Rob Thomas: Ever the Same

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“Well isn’t this exciting?” Lizzie asked as Shayne took her hand. “Did you ever think that we would be Springfield High royalty?”

Shayne smiled at her. “Honestly? No!” He laughed. “So what happens now?”

The spotlight hit the center of the dance floor. “I think were supposed to share a dance.” She led him to the center of the room, all eyes rested on them. “Are you having a good time?”

“Yeah, of course I am.” He whispered into her ear. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You just seem distant lately is all,” Lizzie answered. “These are supposed to be the best times of our lives and you just seem content, not upset but not unhappy.”

“You know I have a lot of stuff going on, graduation, my mom and Marah are still fighting with one…” he paused and looked at the girl in his arms, “can I tell you something?” He twirled Lizzie, she laughed as other couples, including Austin and Tammy joined them on the dance floor.

“What’s on you mind baby?”

Shayne smiled and shook his head. “If someone would have told me that you and I would be here, like this, a year ago I would have laughed so hard.”

“Right!” Lizzie agreed. “It’s the power of friendship.”

“I’m going to tell you something that I have been dealing with for about the last year and half,” Shayne began as the music hit a high note. “What I’m going to tell you is very personal and not a whole lot of people know…” his mind suddenly raced back to the night when Derek arrived in Springfield, his mind filled with Alan-Michael’s venomous words but he pushed that aside.

“If you don’t tell me what’s on your mind this song is going to be over,” Lizzie told him. “Please know that you can trust me Shayne, please.”



“I’m gay Lizzie.”

She stared up at him, tongue-tied. “Say something.” Shayne told her.

Lizzie shook her head. “You’re sure?” Her words stumbled, “That didn’t come out right, I’m sorry…this is kind of…”

“Shocking?”

“No not at all…” she realized what she had just implied and backtracked. “Okay, that didn’t come out right either,” and she suddenly realized she had inserted her foot into her mouth once more! “You hate me?”

He shook his head, “No. I know this is a lot to take in on the dance floor of our prom but it’s something that you needed to know, something that I felt you should know.” The music ended as everyone applauded their king and queen one final time.

With her hand in his Shayne led Lizzie off the dance floor. “This doesn’t change anything between us, promise me that.”

“Nothing. I promise.” Lizzie kissed him on the cheek, “And you can trust that I’ll never say anything.”

“About what?” Austin questioned.

“There you are!” Lizzie wrapped her arms around Austin’s waist, “About Shayne, he just learned how dance like two or something…” her eyes darted from her date to Shayne and then Tammy, “and by the way he was leading out there I had no idea.”

“Right…” Austin agreed. “Why don’t we got get some punch.”

Shayne and Tammy watched them walk away. “What was that all about?” She finally asked.

“Beats the hell out me.” Shayne winked, “Come on…I want to spin you across the dance floor.”

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“Ava first thing in the morning I will need those figures.” Alan-Michael was working from his suite at The Beacon. “Messenger them over to me at Towers, I’ll be having breakfast with Charles Grant and my father.” He listened as she spoke, “Yes Phillip will be there as well.”

Lucy stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom. She was wearing hardly anything, red-laced lingerie that A-M had bought her before they left Europe. As she appeared in the doorway her husband ended his conversation with his secretary.

“Oh Mr. Spaulding,” Lucy softly whispered in a seductive manner as she made her way across the room. “You know there’s an old saying about all work and no play.”

Lucy ran her hands down A-M’s chest and kissed his neck, “You know watching Marina get ready for prom and then seeing how happy she was with Ben made me realize something.”

“Oh?”

“Mm-hhmm. It made me realize how much I love you. And it made me miss how things where with us in Europe.” She loosened his tie, “You do remember how things where in Europe don’t you?”

“You’re certainly helping to job my memory.” He sighed heavily. “And if you could just hold that thought for another half-hour so that I can finish this paperwork that would be amazing.”

Lucy stopped what she was doing and questioned, “You want me to wait? Alan-Michael look at me, turn around and look at me!” She announced, “Do I look like I want to wait for you?”



“Lucy…”

“You promised me that when we came back here, after you forced me to come back here, nonetheless that things would not change.”

“They haven’t.” He defended as she grabbed a robe.

“How would you know Alan-Michael? You spend every waking hour either at Spaulding Enterprises or on the phone with Ava talking about that damn Cedars project. And then when you finally do decide to come home, and I use that term loosely because take a look around you this is not a home…you’re going over numbers and figures and contracts.”

“You know that I take my work very seriously.”

“You’re work? Please let’s call your work what it really is and that is an attempt to prove yourself to Alan,” she screamed as she headed towards the bathroom.

“Where are you going?”



“Harley’s,” Lucy announced. “Let me tell you something,” she stopped and spun around, “if you for one second think that I am going to take a back seat and let Spaulding Enterprises become your number one priority then darling your are horribly mistaken. Do you understand me?”

“This is my career.”

“And I’m your wife, you know I never thought I would have to remind you of that, but clearly I do,” Lucy slammed the door leaving A-M alone with his work!



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Next on 'The Guiding Light...'
- "In the Light: Spaulding Marriages"

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