My Best Friend

My Best Friend

Prologue:

This story isn't your average Sheridan and Luis story. Nor is it really your average Passions story. The characters in this story are vastly different from the characters we know and love on the show. I got this idea from one show that I used to love very much in its first season…Dawson's Creek. For those that watch the show, maybe you see where I'm going with this. For those that do not watch the show, I'm going to give you a brief synopsis of what the characters are like. The characters in this story aren't based exactly upon those in Dawson's Creek, but they have a lot of similarities. The reason for this story is simply that I wanted to do something fun and different. So, I'm asking you now to forget what you know about Passions and the beloved characters that you tune in to see everyday.

Chapter 1:

Sixteen year old Sheridan Crane and Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald are best friends. They have been ever since nursery school. The two of them did everything together and along with Hank Bennett, they became the three musketeers. Sheridan hasn't had the best life. When she was 11, her mother died of cancer and when she was 13, her father was sent to prison for drug trafficking. She and younger brother, Ethan, were left in the care of older sister, Jules. The Cranes run a restaurant called The Crab Shack, and they struggle to get by. Sheridan lives across the creek from her best friend, and the shortest route is by row boat. She spends a majority of her time in Luis' house because it's an escape from her own dismal existence. She and Luis have had sleepovers almost every weekend since they were children and they even share the same bed. Sheridan is also extremely smart, and a talented swimmer. She is desperate for a life outside of Harmony and hopes that swimming and school will provide a way out. Another detail about Sheridan Crane is that she is a tomboy who is completely unaware of her blossoming beauty and, interestingly enough, has recently developed a crush on lifelong friend, Luis.

Luis lives in a big house across the creek from Sheridan with his mother, father, and younger twin siblings, Miguel and Theresa. They aren't rich, but they are extremely well off as his father is a lawyer and his mother is an architect. Luis excels in sports, but doesn't hang around with the "jocks" or the other "popular" people in school because they look down on his best friend, Sherry. They see her as trash, and Luis hates them for it. He spends most of his free time hanging out with Sheridan and Hank. Luis, too, is very smart, but he is oblivious to the fact that Sheridan is growing up and turning into a beautiful young woman. He still sees her as the lanky tomboy she always was growing up.

Hank Bennett is the class clown of Harmony High. He's never been serious for more than five consecutive minutes in his entire life. His father is the Chief of Police and he has an older brother, Sam, who is continuing in their father's footsteps by becoming a deputy on the police force, and a younger sister, Kay, who is best friends with Ethan Crane and the Lopez-Fitzgerald twins. Hank gets along well with Kay, even though she is a brat sometimes, but his relationship with his father and brother is strained because they see him as the black sheep of the family. He spends most of his time at Luis' house watching movies and arguing with Sheridan. Hank also plays sports, but he isn't as good as Luis, and his father often reminds him of that. Lately, his favorite pastime has been teasing Sheridan for her burgeoning feelings for their best pal.

Ch.1

At 6:30, music came blaring out of Sheridan's alarm clock and she fumbled to turn it off. She let out a disapproving groan that it was morning already and that she had to be at swim practice in half an hour. She rubbed her eyes and let out a big yawn. She got out of bed and groggily stumbled to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. Sheridan threw on her swimsuit and pulled her blonde hair back into a ponytail. She grabbed her bag and walked into the kitchen where she saw Jules at the table reading the newspaper.

"Why are you up so early?"

"Good morning to you, too, Sunshine," Jules said sarcastically.

"I'm sorry…I'm just tired. Coach Russell has been killing us at practice this week before we start our taper."

"I know kiddo. But think, you have Senior State coming up in two weeks and then you will have a break before school starts."

"Thank God. I need a week where I don't have to do anything. Anyway, why are you up so early?"

"It's delivery day at the restaurant. Speaking of which, Christin can't make her shift today, and I really need you to cover for her."

"Ugh! Jules…please find someone else," Sheridan whined.

"I'm sorry Sheridan, but there isn't anyone else to cover today. It's the height of tourist season and you know how busy we are. I know you haven't had a day off in awhile, but I'll try to let you out as soon as we slow down."

"Dammit. I can't wait until I'm out of this town," she muttered under her breath and reached for her keys on the table.

"I heard that, Sheridan, and I'm about sick of your smart mouth," Jules said with a unyielding look. I said I was sorry, but I need you at The Crab Shack this afternoon."

Sheridan sighed knowing she was on the losing end of this battle. "Fine." She stormed out of the house, got into her car, and headed to practice. 'It's not even 7:00 and already my day sucks!'
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Sheridan finished her set and Coach Russell told her, Keli, Carrie, and Kendall to get started on their kick set while the other girls finished. He fondly referred to these girls as "The Fab Four." They were the fastest ones on the team and were constantly breaking records. He was looking forward to the high school season, because he knew these four girls were headed right to state. Sheridan tossed her goggles onto the deck and grabbed her kickboard. She began the next set and the other girls followed.

Luis and Hank walked into the school to lift weights for football. They walked by the pool and stopped at the window to watch the girls practice. Sheridan and Carrie were talking as they kicked and were now facing the window where Hank and Luis looked on.

"Hey, there's brat face…she's talking to Carrie Cooper," Hank said. "Mmm mmm…Carrie Cooper is HOT!" Luis just smirked and rolled his eyes and waved to Sheridan. Sheridan smiled and waved back. She looked away and Hank pounded on the window to get her attention. She looked up again and saw that Hank had dropped his pants and pressed his ass against the window.

Carrie laughed and Sheridan shook her head. "God, that boy is an idiot. I have seen his ass entirely too many times in my life."

"I think he's cute," Carrie exclaimed.

"Hank Bennett? Cute? Well, by all means, take him off my hands. He hangs around too much as it is," Sheridan said.

Luis laughed at Hank and pushed him. "Why are you such a jackass?"

"Me? Never! Remind me to ask Sheridan later if Carrie said anything about me."

"Yeah, okay, Hank. Let's go, or we're going to be late for practice," Luis said as he grabbed Hank by the shirt and pulled him away from the window.

"Bye ladies," Hank said in a swanky tone.

"Oh lord, here we go again!"

Back at swim practice, the girls were getting ready to do timed sprints. Sheridan and Keli were going first. Keli always managed to stay close to Sheridan, but she had never beaten her. Today, however, was different. Keli edged out Sheridan and they were both shocked. Sheridan climbed out of the pool with a disgruntled look on her face. Her body had endured many changes over the summer. It seemed as though it developed over night. She was once tall and pencil thin and had no shape. Now, she was getting hips and her breasts were quite developed. It proved to be a struggle in the pool. She noticed a small slow down in her times and today gave her yet another painfully real reminder of the changes she had gone through.

"Good race, Keli," Sheridan told her. It was, after all, a good race, but Sheridan hated losing.

"Thanks Sheridan. You too," Keli told her. Sheridan gave her a half smile and went to sit on the bench until it was her turn again.

Carrie came over to her when she was done and sat next to her. "Filled out this summer huh, Sheridan?" Sheridan looked up and laughed dryly.

"Yeah. I have to work so much harder in the pool than I did last year and my times aren't as fast. It's so frustrating!"

"Tell me about it. It happened to me last year, remember?" Sheridan nodded. "You'll bounce back quickly. It just takes some getting used to. By the time the school season begins, you'll be back in top form. Don't worry." Carrie gave her a reassuring smile and went over with the other girls.

Sheridan sighed. Carrie made her feel somewhat better, but she was still self conscious about her body. She had been hanging out with two boys her entire life, and was always considered 'one of the guys.' 'I'm certainly not just one of the guys anymore. I've got the C cups to prove it,' she thought wryly. She managed to hide her figure from her lifelong buds under sports bras and big t-shirts thus far. Most girls were proud of their bodies when they got their curves, but Sheridan, being the tomboy that she was, was having a hard time with it. She shook her head trying to knock these thoughts out of her head and she heard Coach Russell calling her for second round of trials.

When Sheridan had finished practice, she quickly showered and changed so she could catch a nap before her shift at the restaurant. She hurried to the parking lot and got in her car. She tried to start it up but it wouldn't go. She let it sit for a minute and tried it again. Nothing. Sheridan slammed her hands on the steering wheel in aggravation. She muttered obscenities as she got out and popped the hood on her vintage '64 Mustang. She and Luis had found it on sale for really cheap and decided they could fix it up. They did a pretty good job so far, but it still needed a lot of work. She was trying to find the problem, but it she couldn't pin it down. "Why is this happening to me today?"

"Car troubles, Summer?" Luis asked from behind her. Sheridan's favorite swimmer of all time was Summer Sanders and he had started calling her that after she won her first medal at state.

Sheridan smiled upon hearing his voice. "You could say that," she said with her eyes still fixed on the car. She turned around and saw Luis without his shirt on. He had also had a summer of filling out. His muscles were really becoming defined and Sheridan felt her heart pounding in her chest as she saw the sweat glistening on his arms and chest. 'Pull it together, Crane!'

"What seems to be the problem?"

"Besides the fact that it's a piece of crap?" Sheridan's voice was dripping with exasperation.

"It's not a piece of crap, Sheridan. This car is a classic…it'll be sweet once we get her fixed up," Luis replied.

"Yeah, well, it couldn't have broken down when I was at home. No sir, it had to break down at good ol' Harmony High. I really wanted to take a nap before I go into work. This is so not my day!" Sheridan sighed again and ran her fingers through her hair in frustration.

Luis had a confused look on his face. "Work? I thought you had the day off today. We were supposed to hang out."

"You can thank Jules for that. She told me at 6:30 this morning that my day off was being revoked since she needs me to work."

"That sucks. Anyway, how was practice?" Luis went to work on the car and Sheridan stared in wonderment as his muscles flexed. He kept talking to her and received no response. "SHERIDAN?"

Sheridan snapped out of it. "Huh? What did you say?" She felt her cheeks turning red and she just wanted to get out of there before these hormonal thoughts of Luis consumed her.

"I asked you how practice was and how you're shaping up for state?" Luis chuckled at her. "Where were you?"

"I don't know. I'm just having a bad day. I was off at practice today and it has me on edge." That was partially true, but mostly she was conflicted by her feelings for Luis.

"Oh well, you had an off day…big deal. You know you're gonna tear 'em up at state. Sheridan Crane is going to have her very own personal cheering section there. The entire Lopez-Fitzgerald clan will be there." He gave her an encouraging smile.

"And don't forget about me," Hank called as he approached the two.

"As if I could. I try, but you keep haunting me," Sheridan said with a sarcastic smile.

Hank walked over and messed up her hair. "And how is my favorite pool rat today?" Sheridan shoved his arm away. "Oh, before I forget, I saw you talking to Carrie in the pool today."

"So, I talk to Carrie in the pool everyday."

"Yes, but I was wondering if she said anything about me today." Hank raised his eyebrows, curious as to what her response would be.

Sheridan crossed her arms on her chest. "She did, as a matter of fact."

"Don't hold out on me, Crane…what did she say?" Hank was almost giddy and it made Sheridan laugh.

"She said that your ass is hideous and she would never date you," Sheridan said with a smirk on her face. Luis burst out laughing.

"Ugh! She did not say that. And for the record, my ass is not hideous. It's cute."

"And your point of reference would be what exactly? Do you look at it in the mirror at home? On second thought, forget I asked, because I don't want to know."

"Come on…did she really say something about me?"

Sheridan rolled her eyes. "Fine, she said that you were cute. I told her she could have you…free of charge…I'd even provide the air fresheners."

"Cute huh? HA! Luis, you said I was hopeless." Hank started dancing around and doing a little dance. "Carrie Cooper likes me! Carrie Cooper likes me!"

"Keep that up Hank, and she won't like you for very long," Luis replied. He got into Sheridan's car and couldn't get it started. "Looks like she's not going anywhere today, Summer." He saw the annoyed and angry look on her face. "I'll come back and work on it later or get it towed for you."

