Just then Stephanie walked into the kitchen. She had someone with her; someone David recognized. Frank poured another shot and handed it to David. He waved it off. Lani took it. David tried to get it back from her.

“You’ve had more than enough,” he said.

Before he could do anything, she downed it. She slammed the empty shot glass on the table. There were now four empty shot glasses lined up, all upside down, in front of Lani. Everyone else had had two. She took a long drink from her beer, and then she saw Stephanie.

“Well, well, well! It’s Stephie! And to think! All the guys out there were about to give up on you!”

“Fuck you Lani!” Stephanie yelled.

Then Lani noticed the girl standing next to her. She was Lani’s height and had long dark hair. David was surprised how much this girl looked like Lani. David knew that she was new at school. The week before, she was suddenly in his English composition class. But he didn’t know her name.

“Well look! Stephanie’s got a new ‘friend’!” Then she made the highly annoying quotes and end-quotes gesture with her fingers. “That’s what they call them now right? Friends?”

David gave her a menacing glance. “Stop it!”

The girl walked over to her. “I’m Jessie,” she said, holding out her hand.

Lani pushed her hand away. “Oh! Your name’s Jezzie, huh?”

“No, Jessie.”

Lani laughed hysterically. “Yes! Jezzie! That must be short for…Jezebel!”

Stephanie looked at Jessie, short for Jessica. “Ignore her; she’s a beast!”

He had mixed feelings about seeing Ginny Cooper. A long time ago she told him that she was leaving town. He hadn’t thought about her for years. Then he bumped into a guy he knew from high school at the grocery store. He told David that Ginny lived in town again. But that was a long time ago. Then Kerry appeared at the house. He decided to find out a little more about Ginny, so he went to see an old friend.

Pete Martins lived about a half-hour drive down the interstate, heading west toward the baseball stadium. It had been a long time since David had spoken with him. It was when they finished the basement. No, come to think of it, it was last year. There was a debate about Proposition B. The plan was to add extra lanes to the interstate to relieve some of the traffic problems. Since the plans included the part of the interstate that headed east, David decided to find out more about it. So he went to the debate, and he bumped into Pete. He gave David his phone number. So once Kerry started staying at the house, he gave Pete a call and asked if he could stop by to talk. When he got there, he was very impressed with his house. It was the newest part of town, and the houses were large and made of stone. Still, the yard was small. David was fine with his own house, but wouldn’t mind trading yards with Pete.

When Pete opened the door, two young kids ran past David. He followed Pete into the living room where he was greeted by two overly friendly large dogs. Pete called them into the kitchen and let them out into the backyard. He came back with a beer and a cup of coffee. He gave the coffee to David.

“Sorry to hear about Lani,” Pete said as he set his beer down on a coaster.

“Yeah, well, sorry to hear about Stephanie,” David said as he dropped two sugar cubes into his coffee.

Pete leaned back on the couch. “Well, things were good at first. But she wasn’t easy to get along with. But you know that! You broke up with her.”

David laughed. “That was 9th grade, Pete. But I was surprised when you two got together.”

“Ancient history,” he said.

Stephanie Stanton

Stephanie is the daughter of Lance and Tegan Stanton, who bring Stephanie and her brother Harvey to Westbridge when Stephanie is 14 years old. Lance Stanton works as a Tech Consultant at the Westbridge Aerodynamics and Propulsion Laboratories Corporation located about 20 miles south of town. Tegan is a switchboard operator for the Litchfield Local Exchange and Long Distance Switching Company. When a private placement of company stock is handled by the Easton Underwriting Associates, a subsidiary of Easton Financial Advisors, Carl and Zach purchase a large number of shares. Later, the stock is transferred to David, although he is unaware of it. This isn't unusual, since Zach handles all of David's investments. Decades later, a key merger results in the formation of the Litchfield Telephonic Sciences and Technologies Corporation, which builds a large fiber optic network that criss-crosses the state. The result is a huge profit for the pre-merger investors, including David.

Stephanie is David's girlfriend in 9th grade. She lives next-door to Marty Marsden, whose wealthy parents are constantly away from home on business, making his house a great place to party. Besides hanging out at Marty's house, not to mention the back of the science building, they are frequently found on Tremont Heights and at Liessen's Lake. After she is no longer David's girlfriend, she begins seeing Pete Martins, and the two later marry. Stephanie also lives several houses down from Ginny Cooper. In the 11th grade, Stephanie tells David that Mickey has kicked her speed habit. But by that time, David is involved with Lani. Since Stephanie is known to have been a girlfriend of David's, she finds herself being one of the many targets of Lani's misogynistic wrath. 

After they break-up, for a reason that their friends never know, Stephanie spends a lot of time on the Heights by herself. One day, David learns from Jessie that Stephanie doesn't like Westbridge. After Stephanie and Pete divorce, she leaves Westbridge. Many years later, David is told that Stephanie moved back to Australia. 

***********************************

What Lani didn’t know was just how obnoxious she was when she was drinking. Much more so than usual, which is saying something. David was tired of her constantly insulting other girls. Two weeks earlier, she found herself very close to joining the list, although it wasn’t a long one, of David’s ex-girlfriends. They were sitting in lawn chairs in his parents’ backyard. Carl and Ellen went to a church meeting, leaving them there alone…but not long. At the moment, they were listening to the radio and drinking a few beers. Sarah came over and brought Courtney with her. David turned around for a moment and saw Courtney walk out of the kitchen door with a plastic cup of orange juice in her hand. He didn’t think much of it, except she walked up behind Lani and poured the juice over her head. Lani jumped up from her chair and was furious.

“Dammit you little monster! I hate you!” she screamed at Courtney.

Courtney took two steps back, and then cocked back her arm and threw the cup at her. David noticed that she had a big grin on her face. Then she turned around and ran back to the kitchen door, laughing as she went.

“I hate your damn niece. She…” Her voice trailed off when she saw the expression on David’s face.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have…” David cut her off.

“Leave!”

“What?”

“Leave!” he yelled, pointing at the gate.

She looked at the ground. “You don’t mean that…”

“Just leave!” he yelled again.

Lani turned around and walked out through the gate. Courtney reappeared on the patio with her face covered in chocolate. It was all over her hands too.

“Courtney! Those cookies haven’t cooled yet!” Sarah yelled, suddenly appearing on the patio.

“Hi David. Are you alone?” Sarah asked.

Courtney walked over and tried to put some of the mushy cookie in his mouth. “Share!” she hollered.

“I am now.”

The next day at school he tried to avoid Lani. She managed to track him down outside the science building after 5th hour. He was sitting on the back step with Mickey, Stephanie and Pete. They were talking and passing a joint back and forth. She suddenly appeared around the corner of the building.

“I said I’m sorry!” she hollered. Then she noticed that he wasn’t alone.

Mickey looked at Stephanie and shook her head. “Here we go!”

David looked up at Lani. “Well, if you’re going to stay, please sit quietly.”

Lani sat down on the step next to him without saying a word. Stephanie looked over at Mickey and laughed.

“Well, well!” she said.