Eternal Sunshine

Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with the actors, actresses, or producers of the television show Zoey 101. I borrowed the title from the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and any songs, bands, movies, magazines, or other trademark products used in this story are not mine. I am not making any profit from writing this story, and no copyright infringement is intended.

Author's Begin Note: I am a Nickelodeon junkie. I have seen every show ever aired on the channel, and I am a fan of all of them, to be honest. Among my personal favorites is Zoey 101, which I am writing my first fanfiction for.

Logan Reese had me at hello, and his character intrigues me on the show. I do not necessarily see him hooking up with Zoey, Nicole, or Quinn, due to straying from his original intended behavior. Dana was who I first wanted to pair him with, but I decided Dana was her own kind. She deserved to be respected as her own woman, especially after leaving the show. I was not fond of Lola when she came, and I just refuse to see her being hooked up with Logan. Therefore, who was left? An original character, of course. I often do this with my fanfictions, so excuse me when my original characters tend to turn Mary-Sue. They always do. It's an author's flaw. But who knows, maybe you'll like her.

Mackenzie Paris came to me first for a role-playing game. She might not work out in the role-playing world because the game has never picked up off the ground. I still thought her character was developed, however, so I wanted to use her elsewhere. Now that I've gotten myself into a fanfiction mood, I decided to use her here for this particular story. She was originally the sweetheart that everyone took advantage of and used as a martyr, but I revamped her personality a bit. Now she's a bit of a brainiac. Nowhere as near as smart as Quinn, but a history extraordinaire, to be exact. She's also a music geek – her musical genres include everything but country music, and her musical library is vast. However, she's vocally challenged and cannot sing, dance, or play any instrument but the piano, which she can hardly do. Normally she enjoys keeping to herself, music, and history books, but once given the opportunity, she's great at debating. She is very opinionated and loud with the right provocation. This is why I thought she would be useful for a Logan Reese romance. He's somewhat attracted to the types that aren't afraid to speak their minds and tell him off, that way he can tell them off right back.

We'll see how it goes. It's pretty much a Logan Reese/Original character ficlet. As for technical aspects, the whole crew is going into their sophomore year at PCA, making them fifteen and sixteen years old. Dana has returned, and since Lola is with Nicole and Zoey in their dorm room, Dana will be sharing a dorm with Mackenzie and another girl, whose name I have yet to create. Enjoy!

Chapter One: North to South

California sun on a Monday morning with the view of the ocean from the luxury car window and life was good. Except, for Mackenzie Paris, it wasn't. Her stomach was upset. She was about to start a new school all the way across the country from where she grew up all her life. The fifteen year old girl had spent the previous ten years of her school career at a private boarding school in Vermont, and the place was not too far away from her home. But recently her parents had gotten a divorce, and her mother had dragged Mackenzie and her older sister Alba to California, where she had received a new job. Pacific Coast Academy was the private school closest to their newly built hillside manor, and even though she should feel at home, her mother told her, with her sister at school with her, Kenzie was dreading making new friends and adjusting to new campus life.

Her mother pulled up to the drop-off parking area and popped the trunk. Unloading her belongings was no hassle for Kenzie, for she was naturally a clean freak and conveniently packed, but her sister Alba had somehow managed to bring her whole bedroom to school. Once she was done unloading, the taller and more athletic of the two girls announced, "I'm going to find my dorm. Later."

Kenzie watched Alba prance across the campus and into a building that appeared to be the main hall. She sighed and turned to her mother and met her sympathetic gaze, "I know it seems difficult now, Kenz, but you'll adjust fine. You'll be into the…swing of things at this school in no time. Okay?"

Nodding and shrugging at the same time, a bit of a contradiction, Kenzie explained to her mother, "I dunno. It just seems like it might take more time when even the climate at this place is different than home." But this was her home now, she told herself, and hugged her mother, who was now ranting about something to do with self-defense and keeping ahead of schoolwork.

She said her final goodbye to her mother and headed to the main hall for her dorm assignment. She was in room 129 of the sophomore girl's hall. Upon arriving in the room, Kenzie found it already occupied by a taller girl with silky brown hair. She put her bags down by a bed and nervously cleared her throat, "Um, hi. I guess you're my roommate. I'm Mackenzie. Just call me Kenzie." She feebly held her hand out to shake, and the girl eyeballed her before shaking her hand. "I'm Dana."

Dana stuck her chin in the air defiantly and declared, "That's my bed – first come first serve," she motioned to her bed, "and that's my stuff. Stay out of it and I'll stay out of yours. Deal? Good." She added a brief smile and went back to hanging clothes in the closet.

Kenzie watched for a few moments before dragging her things over by Dana. She wanted the top bunk if she got to choose now, and she started unpacking without a word from Dana.

