Amber Ensley

A/N: Yes, people, shoot me, I know I deserve it. I made you guys wait over two weeks before I updated. But before you murder me please allow me to gravel at your feet. I was in a major slump after updating chapter three because of personal crap and not to mention I had the classic case of writer's block, but then after I regained my awesomness period my internet went retarded and I haven't been able to get online to update. But after having a better week and writing down every single idea, I've so got this story in control and I can't wait for you guys to read the later chapters because I know you'll love it (especially all those Quogan and Choey fans hint hint). Thank you so much, all of you, who have reviewed for the last chapter, and the new faces I've seen that added me to alerts. Seriously, you guys drive me to write this and I loooove you guys for it. I also want to thank those anonymous people that don't review but still read, even yous that don't have an account and still review and keep in touch. I used to do that before I had my account, and I appreciate you people so much! LOVE YOU!! I've also watched every single episode of Zoey 101 I have recorded including Chasing Zoey and I have now every character perfectly pictured in my mind. Has anyone ever noticed how Derek from Life with Derek reminds you A LOT of Logan? Looks AND personality. Maybe they're related in some alternate universe. Anywho, I don't know what else to drabble about randomly so here's chapter four!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Zoey 101, but if I did… (Smiles maniacally) let's just say there would be a very shirtless Matthew Underwood and a tub filled with chocolate pudding…yeah…pudding… :)

James paced back and forth in his dorm room nervously cracking his knuckles. He was so lost in thought; he didn't realize he was cracking his knuckles until he glanced down. He stopped, remembering his father's hatred of his knuckle-cracking habit. But gosh, he was so flustered, he had to disobey his father's wishes and crack like he's never cracked before.

Why exactly did Jeremiah Trotman have to put him on the air like that? He's been back to PCA for only thirteen hours and hadn't even decided where he wanted to post his racecar poster; did Jeremiah really think he was ready to be broadcasted to the entire student body? He remembered last night after he greeted him, he kept on complaining about lack of an opener for the Saturday News Report, but he honestly did not think he would force him to make an appearance. Well, yeah, he really did like that because of him being on the news he got the single bed, but was it really worth the attention and possible embarrassment? What seriously bothered him the most about everyone knowing he was back so soon was that everyone knew he was back, a Michael, a Logan, a Quinn, a Lola, and a Zoey included. Did they want him back? Did they miss him? Did they even remember him?

He shook his head out of it and sat down on his bed. He tried not to think of it; he didn't want to think of it. What would he do if he did find out that his old friends—friends that he became attached to a lot more than he planned—didn't think of him in the same way? Never in his life did he meet such people with a…vast array of character. They made him laugh, frustrated, and even made him shake his head in wonder on many an occasion. People like that were priceless, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he felt worthless to them.

His mind then shifted to spite. If that's the way they really felt, then why did he care? Why was he sitting here feeling like an idiot? Why was he working himself up so much? Why was…why was his butt feeling extremely uncomfortable? He stood up to inspect his bed for the cause of his butt-hurt. His heart did the familiar increasing-of-the-beating when he once again laid eyes on Zoey's necklace—well his necklace intended for Zoey—resting on his blanket. He picked it up and let it rest in his palm.

"Why are you hear—again?" He then remembered he fell asleep with it in his hand trying to figure out that exact same question. The more he held the necklace, the more he wondered why he was holding the necklace. Seriously, why? Was it fate, irony, or a really weird coincidence that he found the necklace by bumping into Zoey's new boyfriend? Obviously Chase didn't know that the necklace was in Zoey's old purse. Was this some kind of message about their relationship or something? Did Zoey keep the necklace on purpose? Did she want Chase to find out?

No, No, he thought, Stop jumping to conclusions, James. Remember what Grandma used to tell you: curiosity killed the cat. He cleared his mind and finally set the necklace down on the dresser. It was none of his business. Well, sure, he bought her the necklace with all of his savings as a way of declaring his love for her only to be dumped less than two days later, but it wasn't his business what Zoey's intentions were with it. It was hers now, after all. Even though his romantic feelings for Zoey melted away during the summer, he still really cared for her as a friend, and didn't like the feeling of invading her privacy. So, with that in mind he would just find her, tell her exactly what happened, give her back the necklace, and hopefully prevent any confusions or altercations.

Yeah, easier said than done

He was about to grab the necklace and begin his search for Zoey, but was stopped when he heard the knock on the door.

