Chapter One
Who they are, and what they want.
Jenny's that kind of girl - the one that everyone wants. And she wants Nate. Only he's not interested, and Chuck is. And then Nate decides to play the popularity game with her. J/N J/C S/N B/C
Chuck pov.
Look at her. She is beauty. She is flawless. Shining blond hair, perfect pink lips, the swing and the grace in her step.
The way she looks at him – at Nate at my best friend – kills me. Every second of every day that I am without her, it hurts.
And I'm not the only one. She's the one that makes every guy in the room stop and stare. She can capture anyone with one flick of that brilliant hair. A glance of those intriguing eyes. A sway of her hips. Except Nate. He's immune to her charm for a reason I can't place; perhaps because he's seen so many pretty girls he's blind. He is Jenny's equivalent, the one all the girls swoon over and giggle behind their textbooks in class.
That's why it's so obvious that they're right for each other. They just… fit. Perfect girl and perfect boy.
I can honestly say I don't know what's holding Nate back, because it's not like he tells me. Certainly not the fact that I like her. The whole damn school knows how I feel about her, because I'm so damned obvious.
Like now, I can't help looking at her. Willing her just to look at me, tip her head slightly, and even give me a little smile. Anything, a curt nod even, just to let me know she's acknowledged me. That she knows I exist.
Jenny's pov.
Parties are where you're meant to be with someone. And mostly, everyone is. Except, it seems, me. Don't get me wrong; I could have a boyfriend, if I wanted anyone other than Nate Archibald. But I do want Nate, and that's proving impossible. Tonight he's got a red head, giggling and flushed with too much beer, slung over his arm, staring up at him adoringly. And I know perfectly well what they'll do later.
I have to look away because it's hurting me too much. I sound shallow, going for Nate because he's the cutest guy in school, but he's so much more than that. We've got talking a few times in class and things, and he's so intelligent. You can actually have a proper conversation with him, unlike some of the guys around here.
As I stare around the crowded room, I catch a guy's eye that's stood near Nate and his red head. He's his best friend, I faintly recall. What's his name again? C… Chuck! That's it. He smiles, tentatively, and I smile back before returning my gaze to Nate. He leans down, kisses the red hard on the mouth, and then they leave the room. No doubt to go to a bedroom upstairs.
It's nothing new. Nate's had so many girlfriends I can't keep up. Redheads, brunettes, blondes. Week in, week out, never the same hair colour, never the same face. Just another notch in his bedpost. They're all so easy.
If I get a chance to go out with Nate, I won't be like that. I won't be easy. Because I'm not that kind of girl, and I'm not about to throw my virginity away just to be able to claim that I slept with Nate Archibald and then he dumped me.
I leave the party, because I don't want to think about what they're doing up there.
Nate's pov.
The day after the party is the usual – banging headache, tired, and aching. And yet satisfied. The girl from last night, what was her name again? Lina? Laura, that's it. She was nice, but I don't think I'll ask her out again.
Jenny Humphrey was at the party last night. She likes me, and everyone is telling me to go out with her. Even Chuck. Chuck, who is infatuated with her. It's not a phase for him. He's really got his heart set on her.
But it's not going to happen. He's a great guy, but what would she ever see in him? She's spoiled for choice. She has so many guys running around after her, and not just any guys. Decent guys. Not that Chuck isn't decent, I mean. He's a good pal.
But would I even be friends with him if it weren't for our parents? Probably not. I have my other friends, and he has… I don't know what he has. When I think about it he doesn't really tell me much. And I don't tell him either. So what makes us click? I suppose it's the fact that we've known each other for all this time. How we can read each other like a book.
If I did go out with Jenny, it would definitely boost my social status. She's just as popular as me, and now that I think about it, it's a good idea. I'd gain a new kind of respect. Especially from the guys. She is pretty; I just don't like her in that way. It just seems expected of me.
Authors Note: Nate's a player, Chucks the good one in this. We needed a change from the fictions where Nates always innocent.