Clarissa stopped trying to talk to her mom. She wasn't as talkative with Jojo, but he now had a girlfriend to occupy so it didn't matter. She was slowly but surely slipping into a depression that she had no intention of trying to pull herself out of. She knew she was being melodramatic, but feeling pain was better than being numb and feeling nothing in her opinion. At least she kept everything to herself by not wrapping anybody else up in her drama.

"Come on, Baby," Marcus pleaded.

"I'm not your baby," Clarissa snapped, "And no, I'm not taking you back. You cheated on me and with Harriet no less." Venom dripped into her every word. She said all these things, but she did want to take him back.

"Come on, just…let me take you to the whocentennial," he pleaded.

"Just tell me this, Marcus. Why did you cheat on me? What did I do wrong?"

"It's not what you did…. It's what you didn't do. Harriet…she lets me do things to her. You said you didn't want to and that you weren't ready. She- she tempted me, and I wanted to so bad, so I did. But I still like you… a lot. Please just, let me make it up to you." Clarissa didn't know what to say to this. She knew she didn't want to say no, and she knew she didn't want to say yes. She didn't even want to give him the satisfaction of thinking there was a chance that she'd say yes, but she did.

"I'll think about it," she said, "But I still won't give you what you want."

"Right now all I want is for to be my girlfriend again…," he said in a small voice. He sounded like he meant it, but she couldn't really be sure.

3 3 3

Clarissa was busy dancing all around the dance floor while giant speakers blasted loud hip-hop music throughout Whoville. She had to admit she was having fun hanging out with Marcus. Even though Harriet flirted with him he ignored her and only paid attention to Clarissa. She was becoming convinced. Then she saw Jojo and Kayla walking hand in hand.

"JOJO, KAYLA! COME DANCE WITH US," Clarissa yelled over the loud music and waved them over. Jojo waved back began to dance with Clarissa. Clarissa couldn't seem to stop laughing she was having so much fun. Marcus and Jojo laughed too. Kayla on the other hand was trying to snag Jojo's attention back to her. Marcus moved in closer to Clarissa. Jojo's protectiveness wanted to put some distance in between them, but he didn't intervene. Besides, Kayla had gotten his attention once again. She kissed Jojo on the cheek and he went bright red, and Clarissa laughed at his blush. Jojo had a small smile plastered on his face. Kayla's kiss wasn't anything like Clarissa's the night she came over. Kayla's kiss didn't leave a tingling feeling on his cheek.

The four started trying to outdo each other in dance moves. Marcus ultimately won, but then it turned from serious to silly. Clarissa's sides were hurting from laughing so much. Eventually they left the dance floor. Marcus was supporting Clarissa who was still giggling. Everyone had large smiles plastered onto their faces.

"I'll be right back," Marcus said running off toward one of the many booths set up. There were booths with games and food and trinkets to buy. Marcus came back with a medium sized stuffed who holding a heart that said," I love you."

"Awww… It's sooooo cuuuuute! I love it," she said giving her small smile and peeking up flirtatiously through her lashes. She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek as a gesture that it was sweet not quite because she'd fallen for him. He understood and smiled back down at her looking completely love struck over her and utterly crazy about her. Clarissa's smile spread a little more across her face and light pink blush made its way up to her cheeks though she tried to force it down.

"Wow, you're beautiful," Marcus said. The two were lost for a second.

"Awww… that's so sweet," Kayla said looking at the two. Clarissa hugged the stuffed who tighter, her eyes widened and her blush deepened. She'd completely forgotten about Jojo and Kayla. Jojo raised an eyebrow and smirked at her. 'This is what I get for laughing at him when he blushed,' she thought reading Jojo's expression with ease.

"Let's get something to eat," Kayla suggested, grabbing Jojo's hand and pulling him along. Clarissa and Marcus followed.

They went to a restaurant not too far from the whocentennial festival, planning to go back later. They sat in a booth table, Kayla and Jojo across from Marcus and Clarissa. A waitress walked up to them, chewing gum and looking uninterested until her eyes landed on Marcus. Her expression immediately changed to one of flirtatiousness. Jojo and Kayla noticed the waitress's reaction to Marcus and looked to see how Clarissa was handling it only to see her roll her eyes. 'Every time we come to a restaurant it's the same thing,' she thought uninterested. Marcus put an arm around Clarissa's shoulders and pulled her close to him. Clarissa looked at the waitress who shot Clarissa a disgruntled look. Clarissa merely smiled sweetly at her. Smugness was dancing in Clarissa's eyes despite her otherwise innocent expression.

"What'll it be?" the waitress asked winking at Marcus and ignoring Clarissa.

"Clarissa, what do you want?" Marcus emphasizing his interest in whom he was really interested in.

"What do you recommend?" Clarissa asked the waitress in a sweet tone. The waitress just rolled her eyes.

"I don't know," She said rather testily. Clarissa just smiled, shrugged, and gave Marcus one of her signature smiles.

"I guess I'll take a hamburger and fries and a chocolate shake," Clarissa said. The waitress jotted it down.

"I'll have the same," Jojo said.

"I'll have what they're having with extra pickles," Marcus said hugging Clarissa closer and causing her to giggle a bit.

"I'll have a salad," said Kayla twirling a lock of her blonde hair around her finger. The waitress walked away disappointed on having not snagged a boyfriend.

"Do women always flock over your boyfriend like that?" Kayla asked. The conversation immediately captured everyone's attention. Clarissa wasn't sure if she should say Marcus wasn't her boyfriend. She hadn't made official, but at the rate he was going she was leaning toward letting him claim the title as her boyfriend.

