Two buses left the school for the mall after classes let out. Stacy laid out her plans and expected Chelsea to follow along. Her first priority was a trip to the pharmacy to pick up birth control then on to the lingerie department at JC Penny.

"I have to go to the bank. I have an appointment with my account manager," Chelsea said to Stacy. "The bank is at the far end, so maybe I'll just meet you—"

"Fine, I'm going across the street to the pharmacy at Shaw's. Wait for me at the bank," Stacy demanded.

Chelsea was relieved to avoid the stop at the pharmacy with Stacy. Lingerie shopping with her was enough of a stretch but waiting with her while she bought birth control was far beyond her comfort zone.

Chelsea headed for the mall entrance with unusual excitement while Stacy reluctantly crossed the parking lot towards the pharmacy. A while later, she noticed Stacy pacing in the hall outside of the bank, occasionally peeking in to locate her. Chelsea flashed her hand with her fingers fanned out to indicate that she needed five more minutes, prompting Stacy to returning to the mall and wait. She tucked the stack of Euros she had purchased into the bottom of her purse, making sure Stacy hadn't noticed.

"What did you need to go into the bank for?" Stacy asked when Chelsea finally joined her.

"Oh, just some stuff about my accounts," Chelsea replied.

"You wouldn't believe the shit they put you through getting birth control. Like, do they want me to say forget it, I'd rather just get prego?" Stacy complained aloud as they walked through the mall. "What's with you? You've been acting weird all day."

"What? Weird how?"

"I don't know, just... weird," Stacy said.

Chelsea stopped at the camera department of JC Penny armed with a list of models recommended by her art teacher. She tried a few out before settling on one. Stacy lingered nearby, waiting for Chelsea to pay for her purchase.

"What's with the camera?" Stacy asked.

"I thought it might be nice to do some photography," Chelsea replied.

"What are you going to take pictures of? It's not like you are going anywhere. Two weeks in a hotel in Lewiston; how exciting, like, 'here's a picture of the lobby, and oh, this is a picture of the ice machine near my room and...' Seriously, you could have at least been a little more adventurous and stayed in Portland."

Chelsea tried to formulate a response but decided to let it go. She didn't want to say something and accidentally reveal any hint of her true plans. She hadn't planned on telling Stacy about her trip to Spain, and certainly not the part about following Trevor. She knew she would go on some rant and come up with a dozen reasons she should avoid him. But more troubling than voicing her opinion, Stacy would tell anyone and everyone about it and eventually he would find out. There were two people she didn't want to know about her plans, Stacy was one and Trevor was the other. She could add headmaster Chambers to that list, but surely, not being permitted to assist in making travel arrangements also meant he also wouldn't be permitted to interfere. She couldn't take any chances and would let everyone continue to believe she was checking into a local hotel until Stacy was gone. Afterwards she would come up with some other story that would justify the ride on the shuttle bus to Portland. She couldn't risk any alternate story with Stacy around because she would insist on details Chelsea couldn't provide. The story of staying in Lewiston was boring enough to warrant zero attention but she might have to rein in her excitement to avoid suspicion.

"Okay, are you finally done now? We have to go to the lingerie department," Stacy said. "I think I should get some sexy nighties too. I doubt I'll be wearing them for long, maybe I should just stick with some sexy underwear. What do you think?"

"Listen, I don't think this is a good idea. You and Mr. Andrews, I mean. I think you shouldn't..." Chelsea said hesitantly.

"Why not? He's hot. And, he's totally into me, obviously. He's following me to Florida, it's obvious, and you see how he looks at me in class."

"I just think it's not a good idea. Listen to yourself, you call him Mr. Andrews. That's so creepy. At least if you called him Dale..."

Stacy glared at Chelsea for a moment, "I get it. You're jealous. You think DALE's hot and now that I have him you want him. Just like Trevor. When you saw that I was in love with him you wanted him too."

Stacy's words were cloaked in a mix of sarcasm and anger. Chelsea shook off the initial sting then replied, "It's not like that. I'm not..."

"And, just like Trevor, DALE isn't into you. He wants me," Stacy said before she turned and started to walk away. "I don't need your help anymore."

Anyone else would have tossed a few choice words at Stacy and walked away long before she could make her exit. Her friend's comments stung but she knew Stacy and she knew those words were said in pain. The pain of repeated rejection.

Chelsea watched Stacy walk away. She felt relieved to have, in a way, talked her way out of helping with lingerie shopping. She also felt sorry for Stacy. She was sure there was no truth to her story about Mr. Andrews planning his trip to Florida to be near her. Or was there? As she thought about it a little, she had noticed the occasional flirty exchange in class. Nothing too obvious, just an oddly timed smile or a look. But she was sure she had seen him doing the same thing around other girls. She also knew that Stacy would end up getting hurt, but it was clear she wouldn't listen to anyone. She felt torn at that moment. Should she follow Stacy and help her despite her reservations, or let her go off on her own?

