Ms. Piper posted the cast list after school as she was leaving, so no one could cry or complain to her. This was the way cast lists had been posted since the beginning of time, probably: No phone number or email contact anywhere on the paper, indeed, no contact person of any kind. The people responsible for casting or not casting people did not want to discuss their choices with anyone, ever, it seemed.

As expected, Susan Cornell, with her high soprano was Cosette. A big boy with a very deep voice, David Chancery, was Javert, and Craig, the boy half of the Halvorsen twins, was Jean Valjean.

Ruthie, who was half expecting Amelia to get Eponine, was happy to see her own name next to the part. Elliott was Marius, as expected. They hugged congratulations to each other.

The big surprises came in the casting of the supporting parts:

Fantine...........................Amelia Shaw
M. Thenardier.................Gordon Miranda
Mme. Thenardier...........Maria "Pepsi" Gonzalez
Enjolras..........................Chad Tennyson

Wow.

Most of the drama class, and those who were in the club but not the class, had hung around to look at the posting, and, with the exception of those four supporting parts, everyone had gotten pretty much what they hoped and expected. Everyone who hadn't gotten a speaking part was listed as being in the ensemble, including horrible Brett and Pam.

Ruthie turned to Gordo and Pepsi, who were next to her. "You guys! You're married, and you're the huge comic relief in the play, congratulations!"

Elliott gave Pepsi a light punch to her arm. "I knew you had greatness in you," he teased.

Both Pepsi and Gordon were surprised, having expected to be placed in the ensemble.

Ruthie saw Amelia turn away from the paper and begin walking, and ran to catch up with her.

"Congratulations on Fantine."

"Thanks," Amelia returned briefly.

"I know it isn't what you auditioned for, but it's a huge part, lots of beautiful numbers to sing, and you get that great white follow spot after you die, you know?"

Amelia finally stopped walking and turned to Ruthie. "You don't have sell me, I know it's a good part." She fixed Ruthie with a tired and knowing look. "You get all those great moments with Elliott, so you must be happy. Congratulations."

She turned away and continued walking, and it was so obvious that she didn't want Ruthie to follow her.

Ruthie stayed where she was, and was joined moments later by Gordo, Pepsi, Elliott, and Linda, who had been cast in the ensemble as well.

"What's up her butt?" Pepsi asked indignantly. When no one answered her right away, she kept talking. "You know, she's been a real bitch since Brett dumped her, and it's not any of our faults, is it?"

"She's been through a lot," Gordo said to no one in particular. "And, she has a thing for Elliott, I think, and is probably feeling a little glum that she lost the chance to act with him, and she lost out to Ruthie, no less.

And, what meaty scenes she does have are going to be with Chad Tennyson, the boy Ruthie rejected."

Ruthie thought that Gordo had put an awful lot of time and thought into dissecting Amelia's motivations and actions where Elliott was concerned, but she kept this thought to herself. And no one else but her seemed to notice when he gave Elliott an inscrutable look as they were walking.

She hadn't really thought about it before, but what if Gordon really did have a thing for Elliott? How awkward would that be? Ruthie didn't even want to consider it. All these years they'd been waiting for Gordo to "come out" and just declare himself gay officially, and when he was finally ready to, it was to announce that he had a crush on Ruthie's boyfriend?

No no no, it would just be a mess of gargantuan proportions.

They all said goodbye at the parking lot, and Ruthie and Elliott walked home together. The sun had made it's brief appearance for the day, encouraging the flowering quince and plum trees to blossom, along with the bright yellow forsythia that dotted the neighborhood. Ruthie pointed out all of these blooming beauties to Elliott as they walked.

"You really remind me of my mum," Elliott remarked, putting an arm around her.

"I know how you mean that, but it still sounds so weird," Ruthie rejoined.

Elliott just smiled at her.

"I'm going to miss you so much when you go back to England," Ruthie continued, broaching a dangerous subject. She knew that Elliott himself was conflicted about this, and that he didn't want to discuss it.

When he remained silent, she was emboldened to continue. "Maybe you could stay here one more year and just finish high school here? I mean, it wouldn't hurt you in any way to have an American high school diploma, would it? Then we could be together one more year, and have so much fun doing another play next--"

Elliott finally cut her off. "You're being ridiculous. There's no way I'm staying one more year. As soon as I turn eighteen in July, I'm going back." He stopped walking. "You understand I had a spot in the UK's premiere drama conservatory? The English equivalent of Juilliard? I have to get back there and figure out how to pay for it; they won't hold the spot for me for longer than one year."

"They're holding a spot for you?" Ruthie repeated. "I didn't know that. Even though you didn't pay your fees? Why didn't you tell me?"

Elliott shrugged. "It's a touchy subject for us, I didn't want to upset you any more than you already were." He continued walking again. "But yeah, they're holding a spot for me, my as long as I'm there to take my place at the new school year, and as long as I can pay my fees. If I don't show up, with the money, it's gone, I have to apply again, and who knows if I'd make it?"

