Janie, Peter, August, Faye, Stella, Todd, and Colton are out eating and August, Colton, and Peter return with more of the food.

"All right. What are the plans later?" August asks.

"Yeah, anyone hear about any parties?" Colton asks.

"Oh, I heard Robin's throwing one." Stella says.

"Straightjackets is playing the Majestic." Faye says.

"Oh, I didn't even know they were touring." Colton says, laughing a little in excitement.

"And..." Faye gets on her phone, looking it up. "They're sold out." She says.

"Well, uh, I can probably get us tickets." Todd says.

"What are you? Are you, like, the opening act or something?" Colton asks.

"Need you to write more songs first." Todd says jokingly. "But, no, my uncle, he's a silent investor. He can get us in. What do you think?"

"Uh, seventh wheel? Yeah, no, I'll-I'll pass." Colton says.

"Colton, come on." Stella objects. "Straightjackets is one of your favorite bands."

"Yeah, you know me so well." Colton says. "All right, fine. Now, where do you guys want to meet?"

+++

They're outside the venue and waiting for Todd to show up.

"Dude, I can't believe Todd left us high and dry." Colton says. "Now we're never getting in." He says as Stella rushes over.

"Todd's not answering. I'm worried." She says.

"No, don't be. He probably just wanted the credit for getting us tickets and had no way to actually deliver." Colton says.

"No, that's not Todd. He wouldn't just--"

"Stella, yes, he would." Colton cuts her off.

"How would you know?" Janie quietly asks.

"Same way he hogs credit for our band." Colton says. "You know that song at The Side Step?" He asks making the twins share a look. "No, he-he didn't... okay, he-he didn't even get the lyrics when he read 'em."

"Hey, yo, I-I-I, uh, I think I just saw the Straightjackets' keyboard player over there. Want to go check it out?" August asks.

"Yes! Yes. Good idea." Janie encourages, getting August's plan and shoving Colton in that direction.

"Yeah. Yeah, yeah." Colton nods. "Okay, chill." He tells Janie, walking ahead of her. They walk a bit away and August turns back.

"I didn't actually see Kevin VanSchlinker. I just, um... I feel like you were gonna tell my sister that that song was about her." August says.

"Yeah." Janie nods.

"Oh, no, I-I wasn't--"

"She's still not over Trevor Strand, all right? Todd's the first guy after him. And-And I like Todd, it's just... he's kind of a fling." August says.

"Well, I don't--" Janie can't finish since August keeps talking.

"So she'll be sick of him in, like, a week."

"Meh." Janie whispers.

"Okay, thanks-thanks for the heads up?" Colton says, though it sounds like a question.

"Yeah. Yeah, you know, I'd hate for you to be the guy my sister doesn't want around, all right? Because starting this band's been fun. And so is hanging out, so, uh, yeah."

"And you came over here because?" Colton asks Janie.

"I'm just making sure that Stella has a good week, at least. Because I'm tired of my siblings not smiling. You hurt her or do anything that makes her upset, I will literally murder you. If it makes you feel better, that also goes for Todd and any other guy in her life."

"Just let the Todd fling run its course." August says, watching Stella walk over.

"I'm gonna go check on Todd." Stella states.

"Yeah, I-I'm-- I'll drive you." Colton says. Stella nods and the two walk off, August giving Colton a look.

"No, he's totally gonna wait." Janie says sarcastically.

"What, you don't think Todd is a fling?" August asks.

"Mm... not really. She does really like him." Janie reasons.

"She didn't like him before." August argues.

"That doesn't mean anything. It just took a while for there to be sparks, there's nothing wrong with that. You know, maybe it is a fling, you know? Could be. He helped her out during the SATs and they've been bonding. Maybe they will break up in a week or so. Maybe a month. Maybe a year, maybe never. Who knows? All I know is that she likes him. A lot. And I don't see it being a fling."

"How do you know more than me?" August asks.

"Because we're sisters. We talk about stuff without you. Especially boy stuff. I don't tell you everything she tells me." Janie says.

"Wh-- come on, dude, we shared a womb." August complains.

