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TIA IN THE MIDDLE Thanks sooo much April for letting me use your spoilers Tia in the Middle Spoilers (beginning journal) Jessica Wakefield Maybe it's not such a big deal that Jeremy and I are going to different colleges. I mean, I love him, and I'll miss him a lot, but then again, I'm lucky that he's stayed as he has. Besides, a long- distance relationship could be good for me. It'll free me up to work on my grades and figure out what my major will be. Jeremy and I will talk like three times a week and e-mail each other constantly. I can work on my cheerleading and get into amazing shape. There'll be no awkward late night hookups w/ guys who turn out to be terrible kissers. There'll be no gaining the "freshman fifteen" because I'll be cheerleading and staying active, trying to keep my mind off Jeremy. There'll be no grand expectations of how college will change my life. There'll be no...Jeremy. Jeff French It's not like you need a degree from NYU to work in the music business. Sure, it's definitely the best undergraduate music-business program in the country. But that doesn't mean you need to go there to make it. Example: Russell Simmons anhd Rick Rubin started Def Jam records out of a dorm room. All right, so it was a dorm room at NYU, but neither of them was in the music-business program. And what about Puff Daddy? His company, Bad Boy Records, was doing so well, he didn't even finish college. I'm not just saying this because I got rejected from NYU. I'm saying it because it's true. Most music still comes out of Los Angeles anyway, so I might as well start making a name for myself around California. And what's the best way to do it? dee-jaying. Which is what I'll be doing tonight, at the hippest and hottest club in Sweet Valley. If I keep getting gigs like this, I'm probably better off staying here anyway. Besides, why would I want to leave Liz and my family and the beautiful sunny weather out here for the dirty, depressing streets of New York City? Alanna Feldman So what if I don't get into Tufts? According to my guidance counselor, I probably won't. But who cares? I don't even want to go, really. I don't like the place that much. It's got that fusty, smarter-than-thou New England college thing going. I'll bet the women there are all feminists who don't shave their armpits and spell the word womyn w/ a y because the word men has cooties. How lame. And the fact that my parents are obsessed w/ the idea of sending me there isn't a good sign. (And when I say obssessed, I mean obssessed. There's where they met, fell in love, and had life-changing experiences. They even considered bribing the school into taking me, but I wouldn't let them.) Then again, there's the fact that Conner might go to the Belmont School of Music, w/c is less than a half mile away. And I did like Boston whenever my parents took me for their reunions. It would be so amazing to explore the city w/ Conner, my musician boyfriend, checking out the cafes and coffee shops and bars together, looking for potential gigs. Wow. And it would be nice to make my parents proud of me (for once). I could probably even get used to having an ultrafeminists around. They're better than bubbly beach blondes.... What am I talking about? I should stop getting my hopes up. I might as well say my goodbyes: Farewell, Boston. So long, Tufts. See ya, cool cafes and coffee shops. Hasta La Vista...Conner? Conner McDermott In a way, I don't care if I get into college at all. I watched the Jimi Hendrix Behind the Music at VH1 tonight, and I realized there's no time to waste. He died at twenty-seven, w/c means that if he'd gone to college, he would've only had time to put out one or two records, max. Does a true musician need to go to college? Most of my musical heroes didn't. That's not to say that Belmont isn't an incredible school. I know I would learn tons of good guitar there, and if I got accepted, it would be tough to turn down, especially if Alanna gets into Tufts. But if I don't get into Belmont, maybe I won't go into college at all. I'll just play guitar, and well, live. Because ultimately, that's all I really want to do. Chapter 1- A Date With a Mailman- Alanna Feldman Alanna is heading for the coffee shop to meet w/ her friend Sandra. On her way, she spots a billboard for Express Mail and suddenly remembers that she forgot to check the mail. For almost a week she raced home from school everyday to intercept the mail from Tufts. She had even called the Tufts admissions office to check on the letter and the woman told