I'M SO SORRY TO EVERYONE WHO HAS ASKED ME TO UPDATE THIS. i cannot believe it has taken me months to update, but i guess you guys know that this story is far from dead :D

i'll probably be updating more during march break but i figured you guys deserved a new chapter since i last updated, like... last year.

but yeah; thoughts for the day: jack johnson songs make the world go round; logan lerman and i are married (dude, called him since hoot so i beat out all you crazy fan!girls can go run after jake abel instead :D); and i cried when i heard 'thnks fr th mmrs' because fall out boy is over. that's just wrong.


the queen bee

Lovely day, she thought to herself, allowing one of her rare, genuine smiles to grace her face. Though it was already mid-September, the temperature in upstate New York had dropped to a biting Autumn chill, but she couldn't love it more. Clusters of crimson, gold, and chocolate-colored maple leaves flooded the wide expanse of freshly mowed lawn that stretched across campus. She even let out a small giggle as the crisp breeze loosened her flaxen waves from her meticulous up-do and blew haphazardly in the wind, sending her sugary blonde bangs in every direction. Fall was intoxicating- she loved the way everyone just seemed to wind down from crazy, party-filled summers and started warming up near the fires with their significant others instead; the explosion of russet, earth-toned color that engulfed Windsor's enormous but quaint campus like in an enchanted forest; the way the bitter autumn wind stained Chris Plovert's cheeks an adorable shade of pink...

Butterflies flitted through her stomach at the memory of their last meeting a few days ago. The two of them had been sitting in the deserted corner of the library, discussing centripetal forces and how to calculate them, when she had zoned out and to regain her attention, Chris had crumpled the notes-covered paper and threw it at her face. This had effectively caused a massive throwing war, with Kristen hiding behind the X to Xi bookshelf tossing pencils and unopened packs of gum and Chris behind a line of chairs, retaliating with more crumpled paper from the nearby recycling bin. It had been the most fun Kristen had had in a while and eventually they were kicked out by the wrinkled, appalled-looking librarian who practically had a seizure when she found them in the midst of battle. Chris had laughed when Kristen pushed him into the pile of leaves outside and they both collapsed onto the Great Lawn, cheeks flushed and flustered smiles on their faces. He had smiled, leaned in close enough for her to see every eyelash on his half-closed eyes, whispered a soft bye and walked away, only to turn around and shout, "I want a rematch, Gregory!"

And that was it. The encounter had left her dazed and happy and confused all at once, but she couldn't push the memory out of her mind, no matter how hard she tried.

"Hey Kris!" a cheerful voice said behind her and she whipped around, a smile blooming across her face, but the grin faded slightly when she saw who it was.

"Derrick, hey, what's up?" she said weakly, trying not to let the unexplainable disappointment she felt seep into her voice. "I thought you had soccer practice?"

Her boyfriend of fourteen months jogged towards her, navy and white Letterman Varsity Soccer/Ice Hockey/Lacrosse jacket zipped to the neck and knees an absurd shade of purple from the shorts he insisted on wearing, despite the freezing weather. His dirty blonde hair plastered to his forehead with sweat and his Adidas soccer cleats were grass-stained and untied, but Kristen could practically see the lust and jealousy painted onto every female in the vicinity's face as they watched Windsor's favorite big man on campus run across the lawn (conveniently ignoring the "DO NOT WALK ON THE GRASS" sign) toward her.

"Yeah, I did, but Coach Carr let us out early cuz he had some doctor's appointment," Derrick shrugged noncommittally, catching up to her and casually throwing his arm across her slim shoulders. "But all the better for me... more time with you," He grinned and she felt enormously guilty for... wait, why did she feel guilty? So she was on her way for Physics tutoring with Chris. No big deal.

"That's great, babe," She smiled hesitantly at her boyfriend's eager face, nostalgia flooding through her body as she realized why she fell so hard and fast for him- beyond his looks, there was this adorable child-like eagerness that made her feel like she was five again, getting all weak-kneed for this beautiful, blonde-haired boy who smiled shyly at her under his golden lashes. "But I-" She paused and studied his slightly crestfallen face.