About twenty some minutes later, a girl with reddish hair and freckles knocked on the door and jumped in, squealing, "Hey there, roomies!"

Kenzie jumped a foot in the air and Dana turned around, a look of pure annoyance on her face. "Um, hello. And who are you?"

The girl grinned, showing a full mouth of braces, "I'm Ginger! I'm hoping we'll be great friends. Ooh, bunk beds! Can I have the top one?"

Dana glanced at Kenzie and mouthed, "Oh my God." Kenzie just wrinkled up her nose and shrugged. She really didn't know what to think. Ginger seemed nice enough, but apparently Dana thought otherwise. She did not want to make enemies the first day. All she wanted to do was unpack and then get away somewhere to read or listen to music.

Dana stood up to her full height and stated, "No, you can't. It's Kenzie's. You're stuck with the single." As an afterthought she added in a tone of false apology, "Sorry."

Ginger just continued to smile, "Oh, that's okay! It's all good. What are your guys' names? Well, your name, I guess. Apparently you are Kenzie." She pointed at Kenzie and giggled.

Kenzie let out a nervous laugh and cast a glance at Dana before going back to unpacking. Dana told the girl her name. Ginger replied with, "Cool beans."

Dana sneered, "And I'll tell you what I told her," she pointed at Kenzie with her thumb over her shoulder, "just because we're roommates does not give you the right to touch my stuff, comprendes?"

Ginger smiled and snapped her fingers at Dana, "Don't cha be gettin' up in my grill, girlfriend!"

It was a little awkward, Kenzie had to admit – the way Ginger acted. She hadn't stopped smiling since she arrived, and now she was talking to them with an attitude that clearly said, 'I'm a geek and I try to hard to be funny and/or cool.' Even though Dana had tough conduct, Kenzie decided she was more tolerable than this Ginger. She would be glad to finally be finished unpacking and slip away with her MP3 player and her worn copy of the novel Fight Club.

Kenzie had just sat down at a round table in the dining area, turned on Bloc Party, and gotten engrossed in her book when three boys her age showed up at her table. One was tall and tan and looked like he had something smelly under his nose, one was more friendly-looking, and the other was eating a Ho-Ho. The tallest one spoke up, bringing Kenzie out of her reverie.

"Hey, short stuff! This is our table, now skedaddle." He smirked down at her.

She wrinkled her nose and glared up at him. The boy with rather large and curly hair said to the smirking one, "C'mon, Logan leave her alone. She's probably just a new kid." He rolled his eyes and turned back to Kenzie. "Hey, what's up? I'm Chase."

Kenzie was tired of being the 'new kid' already. Her mother said it would have both its advantages and disadvantages, but as far her eye could see was a never ending stretch of disadvantages. And she was sick of it. She sighed loudly, turning off her MP3 player. Ignoring Chase, she glared up at Logan. "Logan, is it? Well, Logan, I've had a very long day already, and I don't see 'Property of Logan, Chase, and Ho-Ho Boy' written anywhere on this table, so that gives me the automatic right to sit here. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have Tyler Durden and the eight rules of fight club to attend to."

Logan furrowed his brow, "Excuse me? Missy, you gotta move. We sit here every day of the school year, so it's automatic law that no one else sits here." He had stolen her word choice and looked very smug about it.

She narrowed her eyes at him, "Well, the school year doesn't officially start until tomorrow, does it?" And with that, she opened her book once more.

Chase nodded and stated, "She has a point, Logan."

Logan shrugged his friend off, "You're gonna regret it if you don't remove yourself from my table, doll face."

His excessive name calling irked Kenzie. "Don't call me doll face, buffoon, and what are you going to do if I don't? Hmm?"

"You just wait and see, doll face." He crossed his arms and stared triumphantly at her.

She had had enough for one day. Kenzie groaned and stood up, fiercely looking him in the eye, "Fine! You win! Have your stupid table!" She gathered her book and MP3 player and stomped around him. "But this won't be the last you see of me, Logan. I just happen to be extremely tired today."

Logan smirked once more, "Oh, I don't mind seeing a little more of you, short stuff."

Kenzie's jaw dropped open in shock and she grimaced, "Ugh, you're a disgusting pig!"

"Tell me about it, baby," he knew he was making her squirm, and he loved every minute of it.

"Oh my God, shut up, you troll!"

He took a step closer to her and said, "Or what?"

"Or I'll…turn you in for harassment, that's what!" Kenzie retorted.

"Brat."

"Ass!"

"Wanna make out?"

Kenzie's face immediately scrunched up, "Ew, no! You're out of your mind!" She turned and took off in the other direction, but something stopped her. She spun back around and marched over to Chase. "I'm sorry, Chase, it was nice to meet you." She shook his hand. "I'm Kenzie."