Sheridan kicked the tires. "Stupid car."

Luis laughed. "Come on, I'll take you home."

"Thank you." She got her bag out of the car and walked over to Luis' jeep. She noticed Hank headed for the front seat. "SHOTGUN!" They yelled simultaneously. Sheridan ran and cut Hank off before he could reach the front seat. "Ha!"

"No fair. You always get shotgun, man," Hank said in his best 'Dazed and Confused' voice. Sheridan giggled and hopped into the front seat.

They were almost to Sheridan's house when Luis spoke up. "Don't forget about sailing on Saturday."

"How could I forget. I still can't believe your dad is trusting you to take the boat out by yourself this year. Especially with goofball going," Sheridan said motioning to Hank. "Disaster follows him, Luis," she said flatly.

"I heard that, woman. Pipe down," Hank snapped.

"Hey, Martin trusts me," Luis said and flashed her his killer smile.

Sheridan felt her heart doing back flips in her chest again from seeing that smile. 'Why is this happening to me?' She averted his eyes and glanced down at her feet. Luis pulled the car into her driveway and she hopped out. "Thanks for the ride."

"No problem. You coming over tonight?"

"That depends…what section of Video World are you hitting tonight?"

"Horror! Horror!" Hank chanted.

"Hanky, Sheridan doesn't like scary movies," Luis reminded him.

"Precisely my point." He turned to grin at Sheridan just as her hand was heading for his face. He narrowly dodged the slap and laughed. "Ha, ha. I'm just kidding."

"Whatever jail bait. See you guys later." Sheridan waved and walked into her house to take a nap.

"Bye Sheridan," Luis yelled.
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Sheridan was at The Crab Shack waiting tables. It was 6:30 and she had been working since 11:00. She had gotten into it several times with Jules already that day and she couldn't wait to leave. She was busing a table when she dropped a plate on the floor and it broke. That was her third plate fatality today. "Dammit!" Jules came up behind her and took the rag out of her hand.

"Go home, Sheridan."

Sheridan whirled around and gave her an incredulous look. "Home? We're swamped, Jules."

"Well, I can't afford to keep you here when you keep breaking the dishes. You're worn out, and you've been working all day. Just get out of here…and quickly before I change my mind."

Sheridan gave her first genuine smile all day. She kissed Jules on the cheek. "Thanks! You're the best. I'll be at Luis' if you need me." Jules watched her run out of the restaurant and smiled knowing the real reason Sheridan was happy and it had nothing to do with leaving work…it had to do with a certain boy across the creek.

Sheridan ran home and quickly took a shower and dried her hair. She debated whether or not to pull it back and decided to leave it down for a change. She threw on cutoff jean shorts and dark pink, sleeveless button up shirt. She found her white sneakers and slipped them on. She ran out of the house and headed for her row boat.

Sheridan rowed as quickly as she could across the creek and secured the line when she reached the dock in front of Luis' house. She walked hurriedly up the path and around to the side of the house where her ladder was located. Sheridan expertly climbed the ladder as she had done many, many times before. She eased in through the window and saw Luis sprawled out on his bed and Hank in the chair next to him. "Hey guys," Sheridan said sweetly.

"Well, well, look what the cat dragged in," Hank said. He loved teasing her. Luis threw a pillow at him as he wasn't in the mood for the fighting.

"Bite me, Hank," she said tartly. Hank growled and jokingly bit the air. He then proceeded to laugh at himself as he often did simply because he was a fool. Sheridan wasn't in the mood for it and walked over to her side of the bed and flopped down next to Luis. "Hey Luis."

Luis rolled onto his side and smiled at his best friend. "Hey. How was work?"

"Ugh…horrendous. It certainly was crabby customer day at The Crab Shack. I also fought with Jules most of the day…broke lots of dishes and then she told me to leave before I broke anymore. She was actually cool about it now that I think back."

"Good. We're about to start another movie…you can pick."

"Hmm…I vote something Brat Pack." Luis smiled at her. Those were her favorite.

"AGAIN? Sheridan, come on…we watch those movies all of the time," Hank complained.

"Hank, leave her alone, she's had a bad day," Luis said, annoyed with the fact that Hank used every excuse to pick fights with her. It was tired.

Sheridan smirked at Hank and nodded her head, acknowledging her victory.

"Why am I not surprised that you side with her over me? Sheridan always gets the bed, she always picks the movies…" Hank continued and Sheridan stuck her bottom lip out and pretended to play the violin, mocking Hank.

Luis looked over at Sheridan and started cracking up. He shoved her playfully because he knew they'd never hear the end of Hank's babbling tonight. He couldn't help it though. She always made him laugh. Hank shook his head in disbelief, but he eventually gave in and started laughing. He knew exactly how he could get to Sheridan. Hank stood up and walked over to the bed. "Scoot over Sheridan. That chair is uncomfortable and I want to sit on the bed, too."

Sheridan shot him an icy look and he smirked. He knew that if looks could kill, he'd be dead right now. Sheridan awkwardly scooted her body closer to Luis and Hank flopped onto the bed next to her. Luis seemed oblivious to the fact that Sheridan was uncomfortable. They had been sleeping in the same bed for years, so it wasn't unusual for her to be laying next to him.

Luis looked over at Hank and they nodded at one another. "SHERRY SANDWICH!" They yelled.

"NO! Not the Sherry Sandwich," she pleaded. It was hopeless because the guys rolled closely to her smashing her between them. They started tickling her mercilessly and she started laughing and squealing. She tried to fight back, but the guys were stronger. Hank tickled her sides and she arched back laughing and wound up on her side face to face with Luis. Luis was tickling her and then she became aware of the closeness between them. She was eye to eye with him and their faces were mere inches apart. Sheridan swallowed nervously as her breath caught in her throat. She was lost in her thoughts of him briefly but snapped out of it. "Okay, that's enough Sherry Sandwich for one evening."

Luis smiled at her and released the hold he had on her. "Good idea, Hank."

"Thank you, thank you." Hank smiled devilishly knowing that he got her worked up over Luis.

"Oh yeah, real good idea, boneheads! Don't start acting like him, Luis, please. One Hank Bennett in this world is PLENTY!" Sheridan turned her head to face Hank and shot him a disgusted look. "I'm going to go downstairs and get something to drink…do you guys want anything?"

"No thanks. You may have to fight the real brat pack downstairs for one," Luis told her, referring to their younger siblings.

"Oh, okay. I can still beat up Ethan…he'll give me one," she said with a laugh.

"That's our Sheridan," Hank chimed in. "Resorting to violence to get what she wants."

Sheridan turned on her heel, threw up her hands in frustration, and cursed him out in Spanish as Luis laughed heartily. Hank, being the moron he was, had absolutely no clue what she just said and sat on the bed with a baffled look on his face. She whirled around and walked out of Luis' room.

"What'd she say?" Hank asked.

The only thing Luis could do was laugh. She had begged him to teach her Spanish…things that they didn't learn in school. He was reluctant to teach her because he knew they would be used in situations like these…however, he had a hard time telling her no. He pretty much did anything she asked him to.

Luis started thinking there was something different about her tonight, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Did she look different? Was she acting strangely? The same old Sheridan was there, but something new was mixed in.

"Hank, do you think there's something different about Sheridan tonight?" Luis was propped up against the pillows with his hands resting behind his head.

"I don't think so. She's the same shrew with a bad case of potty mouth that we've known for years."

Luis rolled his eyes. "Hank, I'm being serious. Could you try it for five minutes?"

"You're asking me to try and understand the twisted inner-workings of Sheridan Crane? Hey, we may be the best of amigos, but I can't delve into this topic tonight. Sorry!" Hank stood up and put on his shoes.

"Thanks a lot, man," Luis said dismissively.

"I'm sure she's just stressed about swimming and work. Jules is pretty relentless at times and she has state in two weeks," Hank tried to reassure him. "Well, I'm out. See ya tomorrow, little buddy."

Luis chuckled. "Yeah, okay…Skipper." He watched Hank climb out of the window and got up to put in the movie. He popped "Sixteen Candles" into the VCR and waited for Sheridan to return. He could hear her laughing downstairs with Miguel, Theresa, Ethan, and Kay. It brought a smile to his face. He was certain there was something different about her tonight, but he couldn't pin it down.

Sheridan walked in carrying a bottle of Gatorade. "Luis, your mom is the best. She always has this in the fridge." She smiled at him and sat on her side of the bed.

"Well, you don't drink carbonated drinks during the season," Luis stated matter-of-factly as if it was the most logical thing in the world.

"I know. I'm just saying how nice it is that you remember things like that, that's all."

Luis gave her his million watt grin and pressed play. "'Sixteen Candles' good for you?"

"But of course. One never tires of Long Duck Dong," she said with a laugh. "She not a here, she at church getting married to oily bohunk," she quoted from the movie. Luis laughed and threw a pillow at her and it hit her square in the face. "Ugh! Thank you. I needed an extra pillow." She put it behind her head and sat back to watch the movie.

Luis periodically glanced in her direction while the movie was playing. She seemed to be in much better spirits than she did earlier in the day. They laughed at their favorite scenes and Sheridan quoted most of the movie as she knew it by heart. When it was over, she stifled a yawn and stretched out her arms. Her muscles were really sore right now due to intensive training. She wrinkled up her face and began to rub the sore muscles.

Luis took notice. "Sore?"

"Yeah. Coach Russell has been killing me lately. I don't know what it is, I'm normally not this sore or worn out at this point in the season." She knew good and well what it was…she was maturing and she had gained ten pounds and it was harder on her in the pool. She couldn't talk to Luis about that though.

"Turn around then, silly."

Luis had a habit of giving her massages when she was sore and she did the same for him. It never bothered her until recently, but now that these newfound feelings were surfacing, she wasn't so sure she could handle him touching her. 'You can do this, Sheridan. Just don't think about it. Yeah, keep telling yourself that.' She gave him a timid smile. "Okay." She turned around so her back was to him. Luis sat up on his knees and began rubbing her shoulders. She could feel his body pressed up against hers and it was doing crazy things to her that she'd never experienced before. She chewed on her bottom lip the way she always did when she was nervous. Luis dug his fingers into a particularly sore spot on her shoulders and she groaned. "Oww!"

Luis stopped when he heard her. "I'm sorry, Sherry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"It's okay. I'm just really sore right now. Don't worry about it. I do feel a little better, thanks."

"Anytime. So, what movie are we watching next?" He asked with a curious tone.

Sheridan wasn't sure she could handle being there any longer and decided that she really needed to catch up on her sleep. "Um, I'm really tired, so no more movies for me."

"Okay, well, let's just go to sleep then."

"Actually, I'm not sleeping over tonight," she said turning around to face him.

"Not sleeping over? Why? You always stay the night after we watch movies."

"I'm really tired and I have an early practice in the morning." What she said was true, but that wasn't the real reason she didn't want to stay.

Luis sensed that there was more to it by the tone of her voice. "There's more to it than that. What aren't you telling me, Sheridan?"

"Nothing!" She lied.

"Sheridan…you can't lie to me, remember. I always know when you're lying and you are lying right now…so spill it."

Sheridan took a deep breath and told him what she had been thinking about for awhile now. "I don't think we should have sleepovers anymore."

Luis furrowed his brow in confusion. "What? Why?"

"I just don't." She got off the bed and found her shoes on the floor.

"You can't hit and run like that. Tell me the truth. Now!" Luis' voice was stern and he was confused as to why she dropped this bomb on him.

Sheridan sighed. He saw through her BS and always called her on it…this time wasn't any different. "I just think that…we're too old to be having sleepovers." Luis raised his eyebrow questioningly. "Things are different now, Luis. I'm different…you're different…our friendship is different."