"Come on, K. Let's go to the maple orchard," Derrick urged, and she had to bite her lip to stop herself from squealing. The maple orchard on the far side of campus was her favorite place at Windsor and she hadn't been there since school had started. Seeing Derrick standing there in the wind, smiling down at her in that familiar way that made her feel like a princess in a fairy tale struck a chord in her- nostalgia. And suddenly, nothing was more important to her in that moment than lazing in the maple orchard with Derrick. Her blue-eyed gaze flickered in the direction of the library before slipping her fingers through her boyfriend's calloused ones and walking leisurely toward the orchard. Derrick grinned victoriously and squeezed her hand reassuringly as she glanced back toward the library, feeling a shard of regret when she thought of Chris' disappointed face when he realized she blew him off. But she forced all thoughts of tutoring to the back of her mind. Physics could wait.

the selfless saint

Her phone buzzed promisingly, indicating a new text. Nikki practically pounced toward it, eagerness taking over her features, expecting it to be Cam, apologizing for his outburst and declaring his deep, passionate love for her. She had played the scene in her head multiple times. He'd text her, asking her to meet him in one of the art rooms where she spent the majority of her time painting and sketching. She'd go and he'd fall to one knee when he saw her, declaring that he broke up with Olivia because she was a cheating whore and not nearly as gorgeous and loving and perfect for him and then they'd embrace and he'd press his luscious lips against hers...

But instead of Cam, it was only Josh.

She sighed, disappointed. Sure she liked Josh- he was nice and all, especially for saving her from Chris Abeley at Claire's penthouse, and sure, he was an excellent kisser... She blushed at the thought. No one knew but Claire and Kemp, but she had only been kissed twice before. Once by her drunk third cousin, Andrew at their aunt's fifth wedding two summers ago- um, ew?- and the second time a quick peck in a game of Spin the Bottle in sixth grade at Kemp's house. It had been with Derrick Harrington, but it was clear by his disgusted face (and the face that he had literally shouted, "Gross, Dalton?" and stared longingly at her best friend) that he'd much rather be kissing Claire who was sitting next to her instead of Nikki in all her braces-covered glory. It had been completely humiliating but Claire had defended her by 'accidentally' spilling her Diet Coke on the crotch of his khaki pants, effectively shutting him up. The point was, an eighth grader probably had more experience with guys than she did, so she had no idea how she had managed to practically jump Josh Hotz (who apparently had a lot of experience, if the excited squeals of the gossipy junior girls in the bathroom were any indication). Her face still reddened at the memory and she hastily flipped open her phone to read the text.

NEW TEXT MESSAGE

from: josh hotz

to: nikki dalton

message: hey nik.. meet me outside your dorm now? i have a surprise for you :)

Her dark brows furrowed with confusion and she quickly sent back a 'sure, ill see you there' before tossing the phone back onto her bed and sighing. She wasn't sure she felt entirely comfortable with Massie's plan. She didn't like the idea of using Josh like this... it was clear that he had no idea what was going on and had eagerly responded when she had asked him out with Massie urging her the day before. Massie had promised that Josh wouldn't be mad- he would find someone else in no time- and to remember the goal. Getting Cam. She had waited for Cam for ages and if the only way to get him away from his cheating, beautiful girlfriend was to pretend-date Josh and to get Cam jealous, fine.

She pushed away the thought of leaving a train of broken hearts behind her.

the exchange student

He balled his hands into fists and stuffed them into the pockets of his jeans with a slight shiver, kicking the concrete ground with the toe of his custom-designed Nikes as he leaned against the wall of Benetton House. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't keep that stupid, stupid grin off his face and that nervous excitement from coursing through his veins. He couldn't believe how great this year had been going so far- Nikki Dalton- the unattainable Nikki Dalton- had asked him out. Considering the fact that it took him an entire year to just get her not to hate him, it seemed almost too good to be true that she had shoved him against the wall for some major lip-action at Claire's party and asked him out within the span of two days- especially with how she blew him off when he offered to give her a ride to the party in favor of Cam effin' Fisher, whipped loser extraordinaire.

"Josh?"

His head jerked up at the sound of her voice and a wide grin broke out unwittingly across his face when he saw her come out of the doorway, face flushed, hair in messy tangles- god, that was sexy- and a navy and white Windsor Varsity Track jacket thrown haphazardly over her cardigan.

"Hey Nik," he greeted warmly. He instinctively reached out for her hand but stopped halfway and regretfully pulled back. Although she didn't realize yet, she scared the shit out of him... she had this sort of vibe of someone who doesn't react well to displays of affection and he didn't want to screw things up by moving too quickly. He was never one for 'taking it slow' but hell, for her, he'd freaking go slower than a turtle zoned out on Xanax if it made her happy.

"Hi," she breathed and an easy smile spread across her face as she, much to his ecstatic shock, slipped her fingers between his own and clasped it tight. "What's this big surprise then?"

