And a final "thank you" to all the people who emailed and/or posted, completely indignant about Trixie’s "sentence". You also helped shape this chapter!

--Ella Fitzgerald

After one week, Trixie truly thought she was going to go insane. Being grounded in the Belden household meant no phone calls, no visits…no mercy, Trixie thought sourly as she savagely finished dusting the living room. She stomped into the kitchen to fix herself a snack and paused at the sight of her normally active mother sitting at the kitchen table, looking pale.

"Are you all right Moms?" she asked, immediately forgetting about her own concerns over missing the rest of her summer.

Her mother glanced up and quickly smiled. "I’m fine, dear. I’m just feeling tired and out of sorts today." She stood up and walked up to her only daughter, affectionately rumpling her already messy curls. "I have the distinct feeling that your sentence is about to be commuted," she said in a conspiratorial whisper, wanting to change the subject.

Trixie smiled, reassured by her mother’s tone. "Oh Moms, do you think so?" she asked eagerly.

Helen’s smile widened. "Let’s just say that a certain individual is starting to feel a bit guilty about his own impulsive behavior," she began, some of the tired look fading from her face as she thought about her husband’s sheepish demeanor. It was a side to her husband that she hadn’t seen in a long time. She kissed her daughter’s forehead. "I think if a certain girl plays her cards right, she’ll be going horseback riding with her friends in the morning."

Trixie threw her arms around her mother and squeezed her tightly. "You’re the best, Moms," she said fervently.

Helen laughed. "Before you get too carried away, you better save some of those thanks for your two older brothers. They have both pleaded your case, you know."

Trixie was astonished. "They have?" She felt a warmth spread throughout her at the thought. She sat at the table as her mother poured out glasses of milk for them both, absently reaching for a homemade cookie.

Her mother sat down with a tiny sigh—she hadn’t felt this tired since she was pregnant with Bobby. "Brian said that your heart was in the right place, and that you shouldn’t be punished for being a good friend, even if you did act a bit irresponsibly." She bit into a cookie for a moment. "And Mart…" she broke off and laughed as she thought about her middle son who, in his own way, was as impetuous as Trixie. "Mart told him that ‘individuals who dwell in homes constructed of a breakable substance should perhaps reconsider punitive actions’. Or something like that!"

Trixie started to giggle. "Mart said that to Dad? He’s even dumber than I thought!" She made up her mind to bake Mart some double chocolate brownies.

"Your dad feels pretty bad about punching Mr. Roberts. And especially in front of you," her mother said, her voice suddenly sobering.

Trixie shrugged. "Well, it did take me by surprise, I have to admit. But gleeps, he had it coming!"

Helen let out a little laugh. "Well, don’t let this get out, but I kind of thought so too." Her gaze hardened in a way completely unlike her as she thought about his insinuations towards Trixie; her beloved daughter, who sat before her with a milk mustache and innocent eyes. She sighed and wiped Trixie’s mouth as if she were Bobby. "I’ve been wanting to talk to you about, well, about what Mr. Roberts said."

Trixie felt her face grow red. "You mean about me, um…"

Helen held up her hand. "Yes."

Trixie thought about those last moments in Nick’s bedroom, and knew her face was as red as it ever got. Was Mr. Roberts right? She did kiss him after all. A lot…

"Trixie, you and Nick dated for months. And although you didn’t label it, I do remember what it’s like to be your age. And showing the guy you’re dating…affection doesn’t make you, well, it doesn’t mean what Mr. Roberts was insinuating. Not at all."

Not for the first time did Trixie wonder if her mother had magic psychic powers. "I…we…I mean, well, we did, um, kiss. And…" Trixie lowered her gaze, tracing her fingernails on the condensation forming on the outside of her glass. "That’s all," she finished lamely. She thought about Nick unbuttoning her shorts and made herself go on. "But, I think he may have wanted….more," she choked out. This had to go down as her most embarrassing conversation of all time.

"Did he try to get you to do something you didn’t want to?" her mother asked, her voice concerned. She thought about the quiet young man she’d met several times. He had been nothing but respectful and she liked his almost shy manner. But seventeen was seventeen!

Trixie vigorously shook her head. "No," she said, deciding that technically, it wasn’t a lie. After all, he did stop as soon as she asked him too. "No, Moms. It’s just…well, I think he wanted me to be his girlfriend. And I wanted to, but…"

"…but you’re in love with Jim Frayne," her mother finished, smiling at the look of astonishment on her daughter’s face.

"Oh moms, does the whole world know what an idiot I am?" she cried, feeling her eyes fill up.

"Loving somebody doesn’t make you an idiot. Although it can make you act like one," her mother couldn’t help saying, thinking back to a few less than stellar moments in her own life history. She patted Trixie’s hand. "Sweetie, I know you. Nobody will ever know you like I do," she said simply. "And I can see where your heart lies. Have you ever thought about telling him?" She couldn’t be one hundred percent sure, not like she was with Trixie, but it seemed to her that a certain red-haired neighbor had strong feelings for her daughter. Feelings that extended way beyond friendship.

