Disclaimer: I do not own any Glee/Glee Project character. Yet.

What was wrong with him? Cameron was beginning to feel like he was losing his mind. He willed his gaze to remain on his redheaded friend. And yet he couldn't keep his thoughts from those few seconds when his eyes had locked with Damian's. He had had to make sure, and it was true – they still affected him just as much as the first time he saw them.

Lunch ended faster than he expected. As the group split up, he looked around, hoping to see them one more time; but the Irish boy had already turned his back to him, walking with Hannah out the cafeteria doors. Soon Cameron was the only one left, standing there with a bit of a pit in his stomach.

"Hey there, stranger? Whatcha standing around here for?"

Surprised, Cameron turned to see a beautiful girl with long, wavy blonde hair and hazel eyes standing a few feet away.

"Macy!"

She smiled a sweet smile. Walking forward, he wrapped his arms around the girl, feeling her do the same. He gave her a squeeze, sighing into her soft hair. Somehow, he was unusually grateful to see her today. Unusually grateful for this. He needed this warmth, this reassurance, to bring him back to his senses.

"Sooo…" She pulled back slightly to look him in the eyes. "Feel like taking a walk before 6th?"

Cameron met her gaze, before suddenly finding himself having to fake a smile. It had been days since they last saw each other. Shouldn't there be more of a spark? Warmth yes, but the lack of sparks left him feeling disconcerted. He pulled himself together.

"Sure. Sounds good."

Macy's smile widened, and, grabbing his arm, she led him out the back doors and into the cool Ohio air.

The next few days passed in a similar fashion for Damian. He caught up on a lot of his classwork (with a lot of help from his friends), got to know the group a bit better, hanging out both in and out of school, and still had to deal with the constant teasing by his classmates. Before he knew it, a week had passed.

He had been hanging out more and more with Hannah and Cameron in particular, going to her house to either work or play video games. Of the group, he could feel himself becoming the closest with those two. They just clicked. And he was surprising himself more and more – he'd never been the type to miss others, and yet he now constantly found himself craving their company. Was this how most people felt about friends?

He hadn't had much one-on-one time with Lindsay since that day. In fact, he noticed more and more over time that she liked to keep to herself. He understood that feeling well. What he didn't understand was the reason behind it.

If she were close to anyone, it would have to be Hannah. Whenever the redhead wasn't hanging out with him and Cameron, she could usually be found with the other girl (even if that wasn't very often). It was this thought that drove him to do something a bit out of character for him.

It was a Thursday afternoon and, as always, Damian and Cameron were hanging out in Hannah's room, playing some old video games. Cameron had just gone to get snacks. Rather abruptly (at least for him), he turned to face the girl.

"Hey, Han? Has Lindsay always been like that?"

Hannah looked at him in surprise. "Like what?"

"Like…" He struggled for a moment with the wording. "She's pretty quiet, isn't she? I mean, besides with you, I never see her talk much. Even in her own house."

The girl sighed, sadness clouding her eyes a bit. "Well… She's never been very popular, but she was always pretty sure of herself. She was also extremely talkative. Back in elementary school and junior high, she was always smiling. She loved to play a crowd – a true actress to the core. Always the lead in the school play. There were a lot of people who didn't like her – they judged her too quickly, too harshly – but she was good at ignoring them. Then we started highschool, and the bullying and shunning just got worse and worse. Before we knew it, she stopped even trying out for plays because of the people there. It was like she just gave up. And also…"

Hannah trailed off for a moment, obviously contemplating. Finally, she continued.

"Back in elementary school, she and this other girl, Marissa, were inseparable. Then I moved here for junior high, and we became a trio. I was sure it was a forever sort of friendship. It felt like that at the time, you know? And then highschool started. Things changed. There was," she hesitated again, "a falling-out between her and Marissa. It was after that that things really seemed to change."

Hannah looked for a moment like she wasn't done speaking, but changed her mind, turning back to the game instead. Damian could tell that was the end of the conversation. At least for now. Cameron arrived moments later with food. They spent the rest of the night eating, talking, and playing mindless games. Before he knew it, the conversation was driven entirely from his mind.

That is, until he returned home that night.

He got back around 11:00, and snuck quietly up the stairs to make sure he didn't wake anybody up. Entering his room, he immediately walked to the bed and collapsed. The day had been exhausting (in many ways) for him. He wanted nothing more than to fall asleep then and there, but he had left the door open.