Chase grinned and nodded, "Nice to meet you too, Kenzie."

She took off once more, and while she headed back to her dorm she heard Logan call after her, "See you later, Kenzie!"

"Ugggh." Kenzie rolled her eyes.

Once back in her dormitory, Kenzie climbed up onto her bed and flopped down. She said aloud to either Dana or the missing Ginger or no one, "I may have just met the most foul creature to ever walk the face of the planet."

Dana logged off the computer and turned in her chair to see Kenzie properly, "Oh yeah? Who's that?"

Kenzie rolled her eyes and informed Dana, "His name is Logan, and he's got to be the most self-righteous person I have ever met."

The other girl replied, "I know. I know the kid."

Kenzie sat up and looked down at Dana, "You know him? How so?"

"I used to go to school here for a year when they first went co-ed, but then my mom got me into a European student exchange program, and I went to France for a year. Now that I'm out of that, I'm back here. And I'll agree with you about Logan. He's always like that, but he's not so bad once you get used to him." Dana explained all of this with a bit of a bored expression on her face.

Kenzie comprehended this. "So do you know other people on the campus?"

Dana nodded, "Yeah. I've got a few old friends I' m looking forward to surprising. They thought I was never coming back to school here. Their names are Zoey, Nicole, and Quinn. Just don't tell them I'm your roommate if you meet them, okay?

"Okay." She broke out into a grin, "Can I tell them about Ginger, though?"

"Oh. My. God." Dana gave Kenzie a look that completely covered detestation. "Can you believe her? I don't mind the peppiness because my old roommate Nicole was peppy, but what's she got to be so happy about? It's like, stop smiling! And stop trying to be funny! We've got all year to get to know you, so don't blow it on the first day. Jesus."

Kenzie laughed, "I know, right? I thought she seemed nice at first, but it's too much that it's overwhelming."

Dana rolled her eyes, "And the name Ginger? It's got wannabe geek written all over it."

She giggled, "Yeah. But it does fit her hair color, you know."

"Oh my word, is it even real? I couldn't decide when I was looking at her before." Dana leaned back in her chair and grinned up at Kenzie.

The two girls stayed like that for a while and the topic of Ginger turned into general girl bashing and gossip of fashion, boys, and then they bonded over likes and dislikes. Kenzie decided she liked Dana. There was one advantage for the new kid. She made at least one friend already.

That night after dinner Kenzie agreed to come with Dana when she found her old friends. Dana wanted her to meet them, and she was at least a little curious about them herself.

Dana pulled Kenzie across the dining area when she thought she had spotted them, and she stood next to their table for a moment, not really sure what to do or say.

One of the girls, a brown-haired one, stopped eating and stared at Dana for a minute before letting out a high-pitched scream. "DAAANA!" She jumped up and threw her arms around Dana, who embraced this excitable girl.

The blonde girl sitting at the opposite end of the table stood and came over to Dana, embracing her in a hug too. "Dana, oh my gosh, what are you doing here?"

Dana explained, "I finished studying in France and my mom agreed to let me come back here. Cool, huh?"

The perky brunette hugged Dana once more and said, "I missed you a lot! It's so totally cool. Are you rooming with us? Oh, but you can't. They had you replaced with Lola." She pointed to the other brown-haired girl sitting at the table. Dana eyeballed this girl and finally gave her a sheepish 'hi'.

"Um, no, actually, I'm rooming with Kenzie here." Dana smiled at Kenzie and shoved her forward a bit as though offering her to introduce herself.

Kenzie waved at everyone, "Hello."

The blonde smiled back at her and introduced herself, "I'm Zoey. You're new, right?" After receiving a nod from Kenzie, she added, "Well, welcome to PCA!"

"Thanks-" she was interrupted by the other girl, "I'm Nicole! Your eyes are really pretty! Is that their natural color?"

She could hear a few snickers from the other girls, but Kenzie politely informed Nicole, "Oh, no, they're contacts. I don't like to wear my glasses."

Nicole giggled, "Ohhh, okay. I was gonna say, I've never seen that color on a person before!"

Dana rolled her eyes and simply said, "That's Nicole for you. Tightly wound."

Zoey and Kenzie and Lola all laughed. Nicole looked thoroughly confused, "What?"

Dana motioned for Kenzie to sit down, as she did too, and she listened as Dana played catch-up with her friends.

Later on that evening, once back in their dormitory, Dana admitted to Kenzie, "I don't like Lola."

Kenzie raised an eyebrow as she changed into her pajamas, "Really? Why not? She seemed nice. I think it's pretty cool that she's into acting."