"Excuse me," the feminine voice called from the other side of the door. "I'm looking for James, James Garret. Is he in here?"

A very thrown off guard James fumbled with the necklace until he decided to put it—once again—in his right pocket. He walked toward the door and tuned the knob.

"Yes, I am—Zoey?"

"One light mocha-chino twist for you, ma'am" Logan offered his girlfriend the steamy cup of coffee after lying down on the grass under a very shady tree.

"Aw, thanks baby," Quinn gladly accepted, putting her book of "Bronsted and Lowry: Acidic and Basic Principles" to the side. She was about to take a sip when she was stopped by Logan's hand.

"Nuh-uh," he objected, "I just don't give away mocha-chino coffees for free. Pay up, Pensky."

Quinn gave him a raise of the eyebrow followed by the annoyed eye roll. Of course, this was Logan Reese she was dealing with. On few occasions he made random generous gestures without expecting something in return. But in no way was she offended; she knew exactly what payment he was hoping for, and she was more than happy to comply. She gave him a very tempting smile then leaned forward, gently locking her lips with his.

Logan smiled against her lips, accepting the kiss gladly. A simple kiss from Quinn was better than money any day, and that meant a lot considering he was born filthy rich. With one elbow against the grass propping him up, he took his free hand and gently tucked a stray curl behind her ear, then returning to awe at how soft her pale little cheek was. Seriously, he never saw anyone—well besides himself—with such a clear perfect face, like a porcelain doll. Maybe she used one of her weird Quinnventions to get rid of all her acne or something, but whatever it was just made her look more beautiful in his eyes, which was getting pretty scary, because she was beginning to be a lot more beautiful than himself. The scariest part was that Logan didn't really care. For once he didn't care if someone was more beautiful than him, because Quinn deserved it.

She deserved everything.

Which was why he was going to ask her to marry him!

"Quinn, he said suddenly, "will you marry me?"

Okay, people, no, he's not really gonna do that, but for some reason that seemed the direction to go. Well, it made me laugh! Talk about a comedy relief. Anyway, so just scratch those last two sentences and get on with the main story…now!

"You know," he said once they parted, "you're really beautiful…really."

Quinn blinked, and now those smooth, porcelain cheeks were visibly turning red. There weren't many times Logan replaced the word "hot" with "beautiful", and out of all times, he picks now to throw her off guard with that complement. His uncanny ability to be completely random threw her off too many times, yet never ceased to make her heart explode. She replied by just giving him a warm smile and took a drink from her coffee. Logan smirked at her reaction and lied back down on the grass near her feet with a very satisfied smile. I never fail at being awesome, he thought.

Moments slowly passed and the two just rested, Logan staring up at the sky watching the clouds past and trying to find the shapes that they made (Celsius clouds or whatever…), and Quinn flipping the pages of her book every forty-five seconds. Occasionally she'd peek from under the cover and silently laugh at how adorable Logan looked, murmuring words such as "that's a toaster," and "that one's a raccoon," and "that's definitely a pear…or a fat person with no legs." This so reminded her of last year, when their feelings for each other first began. They'd always have to meet in private, and when they did meet—say at night or on the beach—they would just sit and be silent for a while. Passion and love would be radiating from the both of them—both could clearly feel the mutual connection—but didn't truly speak of it because it was so hard to explain, and they didn't want to take the risk of completely screwing up their words. Even Quinn couldn't explain it. That certainly made her snort in the irony. The girl with over 100,000 words in her vocabulary couldn't even begin to articulate how deep her emotions were for the stupid boy at her feet, the reasons he made her smile, the annoying and uncontrollable way he made her heart beat at saying simple things like "you're really beautiful…really". Not one word in that vast collection of words in her brain could match that.

For once in her life, science and reason failed.

But because it was Logan, she really didn't mind at all…much.

About a moment later, Logan got tired of the identification of cloud shapes and turned to face Quinn, resting his head on her knees.

"Babyyy," he whined, "I'm booored."

Quinn turned another page of her book, entering the chapter of "The Accepting of Acids". "Uh huh."

Logan rolled his eyes and grabbed her book. Before Quinn had the time to object he closed the pages and tossed it behind his back.

"Hey!"

"You deserved that. Reading? Seriously, no. Now what you should do is focus more on me and my boredom instead of reading a chemistry book on a Saturday."

Quinn released a deep sigh. A part of her knew she could easily nerve pinch him and steal her book bag, but then again she was almost done with it anyway. Besides, whenever Logan complained saying he was bored, she knew exactly what he meant. Too bad for him she wasn't going to give him what he wanted this time. Let's make him suffer a bit for taking her book.

