"All right, let's stop talking about our parents already, and do something not lame." Alec looked around at everyone.

"Yeah, seriously." Massie caught herself agreeing with him for the first time that day.

"Like what?" Derrick asked warily.

"We could play Never Have I…" Alec suggested.

"Uh, isn't that a drinking game? Where you drink if you've done something? …I mean uh, not that I'm against drinking or anything. But we probably shouldn't, you know, in school and all. I mean, uh, you already got in trouble for the liquor…" Dahn stuttered.

"Relax, dork." Alec rolled his eyes. "We would be playing the strip version. Where you take off an article of clothing each time you've done something." He smirked, looking at Layne, then at Massie.

"Yeah, I'd be up for that," Derrick chuckled, looking at Massie as well. Massie felt her insides burn hot in a moment of panic. No boy had ever seen her naked before—or even half naked-and the first time was not gonna happen like this. But if she said she didn't want to play, she would look like a prude. How do I get out of this? She had to think fast.

"Yeah, and then Riker would walk in, and we'd all have our clothes off, how great is that gonna look?" She turned to them, eyebrow raised. "Besides, I know what you guys are gonna do. You're gonna say stuff like "never have I worn mascara" or "never have I shaved my legs" so we'd be the only ones taking our clothes off!" She gestured to herself and Layne.

"Damn!" Alec cursed and Massie knew she'd seen right through his master plan. Dahn gave a soft chuckle.

"Yeah, no way. I'd be fine playing Ten Fingers, thanks. You know, that innocent game where you just put down a finger if you've done something? It's great for getting to know people." Layne added.

"Ah, fine. Ten fingers, who's in?" Alec walked to the back of the library and plopped down on a navy beanbag chair, like he was positive everyone would follow him, but still wouldn't care if they didn't. There was something about his brazen confidence that drove Massie crazy. Not that it wasn't admirable, it was…she just couldn't bring herself to admit that she wished she had more of it herself.

"I'm game." Layne crossed the room to the back and plopped down on another beanbag.

"Uh, sure, why not?" Dahn followed her and sat on a faded burgundy couch, forming a semi-circle with them.

"Might as well, it's not like there's anything better to do…" Derrick looked at Massie as he got up from his desk. "You coming?"

Massie stiffened. She really didn't want to associate with these kids more than she already had to. But if she didn't join them, she would just be proving Alec right. They would all see her as the stuck-up bitch who thought she was too good to hang out with anyone outside her social circle. And for some reason, she cared what they thought of her.

"Sure," she said finally, following Derrick to the back. She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. She could do this.

"Okay, rules are simple. You hold up ten fingers," Alec held up his hands, fingers spread apart. "And we go around asking if we've ever done something. If you've done it, you put down a finger. "

"Okay, I'll start," Layne offered. "Have you ever thrown a party while your parents weren't home?"

"Oh, good one!" Alec laughed and put down a finger. Derrick did the same. Layne smiled slyly and put down a finger as well. This shocked Massie—did Layne even have enough friends to invite to a party?

"What? You have?" Massie asked incredulously, looking at Layne.

"Yeah, of course! I always have cookouts when my parents go on weekend trips, and once I had a consume party!" Layne explained.

Huh, must be one of those parties all the weird kids went to, Massie reasoned. She could picture them in their World of Warcraft costumes, playing fantasy games and making art sculptures and whatever else it was the freaky kids did.

"Surprised you didn't get an invitation?" Alec snickered.

Massie rolled her eyes. "No! I mean, like I'd want one…"

"Wait, you haven't?" Layne asked, suddenly noticing Massie hadn't put a finger down. Massie felt her face prickle with embarrassment. The truth was, since Inez was always there, she was never really home alone long enough to throw a real party without her parents finding out.

Great, now she was stuck being the "tenzie" with Dahn. For the first time in a while, she felt like a loser.

"Okay, I'll go," Alec said. "Ever kissed someone of the same sex?" He asked, pointedly staring at Massie and Layne's fingers. Nobody moved.

"Damn!" All three guys (even Dahn) said at the same time. Alec and Derrick laughed while Massie and Layne rolled their eyes.

"Ever failed a test?" Dahn asked. Alec was the only one to put down a finger. "Smart-asses," he muttered.

"Hey, uh, my finger's down…" Dahn cleared his throat nervously.

