'I'm thinking in asking out her now', Tommy was staring at Claire's table, Allison being the center of attention. It seems that she survived.

'Who are you asking out?' Andy regretted that he asked—he already knew the answer.

'Queen Elizabeth II. Who could it be, Andy? Abbie! Or Amy or whatever. The girl. Man, sometimes I think you are getting dumber than other days.'

Lunch time. After a week of dreaming looks and dirty comments of Tommy about the new chick his eyes set on, everything was okay again. But Tommy wasn't the only one with full attention on Allison; Andy tracked where she was going, who she was talking to, what she was wearing. He tracked everything. I look like a stalker. He felt really sorry for her—he was a jerk. From last Monday, she didn't make a scene or freaked out or even look mad at him; she didn't do anything at all. That was the worst. Her sudden way of ignoring him. That was driving him crazy. And that's why he can't take her out of his mind.

'Now she's with the girls', Rick said, 'unless you want the girly stares and giggling and the gossips of them, you should wait 'till the school's over or catch a break.

'I can't wait'. Tommy stood up. 'And I don't care about them'. He went straight to the girls' table.

Tommy walked arrogantly and as if stopped by chance, he ask in the middle of rose perfume and the new fashion trend. He took out Allison as if she was a rabbit and drew her to a corner. She was against the wall, her leg folded and her arms back her, while Tommy's arm was resting in the wall, his face close to hers. She can play the delicate girl, with that pose. Andy smiled. Tommy, you don't fucking now who you are asking out.

Both where smiling, and that was a punch in the stomach for Andy. He wanted to look to otherwhere, or to not look at all, but he couldn't. He needed to know what was happening at that moment.

After five minutes, Tommy freed Allison and each one went back to the right table.

'And?' Rick asked.

'Gentlemen, Tommy's having a new chick'. He sat with a smile in his face, victorious of the talk. Andy wanted to punch him until Tommy couldn't smile again ever.

'How it went? What did you said?' Andy blurred out. He couldn't controlled it.

Tommy gave him a strange look. Guys usually don't talk about it. They just affirm or deny and the case is closed.

'Are you a curious little bastard, aren't you?' Tommy smirked. Again. 'Well, it was an easy thing. I asked her name. Oh by the way, her name is Allison. Allison Reynolds, she told me shyly. She's really pretty when she's shy. And I told her who I was and asked her to go out sometime. She answered 'sure', biting her lip with a strange but defying look and we set the date. She was free today, so I going to pick her up and go somewhere this afternoon'. He bit eagerly his chicken wing. 'Easy', he said with his mouth full.

So she actually said yes. To Tommy. Tommy who is as slow-witted as a cockroach. Tommy who though in middle school that his penis was a bone because it could get hard. Tommy the handsome one but as stupid as hell. She must have a think for sport guys. Maybe she was interested in him too. I don't think for myself, so all she was interested in was because of the looks. He felt dumb. Of course it was because of the looks. Strip Andrew Clark of his sport looking and all that remains is nothing.

The following day, on lunch time, Andy was worried about what happened yesterday. He hasn't seen Allison in the whole morning, and Tommy didn't talked about it, because he was going to brag it in the right time and in the right place. Lunch time.

'Yesterday I went with Allison', he starts as everyone is listening at him, curious about how the new hot girl is. She's not new, she was just invisible. 'She is weird as hell', Tommy concluded as Andy was tense, 'but in a good way. She's not only pretty, she's smart. She sometimes would put funny faces at somethings and be really quiet, other time she would just talk about deep shitty stuff that I couldn't understand. When she noticed that I wasn't listening to her, she just took my hand and I grabbed her and kissed her. That was all the afternoon. Just physical.'

'You made it with her the first date?' Tony asked, surprised by the new record of his friend.

Tommy laughed. 'Quite closed, Anthony, but we didn't.' He smiled slyly and said with a deep voice, 'But I can't say either that what we did was for all sort of audiences.'

When she noticed that I wasn't listening to her, she just took my hand and I grabbed her and kissed her. One of the things he liked most about her was her thoughts. She was another suffering teenager, even beyond that—I wise teenager. He could stare at her and listen to her all the time. He was truly marvelled with her. How could someone ignore her? And that's not the worst, smart guy, they kissed. Maybe Tommy was lying—he would often do that. Exaggerate the story. Maybe he wasn't that lost at all.

'Anyway, we have future.' Tommy said. 'This is not some dumb chick I can fuck over and over, she actually can think too.' Every word Tommy was saying, Andy's desire to punch him was stronger.

I can't be. Allison is not a slut, she's not like Claire's friends. Andy was confused. I'm a nymphomaniac. She later dismantled the lie, but she said too that she was a compulsive liar. Could she be either both? Andy's head began to spin. This was too much.

