Daphne, it turned out, knew everything about everybody. She'd probably known many of them from grade school, but still, I didn't understand where she learned all this crazy information.

"That's Ernest Hamstead," said Daphne, pointing as we waited in the dining hall for all her friends to show up. "He always wears boxers with little hearts on them. Isn't that sweet? He's a sweetie."

"Um..."

"And that's Moth," continued Daphne. "She's seems kinda mean until you get to know her, but then she's...you know...she's okay. You just have to really get to know her."

She also never said anything bad about anybody, even though some of them totally deserved it. I'd never say it aloud either, I guess, but Ernest was struggling to keep his pants up over his giant stomach, and Moth was turning her nose up and calling people "underlings." I mean, talk about ego.

"Oh," said Daphne, lowering her voice, "Here come the boys."

I looked.

"Those are the clowns," said Daphne. "They're harmless, most of the time. And pretty funny in class. As long as you don't cross them, they won't pull pranks on you."

Watching the gang of tall, laughing, brute-ish guys, I asked, "And what if you do cross them?"

Daphne made a face. "I woke up with cement on my toothbrush once. And that's not the worst that can happen."

I wasn't sure I wanted to hear more.

"That's Jake Grimm," she said, pointing (much more subtly now) to a tall, blond boy with a crooked nose, as if he'd just gotten in about three fistfights. "He's decently nice. He used to be in the Good Boys with his brother, Hank - "

"He's Hank's brother?" Now that I looked more closely, I could see the resemblance in their hair and smiles - but barely.

"Yeah. Like I said, they used to be together until... Well, until their dad died." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "After that, Jake got Touched, and they don't let you in the Good Boys if you're Touched."

"Touched?"

"Addicted." She hesitated. "I'll wait until my friend Sabrina gets here to explain that. She used to be Touched, and, well, she just knows more about it than me."

I nodded slowly. Addicted. To what? To drugs? Alcohol? Or something as stupid as video games?

"Jake's still an okay guy until he goes into one of his fits. And the Clowns make that a big joke if it happens in class. That - " She pointed again - "is the other leader of the clowns, Puck."

"Puck? Like from Glee?"

She laughed. "Puck like from hockey. It's a weird name, I know. His real name's Robin Goodfellow, but we have a Robin in the Good Boys, and it just got too confusing. He was a big hockey star back in the day."

I frowned, about to ask what she meant. "Back in the day" sounded ominous, like maybe his dad had died too. But she cut me off by adding, "Cute, too."

He was definitely "cute." Curly blond hair that sparkled where Jake's just didn't, big green eyes and a baby-doll face. It was hard to imagine him pulling pranks on anybody. As he and Jake bumped the other kids in their group around and sat noisily at a table, though, I saw Puck flip his water glass into Jake's face with one smooth motion.

"Wow," I said.

"Yeah." She smiled. "I've known Jakey and Pucky forever, though, so I know how to handle them. You don't need to worry."

Somehow, "handling" the boys sounded even more ominous than the boys themselves. "Okay," I said cautiously.

"Puck was invited to be on the Hotties, but he turned them down because he said they were preps. Here - " She gestured to another group coming in a different door, and just looking at the leader made my head spin. He was... He was flawless. Perfect. Incredible. Handsome. Heroic. I'd never believed in love at first sight, but...

"That's Will Charming," said Daphne, noticing the look on my face. "Don't be fooled by his hot body. He's really a tough pill to swallow sometimes - although he's good deep down, honest he is - "

Will puffed out his chest and tugged on his tie. "Attention! The King has arrived!"

Heads swiveled. Guys grumbled and girls swooned. I watched as Will strutted to a table in the middle of the room and ordered some girl, "Place my throne here."

She set a plush pillow on one of the seats, and Will sat down like a prince. The other boys, who I could see now were almost as hot, took their places around him. Talk about stereotypical preppy rich boys. "Wow," I said again. Love at first sight, indeed. What had I been thinking?

"Like I said. Don't be fooled. Sabrina asked him out once, and he laughed in her face."

From a girl standpoint, I could see why someone had asked him out, but from a common sense standpoint, it was dumb. I mean, sure he was hot, but once he opened his mouth it was all over. "That's awful," I said.

"Uh-huh." Daphne swiveled around in her chair. "The Good Boys should be here soon, and they'll probably come around to say hi. They're collecting money for the drama department. Hey, you should totally join our fall play! It's going to be A Midsummer Night's Dream this year. Cool, huh?"