"Oh moms, I couldn’t. I’d just die. It would ruin everything. We couldn’t be friends anymore!" Trixie restlessly rose and rinsed her glass out, gently setting it in the dish drainer. "Besides, he’s dating other people."

Helen sighed, remembering how complicated life could be at age 16; how set in stone everything seemed. "Baby, so are you," she gently pointed out.

"I was," Trixie corrected gloomily. She had already gotten a letter from Nick and it made her realize how much she was going to miss his friendship, and how nice it had been to have somebody to go out with. And yet for all that, it was the little note that Jim had managed to get to her via Bobby that made her heart sing. I fell out of the idiot tree and hit every branch on the way down, she thought sadly.

"You will date again," her mother intoned in a voice so serious they both started laughing.

"I love you, Moms," Trixie said, her blue eyes shining.

"I love you too," her mother replied. She glanced at the clock. "I’m going to take a little nap before I start dinner. If you’re all done with the dusting, why don’t you do the same? You look awfully hot and dusty."

Trixie nodded. "I am. I’ll take a quick shower and change clothes. That should do the trick. And I can fix dinner tonight." Her mother had been teaching her how to cook for the past six months, and to Trixie’s complete surprise, she found she kind of liked it. It helped her think for some reason. "Are you sure you’re okay? It’s not like you to take naps," she said, worried again.

Her mother waved her hand. "It’s nothing—the heat just gets to me sometimes."

Trixie slowly walked upstairs. She’d seen her mother clean the house from top to bottom, weed the garden and fix a huge meal on hot days before. And never once did she have to take a nap. She entered the bathroom and stuffed her dusty clothes into the hamper, turning on the shower. She stepped in, the cool water immediately making her feel much better. If Moms wasn’t worried about it, she supposed she shouldn’t be either.

Ten minutes later she was dressed in a fresh pair of shorts and tee-shirt. She flopped on her bed and reached under her pillow, drawing out the little note that Bobby had given her the other day, his blue eyes shiningly solemn with the importance of his errand. Luckily, at age 9, he was much better at keeping ‘seecruds’ than he’d been at age six!

Trixie slowly refolded the note and slid it back under her pillow. There was no denying the little thrill that ran through her every time she re-read it. She kept telling herself over and over that she shouldn’t read too much into it, but her heart wasn’t paying much attention to her.

Did he miss her the way she missed him that summer? Trixie shook her head—it wasn’t possible. She knew it wasn’t, and yet…

Trixie drew her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them. Her life had gone on since he went away to school, she had dated other boys, had even felt a certain pleasure in Nick’s embrace. But she didn’t "do so well" either. It was as if fate had led her and Honey to the abandoned mansion that sunny day when they first met Jim. And fate had decided right then and there that he was the one for her. Only trouble was, fate forgot an important little detail…

"Maybe I have it all wrong. Maybe fate meant that we were going to be good friends. Friends forever," Trixie muttered aloud, closing her eyes and pressing her chin harder into her right knee. It did mean a lot to her that he so obviously valued their friendship and cared about her well-being. Maybe as time went on, she’d meet somebody to love who loved her back the same way. Maybe even in the new school year.

Trixie jumped off of the bed, her energy renewed. Her junior year would be the best year ever. It was Mart and Dan’s last year at Sleepyside Junior-Senior High, and she was not going to ruin it by being a love struck fool. Nick thought she was beautiful; maybe someone else would too. She would make the most of it. "Jim is only a friend," she said firmly, like a mantra. She repeated it a few more times as she went back downstairs to start the family dinner.

*     *     *

"Trixie, I need to talk to you," Peter Belden said as Mart and Brian began clearing the table. He rose and beckoned her to follow him into the living room.

Trixie exchanged a reassuring glance with her mother and felt her heart quicken as she trotted after her father. There was still a whole week left of summer vacation, and she could sure cram in the fun…

"Trix, I want to talk to you about what happened last week," her father began. There was no need for further elaboration—Trixie knew that date would live on in her memory for many years to come.

Trixie sat down next to her father and waited quietly for him to continue, noting with surprise the unexpectedly humble expression that flitted across his face.

"I’ve been thinking about it, and I’ve decided that I was a little unfair with you. And apparently, I’m not alone in this opinion," he added wryly, the corners of his mouth quirking up. He touched her cheek. "Trixie, I’m more sorry than I can say about the way I acted. It’s unforgivable that I should strike someone. And especially in front of you."