her that it would arrive within the next few days. She also remembered that her mom will be home from her golf lesson soon. When she arrives at the coffee shop, she looks for Sandra's car but it was nowhere in sight. Alanna decides to go home to go through the mail first before returning to the coffeeshop. Jessica is watching tv and tries to distract herself from thoughts about her future w/o Jeremy. After flipping into several stations, she lands into ESPN where it shows a coverage on a college dance-team competitions. Jessica becomes amazed at the dance troupe and begins to think that maybe college wouldn't be so bad. She calls her brother Steven at SVU and asks him to show her around campus. Steven invites her to a frat party instead and Jessica agrees. As she hung up the phone, she starts daydreaming on what a frat party would look like. Elizabeth comes in to Jessica's room and interrupts her daydream. Jessica asks Elizabeth to come to Steven's frat party, but Elizabeth tells that she couldn't come. Elizabeth tells her that Jeff is deejaying at a club called Liquid and she promised him that she'll be there to show her support. With that, Jessica starts to look for something to wear for the party. Alanna is in a rush for home. Along the way, she spots her Mom's car ahead of her. She decides to edge her Mom's car as she try to make it look like she hasn't recognized it. When she arrives at the house, she sorts through the mail and finds the letter from the Tufts admission office. She tucks the letter into her pocket when she sees her Mom's car pull up the house. Alanna gives the letters to her Mom and goes up to her room. There, she pulls out the letter and begins to read it. The letter tells her that she is rejected from Tufts and Alanna begins to cry. Jeff French Top Ten DJ Names (For me, that is) 1. DJ Splendid 2. DJ Jazzy Jeff (already taken) 3. 2 Smooth 4. DJ Kaprikorn 5. The Vinylator 6. Kaptain Tumtables 7. Most Def Jeff 8. DJ 4 Real 9. DJ Me J 10. The French Connection Chapter 2- Fashion Emergency- Jeffrey French Jeffrey is at his room rummaging through his closet to find something to wear for his gig. He hasn't find anything decent to wear and decides to call Liz. Liz answers the phone and Jeff tells her about it. Elizabeth tells him that he should focus first on his music, but Jeff tells her that his partner DJ, Lance, is taking care of the music. They decided to go shopping. After crying in her room, Alanna goes back to the coffeeshop to meet Sandra but she couldn't find her there. She asks the girl handling coffee if she saw Sandra and describes her. The girl says that Sandra was there but left awhile ago. Alanna thought that it has been a worthless day after all the events that happened. Jessica flipped through the SVU Handbook which she is reading it all afternoon. She finds it amusing as she thinks if the people at the picture were actual students or models. She tries to share her facination to Elizabeth, but fails. The phone rings. It was Jeremy, and he invites Jessica to a movie . Jessica turns down the offer, saying that she's going to a party that night. Jeremy gets bummed, but Jessica reasons that it's a way for her to get excited about college. They hung up, and Jessica thought about Jeremy's voice on the phone, wondering whether he was just bummed or he was nervous that she'd meet someone new. Alanna Feldman When I got home today, my Mom told me that Sandra called, sounding "very concerned". Then Mom peppered me with questions. What happened? Shouldn't I call Sandra back right away? Was something wrong? Of course I told her that everything is fine. And of course she believed me. Because I'm a good liar. So good, it's starting to scare me. Because it gets easier and easier, and one lie always lead to another-if I hadn't been so set on covering up my rejection from Tufts, none of this would have happened. It's the same thing I did with Conner when he asked me whether I had gotten into that bottle of scotch. And then I lied about my parents to everyone at rehab. Why do I do it? Seems like most of the time it's to protect myself from reality. I don't know. But you know what the sad thing is? I'm not sure I really want to change. That's why I didn't call Sandra back today. She's one of those people who can see right through my little facades. She would ask me concerned questions, and I would answer them. She would make me face reality. And right now, quite frankly, I just don't want to. Chapter 3- The Getting-Ready-to-go-Out Show Jeffrey French Jeff and Liz are at the mall looking for the perfect