Michael and Stephanie sat down in a booth at the back of Frosty's Palace so they wouldn't be disturbed.

'So what's the problem? Spill it,' Steph said her nerves making her aggressive. She'd been on edge ever since he'd said there was something he wanted to discuss.

'Well there isn't one, just yet,' Michael said playing with his straw and she gave him an impatient look. 'The thing is, I'm an exchange student, that's why I'm over here. Once we graduate my parents will be expecting me to go back home, and I don't know if I'd be allowed to stay anyway.'

She frowned slightly taking a moment to grasp what he was saying. 'You mean your aunt and uncle won't let you stay?'

'They might, we haven't properly discussed it. I was thinking more that the authorities wouldn't let me stay. Possibly I could extend my visa if I went to college here, but at this stage, it's all hypothetical.'

Stephanie's stomach sank. 'So why don't you go to college and get another visa?'

Michael's eyebrows knotted together. 'I don't know that I want to. I've been here nearly a year now, it's a big decision not to go back home.'

She felt like he'd thrown a bucket of cold water over her. 'Hold on, you went to all that trouble to make me fall for you and all along you were planning to go back to England?' She was both upset and furious all at once.

'I don't know Stephanie,' he said giving her an apologetic shrug. 'I need to think it through properly, look into all my options. Obviously, I don't want to leave you, but I don't know that I want to go to college here either. There's a lot for me to consider.'

She grabbed a packet of gum out of her purse. 'Right well maybe we should talk about this when you do know what you want.'

'This isn't a reflection on how I feel about you,' he said reaching for her hand.

She met his eyes as she popped a fresh piece of gum into her mouth remembering how much Johnny used to hate her chewing. 'Well, you probably shouldn't factor me into your decision making. I'll probably be sick of you by the time summer's over anyway.' She blew a bubble and Michael forced out a laugh, she guessed the conversation hadn't gone quite as he'd planned.

~~~~

Michael's news had knocked the wind out of Stephanie's sails and she found herself turning back to her friends. She'd reluctantly agreed to go shopping for prom dresses with them but now she was glad of the chance to discuss Michael's bombshell.

'But Steph surely you'd thought about this,' Rhonda said and Stephanie felt a bit dumb.

'I guess I thought he'd emigrated, I dunno, I didn't think.' Until Michael had helped her with her essays she'd never given him a passing thought.

'It'll work out, Michael's head over heels about you, he'll do whatever it takes to be with you,' Paulette assured her. Steph pulled a face, obviously, that was what Paulette was banking on.

'It might not be that straightforward,' Sharon said as she held a dress up against herself before quickly discarding it.

Paulette scowled at her. 'Stop putting a downer on things Sharon!'

'She's right,' Stephanie said glum-faced. 'Michael might not be allowed to stay.'

'Oh don't you worry your head about it,' Paulette said with a big smile. 'It'll work out, now come on we're meant to be finding prom dresses.'

Stephanie idly looked through the sales rack but nothing caught her eye, she wasn't in the mood to get excited over dresses. 'I might not even go to the prom, I'd happily give all these end of year activities a miss.'

'I hope you're not going to back out of the talent show,' Sharon said anxiously. 'It's too late to replace you now.'

'Relax I won't flake out on you.'

Sharon breathed a sigh of relief. 'It's just my mom would kill me if we wound up not entering.' Steph nodded, she knew Sharon's mom was pretty overbearing, and that Sharon would hate to let her down.

'Why does your mom even care?' Rhonda asked. 'My parents are coming but I don't think they'd be hugely bothered if we backed out.'

Sharon sighed. 'My mom thinks that when you take on a commitment you've got to see it through to the end. And I haven't exactly participated in anything else during high school.'

'You should have been a cheerleader,' Rhonda said and Sharon elbowed her.

'And it's not like you won't graduate,' Steph added, Sharon was easily the most academic of them all.

'That means nothing to her, it's non-negotiable that I'll fail to graduate,' Sharon said with a laugh but Stephanie wasn't taken in. She suspected her mom gave her a pretty hard time and she couldn't see Sharon's choice of boyfriend helping. At least if Michael stayed parental disapproval wouldn't be a problem for her.

'I wish it was a given that I'd graduate,' Paulette admitted turning to face them. 'I've barely scraped through. It's a good job I don't want to go to college cos nowhere would take me!'

'So what are you going to do Steph?' Rhonda asked as she rifled through the rails.

'Well, I'll be working at my dad's service station.'

Sharon frowned. 'Is that your long-term plan?'

'I'll need the money, and it saves my dad money as well. It's win win for the family.' She tried not to sound defensive. She didn't feel like she had much choice but one day she could be running the place herself.

Sharon nodded. 'That makes sense.'

'So what about the rest of you?' Stephanie asked. They'd barely spoke the past few months, certainly not about anything serious.

'I'm not sure,' Sharon said. 'I've been accepted to college, and my mom wants me to go so I guess I'll have to.' Stephanie was surprised she sounded so uncertain.

'Well I'm going to college,' Rhonda said. 'I'm not sure whether to stay local though.'

'Won't you miss Goose if you move out of state?' Sharon asked.

Rhonda scoffed. 'You're not going to go to a local college cos of Louis are you?'

Sharon shrugged and Stephanie was a little disappointed in her. She couldn't believe she was letting her boyfriend hold her back.

'Well I think it'll be fun to branch out on my own,' Rhonda said. 'But if I do I guess me and Goose will split up, I can't see him being up for a long distance relationship.'

Paulette's eyes widened. 'Then you should stay to stay local.'

Stephanie scoffed. 'Oh come on, we're only young, we can't make decisions that'll affect the rest of our lives on the basis of who our boyfriends are now. We could all be single this time next year anyway.'

'Well by this time next year I intend to be married to Johnny,' Paulette said firmly, and Stephanie laughed. 'I'm serious, that's what I want to do with my life. I'm not interested in work or college, I want a family with Johnny.'

'Have you told Johnny this?' Sharon asked the corners of her mouth twitching.

'No but only cos guys freak about that sort of thing, he'd think I was putting pressure on him.'

Too right he would, Steph thought.

'But surely you've discussed it a bit, like where you see your relationship going,' Rhonda said her brows furrowing.

'Not really, I mean have any of you?' They all looked at each other.

'A bit,' Sharon said hesitantly before turning her attention back to the dress she was looking at.

'Not at all,' Rhonda laughed. 'Goose would be outta here if I did.'

Steph let out a sigh. 'And me and Michael might have an ocean between us before too long.' There she was thinking she'd finally got a steady boyfriend and the chances were the relationship would soon be over. All that time she'd wasted rejecting Michael. In a way she wouldn't blame him if he did go back to England, she hadn't given him much of a reason to stay.

~~~~

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