"Hi Mrs. Belden, is Trixie around?" asked 16-year-old Honey Wheeler as she walked through the back door of the Crabapple Farm.

"She's in the study talking to Jim on the phone," Helen Belden responded.

"Thanks!" Honey called over her shoulder as she wandered towards the study; she stopped short when she heard Trixie’s voice.

"Uh huh, Oh Jim, I’m so glad you're coming home this weekend. Yeah, it will be good to meet her, but, um, what about Honey, how is she going to feel about Brian bringing another girl home? I always sorta thought there was something…" Honey didn’t wait to hear anymore, she turned and bolted out the door

Helen noticed Honey run out the door. Oh dear, she thought, what’s happened here…

Trixie heard the backdoor slam as she was saying goodbye to Jim, That’s odd, Moms is the only other person home, and she doesn’t slam doors…

*     *     *

Honey raced up the path back to the manor house, tears streaming down her face. OH how could he, she thought, He promised, he promised! Now it’s all ruined! Honey kept running, when she got to the manor house she didn’t even look at what was going on, she just kept running inside straight up to her bedroom.

Dan Mangan noticed Honey running up the path to Manor House. When he noticed that she was crying, he ran to catch her. I wonder what’s happened, maybe she had a fight with Trixie.

*     *     *

Trixie walked out to the kitchen. "Are the boys back, Moms?" Trixie asked her mother.

"No dear, why?" Helen replied.

"It’s just that I thought I heard the back door slam?"

"Well, Trixie, it did, but it was Honey, she came to see you. I told her you were talking to Jim in the study, she started to walk that way, then the next moment she was running out the door…"

"Honey? Oh no…"

"What’s wrong Trixie? She looked fine when she got here, but she ran out that door, I swear she was about to cry…"

"Oh Moms, I think she heard me talking to Jim about how Brian is bringing Phoebe home this weekend…"

*     *     *

Honey ran into her room and locked the door. She lay down on her bed and let herself cry. Her phone started ringing. Honey looked at the handset in her bedroom, and decided to ignore it.

*     *     *

Dan reached the Manor house just as his uncle Bill Regan walked out of the stables, "Ah, Dan, I was looking for you…"

"Not now Uncle Bill" Dan muttered as he ran in the front door of the manor house…

Bill Regan, looked at his nephew's retreating form and sighed, Today’s youth. Will they never learn to stop and listen…

*     *     *

Celia was happily dusting the dining room when she heard the manor's front door fly open then a thump thump up the stairs followed by a door slamming. She walked towards the front entrance to see if everything was alright, just as Dan Mangan came barging through the front door. "Celia, Have you seen Honey?" Dan asked looking somewhat concerned.

"No, but I think I heard her go upstairs to her room," Celia replied.

"Ta!" Dan yelled as he ran up the stairs.

*     *     *

"Oh Moms, she isn’t answering her phone."

"Did you ring her personal line, or just the manor house in general?"

"Her personal line."

"Try the manor house line, maybe she isn’t in her room."

"Ok Moms, I’ll try."

Trixie picked up the phone and dialed again.  I hope she is okay.

*     *     *

Honey was still lying on her bed crying when there was a knock on the door. She didn’t answer, hoping who ever it was would just go away, but to no avail. Whoever was on the other side tried the handle, she could hear them try to turn the knob. There was another knock, Honey still didn’t answer, she didn’t care who was on the other side. It was probably just a maid or something and they could come back later…

She heard Dan’s voice. "Honey, are you in there?"

"Oh Dan, now isn’t a good time, please come back later…" Honey pleaded, knowing Dan usually didn’t argue with her when she asked him to do something

"Madeleine Wheeler! Open this door NOW!" Dan yelled

Honey was shocked, Dan had never yelled at her like that before, it must be important.   She got up to go open the door.

Dan stood outside Honey’s bedroom door. Oh great one Mangan she’s really going to want to talk to you now that you have yelled at her, you stupid fool. Dan couldn’t believe it when the door actually opened and a tear-stained face greeted him

"Is everything OK, Dan?" she asked

"HUH?" Dan was confused; she was crying yet asking him if he was OK???

"When you yelled you sounded worried about something. What’s wrong?"

"I was worried about you. I saw you running up from Trixie’s and you were crying so I was worried. Did you to have a fight or something?" Oh great, now I can just sit here and babble.

"Come in, Dan," Honey invited

Dan wandered in, Honey shut the door, but he noticed she didn’t lock it this time.

*     *     *

What is going on around here? Celia thought to herself. Honey’s stomping, Dan’s chasing her around and yelling at her. Hmmm… Her thoughts were interrupted by the telephone ringing, She picked it up. "Manor House. Celia speaking."

"Hi Celia, this is Trixie. May I talk to Honey?"

"Hi Trixie.  Just one moment, I will go tell Honey you’re on the phone…"

Celia put down the extension in the entry and walked up the stairs, That’s strange, why didn’t Trixie just walk up, and wasn’t Honey going down there just a minute ago… She knocked on the door to Honey’s room.

" Umm, Honey, telephone! Its Trixie."

"Please tell her that I will call her back later, Celia."

"Of course," Celia replied.  What is going on here?   Honey’s stomping, Dan’s yelling and Trixie’s phoning…

*     *     *

"Ok, thanks Celia." Trixie hung up, "Oh Moms she won’t talk to me, Celia said that Honey said, that she would call me back, why wont she just talk to me…"

"Oh Trixie I’m not sure, maybe you should just go up there…"

"Yes, I think I might…"

*     *     *

"OK, Honey, what's wrong?" Dan asked her.

