Layne Abeley was what most people would call an outcast. She wore crazy, non-name brand clothing and dyed her hair different colors every other week, it seemed. She went through weird food addictions (the latest being Reese's peanut butter cups). She had a talent for art that she had discovered Freshman year and had been doing it since (she was a junior now). Layne was someone that was hard to define.
Chris Plovert was what most people would call popular. He played on the Tomahawks soccer team and was a really good player. He hung out with people from the team and the Pretty Committee (the most popular girls in school) and dated Dylan Marvil, who's mom hosted The Daily Grind. He wore designer clothes and was nice to everyone. He was the definition of a preppy boy.
These two teenagers had nothing in common. The never talked or looked at each other in the hallway. They were total strangers. They only vaguely knew each other's names, and that was from attendance in the few classes they had together. They weren't friends and they didn't talk. They weren't on each other's radars at all.
Then came that fateful day in English class. They got paired up to write a scene for a play and act it out for the class. Dylan was livid. She complained to Mrs. Dunkle, but she wouldn't budge. Chris Plovert and Layne Abeley were partners. End of discussion.
The first couple of days were awkward beyond belief - mainly because Dylan hovered around them, not letting them get any work done and she shot down any and every idea of Layne's. Chris eventually got her to back off and they came up with a cool sci-fi romance story. They ended up writing a whole script. Neither of them could believe it.
As they worked on their project, they learned stuff about each other that nobody else knew. She learned that Chris didn't love playing soccer and that he really wanted to play guitar, but his parents didn't support it and thought that the best way to "uphold their image" was to have their son be a star soccer player, effectively shutting down any hope of playing the instrument.
He learned that she had been best friends with Massie Block in the first grade and had felt betrayed when she had chosen popularity of her. It was at that moment she decided not to care what anyone thought of her. If they liked her, it was fine. If not, she didn't care either.
They talked so easily to each other and could be whoever they wanted. Chris could finally be himself and not worry so much about what anyone else thought. He felt free. And Layne could show off her real personality and not have to be so guarded when she was around him. She felt free.
They had gotten so close in just a few days that Layne found herself falling for him. And he was falling back. But they wouldn't happen. They couldn't happen. He was rich and she was poor. He had a girlfriend. He wasn't her type and she wasn't his. There were too many things in their way for them to be together.
They knew this all-too well, but they didn't care. They wanted to be together. But it wasn't up to them. It was their parents' final decision. In New York's Upper East Side there was one rule: don't embarrass the family. And to the Ploverts, letting their son date Layne Abeley was social suicide.
So, the two weeks before the project was due blazed by in a series of laughter, candy runs (Reese's and Snickers, for Layne and Chris respectively), music, long conversations, and stolen glances.. It was two weeks that neither teenager wanted to end, but they knew it had to.
They found it strange how a few days ago, they were completely off of each other's radars, barely knowing about the existence of the other and now after a couple of weeks were so aware of each other and so involved in each other's life. It was crazy to both of them, but they didn't question it.
On the last day before the project was due, they sat outside Layne's house listening to some Indie band that the glasses-wearing boy had never heard of, but liked anyway. He smiled as Layne's head bobbed to the music. She looked at him and smirked. "What are you looking at, Plovert?" She asked, lightly teasing him, calling him by his last name.
"I like the way you get so into the music, Abeley. It's adorable." He replied, smirking back at the dark haired girl. She frowned and smacked his arm. If there was one thing Layne Abeley hated it was being called adorable. After a moment, she laughed with him. His laughter was infectious.
The laughter died away and they looked at each other. He tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. They leaned and their lips met and it felt right. When they pulled away, they held hands and she leaned her head against his shoulder. But they weren't together, they both fully understood this. The circumstances weren't right. And he was still with Dylan. The next few hours stretched on too quickly. Their time together was ending.
The next day at school, they were back in their usual groups, acting as if the night before hadn't happened. He laughed with his soccer friends and kissed Dylan like he meant it, holding her hand and walking with her to class. She laughed with Meena and Heather, pretending not to care what he or the other popular kids did. They gave each other sad looks whenever they could.
When English came, they performed the "farewell" scene form their script. They got a deafening amount of applause. No one knew they weren't faking their emotions, that they weren't acting at all. The scene was their goodbye to each other, but no one in the class new that, either.
No one knew how much they had become their characters - two teenagers in love that couldn't be together, Victims of Circumstance. No one knew that how much Layne was going to miss seeing his hazel eyes protected by his black frame glasses everyday or how much he was going to miss seeing what crazy color in her hair. They were going to miss their easy conversations and endless amount of laughter. They were going to miss each other.
They walked back to their seats and watched the other students perform their scenes, neither wanting the class to end. Because, when it did, they'd have to go back to being Chris and Layne, the Prep and the Outcast. They wouldn't be Plovert and Abeley anymore. They wouldn't be the two teenagers without any labels to hold them back or any pressure from outside forces anymore.
The class inevitably ended and the pair shot each other one final glace at each other before Dylan grabbed Chris's hand and led him out the door. And that was it. Their two weeks of Plovert and Abeley were officially over.
They didn't talk to each other again. They wanted to, but they didn't have an excuse to. And they couldn't just talk to each other randomly anymore, Westchester's social circle wouldn't allow it. And they had to follow that circle, because of the family expectations on them. But it didn't stop him from thinking of her when he saw Reese's or hair dye. And it didn't stop her from thinking of him when she saw people playing soccer or playing the guitar.
They did this more often then they should've, thought about each other more than they should've. They knew they did, and yet, they couldn't help it, couldn't stop it. They didn't want to stop it.
Because it was all they had of each other anymore.
Fin.
I liked this a lot better when I wrote it in my notebook. I can see that it kinda sucks now. But it's my first Clique Series fic (I haven't read past Bratfest at Tiffany's) and it's for my OTP of the series (even though they were never a couple) (Chris) Plovert/Layne! I don't know what makes me like these two so much, but I do. I can't help it. There's SO much potential!
Let me know what you guys think. I'm sorry for any OOC-ness. It's been a few years since I've read the books and I haven't kept up on the series. This is obviously AU, because they're in high school and I don't think Chris and Layne have said one word to each other in the actual book series.
Disclaimer: I don't own The Clique Series, Reese's Peanut butter cups, or Snickers. They belong to Lisi Harrison and whatever company invented the candies. I just use them in a completely AU FanFiction.