"Okay, well, I'll tell you all of her secrets." Janie says. "And I'll also tell her all of your secrets." She says, smiling a little.

"Never mind. Leave it alone. Stop." August says.

"Thought so." Janie says.

+++

The kids are in the kitchen with Bonham, Abilene, and Liam as they get ready for school.

"Hey." Cordell greets, walking inside.

"Well, good morning, Cordell." Bonham smiles.

"Morning." Cordell says.

"What, you been to war?" Bonham asks.

"Been to something." Liam smiles.

"Mm-hmm." Bonham agrees. Janie scrunches her nose up in disgust.

"No. I just, uh..." Cordell tries to come up with something.

"Hey, dad." August greets.

"Augie, hey." Cordell greets. August walks by him, lightly fist bumping him, before walking out.

"Janie Bug." Cordell says as Janie walks in his direction. He opens his arms, attempting to hug her, but she bypasses him.

"Hmm. Been a while since you used that one." Janie says, referring to the nickname, walking away.

"Yeah." Cordell quietly agrees. "Butterbean." He greets Stella.

"Welcome back." Stella says, walking past him.

+++

Janie sits in the passenger seat of Stella's car as the older sister drives them home. They're talking about whatever comes to mind and Stella sees Colton running up ahead, going in the same direction as them and she slows down.

"You want to race?" Stella asks.

"No, I'm not interested." Colton says, taking one of his AirPods out.

"Oh, come on." Stella says. "So my dad only came home this morning. He slept somewhere else last night, and then wouldn't say much else." She says as she slowly drives along with Colton's walking pace.

"Well, that sucks." Colton says.

""That sucks"? That's all you have to say about it?" Stella asks.

"Is he usually full of profound wisdom or something?" Janie quietly asks, earning a look from her sister.

"Colton, are you okay?" Stella asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just... why don't you just talk to Todd about this stuff?" Colton asks.

"What?" Stella asks, turning her car off.

"Oh, God." Janie mumbles her under breath.

"No, no, I get it, maybe a fling just isn't a good listener." Colton says.

"Dude!" Janie exclaims, giving him a look.

"What do you mean "a fling"?" Stella asks.

"Your rebound." Colton says.

"I shoulda just walked home." Janie whispers.

"Your first relationship since the infamous Trevor. You know, August agrees that this probably isn't the romance of the century." Colton says.

"Okay, that's pretty presumptuous and disrespectful... of you and August. Why would he even say that to you?" Stella asks.

"Do you really not know why, Stella?" Colton asks. He scoffs before running off in the opposite direction.

"Did... did you know about any of this?" Stella asks her younger sister.

"Maybe." Janie sheepishly answers.

"And?" Stella asks. "You didn't tell me anything?"

"Well, I wasn't really thinking of saying that two people consider your relationship with Todd a fling was deemed super important, need to know information. I wasn't aware other people's opinions was something you wanted to really know." Janie says.

"Why would they think that?" Stella asks.

"I don't know, Stelly. They're boys. Do we really wanna start that conversation? It might take a while." Janie says.

"Do you think it's a fling?" Stella asks.

"No. Between watching you and Todd interact and the way you look at each other and when you and me talk about everything, I don't think it's a fling. You guys like each other and nobody else's opinion should totally matter. I mean, as long as you're happy, who cares, right?"

Stella soaks in her words, but doesn't say anything. She turns the car on and presses onto the gas pedal harshly, speeding down the road.

+++

"Why would you do that, Stel?" Janie hears August angrily ask as she sits in one of the armchairs in the living room.

"Why would you even say that to Colton?" Stella asks.

"This should be fun." Janie mumbles sarcastically.

"What, I should just let my friend fall flat on his face like that?" August asks.

"It wasn't your place to tell him what to do or what not to do!" Stella argues as the two reach the living room. Janie sees her dad walk in and realize the arguing, quietly shutting the door.

"I'm sorry, I just didn't want to lose another friend, Stella, because of... because of you." August says and Janie winces.