Luis held up his hands in confusion. "How is our friendship different?"

"Look, we're growing up, we're 16, and there are certain things that we can't tell each other now. It was bound to happen."

"That's crap, Sheridan. We can tell each other anything and everything…you know that."

She raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms on her chest. "Oh really?"

"Yes, really."

"Well, then…I started my period yesterday and I have horrible cramps right now. Do you know where your mom keeps the Midol?"

Luis held up his hand as to silence her and closed his eyes trying to force those words from his brain. "Except that." He opened his eyes and saw her smirking at him.

"Mmm hmm…sure we can tell each other everything, Luis," she said with a laugh. He tried to interject, but she continued on her soap box. "Face it, we're not kids anymore. This was bound to happen."

"But we're best friends…why do things have to change?"

Sheridan shrugged her shoulders. "Everything changes eventually, Luis. You're still my best friend and you always will be, but some things have to change." Sheridan was proud of herself for telling him this. It had been plaguing her for awhile now and it was a relief to be honest with him. She tried to gauge his reaction. He was trying to process and had an intense expression on his face.

"Where the hell is this coming from, Sheridan? I feel like I've been broad-sided by the teen angst bus," Luis snapped. She saw his jaw tighten and the fiery look in his eyes. He was angry and confused and Sheridan felt badly. She sighed and sat down on the window seat and prepared herself for a lengthy conversation.

"Luis, it's not personal. I just think that we are getting too old and too hormonal to share the same bed."

Luis raised his eyebrows and got a cocky look on his face. "Hormonal? Sherry, are you telling me you have the hots for me?" He tried to be serious, but couldn't hold back his laughter.

Sheridan rolled her eyes and tried to pretend that she really didn't. "Nice ego! No, I don't have the hots for you, Luis."

"Then I don't understand what the problem is."

"The problem, Luis, is that we're not the same carefree ten year olds that used to ride their bicycles around Harmony and play in the tree house all day. A lot has changed since then. And, it's not exactly "normal" for us to be sharing a bed at our age."

"Define normal."

Sheridan exhaled a frustrated sigh. "Luis…"

"Hey, don't get upset with me. I'm just trying to take all of this in. I don't understand how last week things were fine, and tonight I'm supposed to hop aboard the "S.S. I'm-an-adult-now-so-no-more-sleepovers" simply because you say so." Luis was fuming.
"Face it, Peter Pan, it's time to grow up," she said with a coy smile.

He turned to face her and met her eyes. He saw the sneaky, yet innocent smile that played on her lips and couldn't help but laugh at her remark. "How do you do that?"

"What?"

"You have this way of clubbing me over the head with some news that I don't want to hear, but yet somehow I always end up smiling."

"Well, I am your best friend aren't I?"

Luis smiled. "That you are, Sherry."

"It comes with the territory," she said innocently.

Luis sighed, beat from this conversation. "Okay. I rescind. You argued a good case, counselor."

Sheridan laughed and held out her pinky. "Friends?"

Luis felt a grin tugging on his lips. He held out his pinky and locked it with hers. "Best of."

"Forever?"

"And always," Luis replied with a full fledged smile.

"Goodnight, Luis."

"Night, Sherry. Row safely."

Sheridan giggled and shook her head. She eased out of the window gracefully and climbed down the ladder. She wrapped her arms around her and walked towards her boat. Luis stood in his window and watched her until she was out of sight.
Chapter 2:

Sheridan tied the boat up in front of her house and climbed out. She walked slowly up the path that led to her house and stopped. It was a beautiful night and there were millions of stars in the sky. She looked up in awe and stayed that way for a minute or two. She closed her eyes and deeply inhaled the night air. She couldn't believe the conversation that she had with Luis earlier. She had been wanting to talk to him about it for awhile now, but she always seemed to wimp out. Part of her felt like it was a mistake because she was afraid of changing or losing their special friendship. The other part of her, however, was proud of herself for taking the initiative. It was hard to be around him all of the time now that she had a brand new set of feelings for him. She heaved a heavy sigh and walked into the house.

"What are you doing here?" Jules asked, surprised to see her.

"I live here."

"You know what I mean, Sheridan," she said softly. "Why aren't you sleeping at Luis'?"

"Oh, I told him that we couldn't have sleepovers anymore." Sheridan saw a look of surprise on Jules' face.

"You did? Do you want to talk about it?"

Sheridan normally wouldn't, but she was tired of keeping her feelings bottled up inside of her. Maybe Jules would have some words of wisdom. She gave her a faint smile. "Sure." Sheridan walked over to the couch and sat down.

"So, what's going on?" Sheridan didn't really have to say anything, because Jules already knew. When she remained silent, Jules spoke up again. "You have new feelings for your lifelong buddy don't you, Sheridan?"

Sheridan nodded her head and looked down her feet. "I don't know why I'm doing this to myself. I'm so stupid. Luis will never see me as anything more than his tomboy best friend that resides across the creek. Feeling this way is only setting me up for a fall." She picked up a pillow on the couch and hugged it to her body.

"Sheridan…you don't know that. Luis could feel the same way you do."

"Yeah right. When he looks at me, he sees someone that he can fix up cars with, not someone he wants to kiss."

"Well, why don't you change that?"

Sheridan had a confused look on her face. "What? How?"

"Maybe he sees you as a tomboy because you dress like one. You walk around here in your bikini, but when you're with Luis and Hank you wear baggy clothes to hide the fact that you've got a figure."

"God, Jules, it's weird. I practically developed overnight. Last summer I didn't have one curve on my body and now, well..." she glanced down at her chest with an embarrassed look on her face.

Jules laughed. "Most girls like when that happens."

"Yeah, well most girls spend their childhoods having tea parties and playing with dolls, not having mud fights with boys and playing in tree houses. I've always been just one of the guys as far as they were concerned and now I stand out."

"Have you ever thought that maybe it's time you did stand out? You should take a look in the mirror sometime, Sherry…because you are a far cry from the tomboy you think you are."

"I don't know about that…" her voice trailed off.

"I do. You're a beautiful young woman, and I think it's time you take notice and make others notice as well."

"Really?" Jules nodded her head and gave her a reassuring smile. "Well, I have been wanting to cut my hair. I'm so sick of it long and straight. It's boring."

"That's a start. Why don't you get it done tomorrow and we can do some shopping?"

"What about the restaurant?"

"It can do without us for a couple of hours. And then on Saturday when you go sailing, you can knock Luis' socks off."

Sheridan smiled bashfully. She liked the idea of Luis looking at her the way she looked at him, but she didn't want to get her hopes up. She shrugged her shoulders and said, "It's worth a shot." Sheridan got up and hugged her sister. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"I have got to get some sleep. This new figure of mine is proving difficult to pull through the water and I'm worn out. Goodnight, Jules."

"Night, Sheridan."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Luis walked out of the school once he finished lifting weights and saw Sheridan hurrying towards her car. "SHERIDAN!" He yelled and ran to catch up to her.

Sheridan turned around and saw Luis running towards her. "Hey, Luis," she said giving him a smile.

"Hey…where are you off to in such a rush?"

Sheridan smiled on the inside thinking about what she was about to do. "Oh, I just have some errands to run. What are you up to?"

"I don't really have any plans, so I was coming to see if you wanted to hang out. Or I could help you run errands if you want."

"No, you don't need to do that," Sheridan said a little more quickly than she meant to. She saw the look on Luis' face and she knew he thought that she was trying to avoid him. "I need to go to the store and get some stuff to take on the boat tomorrow…then I want to take a nap before I go to work."

Luis felt like she was trying to get rid of him, but he figured she probably did just have things to do. "Okay. How was practice today?"

"A little better than yesterday, but I'm still off. It's bugging me. State is next weekend...what if I'm not ready?"

Luis gave her a half smile. She was always underestimating herself and he didn't know why. "Don't sweat it. You're going to go to state and defend your title. It's in the bag, Sherry."

Sheridan smiled. He always made her feel better. "Thanks, Luis. Oh, by the way, thank you for getting the 'stang running again. She seems to be running better than ever." She saw Luis flash a genuine smile and she felt her knees get weak.

"Hey, what are best friends for right?"

"That's right. Well, I really gotta go. I'll see you later, okay?" She smiled at him and got into her car.

"All right. See ya." Luis stood and watched her drive away and shook his head in confusion.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sheridan sat down in the chair and was talking to the stylist about what to do with her hair. She watched as she ran a comb through it. It was way past her shoulders right now. Sheridan took a deep breath and chewed on her bottom lip. "Chop it!"

When the lady was finished, she turned Sheridan around to face the mirror. Sheridan looked at her reflection and her eyes opened wide. Her hair was now a little past her chin and she looked like a completely different person. She ran her fingers through her hair and it felt strange to have so little of it now. Sheridan smiled. "I love it." She thanked the lady and paid her.
Sheridan walked into The Crab Shack to get Jules as they were going shopping. She took a seat at the counter and waited to see if her sister would recognize her. Jules walked right by her and didn't even notice her. When she walked by again, Sheridan tried to grab her attention. "Excuse me, Miss?" Sheridan had a playful grin on her face awaiting Jules' reaction.

Jules turned around and her mouth dropped open at the sight of her little sister and her new haircut. "Sheridan! I love it. You look great, kiddo."

Sheridan gave her a wide smile. "Really? You think so?"

"You bet. I didn't even recognize you at first. You look so different. It's very pretty on you."

She felt her face blushing from her comments. She wasn't used to anyone paying compliments to her about her looks. It was something completely unknown to her. "Thanks. It feels really strange, but I love it, too."

"Let's go shopping," Jules said eagerly. She was excited that Sheridan wanted to do this. She was always trying to get her to wear new things, but she had been unwilling until now.

"Okay, let's do it." Sheridan got up from her seat and followed Jules out of the restaurant.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Luis and Hank were in the Lopez-Fitzgerald kitchen trying to find something to eat. Pilar and Martin had gone out for the evening and told Luis he was on his own for dinner. Miguel and Theresa were out somewhere, so it was just Luis and Hank.

"What are you fixing us to eat, Luis?" Hank asked with a laugh.

"Right…like I know how to cook," Luis replied, annoyed.

"Man, what's your problem? You've been like this all day. Did you and Sheridan get into a fight or something?"

Luis turned to face him. "What makes you say that?"

"I've known you forever, buddy. You only act like this when something happens with Sheridan. What did you fight about THIS time?" Hank rested his elbows on the table and looked at Luis, awaiting his answer.

"It wasn't a fight really…I mean, we did argue, but…"

"But what? Tell me. It had to be something pretty big or else you wouldn't be acting like this."

"She told me last night after the movie was over that she couldn't stay the night anymore."

Hank stifled the smile that was playing on his lips. "She did huh?"

"Yeah, she gave me this little speech about how we were getting too old and things were different now. She also said we couldn't talk to each other about everything the way we used to…that was partially true because I'm still trying to erase one thing she said from my memory."

"Well, I'm curious now. What'd she say?" Hank inquired.

Luis held up his hand and shook his head. "You don't want to know, believe me."

"Okay, so she said she can't stay the night anymore. What's the big deal?" Hank knew that Sheridan had feelings for Luis, and now he was beginning to wonder if Luis felt the same way. He couldn't quite tell.

"Look Hank, I don't know why it bothers me, but it does. Can we table this discussion for now, please."

Hank held up his hands, "hey man, I was just trying to help."

"I know. I'm sorry. Let's just go to The Crab Shack and get something to eat."

"Yeah man, good idea. I haven't had my daily regimen of tormenting Sheridan. SHOTGUN!"

Luis laughed. "You're the only one here dumb ass."

"Oh yeah…habit I suppose."

