Hey everyone! How was your holidays? Mine were fun, my family as amusing and complicated and annoying as ever.

This is the last chapter before school starts. So, it jumps a week or two, i guess. This is mainly a filler with a little bit of how everything happened kinda thing. i edited the trailer, changing around the quotes and adding two primary characters, nothing major though. just note; KEMP HURLEY and TODD LYONS are main characters.

The guys.? Might be slightly OOC, but it's an AU so that's alright. The way i write them is the same way my guy friends are. There are that many and everything. (: it's very convinient.

thanks for the awesome reviews! (i'm replying to the anon. ones at the bottom) and thanks to all those who reviewed my holiday oneshot, home for the holidays. you guys are great.

disclaimed. dedicated to abby (for giving me the two songs written below THAT I DO NOT OWN) and the two awesome anon. reviewers, kat and senna.! enjoy.


Claire Lyons walked across the Hurley's large living room to the beat of Make Damn Sure by Taking Back Sunday, which was blasting out of Kemp's ipod, thanks to the awesome speakers Kemp's mother got him for his birthday. Minutes before the clock struck 7:00 PM, the guys pushed the couches and chairs against the navy-blue walls so the guests had enough room to dance.

It was now 7:10 and Kemp's was already crawling with the teenagers that make up Westchester Academy student body. From Freshmen to Senior, a-list to b-list (or, at least that's what Massie recalled), everybody who was anybody was either at Kemp's or on their way over.

Claire was on her way to the stairs, where Derrick and Cam were watching the door as they leaned against the breakfast bar. Chris and Kristen were already making out in a corner, Massie was sending what she thought was seductive looks in Derrick's direction, that he was ignoring, Kemp was greeting the guests, Josh was no where to be found, and Dylan was a few feet in front of Claire, heading over to the two boys too.

Claire was soon stopped by Kori Gedman, one of the groups friends who had been in Paris for majority of the summer break. As Kori chattered happily about how beautiful Paris was, Claire had never been, Dylan continued in the boys direction.

"Hey!" She greeted happily and loudly when she was in front of the two sophomores. "I'm Dylan Marvil!" Dylan informed Derrick. Derrick replied with a smirk, a handshake, and a 'Derrick Harrington' and, knowing that's all she was going to get, Dylan turned to Cam. "Fisher! I was wondering if you had seen...oh! It's Alicia! I'll be back, don't miss me too much!" Dylan caught the eye of her Spanish friend and scurried off, soon followed by Kori.

"Cam! I'm sorry I haven't come to talk yet." Claire walked up to Cam, ignoring Derrick's presence, and apologized quickly. Another group of people burst into the house, Todd Lyons leading the group right into the living room.

"Hey, Claire! It's alright. We've allied our selves with some pretty crazy friends." Cam dismissed the apology easily, giving her a hug. "Eh, I probably should go see Todd. Kemp and Chris are already over there..." And, with a quick wave, he walked towards the freshmen, the most popular freshmen at WA, due to his older sister, and two of his best friends, leaving Claire and Derrick alone.

"Derrick." Claire nodded in the blondes direction, waving to Todd's girlfriend as she made her way to the drinks. "Have you had the chance to meet everybody yet?" Claire finally decided to play alpha, a title she never used, and actually care about the possible member of their tight-knit group. Though they've only added one person to the group, the guys, Claire, and Dylan took two months to properly welcome Massie Block, and there was a chance that it'd take even longer to welcome Derrick Harrington.

"Everybody but Massie and Kristen. Massie hasn't come over yet and Kristen and Chris disappeared a few minutes ago." He replied. "So, who's Todd?" Derrick asked Claire as she stepped to lean against the wall beside him. He was already used to having one of the guys there to comment on anybody worth commenting on.

"My brother." Claire smiled, glancing in the direction of her younger brother. "Him, and his friends, and us hang out a lot together. Me and Todd are really close, we have been our whole life and we were not about to let the move change that." Claire was telling Derrick way to much, he had no idea what she was talking about, but he didn't bother asking. He just nodded his head.

---

"Whatever happens," Claire started. They were in Claire's Florida bedroom minutes after their parents gave them the news. They were moving. Not just moving houses, even cities, not just a state away. They were moving to New York. They knew almost nothing about Westchester, New York, but they didn't have to. They already hated it. Because, no matter what their parents say or promise or give or how much the beg, Westchester, New York wasn't Orlando, Florida and there will never be a time that it is.

"We will always be best friends." She declared to her young brother firmly. "It doesn't matter where we are, how old we are, or who we're with. We are best friends and there will never be a time that we're not." And then he hugged her and she never wanted him to let go. She didn't want to go to Westchester, New York or whatever other city full of rich snobs their parents decided to drag them to, she wanted to be home. The place she spent twelve years adoring, not the place where she spent zero years knowing.

---

She believed they'd be best friends at the time. She believe they'd stay as inseparable as they were for the first week they were at Westchester. But then Claire met Dylan and the guys and Todd got his own friends, and they were no longer the best friends they always were.