outfit for Jeff for his gig. They couldn't find one, so Liz suggests that Jeff could wear a girl's outfit like those glam rockers. And that they could head back to her house and see what Jessica's closets have to offer. Jeff agrees, and they head back to Liz's house. Conner is at his room strumming his guitar when Tia arrives. She tells him all about going on a road trip. The plan is after they graduate, they will go to Seattle. Then stay in some cheap hotel and see some bands. Conner likes the idea, but just as he becomes excited, he remembers Alanna and tells Tia that he has to run it to Alanna first. Tia gets upset and starts to argue w/ Conner. It doesn't work. She stood up and bolted out of the room. Jeff and Liz arrives at the house and stopped in front of Jessica's bedroom door. It is closed and they could hear the stereo blasting from Jessica's room. Liz knocks the door, but Jess didn't hear her, so she shouts. Jessica opens the door and Liz tells Jeff to wait outside as she talks to Jessica for a moment. After the talked, Elizabeth asks Jeff to go inside. As they search through various outfits, Jeff manages to find a white shirt to match with his pants. Elizabeth couldn't believe that she'd succesfully dress her boyfrind with the help of Jessica's closet. Jeff bids goodbye to Liz and Elizabeth decides to take a nap. To: lizw@cal.rr.com From: jeff5678@cal.rr.com Subject: Fwd: New School Groove at Liquid Elizabeth: You told me to forward you the publicity e-mail for the gig tonight, so here it is. Remember that your name is on the guest list, plus 2 others if you want to bring them. If you want to bring more than that, it's a $10 cover, I think. Thanks a ton for helping me with my outfit. Oh, and one last thing: How do you like DJ Splendid as a DJ name? If it's stupid, let me know and I'll change it next time... Jeff Liquid Love Productions Presents: New School Groove at Liquid This Saturday, 10 P.M. Featuring DJ Splendid and Acid Wash Spinning Hip-hop, house, drum 'n' bass, and reggae $10 cover w/ a printout of this e-mail $10 otherwise Don't miss the hottest dance party at Sweet Valley's hippest new venue.... Liquid. 147 West Sands Blvd. Sweet Valley CA Chapter 4- Complete 'Fun Guy' Package- Jessica Wakefield Jeff is at the Liquid to start his gig. A girl tells him that the manager is looking for him and says to be careful. Jeff heads over at the end of the bar, where the manager is talking to someone in his cellphone. He introduces himself as the DJ, but as he tells that, the manager tells the person he is talking on the phone to talk later and hangs up. The manager faces Jeff, and gets angry at him b/c he is late. He says that the other DJ's car broke down on the way from San Francisco and asks Jeff to bring his own records to start immediately. But Jeff didn't bring it, so the manager gets even more angry at him and fires Jeff. Jeff goes out of the club, crushed as he has blown his chance to establish himself as a DJ. Jessica goes at the SVU frat party later that night. When she arrives, she got admiring glances from the guys that she meet as the guys introduces themselves to her. But Jessica feels out of place and heads over to the pay phone to call Jeremy. Just as the phone starts to ring, a guy comes up from behind her. He introduces himself as Zander, a friend of her brother Steven. Zander invites Jessica go to a night tour at SVU w/ him as her guide. After a brief hesitation, Jessica agrees. Elizabeth stood at the end of the line outside Liquid. Jeff calls her and tells her that he is fired before he got started. Liz gets sorry for him, so she suggests to rent a movie to cheer him up, but Jeff declines and decides to head home. Jessica and Zander had a tour around the campus of SVU. After the tour, Jess actually felt that college wouldn't be so bad after all. As they approached her jeep, Jessica thanked him. Zander asks her for her phone number and e-mail address. Jessica hesitated for a second, but she decides to give her number and e-mail address. They bid goodbye, and Jessica sudeenly felt that she is cheating. She pondered on the events that happened and thinks that a tour is considered as no big deal. She immediately relaxed at her reason as she heads home. From: tee@swiftnet.com To: mcdermott@cal.rr.com Con, i've been thinking about our little discussion in your room today. it's been bothering me, so i want to apologize. eventhough i still think you should go on the road trip, i always think you should maintain your independence in relationships, i am very sorry for whatever rude things i said as