"Like everybody that's happened is all my fault?" Stella asks. "What you said about me and Todd is messed up."

"Okay, ho, ho, hold on. Wait a second." Cordell calmly intervenes. "What-What's going on here? Why are we fighting? Stel?" He asks. Stella simply shrugs before crossing her arms, not answering, and crossing her arms again, keeping her angered look on her younger brother.

"Augie?" Cordell asks. He glances over at Janie who shrinks into the chair, not wanting to get brought into it.

"Okay, I said that... you know, she was still getting over Trevor Strand. And she's not ready for something serious. And this whole thing with Todd just isn't." August says.

"You don't know how I feel." Stella says. "About Trevor or Todd. And it's not up to you."

"No, I know, I..." August sighs. "I-I-I just mean, don't you feel like you deserve a little bit of fun? Stel, you know, someone that is-is less adjacent to family drama? I feel like we all deserve that."

"Honestly, Todd doesn't have much to do with our family drama, so. In fact, I think you kinda created the whole Todd drama debate argument thing." Janie speaks up, earning a glare from August. "Just saying."

"I'm sorry." August tells his older sister.

"Hey? She knows." Cordell says, rubbing August's shoulders comfortingly. "But, hey, will you, uh... get ready for supper? I'm-I'm gonna talk to your sister." August leaves.

"Janie Bug." Cordell says, giving her a look to leave.

"Wow, twice in one day." Janie says, getting up.

"I-- it's a nickname, Banana." Cordell says.

"That until today I haven't heard since, like, 10." Janie retorts, leaving.

+++

The kids help their grandparents and Liam with cleaning up dinner while Geri drags Cordell a bit into the living room.

"Your brother's gonna figure it out." Abilene tells Liam.

"The deed is a problem." Liam says.

"I told you to leave it alone, Liam!" Bonham says.

"Well, least we made it through a happy dinner." Janie quietly says to her siblings.

"How is the deed on file from the 19th century?" Liam asks. "Okay? We have to update it, and clear up the language."

"You are just aggravating the hell out of me, son." Bonham says. "Walkers have lived on this stretch of land for generations."

"All the more reason that we should re-litigate it, clear up the vague stipulations. A deed should explicitly grant us ownership. I'm not sure why it doesn't."

"Hey, hey." Cordell gets their attention. "Why don't we, uh... table this talk for another time. Uh, we wanted to-to say something." He says, pointing between him and Geri. "Uh, we, you know, we can get into crossing lines at a different time."

"Yeah, well, speaking of crossing lines, your son went to the Davidsons' barn and you didn't tell me." Bonham says. "Need I remind you what happened last time that a Walker trespassed on Davidson grounds?"

"It was harmless, daddy." Cordell says.

"Yeah, well, harmless then may not be so harmless now." Bonham says. "Your son put us in..." He stops as Cordell takes his phone out and looks at it.

"Denise Davidson." Cordell says. "The Davidsons want to meet ASAP. Neutral ground."

"Yeah, that's not good." Janie whispers to herself.

+++

Janie is sitting at the kitchen table and eating ice cream while scrolling through her phone. Stella is at the kitchen island, doing homework.

Janie hears a phone ding and sees the phone next to her light up. She realizes it's August's phone and picks it up, reading the text from Colton.

Hey, Auggie. I'm stuck at home, babysitting my dad. Still got that lantern?

"Uh... Stel?" Janie calls, the older girl already walking over. Stella takes the phone from Janie, reading over the message.

"August!" Stella calls, going to find her brother, Janie right behind her.

+++

"Well, hope dad and Aunt Geri aren't a fling." August says as him and his sisters walk around outside. "Also is it weird to keep saying the whole "aunt" thing?"

"I don't think they're a fling. I think they might start something serious." Stella says.

"I agree." Janie says.

"Oh, yeah, well, how do you two know?" August asks.

"Because girls are better at sensing that kind of stuff." Janie says and August quietly mocks her, shoving her lightly.

"I just do. It feels right. And just to say it, I think Todd and I might be getting pretty serious, too." Stella says.

"Like I said girls know better." Janie smiles.