Wow, you guys. I'm really glad you all like the story so far. Honestly didn't think anyone would be interested for a minute there. But, you guys asked for it, so here it is: the second chapter of Infatuation, Adoration, and Other Synonyms for Love. Enjoy.

Also, be sure to thank LeoInuyuka for this. And, you know, thanks for getting me off my butt.

"So, Leah. Now that you've gotten to know everyone at your school... Any potential boy-toys?"

"Mom!" Leah slammed her cutlery onto the tablecloth, red staining her cheeks.

"Oh, come on, sweety. There has to be someone you've thought about giving it a go with." Ashley Pond jested, resting her chin on her bent wrist as she winked at her daughter.

Leah moaned quietly, turning a desperate look onto her father.

"Honey, leave Leah alone. She's only been at the school for a little over three weeks; she hasn't possibly had enough time to meet everyone."

Ashley huffed. "I just want our baby girls to live a little. She's never even went on a date! If she never dates, she'll never get married! And how am I supposed to have grandchildren if she never gets married?" Leah blanched. Grandchildren? Her mother doesn't even like kids, why would she want grandchildren?

"Ashley, she's only seventeen, no need to start thinking of any babies. And what about Hunter?" Matthew reminded his wife from across the dining table.

The mention of his name seemed to reboot his brain, and Leah's brother joined the conversation. "Yeah! What about me?"

"You? You lack both masculinity and sperm count. There's no way." Leah tutted, nose held high.

Hunter's mouth slipped into a deep frown, and Leah's chest swelled with pride at the level with which she had offended him. "Shut up, Leah! You're such a bi-"

"Hunter! Stop right there! Leah, don't be rude to your brother." Leah nodded to her father, but sneered at Hunter as soon as Matthew's head was turned; however, her crude facial expression was quickly demolished as the elder Pond child landed a swift kick to her shin.

Ashley smiled at her children. Hunter may always act this way, but it was very rare for Leah to act anything but adult. Which, in all honesty, made her feel like an inadequate mother sometimes. Seeing her kids act like immature toddlers together made her happy and inappropriately sentimental. She wanted Leah to feel this happiness one day, to have a family and to have someone to love; and just by looking at the way her daughter was toying with the hem of her blouse and the red on her cheeks, Ashley knew that there might just be someone out there who can give that to her.

~Infatuation, Adoration, and Other Synonyms For Love~

"Hi, Leah!" Simon smiled widely, tapping the seat on the bench next to him.

Leah smiled back, cheeks rosy as she set down her floral patterned lunch box. Across the table, Jared greeted her with the accustom wince; as though it pained him for her to be there.

Simon had been correct about his brother: Jared Grace certainly did bite, and a little harder than Leah had been expecting.

"How has your day been?" Simon inquired as he stole one of Leah's crackers and using it to scoop up a copious amount of her hummus before popping it into his mouth, chewing appreciatively.

"Just fine. And yours?" Leah returned with a smile that Simon replicated while Jared gagged in the background.

"Just fine."

Such had become a comfortable routine throughout the months; go about her first classes and meeting up with the Grace brothers for lunch. Leah would share her pack lunch with Simon and allow him to avoid the rather distasteful cafeteria food that Jared wolfed down happily. Said ruffian would then head to his own destination while Simon and Leah preceded to their shared English class, in which they now occupied two seats, side by side.

And Leah loved it.

Despite her general lack of eagerness upon leaving, Leah had very few friends back in California, and she was never particularly close to any of them. Though she had never spent any time with them outside of school, and though she was almost positive that Jared wanted to harm her, he and Simon were on the road to becoming the best friends Leah has ever had.

"What about you, Jared?" Though she didn't really mind his plain distaste for her entirely, Leah did make it a goal for herself to have the best relationship she possibly could with Jared.

"Why do you care?" Jared didn't share the same sentiment.

"Oh, come on, Jared. She's our friend, just try to be nice," Simon reprimanded his brother.

Jared squinted. "Actually, she's your friend."

"Jared," Simon whined. "She is your friend."

"No, she isn't."

"Than why do you sit with us?"

Jared was silent for a moment, and Leah had almost thought that Simon had won.

Until- "Because you're my brother, and I feel obligated to protect you from your own failure. I am the smart one, after all." Jared turned to Leah, a smirk across his mouth and an eyebrow raised suggestively. "And the good-looking one."

"Jared, we're identical! Hold on, did you just say that you're the smart one? You wouldn't even know 'obligated' was a word if it wasn't for me! Much less what it means!"

"Would too!"

