A/N: Hi everyone, here's chapter three for my TWT story. After this chapter, the updates are going to be a bit slower because I'm finishing up some winter break homework, and I'm having a slight case of writer's block. Its not that severe, since I know how the whole outline goes but I need to make it work somehow. Anyway, enjoy the chapter! :)

Chapter 2: The Price of Being with the In-Crowd

"Young man, you're late once again." The stern-faced teacher glared at the blonde boy with a blue baseball cap.

"Sorry, Mr. Devon. It's just that I had a doctor's appointment so they could check up on –"the boy was cut off by the middle-aged man, who was pretty much sick of the excuses he had to hear.

"Fred, I don't care if your dog ran off with your homework or if your father got injured from putting out another fire! The next time you arrive tardy to my class, I'll make sure Coach Williams suspends you from playing on the football team!" And that's why Mr. Devon isn't well-liked with the parents during the PTEA meetings.

"But I –"Before Fred could defend himself from the middle-aged man, he suddenly realized that his quarterback position was at stake if he didn't start to take school seriously. He lowered his head and sighed. "Yes sir."

"Alright then, see if one of your classmates has a bit of pity for you and fill you in on what we've been learning so far in class. Chop, chop, students! Those study guides aren't going to complete themselves you know!" He clapped his hands together before retiring to his desk and grading papers.

Fred hated math, but he hated Mr. Devon even more. His huge, bald head, the professor-in-Yale type of attire, his antique glasses always sliding down his hook-nose. He always had a bone to pick with athletes, or "jocks" as he called them. He believed that getting a good education was the key to getting into a good high school and a great college, and "playing ball" wasn't even an option to pass school. Jimmy Stone was the smartest guy in the football team and he was always trying to prove to Mr. Devon that he can still be smart and play sports at the same time. He could hear the snickers and small chuckles coming from his classmates as he walked up to his desk.

Fred sat down in his desk and saw that he was surrounded by textbooks. First he came to class late and now he didn't even come to class prepared! School sure liked to pick on him because he was the school's star quarterback. The blonde sat in his chair, bummed out in his current position.

He felt a light tap on his shoulder from behind. He turned around and was face-to-face with a cute-looking girl his age. He saw the small slip of folded, neon green paper and took it into his hands. If Mr. Devon found out the girl was helping him in his class, he'd probably humiliate her in front of his class too. Fred opened the note and it went something like this in dark slanted cursive:

Fred,

Mr. Devon told us to read chapter three and complete problems two though fifty-six in the textbook (pages 158-165). Along with the study guide he passed us out.

Hope this helps, good luck! :)

"Wow that was so nice of her…" Fred thought to himself. He turned around and mouthed a quick "Thank you." to her. She blushed lightly and she replied, "Happy to help."

Fred smiled to himself and copied down his math homework into his school agenda. While taking a study guide from Mr. Devon's desk, he ignored the dirty look his teacher gave him and sat back down into his desk. Making sure she wasn't looking at him, he took a good look at her. Her skin was soft, fair hue. Her eyes were a nice shade of blue and her hair was a light blonde with a long strand of hair dyed a rich blue. She had soft, layered bangs, and her hair came up to her upper-back. It was soft and looked feathery. A bit like those eighties hairstyles Fred usually saw in Saturday morning sitcoms on TV.

The bell interrupted his thoughts. Fred cringed as fifth period was over and he stood up to get his things ready for lunch. As he walked outside into the crowded hallways, he saw the cute blonde girl make her way to Biology, one of the very few honors classes the school had to offer. And that's when it hit him like a ton of bricks; he forgot to ask her what her name was! As Fred pushed and shoved a few people out of the way, he saw a familiar kid his age with longish black hair and round glasses drop all of his notebooks and binders on the floor.

Everyone else pointed and laughed at him as he struggled to pick his notes up, instead of helping him pick up his stuff. One of Fred's team members nudged another guy as they gawked at someone walking over to the nerd with the butter fingers to help him.

"Sam, are you okay? Let me help you pick your stuff up!" As she kneeled down to help pick up Sam's notes, Fred's jaw dropped.

No, it couldn't be! It was her; she was the one who had given him that note! As the other kids pushed and shoved at Fred who was standing like a stupid fool in the middle of the hallway, he realized that the person she was helping was his old friend, Sam.

"Oh, that's really nice of you to offer, Flare. Say, would you like to walk with me to Biology together?" Sam offered the blonde as the twosome stuffed his papers in the binders.