But they still stayed close. They had at least one day a week they'd just hang out, no matter the circumstances. They watch movies, shop, bowl, do their homework, anything and everything friends do. They still talk about everything, but it's not what Claire promised herself the day her parents changed her life forever. Not even close.

"Claire?" Derrick nudged the girls shoulder. Claire looked up in surprise. "Finally. I've been trying to get your attention for the last five minutes." His slightly worried expression was quickly replaced with his smirk and cool eyes. "Josh is on his way over here." And with that, Derrick departed, leaving Claire and Josh's threatening glare behind.

---

"I'm Dylan Marvil!" The redhead in front of Claire introduced herself, loudly and happily, two words that always capture Dylan Marvil perfectly, as Claire sat alone at lunch. It was her third week at BOCD and she had yet to make any real, hang-out-after-school, friends. She had Todd.

"Claire Lyons," Claire grinned back. Dylan then informed her that sitting alone at lunch was boring and that she should go and sit with Dylan and her friends. Claire thanked the seventh-grader and followed her to the lunch table on the other side of the cafeteria. There sat other five.. The first thing Claire noticed about them? With their voices mixing together they had at least one thing in common with Dylan, they were loud.. The second? They were all guys.

"Claire, meet Cam, Josh, Kemp, Chris, and Griffin. The good soccer players of BOCD. And, well, Griffin." Dylan took one of the empty seats, gesturing to each guy in turn before gesturing to the seat beside her. "Guys, meet Claire Lyons." And they all greeted her with a smile, and a stare, before pulling out there phones. Claire looked at Dylan questioningly, but Dylan just shook her head and continued talking about...god knows what.

Josh: uh. That girl? SMOKING HOT.

Chris: How rude, josh! Do you think she'd like you texting about her hotness?

Cam: yeah, CP. I'm all about being kind to girls and everything. BUT DIDYOU SEE HER?

Kemp: yeah, fisher. We all saw her. We're all awestruck. She may possibly be the most...something seventh-grader on this planet. I'm pretty sure we should save her from Dylan. You know how she gets.

Josh: fine. I call dibs, though.

That day, not only did Claire Lyons finally make friends, she also began hiking up the road to popularity. Dylan introduced her to everybody and everybody had the same reaction. The guys all believed she was 'smoking hot' (and funny and nice and whatever else) and the girls all wanted to be her new best friend. Everybody had the same reaction but the infamous TPC.

Dylan introduced Claire to Massie Block, Kristen Gregory, Olivia Ryan, and Alicia Rivera after school that day. One things for certain, they all hated her. She was beautiful, nice, funny. She was already taking their job at ruling the school and she didn't even realize it. Claire never considered herself pretty or nice or funny. She was just Claire Lyons, starting a new school, a new life. She had no idea what she was in for. At the time, she never knew that her and her, very awesome, friends would be ruling the school as a sophomore, or close to ruling the school as a freshmen, or being what the school was about as an eighth grader.

---

"Claire?" This time, Josh's voice broke her thoughts. Claire looked up with an apologetic smile. "You're very zoney today. Are you sure you're alright?" Claire had only seen Josh for a total of probably fifteen minutes today, and he had asked if she was okay probably fifteen times.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks, though." Claire took his hand, tugging his arm to join her against the wall. Josh opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by the buzzing of Claire's cell phone. "I'm sorry, my phone keeps interrupting today." She apologized, flipping open her phone to read the text.

Kemp: CLAIRE! WHERE ARE YOU?

Claire: By the stairs. Why?

Kemp: I NEED YOU IN THE LIVING ROOM! ALICIA IS ALL "OH KEMP YOU KNOW YOU WANT ME"

Kemp: UHM. NO I DON'T, RIVERA.

Claire: haha. Hold on to your humanity a little longer, I'm on my way!

"Josh! I'm sorry, but Kemp is being ambushed by Alicia again. I'll see you soon." And, with a quick kiss that you could barely call a 'peck', she walked away, her hips ticking in time to Born For This, by Paramore, as she walked away. Claire had only seen Josh Hotz for about fifteen minutes that day, and she had already walked away four times.

Josh couldn't help but wonder what was going on. They've been together since seventh grade and spent three happy years being happy. They rarely fought, haven't broken up once. They loved each other. But, in the back of his mind, Josh questioned himself. If they were so happy, so in love, why couldn't they have a conversation anymore without getting bored?


did'ya like it? hate it? tell me in a review, please.!

SENNA; i'm glad you like it. i hate massie being super-duper special and whatnot, mainly because she's not that great, and i adore dylan and claire. i wish they were my IRL best friends. (: hope you liked this chapter too!
KAT; your review made my day! i'm glad you liked it. i know, it's hard to decide if it'll end as a closh or clairington. i'm leaning towards the latter, though.

so review. tell me if you liked it and how your holidays were.! favorite gift? how'd you spend it? ect, ect. and enjoy your sunday! (i'll update in a few days.)

-bailey.