"You'd make it," Ruthie said, tucking her hand under his arm. "I'm not saying that because I want you stay, though I do, I just know how talented you are.

"Have you talked to your grandparents about all this?" she asked. "Have you asked if they'd just give you the money?"

Elliott shook his head. "They don't care about LDAA, they just want me here."

While agreeing silently with his grandparents' on this one thing, Ruthie held her tongue.

"Do they even know about it?" Ruthie asked. "Have you told them the truth? That you plan to leave as soon as you can? That you're not going to stay here in Warren and play devoted grandson any longer than you have to?"

They'd reached Ruthie's house, and were standing on the walkway to the front door.

"Look, Ruthie, I don't want to talk about it, okay? And you're the last person who should be chastising me for not talking to my grandparents," Elliott said, his voice a little harsh. "Have you told your parents that you don't want to be a lawyer? That you want to pursue a career in theatre? Do you think they'd be happy about that?"

He continued before she could say that she wasn't trying to "chastise" him. "You claim to have such a great relationship with your dads, to be so close and that with them, but they haven't a clue what you want to do with your life, do they?

"You keep tons of stuff from your parents, so don't stand there in your dad's UC Berkeley  Law School shirt that he bought you when you guys toured the school together and lecture me about honesty in my familial relationships, yeah? I reckon you've got your own issues to deal with in that respect."

Ruthie was silent, stung by his words. She turned to walk up to the house.

Fuck.

"I'm sorry," Elliott called, running to catch her before she entered her house. "Ruthie, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please forgive me." He caught up to her on her porch, grabbing her arm. She stopped walking, at least.

"There's nothing to forgive, you're right," she said without turning around. "I'm a hypocrite, like you said way back when."

Fuck fuck.

He turned her around, and turned her unwilling face up to his. "I had no business to speak to you that way, and I'm sorry," he reiterated.

He watched in horror as Ruthie's beautiful face dissolved into tears.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, too, Elliott, because I don't want you to leave, is that so terrible? That's all I was trying to say, okay?"

And she grabbed him, burying her face in his front to weep stormily.

Elliott just took her key from her and let them in the house. He knew Phil was at his office that day, something that happened once a month or so, and that no one was home. Thank god for small favors, because he didn't want to explain to Ruthie's Pop why she was bawling like someone had just died.

Once inside, he led her to the sofa and sat with her, letting her cry it out.

"I've never felt this way about any--any--anyone," she sobbed, sniffing. "You're my first, Elliott, my first love, and I don't want you to leave me, big fucking surprise, hunh?"

She hit him on the chest as she spoke, to emphasize her words, though he could barely feel her blows.

"I'll--I'll die if you leave," she went on.

Elliott smiled at her words.

"Don't you fucking dare laugh at me, Elliott Banks," Ruthie wept, deadly serious. "I mean it, I don't know what will happen to me if you--you--you leave."

Eventually, her tears tapered off to really cute hiccups, and Elliott strove to keep a straight face.

Ruthie lifted her head to look at him, and Elliott dried her tears with his thumbs, then leaned in to kiss her.

The kiss quickly deepened, with both of them reaching for the other. Ruthie put her arms around him and pressed her body into his, making him topple over onto the sofa.

She reached with her mouth to kiss him over and over, hard, as she whispered that she loved him. He could feel her grinding into him, and the sensation was exquisite.

Her sweatshirt came off, then his, and she was pressed up against his chest in her beautiful, black, lacy bra, making his senses reel.

"I love you, Ruthie, I do," Elliott gasped whenever their kisses broke, trying and failing to keep his hands in safe places.

He squeezed her bottom and her breasts, wanting to take off her bra and pants so badly. He could feel the throbbing between his legs, and it hurt. He knew she could feel it, too, and when she put her hands on his crotch, with one hand on his zipper, his only thought was to help her get his pants off so he could fuck her, hard.

"Oh god, Ruthie, I'm so hard, I want you, I want you," Elliott murmured against her mouth.

Shit.

Her skin was beautiful, smooth under his hands, and he pulled the cup of her bra down so he could suck on her, hard, making her cry out against the top of his head.

The sound of the automatic garage door opening startled both of them.

"Oh my god, it's Pop," Ruthie gasped, sitting up, looking so sexy and beautiful that Elliott didn't understand what she was saying at first.

Then they both jumped into action, with Ruthie yanking her bra back up as Elliott searched frantically for his sweatshirt so he could pull it on. He grabbed Ruthie's first by mistake, and tossed it to her.

When Phil entered, looking at the mail he held, they were sitting innocently on the floor, playing with Amal and Clarence, laughing, looking oddly flushed, but happy.

"Hey, guys, how was school? And I'm assuming you guys got the parts you wanted? Anything you want to tell me?" Phil said, grinning in their direction.

"Yeah, Pop, we both got what we wanted," Ruthie answered. "Everything's fine, nothing to tell, honest."