Luis rolled his eyes and they walked outside to leave.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It was a little slow in Sheridan's section, and that suited her just fine. She was exhausted, but in a pretty good mood despite the fact. She looked up as Luis and Hank walked in. She smiled and wondered what they would think of her hair. 'What if he doesn't like it? Oh Sheridan…stop it. You like your hair and you cut it for yourself not to impress some guy.' She needed to refill a customer's drink and then she would go show off her new 'do.

Luis scanned the restaurant hoping to spot his best friend, but he didn't see her. Hank was talking and Luis didn't hear a thing he was saying.

"Hello?! Earth to Luis," Hank said waving his hand in front of his face.

"What?"

"What were you just thinking about? Perhaps a certain blonde that we both know?" Hank loved to tease his friends. It's what he did best.

"Knock it off, all right. I was just looking for her to say hi…she is our best friend."

"Easy killer," Hank said with a laugh. Hank looked behind the counter and saw a waitress he didn't recognize. She was tall and had short blonde hair. He wondered who it was because he didn't remember Sheridan mentioning any new waitresses…but then again, he tuned her out a lot. "Hey Luis, who is that waitress behind the counter?"

Luis turned his head and glanced at her. "I don't know. She must be new." He turned back around and fiddled with the salt and pepper shakers.

The mystery girl walked away and Hank still hadn't seen her face. He saw Carrie Cooper and Keli Kramer walk in and wanted to go say hi. "Hey, I just saw my dream women walk in…together no less. I'm going to go turn on the Hank Bennett charm. See ya in a few."

Luis shook his head and looked at a menu and didn't notice Sheridan approaching the table. She walked to the table and sat down across from him. "Hey Luis."

He smiled from hearing her voice and looked up. His eyes shot open wide and his mouth fell slightly open. She looked like a completely different person with her new hair cut. "Sheridan…wow…your hair…" 'I can't believe how different she looks. She looks…pretty tonight. Wait, did I just think that?'

Sheridan furrowed her brow, she couldn't tell whether he liked it or not. Luis noticed the look on her face and realized he hadn't told her what he thought. "I really like it, Sherry," he said with a grin. He watched as the bashful smile formed on her face.

"You do?" She couldn't take compliments at face value…she wasn't used to hearing them, so she found herself asking to make sure she heard correctly.

"Yeah, I really do. I almost didn't recognize you." Luis sat and stared at her for a moment. He reached out his hand to touch her hair. It looked so soft and this new cut really suited her. He ran his hand lightly over her hair. Sheridan felt a tingle run up her spine as he touched her hair.

"Do I have something on my face?"

Luis laughed, "no, why do you ask?"

"Because you're staring at me," she said with a smile on her face. She watched as Luis pulled his hand away and looked down at the table. His cheeks blushed slightly and he had a nervous smile on his face.

"I'm sorry. I'm just trying to get used to this new look. You cut so much of your hair off…it's a shock. If you don't mind me asking, what made you decide to do this?"

"I don't know…just tired of it I guess. It was pretty boring. Plus it will make it much easier to deal with when I'm swimming."

They continued to talk and laugh just like they normally did. Hank had finished talking to Carrie and Keli and was walking back to his table. He noticed that Luis was talking to the mystery girl and laughing and smiling. 'Luis you dog!' Hank got a devilish smile on his face and wanted to see who he was so enchanted with. He stopped once he reached the booth and stood behind Sheridan. He still hadn't noticed that it was her.

"Hey Luis. Want to introduce me to your new friend?" He asked with a sneaky grin.

Sheridan turned around to face Hank. "I'm hardly a new friend, Hanky," she said laughing.

"SHERIDAN?!" Hank's jaw dropped open seeing his friend minus several inches of hair. "What happened to your hair?"

Sheridan rolled her eyes. "I cut it you half wit!"

"Well I can see that. I thought that Luis was picking up some hot new babe, but much to my disappointment it was just you with a new 'do." He proceeded to laugh at himself and Luis gave him a dirty look.

"Go to hell." She scooted out from the booth and stood up. "Will you be having your usual tonight, Luis?"

"You got it," he said with a toothy grin. She gave him a half smile.

"And for you, bane of my existence?" She asked scathingly as she turned towards Hank.

"The usual." Sheridan scribbled it down and started to walk away. "You forgot to ask if I would like fries with that," he called after her. She turned around and shot him a dirty look and he laughed.

"Why do you torment her every chance you get?" Luis asked.

"Because it's fun and that's what we do. I insult her, and she insults me. You of all people should know that…why are you all of a sudden defending her every chance you get?"

"She's my best friend, Hank. I think that you're a little hard on her sometimes."

"Sheridan's quite capable of defending herself. She burns me most of the time." Hank gave him a questioning look. "What's really going on?"

"Why do you keep asking me that? NOTHING is going on. I just get tired of listening to your banter all of the time."

"If you say so."

"I do," Luis said emphatically.

Hank was about to reply, but Sheridan came over to the table with their food.

She noticed something was going on because they were too quiet. She sat their plates in front of them. "Okay you two, spill."

"Spill what, Sherry?" Luis asked.

"Why you two suddenly became quiet when I walked over here. Hank usually never shuts up and always has a remark, yet he's being eerily quiet. So something's going on…I just don't know what." She looked back and forth between them trying to read their faces.

"It's nothing to worry that little blonde head of yours," Hank replied.

Sheridan looked at Luis and raised her eyebrows. "It's nothing, Sheridan. We were just talking about sailing tomorrow."

"Oh, is that all? What time are we leaving?"

"9:00"

"9:00?! Luis, it's my only day to sleep in. How about 10:00…pleeeease?" Sheridan gave him a sweet smile.

"Okay, we can leave at 10:00. I know how tired you've been lately. We don't want our state champ to be sleep deprived." Luis met her eyes and smiled at her.

"Great. Well, as much fun as it is hanging out with you two, I have work to do. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye Crane!" Hank said with a mouthful of food.

"Bye Sheridan."

She smiled at her buddies and walked away. Luis noticed the Cheshire grin on Hank's face. "Not one word."

Hank smiled and continued to eat his dinner.
Chapter 3:

Sheridan woke up refreshed after a full night of sleep. She got out of bed and took a shower. After she dried her hair she got her new swim suit out of the bag and put it on. It was a light blue bikini trimmed in white and it matched her eyes perfectly. She looked at herself in the mirror and she got a little nervous. There was a knock on the door and Jules came in.

"Hey Sheridan."

"Hi. I don't know if I can do this, Jules."

"Yes you can. What did Luis say about your hair?"

Sheridan smiled remembering the way he looked at her and how he softly touched her hair. "He said he really liked it."

"Well, imagine what he'll say when he sees you like this then."

Sheridan sighed. She really didn't want to get her hopes up. "Jules, I don't want to set myself up for disappointment."

"You don't know that you are. Just go sailing and have a good time. Try to forget that you even have this new image and just be yourself."

"Okay. I will." Sheridan put on cutoffs and a t-shirt over her swim suit and found her flip flops on the floor. She threw some towels and sunscreen in her backpack and walked out to the kitchen. Ethan was at the table waiting on her.

"It's about time, Sheridan. Let's go."

She grabbed the cooler she packed the night before and followed Ethan out to her car. They drove to the marina and she parked her car next to Luis' jeep. Ethan spotted Theresa, Miguel, and Kay and ran over to them leaving Sheridan to carry everything. Sheridan realized this and rolled her eyes. "Thanks for the help, Ethan," she spouted sarcastically.

Miguel spotted Sheridan and he came over to help. He had a crush on her and he often got teased by his friends for it. "Hey Sheridan, I'll help you carry that stuff."

"Thanks Miguel. It's nice to know that the Lopez-Fitzgerald's have manners," she said shooting Ethan a dirty look. She had yet to see Luis and Hank and figured they were getting the boat ready. She said hi to Theresa and Kay and the group walked over to the boat.

Luis heard Kay and Theresa giggling and turned around just as Sheridan was climbing aboard the boat. "Hey, you're here." He walked over to her and took the cooler from her hands. "Let met get that for you." He felt Hank staring at him and didn't even bother to acknowledge it.

"Thanks. I think it's going to be a scorcher today, don't you?" She was having a hard time making conversation and she wished she could just snap out of it.

"Yep." Luis was still getting used to her hair and felt himself staring at her. "Uh, so let's get this boat out, shall we?"

"Sounds good." Sheridan went to sit down by the girls and Luis went over with Hank to get the boat going.

Sheridan had yet to remove her t-shirt. She was still a little apprehensive about showing off her body considering how much it had changed. She looked up and saw Luis and Hank without their shirts on and she almost choked on her water once she saw Luis. She looked around and noticed that everyone else had just their suits on and figured she better do the same. Sheridan stood up and pulled off her shirt.

Hank and Luis were digging in the cooler looking for something to drink and Hank looked over in Sheridan's direction. His mouth fell to the floor. "HOLY LORD! Check out the knockers on Crane!"

Luis snapped his head up to look at Hank. "What the hell did you just say?" He asked defensively. He couldn't believe that Hank would say such a thing…about Sheridan no less. Luis still hadn't looked at Sheridan and Hank grabbed his head and turned it so she was directly in his eye line. He saw Sheridan standing up with her hands running through her hair. She had on faded jean cutoff shorts that hugged her hips and a light blue bikini top. His eyes traveled up and down her form and he couldn't believe what he saw. This was not the Sheridan he was used to seeing. She had certainly filled out and he noticed the curves that now adorned her tone body. He found himself staring at her chest and couldn't tear his eyes away. Luis dropped the bottle of water he had in his hands. "Oh my God!"

"Where did those come from?" Hank asked, bemused. He turned to Luis and saw him standing with his mouth hanging open. "See something you like, Luis?" Hank teased.

"Shut up!"

Sheridan walked over to talk to Luis and Hank and also to get the suntan lotion out of her bag. She smiled at them and noticed the bottle of water at Luis' feet. "Oh, Luis did you drop this?" She bent over to pick up the bottle and Hank saw Luis eyeing her. She stood up and handed Luis his drink. "Here you go."

"Thanks," he choked out. He cleared his throat and took a drink of his water. Sheridan brushed past him to get to her bag and Luis watched her. Hank took notice and thought it was high time for a comment.

"Sheridan, I thought we didn't keep secrets from each other," he said, feigning the hurt in his voice.

She stood up and looked at him curiously. "We don't, Hanky."

"Well…" he glanced down at her chest, "those are some pretty big secrets you've been hiding from us!" He chuckled to himself.

Luis covered his eyes in disbelief and hung his head. 'Please tell me he didn't just say that.' He looked up and saw Sheridan fuming. He could practically see steam coming out of her ears.

Sheridan shoved Hank and started yelling at him. "HANK! I kicked your ass in 7th grade and I'll do it again."

"Come on now, Sherry. I'm one of your breast, I mean best friends. You wouldn't harm me now would you?" Hank was smiling until noticed the "take no prisoners" look on her face and realized he was in for it.

"Ugh! You are such a pig!" She pushed him full force and he fell backwards into the water.

Miguel, Kay, Ethan, and Theresa jumped to their feet and ran to the side of the boat to see Hank in the water below. They were howling with laughter. Luis was cracking up as well. Hank got exactly what he deserved. He was provoking Sheridan and he knows what happens when she reaches her breaking point. Luis didn't blame her one bit for shoving him overboard. In fact, he was glad she did.

Sheridan calmed down tremendously as soon as she saw Hank's feet flip over his head. She sat down and watched as everyone made a fuss over Hank. He was extremely dramatic so he was of course making a huge production. She grabbed the bottle of suntan lotion and began to apply it to her skin.

Luis was going to help Hank out of the water, but decided that the others could help him. He looked over at Sheridan who was rubbing the lotion on her skin. She had a content look on her face and seeing her made his heart beat faster than normal. 'What is this? Why am I looking her this way? It's Sheridan, your best friend! Ugh…just stop it Lopez-Fitzgerald!' He walked over and sat down beside her. "Hey!"

