes, Axl might become even more suspicious.

The doorbell rang, nearly causing her to jump out of her skin.

"Axl, get that, would ya?" Mike's voice called. Her dad… thank God he was home… Hopefully he could talk some sense into his oldest son, but Sue seriously doubted it.

"Sure, Dad. No problem." Axl replied.

In her room, she could hear Axl open the door.

"Hey Sean, what's up? Wait, we didn't have something planned today, did we? Because I'm sure I would have remembered. Are we going to scour the fast food places and stuff?"

"No, actually I came over to see Sue. She's home isn't she?"

Sue glanced at her refection in the mirror to make sure she looked presentable. Her heart was racing but she hoped that it would slow by the time she got into the living room. As casually as possible began to make her way living room, displaying a bright smile.

But what happened next was the worst thing that could have ever happened. Actually make that far beyond the worst thing.

"What's that?" Sean asked, eyeing the folder in Axl's hand. "Looks like Sue's folder."

"You're absolutely correct. But there's something very interesting in here that you might want to see."

"Why would Sue's homework be interesting to me?"

"I don't know…" Axl said. "You tell me."

Sue gasped in horror when she saw him open the folder and remove her page of notes-the ones that had Sean's name scribbled on them, surrounded by hearts and stars.

But she didn't stay to witness Sean's reaction. She was fully aware of her own. Her eyes filled with tears and her body began to tremble. Of all the horrible, despicable things that Axl had done, this was by far the worst. Never in her life had she felt so small, or so stupid. Why would a guy like Sean Donahue like someone like her?

They were like night and day times twenty. She didn't have to worry about him liking her anymore, even as a friend. Her life, as she knew it-and her friendship with Sean was over.

She was doomed to fail Advanced Algebra, but she didn't' care about that now. She didn't care about anything.

Her chest hurt so badly that it hurt to breathe. And when a sob escaped, she turned around and ran to her room, flinging herself onto the bed. It was there that she cried into a pillow, afraid that she may never be able to stop.

Chapter Text

A soft knock on the door made her lift her head from her pillow. When she tried to climb off of her bed, she felt a little dizzy and it took some effort to cross the room. Most likely her dad found out what Axl had done and had come to talk to her. Or maybe Axl really did have a conscience and has come to apologize. No, that would never happen in a million years. If anything, Axl was probably coming to give her a hard time about liking Sean. It was something that Axl would definitely do.

She brushed the tears from her cheeks. "I'm coming."

But the person in her doorway wasn't the person she expected at all. "Sean…"

"Hey, Susie Q."

She sighed at the sweet nickname that she no longer deserved. "Axl's room is that way." She said, pointing in the opposite direction.

"Yeah, I know. Look, may I come in?"

She opened the door wider. "Sure."

"May I?" He asked, gesturing to the bed.

It seemed a little strange to have Sean Donahue sit on her bed, but she didn't have the heart to send him away, as much as she wanted to-and didn't want to.

"Yeah, go ahead. Sorry I don't have any comfortable chairs. I really wanted this cool one that we saw in a recliner store, but my dad said no way and then Axl-."

Sean grabbed her hand and pulled on it gently. "Come and sit by me, okay?"

"O-okay." She braced herself for the 'I like you but not in that way' talk that always seemed to come from boys she really liked and wanted to be more than friends with. Reluctantly (and willingly) she sat down beside him.

"Oh, before I forget-here." He handed her the page of notes that she had taken in Advanced Algebra.

"Thanks. Sean? About this? It's not what it looks like, I swear!"

"It's not?"

"NO! I didn't know what I was thinking, Okay? I mean, that class has me so mixed up that I just found myself daydreaming instead of listening to Mrs. Thomas which is why I'm doing so badly in it. But I wasn't daydreaming about you, I swear it!"

"You weren't?"

"No! Of course not!" if there was a punishment in the afterlife for telling lies to your friends, she was sure that she was going to get the worst punishment imaginable.

But then she saw the smile fade from Sean's face.

"Oh… well, that's too bad."

Her eyebrows rose. "It is?"

"Yeah, because when Axl showed me this-."

"He had no right to do that! None at all! And I'm so embarrassed, Sean! Even though it looks like I was daydreaming about you, which I wasn't! I hate him for this! I hate him so much! It's the worst thing he's ever done!"

"Actually I'm glad that he did it."

"You are?"

"Well, I'm kind of disappointed."

"I don't blame you. I'm the last person that you'd want to have a crush on you." She gasped and put her hand on her mouth. "I-I mean…"

His smile returned. "So it is true? You have a crush on me?"

"Sean-."

"It's okay if you don't, but it's better if you do. Because I was just hoping…"

"Hoping what?"

"Well, there's something I need to say and this is the perfect t time to say it."

"Oh no, please don't tell me that Axl told you something else. Whatever he said was-."

His arm was around her and their lips touched. She was so close to him that she could smell the faintness of his cologne and it was so heavenly that she melted against him. He kissed her over and over again until she finally drew back, her eyes wide in disbelief.

"Sean…"

"I'm sorry Sue. I shouldn't have done that."

"I know-."

"No, I take that back. I'm not sorry. I'm only sorry that I didn't do it sooner."

"But-."

"I like you, Sue Heck. I like you a lot. And I'm flattered that you got all dressed up at school for me. That is why you did it, right?"

"Well, yeah, but-."

"You look absolutely beautiful. And I wish I had told you before now, but it's as good a time as any, right?"

"You really think I'm beautiful?"

"Yeah, I do."

"I'm flattered by this, really. I had no idea, but I wish I had… I should have figured, I guess…"

"I'm sorry if I embarrassed you."

"No way. This means a lot to me. And so do you."

Before she could say anything more, he stood and walked over to her nightstand, returning with her box of Kleenex. "Here."

She took the box and smiled. "What's this for?"

"To dry your tears."

"But I'm not-."

"May I?" He didn't wait for an answer and instead removed a tissue and began blotting away tears that she had no idea existed.

She couldn't help smiling at him and hugged him tightly. "Thank you Sean. Thank you so much."

He held her close. "You're welcome. I'm sorry that Axl embarrassed you but I'm not sorry that he showed me your notes."

Suddenly she drew back. "My notes! Oh no, I completely forgot about class… and that horrible test!"

"Well, that's why I'm here isn't it? To help you?"

"Oh yeah…"

"It's probably not good to study in here so why don't we go over to the burger place and study there? I could really go for a chocolate shake."

"That sounds soo good!"

"What are we waiting for?"

She hugged him again and followed him to the living room. "Just a sec and I'll get my stuff."

"What's going on here?" Axl demanded.

"You just gave me the best gift, man!" Sean said, patting Axl on the back. "Thanks so much."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm ready!" Sue said, slinging her backpack around her shoulders. "See ya later, Axl."

The look on her brother's face was more than worth it and she followed Sean out the door. When they reached the end of the walkway, he stopped and kissed her.

"I'll get the car and drive it around, so just wait here, okay?"

"Of course I will." She said. But she couldn't resist hugging Sean again. She glanced at Axl who was staring at them in disbelief from the front door.

She had to remember to thank him some day.

THE END