She smiled the same smile she gave Fred a few minutes ago. "Sure, I'd love to!"

The two got up and they both walked to biology together, side by side.

The dreaded bell ran again and the teachers began to usher the kids inside and yelled at the teenagers to get out of the hallways and into the Media Center or the Lunchroom. Fred felt a strong hand slap his back and trap his head around in a headlock.

"What's up, Freddie?" Jimmy chuckled; his blue-green eyes twinkled when he met up with his friend. His brunet hair had golden blonde undertones and his pearly white smile contrasted with his summer tan skin. He was totally into surfing and always hit the beaches during the summer.

"Not much, you?" Fred asked Jimmy while walking downstairs together for lunch.

"Nothing much as well. Say, you looked like you saw a ghost back there. Mind filling me in with the info?" Jimmy was always a good friend, even if he was one of the most popular kids in school.

"Well, do you know who the hell is she?" Fred turned his head and saw the spot where the cute chick helped Sam.

"Who's she?" Jimmy seemed a bit confused.

"The one who helped pick up the nerd's papers." Fred was mildly annoyed that some awkward nerd like Sam could capture the attention of a cute chick like her after they met face-to-face with each other. She should have been all over him by now!

"Oh, you mean Flare? Yeah, she just transferred from here a week ago." Jimmy replied back, taking out his ID and wallet when the duo came closer to the school cafeteria. Fred looked at him as if he were crazy.

"You do remember the time when you got that serious injury last football game. It was so bad that you had to stay home for a whole week, and I had to personally deliver you your homework every day. Flare always given me your math homework." Jimmy and Fred entered the school cafeteria, got their lunches and paid them.

"Ohhh… now I remember." Fred smiled. It was all coming back to him. "That's why I didn't come to school on time, and Mr. Devon threatened to kick my ass off of the football team!"

"Pfft, just ignore him, Fred. Mr. Devon always thinks that we athletes not "JOCKS", are all "all brawn but no brain" He's just picking on you 'cause he has nothing else to do." Jimmy shrugged off Fred's troubles with the math teacher.

"I guess…" Fred mumbled as he wolfed the school's meaty sausage pizza.

"Anyway, why did you ask me about Flare? Do you like her or something?" Jimmy unwrapped his custom-made hoagie sandwich before taking a huge bite out of it.

"You could say that…" Fred simply replied.

"Well, I hate to break it to you, but she's not one of us…" Jimmy took a napkin and wiped the bread crumbs around his mouth off of his face.

"What do you mean, not one of us?" Fred shot his friend a strange look.

"Fred, no offense, but I've been with the in-crowd for a long time. And there are certain rules if you want to stay in. One of those rules includes only dating someone from your own group, in this case "The in-crowd". Anyone else could damage your rep." Jimmy informed Fred before chugging down half of his Snapple fruit punch drink.

"Oh…" Fred quickly stuffed his face with a handful of fries to shut himself up. He felt so stupid for asking a dumb question like that.

"Fred, you don't have to be ashamed for asking a question like that." Jimmy comforted his friend, as if he could read minds. Fred looked up at his friend.

"It's the price for being with the In-crowd. Not only do you being to lose the friends you once had, but you are forced to stay in the game and you lose respect for yourself. But they'll do anything to stay in the spotlight, fifteen minutes of fame just isn't enough for them…" His expression began to soften, and his eyes grew a bit misty, like he was remembering something that happened a long time ago.

A long silence hung over the lunch table where they were sitting. Finally, Jimmy broke the awkward silence. "Listen, sorry about that. I-I need to go to the Media Center and finish typing up a paper I need to turn in for Mrs. Webster for English next period. See ya later…"

Watching Jimmy toss away his trash and exiting the lunchroom made Fred wonder if the same thing happened to him. If Jimmy had a friend he could tell anything to and play games with all the time till he began to hang out with the popular kids more than with his real friends. Eventually, he had to choose one or the other, and wanting to stay in the spotlight, he chose to stay with the in crowd. But it seems as if he regrets the whole decision.

Fred sighed; it was the price of fame. He wanted to be popular, he wanted to be cool, and he wanted to be the one that girls worshiped.

He got what he wanted alright, but for a very expensive price.

A/N: Well, I really don't have anything to say about this chapter, since its still a little slow. But the story's going to pick up afterwards. Reviews and constructive criticism are welcomed.