7:00

Standing by the sink, Justin cocks his head a little, not missing the smile that briefly passed over Beth's lips. Maybe they were making progress... little by little. Maybe one day he'd see that thick shell gone.

"Nah, don't worry too much about the water. You've been there once already, so this should be old hat to you." He gives her a wink before finishing off his drink and setting the glass in the sink.

"Alright. Gimme five minutes and I'll be ready to go." Heading down the hall, he grabs a different pair of jeans and t-shirt from his room before closing the door behind himself in the bathroom. True to his word, it's only five minutes and he's finished rinsing off his sweat and throwing some old but clean clothes on.

Grabbing his backpack, he takes a couple bottles of water from the fridge along with a couple granola bars too, just in case anyone got hungry. "Okay, I'm ready."

He motions to Beth, offering her a warm smile to let her know he was still here and still proud of her for being willing to do this today. "Let's get out of here."


Pete grins a little, glad to know that at least Trey was enjoying his food. He'd have to remember this as a place they could come again sometime.

It's too soon though that the meal is over and the reality sets in that they need to return to TJY. Pete remains casual with Trey, not being pushy or making him do anything to stay within sight. Back in the convertible again, it's another fast ride back to base until Pete walks Trey back inside. He does mention the next morning though, implying they might slip out again.


The day grows long, and the hours seem to drag by. Finally though, seven o'clock rolls around and Pete finds himself outside the little diner once again. He hadn't gotten any phone calls, so he was assuming Nikki would come, though he had his doubts. He'd been pretty cold to her earlier - she might have gotten the impression he didn't want to see her, and he hadn't even gotten her number in case she didn't show.

Boots, blue jeans and a black tee left untucked, Pete tucks his sunglasses into his collar before sliding into a booth to wait. He turns down any food from the waitress for now - he'd wait and see what happened.


Leo looks up at the clock as he slouches on the couch. He'd made it through the day alright, but was still feeling miserable. Even though physically he was okay now, he knew it had been a stupid thing to do - going and getting drunk. But he had yet to find another way to get rid of this frustration inside of him.

He was getting over Ryan... right? But every time Cassy moved closer, he pulled away as if he still was attached to someone else. Maybe just wasn't ready. And this long day hadn't helped things much as he'd had way too much time to think and over-analyze.

Leaning his head back, he sighs. He'd never turned to drinking before - why he had this time, he wasn't even sure. Desperation perhaps. But he wasn't intending to do it again. The consequences weren't worth it.

He turns and looks at his nearby phone. He hadn't called Cassy yesterday... or today. Had she really expected him to? Had she really wanted to do something? The answer was probably yes on both counts. So why didn't he just pick up the stupid phone and call? He felt like a jerk not doing it.

He looks down at his hands. It was getting dark. The races would be starting soon. He needed to thank Eli for bringing him home the other night anyway. He didn't need to hang out with the McKade's or Alec if he showed up too - he could go see other people too, right? At least it would give him something to do other that sitting around here and staring at the walls... right?

Making up his mind, he stands and goes for his keys. Maybe he wouldn't stay long, but he just needed to get out and that was as good a place as any right now.