The next morning, Frank was sitting on the couch staring out the living room window. He had slept poorly the previous evening. Part of the reason was because he hadn’t been able to get comfortable on the couch and the other part was because of Caren’s sudden departure. He felt really bad for not having the opportunity to explain what had happened. He had tried calling Caren several times, but kept getting her answering machine. The whole situation was completely out of hand.  

And he didn’t like having to remind Callie of their discussion. He didn’t want to hurt her, but she had been the one to suggest not being exclusive while in college. It had been her idea and he didn’t want to change that now. Sure, when she had first left, he had wanted her to call and say they should get back together. But now, he was enjoying college and had met some great people, including Caren. He really liked her and didn’t want to lose the opportunity to get to know her better.  

“There you are,” a voice said getting Frank’s attention.  

He turned and saw Joe standing in the doorway. He said listlessly, “Hey.”  

“What’s going on?” Joe asked, moving into the room and sitting down across from him. “Are you all right?”  

“Just peachy,” Frank said sarcastically.  

“Okay,” Joe said slowly. “Do you want to tell me what’s going on or do you want me to guess? Because whatever it is, I cant ell it’s not making you a happy camper.”  

Frank looked at his brother and knew he could be honest with him. “Do you remember when you came in yesterday while Caren and I were talking?”  

“Yeah?” Joe’s eyes suddenly went wide. “Did you and Caren have a fight?”  

“You’re not even close,” Frank stated. “After you left, Caren and I resumed talking. We were having a nice conversation until someone I didn’t expect to see barged in.”  

Joe looked at him, puzzled. “Who?”  

“Callie.”  

Joe’s eyes went wide again. “You’re kidding, right?”  

“I wish I was,” Frank said with a sigh. “She came barging into my room and made herself right at home. She continued on as if she was my girlfriend and had to come see how I was doing because I had gotten hurt.”  

“She was acting like your girlfriend?” Joe asked.  

“She was,” Frank said. “And I think that’s what really upset Caren.”  

“Caren was still here?”  

Frank nodded his head. “She was. Callie had settled right on the couch beside me and totally ignored Caren. After a few minutes, Caren left. I tried to get her to stay, but she wouldn’t. I know that if I would have been able to move about, I would have been able to stop her and straighten things out. But she just took off.”  

“Have you tried to call her?”  

“I left a couple message last night and a couple this morning. But she hasn’t returned my calls.”  

“What about going over to see her?” Joe suggested. “She can’t really walk away if you go to her.”  

“That’s good in theory, but there is one thing you haven’t taken into consideration.”  

“And what’s that?”  

“I don’t know where she lives.”  

“You don’t?” Joe asked. “Why not? You two have gone to a lot of places together. You should know.”  

“Whenever we’ve gone someplace, she has either come here or followed me in her car. I haven’t actually been back to where she lives.”  

“Then that’s something you need to find out,” Joe said. “I mean, if Caren means a lot to you and that there may be a future together, then you have to do something. If you don’t, you might regret it later in life.”  

“I know you’re right,” Frank said. “Caren is a really nice person and has turned into a great friend.”  

“Then do what needs to be done,” Joe said. “You are the only one who knows what’s right for you. But no matter what decision you make, I’m behind you 100 percent.”  

Frank gave Joe a small smile. “Thanks, Joe.”  

“That’s what I’m here for,” Joe said, returning the grin.  

Frank chuckled and put his hands to his ribs as they twinged a bit. He knew he shouldn’t laugh, but Joe’s modesty always made him feel better. He shook his head. “When did you become so smart?”  

“I’ve always been smart,” Joe said. “I just didn’t want my superior knowledge to hurt your feelings.”  

“If you have such superior knowledge, why are you only getting B’s and C’s?” Frank countered with a raised eyebrow.  

“I didn’t want you to feel bad if I started getting better grades than you.”  

“Right,” Frank said sarcastically.  

He loved his little brother more than anything else in the world. Joe could make him laugh when he was feeling low and could be counted on whenever he was needed. He knew Joe was his best friend and that nothing would ever change that. Joe was honest and would always give a person a straight answer. He did not like lying himself and found a real dislike for those who did lie. Frank knew that what he asked next would receive an honest answer.  

“Joe, can I ask you something?”  

“Always. What do you need?”  

Frank took a breath. “What do you think of Caren?”  

Joe smiled at Frank. “I think she’s a really nice person who has a good heart. In the short time I’ve known her, I’ve gotten the feeling that I’ve known her for years.”  

“I’ve gotten that same feeling,” Frank admitted. “The two of us really seemed to click and I really think there could be something there.”  

“I’m so glad to hear that.”  

