May 2013

Wilmington, North Carolina

"Mom, I'm back!" Teddi called, upon entering the Windsor home. She let Apollo off his leash and he immediately ran to his water bowl.

"In my office," Teddi's mother, Deborah replied.

Teddi followed her mother's voice from the kitchen, through the hallway, and into her study. "Hey mom, Apollo has been walked and fed," she informed her mother.

"Thank you.I am so backed up on work, and I just couldn't step away," Deborah responded, while she sat at her desk, busily typing away on her computer.

"Are you kidding me? It's the least I can do." She pulled out one of the rolling chairs and sat down in front of her mother's desk. "I can't thank you and Dad enough for taking him for me." Teddi had been wracked with guilt after having to relinquish Apollo. Especially after she'd fought Tyson so hard for him during the breakup. But, as she started working and traveling again, she realized that she couldn't give him the love and attention that he deserved. Her parents, empty nesters with no grandchildren, offered to take him without any hesitation.

"It's nothing. If I can't have grandchildren, at least I have a dog," Deborah said pointedly.

Teddi winced inwardly. She hadn't mentioned her fertility concerns to her mother. She never even told her that she and Tyson had been trying. She wanted to surprise them when it happened, and unfortunately it never did.

"So, what do you have planned for the day?" Deborah asked.

"I'm going down to Switch later tonight to check out this new band. I've heard great things about them, and if I like what I hear, I may ask them if they're interested in recording for the album," Teddi explained.

"That sounds like fun," Deborah mused.

"I'm kind of nervous," Teddi admitted.

"Well, that's crazy honey, why would you be nervous? You've been doing this your whole life!"

"Yeah, but not like this." Back in February, Teddi had received a call from Chase Anderson, one of friends from high school. His New York Times bestselling book A Stranger Among Us was being adapted into a major motion picture, and he wanted her to produce the soundtrack. Teddi jumped at the opportunity. Especially after finding out that the movie was being shot in their hometown of Wilmington, North Carolina.

"I don't want the Chainsmokers or Rock Mafia or the Neptunes or whoever else producing this soundtrack. They're not from Wilmington, and as amazing as they are, they can't grasp that feel. I want the movie to be as authentic as possible, and musically speaking, you're the only one who can offer that."

Teddi hadn't needed convincing to work on Chase's film, but what he said meant everything to her. Wilmington was home. The place that made her, and she wanted the soundtrack to be like the love letter to her hometown. After all, the book was based on their lives and she wanted to create what was essentially the soundtrack to their youth.

"This is the first time that I'm making music on such a large scale. Producing for someone other than myself," Teddi explained.

"What about the charity album you put together for 9/11?" Deborah asked.

Teddi thought back to her junior year of high school. She was involved in the Key Club and served as the Executive Director. The exec board had been brainstorming ways to raise money for the families of victims of the September 11th attacks. Teddi had come up with the idea to get some local artist together and record a compilation album, with the proceeds going to the victims' families. It had been a success, and the most successful fundraiser in the school's history.

"But that was a charity album, and it was produced in a basement with janky equipment I got off eBay."

"And yet it was still a masterpiece," Deborah said, clasping her hands together and propping her elbows onto her desk. "And as much as I love Chase and his writing, I'd argue that helping the families of the victims of 9/11 is a much more formidable cause than a Hollywood movie."

Teddi bowed her head and smiled. "I guess you're right, Mom."

"Um, what was that?" Deborah asked, raising her index finger to her ear.

"What?" Teddi asked quizzically.

"Did you just say I was right? Did my child, Teddi Elizabeth Windsor, actually just take my advice?"

Teddi chuckled. "Mom!"

"Well!" Deborah folded her arms across her chest and leaned back into her chair. "I never thought I'd see the day. I'm calling your father!" Deborah picked up her office phone and excitedly began to dial.

"Mom, you are too much," Teddi smiled, rolling her eyes. "And on that note, I'm gonna go upstairs and shower!"

