"Marco! Marco!" Ellie yelled down the hall. She had just gotten out of her history class, and saw Marco exit his Film class a few classrooms down the hall.

Marco turned around after hearing his name, seeing Ellie. He partially cringed inside, he hoped she wasn't going to talk more about Eric. He was really starting to get fed up with Ellie, and her constant lecturing about his love life. Despite his thoughts, he forced a smile towards his best friend.

"Hey, El."

"Guess what, Marco," Ellie said excitedly.

'"What," Marco replied, unenthusiastically.

"I'm in the running for editor in chief when Jesse graduates!" Ellie almost screamed.

Marco looked at her crazily, as they walked down the hall.

"But you're not even a sophomore."

"I know, I totally wasn't even expecting this," Ellie continued. "Aren't you proud of me?"

Marco sighed. "Of course I am, El, it's just, don't you think its odd that Jesse put you on the list for editor in chief?"

Ellie's smile started to fade, as she wasn't getting the enthusiastic response she was expecting from Marco, as they exited the building, and walked across the long lawn in the direction of their house.

"I'm surprised, of course, but why aren't you more happy about this?"

"I'm very happy for you El, it's just it's a little suspicious."

Ellie frowned. "Suspicious, how?"

"Ellie, come on. Editor in chief of the CORE? Most people who get that position are juniors or seniors with 2-3 years of experience on the paper. We're not even sophomores yet."

"What are you implying, Marco?"

"Look, it's nothing, I'm just talking," Marco held up his hands defensively.

"What - you think I don't deserve to be on the list of potential candidates or something?" Ellie scoffed. "You could be a little more supportive, Marco."

"My god, Ellie, it's not that. You very well deserve to be on the list, it's just that it's Jesse who compiled that list - and well--"

"You think he put me on the list because of pity or something? Or guilt?" Ellie stopped in her tracks and looked open-mouthed at her best friend, astonished.

"I don't know, he's been pretty mopey around campus since you guys broke up, maybe he's trying to make it up to you," Marco continued walking. "It's just a thought, El. I'm very proud of you - I'm just curious as to the situation surrounding it."

Following Marco, Ellie burrowed her brow, as they reached the door to the house. "You know, Marco, you don't have to be so negative."

Marco entered the house, and plopped down on the sofa in the living room, discarding his bag on the floor. "I'm not trying to be negative, Ellie, I'm being realistic."

Alex, who was sitting in the couch as Marco plopped next to her, raised an eyebrow at Paige, who was sitting next to her.

"Realistic about what?" Paige asked.

"Butt out, Paige." Ellie snapped.

"Geez, take a chill pill, Nash," Alex chimed in.

"She's just bent out of a shape because I think there might be an ulterior motive for Jesse putting her on the list for the next editor in chief," Marco explained to everyone.

"Well, duh," Alex said, matter-of-factly.

"Wait - what? You are in the running for editor in chief?" Paige asked.

"Yes - so?" Ellie asked, somewhat rudely.

"Hon, you would be only a sophomore. Sophomore's don't get editor-in-chief positions."

"Whatever," Ellie said, as she stormed up the stairs to her room.

Marco shrugged as he looked up the stairs as he heard Ellie slam the door to her room. His eyes moved to the TV in front of him where an episode of Saved by the Bell was coming on.

"Ooh, awesome, I love this episode."

Paige's cell phone suddenly rang, coming from another room.

"Probably your Mom again," Alex said.

Paige got up from the couch, as she patted Alex's shoulder, and left to answer her phone from the other room. Making sure Marco wasn't looking, she looked at the caller id on her phone to confirm that it was Dylan.

"Hey," Paige said into the phone, after flipping it open.

"Hey," Dylan answered. "If Marco's around, just act like it's our cousin or something."

"Which one?" Paige asked, arching her eyebrow.

"I don't know." Dylan mused. "Pick one."

"Fine, Krissy." Paige said, deciding for herself to pick Krissy, her mother's sister's middle child. Krissy was 16 and blonde, and very peppy, and extremely happy - very happy, and around the clock. Something Alex could not stand the one time she came into contact with her when she picked Paige up from her house around Thanksgiving, when their family was visiting.

"Anyway, can you pick me up from the airport?" Dylan asked.

"Sure, when are you coming in?" Paige inquired.

"I should be there in a couple hours, I'm on layover right now." Dylan said, as Paige could probably hear all the airport background noise.

"What's the flight number?" Paige asked Dylan, as she got a pad and pen from above the fridge as she walked into the kitchen.

"3457, it should say coming from New York."

"Okay, got ya. I'll be there."

"Thanks, Paige."

"No problem, hon." Paige said cordially, just in case Alex or Marco were eavesdropping. Paige flipped the phone closed, and walked back into the living room, where Marco's eyes were glued to the TV, and Alex was waiting impatiently for Paige to return.

"Who was that?" Alex asked, as Paige set her phone on the coffee table in front of them.

"My cousin, Krissy," Paige said, nonchalantly. "She's coming into town for a couple days, needs a ride from the airport in a couple hours."

Alex grimaced.

"Who wants to come with me?" Paige asked.

"No, absolutely not. I'd rather shoot myself than spend a minute with that girl." Alex said.

"What? She's not that bad, Alex." Paige said, defending her cousin, even though she wasn't really coming into town.

"Paige, come on, she's like Barney on Steroids."

Marco laughed.

"Seriously, Alex, she's really not like that. Marco?"

"Sure, I'll go," Marco told Paige. "If it makes ya feel better."

"Thanks, hon, I'm gonna go take a short nap before we go."

Marco nodded, as Paige kissed Alex quickly before heading off to her bed for a nap. When the episode of Saved by the Bell was over, Marco went upstairs to his room, to finish an essay he had been procrastinating on. Left alone, Alex eyes wondered to Paige's cell phone, still laying on the coffee table. Curiosity getting the better of her, she picked it up and flipped it open, and went to the recent calls list.

Confused, she looked at the most recent entry, where it just said "D," with a long number. That's odd. I though Krissy called her last. Alex got up to retrieve her laptop from the table beside her, and opened up google and typed the number into a reverse telephone search. While a name was not found in the search results, Alex almost choked on the orange soda she had taken a sip of while waiting for her search results. Zurich, Switzerland...wait a second..."D"...Switzerland...holy fuck and shit! That means..oh crap..She's not picking up Krissy from the airport, she's picking up Dylan! And Marco's going with her!