"What's wrong?"

"Something the matter?" asked Tom.

"Well, it's just that..." Jackie hesitated. "It's just that you're leaving and I was hoping we'd have a chance to, um, hang out before you left. I mean, alone, without my mom showing up and everything, you know?"

"Yeah," said Tom, "Well, I guess I'll get to say goodbye to both of you after all."

"I guess," said Jackie, nonplussed. "Do you want to go up to my room before she gets home?"

Tom was starting to feel sure that Jackie had had more in mind than a simple goodbye, but with Jackie's mom on the way home, that was probably out of the question now. Or was it?