Later that night ,Teddi was joined by her high school friends at Switch, the popular eighteen and over nightclub in downtown Wilmington that they used to frequent.  The kids of Beverly Hills 90210 had The Peach Pit, they had Switch. Chase's uncle Craig owned the club and allowed him and his friends to come and go as they please, despite not being of age. The only condition was that they couldn't drink. And they abided by the rule...when Craig was there.

"I can't believe the gang's back together again," Teddi smiled, sipping on her Ginger Ale. She sat at the bar with her six best friends from high school. Somehow Chase had convinced them all to come back home and work on the film. They were each involved in some way or the other.

Bianca Davenport, aka B, had graduated from the Parsons School of Design in New York City, and then interned for Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel in Paris. She went on to launch her successful high-end clothing line Trésor, and her designs had been worn by the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, Renee Zellweger, Natalie Portman, and Teddi of course, to name a few. Chase had called on Bianca to be the head costume designer on the film. With her pale skin and auburn hair, she'd been one of the most popular girls in school. Captain of the dance team, she won prom queen both junior and senior year.

Holly Jansen, the brainiac of the group, had earned her master's in education from the University of Virginia at Arlington, and moved back home to North Carolina to start her teaching career. She was married to Stephen Sanders, her high school sweetheart, and they had a daughter, Jansen ‘Janney' Sanders- Teddi's Goddaughter. Holly was the official set tutor, making sure that all of the child actors who were enrolled in summer classes completed their assignments on time.  Holly was pretty in an understated way. She had glossy brown-blonde hair, brown doe eyes, and creamy white skin so clear it could be featured in a Neutrogena commercial. Stephen always said that he fell in love with her at first sight.

Stephen Sanders had been one of the most popular guys in school and was the star catcher on their baseball team. His supernatural athletic abilities earned him a full ride to UVA, where Holly followed him to after he proposed to her at their high school graduation. He was currently the MVP for the Durham Bulls. Stephen along with their friend Ace, were co-sports choreographers for the film's baseball scenes. Stephen standing at six feet, with short dark hair, broad shoulders, a chiseled physique, green eyes, and dimples, was your typical high school heartthrob. All the girls wanted him, but he only had eyes for Holly.

Anthony "Ace" Tatum was the wise-cracking prankster of the group. After high school, he went on to play baseball at UNC, where her graduated with a degree in Exercise Science and Kinesiology. He was now the head baseball coach at UNC. Ace was attractive with skin the color of mocha, and jet- black curls that he wore cut short. Back in high school he painstakingly tried to imitate R&B singer Ginuwine's signature hair ‘do. He went through a lot of hair gel.  Teddi and Ace originally connected over being the only Black students in their grade. They often confided in one another, and in senior year created the Black Student Union.

Michael "Meech" McGovern who went on to become a sports analyst on ESPN, was cast in the roll of a sports announcer in the film. In their freshman year, both Teddi and Meech were outcasts. Meech was gangly and awkward with braces, and Teddi the chunky one. They were relentlessly teased and bullied, until one day Chase decided to eat with them at lunch. Soon, Bianca, Holly, Stephen, and Ace followed. When people saw who they were friends with, the bullying was not as persistent, and only happened when the others weren't around. High school was no cake walk, but their friends made it bearable. Meech had long since grown out of his awkwardness and had more women than he had hands. He'd put on weight and went from gangly to buff. His light brown hair was always styled to perfection, his teeth straightened by years of wearing braces, his acne cleared, and he got Lasik, no longer having to wear thick coke-bottle glasses. It was quite amusing to their group that the girls who paid him dust in high school, were now drooling all over him.

"Bottoms up!" Bianca yelled, before downing a shot of Tequila.

"Same ole B," Chase laughed.

"Ugh as if," Bianca scoffed. "Thank God we didn't peak in high school!"

"You can say that again," Teddi chimed in. She would rather be put in a room with all her exes and JC, than to be seventy-five pounds heavier again.

"Don't you want something a little stronger than Ginger Ale, Ted?" Ace asked, pointing toward her drink.