Sheridan glanced over at him. "Hi."

"That was some show, Sherry," Luis said laughing.

Hearing him laugh brought a smile to her face. "He deserved it," she said innocently.

Luis nodded his head in agreement. He watched as she rubbed the lotion on her face. He noticed that she missed spot and there was a white streak on her cheek. "Here, you missed a spot."

Sheridan watched as Luis brought his hands forward and cupped her face. He ran his thumb lightly over her cheek and gently wiped away the excess lotion. She felt the tingle from his touch and found herself nervously holding her breath. Sheridan shifted her eyes around, not wanting to look directly into his. Her attempts were unsuccessful and she gazed right into his beautiful hazel brown eyes.

"All gone." Luis gave her a half smile and slowly pulled his hands away from her face.

"Thanks," she whispered.

"No problem. How about you help me with the sail?"

"Okay. I'll be right there." Luis stood up and walked away and Sheridan exhaled the breath that she had been holding. 'What that boy does to me…' She looked up and saw a soaking wet Hank climbing aboard. She was mad at him for being such a jerk, but at least they noticed her. She wondered what Luis' reaction was. He would never act like a buffoon, unlike Hank, so it was hard to tell. Sheridan noticed Hank giving her the evil eye and she burst out laughing.

Hank walked over to Luis who was smirking at him. "Yeah, yuck it up, Luis."

"Hey, just be glad she didn't hear your first comment. There may have been blood drawn."

"Okay, okay. I guess I deserved that."

"I think so."

"You know how I am…I just couldn't resist the comment." Hank was looking for a towel to dry off.

"Yes, I'm well aware of that. I heard the words come out of your mouth and I hung my head praying that you didn't actually say them. You know how Sherry gets when you provoke her…" Luis was staring out at the water steering the boat.

"I know. I was just shocked to see her like that. Who knew the brat had a body?" Luis shot him a look and Hank raised his eyebrow. "What? Is there something you're not telling me? You were just as shocked as I was to see her like that."

"Hank, why must you read so much into everything? Yes, I was surprised, but it doesn't change anything. It's Sheridan." Luis was in denial. Seeing Sheridan like that had quite an effect on him, but he just wasn't ready to admit it.

Sheridan walked over to help Luis with the sail and didn't bother to look at Hank. She was still mad. "Okay, I'm here to help with the sail now." Luis turned around and smiled.

"Sheridan, I…" Hank began but was cut off. Sheridan held up her hand to keep him from saying anymore.

"Unless you want to go back into that water, don't say another word to me until I cool down."

Hank saluted her. "Yes drill sergeant!" He gave her a cheesy smile and walked over to the others leaving Sheridan and Luis alone.

They stood in silence for awhile, but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. They were taking in the scenery and Sheridan closed her eyes reveling in feeling the breeze on her face. Luis glanced over at her. He felt a smile tugging on his lips from watching her. The wind started to pick up and Sheridan opened her eyes. "Hey, need some help with the sail?"

"Yeah, thanks."

Sheridan helped Luis while the others were playing the music and she noticed that Hank was singing along loudly and out of tune. She shook her head but everyone seemed to be having a good time. She watched as Luis' muscles flexed while he maneuvered the sail. The sweat was glistening off of his toned body and Sheridan felt her heart racing. It felt like it was 150 degrees outside.

"Luis, I'm hot. Let's anchor this puppy and go swimming." She really needed to dive into the water and cool off.

"Good idea, Sherry. It is really hot out here."

'You have no idea, Luis,' she thought.

Once he got the boat anchored, Sheridan unzipped her shorts and slipped them off. She wasn't aware that Luis was watching the entire time. He, too, suddenly felt like it was blazingly hot outside. She went to put her shorts in her bag and Luis was blocking the way.

"Move," she said playfully. She tried to shove him out of the way to get to her bag, but he didn't budge. "You're in my way, Luis."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, I just want to put these shorts in my bag and go swimming. It's hot." She noticed a suspicious look on his face and she wasn't sure what to think of it. "What's that look for?"

"Look?" Luis raised his eyebrows innocently.

"Hey, don't start acting like Hanky…I can only handle one of you at a time." She smiled coyly at him.

"Okay, that's it," Luis declared. He took the shorts from her hands and tossed them on her bag. He kicked off his sandals and picked up Sheridan. "Time to go swimming, Sherry."

"LUIS! Put me down!"

"Sorry, you're getting tossed."

Sheridan squealed and Hank looked up to see her draped over Luis' shoulder. He smiled as he watched them and nudged Miguel who was sitting next to him.

"What I wouldn't give to have Sheridan that close to me," Miguel said dreamily. "Man, Luis is lucky."

Hank laughed. "He has no idea, my friend."

"Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald, you put me down right now!" Sheridan was trying to smack him, but Luis just chuckled and proceeded to walk towards the edge of the boat.

He reached the edge and climbed up with Sheridan still draping over his shoulder. "One…two…three!" Luis tried to toss her in, but she managed to wrap her arms around him at the last second and he went in the water right along with her.

Both came up sputtering out water and laughing uncontrollably. "Hey…why did I go in too?"

"Because you were being mean, so it was only fair," Sheridan said as she brushed the wet hair away from her eyes. "God this water feels great." She lay on her back and began swimming away and then lifted her legs in the air allowing her body to sink under the surface. Luis swam after her and was right there when she emerged.

"Boo!" He said right in her face.

"Gee, Luis, I'm so scared," she said facetiously. She then giggled at the look on Luis' face. He splashed water in her face and she laughed harder. "Hey! That's not necessary." She lunged for him to try and dunk him, but he caught on to her plan and fought her. They were wrestling around in the water and Hank was about ready to jump in and join the fun.

Hank did a cannonball into the water and a big splash washed over Sheridan and Luis. "Hey kids…having fun?"

Sheridan and Luis exchanged sneaky smiles and went after Hank. She put her hands on one shoulder and Luis pushed down on the other and Hank quickly went underwater. While he was under, he grabbed Sheridan's leg and pulled her under with him. Luis laughed as his friends struggled beneath the surface. Sheridan was the first to come up after she broke free from Hank. He finally came up and gasped for air. "Geez Sheridan. You're awfully feisty today!"

"You know better than to mess with me. You just have to keep learning the hard way, don't you?"

"Yeah, whatever."

"Hey you three," Theresa yelled from the boat. The friends looked up and noticed the camera in her hand. "Smile!"

Luis and Hank were on either side of Sheridan and she wrapped an arm around each of them. "Ahh me and my two best friends…definitely a Kodak moment," she said happily. They each flashed a toothy grin and Theresa snapped the picture. Once Theresa put the camera down, Sheridan dunked both of her friends and swam away before they sought revenge.

Hank had had enough of swimming and climbed back onto the boat. Luis swam after Sheridan and they were pretty far away from the boat. Hank sat and observed the two. They continued to splash around and playfully dunk each other. Luis picked her up and tossed her. There was definitely something building there and it was about to leave the platonic sense. Hank smiled and wondered how long it would take before they finally admitted it to themselves…let alone each other.

Luis and Sheridan swam back to the boat and Luis climbed up first. He held out his hand and helped her up. "Thanks, Luis." They were out of breath from swimming around playing so roughly.

"Sure. Let's eat…I'm starving."

The entire group had lunch and shared some laughs…mostly at Hank's expense. The thirteen year olds loved him. They ate up everything he dished out and Hank enjoyed the captive audience. Sheridan and Luis were sitting away from the group a little ways and they talked while they ate. They always seemed to drift away from others when they were together. It had always been that way, so no one really thought much about it. Hank knew otherwise. Luis told Sheridan a joke and she was laughing loudly. Hank looked over at them and saw Luis leaning in close to Sheridan. He grabbed Theresa's camera and took some pictures of them.

Luis smiled and Sheridan wiped away the tears from her eyes. She was laughing so hard that she started crying. He watched her and was taken in by her beauty. He didn't know why he never noticed it before. He found himself staring again…he couldn't help it. Sheridan finally stopped laughing and caught Luis gazing at her. She suddenly became self conscious and nervously tucked her hair behind her ears as she looked down. Luis realized that he made her uncomfortable and tried to cover. "Well, let's get this boat going. K Sherry?"

She grinned at him. "Okay, Luis."

She stood and cleaned up the mess from lunch. Luis raised the anchor and they were getting ready to go. Hank got his camera and wanted to take another picture of his friends. "Hey you two…photo opp." Sheridan turned around and Luis was standing behind her. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and his cheek was pressed up against hers. Sheridan felt her breathing become rapid but tried to remain calm. Hank smiled knowingly and snapped the picture. They made the perfect looking couple. "Thanks mi amigos."

The group began sailing again the wind really began to pick up. It looked like it was going to rain, but Luis thought it would hold off until they got home. Sheridan was standing by him and Hank and she had her arms wrapped around her body. It was getting chilly and she forgot to bring a sweatshirt. Luis glanced in her direction and saw her shivering. He got into his backpack and got his fleece out for her. He walked over to her and wrapped it around her shoulders. He ran his hands up and down her arms in an attempt to warm her up. "There ya go Summer…we can't have our State Champ getting sick the week before the meet."

Sheridan's goosebumps didn't go away. In fact, she felt them intensify while Luis was touching her. "Th-thanks," she stammered.

Hank witnessed the whole scene and was going to comment, but he figured he had gotten himself into enough trouble for one day, so he let it slide. The rest of the trip went rather quickly and they were back at the marina in no time. Sheridan was sorry to see the trip be over, but she had a wonderful time. She helped Luis gather everything from the boat while the others left abruptly.

"Well, I'm impressed…" she told him.
"Impressed? With what?" He was curious as to what she was getting at.

"Your sailing abilities. I can give your dad a good report when I see him. And think, nothing disastrous happened with Hank."

Luis chuckled. "Yeah, what a surprise. I'm sorry that he was being a jerk earlier."

"Thanks, but don't worry about it. I'm so used to it…you'd think that I wouldn't react to it anymore, but I can't help it sometimes."

"Seeing his feet flip over his head and him falling back into the water was definitely a highlight," he said with a laugh.

Sheridan smirked and she, too, laughed. "Yeah, that was pretty good." She started to take his fleece off and give it back to him.

"Keep it. I know where you live," he said playfully.

"Yes you do. Well, I see Ethan chomping at the bit by the car, so I guess I should get going. Is it my turn to be stuck with "them" or does the Lopez-Fitzgerald house have that honor this evening?"

"Hmm…looks like that'd be your honor tonight, Sherry."

She scrunched up her face to signal her disappointment. "Figures. This day was too good, so something had to go wrong."

"Dinner later?" Luis asked hopefully. He wasn't ready for their day to end.

"Well, that depends…I have to carbo-load this week for State. You up for pasta?"

"Come on over…I'll have Mama fix you something. That way you can escape the Brat Pack for awhile." He gave her his boyish grin.

She smiled sweetly. "I knew there was a reason for having you as my best friend. I'll see ya later then." She walked away and glanced over her shoulder once and gave Luis a smile.

"Bye Sheridan," he called after her. He watched her walk to her car and waited until she drove away before he moved. He was lost in his thoughts of the day and of her. He smiled thinking about all the fun they had. He was a little confused by what he was feeling earlier, but he chalked it up to her new look. It was still the same Sheridan that he'd known for 12 years…Sheridan his best friend. Luis decided to go home and take a shower and have his mother fix Sherry something special for dinner.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sheridan walked into her house and was surprised to see Jules at home. "Hey! What are you doing home so early?"

"I hired a new part time manager so I wouldn't have to be there so often. Enough about that, tell me all about sailing," Jules said excitedly.

