"How's my favorite half of Grimm's newest couple?" Cupid sat down at the breakfast table, a clipboard in her hands.

Cerise eyed the clipboard warily. "What's that?"

"Oh, this?" The blonde shrugged. "Just my favorite couples costume ideas."

"Couples costumes?"

"For Briar's Halloween Bash, duh. Aren't you and Hunter going?"

Cerise groaned. She hadn't been "dating" Hunter for more than twenty four hours and people already wanted to know if they were going to some dance together. Which-given that they were a couple and all that jazz-they probably should. Still…dating was a lot of work.

"Cupid's dad owns a greeting card company," Lizzie said, taking the seat next to Cerise, "So holidays are kind of her thing."

"Is she bothering you about costumes, too?"

"Hey, guys. I'm right here."

Lizzie rolled her eyes. "I've already got my costume planned out. I'm going as Wonder Woman."

"You know," Cupid said, scribbling something across her clipboard, "I think that I have just the perfect costume for you and Hunter, and it won't even take that much work. How many dresses do you own?"

"None," Lizzie said. Cerise shrugged. It was true.

"Alright. Wait, what about Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf."

"That qualifies as a couples costume?"

"Sure, it does," Cupid said as she began to plan Cerise's costume out for her.

Cerise stared at the door of the English classroom. She had arrived early to escape Cupid and her talk of couples costumes. Honestly, the girl was so obsessed with Cerise's relationship that you would have thought it was hers.

It wasn't even a real relationship! It was fake. It was like if Cupid had agreed to go out with Dexter to make Raven jealous. It was stupid. Why has she agreed to be part of this?

"Cerise Hood," Ms. Gold's Scottish accent came from behind her. Cerise turned around to meet her short teacher, who was glaring at her with her arms crossed.

Great, what did she do now?

"I heard about your new relationship." Ms. Gold pushed past Cerise to unlock the door. "I should have you know that I do not agree with having students in my class date. It is just a cause for distraction."

"I can assure you," Cerise began, following Ms. Gold into the classroom, "Hunter and I will not be distracted at all."

Her teacher turned around and looked at her. "I am sure that you believe that. But Hunter is a boy, and I know what boys are like."

Cerise's jaw dropped. Of all the ridiculous, old fashioned notions. Cerise wasn't a distraction for anyone, least of all Hunter.

"Ms. Gold-"

"I am not done yet," Ms. Gold interrupted her, "I have decided to switch you with Humphrey Dumpty." She pointed to a table in the middle of the room. "You will sit there."

Cerise sighed and sat down at the table she was directed to. It would be of no use to argue with Ms. Gold on this. She would just have to put up with new table mates. Cerise felt a pang as she watched Daring enter the room laughing with Ashlynn. He glanced over at her, and their eyes met. There was something in his gaze that sent shivers down Cerise's spine. She tore her eyes away and focused on the table in front of her.

Daring and her were just friends. He had Apple, and she was 'dating' Hunter for the next couple of weeks. Anything that she saw in his gaze, she was imagining.

"Hello."

Cerise was snapped out of her thoughts by a tall girl with pale blonde hair(so pale that it was almost white). She tried to remember who the girl was, but her memory came up blank. She had never seen this girl with either Apple or Raven.

"I'm Crystal," the girl said, taking the seat across from Cerise, "Crystal Winters."

Cerise nodded. "I'm-"

"Cerise Hood," Crystal said, "I know."

"Really?"

Crystal laughed. "Of course. You tried out for the football team, and totally inspired me."

Cerise gaped at the girl. "Really? How?"

"I've decided to try out for the hockey team," Crystal said.

Cerise smiled, glad that she had inspired someone with her rash decisions. "That's great," she said just as the seat next to her was occupied.

The girl next to her had hair the color of corn, and a blue bow on her official Grimm's Preparatory Academy headband. Cerise frowned. Out of all of the tables in all of the classes she had to wind up sitting next to gossip queen extraordinar: Blondie.

Crystal was still talking when Ms. Gold called the class to attention, and instructed them to read their respective Shakespearean plays. Cerise glanced at the two girls sitting at the table, then at the fourth empty chair.

"Who's missing?" she asked.

"Briar," Crystal said with a fond smile, "She probably just overslept. She's notorious for doing that."

"Right." Cerise nodded. "So, what're you guys reading?"

"Hamlet," Crystal answered, offering Cerise a copy. Cerise frowned and took the book. Blondie stayed silent throughout the entire exchange.

Daring glanced around the locker room, noticing that several of the members of the team were eyeing him warily. Daring rolled his eyes, tossed his duffle bag in his locker, and started getting dressed. His ears perked up as he heard Tiny whisper something behind him.

