"Oh my god, in the car?" Clio gasped. "Just like me, Francie, just like me!"

"I know," Francie responded, kicking the mattress in her excitement. "Can you believe it? We're, like, kissing virgin twins or something!"

Clio burst out laughing, slapping at her sister in the darkness. "Idiota! That's not a thing!"

The door to their bedroom opened, and Daisy stuck her head in. "Is this a private party, or are moms invited?" she asked quietly.

"Come in mom," Francie called as she reached to turn on the lamp next to Clio's bed. "Did we wake you?"

"No, I was listening for you when you came home," Daisy confessed as she crossed the floor after closing the door behind her. "I won't stay long, I know you guys have a lot to talk about, and you need your sleep, too. I just wanted a few details, okay?"

She sat on the bed with one long leg under her, wearing one of Pete's concert tour T-shirts, looking for all the world like a teenager herself. She smiled in anticipation, looking at her daughters, who were both sitting up in bed in their PJs, faces alight with the joy of sisterhood and after hours gossip.

"I loved being your mother when you were babies, and little girls, and now when you're young ladies," she told them. She reached out to cup a youthful cheek in each hand. "I'm so lucky I've gotten to enjoy each stage of your lives like this. You never went through a difficult time, you know? You were never sulky or mean, or moody or anything. And soon you'll be mothers and have careers and everything, wow."

"Mom, we're going to make you leave if you get all mushy on us," Francie warned.

"Fine, fine," Daisy said, leaning against the footboard of the bed. "Was it wonderful? Did you have a great time?"

"There were a few bumps," Clio interjected.

"Oh no! What happened, love?"

So Francie told her about Jill's tirade, and how she, Francie, had only made it worse when she'd tried to offer sympathy.

"And the thing is, I really meant it, you know?" she concluded. "I thought it was really minimizing of Chester to tell Jill how she felt, to say she only thought she loved him and everything. If she thinks she loves him, then she does, right? And then Jill went full on nuclear on me. She hates me, mom, and I never knew." Francie sounded forlorn.

"Well, for someone like Jill, who's probably spent most of her life on the outside looking in, it would be easy to turn you into a symbol for everything she's been denied," Daisy said gently, taking Francie's hand in hers. "It's not your fault, Francie. You were born with so much, on top of which you're just a wonderful person whom everyone loves. You radiate love and light. She doesn't hate you, she doesn't even know you, love. She hates what you stand for, all the things she wants so desperately and can't have, which now includes Chester."

"And now you were front and center to her meltdown in front of half the school, so it's going to be even worse," Clio warned. "Be careful around her, sorella mia."

"No, she's so gentle, she's practically Chester's best friend," Francie protested.

"Even the gentlest deer can be dangerous when it's been wounded," Clio pointed out. "When an animal's hurt, it can turn on anyone, including the person trying to help it. And you know what they say about a woman scorned, and Jill's both, Francie."

"Other than the situation with Jill, did things go okay?" Daisy asked. "Was the date with Chester everything you hoped it would be?"

Francie nodded, eyes shining. "Mom, it was amazing. We went to Signore Campogalliani's after, and he was so kind, everyone loved it and thought I was so cool for suggesting it even it though it was all because of Dad, and then Chester kissed me after, and Mom, it was so amazing--"

Daisy looked at her daughter with misty eyes.

"I'm glad you had a good time, Francie, really glad."

She rose. "And with that, I'll take my creaky self off to bed. Good night, girls, don't stay up too late."

She slipped into bed next to Pete, who rolled over and asked, "Francie get home okay? Did she have fun?"

"Yes, and yes, though of course there was some drama with another girl."

"They wouldn't be teenagers if there weren't some drama, I suppose," Pete murmured. "Everything go okay with the young man? Chester?"

"Definitely. I think Francie's fallen hard for him."

"That's nice, then. Come closer, cara." Pete hooked a leg over Daisy's hip and pulled her over, making a comfortable moaning noise as he did so.

"I thought you'd never ask."

🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥

Francie and Clio heard a noise and stopped talking for a moment. "What was that? Was that mom and dad?" Francie asked.

"Eww, no, it was probably just Della in Finn's room, she's always stretching and groaning and stuff," Clio responded.