well as for walking out on you. there. i said it. the thing is, i really don't want to fight with my best guy buddy (you) during senior year. knowing that we'll be going to different colleges next year, i don't want to waste this time which is precisely why i think we should go on this summer road trip (you know that was coming...). to show how sorry i am (and to sweeten the deal),i am offering to buy three tickets to the seattle concert of your choice. let me know. love, Tia From: jaames@cal.rr.com To: jess1@cal.rr.com Jessica, I'm just writing to let you know that I missed you today, and I thought about you all night. I went with Trent and Tia to Crescent Beach. They wanted to go to a movie, but I knew I wouldn't be able to concentrate after our movie date was cancelled. Being a third wheel at a beach wasn't quite as bad 'cause I could just close my eyes, listen to the waves lapping against the shore, and imagine you were there with me. Hope you had a fun night. Can't wait to see you tomorrow for lunch. love, Jeremy Chapter 5- Between Happiness and Dread- Alanna Feldman Jeff keeps tossing and turning on his bed as he couldn't sleep. He's still depressed on the things that happened to him in the past few days. He starts to think if he could have stuck w/ journalism. Than an idea hit him: he thinks that if he could pretend that he wanted to go back to journalism. That way, he could keep his NYU rejection a secret. Jeff decides to go w/ his idea and forget about music. Alanna goes to Conner's and finds him there. Conner brings up the news that he has got in to the Belmont School of Music. Alanna tries to be happy for him, but she couldn't. Conner also added that he has won a scholarship, the Loukas Barton scholarship, w/c is named after an old jazz guitarist. Alanna gets scared at the thought of Conner leaving her, so she bolted out of the house, leaving Conner confused. Jeremy and Jessica are trying to cook over at Jess's house. They are having a good time, but then the phone rings and after no one answers it, the answering machine picks up. It was Zander, and as he talks to the answering machine on his message for Jessica, Jessica grabs the phone to interrupt it. She tells Zander to call back later and hangs up the phone. Jeremy gets jealous and asks Jessica who is it. Jessica explains to him, and that it is just a tour. Jeremy believes her. To: jess1@c... From: zander.moraidus@s... Subject: Daytime Tour and Tennis Extravaganza Dear Jessica, Talked to you quickly today, but it obviously wasn'tgood timing. (Hmmm.) Anyway, how does Monday sound for our daytime SVU tour? I was thinking we could even squeeze in a friendly game of tennis... To: zander.moraidus@s... From: jess1@c... Subject: Re: Daytime Tour and Tennis Extravaganza Zander, Sorry about the awkward phone call.Tomorrow sounds great. Get your butt ready for a whuppin'... Jess To: tee@s... From: mcdermott@c... Subject: No can do Dearest Tia, I've been thinking a lot about our little road trip to Seattle, and eventhough your offer to buy tickets to the concert of my choice is hard to pass up, I'm afraid I'll have to decline. And this, is NOT because of Alanna, because I haven't even brought it up with her yet. It's just that I had planned to get a job this summer and save up as much as possible for spending money next year. See, I've decided not to look during the school year so that I can focus on my music. So I'm going to have to make decent money during the summers to cover me through both semesters. And eventhough I know we would do the Seattle trip on the cheap, it would still be time that I would have to take off from my summer job. Anyway, thanks a lot for the offer, and I'm sure I'll be seeing you a lot this summer regardless. love, Conner Chapter 6- Psychological Warfare- Tia Ramirez Alanna is sitting into her living-room couch and lets the phone ring. The answering machine picks it up. It was Sandra. Alanna grabs the phone and tells Sandra that she is sorry about missing the meeting b/c of an emergency.Sandra assures her that is is okey and asks what the emergency is all about. As Alanna begins to tell Sandra what it is about, Sandra interrupts her and says to meet her again on the coffee shop in half an hour. Alanna agrees and starts to head there. In the shop, Alanna tells Sandra about her rejection from Tufts and Conner's acceptance to the Belmont School of Music. Sandra tells her that she is sorry for what happened and remarked that this could drive Alanna to drink. Alanna admitted that she hasn't even tempted to take a drink. Sandra becomes