Honey looked at him; he did seem genuinely worried.

"Okay, Dan. When I went down to Trixie’s she was on the phone to Jim…" She stopped and looked at Dan.  He was still watching her. Oh why does he always show up to help just when I always need him…

"Yep, Honey.  Did you and Trixie have a fight?"

"Oh, No, Nothing like that, she doesn’t even know I was there, I heard her talking to Jim, and Brian is bringing a girl home this weekend…"

Dan looked at Honey. "Brian’s bringing a girl home? Are you sure? This is the first I have heard of it…" Oh why did it have to be a Brian problem, I don’t know if I can help much with this…

"Yeah, that’s what Trixie said. She didn’t know that I heard her, or that I was even there, but Mrs. Belden probably thinks I am really strange now because I ran out the door less than two minutes after I walked in it."

"So… you still have feelings for Brian then…"

*     *     *

Trixie hurried up the path to the Manor house, Oh poor Honey, how could this have happened?

"Trixie Belden, I need to talk to you." Trixie looked up Regan was standing in front of her, and he didn’t look to0 happy.

*     *     *

Honey looked shocked, "Huh, feelings for Brian?  No, that’s not it."

"It’s not?" Dan asked

"No. Don’t get me wrong, I like Brian, and I did used to think he was more than a friend, but we, uhh, well, we kissed and there was nothing."

"You kissed?"

"Yep."

"There was nothing?"

"Nothing at all, no spark, not even a faint glow, but that’s not why I’m upset."

"When--when did you kiss him?"

"Huh? Oh, it was just before he and Jim left for college."

"That was over a year ago."

"Yeah, I know."

"How come nobody knows that you kissed Brian?"

"Di knows."

"Di knows?"

"Yep."

"Why does Di know and yet nobody else does?"

"Well, I couldn’t talk to Trixie. Ick factor and all that, even if there weren’t any sparks. He is still her brother, and I didn’t think that you would be interested that I kissed Brian." She stopped and looked at Dan, he had a really strange look on his face

Dan felt like he was going to explode, she’d kissed Brian, nothing happened and nobody had bothered to tell him… he felt very left out, but hang on, if she wasn’t upset because of…

"I guess you're wondering why I am so upset about Brian bringing a girl home if it’s not a jealousy thing, huh?"

"Well, yeah."

"You see, this is kinda embarrassing, but it was Di’s idea. Brian agreed to go along with it but it won't work if he has a girlfriend."

Dan was thoroughly confused.  What is she on about?

*     *     *

"Regan, now isn’t a good time," Trixie said as she looked at Regan. "Honey’s upset about something and I have to go talk to her…"

"Ah ha, so that’s what it is," Regan said

Trixie looked at him as if to say, well, duh. Regan tried really hard not to smile. "Um Trix, I think she’ll be fine, why don’t you come with me for a minute."

"But Regan, I have to go check she’s okay. She heard that Brian’s bringing Phoebe home, his girlfriend, and then she ran crying from my house, and now…"

Why do these kids never listen? "Trix, she’s fine. Come and help me with Jupe here and I’ll explain…"

*     *     *

Oh how do I explain this to him, without looking like a complete idiot! Honey felt like running out again, but knew that Dan would want an explanation sooner or later. "Well, you see, he was going to help me make this guy jealous.  I really like this guy, but he never seems to show anymore than a friendly interest in me, and I think maybe he isn't interested. Brian said that he would help and then he’s coming home with a girl, so he can’t help me make him jealous…Did I make any sense then, or should I try to say it again?" Honey looked hopefully at Dan

"I think what you said was, you like some guy, but you don’t think he likes you, so Brian was going to help you try and make hime jealous, to see if he had any feelings for you, but nowthat he’s bringing a girl home,  he can’t?" Dan tried not to show how he felt about what Honey had just told him.

*     *     *

Trixie looked at Regan, "You can’t be serious, you don’t think that…" Regan didn’t answer, he just gave Trixie a look that said don’t question me. Trixie turned and headed for Manor House.

"Trix, where are you going?" Regan called

"I have to find out if you’re right."

Regan sighed. They will never learn…

 *     *     *

"That’s about it," Honey finished.

"Who is he?"

"Huh?"

"Who’s the guy?"

"Umm, I don’t want…"

"You don’t want to tell me?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"You’ll laugh at me."

"No, I won’t, Honey."

"Do you promise, Dan?"

"I promise."

"You."

"Me?"

"Yes, you."

"You like me."

"Yeah, you promised you wouldn’t laugh."

"I’m not, are you serious, you like me, like that…"

"Yeah… look, if you don’t feel the same way then that’s ok-- I just…"

Dan just stood up and grabbed Honey around the waist and started spinning her in circles. When he put her down, they were both grinning. "Honey, you have just made me so happy. I have liked you for ages, but I thought that you and Brian…"

"So you're happy about this then, you don’t want me to just go away or something?"

"Honey, I can’t ask you to go away, this is your house, not to mention your room. I never thought you’d have feelings for me, I mean…"

Honey laughed. "Well, I never thought you’d like me because I am so sheltered and…"

Dan didn’t reply, he just leaned forward and gently kissed her.

*     *     *

Trixie stood in the doorway to Honey’s room gob-smacked. Dan and Honey, she would never have thought…