Sheridan sat her bag down on a chair and went to sit on the couch. She smiled thinking about the day. She brought her hands to her face and she could smell Luis' cologne on his jacket. "It was so much fun, Jules," she told her sister happily.

Jules could see her sister beaming and wondered if something happened with Luis. "Well…don't hold out on me. What happened? Anything good with Luis?"

"Well, nothing out of the ordinary, but we just had a really good day. It was a blast. Hank of course was being Hank, and made comments about my "new figure", but I pushed him overboard, so that was that."

Jules laughed trying to picture Hanky Bennett being shoved off the boat. "So he noticed…what did Luis say?"

Sheridan thought about the times she caught him staring at her and wondered what that meant. She also thought about how he held her face and gently wiped away the excess sunscreen. "You know how Luis is. He wouldn't act like Hank…ever. I did catch him staring at me a couple of times and he seemed embarrassed when I caught him."

Jules raised her eyebrows. "Interesting. Anything else?"

"I could be reading too much into things, but he was finding excuses to touch me…he wiped away the sunscreen from my face, picked me up and threw me into the water…things like that, but I don't know what to make of that. I'm his buddy…" she trailed off.

"Sherry, Sherry…you have so much to learn," Jules said with a laugh.

Sheridan furrowed her brow in confusion and frustration. "Don't laugh at me, Jules."

"I'm not laughing AT you, Sheridan. I'm not claiming to understand the male species completely, but it's basic kindergarten psychology. When a boy finds excuses to touch girls like that, it means they have deeper feelings than that of "just buddies."

"I don't know, Jules…Luis and I have always played around like that. I'm not getting my hopes up. Anyway, I have to go shower. I'm going to Luis' for dinner."

"Oh are you?" Jules asked with a knowing smile.

"Yes. He said he'd have Pilar fix me some pasta since I have to load up this week."

Jules smirked and nodded her head. She knew that Sheridan and Luis were meant to be together. Everyone knew that from the time they were little kids. They just needed to figure it out for themselves.

Sheridan rolled her eyes and tried to play off her sister's suspicions. She walked into her room to get ready. After she showered, she put on a fitted black tank top that had a small pink heart on the chest and jean shorts. She borrowed some black sandals from Jules and went to fix her hair. It didn't take long to dry since there wasn't as much anymore. She smiled slightly at her reflection in the mirror. She was still getting used to her new appearance. Jules came into the bathroom while Sheridan was getting ready.

"Well, I'm going," she said and tried to walk out the door. Jules grabbed her arm and pulled her back into the bathroom.

"Not so fast. I love this new look, but it needs something more." She pulled out her makeup bag and made Sheridan sit on the counter.

"Jules…" she complained.

"Sherry, I'm not talking Tammy Faye, just a little. Remember less is more."

Sheridan relented and allowed her sister to apply makeup to her face. When Jules was finished, Sheridan looked into the mirror. She smiled approvingly. "I like it." Jules had applied a little bit of light eye shadow, some mascara to make her lashes fuller, and shiny pale pink lip gloss to her lips.

"There, now you can go. Have fun."

"Thanks, Jules."

Sheridan walked out of the house and hurried to her row boat.
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Luis was sitting on the counter in the kitchen talking to his mother while she fixed dinner.

"You should see Sheridan, Mama. She looks so different now." Luis was inadvertently gushing about his best friend, and it was obvious to Pilar that something was happening. "We all had so much fun today."

"I'm glad, Luis. What time is she coming over?"

"She should be here anytime. Thanks for fixing this dinner for her. She's so nervous about State and I want to do whatever I can to help her take her mind off of it."

"It's no problem. You know how much I love Sheridan and I don't want her getting worked up over nerves all week. This is the least I can do."

Luis hopped down from the counter and went upstairs to wait for her. When he walked away, Pilar smiled to herself. She was wondering when Luis would wise up and realize his feelings for his best friend.

Luis opened his door and walked in just as Sheridan was coming through the window. He was shocked. The form fitting tank top accentuated the curves on her body and she had on makeup. 'Why is this happening to me? I DON'T have feelings for Sheridan. She's just…pretty…that's all.'

"Hey Luis!"

"Hi Sherry!"

"Here's your jacket," she said handing him his fleece.

"Oh, thanks. I hope you're hungry, because Mama is cooking like crazy downstairs."

"Luis! I hope you didn't have her go to any trouble."

"Not to worry. Let's eat and then we can watch movies."

Sheridan smiled at him. He was so cute. "Sounds like a plan." She walked out the door and Luis followed her downstairs.

She walked into the kitchen with Luis in tow. "Pilar, it smells wonderful in here."

"Thank you, Sheridan." Pilar turned around and she was shocked to see "the new Sheridan" standing there. "Sheridan, you look wonderful…muy bonita!"

She glanced down at her feet and shifted nervously. She simply wasn't used to people paying her compliments. "Thanks. Is there anything I can do to help you with dinner?"

"Nope, it will be ready shortly. Luis, set the table please."

Luis had an annoyed look on his face and Sheridan smirked. "I'll help you, Luis."

"See, I knew there was a reason you were my best friend."

Sheridan and Luis were setting the table when Martin walked in. He kissed Pilar on the cheek. "Hey son. Sheridan? Is that you?"

She lifted her head up and smiled at him. "Martin, you didn't recognize me? I'm hurt," she said teasingly.

He walked over and put his arm around her. "Champ, you look beautiful! When did you go and grow up on me?" He kissed the top of her head and she smiled. "How was sailing? I trust my boat is still in one piece? If it's not, Luis, you'd better start running."

"Hey…" Luis said, upset.

"He did a good job. I was impressed…even more so that nothing terrible happened considering Hank was there," Sheridan chimed in. Luis grinned appreciatively.

"So, Champ, your big meet is next Saturday, huh?"

Martin had been calling Sheridan "Champ" for as long as she could remember. "It is. I'm pretty nervous already. I've been training really hard the last few weeks, so I hope I'm ready."

"No worries, kiddo. You're going to be great," Martin assured her.

"That's what I keep telling her, Dad, but she doesn't seem to want to believe me."

"Sheridan has a take no prisoners attitude once you hit that water…don't you?"

She held her hands up and smiled. "I do try!"

Pilar announced that dinner was ready and the four of them sat down to eat. They had a nice time talking and laughing about old times at the table. Sheridan loved being in that house with Luis' family. She had a lot of history with them and she felt like a part of the family. Luis kept glancing at Sheridan during dinner, and this didn't go unnoticed by his parents. When they had finished eating, Sheridan said she'd clean up, but Pilar wouldn't allow her to do so. Sheridan knew better than to argue with her, so she and Luis went upstairs to watch a movie.

Sheridan flopped down on her side of the bed and tried to stifle a yawn. "What are we watching tonight?"

Luis was flipping through his collection of movies. "Hmm…what do you want to watch?"

"I don't care. You can pick. I picked last time."

"Fair enough. How about 'Armageddon'?"

"Ben Affleck…always a favorite," she said with a sly smile. Luis chuckled and popped the movie into the VCR. He walked over to the bed and sat next to Sheridan.

"Today was fun wasn't it?"

"Mmm hmm…so much fun." Sheridan was getting sleepy, but she was trying hard to fight it.

Luis got comfortable on his bed and turned up the volume on the TV. Sheridan kicked off her sandals and got herself situated. She noticed that he practically had all of the pillows on his side. "Quit hogging all of the pillows, Luis," she said as she tried to yank one from underneath him.

Luis laughed. "Sorry, Sherry." He sat up and let her take a pillow.

She put it under her head and got comfy.

About halfway through the movie, Luis looked over and saw her sound asleep. He smiled and realized that she was worn out from everything. He turned the volume down on the TV so he wouldn't wake her and since no one was around to catch him, he watched her sleep for a few minutes. He didn't have the heart to wake her, so he got up and grabbed a blanket to cover her. He sat back down on the bed and gently brushed the hair away from her face. She looked so peaceful and sweet. She slept with a small smile on her lips and Luis continued to watch contentedly. He reached out his hand and caressed her face lightly. "Night Sherry," he whispered. He got out of bed and went to call Jules.
Chapter 4:

The next morning, sunlight was shining in through Luis' windows and it stirred him from his slumber. He felt his arm resting on something, or was it someone? He opened his eyes and saw that he had his arm wrapped securely around a still sleeping Sheridan. 'What the…' He noticed that she was snuggled up close to him and he was embarrassed. He gently removed his arm from around her waist being careful not to wake her. 'That's the first time that has ever happened. Why would I do that?' He got out of bed to go downstairs. He looked at her once more before walking out of the door and a smile was tugging on his lips. Luis walked into the kitchen and found his mother and his father at the table. "Morning," Luis said groggily.

"Good morning, mío," Pilar said sweetly.

"Morning, son."

Luis opened the refrigerator looking for something for breakfast. He grabbed the milk and the orange juice and poured him some cereal. He sat down next to his mother and began to eat.

"Did Sheridan spend the night?" Pilar asked.

"Um, yeah, she fell asleep and I didn't want to wake her. I called Jules last night and told her she was staying," Luis sputtered out quickly.

Pilar and Martin exchanged a knowing glance which Luis didn't notice.

Upstairs, Sheridan's eyes slowly fluttered open and tried to adjust to the light. She looked around and realized that she was in Luis' bed. She glanced over and didn't see him. 'I guess I must've been more tired than I thought. So much for the 'no more sleepovers' rule. I hope I didn't have one of my dreams where I profess my undying love for Luis and talk in my sleep. God, I'll just die!' She got out of bed and found her sandals and slipped them on. She went into the bathroom and found the toothbrush that Luis kept for her and brushed her teeth. She walked downstairs and saw him sitting at the table with his mom and dad. "Morning," she said with a yawn.

"Good morning, niña," Pilar said.

"Morning Champ," Martin chimed in.

"Hi Sherry," Luis said.

"What do you want for breakfast, Sheridan?" Pilar asked.

"Oh, nothing thank you. I'm not hungry."

"Nonsense! Champs have to eat if they are going to defend their title. Sit!" Martin ordered good naturedly.

Sheridan gave him a half smile and knew it was best to obey. She really loved Luis' dad. He was more of a father to her than her own father ever was. She sat down next to Luis and Pilar fixed her a bowl of Special K with fresh strawberries…her favorite. "Thanks Pilar." She glanced over at Luis who was enjoying his Capt. Crunch. She smiled and took a bite of her cereal.

Pilar motioned to Martin hinting they needed to leave the kitchen. He stood up. "Well Champ, I've got work to do. If I don't see you this week, you will definitely hear me yelling for you on Saturday."

Sheridan smiled bashfully. "Thanks. Have a good one. Thanks again for dinner last night and breakfast this morning, Pilar."

"Anytime, honey. See you two later." Pilar walked out of the kitchen with Martin.

"How'd you sleep?" Luis asked. He kept thinking about waking up with his arm around her and wondered why he did that.

"Really well actually. I must've been a lot more tired than I thought. Sorry I fell asleep."

"Don't apologize. I didn't want to wake you because you were out like a light. It's not like this is the first time you've spent the night."

"I know…but…anyway, thanks. I think that was the best night's sleep I've had all week." Luis, who was taking a drink of his OJ almost choked. Sheridan noticed. "Luis, are you okay?"

He coughed. "Yeah…fine." 'Why would she say that? I wonder if she means because of me? Nice ego, Luis. Surely that's not what she meant. UGH! Why am I doing this to myself?' "So, what are you up to today?"

Sheridan shrugged her shoulders. "Not much. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that The Crab Shack can do without my services today."

"I'll keep my fingers crossed for you as well."

"Thanks." She stood up and emptied her bowl in the sink and put it in the dishwasher. "Well, I should go. I'll see ya later."