impressed. The she advices Alanna to tell Conner about Tufts. Alanna asks her on how did she get so good at giving out advice. Sandra answres that her experiences in A.A has gotten her interested in helping people w/ their feelings, and she is considering on going back to school to get a doctorate in psychology. Alanna starts to consider taking the course as her major. After talking to Sandra, Alanna goes back to her house and calls Conner to meet her at her house. She breaks the news about her rejection from Tufts. Conner is supportive, and admitted that he is looking forward to hanging out w/ her in Boston. Alanna is surprised- for she thought that Conner didn't care on anything-and gets touch at his statement. Then they go to Andy's, where Andy is having a party to celebrate Dave's acceptance to Columbia University. Everyone is having a good time, but then Tia finds herself alone w/ Alanna as the others get themselves something to eat. Alanna tells a secret to Tia. According to Alanna, she plans to follow Conner to Boston and bag college for awhile. Tia gets angry, as she thinks Alanna is trying to destroy Conner's future, but she tries to keep her cool. Conner drives Alanna home from the party. On the car, Alanna tells him that she will follow him to Boston anyway and take a break from school. Conner tries to be happy on what she said, but he feels the something isn't right. He didn't say anything against it, and as the car arrives at the Feldman house, Alanna bid goodbye and thanked him for being understanding about the Tufts thing. Tia Ramirez I'm about to pull my hair, strand by strand. Why did Alanna feel the need to tell me about her plans? I barely even know the girl! It's hard enough to keep a secret when it's one of your bestfriends. The second someone swears you to secrecy, you get the urge to blab. That's just human nature. The only thing that stops you is your loyalty to that person, which, in this case I don't really have. I had to bite my tongue the whole rest of the night, including my ride home with Trent. But I won't be able to keep my mouth shut for much longer. I can't just sit back and watch Alanna mess with Conner's lifelong dream. Chapter 7: Mr. Independence-Tia Ramirez Jessica is getting ready to go to school. The phone rings and she picks it up. It is Jeremy, inviting her to watch a movie with him in the afternoon. Jessica is going to play tennis w/ Zander that afternoon, sos he tells him to make it in the evening and Jeremy reluctantly agreed. After they hung up, Jessica feels guilty and wondered why didn't she tell him the truth. Elizabeth walked down the hallway at school. Jeff sees her and walks toward her. Jeff has put on a different outfit and has gotten his haircut. He says sorry about Saturday night and Elizabeth couldn't help being surprised on the transformation. She asks what it is about the makeover, and Jeff answers that he's giving up deejaying for good. He says that he has lost interest on the music business and decides to stay here w/ her. Elizabeth tries to be supportive to Jeff, but she couldn't help feeling that there is something fishy about the transformation. Tia and Conner are having lunch at Wendy's. Tia asks Conner on what does Alanna feel about him going away to Belmont. Conner tells Tia that Alanna plans to go w/ him to Boston. Tia says Alanna's plan is a bad idea b/c the thought of Alanna following Conner across the country to continue to hang out is ridiculous. Conner counters Tia that she also plans to take a year off from school, but Tia tells him she's not following Trent. Then she tells Conner that she does not agree on Conner's plan to focus on his music and hangout w/ Alanna at the same time. After a moment of silence, as Tia thought she had Conner convinced, Conner heads out. After school, Jessica is going to SVU to play tennis w/ Zander. Tia stops her and asks what it is about her tennis outfit. Jessica tries to lie about a doctor's appointment but Tia doesn't buy it. Jessica finally told her the truth. Tia says that Jessica is doing that to know that there are other guys around besides Jeremy. Jessica thought her analysis is silly, so she say goodbye to Tia and goes to SVU. At the tennis court, Jessica and Zander are playing tennis and after that, they have another tour on the campus. They are both having a great time and Jessica finally tells Zander that she has to get going. Zander lets her go on the condition that she drop him off over at a dorm. They bid goodbye and Jessica goes home to get ready for her date w/ Jeremy in the evening. Conner McDermott Men