The next stop on her rounds had to be the luggage department. It wouldn't take long and would give Stacy a little bit of time to cool off. A friendly sales lady helped Chelsea pick a medium sized suitcase and a backpack sized to carry her computer, her new camera and assorted essentials for sight-seeing. As she left the department the saleswoman wished her a pleasant trip. Chelsea was looking over her shoulder as she thanked the lady and hadn't noticed that Stacy had stepped in front of her. Apparently, she had cooled off even quicker than expected.

"Trip? Why does she think you're going on a trip? What's with the luggage?" Stacy pried.

"I..." —Chelsea hesitated—"I don't know, maybe she assumes I am buying it for a trip. I need something to carry my stuff, to the hotel."

"Come with me, I need your opinion," Stacy said as she pulled Chelsea's arm in the direction of the lingerie department.

Stacy linked her arm with Chelsea's and pulled her through the store as if she hadn't gone off on her a few minutes earlier. It was a routine to which Chelsea had become accustomed. Stacy would storm off, occasionally tossing out some hurtful remarks on her way, then moments later come back as if nothing had happened. Then, when it was least expected, she would apologize, usually with a cupcake or some frozen treat in hand as a peace offering.

"Slow down," Chelsea pleaded as her new suitcase got hung up on a display cabinet. "Can we stick to the aisles, please."

"I found a set, it's really sexy but I can't decide if I should get it in black with red trim or red with black trim, or just virgin white," Stacy said as she mimed an innocent and flirty look. "Plus, there was this lady looking at me like I'm some sort of hooker or slut or something—shut up! Before you say anything about my Halloween costume again, just zip it!"

"I wasn't going to... well, actually I might have been thinking something," Chelsea giggled.

"Thanks for coming with me. We probably won't have time to eat dinner, but we could get something to go... my treat!" Stacy said as they moved through the store.

By the end of the short drive back to Well Stone, Stacy had shown three other girls her purchase, holding the black thong panty between the tips of her index fingers. The reaction of the girls was a mix of shock and disbelief, not so much about the skimpy garments themselves, but rather the story that accompanied the showing.

"What's their problem? Half those girls wear thongs," Stacy whispered to Chelsea as they walked towards the dorms. "I'm going to try them on again. Dump your stuff in your room then come to mine so we can eat, and you can see how I look. Oh, and do you have any spare razors? I have to do a little landscaping down in the southern garden and forgot to pick up one of those bikini trimmer things. Oh! Never mind, maybe I should have one of those Brazilian wax jobs... Saturday, you gotta go with me. Do you know wh— Forget it, of course you don't. Hurry, just drop your stuff and come to my room."

Over the course of the week that followed the shopping trip, Stacy seemed to become even more obsessed with Mr. Andrews. Chelsea tried to avoid her as much as possible as Stacy's rambling about where and how she hoped to have sex with him became more and more uncomfortable to hear. She used the Saturday morning trip to town to get a few more things and sat patient and embarrassed while Stacy was, as she called it, "having the weeds pulled." She felt a hint of relief when she noticed the rental car Stacy's parents had parked in the drive at the front of the main building was gone. She had hoped to say goodbye, but Stacy left suddenly without a word. She shrugged it off and could now focus on her own preparations without a shadow hanging over her shoulder.

There were two days remaining before the trip that would bring her together with Trevor. She would stay up late and wake up early to pack away her belongings to allow her time to observe him. She joined a gathering of students and teachers in the commons on the Thursday evening before the trip. For Chelsea, this meant serving herself a small plate of snacks and a drink from the table in the middle of the room then finding a place to sit alone and watch everyone else.

Chelsea had seen a change in Trevor over the preceding week that seemed to go unnoticed by others. She heard the stories of misbehavior. She heard that he was drunk after being at a house party in Auburn on Friday night and vomited in the hall when he got back to the dorms. There was more drama in these recent events than normal but that was not what she alone had noticed. He didn't carry that permanent smile or speak with the same carefree tone. In the spaces between laughing with friends and joking with teachers, the smile disappeared, and his eyes would search the floor for something lost in that phone call with his father. In those moments he seemed to look the way she felt most of her life. Alone.

After she returned from using the rest room, Chelsea noticed he was gone. She grabbed a few more snacks and sat and waited. Teachers stopped by on their way out and wished her a happy vacation, but Trevor did not return. There were only a few faculty and a dozen or so students left when she made her way back to her dorm room.