No. Nonononono. No plays. Never again. "I think I'll pass," I said, trying to sound casual, which of course meant I sounded like a psychopath who hasn't had her coffee yet.

"Aww, c'mon. Why not?"

"I, um, I get really bad stage fright," I lied. It was partly true. I had a fear of being on a stage if it meant being in a play. And I was sure I'd forget my lines. "Thanks, though."

Daphne sighed a little. "Well, maybe you can come watch anyway."

"I'm sure we'll see way too much of each other anyway, since we're roommates and all," I said. I was trying to be positive-ish, but she furrowed her eyebrows a little bit, like she was hurt.

"Oh," she said, glancing away, "Here's Sabrina!"

Sabrina, walking towards us like a pissed-off zombie, was the night to Daphne's day. Slouched under a heavy bookbag, hair tied up haphazardly, and a resting bitch-face. "Grumpner gave us homework already," she grumbled, kicking a chair aside and plopping into it. She noticed me and, sounding uninterested, asked, "Who's this?"

"My roommate, um - " Daphne shot me an embarrassed look. "Sorry, what's your name again?"

"Abby." Not Red. Never Red. Please, not Red.

"Abby. And Abby, this is Sabrina."

Sabrina grunted in acknowledgement. "Food, Daph?"

"I'll get you some when I go up," Daphne promised. She smiled at me and explained, "I'm waiting for them to finish the pufferfish salad."

"Gross," muttered Sabrina, pulling out a thick textbook and burying herself in it.

I started to worry that I'd be stuck alone with Sabrina and Daphne for the entire school year when I heard a familiar voice. "Hey, Daphne, Abigail!"

It was Hank, and he was smiling. Big surprise. I was beginning to think Hank was always smiling. He was flanked by a tall, dark-haired boy with a stunning grin, who was carrying a tin can. "We're collecting," he said, flashing deep dimples. "Taking money from the rich and giving it to the poor since 1166."

I stared. Eleven-sixty-what?

He laughed and slung an arm around Hank. "Just kidding. But we are poor as peddlers here. The drama department," he added at the look on my face. "Running outta mula."

"Care to donate?" asked Hank, as Robin held out the can with much eyebrow wiggling, winks, and nods.

"Sure," said Daphne, stuffing a dollar into the can. "I can't wait for the play! I'm really hoping to play Oberon."

The boys laughed. "Oh, Daph," said Robin, shaking his head. "Always good humor. You can't play Oberon, we need a guy for Oberon. Maybe Hank..." He glanced at Hank. "Nah, we need someone ugly. See, Daph? Another reason you can't play that part."

Daphne stuck out her lower lip in a pout.

"How about Sabrina?" asked Hank. "Wanna donate?"

Sabrina didn't look up. I kind of thought she had maybe fallen asleep in her textbook.

"Brina? Hey, Sabrina!" Hank said, raising his voice. "Poke her," he said to Daphne.

"Huh? What?" said Sabrina, coming to life, a dead-roadkill look in her eyes. She eyed the collecting can. "Fine," she said. "I have a nickel."

"Every little bit counts!" chirped Robin, as Sabrina dropped her measly donation into the can. "Anyone else? How 'bout you there, Red?"

I cringed. Oh no, it's starting. The nickname will be all over the school by tomorrow. "Actually, I'm..."

But the words wouldn't come. They choked themselves up in my throat like peanut butter. Abby, Abigail, anything but Red - but I couldn't say it. Fear, maybe, or shyness. Awkwardness, probably.

"I have a dollar," I said shamefacedly. I rooted around in my purse, pulled out a crumpled dollar bill, and stuffed it in the can. I did my best not to look at the boys. They must think I was an idiot.

What was worse, they already thought I was Red.

A/N: Thanks for all the support, guys! I really, really appreciate it. I might not have continued this story if I hadn't gotten such a positive reaction, and that's still a possibility, so…

PLEASE REVIEW!

Thanks to: OakeX, Guest, coolofthecool, DelusionalApple, LavenderMoonRose, and quillandspidle. Love you guys :)

Note: None of the characters are related unless specified. GRANNY RELDA is Red's grandma and not related to the others. HANK and JAKE are brothers. SABRINA is not related to anyone. DAPHNE is not related to anyone.

Let me know what pairing you want to see. RedxChio will probably show up next chapter. RedxTobias may happen if people want it. Puckabrina will likely happen if you guys want, just let me know. Other pairings… are to be revealed.

Pixie Tricks signing out :)