Disclaimer: I dont own the Clique by Lisi Harrison. I only own the plot.
Heartbreak Takes a Different Turn
Claire lethargically walked a few steps behind the Pretty Committee as they strutted down the hallways of OCD.
She had failed to put together a good outfit and had around a 4.3-worthy outfit. Massie was extremely disappointed in her and made her walk behind them.
"Déjà vu much?" Claire thought wryly.
Since that horrible day when Claire had found Cam and Olivia kissing (more like sucking each other's faces off) she had been in a funk.
She hadn't smiled since that day. Nothing, not even Layne's jokes or Massie's witty comebacks, could make her crack a grin.
When they got outside, the Pretty Committee walked over to wait for Isaac since he was coming a bit late. The ex-Briarwood Boys, minus Cam and Josh, came over to talk to them.
Claire, however, sat behind a tree. She had been hiding the tears all day so the rest of the PC wouldn't look down at her and make her feel like a weakling.
"I wonder where Josh is. I thought he would jump at the chance to see Alicia" Claire pondered as she took a small break from crying.
Speak of the Devil and he will appear. Josh had come walking over to same tree that Claire was hiding behind.
When he saw her, he blinked, surprised. Then, apparently forgetting that she had a blotchy, red, tear-stained face because of his own thoughts, the surprised look faded and he sat down beside her.
As he stared into space, deep in thought, Claire studied him. His normally grinning face was in a perpetual frown and it looked like his eyes were tearing up.
Though she honestly couldn't be sure.
As she kept studying him, she began noticing small things about him that she never realized before.
Like that his eyes looked like they were chocolate-colored, he had small freckles doting his nose, and his lips looked incredibly red and shiny.
"Maybe what Alicia saw in Josh before, I'm seeing now" Claire thought as she continued to stare at him.
Unknowingly, Josh was watching her look at him. And he was looking at her too.
He noticed that her eyes were a bright blue; even when she was depressed, that her pale-blonde hair almost looked white, and that on whole, she looked completely innocent.
The opposite of Alicia, really. That was the thing that stood out the most to this Yankee-loving boy.
"So Josh. Why do you look so sad?" Claire asked.
Her curiosity got the best of her and she had to know why he looked like his puppy died.
Josh sighed. He'd have to tell someone at some point. And who better to tell than this innocent-looking blonde?
"I found out Alicia was cheating on me. With some dude from her chem class. It apparently had been going on for weeks; right under my nose. How I didn't see it happening is truly amazing" he responded with a touch of bitterness.
"Oh" Claire said. She didn't know what else to say. Even she didn't know about this.
Or maybe it was because she had blocked everything out these past few days. It was better not to feel at all. The pain may come back if she felt anything.
"So, whats up with you? Why do you look like your dog kicked the bucket?" Josh asked.
Since she had made him tell what happened with Alicia, she should have to explain what happened with her. He was wondering what was marring her sweet face with sadness.
Claire almost laughed at the similarity between their assessments of each other. Who knew Josh could read minds? Instead, she answered.
"I found Cam kissing Olivia. I had thought he was going to ask me out, and not her. Of all people, not her. Pretty much, my crush left me in the dust for my worst enemy"
"Wow. I didn't know" Josh said truthfully.
He honestly didn't know. Even though he knew Cam had liked Olivia, he never thought that Claire would walk in on them kissing. It must have stung.
"It's alright. It's not like it's your fault. Besides, you have your own troubles right now" Claire said trying to make a weak smile.
It didn't work.
"Yea. But I could have told you that Cam liked Olivia. I was the only one who realized you liked him"
"Still. Alicia just cheated on you. That's enough to forget about everyone and everything else" Claire argued.
For the rest of the afternoon, they talked about their problems with their respective crushes and helped each other get over them and get past the pain.
When it was around 7 pm, Claire stood up.
"Whoa. We've been talking for a long time" she said.
"You're so right. I think the guys totally left me"
"And the PC left me. Better call my dad."
"I should call mine, too" he responded.
Claire lent a hand to help him up. Josh grabbed her hand and stood up as well.
When they were both standing, Claire noticed how tall he was. Just the right height for slow dancing and kissing.
The way they were standing, she could just raise her head and… No. She couldn't do that.
Though, he was still holding her small hand in his.
When he got up, Josh felt that he had never known someone like Claire. Not Alicia or any of his other girlfriends.
She was kind, sweet, and a great listener. He couldn't remember Alicia listening to anything he had to say.
In a sudden impulse, Josh used his free hand to lift Claire's chin. She looked at him with wide eyes. Josh gave a half-smile and leaned in.
When Claire had felt Josh lift her chin, her eyes went wide and her pulse started to race. Her hands felt clammy and she felt like she couldn't breathe.
"Is he seriously going to kiss me?" she asked herself.
Her question was answered when she saw him leaning in.
Claire had never been this open with anyone than with Josh. In this short time, he had gained her trust, and she had developed a small crush.
She may still be sad about Cam, but she still felt something towards Josh. What she didn't know, was that he felt the same.
When Claire's lips met Josh's she knew something was different.
She actually felt something, unlike the other kisses she's ever had in her life. As cliché as it was, she felt like the kiss was right.
That everything in the world was aligned in her favor. That she finally had everything she wanted.
The sparks that practically radiated from their kiss was almost enough to make Claire faint. She couldn't believe she could feel this connected with a person.
Even though her heart had been shattered recently, she didn't care. Even though this could be just a one-time thing because their both vulnerable, she didn't care.
All she cared about was she felt at this moment. And right now, she felt pretty happy.
As they pulled away for air, something happened that hadn't been done in almost a week.
Claire smiled.