The rest of the school week was uneventful. Phil had worked up the courage to call Lydia – first speaking with Ms. Chase and getting permission to take Lydia to Chet’s party.

Now the big night had arrived. Vanessa and Callie were going to help Lydia with her wardrobe. The two girls arrived at seven o’clock. Ms. Chase greeted them at the door. Lydia came out of the kitchen balancing three cans of soda in her hands. Vanessa ran over to help her, and both girls started to giggle when one can almost fell to the floor.

“I’ll leave you young ladies alone now. You have some fun, Lydia!” Ms. Chase smiled and smoothed back the dark-haired girl’s hair.

“My room is down the hall. Vanessa, I love your sweater!” Lydia led the two girls to her room.

“Thank you! My mom gave it to me for Christmas last year,” replied Vanessa with a smile. She wore a simple burgundy long-sleeved sweater with tan-colored jeans. Her ash-blond hair was pulled back with a burgundy headband and fell sleek and straight down her back.

Lydia also admired Callie’s outfit – Callie wore a cream colored turtleneck sweater with dark blue jeans. The three girls stood in front of the closet going through the clothes. Lydia was wearing a sweat shirt and pants, having taken a quick shower earlier. Vanessa found a nice pair of whitewashed jeans while Callie noticed a golden brown long-sleeved pullover shirt. A pair of brown loafers completed the ensemble.

Callie French-braided Lydia’s hair leaving a few strands of hair loose to fall softly around the young girl’s face. The two friends admired their handiwork.

“You know, with your hair pulled back and the makeup you’re wearing – you could pass for eighteen,” commented Callie.

“Really?!” gasped Lydia as she turned to look at herself in the mirror. “Gosh you’re right! I probably should wash this off and just wear a little mascara!”

Running out of her bedroom, Lydia dashed to the bathroom to wash her face. A few minutes later she came out of the bathroom, her face freshly scrubbed and looking once again like a young schoolgirl. Callie and Vanessa were surprised by the girl’s actions.

The doorbell rang and the three girls hurried back to the living room. Lydia went to answer the door where she found Phil standing nervously with a small bouquet of daisies. Frank and Joe were just coming up the sidewalk as Phil walked into the house.

“Oh boy, are we going to be in trouble,” said Joe when he spotted the flowers in Phil’s hand.

Callie and Vanessa looked expectantly at Frank and Joe when they stepped inside the house. Rolling their eyes and appearing to be disappointed the two girls soon broke into fits of laughter when they saw the panicked expressions on Frank and Joe’s faces.

Joe pulled Vanessa into a hug. “I’ll make it up to you,” he whispered in her ear.

Frank went over to Callie and put his arm around her shoulders. They smiled at each other. Callie knew that if Frank had thought about it he would have bought her flowers. Ms. Chase came into the room with a camera in her hand. She took several pictures of the three couples.

“You have a good time, sweetie,” she told Lydia. “And you boys drive carefully!”

*****

Mrs. Morton greeted Lydia warmly, taking an instant liking to the young girl. She was happy for Phil to have found someone who seemed to care about him. Mrs. Morton was fond of her son’s friends, having known them since they were children. Phil Cohen was shy, especially around girls. It was good to see him so happy.

Chet came in the back door, a huge smile on his face. There was dirt smudged on his chin.

“What kind of trouble are you getting yourself into, Chet?” asked Joe as he wiped a small amount of the dirt off.

“Dad thought the weather was nice enough for a barbeque…you know my Dad…he’d be grilling every day if he could!” replied Chet as he wet a paper towel to clean up.

“Oh man…please tell me your dad made his special sauce!” Joe pleaded to his friend.

“It wouldn’t be a Morton barbeque if my dad didn’t make his sauce!” laughed Chet as he patted Joe on the back.

Lydia stood quietly watching the Hardys and their friends, a smile on her face. She glanced over at Phil who happened to turn and smile at her. Her smile grew wider and she took his hand.

*****

Later that night, Phil lay in his bed staring up at the ceiling. He couldn’t believe his good fortune in finding Lydia. She really liked him! Growing up, Phil never considered himself handsome or cute. Being skinny and needing glasses didn’t help. Being an only child, his mother was overprotective, making him very shy. It wasn’t until he met Frank and Joe that he gained some confidence. With Frank he had a fellow comrade who loved to study and learn as much as Phil did. With Joe he gained a younger brother who taught him it was okay to just run and have fun!

The Hardy brothers seemed to collect an eclectic group of friends. With Biff and Joe’s help, Phil developed a slightly muscular physique. Soon girls began to take notice of him – although a few were only using him to get to Frank and Joe. A few even wanted to be introduced to Biff and Tony. Once the brothers and Biff and Tony found out, they would politely let the girl know that they were not interested.

He had a lot of fun at the Mortons’. All of his friends had been really nice to Lydia. Phil could tell that she had a good time. He just wished that he could have driven her there. Maybe then...instead of a kiss on the cheek…Phil let out a sigh. He definitely needed to get his own car! With a smile on his face, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

*****

Anne Tanner slowly sipped her coffee. She sat in deep thought and didn’t hear her husband Sean come in. She gasped in fright when he touched her shoulder.

“Sorry, honey – I didn’t mean to scare you. Where were you? You seemed so far away.”

“I was – I’ve been thinking about a former student.”

Sean sat next to his wife; he brushed back her hair, a concerned look on his face. “Did you get some bad news about this student?” he asked.

“No, nothing like that. I thought I recognized a former student but...that would be impossible!”

Now extremely curious, Sean leaned forward. “Why is it impossible?”

“Well…for one thing she was one of my students when I was teaching at Thomas Jefferson High in Chicago.”

“Whoa!” Sean leaned back in his chair.

“Yeah, I know! But I swear, Sean…this girl could be Clair Miller!”

“But Anne, that’s impossible! You left Chicago three years ago!”

*****

Lydia Barlow pinned a barrette in her hair, scrutinizing her reflection. Satisfied with what she saw, Lydia left the bathroom to join Betsy Chase for breakfast. She really liked Ms. Chase, who turned out to be one of her better foster parents.

“Good morning, Lydia dear!”

“Good morning Ms. Chase…I mean Betsy.”

Betsy smiled as she placed a plate of pancakes and bacon on the table. Lydia poured some milk in two glasses then sat down to enjoy her breakfast.

“Are you sure you want me to drop you off at school this early?” asked Betsy.

“Yes, Mrs. Baxter, she’s the librarian, is always at the school at this time. I’m meeting Phil there this morning, and while I’m waiting I thought I’d get a head start on an English assignment.”

“Okay, we better hurry up and finish or you’ll end up being late instead of early!”

Lydia waved goodbye to Ms. Chase before going inside the school building. She went to her locker, greeting the janitor on her way. Putting her coat in the locker and taking out the books she would need, Lydia headed for the library. She was going up the stairs when she almost bumped into someone.

“Oh, I’m sorry – I didn’t mean to…”

“It is you!” gasped Anne Tanner.

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Disclaimer

The Hardy Boys belong to Simon and Schuster and the Stratemeyer Foundation. The Hardy Boys Fan Fiction authors of the Hardy Detective Agency have just borrowed them for an adventure or two. The authors promise to put the boys back when they are done with them. The authors do claim copyright to the original characters in this story. Please do not borrow original characters without express permission of the authors.