Groaning, he got to his feet and walked back to the open doorway. Lindsay's room was just across the hall, and, as he reached for the door to close it, he found himself distracted. His thoughts returned to the conversation from earlier on. He couldn't deny his curiosity. He couldn't help it. There was something that interested him about the girl. But, as he closed the door as quietly as possible, he realized it wasn't his place to ask her. After all, it had nothing to do with him. And it was probably a sensitive subject.

He sighed, once again collapsing on the comfy bed. This trip was turning out to be a very interesting one indeed.

"Hey, Marissa? Can I ask you something?"

The two of them sat in the back of Calc. that Friday, talking in hushed voices over their worksheets.

"Yeah, what's up, Damian?"

It was just a guess, but he had to know for sure. After all, he'd only met one Marissa since starting here.

"Did you used to be friends with a girl named Lindsay Pearce?"

"Oh." As quickly as that, the redhead's expression became serious, as well as a little confused. "Why… why do you ask?"

"Lindsay's my cousin. I was talking to Hannah Mcialwain yesterday, and she mentioned something about a girl named Marissa. I just wondered if that was you."

Marissa cast her gaze down to the desk for a moment before raising her eyes to meet his once more. Her expression was somber.

"Yes, that was me. When we were younger, the two of us were really close. But then…" she sighed, "things changed. We changed."

Damian nodded understandingly. He knew, to an extent, what it was like to grow apart from people. Not as if he'd been particularly close to them to begin with, but still.

They spent the rest of the class in silence, but the comfortable kind. They'd reached a silent agreement to drop the subject. It had felt a bit odd, really. They'd only ever discussed school before. Damian, not being very social himself, decided he would rather keep it as simple as that. The only problem now was his curiosity; what sort of falling out could have taken place that would leave Lindsay in such a state?

What was up with him? He never willingly involved himself with other people, and especially not their drama. Yet look at him now. He was acting so out of character recently.

Later that day, as he and Hannah made their way to class, he broached the subject once more.

"Hey, Han?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't mean to push it, but… well, I've got third period with Marissa, and I wound up asking about what happened with her and Lindsay."

Hannah turned to look at him in surprise. Then her expression turned curious.

"What did she say?"

Damian sighed. "Not much, really. Just that things 'changed'."

It was Hannah's turn to sigh. "Look, Damian, truth is I don't even know what happened exactly. Hell, I don't think Marissa understands it completely herself. But," she hesitated, "I do have a bit of a theory."

Damian watched her expectantly as her expression changed. In the end, she gave in, lowering her voice as she continued.

"I told you about how close we were – them especially – back then, right? Up until highschool, that is. Then, early on freshman year, he came into the picture."

"He?"

"His name's Samuel, Sam for short. He was a bit of a loner, but somehow wound up befriending us. He became part of the group. It was all pretty sudden, but he made things a lot more enjoyable." She chuckled. "He was even someone who could keep up with Lindsay, which wasn't that easy back then. He's a musician, you see. They hit it off right away. And then…"

Hannah's expression turned sad again.

"A couple months later, right before semester break, Sam asked Marissa out. I was a bit surprised, I'll admit. So was Lindsay. Her more than me, I'd say. She got quieter. More withdrawn. Then break came and I spent the majority of it visiting family over in New Jersey. When I came back for the next semester…" She frowned, sadness filling her brown eyes. "Something had changed. Sam and 'Rissa were dating, Lindsay was basically a mute, and they were never seen within ten feet of each other. I tried to get it out of them, but neither would tell me what really happened. My guess is that a pretty major fight took place, with Sam as the main subject. I don't blame him, really. But whatever it was broke up our group forever, and nearly cost me my two closest friends."

Damian took all this in, theories rushing, one at a time, through his thoughts. It really gave him a lot to think about. All that, and it only made him more curious. This was getting complicated.

It was then that they realized they were now standing in an empty hallway.

"Shit! We're late for class!"

Personally, this isn't my favorite chapter. I prefer the next. Still, I hope you all enjoy. I promise there'll be more focus on Damian, Cameron, and Dameron, but the Lindsay storyline is also important. I just recently finished a really important chapter (it's gonna be my longest) but that's a ways away.

Anyway, please enjoy, and I promise to post again soon.

And pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease review! I really need the feedback. Also, I'm likely to post sooner if I get a good response.

Thank you.

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