December 23rd, 1987 — Salem, MA
7:12 PM, EST

Dinner at the Everett home proved to be a fancier occasion than Shelby had been expecting.

When Robbo had arrived at Shelby's room to walk with her downstairs for dinner, he was dressed in a blazer and a tie. Shelby, on the other hand, had been wearing the clothes she'd been wearing all day.

She quickly realized that she needed to change.

After ushering Robbo back out of the room, she tore open her suitcase, glad that she had remembered to pack at least one dress.

It wasn't like Shelby owned a lot of dresses in the first place.

She quickly changed into it, a pretty little blue thing that went nicely under her favorite wool sweater. She shoved her arms through the sweater and then opened the door once again, revealing the same well-dressed Robbo that she wasn't quite used to seeing yet.

Rob smiled at her. "Ready for dinner?"

"Sure." Shelby said with a smile. She wasn't quite sure what to expect. She followed the boy downstairs and into the dining room. A long, wooden table sat in the middle of the room, with Mrs. Everett seated on one end and a man, presumably Mr. Everett, seated on the other.

Robbo sat down on the side with two empty plates, so Shelby said next to him. Celia was seated across the table from them.

Anna, the Everett family's housemaid, had prepared chicken and mashed potatoes for dinner, and Shelby was extremely grateful because she was starving.

She quickly began to learn more about the dynamic of Robbo's family — his father, a lawyer, had gone to Harvard and was slightly upset that his son had not decided to do the same. Mrs. Everett spent her days planning events for different committees and watching soap operas. Celia went to an elite private high school, the same one Robbo had also attended, and she liked to cause mischief.

Besides the fancy clothing and the neater hair, Robbo didn't really seem all that different. He was still the charming, charismatic boy that Shelby saw at parties back at MIT.

"So, Shelby, Robert told us you will he working with NASA after graduation?" Mr. Everett asked as he neatly cut his piece of chicken.

"Yeah, I'll be headed down to Cape Canaveral a week after we graduate." Shelby replied with a smile. "I'm excited."

Mr. Everett returned the girl's smile. "Well, I would hope so. That's pretty impressive." He glanced over at his son, giving the boy a look. "Robert here has yet to hear back from anyone."

Shelby glanced over at "Robert", a knowing smirk on her face. She happened to know for a fact that the reason he hadn't heard back from anyone was because he hadn't applied anywhere yet.

"Well, Dad, the career fair is coming up not soon after we get back, so I can get my resume out there." Robbo replied as he stared down at his plate.

Celia sighed loudly, indicating that she was entirely over the conversation. "How's the party scene down at MIT this year?" She asked, abruptly changing the subject.

Shelby shares a glance with Robbo. Did he talk about that kind of stuff with his family? She feared Mrs. Everett might pass out if she heard how expertly her son could down a beer, and Shelby wasn't about to admit she drank — she was only eighteen!

"Well, I met Shelbs here at a party, so I'd say pretty good." Robbo announced, flashing one of his cheeky smiles at the redhead. Shelby flushed and looked down at her plate. So much for acting like she didn't go to parties.

Celia grinned. "I can't wait to go to college."

"Ahh, yes, and Harvard can't wait to have you, dearie." Mrs. Everett piped up.

Celia rolled her eyes and looked across the table at Shelby. "Since Rob decided to become an engineer, my parents have to rely on me to take over my father's law practice. But, that's okay. I'm pretty great at arguing, and I've heard Harvard kids know how to have a good time."

Shelby's eyes went wide as she listened to Celia. The girl was only fourteen, but she seemed wise beyond her years.

"So, you two met at a party, then?" Mrs. Everett was beaming over at her son and the redhead. "Robert's never let me meet one of his girlfriends before."

Shelby cleared her throat and awkwardly smiled at Mrs. Everett. She and Robbo weren't really dating yet, and she hadn't heard about any of the boy's other girlfriends.

"Ma," Robbo looked up, giving his mother a look that indicated he didn't want to talk about it.

Shelby looked back down at her food, pretending as if she was focused on that instead of the fact that she really didn't know anything about Robbo's romantic history.

He'd probably hooked up with lots of girls. He was the type of person that had a lot of casual flings — like Lisa. Like Tony.

It wasn't that Shelby hadn't been with other boys — she just hadn't been with that many.

"Shelby and I are going to head out after dinner." Rob announced. "Keith's having a party."

"Oh, Keith! I love Keith." Mrs. Everett exclaimed.

December 23rd, 1987 — Salem, MA
8:30 PM, EST

Robbo hadn't seen any of his high school friends since the previous summer. Since they were all graduating from their respective colleges and getting jobs, tonight was like the last big hurrah.

He knew Shelby knew how to have fun at a part — he'd seen it first had numerous times. Of course, that was with Stark by her side.

Not that Robbo wasn't fun. He thought himself to be a mighty good time.

He knocked on the redhead's door before saying, "Hey, Shelbs, you ready to go?"

The door opened, and there she stood, fidgeting in an oversized denim jacket and tight black pants. "I don't know what to wear. What do people wear here?"

Rob laughed. "Clothes, Shelby. You look great. Come on."

Shelby groaned. "Everyone seems so preppy, and I just ..." She sighed and looked over what Robbo was wearing. He'd changed out of the prep wear he wore to appease his parents and was back in his usual stuff, a white t shirt and his black leather jacket.

"Shelby, it's okay. Come on. My friends are gonna love you." Robbo shot the girl a grin before offering her his hand and leading her downstairs and to his car.

As they drove, Robbo decided to ask how she was doing. "How are you doing? Since everything went down with your grandma?"

Shelby sighed and leaned her head against the car window. "I mean, I knew I didn't have her support, but ... I don't know. I feel like I was standing on a rug and it was just pulled out from anything." She glanced over at him and offered a slight smile. "Thank you, though. For everything."

Robbo nodded. "Of course. You know I've got your back. So does Tony. And your girl friends."

"I know." Shelby said quietly.

Rob's family had always been perfect. They lived in a nice house in a nice neighborhood, wore nice clothes, went to a nice school. His parents had always been supportive, and they'd always had money. He'd never felt alone. He knew he could never relate to Shelby on what was happening to her. He couldn't imagine having a family that didn't always have your best interest in mind.

He reached over and took her hand in his, giving it a squeeze. He wasn't sure how things would end with Shelby, and part of him still thought she was in love with Tony and didn't realize it, but for now, he just really wanted to live in the moment with her, because he really liked her.