When the gang was going out of the cafeteria, the girls' group was near the entrance, and Tommy took out again Allison to a few lockers away from Claire and company. He took her away to kiss her. They there were, kissing passionately while everybody was talking. Okay, this was normal for everyone and Tommy, but for the first time Andy was looking at them with a really bad stomachache. He had to go out of there.

Somebody called him. He didn't care. As he went into to the bathroom, a hand grabbed his shoulder to stop him.

'I can't go into there, you know?' a female voice said.

Allison. But it wasn't Allison, it was Claire. He was surprised.

'Claire! What you want?' He didn't understand why she was there.

'Andy, you have to be sincere with me.' Claire was looking into his eyes, trying to grip the truth when she will find it. 'Are you fine about Tommy going out with Allison?'

'Hm, yeah. Why not?' he didn't want to look hurt.

'Tell me the truth, Andrew. I know what happened that Saturday.' Great. So she knows about it too.

'Weren't you too busy making out with Bender to notice anything around you?'

Claire preoccupied look turned to rage.

'You're an asshole. I'm just here, trying to help you and asking you and you are just being a jerk.' Her full lips were in a disgusted pose. 'I could just ignore you as Allison does and feign that I never met you'. She turned back in a dramatic way. He had to stop her.

'Claire.' She came back, with her arms crossed, waiting for an apology. So egocentric. 'I'm sorry for that. I'm just… messed up. I mean, I screwed it with her.' He told her the story. Claire punched him as hard as she could do in his shoulder. It did hurt a bit.

'Agh, you are an asshole.'

'Oh, haven't you done the same?' Andy was annoyed that she thought of him that way. 'What about Bender?'

'Okay, Andy, I'm here to help you, but if you are going to be like this, I swear I'm leaving you.' She said, as she would be his best comprehensive friend in the world. 'You are an asshole. I understand the social pressure, Andy, but I would be discreet. I would later go after her house and hang out. You can't…' she sighed. 'You can't let her go because of what others expect you to do'.

What happened with Bender and her?, he wanted to ask, now curious. But that would be rude.

'Do you really think about dating her and everything?' Claire frowned at him. 'We had a special time that Saturday, and like they say, 'What happens in Las Vegas, stays in Las Vegas'. She's pretty weird. A basket case. I don't want to sound cold or superficial but, are you sure you want to be with her? I mean, it could be a whim.'

Claire has a point. Do you want to be with her? You barely know anything about her, and we were all desperate in the library. Maybe that's it; desperation.

'I… I don't know, Claire. What have you done with John?', he was afraid that she would scowl him. 'If I can ask'.

Claire rolled her eyes.

'Whatever'. She looked at him again. 'John and I… It's complicated, Andy. He's way too different of what I expect, and I will probably end as many of his 'girls' that he keeps in his wallet'. A sad look crossed in her face. 'But Ally and you are different. You aren't John, and Ally isn't me.'

Ally? Suddenly he remembered that she was in the same group with Claire.

'By the way, Claire', he said shyly. 'How is it that she's with you girls?'

'Oh, it was my idea. She's really pretty now, and a pretty girl needs to be with other pretty girls.' She looked at him and he knew that that wasn't all. 'Agh, the truth is that I can't stand my girlfriends anymore. They've become really bitchy and stupid. Well, they always were bitchy and stupid, but I didn't realised it.' She was sad again. 'I'm tired of being popular, Andrew.' After a few moments of silent self-pity, she continued. 'Anyway, I thought it could be a good idea to have Allison around me more often and now that she's… well, noticeable, it's not a great deal without suffering strange looks and gossips.'

'And… Does she says anything about…?' He couldn't finish the question.

'About you? Not a single word. She's playing it cool, you know. She is a good actress. I was a bit scared that she would act all weird, but she acts like an average teenager, only that sometimes she's too quiet or stares too much.' She tilted her head. 'I hung out with her last Saturday. We've become quite good friends since then. When she's alone with me, she acts a bit more like herself, but she makes you feel different and that is fine, I guess.'

'I'm happy that she finally has friends'.

'Oh, but I'm her only friend. The other girls are just taking advantage of the new girl, and they envy her for drawing so much attention, so the gossip about her all the time.'

'That sorta horrible, you know'.

'I know, I know, but what can I do? The damage is done. And they're the damage. I guess that when I big fight comes, I will be with her and we will be unpopularised. You know, I discover that I'm way more happier being myself than being under social pressure. I may be fit for popularity, but I wasn't born for bearing such a thing.'

Claire is not caring about her social standing? The queen bee, the dramatic one because one girl didn't like her outfit? Maybe Claire is beginning to like me better than before.

'Wow, that's… awesome of you to say that, Claire'. He was totally perplexed.

'I know, I can't even believe myself. I think that I'm changing to a better person.' She looked at the corridor again, where her friends began to notice her absence. 'Well, I just came here to say that if you need me for talking about Allison or help you with it, don't think it twice and come to me.' She winked and smiled and returned to her flock of girls.