"What? Dude, you have? Didn't know you had it in ya!" Alec leaned across the coffee table and gave Dahn a high-five.

"I thought I knew everything on the AP physics exam, so I spent the night before at this speed dating event trying out some new pickup lines to meet chicks." Dahn explained, looking sheepish. Massie had to giggle at his use of the word chicks.

"Did they work?" Derrick seemed genuinely interested.

"Not even a little bit." Dahn admitted, causing everyone to burst out laughing.

"Ever been in a serious relationship with someone?" Derrick asked next, putting down a finger. Was that for Dylan or both of them? Did he even consider theirs a serious relationship? Massie could feel her head starting to spin.

Massie put down a finger as well. Landon…she had gone out with Landon Crane last year. Layne put down a finger, probably for Eli.

"Shocker," Massie deadpanned at Alec, who hadn't put down a finger. "I took you for quite the ladies' man. I would think girls would by dying to bring you home to meet mom and dad!" She knew it was rude, but he had been taking digs at her all day, and she wasn't going to take it lying down. Now was her chance.

"Actually, they do. It's probably just to get back at them, but still, they do." Alec muttered. "And hey, life is short. I like a lot of girls. I'm not gonna do the whole boyfriend thing."

"Why not?" Massie pressed further. She knew he was probably just scared of letting someone in. Typical bad boy, afraid of getting hurt.

"What is this, twenty questions? No, it's ten fingers!" He snapped. "It's your turn."

"Uh…" Massie hadn't really thought of a question. She wasn't sure what more she wanted to know about these people anyways. "I'll pass." She said finally. Alec looked like he was about to make a remark on that, but he let it go.

"Okay, my turn," Layne said. "Ever been so drunk you did something totally stupid?"

"Oh my God, what did you do?" Dahn asked warily as he saw Layne and Alec put their fingers down.

"Went up to hug this old guy with a beard and was like "DUMBLEDORE! YOU'RE ALIVE!" Alec shook his head, smiling at the memory. Everyone burst out laughing. Massie was sure nobody had expected him to be a Harry Potter dork. She had expected him to say something like "banged my buddy's girlfriend," which he probably had.

"Had my friend Meena throw fruits at me while I tried to slice them in midair with some knives while yelling 'I AM THE FRUIT NINJA!'" Layne mimicked her actions from that night and joined the group when they started laughing.

"Were you any good?" Alec chuckled, raising an eyebrow.

"Well I thought I was…my friends assured me I wasn't, and they were proven right by the huge mess I had to clean up the next day." Layne giggled.

Again, Massie couldn't put down a finger. She'd had a few experimental sips at parties, but she'd always hated the taste of alcohol. She could never drink enough to actually get "drunk" or even tipsy. The most she'd ever had was one cup of vodka (which was mixed with Sprite, so it was more soda than alcohol). She was relieved to see that Derrick hadn't put down a finger either. Maybe because he was an athlete and didn't want to get a beer gut or whatever, but he didn't drink much either. But then again, they were still freshmen. She was sure that by the end of high school, they would have plenty of drunk stories to tell.

"Okay, here's a good one…" Alec smirked devilishly, looking around the circle. Uh-oh…Massie had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She knew his question would make her uncomfortable before he even said it.

"Ever been to second base or past that with someone?" His eyes zeroed in on Massie.

Massie panicked. Second base? What the hell; they were still freshmen! She hadn't even been past first yet! Was everyone else…no, they couldn't be. She noticed Alec's eyes boring into hers, and she couldn't even bring herself to look at everyone else's fingers.

"Well well, Miss Prom Queen, didn't expect you to be so pristine! I would think guys would be dying to make sweet, sweet love to your royal highness!" he spat out. Was this his way of getting back at her for the girlfriends comment?

"You know what? I'm done playing this game. I don't kiss and tell." She put her hands down and started to get up.

"There's nothing wrong with being a virgin, you know. About seventy percent of high school students are virgins." He sounded like some cheesy public service announcement with a hint of malice. "I guess I just expected Miss Queen Bee to be in that elite thirty percent."

"I'm a freaking freshman." She said through her teeth. "If I was doing it now, I'd be considered a slut." That was true…right? Or was it already considered prudish to be a virgin? Massie hoped to God they wouldn't laugh at her.