Trixie couldn’t bear his expression any longer. "It’s okay, Dad!" she exclaimed. "He was being such a jerk…"

Peter Belden almost laughed at the indignation in her tone, but thought better of it. "Be that as it may, physical violence wasn’t called for in that situation. Plain and simple, I lost my temper. I acted very impulsively, then punished you for your impulsive behavior." He shook his head. "Sweetheart, you and I are such similar creatures. But I’ve learned how to control my temper over the years. Well, for the most part, anyway!" and here he did allow himself to chuckle a bit, smiling at his only daughter. It had literally made him sick the past few days to think of her witnessing his behavior, and it came as no small relief to realize that she was apparently undamaged from the incident. "I worry about you getting into a dangerous situation." He held up his hand as she began to protest about how careful she was when encountering mysteries these days. "I’m not just talking about your ‘detectiving’, Trix. You’re so quick. You dive into things and don’t stop to think about them until it’s too late. Like the other day—you’re an inexperienced driver. Driving in New York can be dangerous if you don’t know what to expect."

Trixie nodded, her eyes cast down.

Her father hugged her. "But we’ve been through all this already. What I really wanted to tell you was this; as of tomorrow morning, you’re done being grounded. I’m granting parole."

Trixie hugged him back. "Thanks, Dad!" she said, her eyes shining.

He drew back and regarded her steadily. "I just want to hear you promise that you’ll try to think before you act, in the future. Okay, honey?"

"I’ll try. I really will," she promised earnestly. She practically skipped out of the living room, running smack into Mart. "I’m not grounded anymore!" she said happily.

Her look alike brother grinned. "So I heard," he said, unashamedly, not caring if she knew he blatantly eavesdropped.

Trixie gave him a light punch. "I heard what you did," she said. "Thanks."

Mart brushed off her thanks. "Wherever there’s injustice; I’ll be there," he said, doing his best Henry Fonda.

"Wherever there’s free food, you’ll be there!" Trixie corrected, but her smile gave her away.

"Having one’s priorities firmly established is not only a good thing, but a wise one as well," Mart replied loftily. Then his expression changed. "Gleeps, Dad really feels bad about socking that guy, doesn’t he?"

Trixie nodded. "I think he thought I was going to be scarred for life," she said.

"Scarred, schmarred; I wish I could have seen it," Mart admitted. He again tried to picture his dignified father landing a left hook, but to his dismay, could not. He looked at his sister with a touch of envy.

"Well, I could have done without…" Trixie broke off, not wanting to repeat Mr. Roberts’ hateful words. The intellectual part of her knew he was just upset, but her heart stung at the thought that Nick’s father could think she had deliberately set out to hurt his son. She fervently hoped Nick never found out what his father said to her.

Mart’s normally open face darkened. "Dad shouldn’t have stopped with just one punch."

Trixie waved a hand. "Ah, forget it. It’s nothing. Nick’s dad was just a little freaked out, that’s all." She followed her brother out to the porch, where there was the merest hint of a breeze. They sank onto the porch swing and looked up at the stars.

"Big time senior," she remarked, referring to the upcoming school year.

"Yeah," Mart said simply. He could hardly believe it.

"First Brian and Jim, and next, you and Dan." Trixie sighed and gazed at the big dipper, one of the few constellations she could ever find.

Mart thought back to Trixie’s emotional outburst on the way to Brian and Jim’s goodbye party. "Trix? Could I ask you something?"

Trixie could plainly detect the note of seriousness in Mart’s voice. "Uh…sure. I guess so."

"Are you in love with Jim?"

Trixie continued staring at the sky. "Yes," she answered simply. She hadn’t forgotten her vow to make her junior year her best ever, but lying to the brother everybody referred to as her ‘almost-twin’ was a waste of time. "Are you in love with Di?" she asked, figuring turnabout was fair play.

"Oh yeah," Mart admitted. "Why do you think I go out with her?" Mart and Diana, unlike the others, had never tried to hide the fact that they found each other fascinating. Trixie was so used to it that it never occurred to her ask Mart how he felt before.

"Does she love you too?" she asked.

"Yep," Mart said cheerfully.

Trixie began to smile. "Sound pretty sure of yourself, twin. How do you know?"

"Told me," Mart said. He wondered what would happen when he went away to school and Diana became a senior, and pushed the thought out of his mind. That was a whole year away.

"That’s nice," Trixie sighed.

"Do you want me to tell Jim for you?" Mart asked. He thought about the way Jim reacted when he thought Trixie had truly gone to California, and found himself wondering, not for the first time, if Jim’s feelings ran deeper for his sister than he let on.

"God no!" Trixie exclaimed. At Mart’s surprised look she continued in a softer tone, "Mart, I want us all to be able to stay friends. To remain the BWGs. Opening a can of worms like that could ruin everything! What if Jim felt so uncomfortable he couldn’t hang around us anymore?"

"Or what if he loved you too, and you got together?" Mart asked.

Trixie laughed bitterly. "Get real. He’s got a girlfriend, remember?"

"But it’s not anybody serious," Mart began.

"Mart, no." That was all, but it was enough.

"Okay," he said. "Whatever you want, sis." He gave his sister a sympathetic look and went back in the house, obeying an overwhelming urge to call Diana.

"Whatever I want. Ha!" Trixie said aloud, letting her eyes roam until she finally what she was reasonably sure was Venus—the brightest star in the heavens.

To be continued…

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