If You Can't Take the Heat

Summary: PCA has now opened Poco Villaggio on campus, which means Little Village in Italian. And everyone has a secret hidden between its perfectly furnished alleys.

(A/N): I wanted to revise it. It was bugging me. So I did. And here it is.


Disclaimer: I don't own Zoey 101. Again.


If I wanted a headache, I would have spent an afternoon with Logan.

But whatever, a packed lounge works too.

The point of coming to the girls' lounge after school was to study. But how could you concentrate with all this noise? It was like blasting a stereo in your ears. I sat on the couch by the window, across from the foozball table, trying to timeline Jackson's presidency. It wasn't going so well.

France wasn't really all that. I loved the program and the people I met there, and picking up a new language wasn't that bad. But the Eiffel Tower? It's tall and pointy. Done. The cheese? It stinks. And the boys? They were the same. So after two years, I came back to PCA, and yeah, it felt like home. I missed everyone really, sans Logan, and besides, I missed the surf. But the lounge, not so much.

What can I say? I hate noise. I really do.

"Dana? Are you alright?" Zoey says from her spot on the floor. She hadn't changed much. I think she dyed her hair though.

I smile sweetly and say, "I'm fine, why?"

She continues to gaze at me. "You look upset."

Quinn doesn't even look up from her physics book to say, "Don't worry about her. She just doesn't like the noise."

I sigh and throw down my pencil. "Thanks Quinn," I say sarcastically. Ever since I came back from France and found Quinn more mature and less science-y, we became better friends, but can't that girl keep her mouth shut?

"What do you mean she doesn't like noise?" Michael asks. "I've seen her with her iPod blaring in the middle of study hall." He's the same too. I didn't know he could play the flute though. That was new.

"My iPod doesn't debate the difference between cotton and polyester q-tips with itself," I say loudly, throwing a glare in Stacy Dillson's direction as she squeals and runs out with her cotton swab pyramid.

"Pet peeve," Quinn states. She's biting the end of her pencil while she figures out a motion problem. I know because I can see her text from here. I'd tell her that I took physics back in France and could help her, but then she might feel threatened. I heard the Paige story. I don't want that happening here.

"It's not a pet peeve," I defend. "People just need to know when to shut up and not bother me."

Quinn rolls her eyes. "Yes, of course, because whoever does that is a criminal."

I smile and say, "Yes! You finally get it." Quinn narrows her eyes and shakes her head, but she knows I'm just kidding. Mostly.

"Hey guys look," Logan's voice comes from behind me. I turn to find him balancing a pencil on his forehead with his head thrown back. "Isn't this intense?" Yeah I definitely didn't miss this smileball. He's grown up though, I have to admit. Physically, not mentally. He still has the reading comprehension skill of a 9 year old. Well, at least he's able to read Judy Bloom.

I ball up a page of binder paper and hit the pencil off. "No."

He picks up the pencil and looks at me. "Someone's grumpy."

I roll my eyes. "Someone's stuck up."

"Whatever."

Chase looks around at all of us and says, "Why don't we just go up to 101 then?" He gets up and puts on his backpack. This kid definitely hasn't changed. Though I think his hair got bushier. I was most surprised when I came back and found out he still hadn't told Zoey. I slapped him just as she walked in. When she asked what was going on, I told her I was mad he didn't get me any free sushi. She gave me a look and picked up a magazine. Chase hugged me after that. We got pretty close after that. I'd go so far as to call Chase my best friend. But of course, never to his face.

"Why?" Logan asks as Chase adjusts the strap of his bag. "Because Little Miss Bratty here doesn't like the lounge?"

"I like the lounge," I spit at him, "I just don't like you." Then I look over at Chase. "Thanks."

He shrugs, "No problem."

Zoey smiles up at him. "That's sweet of you Chase."

I would have stayed around for the googly eyes that Chase and Zoey were surely making at each other (God why can't he just tell her?), but I was already halfway across the lounge. I didn't want to ruin their fun, but if someone wanted to hand me a chance at peace and quiet, I wasn't going to stop them.