"K, Sherry. Bye." She waved and he watched her walk out the door. He shook his head hoping to dispel the thoughts that were running rampant in his mind.
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The week went by really fast, and Sheridan and Luis hadn't spent much time together. She was busy working and spent a lot of time resting for her big meet. Sheridan was starting to get very nervous. Her performance in the pool was still a little off and she was worried that she was going to swim horribly tomorrow. She walked up the path to Luis' house and climbed the ladder. He was sitting on his bed and looked up as Sheridan walked in. He saw the worried look on her face and he knew that she was terrified of the swim meet tomorrow.

"Hey," Luis said still trying to read the other emotions on her face.

"Hi." Sheridan came in and sat down on the bed facing him, but she didn't make eye contact. She was mindless picking at imaginary lint on the bedspread trying to occupy her time.

"Sheridan…talk to me." Luis was trying to get her to look at him, but she wouldn't.

"I don't think I've ever been this nervous, Luis. I feel like I'm going to throw up."

"Why? Why does this meet make you so much more nervous than any of the others?"

"I'm not ready! My performance is way off…I'm just going to embarrass myself tomorrow."

"That's CRAZY! You are going to be so amazing tomorrow. Where is this defeatist attitude coming from, Sherry?" Luis put his finger under her chin and tilted her head up so she would look at him. He saw the genuine fear in her eyes.

"I don't know! I've never doubted my abilities in the water more than I am right now." She started to say something else, but she didn't and put her head down.

"Okay, Sheridan. You leave me no choice. It's time for the song."

She looked up and saw the look on his face and she knew exactly what he was going to do. "No, Luis, it's not!"

"Oh yes it is!" Luis stood up and made her sit on the edge of the bed. "Are you ready?"

"No."

"Too bad." Luis cleared his throat dramatically and began singing.

(This is to the tune of "Jack & Diane" by John Mellencamp)

Little ditty, 'bout Luis and Sheridan
Two American kids growin' up…in New England
Sherry's gonna be a swimming star
Luis is gonna go to school and take the bar

Servin' up fish platters at The Crab Shack
Sherry's a waitress there and really thinks it's whack

Luis noticed that she was trying very hard to fight back a smile on her face. "Come on Sherry…you know you like the song. Remember when we changed the words to it?"

She nodded her head. "I sure do."

"That was a fun day…why can't I get a smile?" He saw her shrug her shoulders. "If that didn't work, I have another plan. And this time, it's joint participation." Luis stood with his arms crossed over his chest with a playfully stern look on his face.

Sheridan looked up and realized there was no way out of this one. She gave him an annoyed look, but figured she'd better do what he said. She heaved a sigh…"Fine!"

"Thank you. Now, repeat after me. 'I'm a winner'."

"Luis…"

"Don't Luis me…'I'm a winner!'"

She pursed her lips in aggravation. "I'm a winner," she muttered quietly.

"Oh wow, Sherry! That's SO convincing. 'I'm a winner!' Say it with more meaning," Luis ordered.

He was making her mad now. "I'm a winner!"

"Better. 'I'm gonna tear up the pool tomorrow!'"

She felt a small smile forming on her face. "I'm gonna tear up the pool tomorrow!"

"I'm gonna kick ass and take names!" Luis smirked but tried to remain serious.

Sheridan giggled. "I'm gonna kick ass and take names!"

Luis jumped onto the bed so he was standing and she looked up at him. "I'M A WINNER!" Sheridan didn't respond right away, so he started bouncing on the bed. "I'M A WINNER! SAY IT!"

"I'M A WINNER!" She was laughing heartily at this point because Luis was bouncing on the bed and he looked like an idiot. She stood up and started bouncing as well.

"I'M A CHAMP!"

"Luis…I AM the CHAMP!"

Luis grinned widely at her. "There you go! That's the attitude I was looking for!" They continued bouncing on his bed and laughing.

"Nice Tony Robbins impersonation, Luis," Sheridan said giggling. He laughed and gave her a wide grin.

Luis landed heavily on the bed causing Sheridan to fall right on top of him. They were both laughing and it took a moment before they recognized the close proximity of their position. Their giggling slowly subsided and Sheridan was looking directly into Luis' intense eyes. Luis noticed the way her eyes sparkled and he saw that the fear was gone. She smiled nervously and removed from her position.

"Feel any better now?" Luis asked hopefully.

"Yeah. Thank you! You always know how to make me feel better, Luis." She smiled and he countered with the smile that made her knees feel like Jello.

"Now, champs like you need to get plenty of sleep, so don't take offense that I'm throwing you out and sending you home, Summer!"

She laughed. "Yes sir!" She saluted him and got up to walk to the window. Luis stood up and followed her.

He put his hands on her shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze. "Don't worry, Sheridan. You're going to be great tomorrow, and I'm going to be there cheering you on every step of the way."

She looked over her shoulder and smiled. "I know you will. Thanks again, Luis. Night."

"Goodnight." He watched as she exited the window and continued watching while she walked to her boat.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sheridan was in the pool at the Natatorium finishing her warm up. She couldn't get her rhythm quite right, and she was praying that she would once she hit the water for that first race. She climbed out of the pool and went to practice her starts.

Luis and his entire family walked in followed by Hank, Kay, Jules, and Ethan. They found their seats and Luis looked around the deck to see if he could find Sheridan. He spotted her getting on the blocks to practice starts. He sat down and watched her. He could tell that she was nervous by the way she was carrying herself. He wasn't nervous…he knew she was going to be great. Sheridan meanwhile, was done with her starts and removed her cap and goggles. She went underwater quickly to smooth out her hair and climbed out of the pool. Luis was watching her intently and she looked up and saw him. She waved and gave him a worried smile. He smiled and mouthed "good luck." Sheridan made her way over to where the rest of the Fab Four was sitting. She found her parka and slipped it on to keep her muscles warm. There were a few minutes before the meet was going to start, and she needed to do one last thing.

Luis and his dad were talking and didn't notice Sheridan walking up behind them. She kneeled down behind them. "Hey."

They turned around and smiled. "Hey Champ…are you ready to show these girls how it's done?"

"Actually, I'm in need of a little Luck o' the Irish…I'm so nervous!" Martin laughed at the innocently sweet expression on her face.

"Sherry, you're gonna do great honey!" He told her.

"That's what I keep telling her, Dad!" Luis turned around and gave her an encouraging grin.

"Anyway, whattaya say son, should we spread some of our Irish luck to this lass?" Martin flashed a smile. She knew exactly where Luis got it from.

"Oh I think so," Luis said humorously.

Both Luis and Martin leaned up and kissed Sheridan on the cheek simultaneously.

Sheridan felt the tingle from Luis' lips against her cheek…however she had more important things to focus on at the moment.

"Thanks! Well, I gotta get ready for the relay."

"Good luck, Champ," Martin told her.

"Knock 'em dead, Sherry," Luis said.

She gave them a half smile and walked away.

Sheridan met up with Kendall, Carrie, and Keli. Coach Russell talked to them a little to get them pumped up before the race. She was starting to loosen up and she felt her nerves ease up a little. The four headed over to their lane to get ready for the relay. They lined up behind lane 4 and stripped off their parkas. The teams were announced and when lane 4 was called, there were loud cheers coming from the stands. Sheridan grinned slightly knowing that her family and friends were there to support her. She was swimming butterfly in this relay, so she was going third. Carrie was leading the relay swimming backstroke, followed by Kendall swimming breast, then Keli was anchoring the relay with the freestyle. These four girls knew how to swim a smart race. They won the same relay a year ago, and they were determined to make it happen again. Carrie jumped into the pool to get ready for the race to start. Sheridan was jumping up and down trying to get the blood flowing to her muscles. The starter went off and Carrie flew off the start and raced down the pool. The other three girls were cheering like crazy and Kendall got on the block readying herself for her leg of the race. Sheridan felt her nerves leave and she was ever so grateful. She could hear Luis, Martin, and Hank yelling for their team. When Carrie touched the wall, the Harmony Hellcats had the lead. Kendall was getting ready for her turn and Sheridan got on the block. Her heart was pounding loudly, but she knew she could do this. Kendall touched the wall, barely in first place and Sheridan dove off the block with lightening speed. Once she hit that water, she turned her arms over as fast as she could.

Luis was on his feet yelling for her. She was neck and neck with the girl next to her, and took a slight lead on the turn. He looked at his watch and noticed her time wasn't as fast as it usually is, but their relay was still in first place. Sheridan touched the wall and Keli took off swimming freestyle. Sheridan was tired after swimming that 50. She climbed out of the pool and turned to watch Keli. She was cheering her on as loudly as she could. Keli touched the wall .003 seconds ahead of the other team and the Fab Four went crazy. They had defended their title. Sheridan was relieved. She felt a little sluggish in the pool, but figured her race wasn't that bad. Keli climbed out of the pool and the four embraced and were jumping up and down. Meanwhile, Sheridan's cheering section was going nuts. Luis smiled as he watched Sheridan. He saw the fire back in her spirit and knew that she just needed to swim that first race. He was so proud of her.

Sheridan was walking over to her towel and looked up and saw Luis grinning at her. She gave him a genuine smile. She was so excited about that last race, but now she needed to concentrate on her individual events. Luis gave her a thumbs up and she was really glad that he was there. Sheridan swam two more events…the 100 fly, which she got 4th place, and the 100 back, which she got 3rd. She wanted to do better than that, and her times were off, but those weren't the events she cared about. Her last event was the 200 IM, and that was her favorite. It was also the event she was trying to defend. By this time, she was incredibly nervous. Coach Russell was talking to her trying to get her pumped about the race, but something wasn't right with her. She just hoped that she'd bounce back once she hit the water.

As she walked to her lane, her legs felt like lead. 'God, why is this happening to me? Just please help me through this last race.' She needed to pump herself up. 'I want this race. This is MY race. You can do it, Sheridan. Summer did it, now it's your turn. Win this race.' She pulled off her parka and jumped up and down to get the adrenaline rushing. Luis was watching fixedly. This was Sheridan's favorite race and he wanted more than anything to see her win this one. She got on the block and waited for the starter to say "take your mark."

The gun went off and Sheridan sprang off the block. She went out quickly for the fly and had a small lead over the other seven girls in the heat. Sheridan was struggling to keep the lead with her backstroke and she needed to get ahead because breaststroke was next and it was her weakest stroke. Luis was keeping splits and realized that Sheridan was way off her usual pace. He was getting nervous for her. He watched as she fell behind during the breaststroke. He was yelling for her as were the rest of her family and friends. She seemed to be going nowhere in the water. When she started her freestyle, she tried to play catch-up, but it didn't look good. She did catch up some, but it was too late. She touched the wall in 4th place. Luis sank down in his seat. He felt terrible for her.

Sheridan looked up at the clock and saw the times. She saw 4th next to her name and she was completely devastated. Next to the first place winner was the time. It wasn't as fast as her winning time the previous year. In fact, Sheridan's time the previous year was two seconds faster than the winner's time. Sheridan had swum that race as hard as she could, but she knew the reason she lost, and it was the reason for many of her problems recently…her body and its many changes. She threw her cap and goggles onto the deck angrily and dragged herself out of the water. She felt the tears stinging in her eyes, and she willed them away. She refused to cry in front of people. She picked up her parka and walked quickly off the deck.

Luis watched as his best friend ran from the pool deck. She looked crushed and he knew how much she wanted to win that race. He needed to talk to her. "Dad, I'll be back. I gotta go find Sheridan." Hank and Martin exchanged a knowing glance. Luis got up and walked out of the pool into the hallway hoping to find her. The hallway was crowded, much to his surprise, and he didn't see her anywhere. Luis found a door that led to another hallway and he saw someone standing at the end by the window that appeared to be Sheridan.

