Right in the middle of their classes, Dustin and Zoey Brooks had been called into the office of Dean Rivers, although they had not done anything wrong. Little wonder they were surprised when they noticed that the reason for this was a visit: Mom and dad were alreasdy waiting in the Antechamber Of The Office. The Kids Beamed When They Saw Their Parents.

Alas, The Reason For Their Visit Was Something That Was Not Downright Easy To Swallow.

Mr. Brooks had obtained a salary promotion, but for this avail, he had to move to England. His company was about ppening a European branch, and dad was needed in order to supervise the first two years of its development over there.

For Dustin and Zoey this meant: Either transfer to England or be separated from their parents by more than just a phone call and a long car trip. The Decision Was Not Made Easy.

Dustin and Zoey stared at their parents, then they stared at aach other.

Mrs. Brooks urged them to hurry up. Covington, the famous international private boarding school, had offered to accept them, but the deadline was already very close. Plus the parents had to prepare visa and plane tickets. Hence, Dustin and Zoey had been given one measly day in order to make their minds up.

Also, Dustin and Zoey were urged to make their decisions independently.

After lunch, Zoey lay down on her bed.

Addie and Moze were present. Yet they had no clue why Zoey had turned all anxious and nervous.

Zoey dared to spit it out. "I might switch to Covington near London."

Addie coughed. "That's an even more elitary spelunc than this one here ..."

Zoey shrugged. "Dad and mom are going to work in London, so ..."

Moze sighed. "My dad moving away for a new job had been the beginning of the end of my family as I knew it ..."

Zoey sighed. "You're right, it will not be easy. Fortunately, mom stays firmly by his side. This had been the case when dad moved down from Boston to New Orleans, right after college, in order to get his first real job after college. For us kids it wasn't easy. When he built up the business in Louisiana, he had hardly any time for us. Thus we went to boarding schools. Dustin came straight to the PCA. It hadn't been open for girls, so I first went to Mississippi Riverside Academy for Girls, not far from home. At least the weekends I've always been able to spend with my parents. This wasn't bad. I was sent to the PCA as soon as it opened up to girls, because Dustin was going depressive without me."

Moze sighed. "Be assured that if you decide to go to London, while Dustin doesn't, I'll keep an eye firmly on Dustin."

Addie stared quizzically at Jenifer. "Moze? Are you ..."

Jenifer Mosely chuckled. "Hey, not in that sense!"

Zoey shrugged. "Thanks! Since the incident with that crap movie Shinyusha, I know how much attention Dustin needs."

Jenifer nodded. "Now, what about the bigger boys?"

"Yeah, what about Chase?" Addie asked. "Won't he be depressed without you?"

"You may have Case!" Zoey declared solemnly. She had often surprised Addie and Chase in situations that showed how close they had really become within just a few months.

Addie blushed. She had never dared to ... but now, as Zoey said it right away, she wondered why she had not been able to see it earlier on.

"Honestly, you don't take Chase away from me. Why don't you people understand that I'm not in love with Chase?" Zoey sighed. "He perobably had been for awhile, but he was over it during spring break of junior year."

Jenifer nodded. "Yeah, that's how I see it, too. Rebecca had just been there at the very wrong moment, and his insane mom ..." Her stomach cramped when she remembered how Mrs. Matthews had coupled Rebecca and Chase. That had been so disgusting ...

Along came Stacey Dillsen. "Hi gals, have you already seen my onager, built with cotton swab sticks and white glue?" She pushed a sculpture of a war engine into the room, locked and loaded with a projectile made of cotton swabs and white glue. "Fire!" Like a cannon ball, the bullet hit Addie's guitar, making her stare oddly.

Moze chuckled. "Please, keep that thing elsewhere. By the way, you would love to work in a real woodshop, not just those cotton swab things?"

Stacey nodded sadly. "But dad doesn't want me to work in his ..."

Moze nodded. "I've talked Dean Rivers into offering woodshop classes next year. Back at middle school, I've been the best in woodshop. Too bad they don't have it here, as of yet."

Stacey bounced around, cheering like nobody's business. One of her biggest dreams had come true: She was going to do some real woodwork.

"Oh, while you're here ..." Addie whimpered because she still had not overcome the consternation she had suffered when some cotton swab cannon ball hit her guitar. "I and Chase, we have heard you singing. Thereupon, we've decided to start to hone our composition skills by improving your song. Do you want to listen to it?"

Stacey smiled. "Sure!"

Addie nodded and took her guitar, playing the sassafrass song.[[88]]

Stacey sang along.

Zoey and Jenifer couldn't help applauding.