"Yeah, I mean we're finally all together again in the same place again, back on our old stomping grounds, and we can finally legally drink, and you're nursing a Ginger Ale?" Meech asked quizzically.

"I'm here on business guys," Teddi replied. "No drinking for me tonight. Besides, after losing the weight I can't hold my liquor the way I used to."

"Who said you could ever hold your liquor?" Chase snorted.

"Wow, okay you have jokes!"

"Hmm, I distinctly remember you getting black out drunk and singing You Oughta Know directly to Jack Nelson," Holly said.

"Please don't remind me," Teddi groaned.

"Remind you?" Stephen scoffed. "Girl, you don't even remember it!"

"And I'm sure it was cringe worthy enough, so I don't need the visuals, thank you!"

"Are you performing tonight?" Chase asked.

"No," Teddi responded. "I'm just here to check out the band." Fire on High was the hottest band in all of Wilmington, and Teddi couldn't wait to hear them. There was about another half-hour before their set started.

"Oh, she goes on to win a couple of Grammys and now she's too good for us!" Chase joked. Chase and Teddi had always had a playful relationship that bordered on flirting. Ten years later and he still looked just as good as he did in high school, only better. Six-foot-one, blonde hair, green eyes, and a smile to die for. Despite no longer playing baseball, he still had an enviable figure. Like his cousin, Stephen, he was equally a heartthrob. In high school, Teddi had a slight crush on him, but ended falling completely head over heels for him when he beat up Jack Nelson for his cruel homecoming prank. She never pursued anything with him though because she was almost certain he'd never been attracted to her.

Teddi playfully swatted him on his bicep. "It's not that, it just... tonight's not about me."

"Sure, it is," Chase said, slightly nudging her. "It's about all of us. We're the hometown kids who all made something of ourselves. Tonight's a celebration," he declared lifting up his glass. Everyone tapped their glasses together as he made a toast. "To us, because y'know, we started from the bottom, now we here!"

"Oh my God Chase, that was so cheesy," Teddi groaned.

"Hey, don't hate now, ‘cuz this white boy's got swag!"

"Oh god," Teddi said shaking her head.

Holly watched them, laughing. "This is going to be a fun summer!" She exclaimed, taking a swig of her corona. She held her bottle up to make another toast, a proper one. "To the Summer of the Wilmington kids!"

"To us!" The gang cheered.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Later that night, err... early that morning Teddi stumbled into her room. Fire on High was amazing, and after talking to them offstage, they agreed to be on the soundtrack. They exchanged information, and their lawyers would be in touch to negotiate the contract. Teddi felt victorious. She'd never been on the business side of the music industry. She counted scoring Fire on High as a success. After much convincing (and begging) by both her friends and the band, Teddi agreed to perform. It was her first time back on the Switch stage in nearly eight years. She performed her first two singles from her debut album, Stuck, and More to Life, two songs from her Sophomore album titled ‘Expose', Each Other, and Love Story, and two unreleased songs that she recorded before she left LA. From my Heart to Yours and If Tonight is My Last. She wasn't drunk, but she was feeling that euphoric high that only performing could give her. The audience had been so receptive of her. It felt good to be loved and accepted by her hometown.

Teddi flopped down on her bed and took off her shoes. As she got undressed, and changed into her pajamas, she hummed the words to her song.

If tonight is my last, I wanna spend it with you...

Teddi smiled to herself when she thought about the song's muse: JC.

After her breakup with Tyson, she was so empty and broken. Worse than any other time she'd gone through a breakup. Travis had serious issues, and it was so easy to leave him and never look back. Brendon filled a void to help her get over Travis. Wilmer was a short-lived fling, nothing serious, and Brody, although she thought she'd never get over him, was a douchebag, and getting over him was easier than she thought. But Tyson? She'd built her life around him. She was for sure that he was it for her. They weren't two young kids who decided to jump into a relationship. They made the mature adult decision to pursue each other. They tried for a baby. She was so sure they were close to marriage. She was devastated when he broke up with her. And who was there to pick up the pieces? JC.

