A/N: I know more people are reading and I'd appreciate a review or two!

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Chapter 7: Revenge of The In Crowd

"So," Gene said as he and Stephanie stretched after a rehearsal, "do you want to hit a club tonight? See what's actually happening in the hip hop dance world?"

"That's not really my scene," she shook her head. "And it's definitely not TJ's."

"Ah," he nodded, "the boyfriend, of course." She looked at him. "Who is this guy that you are so dedicated to him?"

"It's kind of a really long and complicated story," she said.

"Try me," he said. "I'm curious."

"OK," she took a deep breath, "I met TJ when I was six, at my parents' funeral. His Uncle is married to my sister and when my parents died, they raised me and my brother. I was dating my last boyfriend, Aaron since I was ten, and it turned out that TJ was in love with me that whole time, but then he got together with my best friend Reese when I realized I was in love with him too so it was kind of too late. Then his older sister ran away and Reese wasn't really there for him, so he broke up with her and we got together. That was three years ago, now we live together. He goes to Columbia."

"What's his major?" Gene asked.

"That's an excellent question," she nodded. He laughed. "He's working on that. What about you? Girlfriend?"

"No," he shook his head.

"Boyfriend?" She tried.

"No," he laughed, "I'm just me." She nodded. "You're really talented Stephanie, but there's something in you that's held back. I don't know if you're afraid of hurting yourself again, or,"

"That's not it," she said. "My ballet teachers said it too," he nodded. "I'll try to let go. There are just parts of me that I don't like to access. Stuff in the basement."

"Your parents?" He said. She looked at him. "You said they died?"

"Yes," she said. "In a car accident, when I was six. But I've had a really good life. My sister is amazing, and,"

"That's not the same as having parents," he said. She looked at him. "I um," he said, "my dad left before I can remember, and my uncle was cool about doing all the dad stuff, but it wasn't the same." She nodded. "So are you coming out or not?"

"I can't," she shook her head. He looked at her. "Really, I want to," she explained, "but I have to hang out with my brother. His girlfriend is in Europe and his best friends just moved to Paris and he's totally depressed."

"Huh," he nodded. "Wait, your last name is Gaffney," she nodded. "Your brother isn't that club owner who's dating Denise Ramsey is he?"

"Yeah, that's Mikey," she laughed. "Anyway, I told him I'd hang out at his place." She stood up and then did a shenae turn. He laughed.

"You really miss dancing," he said. She looked over her shoulder. "I mean, real dancing." She smiled.

"Yeah," she muttered, "I do. After my parents died, ballet was the first thing that made any sense to me." He looked at her. "It's been really hard, losing it. It was almost like losing them all over again."

"I started dancing because my mom didn't have time to drive me and my sister to different activities," he said. She nodded, "and then I was good at it." Stephanie smiled. "It took me three years after I got hurt to even think about doing anything else. And then I joined this dance team at school and it just fit. I still go to ballet sometimes though. You should come to class with me."

"I'll think about it," she nodded and walked out. "See you tomorrow." She sighed and walked down into the street. Mikey was waiting and waved. "Hi," she waved back.

"I was hoping to meet your new boyfriend," he grinned.

"Gene's not my boyfriend," she said, "he's just a dance partner. Where do you want to eat?"

"I don't know," he shrugged, "I figured we could go up by Columbia and meet up with TJ."

"Sounds perfect," she nodded. "Let's go."

Connie sat in a pub twirling her hair around her finger. She'd agreed to a date with Henry, although she had no idea why. But she hadn't been actually out since Denise Ramsey played and that hadn't really counted since she went to the show by herself and then hung out in Denise's hotel room playing Uno with the guys from her band after (partying like a rock star indeed). Henry walked in and waved to her.

"Hi," he said and sat down, "I'm so sorry I'm late."

"That's OK," she said. His accent was definitely very sexy.

"So," he said. "Where in America are you from?"

"Do you want the short version or the long version?" She asked. He raised his eyebrows.

"Let's start with the short," he said.

"Stamford, Connecticut," she said. "Where are you from?"

"Liverpool," he nodded.

"Like The Beatles?" She said. He laughed. "Sorry."

"It's alright," he said, "that's a really good point, and they were from there." She laughed. "You seem nervous."

"I haven't dated in a while," she admitted, "or ever, really, I mean, I've had boyfriends, but it was in high school." He laughed. "And honestly, I left a romantic disaster behind, so, that ads to it."

"You talk a lot," he raised his eyebrows. She laughed.

"Sorry," she grimaced, "I'm working on that." He smiled.

"It's alright," he said, "why don't I go get us a pint and then you can tell me that long version of where you're from."

"Sounds great," she nodded.

"Knock knock," Lizzie said knocking on Dean's dorm room door. He looked at her. "What's going on?"

"You're in my dorm," he said. She nodded. "In Chicago," she nodded again. "You go to school in Arizona, so I'm kind of confused."

"Sorority national chapter meeting," she explained. "Come on, I'm taking you and your new girl out to dinner. I didn't really get to see her at all at gala."

"Because you spent the whole time in a hotel room with Tony," he said. She laughed. "She's in class, but she'll be here soon."

"Great," she plopped on his bed. "How are you doing?"

"I'm OK," he said. She nodded. "What about you?"

"I'm good," she said, "school's good. Tony and I are learning to trust again." Dean nodded. "What about you? Do you trust her?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," he shook his head. She rolled her eyes and then Penny walked in. "Hey," he stood up and kissed her. "Lizzie appeared mysteriously."

"Cool," Penny said, "I was hoping we could get to know each other better." Lizzie smiled.

"This one is sweet," Lizzie said. Penny laughed.

"Yeah," Dean nodded, "why don't you two get to know each other, I have to get over to the paper." They kissed softly. "See you later Liz."