"You bored?" The hand she had placed on the ground balled tightly to pull some grass from its resting place. She opened his hand and let the blades fall. "Here, play with these. With the right imagination these can qualify for hours of entertainment."

Logan gave her a hard glare then switched his gaze to his hand. What was he going to do with this? Obviously he couldn't make out with grass. He was about to just shake them out of his hand when his mind came up with a fun and brilliant idea. He raised his hand and shook out the blades of grass on top of Quinn's head. The surprised/angered look on her face was so cute and humorous to him.

"You're right," he smirked, "this is entertaining." He then pulled more grass from the ground and flung them at her. Quinn glared and was about to open her mouth to verbally express her frustration, but took a different route when she noticed the billions of ammo around her. She pulled some grass from the ground and threw some right back in Logan's face.

"Hey! Watch the hair!"

Quinn stuck her tongue out tauntingly and fed his face with more grass. Logan glowered and sucked his teeth as he crossed his arms. Quinn was about to give up and hit him with a "lighten up you big baby," but to her surprise he had her pinned to the ground in a blink of an eye, shaking out all the grass he had on his body and transferring it to her. A smirk accompanied his sense of dominance, but he was cut short as Quinn used her own strength to push him to the ground. Before the two knew it, they were wrestling each other, engaged in a full out grass-war (poor Mother Nature). Logan clutched tightly at her waist, pulling her on top of him; Quinn beat forcefully on his back, laughter always escaping her mouth. Soon the grass was forgotten and the two just enjoyed mercilessly beating each other (I swear, if this stupid computer tells me "eachother" is not correct one more time...! Seriously, look at it; doesn't it look correct, even if it isn't?) to a pulp. Without even realizing it, Logan's boredom melted away, replaced with arousal. In the midst of Quinn's laughter, he snaked his hands around her waist and hovered on top of her slowly reaching her hands and pinning them to her side. He tucked his head underneath her chin, giving her small kisses down her neck. Quinn's laughter started to die down once she realized what he was really up to, and like always when he kissed her or touched her, her heart beat heavily against her chest. His lips were so soft, which made his kisses so sweet and tender, and she could never stop herself from wanting more. So, like the mindless passionate schoolgirl Logan managed to turn her into, she reached down to kiss those soft lips of his.

Logan's insides burned as Quinn snuck her hands away from her side and held his cheeks together, giving back as much—if not more—force on the kiss as he did. Oh, how he loved the way she would kiss him and show how much she wanted him. Not only did it boost his ego up a notch, but it only proved that he wasn't the only one crazy in love, that she felt the passion just as much as he did and loved it just as much as he did (him admitting just how crazy in love, however, was an entirely different story that will probably NEVER be told—after all, it's still Logan). After about 85 years, their bodies called for something else: oxygen. They pulled apart abruptly, and at the same time a phone went off between them.

"Is that my phone vibrating or am I just really happy right now?" Logan asked very seductively, staring deep into her chocolate eyes. Yeah, he loved doing that, too. Quinn blushed ferociously at what he was inclining and pushed him off of her.

"N-no, stupid, that's my phone."

"Oh, so you're the one that's really happy right now. Well, I wouldn't blame you." He slipped her a suggestive smile but was greeted with more grass in his face. Quinn rolled her eyes, her blush starting to disappear, and dug in her pocket for her phone. She looked at the lighted screen which read NEW TXT MSG. Thinking it was probably from Zoey or Lola, she pressed a button to read the message.

NEW TXT

--

Quinn, I'm in the courtyard. I need help with your floor plan: doesn't make sense. Thanks.

--

Received: 12: 23 PM

From: Mark

Logan brushed off his face and shoulders and flashed a very questioning brow at Quinn. The way her eyes furrowed as she read the message bothered him.

"Who's that?" he asked.

Quinn bit her lip in nervousness, afraid of Logan's reaction when he found out that Mark wanted to steal her away for help on their project. "Um…you're bestest buddy in the whole wide world?"

"Unless it's Chase or Michael, I highly doubt that's who texted you."

Quinn looked back and forth between her phone and Logan, wondering if she should ignore Mark's call and stay with her boyfriend. She was about to decide with the latter when all of a sudden it struck her. This was her science project that was in need. Just because her ex-boyfriend was her partner did not mean she should her neglect her responsibilities as a scientist. She did not want her future A + project in jeopardy. Logan would understand, and even if he didn't she would go anyway.