and Women, women and men It will never work I came across this quote in an advice column in the newspaper today. It was by some novelist named Erica Jong, and it made me laugh out loud because it's so true. I mean, just as I'm starting to feel comfortable with Alanna, just as I'm finally convinced that we're right for each other, just as I'm getting used to the idea of moving to Boston with her...Tia has to step in and offer her two cents. And what bothers me most about our little Wendy's argument today is that I know there's some truth to what Tia was saying. It does seem odd for Alanna to completely bail on college to go to Boston with me. It doesn't fit her character. This may sound extreme, but in A.A they always warned us not to get overly involved in relationships or religious groups in the year after we quit drinking because of the possibility of "substitute addictions". Not that Alanna and I are addicted to each other or anything, but maybe it's making our separation more difficult. But what am I supposed to do, tell her she can't come with me? Erika Jong is right. It will never work. Chapter 8: Without Parental Permission-Conner McDermott Conner is at Alanna's house. He uses her computer to use the internet and it is taking so long to log on. Bored, Conner looks around Alanna's desk. He finds some printouts from the UCLA website and notices some paragraphs are highlighted. He asks Alanna on what it is about all this info from UCLA's site. Alanna answers she's getting it to gather info for Sandra. Conner says that Sandra's been thinking on going to UCLA for awhile and she should have this stuff already. Alanna reasons that she is trying to help Sandra, but Conner doesn't buy it. He decides to drop the subject and asks her on what her parents feel about her going to Boston w/ him. Alanna says that she doesn't have to tell them about it. Conner tries to reason that she should tell to her parents about her plans , but Alanna says she has plenty of time to come up w/ a plan. Conner is speechless as he starts to think about the plan to be w/ Alanna to Boston is a bad idea. Jeff arrives at his house and finds his parents there. He tells them he doesn't want to go to NYU. His parents become surprised, as they thought that this is what Jeff wanted, but they stuck by their son's decision. After their date at the movies, Jessica and Jeremy are in the car. Jeremy tries to put Jessica's stuff in the backseat, but then he notices the tennis racket w/c is engraved with the name Zander Moraidus. He asks Jessica on who is Zander and she answers he's the one who called yesterday. Jessica says that she had a tour and played tennis w/ Zander at SVU. Jeremy gets angry b/c Jessica lied to him that 'she has stuff to do at home', and Jessica said sorry. Jeremy decides to let Jessica off the hook for now, but she made her promise not to lie to him anymore. To: lizw@c... From: liveshowlisting@m... Subject: Crunk Funk Rocks the House! Don't miss Sweet Valley's most progressive and talented eight- piece funk band before they take and blow up beyond relief. That's right, Crunk Funk will be playing it's last local engagement tonight at the Cinnamon Lounge, so get tickets by phone before it sells out! Call 1-800-MUSEPRO for tix 9 P.M. Cinnamon Lounge 1203 Westerley Drive Sweet Valley, CA. Chapter 9: Annoying PDA Couple-Elizabeth Wakefield Elizabeth and Jeff are having lunch at the park. Liz asks Jeff if he has received the e-mail on the Crunk Funk show. Jeff says he did, so Liz tries to talk to him on going there. He turns her down, saying that he didn't want to go. Liz asks if he is still upset about what happened at the Liquid, but he replied he just didn't feel like going out. Instead, Liz asks him to do something for tommorow. Jeff changes the subject and asks Liz if she could give him an assignment for the last issue of the Oracle. Elizabeth becomes surprised, but she hides it and tells Jeff she'll come up w/ something. Meanwhile, Jessica is having lunch w/ Gina and Cherie (surprise there!) as they watch a couple doing PDA near them. They are talking about them when Jeremy arrives and calls for Jessica. When Jessica approaches him, Jeremy admitted to her that he is jealous. It is because being apart for the next four years scares him that maybe she'll meet another guy and forgets him. So Jeremy decided that he will stay w/ her and go to whatever school she goes. Jessica becomes touched on the things he said and kissed him. She didn't care on what people if they turn out to be another PDA couple. Alanna sorted through the mail and finds