"Well, maybe it's just because she took my spot in Zoey and Nicole's dorm, but she seems…I don't know. I can't place it. There's just something not right." Dana tossed her basketball up and down.

Ginger came rushing into the room, her hair almost sopping wet from her shower, "I've got to get to bed bed bed! So I can get some sleep sleep sleep! I don't want to be tired for classes tomorrow!" She set her alarm for 6 o'clock and threw back the covers. Turning off her lamp, she exclaimed, "Goodnight!" And with that she rolled over in her bed and shut her eyes.

Kenzie and Dana exchanged glances with each other and shrugged, deciding they had better get some shuteye too.

On Tuesday morning Ginger's alarm clock sounded, waking up Kenzie. Ginger sprinted off into the bathroom to get ready for classes, leaving a groggy Kenzie and a still asleep Dana alone in the dark room. Kenzie lay back down and tried to sleep for another hour, but she was wide awake now, and there was really no point. So she got up and gathered some clothes – jean shorts and a flag football t-shirt from her old school – and then headed out the door, down the hall, and into the bathroom. It was not too crowded yet, but a few girls were up and showering or doing their hair. Kenzie thought they were all absolutely insane to be up this early, but then again, she was up too.

She took a shower and dressed, then, lacking effort and creativity, pulled her long, brown hair up into a sloppy bun. She glanced about the room for Ginger to see if she was finished yet, but she was still in the shower. With a tired sigh, Kenzie shrugged her shoulders and sauntered back to their dorm. It was 6:30, and Dana was still asleep. Kenzie climbed up onto her bed and turned on her MP3 player to waste time before breakfast and classes, but she slowly drifted back to sleep. She was woken up about forty minutes later by a loud scream.

She jolted up in her bed and frantically glanced about the room, her eyes dropping on the source of the scream, a very angry-looking Dana. "What? What happened?"

Dana shouted, "She's wearing my shirt! That demon brat from hell is wearing my shirt! I had it laid out right there and now it's gone and she's gone! She stole it!"

Stifling a yawn, Kenzie tried to calm Dana, "Hey, I'm sure she didn't steal it. She's probably just…borrowing." She obviously wasn't helping Ginger's case, nor did she really care. She just wanted something to eat before she had to go to classes in twenty minutes. If Dana and Ginger wanted to fight, that was their business. At the moment, Kenzie's business was food. She climbed down and grabbed her book bag, "If I find her I'll tell her you're looking for her." And with that, she headed down to the dining area.

Kenzie settled on a blueberry bagel with cream cheese and a carton of milk for breakfast. She ate it slowly as she sorted through the contents of her book bag, making sure she was prepared for every class she had that day. When she was satisfied that she had not forgotten something, she buckled the bag shut and wiped her hands on her shorts. Taking a last swig of her milk, she stood and headed off towards the science building where she had biology as her first class.

Upon arriving, Kenzie discovered the teacher had the students lined up along one wall. He read through a list and paired students alphabetically. The pairs he read off started to sit down in the desks centered in the room. He was reading off names rather quickly, so Kenzie listened intently for hers. "Kenzie Paris and Logan Reese." He moved on to the next pair of names.

Kenzie stood in shock as she saw Logan waving at her from their desk. This teacher couldn't be serious, could he? Surely he wouldn't torture anyone enough to make them sit with Logan Reese. Slowly she made her way over to the desk with an irritated expression on her face. Paris and Reese. Why were there no last names that started with Q? Sulking, she set her bag down on the floor and sat down at hers and Logan's table.

She met his smirking face as he greeted her, "Hey there, short stuff."

"Ugggh, don't talk to me!" She was never really fond of science before, but now…Now she hated it.

After learning that she would be spending the whole year dissecting animals with Logan Reese, Kenzie sped out of the science classroom as soon as the blocks switched. As she passed the bulletin board by the main hall something caught her eye. Normally it would have been the flyer advertising a history trivia marathon, but today it was something else. It was the tall, blonde-haired boy standing next to the flyer. Kenzie blushed when he caught her eye and smiled shyly. Maybe the school year wouldn't be as bad as she thought it would.

Author's End Note: Long chapter, yes, but it doesn't help that my begin note was a page long. So anyway, I don't expect a whole lot of praise, but if you did end up reading this chapter, why not just leave a little review? I don't bite people for their feedback, I promise. The blonde boy I have yet to name, and he's another original. There will probably be a spark between this boy and Kenzie, and he'll become an obstacle for Logan. There will be more one on one contact for Logan and Kenzie, no worries. I could use ideas for activities for the kids to do, though! Anyone? Bueller? Okie dokie, artichokies, I think that wraps up the first chapter. Oh, and by the way, if you didn't notice, I'm using Bloc Party's "Helicopter" lyrics for the chapter titles. XD. Peace.