"Okay, okay, it's Mark."

"Mark?" The fact that he was repeating his name didn't help much since he understood her words perfectly. What a surprise! Mark wanted help from Quinn! Now—once again when everything was perfect, when he was enjoying the company of his beautiful girlfriend—Mark came begging for her attention. He was really beginning to rethink this whole "being okay with the ex-boyfriend" thing.

"Yes, Mark," Quinn continued. "My floor plans don't make sense to him. I need to assist him in working out some schematics."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! I don't like the sound of you two schemating anything!"

Quinn rolled her eyes. "Logan, a schematic is a diagram or illustration."

Logan paused. "Oh…well like that makes it any better."

Quinn's frustration quickly dwindled and was replaced with humor as she saw his anger for what it really was. "Aw, you're jealous aren't you?"

Logan paused, thrown off by her words. How could she even suggest such a thing? "Me? Jealous? Babe, do you know who you're talking to? Logan Reese is not jealous of anyone, and that's a fact."

In the short distance, Quinn could spot Chase walking toward them. She smiled; this would be the perfect opportunity to prove her point.

"Hey, peoples," Chase greeted as he approached them. "Say, have you guys seen Zoey around? I have to talk to her about something."

"Nope," answered Quinn, "not since this morning, but do you think Logan is jealous of Mark?"

Chase answered without trouble. "Yeah, totally."

Logan dropped his jaw. "Dude!"

"Well, anyway, I'm gonna go look some more, see ya."

"Bye Chase," Quinn then turned back to Logan with an I-told-you-so smile plastered on her face.

"Oh, come on, like you're going to believe Chase—the same guy that believes Elvis donated a kidney to his great grandfather."

"I don't know; you do show all the symptoms of an irrationally jealous boyfriend."

"Hey! I had all my servings of fruits so far."

Quinn could have ruined his attempt at defending himself by saying that irrational did not mean poor food portions, but she decided to let him keep his false sense of security. "C'mon, Logan, I just can't reject my project—"

"Why can't you?"

There was a deadly silence before Quinn spoke. "You seriously did not just ask me that."

Logan saw the killing sting in her eyes and decided against commenting on that. "Okay, okay, obviously I wouldn't stop you from working on your project seeing as how I treasure my life and don't want to die, but all I'm saying is just take a little break."

"Yeah," she snorted, "coming from the individual that hasn't even started his project."

"Which secretly joys you," he countered. "Just face it; you love that I haven't worked with Mandy yet. Ha. Not so tough when the cat's in the other foot, now are you?" (Hey, if it makes sense to Logan then it makes sense to everybody)

"Logan, Logan, Logan, my naïve little Logan, I'll admit, thinking about you two working together bugs me to an extent, but I wouldn't want you completely ignoring your assignment. We all know you need the grade."

"…So you're fine with it?" Part of Logan didn't believe it, but then again, she was the more mature one in the relationship.

"You two working together on your project, yes. On the impression you'll have with her…well…" her voice trailed off.

Logan was confused with her change of tone. "What do you mean?"

Quinn pinched his cheeks. "Aw, your oblivion is cute."

"Huh?"

"Oh, come on Logan, we both know your ability to flirt with any female you come in contact with. It's like, subconscious with you."

"Okay, one, I don't know what subconscious means so I won't reply to that part of your sentence, and two, I do not flirt with every girl I talk to."

"Well, then my senses must be malfunctioning cause that's the vibe I seem to be picking up every time."

"Well recheck your vibes because it won't happen."

Quinn thought for a bit, looking into his eyes. They were square and determined—not to mention that beautiful shade of brown that she loved. Maybe she should give him the benefit of the doubt.

"So," she clarified, "if I were to see you two working on your project together, you wouldn't be flipping your hair, half-smiling mysteriously in her direction, or send a suggestive remark her way?"

"Of course; these gorgeous eyes only seek after one girl." He winked and reached for Quinn's chin, locking her in a sweet kiss—quick, but sweet all the same. When they released, Quinn smiled. No matter what tiny doubt she had in the back of her mind, her love for him definitely surpassed it. "Okay, now I'm gonna go help Mark, and I'll be back in a jiff. Love you!"

Logan was about to protest about her abrupt departure, but was halted by Quinn's light peck on the cheek and her already walking off. A part of him couldn't help but think he got rejected as she went off with DelFigello, but he put that part to rest and relaxed under the shady tree. He spotted Quinn's forgotten book not too far away and reached for it. He curiously scanned the pages. His eyes landed on one passage and began reading silently to himself.