Stacey cheered and bounded out, spreading the good tidings all over the campus. Alas, Zoey had heard a bit of their previous conversation, especially Zoey's possible departure.

Zoey sighed. "That said, I'm goinbg to miss Chase dearly, no matter what. But the same goes for Michael Barret. Hell, I've even started missing Logan Reese since he had been expelled from thisschool, although I know that I shouldn't."

Moze nodded. "You definitely shouldn't! He's the most disgusting of all jerks, ever."

Zoey agreed wholeheartedly, but three years had been a long time.

Lola Martinez and Lisa Perkins bounded in. "You're leaving us for London?" They asked unison, filled with consternation.

Zoey nodded sadly. "That's very likely. I feel that mom and dad need me now. I don't know why, but it's for the better of the family if I ddon't make the distancebetween us even much larger than it is now. I mean,, Louisiana isn't around the corner, but London is across the ocean."

"Are the boys at Covington good kissers?" Lola wanted to know.

"I would love to sing before the Queen ..." Lisa admitted.

Lola was so god awfully annoying. Zoey hated it how she could think about the kissing ability of british boys. "If you want to know about the quality British lips ... go and kiss Miles Brody! He talks with a British accent, so ...[[89]]"

Lola reeled and staggered. Her stomach was way too week to bear that thought. Miles Brody, the ultimate nerd, was the incarnation of non-smoochiness, if that was even a word, if not, it had to be invented for him. Well, Eric Blonowitz wasn't much better, but definitely not British. But for Lola knew that for Quinn this was an advantage: This way, she was better concentrating on her exp[eriments instead of getting distracted by lips. But Lola couldn't live like this. Did Zoey have to arrange a date of Nicole and Miles? Nicole was still upset about it. And now that! Never ever could Lola kiss such a nerd. The creepy thought was not wityhout a consequence: Lola doubled over and unloaded her partially digested lunch on Zoey's head pillow. That served her right for that disgusting suggestion. Then she walked out of the dorm. Maybe Zoey's departure wasn't all that bad.

Lisa excused Lola's impossible behaviour and dragged her back to their own dorm.

Moze and Addie helped Zoey cleaning up the mess that Lola had caused.

Suddenly, Zoey's phone rang. "Zoey brooks ... hey Quinn! No, Nevel is alright ... yeah, that's probably true, but how do you know? ... indeed. London is so far, and Covington is the best. ... no, I haven't yet found anyone to have an eye on Nevel. Drake and Josh are hardly able to get along with Megan, so ... no way! Chase is just a friend, don't you get it!"

Addie figured what they were talking about. She begged the phone from Zoey. "OK, Chase is now my boyfriend! Happy?" She boomed when she returned the phone to Zoey. She had to blush.

"I'll find someone to watch Nevel, promised." Zoey moaned and terminated the connection. "Quinn has seen Jeremiah Trottman talking about it on PCA News ..." She explained that Quinn had installed a wireless connection from Caltech to the PCA, allowing them to watch PCA Channels.

"Stacey ..." Moze concluded. "She must have ..."

Zoey nodded. Her phone rang again. "Zoey Brooks ... oh Logan ... no, I won't take you along with me to London, you jerk! So ... shutup!" She terminated the call on site. If Zoey had had any doubts about leaving the country, Logan's call had done them in. Off to London it was! Logan's dad might make movies over there, but Logan was way too lazy for learning to understand the British accent.

Zoey told mom her decision. "Covington it is!"

The Brooks parents nodded. "OK! So what about Dustin?"

"I'm coming, too!" The gnome said. Yet his voice was way less convinced than Zoey's. The parents hardly noticed, but for Zoey it was obvious: Dustin was hiding something. She was a bit surprised. After the event with Shinusha, Dustin had become a much closer friend with the new kids at the PCA - Harper Barret, Nevel Papperman, Megan Parker, Juana Martinez, Carly Shay, Fredward Benson, Samantha Puckett etc. - than he had ever been with those he had known before. Alas, as of yet, Zoey didn't dare to object. But she had to talk about it to Dustin, some day.

Drake Parker had organised a few pupils to sing a farewell song for Zoey and Dustin. Lisa Perkins, Harper, and many others chimed in.

Michael, Lisa, Nicole, Megan, Reginald, Paige, Freddie, Carly, Sam, .. they all sobbed piteously and almost broke down, watering the campus with their tears.

[[88] ]which I don't own, and I haven't got any idea who came up with that song, in the show it's more of a parody of singing

[[89] ]from Robot Wars

[[90] ]Last Farewell by Roger Whitacker and Elvis Presley which I don't own