"Do you think mom and dad still do it? Have sex?" Francie asked, lowering her voice even further, even though there was no chance of anyone overhearing them.

"Are you kidding? Of course they do," Clio answered comfortably, turning to face her sister in the dark.

"What do you mean, 'Are you kidding?' You're the one who said 'Eww' just now," Francie countered with a laugh.

"Knowing they do it and hearing them actually doing it are two different things," Clio responded. "I mean, think about it. They have five kids, for crying out loud."

"Yeah, but of the five, only three are biologically theirs," Francie said reasonably.

"But Finn was an accident," Clio pointed out. "Dad got a vasectomy, which means that they planned to have sex, but didn't want any more kids. You have to really want sex to go through the pain and bother of a vasectomy, I think, don't you?"

"Yeah," Francie had to admit, nodding her head against the pillow. "Yeah, you're right. "Mom and dad were really old by then, too, weren't they? Like in their thirties? You'd think they'd just slow down, wouldn't you? Jesus, how bad do you have to want it to go through a vasectomy to keep on having it?" Francie sounded indignant.

"I think it's nice that they still love each other that much," Clio said. "You've seen them. They still hug and kiss all the time, it's like they're teenagers almost. They're not like other parents."

"Yeah, you're right," Francie agreed. "It would be sad if they never touched each other. Some of my friends' parents act like they hate each other almost. I'm glad our parents still like each other." She was silent for a moment. "It's just weird to think of your own parents having sex."

"It's probably just as weird for them to think of us having sex, though, don't you think?" Clio suggested. "I saw dad looking at the big picture of us that's over the fireplace the other day? The one of us all on the beach? And he looked like he was going to cry, so I asked him what he saw when he looked at it, and you know what he said?"

"What?"

"He said it wasn't what he saw when he looked at the picture, it was what he saw when he looked at us."

Francie lifted her head to look at her sister's face, barely visible in the darkness.

"What do you mean?"

"He said that sometimes when he looked at us, especially when we didn't know he was looking at us, like when we were doing something or sleeping or whatever, we still looked like the little kids in that picture."

"Wow, we were babies when that picture was taken," Francie said. "Like Finn literally was a baby, you know?"

"Right." Clio nodded. "But to dad, that's how we always look. So imagine how strange and terrible it is for them to imagine us kissing people and having sex and all that."

"I guess you're right," Francie agreed. "But kissing Chester was so dreamy, Clio!"

"And Antonio was totally cool?"

"You know, he said the weirdest thing to me, now that you mention it--"

Francie told Clio about Tony's strange words.

"What do you think he meant?"

"Maybe he thinks you asked Chester to the dance out of kindness," Clio suggested.

Francie sat straight up in bed. "Why would he think something like that?"

"Francie, you can be so blind sometimes for someone so smart," Clio said, not unkindly.

"But, Clio, you've seen Chester! He's smart, and talented, and wow, pretty good-looking, don't you think?" Francie asked her sister as she settled down back in bed. "I have no reason to be 'kind' to him."

"You see the world through your Francie-colored glasses, you always have," Clio said, stroking her sister's hair. "It's what makes you so happy and lovable." She leaned over and kissed her sister. "In so many ways, you're the very best of us Santangelos, Francesca."

"You're a dork, Clio," Francie replied. "You think I need to talk to Tony about this?"

"I don't know."

"Do you think he thinks I'm going to go back to him on Monday?"

"Well, how close did he seem with that horrid Clary Carmichael?" Clio asked.

"As close as a person can be to a reptile like her, I guess," Francie replied with a laugh. "How about if I just leave it up to him, and I'll talk to him if it seems like he needs a talking to? I mean, he can't possibly believe I'd go through all this without telling him it was a pity date or whatever, can he? Can he, Clio?"

"I honestly don't know, Francie, you're the one who was unofficially almost going out with him or whatever," the ever practical Clio said.

"I don't want to think about Tony anymore," Francie said. "I only want to think about Chester. Do you think he'll call me tomorrow? Or text?"

"I think he'll do both, my lucky, wonderful sister," Clio teased.

"Really?"

"Yes. Now let's get some sleep."

"Okay. I love you, Clio."

"I know. I love you too, Francie Pants."