"According to the theory of Bronsted and Lowry, in order for a compound to be identified as an acid, it must donate a hydrogen atom to its conjugate base. Oh my gosh, I actually get this. Curse Uncle Donny for making me knowledgeable!"

"Ooh, Chemistry. I have to admit, I'm kind of surprised."

Logan stopped reading. Something told him that voice didn't belong to his Quinn or any other of his female friends. Cautiously, he set the book down on his lap.

A smiling face with a pink wad of gum in between its teeth immediately caught his attention. "Hi Logan"

"Hey…Mandy…" For this situation, he did not need to dig in his memory to recognize the familiar face; after all, she was the subject of his mini-quarrel with Quinn only moments ago. What he couldn't recognize was her reason to be here. Well, then again, she was his project partner, maybe that was why—but on a Saturday? She definitely wasn't the type of girl to dive into academic assignments. As a matter of fact, she scored a 17 on their last Physics test, while he scored a 69. For once in his life, there was actually someone more stupid than him. Hey, maybe she needed the grade and needed to start early, but regardless, he had to keep his guard up, not wanting to prove Quinn right.

"Well, you don't sound very happy to see me, and usually everybody is happy to see me." She twirled her black painted fingernail around that bleach blonde hair.

"No, it just surprised me to have you talk to me, that's all."

"I wouldn't be so surprised if I were you. We're project partners right? And besides, you are a very special guy."

Logan smirked, but as soon as he realized he was doing that "responding-flirtatiously" thing, he straightened his face and leveled his tone. "Um, special you say?"

"Yeah, one, you're dad is Malcolm Reese, that billionaire movie producer who's probably worth like a fortune, and two, you're like on every single sports team at PCA. That's incredibly special, if you ask me."

Logan covered his mouth inconspicuously stifling a smile (wait, can you stifle a smile). Man, did he love his complements, but Quinn's voice just kept ringing in his ear. He didn't want to lead Mandy on, so he tried to direct the conversation elsewhere. "Thanks. So, um, what's up? I mean, did you want something?"

"Man do you sound hasty. Do you not want me here?" She purposely pouted her bottom lip as she said her last words.

Logan fidgeted. What was he supposed to say? Yeah, see my girlfriend probably hates your guts and it's pretty clear to the whole world you're trying to flirt with me so to save my butt from a potential laser thrashing, I'm gonna have to tell you to go away. Yeah, right. "No, no, of course not…"

"Good." Mandy—clearly not getting the message—popped some of her gum and sat down directly across from Logan. He internally groaned. "So, about this project thing—"

That's not so bad, Logan thought. Maybe she is actually into this Physics thing. See that, Quinn, I got this. And you're all worried for nothin'.

"—See I have absolutely no idea what we're supposed to do."

"You're not the only one. Stupid Mr. Poprocksi" Logan had to agree with that.

"That's great!"

"Really?"

"Yeah, see since both of us have no idea what we're supposed to do, that makes more time for us to work together, if you catch my drift." She slowly began tracing tiny circles on his exposed calf, smiling straight into his eyes.

Logan gulped. Of course he caught her drift; he used to use that line a thousand times on girls. Maybe he spoke too soon. He didn't know how the conversation directed back to this flirtation thing, but he had to get it back to elsewhere and fast. In a panic, he blurted out the one thing he could think of. "I have a girlfriend!" He mentally slapped himself.

Mandy was caught off guard, and he noticed how her face dropped a bit. "Yeah, um, Linn, right?"

"Quinn. Quinn Pensky."

"…Oh…well, she's cool, I guess."

Logan was confused—what was she suggesting? "What does that mean?"

She held nothing back. "Oh Logan, we both know your reputation with girls, almost as good as mine with guys. You having an official girlfriend is sweet and all, but you can be honest with me, we both know this whole thing with…Quinn…won't last long. You're a player, and you need someone who'll make you honor that title. Someone like—" she was cut off by the sound of her cell phone ringing and reached in her bra to answer it.

Logan was so gabberflasted—no wait…flabbergasted—he couldn't manage to say a thing. Was this…was this what she thought? Was this what others thought? That his relationship with Quinn was just another fling?

Before Logan could object to her words, she closed her phone and smiled before leaning in closer to him. Logan backed his head away as far as he could before the tree blocked his escape. Crap.