a large envelope addressed to her. It is from UCLA. She almost throws it in the trash, but she changes her mind and puts it next to her and turns on the television. After flipping through channels, she lands into the Jenny Jones show where the topic is about abusive relationships. She watches in awe as a psychologist gives her analysis on the guest's situation and what they should do. Alanna then decides to open the letter. The letter says that she got in and Alanna gets excited. Too bad she couldn't tell Conner about it. Tia Ramirez To: marsden1@s... From: tee@s... Subject: Road Trip!!! Andy, Here's the deal. We fling off our caps and gowns, grab our suitcases, hop in my ride, and cruise down the interstate with the top down…all the way to seattle! We stop in san francisco and spots along the way for adventures. It'll be all sandy beaches, blue oceans, new friends, amazing (cheap) food, cultural experiences, and stories for years to come. Are you in? You better be, because I've already had one guy friend (cm) flake on me with girlfriend issues. I don't want to have to strangle you both. This is the chance of a lifetime! Love, Tia Andy Marsden To: tee@s... From: marsden1@s... Subject: Re: Road Trip!!! Tee, I'm in, as long as the plan checks out with Dave (just kidding). Honestly, if I'm not dead broke and my parents don't put me in handcuffs, there's nothing that could keep me from this extravaganza! Kisses, Andy (P.S.: What's the deal with Conner?) Chapter 10: Recipe for Relationship Disaster-Jessica Wakefield Jessica is at the her room reading an old People magazine when Steven calls her from downstairs. She shouts that she's too busy, but there is no reply. She decides to go downstairs, but just as she opens the door, she sees Zander. He stop by to get his tennis racket and tells Jessica if they could go out on a date. Jessica turn him down, saying that she has a steady boyfriend and they plan to be on the same school next year. Zander tells her that being in the same school w/ her boyfriend is a recipe for relationship disaster. He and his high-school girlfriend had gone to Chicago even if he actually want to go to SVU and try out for the swimming team. He tried out for the swim team in Chicago instead, but it didn't do well and they always fight w/ his girlfriend until they broke up. Jessica becomes scared that maybe it will also happen to her and Jeremy. Alanna arrives at her A.A meeting and finds Conner and Sandra already there. She greets both of them, but Conner is giving her the cold shoulder. As Alanna wonders what Conner's problem is, Sandra pulls out a flyer for an open house at the UCLA psychology department. Conner finally talks to Alanna and asks when is she interested in psychology. Alanna answers it is just the other day, and Conner only nods aggressively. Judging by Conner's attitude, Alanna sensed a serious talk is coming. She think it is not a big deal that she had pretended she wasn't interested in psychology bec. she had done it for the sake of their relationship and she wanted to stay w/ Conner. Jessica flips through the various catalogs she'd received from all colleges in Southern California. She is hoping to find a school w/ a strong archeology program, but so far, there is nothing. She reaches for the SVU catalog and finds an archeology program, but only two professors are listed. According to the brochure, the course is not formally recognized at the university and interested students are advised to see related courses at the anthropology dept. Upon seeing this, Jessica decides to head over to Trent's and tell Jeremy that he shouldn't give up his future and that he should be w/ his family. Conner follows Alanna into her bedroom and shuts the door behind him. Then he tells her he is starting to have doubts about her following him to Boston. Conner added that she lied about not being interested in psychology and the printouts he found beside her computer are for her and not for Sandra. Alanna tries to steer the real topic as she gets angry at him for snooping through her things. Conner says that she should go for it if she wanted to take up psychology and not take timeout from college. Alanna gets upset and points out that the real issue here is that Conner didn't really love her. Conner tries to reason out, but Alanna tells him to get out of the house. He becomes speechless, and walks out of the room. Jeff French Just because I'm not telling Elizabeth about being rejected from NYU doesn't mean I'm really lying. I'd like to think of it as witholding the truth. Really, what good does it do