Frank and Joe looked to see Callie standing there. Frank inwardly groaned realizing the situation had just gotten a whole lot worse.  

Callie moved over to the couch and sank down beside him. She reached over and took his hand in hers. “It sounds like you’re feeling better.”  

“I’m feeling more like my old self as each day passes,” Frank admitted.  

“That’s good,” Callie said. “And soon you’ll be back on your feet.”  

“In time,” Frank said.  

“So, Callie, what are you doing here?” Joe asked.  

“Well, I had talked to Vanessa and she had told me what happened. I got away from school as soon as I could and returned to Bayport. I had to come back to see how he was doing.”  

“Why did it take you more than two weeks to come?” Joe asked.  

“Well,” Callie said. “To be honest, I just talked to Vanessa the other day.” She looked at Frank. “If I had known how hurt you were, I would’ve been here sooner.”  

Frank took a breath and knew it was time to straighten things out. He looked at Joe. “Could you give us a few minutes?”  

“Sure,” Joe said. He got up and left the living room.  

Once he was gone, Callie turned to him and said, “I’m so glad to see you.”  

“I’m glad you came over,” Frank said. “We need to talk.”  

“About what?” Callie asked, apparently confused.  

Frank turned slightly to look at her, making sure he didn’t hurt his ribs. He took a breath, ready to get down to business. “Callie, do you remember what we talked about before you left for college?”  

“We talked about a lot of things,” Callie said, pulling her feet up onto the couch as she turned to him. “Is there something in particular?”  

“There is,” Frank said. “He sighed again. He didn’t want to hurt Callie’s feelings, but the situation needed to be resolved. “Do you remember the day you came over and suggested that we shouldn’t be exclusive while we were at college?”  

Callie’s eyes went wide and he then knew she was away of what conversation was about.  

“Oh, Frank. Is that…is that about what happened the other day?”  

“Callie, I do consider you a good friend, but things have changed between us,” Frank said. “I admit that when you first brought this up, I was a little shocked. But after some thought, I knew it was for the best.”  

“But then I came back,” Callie stated. “Unexpectedly.”  

“Callie, I am glad you did come back, but that doesn’t change where we are in our relationship. You will be heading back to your college and I’ll be staying here. We are in the same situation as before you left in August and I don’t see anything change.”  

“Frank, are you saying it’s over?”  

“Callie, we will be friends, but like you said before, if we are meant to be together, our love will hold the test of time.”  

Callie looked down at the couch. Frank was afraid she was going to start crying. He hated seeing tears in her eyes and would feel extremely guilty if she did cry.  

After a few minutes, Callie finally lifted her head. There were no tears, but a bit of sadness. She said, “I guess I kind of messing things up yesterday, huh? I didn’t mean to. I guess I just fell back into our normal routine and didn’t think things through.”  

“I think things can be patched up. But if they can’t, I guess it wasn’t meant to be.”  

“Do you think I should try to talk to her? To explain what was going on?”  

“I’ll take care of it,” Frank said. “I could have said something sooner to sort things out.”  

“I really am sorry, Frank. I didn’t mean to mess things up.”  

Frank offered her a small smile. “It’s okay, Callie.”  

Callie offered him a small smile in return. “Thanks, Frank.”  

“Any time.” He decided to switch subjects. “So, what are heading back?”  

“Actually, I’m heading back tomorrow. I have classes that I really can’t miss.”  

“I do understand,” Frank admitted. “But I am glad you stopped by.”  

“So am I.” Callie unfolded her legs and stood up. “Well, I better get going. I’ll call you in a week or so to see how you’re doing.”  

“I’ll look forward to it.”  

Callie leaned down and gave Frank a hug. “I’ll talk to you later.”  

“All right,” Frank said.  

Callie leaned back, gave him a small smile and left the Hardy home.  

As he watched her go, he got a feeling of sadness. He had been glad to see her, but there was something missing. Frank immediately put his finger on it. When Callie and he had been dating, he could feel his heart doing a double patter. But this encounter made him realize he didn’t have the same feelings for her anymore. His feelings had changed to her just being a friend.  

“You all right?”  

Frank looked up to see Joe standing in the doorway. Frank let out a breath. “Yeah. I’m okay.”  

Joe moved into the room and sat down across from him once again. “Did everything go all right?”  

“I guess,” Frank said. “She wasn’t upset, but we’re back to where we were when she left for college.”  

“So, what’s the next step? Are you going to talk to Caren?”  

“I have to,” Frank said. He focused on his brother. “I have a plan and I’m going to need your help.”  

“I’ll help with whatever you need.”

 

The Hardy Boys belong to Simon and Schuster and the Stratemeyer Foundation. The authors 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.