"Well, I gotta go, but don't worry, we'll get this project thing figured out eventually. In the meantime…" She tilted her head so her lips were only an inch away from his ear. Logan gulped. "Go away" is what he wanted to say, but for some reason there was a stubborn lump in his throat that wouldn't go away no matter how hard he swallowed. Crap.

"Say hi to your girlfriend for me." She smirked as she pulled away and rose to her feet, making sure she swayed her hips perfectly as she strutted away, fingers twirling that bleach blonde hair.

"W-what?" as if Logan wasn't more confused, he turned his head to his left to see why she made that comment, but as soon as he saw the fuming figure approach him, he wished he hadn't. Quinn, with nostrils flaring, hands on her hips and her foot mercilessly tapping into the ground, gave him the most sinister glare and inched closer to him. Logan knew he should run—he could see the ankle laser under her jeans—but his feet immobilized and wouldn't move. Crap.

"So, Mr. I-Don't-Flirt-With-Every-Girl-I-Talk-To, what was that about?"

"Uh…um…well…she…" what was Logan supposed to say? She was just telling me how into me she is and how I should dump you and stuff, but you know nothing major. Yeah, right. It's not like he agreed with a thing she said, it's not like he advanced her in any way, so why does he need to tell her? All it would do is hurt her, and bring up doubts in her head that weren't at all true.

Quinn sensed his trouble and it only made her worried/infuriated more. What was he hiding? "Uh…um…well…I don't like the sound of my name coming out of her mouth. Why was she talking about me, Logan?" She was trying very hard to control her tone, but anger still slipped through her teeth.

"Well…she…just wanted to…say what an awesome and beautiful girlfriend I have."

Quinn didn't believe that for a second, which only gave her more proof that he was hiding something—and the fact that he was hiding something only sent more hurt to her heart. Didn't he just get through assuring her that he was going to make sure nothing went on between them? She was only gone for what—one minute, two minutes top, and return to see that blonde skanky temptress whispering things about her in his ear. Was he that entranced that he didn't even realize she was standing only five feet away from him and could here those last words perfectly?

"Right. Well why your trying to conduct ways to save your lying butt from the pain I so want to inflict on you, say hi to the trashcan for me."

"Huh?"

Without warning she drove her foot in his side and pushed him with as much force as she could down the hill. She set her jaw and grabbed her book to stomp away, just as Logan's head hit the trashcan at the bottom of the hill causing it to fall on top of him—along with all of its trashy goodness. Crap.

"Yes I am—Zoey?"

Zoey gave her famous welcoming smile as James stared at her, mouth agape. "Really, because last time I checked I was Zoey and you were James."

He quickly realized his ridiculous expression and shook out of it. "Well," he managed to find something witty to say, "I guess you're right, because according to the name stitched into my underwear I am James."

"So, James, are you going to let me in so we can talk or make me stand here in the hallway like an idiot?"

"Oh trust me," he murmured not intending for her to hear, "you're not the one that feels like an idiot right now," which was true. He was the one fidgeting with his feet and babbling about meaningless underwear while she seemed calm and collected—like the Zoey he remembered. Without realizing it, he smiled at the thought. She still had that humor and personality he loved. Maybe giving her the necklace and explaining what happened wouldn't be as hard as he made it seem. It would be just like before, just like when they were friends. Good.

He stepped aside and motioned for Zoey to enter. She gave him a quick smile and walked in—hands carefully in the back pockets of her shorts. As her head was turned from his face, however, that smile faded as she nervously bit his lip. He was anxious about something, and knowing he was anxious made her anxious. Friends aren't anxious around friends. She knew James, and she knew the way he acted when he had to tell her something, something important. She so had to stop him before he did—after all, wasn't that her entire purpose for coming here?

"So," she decided to begin with casual conversation, "is the single yours? I recognize your bag on the mattress."

"Uh, yeah," James also thought the gentle conversation was a good distraction from the necklace in his right pocket. "Jeremiah was cool enough to let me have it."

"PCA's own Jeremiah Trotman as a roomy, huh? What's that like—besides getting a free public announcement on the Saturday news—?"

"Well, it's not that bad—sometimes—but it's only been one day so I can't really tell."

"Oh, so who's your other roommate?"

"Do you know Tristan Clark?"

Zoey thought for a moment then nodded as she began to remember. "…Isn't he the member of the swim team that got academic suspension for a week for running across the football field on the night of the North Shores game in a Speedo?"