"Do you think that he knows?" Daring raised an eyebrow. Knows? What was he supposed to know? Before Daring got the chance to ask, Sparrow slammed his locker and leaned up against it.

"Hey there, boss," Sparrow said with a wicked gleam in his eye.

Remembering his last full conversation with Sparrow, Daring frowned. His roommate was just about impossible to understand. Annoying and impossible. "What do you want, Sparrow?"

"Nothin'," Sparrow said with a smile. He glanced behind Daring briefly, making eye contact with Dexter and Tiny. Daring raised an eyebrow. What were they up to?

"You know," Sparrow said, "I was thinkin' that since this is our off week, you should go a bit easier on us. You know, let us out of practice just a bit earlier?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because Coach wants us practicing all week." It wasn't necessary true. Coach Man hadn't told Daring anything about practicing, but, then again, he almost never did.

"Coach really said that?" Dexter asked behind him.

Daring crossed his arms. "Yes." Fully dressed and ready, Daring headed out of the locker room.

Sitting in the middle of the football field were Cerise and Hunter, the former tugging nervously at the turf. Daring felt a pang of jealousy at the sight. Only a few days earlier, Cerise had been sitting there with his, her eyes full of tears as she entrusted him with her past. Had she told Hunter all of that?

Daring pushed the thoughts aside. They were his friends, he should be happy for them. He had seen how Hunter reacted during class when Cerise had been moved. The frown had mirrored his own. He hadn't missed the wistful look sent Hunter's way by Ashlynn though. Daring frowned. If there was something going on there...if Hunter was cheating on Cerise Daring would strangle him. Cerise already had enough issues in her life. She didn't need an unfaithful boyfriend on top of that.

"You should probably stop staring, Charming." Daring turned around to find Coach Man behind him, his pudgy arms crossed over his chest.

"I wasn't staring," Daring said, tearing his gaze away from the couple in the middle of the field and heading to fill up the water cooler.

"Sure." Coach Man nodded. Daring huffed, and started shoveling ice into the bucket. He sent one last glance at Cerise before focusing on the task at hand.

Those thoughts would lead nowhere good. That was the road that led to destruction.

"I think that Blondie hates me," Cerise said, picking at the food in front of her.

The thought had been plaguing her all week. Since Monday morning, Blondie had not spoken a word to her, though Crystal and Briar said enough for the whole class. Cerise was trying to figure out why Blondie had not spoken to her, and the only explanation that she could come up with was that the gossip guru hated her.

Besides her, Hunter shook his head. "I doubt it that."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Hunter said, "Think of it from her perspective. You have been the source of many of her most viewed articles, and now she has to interact with you on a daily basis. It has to be awkward."

Cerise raised an eyebrow. "Are you defending her?"

"I'm not…" Hunter trailed off as his phone vibrated. "It's from Cupid. She wants to meet us in her dorm room."

Cerise cursed. "This is about couples costumes, isn't it?"

"Couples costumes?"

"Yeah. She's obsessed with the idea."

Five minutes later, they found themselves standing in front of Cupid's down room, listening to her hum inside. "Cupid!"

The blonde opened the door with a smile on her face. "Oh. I see that you two have made it. I got Lizzie to help make the costumes. Come on in."

Cerise and Hunter stepped into Cupid's dorm, which was now decorated very festively for Halloween. "Nice spiderwebs," Hunter commented.

"Thanks," Cupid said, "I made them myself. Now you may be wondering why I asked you here."

"Does it have something to do with couples costumes?"

"Yes, and no. I want to know why the two of you have decided to become a couple when you are both obviously in love with someone else."

Cerise choked on air. "W-what?"

"I don't know how anyone else doesn't see it," Cupid said, "You obviously have the hots for Daring, and he," she pointed at Hunter, "is practically made for Ashlynn. I want to know why you two thought that it would be a good idea to go out?"

"We're doing it to make Ashlynn realize what she's missing," Cerise confessed, her face as red as the time that Daring caught her changing.

Cerise shook her head. Bad Cerise. Those were not good thoughts. Daring didn't like her that way.

"Oh." Cupid nodded thoughtfully. "In that case, I want to help."

Cerise was about to protest, and insist that it was really a stupid idea, and that they should not have done it in the first place, but Hunter beat her to it.

"What did you have in mind?"

Cupid smiled. It was practically feril. "I'm glad that you asked."

Authors Note

Chapter 11 is up and drama is happening. I don't think that Raven would approve of her friends' behavior. Also, what is going to happen at Briar's Halloween bash?

I'd like to remind you guys that updating for this fic will be random. I have a lot going on in my life, and between three hour band rehearsals and filling out college applications it's hard to find the time to write. Still, I am going to finish this fic, of that I am sure.

Until next time,

Meg