"Ah! So you want to do some naughty things, don't you? You want to do them early on, so you can be the most experienced out of your friends, and they'll have to get advice from you. But you don't wanna do them too early, or you'll be looked down on." Alec walked closer to her and stopped when he got to the couch she was about to get up from.

"I am done talking to you." Massie sat back down when she realized she was trapped, crossing her arms and looking away.

"Yeah? Well I'm not done talking to you." He bent down on one knee so he was at eye level with her. "I bet…you wanna know how it feels, right? With him having you up against the wall, hands sliding under that expensive cashmere sweater, hoping to God your parents don't walk in? Maybe in the back of the car…hands under the sweater, over the bra, shoes off? Better yet, under the bleachers, no bra, panties coming off…" he trailed off, giving her that intense stare with his dark hair falling in his eyes.

Massie could feel the goosebumps on her skin and fought the urge to shudder. She mentally kicked herself. This guy was harassing the living hell out of her, and she was getting turned on by him? She was more messed up than she thought. Any normal person would want to die at this moment—which she did, but she also couldn't help imagine him doing those things to her.

His bad-boy image made him super-intimidating, but if he were to make a move on her for real—not just in an attempt to harass her—she had no idea what she would do. She had a feeling she wouldn't exactly be…repelled by the idea. When she had first walked into the room today, she would have been. She would have labeled him as an LBR from one look at his grungy clothes; he was by no means a HART. But now…part of her was a little curious. And she had to admit…he was attractive, with his longish dark hair, intense eyes and chiseled jawline. Attractive in a hawt-as-hell, lemme-jump-him-right-now sort of way. His sexy voice combined with his rebellious demeanor was a dangerous combination, and she could now see how he got so many girls. Not that it mattered…he was definitely the biggest asshole she'd ever had the displeasure of meeting. And he would never hit on her for real.

She tried to think of one of her signature comebacks that would be perfect for this moment. There was something about a barbeque and a grill…she knew what it was, but she just couldn't get the words out. Instead she settled for "Do you want me to puke?" while trying to keep her voice from shaking.

"Hey. Leave her alone." Derrick said quickly. This time, Massie didn't even bother to snap at him for coming to her defense. Even though it hurt her pride a little, she really needed someone to get her out of this. Now, she was glad as hell someone else knew he was out of line.

"What, you gonna make me?" Alec's voice had a threatening undertone. Massie seriously hoped it wouldn't come to a fight. Even though she'd always wanted to have a story about two guys fighting over her, she didn't want it to happen like this. She wouldn't want to put Derrick through that for her—he'd probably win, since he was the athlete—but still, Alec looked strong too, and he was older and taller. She knew he could do some damage if he wanted to.

"No," Derrick replied calmly. "But if she decides to sue you for sexual harassment, well, let's just say I wouldn't wanna be you."

Massie fought the urge to grin. Derrick always knew what to say before things got ugly. He was just good at diffusing tension. He was a great guy. Massie wanted to throw her arms around him and never let go.

"Fine." Alec's jaw clenched. "Just trying to help! It's hard to know what you want at this age…" he looked back at Massie. "Sorry if I offended you." He didn't sound the least bit sorry. Massie said nothing, still not looking at him.

They heard Principal Riker's footsteps coming to the door again and scurried back to their seats.

"All right, it's time for lunch. You may have a twenty-five minute break to eat and use the restroom and then I want you back in your seats until the end of detention, without so much as a peep from any of you!"

Massie scoffed. If only these kids actually listened to him…okay, then she would have been seriously bored.

If there was one thing she could say about these kids, it was that they never failed to surprise her.


A/N: Hope you guys liked this chapter! This was where they all learn more about each other, even though they hadn't meant to. And now they're surprising one another with their answers and everyone's beginning to see past the stereotypes. Derrick doesn't drink, Dahn's confident enough to try out pickup lines, Layne's cooler than Massie had thought, and Massie's more innocent than Alec had thought. Alec's a tougher shell to crack, but deep down, he is a Harry Potter dork who will take eight hours of detention for a girl. Tune in next chapter, where they'll eat lunch and play Marry, Sex, Kill…that's gonna be entertaining! ;)

Reviewers (who have PM's enabled) will get an outtake of this chapter that includes some questions that were cut out, including Massie's question! …Anonymous reviews are greatly appreciated too!

So…REVIEW! :)