"Ding ding ding! That was hilarious, but don't ask him to retell the story or he'll get extremely aggravated."

"Okay, I won't mention a thing to Speedo Boy."

"Great. Oh, and don't call him Speedo Boy. He hates that, too."

"Man?"

"No."

"Lad?"

"Nope, tried it."

"How about Dude?"

"Hm...Speedo Dude. Hey, that's kinda catchy."

They both engaged in a comfortable laugh—what a great way to ease the tension they were feeling. However, Tristan the Speedo Dude eventually became a weak topic and the laughter died down, replaced with silence and (of course) awkwardness. James scratched the back of his head and Zoey bit her lip, both not sure how to form their next sentence. They had very important things to say, but neither knew how to start.

"So I have—"

"So I need—"

They stopped when they realized they interrupted each other. A chuckle was released before it was silent again. Zoey was the first to finally speak.

"You go first," she said, but as soon as she said it she regretted it. What if this was when he was going to admit his never-ending love for her—or something along that line—?

"No, I think you should go first," he offered, but as soon as he said it he regretted it. He had the necklace in his pocket literally one inch away from his hand. She came to him—for whatever reason—and this was the perfect opportunity to return it and set things straight. Why didn't he? Darn him and his politeness.

"Okay," Zoey didn't hesitate and snatched the opportunity, "Well, it's great to have you back."

"Really?" That wasn't what he expected her to say. She hesitated over that?

"Yeah, James, I mean you were and awesome person and we all love you." She paused, sighed, and continued talking. "I…I know things didn't work out between us…but there's something about that I want to talk about."

"What?" Now James really wasn't expecting her to say that. How did this conversation lead to their broken relationship so fast? If this was what she wanted to talk about, what else was on her mind that could possibly make her bring that up? And why did the necklace suddenly feel it gained ten pounds?

"Well…I've been avoiding this for a long while because you were gone, but now that you're back there's really no use trying to anymore…"

James' pulse quickened with each word that escaped from Zoey's lips.

"…The way you left, I didn't want it to end that way—so abruptly. You're such an amazing guy, and your so special to me, but—wait, I just realized how rude I've been; how is your grandfather, after all that is why you left."

James couldn't believe what he was hearing. In that same instant, every careful word he planned on telling her completely crashed down on him. His head began spinning in shock and confusion. What Zoey was saying…it was so weird yet surprising and…and unexpected. Did she really…? Man, was he flustered. It took him a minute to realize her completely off topic question about his grandfather.

"He's… Zoey, what exactly are you saying?"

Zoey took a deep breath. She didn't want to hurt his feelings with the classic let's-just-be-friends, but she wasn't clear last time and she needed to be. Stop beating around the bush, she repeated in her head. "I'm saying that I—"

"Zoey? What are you doing here? With…James?"

Both heard that oh-so familiar voice that jolted them out of their deep conversation and turned to unfortunately discover a confused Chase standing in the doorway.

"Chase!" Zoey blurted out and shot a quick and cautious glance at James before turning back. "What are you doing here?"

"I was about to head to my dorm for my cell to call you. I've been looking for you—hey! I asked you first."

"I was…" what was she supposed to say? I think James is still in love with me so I came here without talking to you first in hopes of talking him out of it. Yeah, right. (Oh, I love doing that!) She knew Chase, and that would only make him worry a thousand times more.

"She was on her way looking for you when she saw me through my open door. I asked her in so we could catch up, that's all." James was always good at taking the position of covering up bad situations.

Despite her current state of confusion, Zoey quickly caught on. "Right! I wanted to see if you wanted to go to Sushi Rox with me. I hear Kazu has put a new meal on the menu and I thought you'd like to try it out."

"Okay…" There was something about that explanation that didn't sit right with him. Wasn't it just a bit ironic that he's been looking for her all day to tell her about James, and when he found her, she's standing inches away from him in his dorm room? But…he loved sushi and knew Zoey would never lie so he through his suspicions out the window—for now. Besides, that feeling was replaced with disappointment as he saw the two standing next to each other in front of him. Obviously his plan of sitting her down and telling her that he ran into James was completely ruined. Wait, did he already tell her about their run in? Would Zoey be mad that he kept it from her? Nervousness and guilt began to course through him.

"So," he started, "I guess you already know that we bumped into each other last night, huh?"