"Bye," Lizzie nodded. "So," she said to Penny.

"So," Penny said. "Do you want to get a drink or something?"

"Don't break my brother's heart," Lizzie said. Penny looked at her. "Trina really screwed him up, and girls like you, I know girls like you, I am girls like you."

"Girls like me?" She said. "I don't understand."

"Pretty, popular," Lizzie said, "you were a cheerleader right?"

"What gave me away?" Penny smiled. "And I like Dean because he's different. I like that he's not like the guys that treated me like crap in high school."

"OK," Lizzie said. "You know he used to be a bookie right?"

"I did know that," Penny laughed. "He's mentioned it. I won't break his heart, Lizzie, I have a feeling he might break mine, because he is not over Trina at all." Lizzie smiled.

"So this Tony guy," Henry said as he and Connie walked down the street. "Do you have feelings for him?"

"Yes," she said, "which is why I left, to give him time to get over it, to let Lizzie trust him again, and him trust her again." He nodded. "I'm sorry, this is so not first date conversation. Do you have any romantic traumas?"

"I have a psychotic ex-girlfriend," he said. She looked at him. "She pretended to be pregnant to try to get me to marry her and stay in Liverpool."

"Really?" Connie said. He nodded. "Wow."

"I know," he said and they kept walking. She hadn't told him about Kevin. She liked him, and telling him that she was in love with someone else was a surefire way to send him packing. "Anyway, I figured it out, and now I'm here." She smiled.

"I'm glad you're here," she said. He smiled and kissed her softly. "Do you want to come back to my place?"

"Very much so," he nodded. She smiled and took his hand and they kissed again.

Elisa sat quietly with her feet on Hunter's lap as they sat watching an episode of Freaks and Geeks in one of the dorm common rooms. He looked at her.

"Elle," he said, she looked at him, "I'm worried about you." She groaned.

"Not you too!" She said. "Hunter, I'm fine, really!"

"No you're not," he said, "you're quiet and I mean, I've been in the library a lot lately and you're never there, and the librarian said you haven't checked out any of the books on that BBC, books everyone should have read list," she rolled her eyes. "And the eating thing…"

"I've been eating," she insisted, "I mean, most days." Hunter looked at her. "It's not like," she swung her legs back over so she was sitting up, "I just haven't been hungry. And the I just read Emma again a few days ago, you can ask Trina." He laughed.

"Look, if you remember when we were freshman, I was the guy who told you to go for it with Eddie," he said. "But Elisa, speaking as your ex-boyfriend, you deserve way better than pining. I'm not saying that you need to break up with him, I like Eddie, I think you guys make a good couple but I don't want you to lose you. You know?"

"I have no idea, what you just said," she shook her head. Hunter laughed. "But I mean, I am trying. It's just hard, especially with you not talking to me, and Trina's always with Jace and Cal's away."

"Yeah, I can see how that would be tough," he said. "I just couldn't be around you. I thought if I hung out with you, I would still be in love with you."

"Oh just that," she nodded. "Well, you've spent all night with me." She sat up on her knees. "Are you still in love with me?" He sighed and looked at her and then kissed her softly.

"No," he said, "I'm not." She smiled.

"Good," she said, "don't kiss me though. Eddie wouldn't like it." He laughed. "I doubt Anne would either."

Cal sat on Marissa's couch checking his phone every few moments. Marissa looked at him and sighed.

"I'm going to take that thing away in a minute," she said. He looked at her. "I don't understand."

"I just," he sighed, "it's weird, she normally calls me, and," Marissa grabbed the phone. "Hey?" He tried, but she held up her finger and scanned through her contacts. "Mari, what are you doing?" Marissa had invited him to call her by her family pet name a few days before.

"I'm not doing anything," she said, "you're calling Carmen so that you stop being so effing boring tonight and actually talk to me." She handed him the phone after pressing send. He waited for it to ring.

Carmen whimpered hearing her phone ring as Danny kissed her on his brother's bed.

"Hold on," she said. He looked at her. "It's Cal."

"Right," he nodded and rolled away.

"Hello?" Carmen said picking it up.

"Hey," Cal said, "it's me."

"Hi!" She said, "Um what's up?"

"Nothing," he said, "I just miss you. And you normally call, so I was kind of worried."

"I miss you too," she said, "sorry, I um," she swallowed, "I'm at a party," Danny started kissing her neck and she pushed him away, "with Trina and Anne."

"Oh," Cal said, "is everything OK?"

"Of course," she said, "I love you, OK? I'll call tomorrow, I promise."

"OK," He nodded and hung up. She looked at Danny who was smiling sheepishly at her.

"You're terrible," she whispered and kissed him, toppling him over so she was straddling him.

"Everything OK?" Marissa asked. Cal looked at her.

"Yeah," he nodded. "She went to a party with my sister and my cousin."

"Oh, sure," Marissa said. "So that's fine then."

"Not really," Cal said. Marissa looked at each other, "Anne and Trina aren't exactly, um, fond of Carmen, and she feels the same. It's weird, that they'd all be hanging out." They were quiet for a minute or two.

"Cal," she said, he looked at her. "If this show gets picked up, our lives are going to change completely, and I know this seems like it's coming out of nowhere but, I'm really glad that if it happens, I have a friend going through it too."

"So that's what we are?" He asked. She looked at him. "We're friends?"

"Uh huh," she nodded. He moved closer to her and she turned her face away."C al, um," she said, "it's late and you're having weirdness with your girlfriend, and we have to work together. I really like you, but I can't," he nodded.

"Right," he said, "sorry, I should go."

"That's probably a good idea," she said, not looking at him. He stood up and walked outside to get a cab.

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