"Where are you going to college?"

Francie smiled. "I like the way you ask that. Not, 'Where do you want to go to college?' Just 'Where are you going? Like it's just a done deal, very cool, Wozniak."

They were sitting up in the loft area of the Santangelos' apartment, where there was at least the possibility of a little quiet, and at least the illusion of privacy, working on homework. Even in this separate area, though, they were bombarded by questions and comments from the younger Santangelo children, who wanted desperately to interact with their sister and her company.

Chester smiled and nudged Francie's elbow with his own. "Come on, Francie, you're the smartest person in the whole school! You're a sixteen-year-old junior, and you probably could've been a senior if you'd wanted to, right? Right? So? Where do you want to go, then?"

Francie twirled her pencil as she considered. "Well, my parents both went to Columbia. It's where they met, actually, and they're very involved alumni, and Clio goes there, so it's kind of the only place I've ever really thought about." She looked at Chester. "You think that's dumb? To just stay in the city? To just keep living at home with my family and all that?"

Chester shook his head emphatically. "Nope. Not at all."

"What about you?" Francie poked him with the eraser end of her pencil. "Where are you going?"

Chester smiled at her sentence and its implications. "Hamilton Music Academy," he said promptly. "I like school, but I love cello. I'd love to be a cellist with the New York Philharmonic." He tucked a curl behind Francie's ear. "So hopefully I'm going to just stay in the city too," he echoed. "And just keep living at home with my family and all that, isn't that convenient?"

"Very convenient, Wozniak." Francie nodded and leaned in to kiss Chester, their physics forgotten.

"Francie! Chester! Do you want to have some cake with us?" Finn yelled from downstairs. "Do you want me to bring you guys some, or do you want to come down and have it? I can bring it to you, or you can come to the table where Lottie, Brina and I are doing our homework, Mom says, or you can--"

"Finn!" Francie called from the top of the stairs. She saw her brother shouting at the top of his lungs from the bottom of the stairs where he stood with his eyes closed.

"Oh. There you are. Mom told me not to not to go up the stairs, so I didn't," Finn said in a self-righteous voice, smiling up at his sister.

"Thanks for that, fratello mio," Francie answered with a smile, shaking her head. "Why don't you bring us the cake, okay?" she said, glancing back at Chester.

"No, let's go down and eat with them," Chester said.

"You sure? Isn't it a bother to go down the stairs and come back up?" Francie gestured toward his crutches.

"We'll just stay down there," Chester suggested.

Finn heard his words and his face lit up as he nodded vigorously.

"They keep talking to us and calling us, it's not like we're getting loads done up here anyway, you know?" Chester said with a grin.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that," Francie replied ruefully. "I told you what it would be like here. It's worse than Grand Central." She looked back down the stairs at her little brother, who had the good grace to look a tiny bit sorry. "Finn, tell Mom we'll be down in five minutes for cake, and we'll just finish our homework at the big table with you guys, okay?"

He nodded and raced off with his message, yelling, "They're coming down, they're coming down!" to his sisters as he ran.

Francie shook her head as she and Chester began gathering their things to go downstairs.

"You don't really mind them, do you?" Chester asked as they stacked their books and headed downstairs.

"Oh no, I love them, really," Francie assured him. "I've seen my friends' younger siblings, and I know I've got it good."

"You really do," Chester agreed. "And I love being here. I'm an only child, and the atmosphere here is so wonderful. My house is like a graveyard compared to this. We had a Japanese exchange student stay with us through the youth orchestra once, a viola player, and he explained that in Japanese there are two words for 'noisy.' One is just 'noisy,' or or 'loud,' but the other one has a connotation of 'lively,' and is a really nice, fun word." They were at the bottom of the stairs now, and Francie handed him his crutches. "He taught us the word, and I've never forgotten it: 'nigiyaka,' isn't it a pretty word?"

Francie tried it. "Yeah, it is. I guess it describes our house pretty well. We are a pretty noisy and lively bunch, aren't we?"

"Yes, you are, and I think it's pretty wonderful," Chester proclaimed as they entered the dining area where the younger Santangelos were working on homework and waiting for cake. Lottie, Brina and Finn saw Francie and Chester and raised a rousing cheer.

"Wow, do I feel special," Chester quipped, raising his hand in a wave.

"We love you, Chester," Finn declared, patting the chair next to him.

"Thank you, Finn, I think you guys are pretty cool as well," Chester responded, noogeying Finn's head, which made Finn howl with laughter, his homework forgotten.

Francie wondered in passing if Finn missed having a brother to goof around with, if he missed wrestling and horsing around and all those brotherly things. Then she recalled when he, Brina, and Lottie had gotten stuck in the dryer, and Daisy had only found them when Della's howling had alerted them.

Maybe not.

Daisy brought in the cake, and Finn noticed immediately that Chester's piece was bigger than his own.

"But why, though?" he asked indignantly. "I can eat that much, too."