"You two bumped into each other?" That definitely surprised Zoey. She shifted glances from Chase to James, James to Chase, and so on. Now that she thought about it, it was strange that he recognized him when he's never seen his face before. Okay, so from what she could articulate from her emotions she was relieved, angered, and terrified: relieved because she no longer had to deal with the trouble of telling Chase that he was back, angered because neither of the boys told her about their little meeting, and terrified because she had no idea if they talked or what their impression were on each other.

"Yeah," James once again explained the situation as if it were his job, "I was coming from Ms. Bervich's office and looking for my new dorm and Chase was coming toward my direction. I had all these bags…I guess I couldn't see where I was going very well and crash. I'm pretty sure you can imagine the mental picture."

"No, dude, it was totally my fault. I was rushing to deliver my purse—well, not my purse—"

"Yeah, right, sure," assured James.

"—and I was running so blindly that I didn't watch were I was going, or who was in front of me."

"Well, I say it's my fault, you say it's yours. Let's just agree to disagree, okay?"

"Cool with me."

Zoey's mouth hung open and she occasionally shook her mouth in bewilderment. She couldn't believe what she was seeing: Chase, her current boyfriend, and James, her ex-boyfriend, were not only conversing, but conversing in a friendly manner. The rage, the awkwardness, the bloody noses and clenched fists, all that she imagined in her head were not there. She was either extremely lucky or in an alternate universe. Hm…she wondered which one was it?

"Wow, first the morning announcements, and now this," commented Zoey.

"Wait—what about the morning announcements?" This was something Chase didn't catch.

"Jeremiah Trotman put me on the PCA news this morning. Yeah, he had trouble with an opener so for some reason he thought I was the perfect fit."

"So…everyone knows you're back?" So much for being the first to know

"Everyone who was listening to the news," said Zoey. She still couldn't believe Chase was taking this so well. Maybe she was just extremely lucky. Well, she didn't want to push that luck so she thought of something quickly to get him out of here. She knew she still needed to talk to James, but for now it could wait. "So, now that we've all reacquainted, how about that sushi, Chase?" She walked toward her boyfriend and hooked her arm around his. Hopefully that'll make him feel less suspicious.

"O…kay," obeyed Chase. He couldn't help but feel Zoey was rushing him, that she wanted to leave. He glanced back at James who was rocking back and forth from his right leg. Was there something more going on? No…he had to suppress down his stupid suspicions. It could be awkward for any girl to be in the same room with her ex. Knowing Zoey, she probably just didn't want to admit it. The couple turned and headed for the door before Chase stopped in his tracks. His manners over took him. "Hey, James, you're glad to come with us if you want."

Zoey slapped her head against her palm. Great.

James wasn't an idiot. As nice as Chase's offer was, he could sense it was out of pity or a sense of obligation or something. Besides, he could clearly see Zoey's troubled expression behind his shoulder. After what she just (almost) told him, it would be best if he wasn't near Chase right now. "No, that's okay. I got a racecar poster with no place to go. Maybe I'll check you guys later."

"Alright, let's go, Zoey." He wrapped an arm around her waist and began walking out the door. Zoey complied, but gave a last glance over her shoulder at James before disappearing from his sight.

That was…completely not awkward at all, he thought. He ran a hand through his hair and puffed out an exasperated sigh. Great, so much for his plan. Everything completely backfired on him. She was right there—right there—and instead of giving back the necklace, he stood there like an idiot as she…told him some very interesting things instead. His mind rewound back to her words.

…The way you left, I didn't want it to end that way—so abruptly. You're such an amazing guy, and you're so special to me…

He knew he shouldn't overreact or overanalyze, but there was no way he could get past what he was thinking. He reached in his pocket and let the necklace dangle from his fingers.

"Zoey's still in love with me…"

A/N: Woah, wasn't expecting that now were you? Hehehe I love the ChaseXZoeyXJames confusion. I wonder what's gonna happen…hmm… I just love writing for Mandy; she's so…devilish. I never act like that so writing that type of personality is so fun! Poor Quinn. I wish I could say this is the climax of their problems but I can't because it's not! Let's just say it's not a smooth ride from here. And once again I want to apologize for my crappy internet!! So, since I have nothing else to allude to because I want to keep up the suspense. Hm, I'm bored now. Lalalalala… Oops! I almost forgot:

Z101 Trivia Moment Woo!: Last week, Jamie Lynn Spears gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, yay! What is the name of her daughter? (I so love this name!) Remember, the first person to review with the correct answer gets a clue as to what happens in later chapters. Okay, gotta go, but I luvya!