After the breakup, she showed up at his doorstep in tears, with bags packed in her car. Luckily, Kathryn hadn't been there, and she hadn't lived with him at the point. Without hesitation, JC let Teddi stay at his place until she could find her own. Of course, Kathryn wasn't happy with the situation, but JC put his foot down. He wasn't throwing his best friend out on the street after she'd just been dumped.

Teddi made sure to stay out of JC's way and to give him space, but he made it impossible. Whenever he wasn't working on new music, he would drag her out of the guestroom and force her to get out. Even if it was just downstairs in his media room to watch Julia Roberts movies. He stocked his fridge with an endless supply of Ben & Jerry's Half Baked and Barefoot sweet red. He never forced her to open up to him, but when she was ready, he was all ears. She hadn't told him exactly why she and Tyson had broken up. Teddi's explanation was that they decided they weren't compatible and were wasting their time trying to make it work. It was a truncated version of the truth. She didn't want to say,  "Hey JC, you're the reason why my relationship ended!"

The way JC had taken care of her in her time of need, reignited those old feeling all over again. Feelings she thought were long gone. Tyson was right. She was still in love JC, and she couldn't fight it.

Once she changed into her pajamas, Teddi hopped into bed and cut out the light. Wide awake, she stared up at the ceiling. Restless, she turned from one side to the next sleep not befalling her. Before she knew it an hour had passed, it was 4:00 AM. Teddi rolled over on her side and grabbed her phone from the nightstand. She unhooked it from her charger and entered her pin number into the lock screen. Scrolling through her contacts, she landed on JC's number. She tapped the screen and pressed the call button next to his contact info. The phone rang three times.

"Hello?" JC answered, yawning.

"Jace," Teddi smiled at the sound of his voice.

"Teddi? What's up?" JC whispered into the phone. He turned and looked behind him. Kathryn was lying next to him in bed sound asleep. JC got up, and quietly tipped toed to the next room over, a guest bedroom. Once inside, he shut the door behind him and flicked on the light. He walked over to the bed and sat down.

"Oh my God, were you asleep? Gosh I'm such an idiot, I should hang u-"

"No, no Teddi, don't please," JC pleaded. "I miss you." Teddi had gone from living in his home, to moving to Wilmington for the summer. For months she'd been a constant in his life, and he missed having her there all the time.

Teddi's heart swelled. "I miss you too," she admitted.

JC loved to hear the sound of her voice in his ear. It always put him at ease. "So, how's everything going with the movie?"

"So far so good, I got this really amazing local band to agree to record a song for the soundtrack!"

"That's awesome, Ted." JC smiled. He could picture her smiling back through the phone. The thought of her smile making the hair on his arm stand. "But how are you doing?"

There was a long pause.

"Honestly, I'm the best I've been in a long time. I think being back in Wilmington is just what I needed. Being with my family, and all my high school friends. I hadn't realized how much I missed home. I feel like I'm finally getting back to myself."

"I'm glad to hear it," JC responded. He wanted nothing more than for Teddi be happy. If she was okay, then he was okay. Suddenly, a though hit him like a ton of bricks; he wished it were Teddi in his bed right now, not Kathryn.

"Thanks," Teddi said, slightly yawning.

"Just don't get too attached," JC said. He knew she was still house hunting, and he was worried that the all the nostalgia of being back home would pull her back there, and away from him.

"I love Wilmington Jace, but I did leave for a reason," Teddi reminded him. "Besides, home is where the heart is."

Silence.

Had she really just said that out loud? Fuck!

"Oh yeah, well where's your heart?" JC asked nervously. He anxiously awaited an answer.

Teddi sighed before answering. "My heart is with you Jace. It always has been, and always will be."

JC sighed in relief, his heart soaring at her words. "Good. Hurry up and get your ass back home!"

Girl you make it hard to be faithful, with the lips of an angel.