"If you want more, you can have more," Daisy promised. She sat down with her own piece, and a cup of tea. "Daddy just landed in England a few minutes ago, guys, and he's fine, he wanted me to let you know. He's headed to the hotel and he's going to try to get some sleep before he heads to the set tomorrow to start filming. Exciting, huh?"

"The set? What's he doing? If it's okay to ask?" Chester inquired as he ate his cake.

"Our daddy's starring in a movie," Finn announced.

"Not starring in, more like supporting starring in," Lottie corrected. "He's kind of playing himself. He's a singer, and his new wife's icky son gets kidnapped, and he has to pay money to get him back, but it's money he was saving for his daughters to go school, and he doesn't want to, so he has to decide what he wants to do. It's really about the mother and the son, but kind of about dad. That's kind of all we know about it, but the scriptwriter is supposed to be really good, so dad was really excited."

"She won an Oscar for her last script," Brina chimed in. "Dad was lucky to get to read for the part, even."

"Neat," Chester enthused. He turned to Daisy. "Ms. Santangelo, this cake is really good."

"Thank you." Daisy looked pleased. "I'm not much of a baker, but I had some time, and it looked like an easy recipe, so I thought I'd give it a try. I always  nervous when Pete travels, and it kept my mind off things, you know?"

"Where's Clio?" Francie wanted to know.

"Clio is studying with Archie," Finn said darkly. "They should've just studied here, like you guys, then we'd all be together."

"Yeah, because we're getting so much studying done," Francie responded with a laugh.

Francie's phone dinged with a text.

It was from Antonio. "Can I come and talk to you?"

Francie texted back, "No, I'm sorry, I'm busy. Can it wait until we're at school tomorrow?"

"Please, I'm tired of waiting. I think I've been patient long enough, don't you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"This whole Chester thing. It's been weeks."

"What's been weeks??" Francie was getting confused.

"I've been waiting patiently in the wings and let you pursue your charity project long enough, I believe."

OMG.

"Everything okay?" Chester asked.

"Yes, just a misunderstanding," Francie responded. "I'm going to go in my bedroom for a few minutes, okay? I need to make a phone call."

Chester nodded and turned back to laugh at something Brina said.

"I'm going to call you, can you talk?" she punched in, fingers trembling a little.

"Sure."

She shut her bedroom door and called, hoping her voice sounded steady.

"Hi, Tony. Look," she began, "there's been some sort of terrible misunderstanding. I really like Chester, he's not my 'charity project,' I swear."

"What? But--"

"No buts, I mean it. Chester and I are dating. I got to know him pretty well while I was sitting with him watching your practices, and I realized I had feelings with him, so I broke things off with you and asked him to the dance. That's what happened. I thought you knew that, I thought you understood." Francie's hand was numb from how tightly she was gripping her phone.

"How is that possible?" Antonio's voice held disbelief. "That guy? He can hardly walk. He's not athletic, not good looking, there's no comparison between him and me. Francie, I don't understand. You chose him over me?"

"What do you want me to say?" Francie felt helpless, and shrugged, even though she knew he couldn't see her. "The heart wants what the heart wants. I like him."

"You're attracted to him? Physically?"

"What do you want me to say? No I'm not attracted to him at all," she said sarcastically. "I don't think it's any of your business, but yes, I am." Now Francie was starting to get indignant.

Antonio sighed. "So all that time, all those days you were sitting there, when you were supposed to be watching me, rooting for me, you were two-timing me with that guy?"

Francie sighed. "I wasn't two-timing you, we were just talking. My god, Tony, you make it sound like we were having sex under the bleachers!"

"You aren't, are you?" Tony's voice was sharp. "You aren't--sleeping with him?"

"Again, none of your business," Francie answered. "You know what? Let's just leave it at that. I think I'm through explaining to you, okay? I'm sorry you misunderstood me for so long, I really am." She thought for a few seconds, then asked a question of her own. "Can I just ask, though, if you thought you were waiting for me, then what in the hell have you been doing with Clary Carmichael these last few weeks? Is that how you wait for someone?"

"She was just a space filler, she doesn't mean anything," Tony said smoothly. "She knows I was waiting for you to finish your project."

"I see," Francie said, shaking her head. "Nice. Well done, Tony. So, are we all straightened out now? You're free to pursue a more permanent relationship with Clary, okay? You have my blessing. I'm all tied up with Chester."

"Yes, I understand. I mean, I don't understand, not really, but if it's what you want, I suppose I have to be okay with it."

Just then, Chester stuck his head in the door, concern etched on his features. "You okay?" he mouthed.

Francie nodded, and made a gesture to him, thumb and forefinger an inch or so apart, to indicate that she needed a little more time.

Chester nodded and left, closing the door behind him.

"Okay, good. And listen, for what it's worth, I am sorry for the misunderstanding. I should've been more clear when I had the chance."

Me too, Francie, me too. Bye."

"Bye."