for me to tell her? I don't want pity. I have admitted to myself that I failed in the music business before I ever started and I have only myself to blame. And I'm okey with that (pretty much). I just don't want to talk about it and share it and prolong the humiliation forever. I want to put it behind me. Is there something wrong with that? I don't think so. Chapter 11: Mission:Impossible-Elizabeth Wakefield Elizabeth is looking for her diskette w/c contain her article for the Oracle. After looking around the office, she finds it underneath a photograph. Jeff arrives and asks if she has come up w/ an article idea for him. Elizabeth suggests that he could write about how kids these days are expected to make a career choice and how difficult it can be w/o any personal experience, but Jeff didn't like her idea. He asks if she has other ideas but she couldn't come up w/ another one, so he says he'll go home to brainstorm. They say goodbye and when Elizabth walks toward the computer, she almost slipped on a piece of paper. She picks it up and sees a form from the guidance office w/c tracks college acceptances addressed to Jeff. She reads it and finds out under NYU is listed as rejected. Elizabeth becomes surprised and assumes that maybe it's a typo error. Then again, Jeff's counselor is pretty organized and she knows he couldn't make this kind of mistake. She decides to comfront Jeff about the letter. Jeremy and Trent are watching a basketball game when the doorbell rang. It is Jessica. She tells him that he should go to Arizona next year. Jeremy becomes confused, so Jessica explains that being w/ her is not a reason to leave his family and give up his dream. Then she tells him about what happened to Zander and his high- school girlfriend and that maybe it will happen to them. Jeremy becomes convinced and thought how selfless Jessica is being. They agreed to try to hold on to their relationship even if they are apart. Conner is going out of the Feldman house and passes Mrs. Feldman. She asks if he is okey, but he rushes past her and explains he has go get home. Mrs. Feldman hears someone crying as she approaches Alanna's door. She knocked and aks if she could come in. Alanna pulls open the door and sees the concern in her mother's face. Mrs. Feldman asks her what is her problem, but instead of telling her about Conner, Alanna tells her she got rejected from Tufts. Her mother assures her that she and her father are not disappointed and like her, she didn't get into her first choice. Alanna suddenly tells her Mom she get into UCLA. As her mother becomes excited, Alanna realized that her life doesn't revolve around Conner and becomes happy too like her Mom. It is enough for her to know that someone cared for her, and as for Conner and Boston, she'll deal w/ that later. Ending Journal Conner McDermott-7:43 P.M. Are Alanna and I are over for good? I guess so. That whole scene happened to fast. I really didn't think about it until now. I don't want to seen so cold, but frankly, I think she deserved it. I'm sick of all the lies and drama. She lied about UCLA, and she lied to me so many times before. Tia's right-Alanna shouldn't be dropping her own life to follow me to Boston. And she definitely shouldn't act like I don't love her or care about her. I don't want to compare who loves the other more. How can you even figure something like that out-grade each other on a love scale from 1 to 10? I can't say that I feel great about what happened today. But breakups don't always last forever. And regardless, I think I did the right thing. Guess I should tell Tia to count me in for Seattle. Elizabeth Wakefield-8:15 P.M. Why would my boyfriend lie to me? Why would he keep his NYU rejection a secret? I'm not saying he did, but if he did, why? I'm really the only person he can talk to about those types of things. Wouldn't he know that I would support him and make him feel better? Why wouldn't he play the sympathy card and ask me for a back rub and a few favors? That's what I would do. I used to think I knew a thing or two about guys, but right now I'm not so sure. Tia Ramirez- 9:13 P.M. Wow. Conner just e-mailed me. He and Alanna broke up. I think he made the right decision, but I'd like to point out for the record, I never told him to break up with the girl. I wonder if this is how Dr. Phil feels? Jessica Wakefield-11:47 P.M. Can I enjoy these last few months with Jeremy, knowing we're together on borrowed time? Jeff French- 12:02 A.M. Where did that college-acceptance form go? I could have sworn I have it right here inside my notebook....