He approached slowly and saw her shivering. She was standing with her arms wrapped around her staring out the window. "Sheridan?" He asked softly. She didn't respond. Instead he saw her reach up and wipe her eyes. Luis walked up behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Sherry…talk to me." She turned around and he saw the tears welled up in her eyes. Her bottom lip began quivering and she did the only thing she could think of…she buried her face against his chest and began sobbing. Luis wrapped his arms instinctively around her and stroked her hair. He was shocked that she was crying. She never cried. In the 12 years he'd known her, he had only seen her cry three times…once when Hank pushed her out of the tree house on accident and she broke her arm, once when her mom died, and once when her dad went to jail. Those were very extreme circumstances, so he was surprised that she was crying now. It killed him to see her like this and the only thing he wanted to do was take away her pain make her feel better.

"Shh…" Luis whispered. "It's okay, Sherry." Sheridan continued to cry against his chest while he continued to stroke her hair in a soothing manner with one hand and his other arm was wrapped securely around her. Sheridan wrapped her arms around him pulling him in for a hug as she continued to cry. Luis was startled at first, but it didn't feel weird to him. It seemed natural for her to be there. He rested his chin on the top of her head and they stayed that way for a long time. He wasn't sure exactly how long they remained like that and he wasn't aware of anything around him except Sheridan.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It was early evening as Luis walked up the path to Sheridan's house with a pint of her favorite ice cream in hand. He knocked on the screen door and Jules answered.

"Hey Luis."

"Hi Jules…Is Sherry around?"

"No, I don't know where she ran off to. When we got home she went straight to her room and then awhile later she came out and left without saying a word."

"She's so upset. I feel just awful for her."

"I know, I do too. I tried to cheer her up, but it didn't do any good."

"I think I have a pretty good idea of where she is. I'm going to go find her and see what I can do," Luis said with a half smile.

"Thanks, Luis. She really needs some cheering up right now…and you're better at that than anyone else." Jules gave him a genuine smile.

"All right then, I'll see ya later, Jules," he said waving as he walked down the steps.

Luis knew exactly where Sheridan was. He picked up the pace and walked to the location. Sure enough, as he walked through the clearing in the trees, he saw a figure in the tire swing that hung from the tree house. Their tree house. It was also Sheridan's place to think. Whenever they had a fight or she was upset about something and needed to get away, she would retreat to the tree house. He walked closer and stood watching for a moment before he made his presence known.

Sheridan had on jean overalls that were too big for her and a pale pink tank top. She was sitting in the tire swing with her arms wrapped around it and her head down watching as her feet pushed the dirt around. She had this youthful innocence about her at that moment that Luis found endearing. He also noticed how lost and sad she looked…he was determined to cheer her up…no matter what. Luis walked closer and stood in front of her. She looked up very briefly, but quickly put her head back down.

"Hey."

Sheridan didn't respond, instead she just continued to stare at the ground as if it was the most interesting thing she'd ever laid eyes upon. Luis put the brown paper bag containing the ice cream down on the ground and kneeled in front of her so she would have to look at him. He gently placed his hands behind the calves of her legs so she couldn't turn away.

She saw him staring up at her with his big hazel eyes and knew the meaning behind the look. He was pleading with her to talk to him. Sheridan didn't feel much like talking, but if she didn't want to be found, she wouldn't have gone to the tree house. Luis knew her too well and she knew that he would find her eventually. "Hi," she said, barely audible. She saw the bag beside him and figured that might be an easier topic than what was bothering her. "What's in the bag?"

Luis smiled. "The bag?" He asked mischievously. He saw the frustrated look upon her face.

"Yeah! That bag…beside you…what's in it?"

"Well actually, if you must know, it's something for you."

Sheridan gave him a crooked half smile. "Really?"

"Mmm hmm. Any guesses?"

"Oh the possibilities," she said coyly. Seeing Luis at the tree house made her feel a tiny bit better. They hadn't even talked about the issues at hand but his presence alone made her feel at ease. "Well Lopez-Fitzgerald, knowing you like I do…I'd have to say that inside the bag…is a pint of double chocolate fudge…with two spoons." She smirked at him awaiting his response.

Luis chuckled. She nailed that one right on the head. "Am I that predictable?"

"No, you're just an amazing best friend," she said warmly. She saw a toothy grin spread across his face. "Now hand it over!"

He was about to hand the bag to her but stopped. "Wanna sit in the tree house?" Sheridan nodded her head and started to get out of the tire swing. Luis took hold of her arm to help her so she wouldn't fall. It was the simplest of gestures, but it meant more to Sheridan than Luis realized. She was affected every time he touched her. Today at the pool when she was so upset, Luis held her in his arms while she cried. She didn't think that anyone could make her feel better, but he did. She felt safe with him. She also didn't think it was possible to feel more for him than she already did, but being close to him while he comforted her made her feelings intensify.

Sheridan climbed the ladder first and got into the tree house. She turned around and watched Luis climb the ladder. He had the brown paper bag clenched in his teeth as he climbed. Sheridan felt the urge to smile because he looked so cute. She took the bag from his mouth and he climbed inside and sat down across from her. Sheridan took the ice cream from the bag and handed Luis a spoon. She lifted the lid from the container and dug her spoon into the chocolate.

"Mmm…good stuff, Luis," Sheridan said after she savored her first bite of ice cream. "Thank you."

"Hey, anything for my best friend," he said with a boyish grin. Luis watched her for a moment before he helped himself to the ice cream. He was pondering what to say next. He didn't want to say the wrong thing and upset her, but he knew she needed to talk about things…he just wasn't sure what those things were. "So…"

Sheridan looked at him and could tell he was chomping at the bit for her to talk. She let out a sigh and put her spoon in the container. "What do you want to know, Luis?"

"I'm not trying to press you for information, Sherry, I just want you to talk to me if you need to. You can't keep your feelings bottled up. So, I want you to tell me whatever you feel like telling me."

Sheridan couldn't keep a straight face. "Liar! You aren't happy unless you know the whole truth about everything! It's not like I can keep anything from you anyway, so I might as well tell you."

Luis smirked and laughed dryly. She did have him completely pegged. "Well, that's twice tonight you've called me out."

She gave him a half smile. "Okay, here goes." She took a deep breath and nervously tucked the hair behind her ears. "Do you want to know why I did so badly today at the meet?"

"Sheridan, you didn't do bad. If I recall correctly, you got a first, third, two fourths…" he tried to continue but she cut him off.

"LUIS!"

He looked down at the floor. "Sorry," he muttered.

"Just please let me finish or else I might never get this out."

"Okay, I'm sorry, go on."

"You know how tired I've been lately and how much harder I've had to work in the pool?" Luis nodded. "Well, in case you hadn't noticed, I um, I, uh, filled out…over the summer." She looked down at the ground for fear of what he would say, so she didn't notice the embarrassed look on Luis' face, or the intense red color that his cheeks blushed.

'Oh I noticed all right,' Luis thought. "Um, well, I uh, did notice you that you uh…look different," he choked out. He looked up and for a brief moment and directly into Sheridan's eyes but nervously looked away.

"Anyway, along with that…filling out…came about ten extra pounds. It's kinda difficult to haul that around in the water when you're used to being an underweight pencil. No matter how hard I tried, or how much I pushed myself, I'm just not used to it yet. So, if you were curious as to where my pessimistic attitude was coming from, now you know." Sheridan brought her knees up and hugged them close to her body as she looked at Luis.

"Sheridan, why didn't you talk to me about any of this?" Luis asked genuinely curious.

She paused for a second trying to find the words. "Well, it's really hard when you're two best friends in the entire world are boys. I grew up a tomboy and until this summer I have always been this lanky little girl with no shape. It's different now. I mean, I practically developed overnight, and it wasn't something I felt comfortable talking to you about." Sheridan was relatively embarrassed to be discussing her body with Luis, but he asked, so she was laying her cards out on the table.

Luis took everything she was saying in and tried to process. She had really been changing a lot lately. First, with the no sleepovers rule and the whole idea that they couldn't share anything and everything with one another anymore, and now this. He wasn't used to this person she was becoming yet. Sure, she was still Sheridan his best friend, but now there was Sheridan the girl, the young woman. That was the most confusing to him. He had never noticed before how pretty she was, but these past two weeks he had been forced to see the truth.

He remained silent, sensing that she wasn't finished talking. She didn't say anything for awhile. Instead, she hugged her knees close to her body and lowered her head. She looked up and directly into Luis' eyes. He could see all of the pain and sadness in them. "I really wish my mom was here, Luis," she said softly. Hearing those words broke Luis' heart. He remembered when her mom got sick. It was so hard on everyone, but Sheridan especially. And then when she died, he saw Sheridan shut down. Even though she seemed as tough as nails on the outside, inside he knew that there was a lot of pain…too much pain for a sixteen year old to have. He got up and sat down beside her.

"I know, Sherry, I know."

"I remember how great you were to me during everything with her. I used to come out here to think and get away from everything and of course you always found me. I never felt like talking, so you would just sit with me and hold my hand. I don't know how, but you always found a way to make me feel better. I just wish that she was here right now. Jules is great and so is your mom, but it's just not the same." Sheridan felt her eyes brimming with tears. A few slipped out and she reached up to wipe them away. "Great, I'm crying again. I haven't cried in three years and this is twice in one day. I've definitely reached my quota," she said with a small laugh.

Luis wrapped his arm around her shoulder and squeezed lightly. "Sheridan, it's okay to cry. You don't have to be rock solid day in day out. And this is me remember? I'm your best friend. If you can't cry in front of your best friend, who can you cry in front of? I also know how much your miss your mom and how much you need her now. No one can take her place, but don't forget about all of the people in your life that love you. And if all else fails, you'll always have me. No doubt about that, okay?" He smiled softly at Sheridan and saw a small smile form on her face.

"That I do know, Luis."

"Now, about this…other problem…of yours," Luis began cautiously. Sheridan looked up with raised eyebrows. "I'm sure that it will just take some time to get used to. I'm not an expert or anything, but I'm pretty sure this is normal." Sheridan nodded her head. "And as weird as this may seem sitting in the tree house talking to my best friend about her development, we've dealt with far worse things. You have survived through a lot in your lifetime and I know without a doubt you'll be back in top form in the pool in no time."

Sheridan exhaled a big sigh. "Thanks Luis."

"Anytime." Luis didn't remove his arm from around her right away. He suddenly became aware of it and casually pulled it away. "I just got a great idea."

"What's that?"

"Road trip…tomorrow. You and me."

"A road trip? Really?" Sheridan asked with a genuine smile.

Luis was getting excited thinking about it. "Yeah. We can make a whole day out of it. Tomorrow is supposed to be gorgeous. We'll take my jeep and drive far away from Harmony…then we can go hiking. Whattaya say?" He flashed Sheridan his killer smile and she felt the fluttering in her heart.

"I say that's the best thing I've heard in awhile. We can also take a picnic and why not bring Ruka along?" Ruka was Luis' dog. It was a gray huskie that Sheridan got him for his 16th birthday. She fell in love with her the minute she saw her and she had to buy her. Luis loved that dog, too. She was so playful and it would be good for her to get out.

"Great idea. So, we're settled? You, me, road trip…tomorrow?"

Sheridan knew this was his subtle way of cheering her up, and she loved him for it. "I wouldn't miss it."

"So, now that we've had our dessert already…how about we go get some pizza? I for one am STARVING!" Luis said dramatically which caused Sheridan to laugh.

"I'm game. Let's go." She headed for the ladder and climbed down and Luis followed. Sheridan stopped and waited for him and she saw the carving in the tree. 'Sheridan + Luis Best Friends Forever' She smiled while she looked at it. Luis took notice of what she was looking at and he smiled too.

"C'mon Champ, I'll even buy your pizza."

Sheridan turned around and saw Luis waiting on her. She gave him a big smile and walked to catch up to him. Together, they walked away from the tree house laughing and being best friends.