"Every time," Clarissa sighed, shaking her head, as if she thought the many girls' attempts were desperate and pathetic, most of which were.

"That must be annoying," Jojo said. There were occasional times when men would try to romance Kayla away to no avail. Clarissa merely nodded at his statement. It was annoying. Clarissa wasn't insecure per say, but rather she didn't give what other girls offered that boys wanted. This wasn't a bad thing, but it left any boy she dated with much to be desired. Maybe that was one of the reasons she was attractive. She didn't just throw all she had out there and that left boys wanting more of her not that they'd ever get it. Kayla wasn't like Clarissa. Though Jojo never asked for it, she hinted that she was more than willing to give it, but Jojo preferred waiting. Kayla was insecure and seemed to need constant reassurance that she was good enough for whoever she tried to impress.

Once the food had come, everyone but Kayla dug in. She nibbled timidly at her salad. But there was nothing Clarissa loved more, food wise, than a good burger and fries. Outside they could still hear the pounding music, and Clarissa was involuntarily tapping out a beat with her fingers on the table and bobbing her head along. Jojo was involuntarily tapping his foot and seemed to be in a world all his own… well, not completely. Clarissa knew this world very well. Kayla noticed the looks they both had, of blissful unawareness of the world around them. Kayla leaned over and kissed Jojo on the cheek and he immediately snapped out of his trance and blushed. He looked to Clarissa to see if she was smirking at him as she had done earlier that day, but saw that she was still in her world. He loved seeing her in that world. The pain that seemed to lurk in the back of her eyes wasn't there and they seemed clear rather than clouded with some unbearable pain. Marcus gently nudged Clarissa's arm, and Jojo tried not to glare at him. He cringed inwardly as he watched the misery cloud her eyes again. Clarissa smiled at Marcus before looking at Jojo. He gave her a small smile. For a fraction of a second Jojo saw the pain leave her eyes before returning.

3 3 3

They weren't entirely sure how this happened. Something had arisen between them, an unnamable emotion. It wasn't really unnamable. They just didn't know what it was, but they knew something about it just felt so right. They didn't want to tell the other this though. Kayla and Marcus got tired of the whocentennial and left, but Jojo and Clarissa wanted to stay for a little while longer. Now Clarissa had her arms around Jojo's neck and he had his hands on her hips, and they were gently swaying to a slow song.

Clarissa was looking down at the ground, her head tilted to the side. They were unbelievably close. How could something so strange feel so right, so natural? Neither of them knew the answer. Neither of them knew that the answer was staring them in the face. Jojo was looking at Clarissa who wouldn't look at him. She was beautiful. He was thinking this too, but he'd always thought that. Why all of a sudden it seemed even more evident than usual, he didn't know. His heart was thudding in his chest at such a loud volume he was sure Clarissa could hear it, but she couldn't hear it over the thudding of her own. She glanced up at him. His eyes were once again burning with that passion that she had trouble looking at. She tried to look again and this time couldn't tear her eyes away. Their faces were so close. At that moment Jojo was staring at her with such a passion she was sure he was going to kiss her. He might have if Clarissa's whophone didn't start ringing at that very moment. Jojo let out a quiet, somewhat frustrated sigh, yet at the same time he felt relieved. He dropped his arms and she did too. Jojo felt confusion cloud his mind. He was sure that once he stopped holding her the feelings would vanish, but they didn't. They were still there, and he didn't know why. He didn't want them. He liked them however. They felt so good, yet he knew he shouldn't feel them, not for Clarissa. And he pushed the thought away before he had time to really register what it might mean. Maybe, just maybe, he felt something for Clarissa that wasn't friendship but something more. He had a girlfriend and shouldn't feel that way. He knew that, but it was like he couldn't help himself. And to think that mere weeks ago, when Clarissa had asked him how to tell when you thought you had a crush on someone, he was sure he couldn't return those feeling, and now he wasn't so sure he couldn't.

Clarissa's mom had called, telling her to come home because it was getting late.

"I have to get home. My mom says it's getting too late for me to be out," Clarissa explained, hanging up.

"I'll walk you home," Jojo said blowing some stray hairs out of his face.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. At least, that's what Clarissa thought. They were walking down the street. The sidewalk was illuminated by lamp posts placed randomly here and there and the glow of the moon. Jojo and Clarissa walked at a steady pace, occasionally glancing at each other, and at the stars. It was a nice night. Other than the slight breeze that made Clarissa just slightly cold. Jojo had his arm wrapped around her shoulders and had her pulled close to him to try and protect her from the cold as best he could. It was sweet and romantic in her eyes, but that was the problem. It wasn't supposed to feel romantic on any level. She shouldn't feel that way toward her best friend. Having feelings, like the ones she was experiencing around Jojo, for her boyfriend was one thing, but having feelings for your best friend was wrong in her eyes. She tried her best to brush it off as nothing, but it was easier said than done.

"Thanks, Jojo," Clarissa said as they stood facing each other on the front porch of Clarissa's house. She smiled at him, and he smiled back, his eyes softening.

"You're welcome," he said, brushing a strand of hair from her face. As his fingers grazed her fur they felt a current of electricity shoot through the both of them. Jojo gave a small wave of goodbye before turning on his heel and leaving. Clarissa stared after him for a bit before going into her house.

A/N: Kiss next chapter. just thought I'd let the eager and somewhat impatient ones know. Thnx 4 the reviews! ;-D -L2WR