DISCLAIMER: if they were mine, do you really think I would be posting on this site? Wouldn't I just write it as an episode?

Summary: How life was for Alex before she ran into our favorite teens. Why did her parents disown her? Where did Jodie come from? How did she discover her sexuality?

A/N: I didn't know her last name, so I made it up. If you know it, please tell me. First OC fanfiction. Be nice.

CHAPTER 1

Fourteen year old Alex Smittingham sat on the doorstep and sighed. Her parents were at it again. What's the point of endless yelling, anyways? Why can't they just get along?

She pulled out her cell phone and punched in Mark's number.

Mark was her boyfriend of 3 months. Mark asked her out the day she started questioning her heterosexuality. To prove to herself that she was not gay, she said yes. Even though she didn't like him very much.

His constant affection was very flattering, but deep down she knew what she truly wanted.

Megan…

Megan had been her best friend since kindergarten. All their lives, they had sleepovers, late movie nights and giggly parties. She had long, glistening chestnut hair and golden bronze eyes. She was very thin and had a beautiful smile. Whenever Alex was upset, she would call Megan and she would feel better. When Megan would go on dates with guys, Alex would find herself madly jealous and secretly happy and heartbreaking breakups. It felt like Megan was the only one that understood her.

She couldn't…like her, could she?

No, that couldn't happen. Her parents were both Catholic and were deeply religious. Her father would read the bible every night and pray to himself softly. Her grandfather was a priest. Her mother did volunteer work for the church…

Homosexuality was not acceptable in her family. She couldn't like Megan; she had to make herself like Mark. Love is just a figment of the imagination, right? With a little self control, she could force herself to have feelings for him. It had to be that simple. That was the only option.

Besides, she wasn't gay. Not at all. She just…thought one girl was pretty. But that doesn't mean she has to like girls for the rest of her life, does it?

So what if she's never had a crush on a boy before? It just meant the right one hadn't showed up yet.

But he would. He had to.

And until then, she'd be with Mark. She needed to love Mark. She needed to figure herself out, see if it was true that she really was attracted to girls. She didn't want to be a lesbian. She couldn't be. Homosexuality is a sin. She wanted God to love her, and she wasn't going to spoil that over some stupid crush. She would never do anything that she knew was against her beliefs.

Mark was the key. She needed to concentrate on him.

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A/N: this is the first fanfiction I have ever written for The OC. So you like it so far? It's going to get interesting, I promise. Don't get your fishnets in a twist, because Seth will play a role in the story soon. A bit of Ryan and Summer too. Major Marissa towards the end.

Reviews appreciated.