"Would not!"

Leah smiled while she watched as the brothers continued to bicker back and forth. She didn't mind that fact that somewhere around eighty percent of the time spent with the brothers was either them fighting or Jared giving off less than subtle clues that he wasn't fond of her being there. There were so many things that made it enjoyable; the petty nature of the arguments, the way Simon would lightly bump his shoulder with hers when he wanted her attention and the way Jared threw his food at her when he wanted the same, the smiles Simon gave her and the childish faces Jared offered when Simon wasn't looking. Such details and flaws made her all the more positive that this was a true friendship.

And Leah loved it.

It was just over two minutes till the end of lunch when Jared decided he was bored of the argument and changed the subject.

"So, Simon. Is there anything you want to tell Leah?" He asked, head tilted down and eyebrows inching towards his hairline.

Simon stiffened. "Uh...No, nothing that I know of."

"Oh, come one!" Jared exclaimed in annoyance and turned to Leah, leaning over the table to look deep in her eyes. "Leah, my brother has something very important to ask you-"

"Shut up, Jared! No, I don't!"

"Yes, you do!"

"What is it, Simon?" Leah asked, the bell ringing just as her lips moved to form his name.

"Nothing. It's nothing," Simon spoke quickly. Gripping her shoulder to pull her up with his left hand and grabbing her lunch box with the other. "Jared's just teasing. Let's go."

"Don't listen to him, Leah! He needs to ask you something!" Jared shouted from their usual lunch table, now across the room as Simon half-dragged her to her locker before heading to English.

~Infatuation, Adoration, and Other Synonyms For Love~

"Hey, Leah."

Startled, Leah fumbled to catch her History text that she had previously been removing from her bag. Regaining her grip on the sleek texture of the cover, she quickly placed it in her locker, slammed the metal door shut, and pivoted around to greet Jared.

"Oh. Hello, Jared." Throughout the entire three months she had been in school, never had she seen either of her friends after the final bell was rung. And if either of them had, she wouldn't have ever guessed Jared would be the one to do so.

"Not who you were expecting, eh?" Jared inquired bitterly.

Leah shook her head. "Oh, no! It's just that-"

"Whatever. Look, Simon's too wimpy to tell you, but we don't really have many friends, so when our mom found out about you, she demanded we invite you over for dinner. Friday. We'll take you home with us, and drive you back to your place after. See ya then."

"Wait! I haven't agreed yet! I-" Jared lazily flailed his arm over his shoulder to serve as soon sort of goodbye, completely ignoring her halfhearted protests, as he dragged his feet towards the front doors of the school. "-Oh. Alright. See you tomorrow."

~Infatuation, Adoration, and Other Synonyms For Love~

"Uh, mom? Dad?" Leah ventured, staring at her fork, which twisted around in her hand and twirled pasta around its prongs.

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"I made plans for Friday night, and I was hoping that that would be alright with you?"

Ashley's eyes widened and she jumped up from her seat. "Oh my god! You have a date!"

Hunter shot her an incredulous look. "Really? You payin' him or somethin'?"

Leah panicked. "What? No! No, no! It's not a date!"

Ashley frowned, but remained standing. "Well than, what is it?"

"Just-a couple of friends invited me over to dinner at their house. They're taking me to their house after school, and will drive me home afterwords." To this, Ashley sighed, and eased herself back into her chair.

"And you had my hopes up, and everything."

"Mom..." Leah stared at her father from the corner of her eye, surprised by his silence. Matthew stared back at his daughter from his seat at the head of the table. His gaze contemplative.

"Wait," Hunter's voice broke the rare moment of peace among the Pond family. "Friends? You mean those two guys you're always hanging out with? The twins?" Ashley's jaw dropped, and Leah groaned into her palms.

"Twins?! Oh my god, Leah! You're going on a date with a pair of TWINS?!" Ashley fanned herself with stiff hands. "Please tell me their cute!"

"Mom! It's not a date-!"

"Hunter! Are they cute?"

Hunter shrugged. "Guess so. Not really my area of expertise, but-yeah. They're cute."

"Identical?"

"'Course."

"Ee!" Ashley squealed, running around the table to envelop her poor, poor daughter in a bone-crushing embrace. "I'm so excited for you, baby!"

"Mom! Please! I already told you! It's not a date!" Leah insisted, prying her mother's arms from around her shoulders, cheeks red and tone exasperated.

"Mmhmm. Whatever you say, sweetheart." Ashley then sauntered back to her seat, a large grin spread about her face. "So. Excited."

"Mom!"