Tegwen folded it gently and stuck it back in her locker. "I'll need to give it back to him, I suppose."

Kayla nodded enthusiastically. "Hey, yeah! It gives you an excuse to see him again."

Tegwen sighed after a moment. "He'll get it back when I find the courage to talk to him again."

"Okay, what do you mean?"

Tegwen glanced once more at the jacket in her locker before shutting the door softly. She leaned against the block of lockers, hugging her binder to her chest. "I'm scared."

Kayla smiled sweetly. "Don't be scared of love. Love is a wonderful thing . . . Exciting and--"

"I'm not scared of love," Tegwen said, scoffing at the idea.

Kayla frowned slightly. "Well . . . Is something . . . wrong? . . . With him . . .?"

Tegwen shook her head. "No, he's pretty much my idea of perfection, as far as mallards go."

"Awww!" Kayla squeaked, a dreamy smile on her furry face.

Tegwen closed her eyes tightly. She could see Fenton on her doorstep, staring after her . . . just as if he was there, staring at her at that very moment. The image was so vivid, Tegwen thought that if she reached out to touch him, she would feel his feathers beneath her fingers.

"Hey, Tegs--" Kayla tapped her on the shoulder. "What's the big problem if he's so perfect?"

The image of Fenton faded away. Tegwen glanced at Kayla. "Huh? Oh . . . Well, it occurred to me, last night when we were saying good-bye . . . He's old! I mean . . ." Tegwen drew in a deep breath, watching Kayla dolefully, "He's old enough to drink and gamble legally . . . At the least. I mean, I doubt he does any of that junk, but that's beside my point. He can gamble and drink if he wants . . . Me, I . . . I can't even drive a car! He's like . . . ancient."

Kayla smiled crookedly. "You know, when you get older . . . The age difference becomes less of an issue."

"Are you kidding me? The mallard could be my father! You were right. My mom was right. Everyone was right! I'm so stupid, Kay."

"Yeah, and so could Mr. McDuck. But he's not. So what?"

Tegwen sighed, slowly bringing herself to meeting Kayla's eyes. "It's just that, well . . ."

"Yeah?" Kayla prompted.

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