"Easy, love. Don't get ahead of yourself," he teased, feeling a burst of confidence as he reached up and tucked a loose strand of silky chestnut hair behind her ear. She blushed and ducked down so her brunette waves covered her face and he couldn't help but stare at how undeniably beautiful she looked at that moment, anxious but excited, and mentally smacked himself for sounding like such a whipped pussy. "Maybe there is no surprise... maybe I just wanted to see you."

"Well then," she exclaimed a scandalized voice, sharply raising an eyebrow (cue dirty thoughts). "I think I must be going. If there is no surprise involved how do you expect to stay here?" she teased back, pulling away gently. He smiled and wrapped his muscular arms around her slender frame, pulling her back toward him.

"Wait, don't go. I do have a surprise, I promise."

"What are we waiting for then?" She smiled up at him, doe-eyes widening with a child-like giddiness that made him grin and pull her even closer toward him. "Onward, knight in shining armor."

"Nikki? Josh?" a voice said uncertainly behind them and the two of them turned to see Cam- Effing asshole, he ruins everything, Josh thought mutinously- approaching them with a bewildered expression on his face. Josh felt Nikki instinctively stiffen and pull away slightly from his hold. But he noticed with a hint of confusion that a sudden flash of determination crossed her face and her mouth, which had curled into a stiff pout, soften into a sweet smile.

"Hey Cam," Nikki carelessly draped her arm around Josh's waist and leaned toward him, all the while, a hint of a smirk playing at her mouth as Cam's dual-colored eyes widened and looked utterly flummoxed.

"Hey Nik... uh, so, you're with Josh now, huh?" Cam asked, sounding like a combination of pissed-off, confused, bitter, and just plain dazed when he saw the way Josh's arm wrapped protectively around her slim shoulders. Josh smirked victoriously, masking it with a bored and 'over-this' expression. Finally, Cam would get the message that yes, Nikki Dalton was taken and could not be seduced by those stupid eyes that resembled those of a retarded husky.

"Yeah we are," Nikki said simply but glanced up at Josh with an unusually flirtatious glint in her deep brown eyes. Cam opened his mouth and closed it again, creases forming between his dark brows as his gaze darted between the two of them, looking more and more strained.

"Oh. Well... that's cool. I mean, I'm happy for you guys," he managed to get out- Like hell you are, Josh thought savagely- and ran a hand through his hair. "I mean, yeah. Cool. Uh, yeah. I, um, was just going to find Livs... and I'll, uh, get out of your way. Nikki, I just- well, never mind. I'll see you guys later," Cam finished finally, mustering up a weak smile that caused a strange smile to spread across Nikki's face that didn't go unnoticed by Josh. He shook it off.

"Bye, Cam! See you at breakfast," Nikki chirped and immediately turned to Josh and brushed her lips against his smooth cheek in a chaste kiss as Cam winced and started to walk away. "Now, Josh, what's this surprise you wanted to show me?"

the new girl

"So now Kristen expects me to go out on a date with this guy and Todd is going to be there and it's getting harder and harder to not get caught and I have no idea what to do," Dylan finished, flopping onto Claire's unkempt turquoise and pale gold spangled Vera Wang bedspread with a groan.

"Which guy?" Claire asked from her yoga pose on the carpeted floor. Her arms were up in the air and one leg rested on the knee of the other to create a perfectly balanced tree position while Jason Mraz's "Love for a Child" played softly from the iHome, creating a passive, mellow atmosphere perfect for her yoga.

"Um, Chris Plovert I think?"

"Facebook time!" Claire dropped her arms from her pose and strode toward her desk and plopped onto her comfy turquoise plush swivel office chair before logging onto her Macbook Air. Dylan stood and stretched before making her way toward the desk and balanced gingerly on the handle of the chair. "Let's see.. Christopher... Plovert. Aha! Ooh, he's a cutie," Claire exclaimed, arching a golden brow with a an appreciative smirk. Dylan wondered how it was possible for Claire to even look at other guys when she had Kemp, devastatingly gorgeous in every way, shape and form Kemp, in the palm of her perfectly moisturized hands, but she glanced anyway at the screen to see an admittedly cute Jonathan Rhys Meyers look-alike, only with spiky-ish blonde hair and startlingly blue eyes hidden behind a pair of black tortoise-shell glasses. Definitely cute, but nothing compared to Todd. "I dunno, Dyl. Maybe you should give this guy a chance. He looks adorable. Oh my god, interests include math team, chemistry team, physics olympiad, chess club... sounds absolutely thrilling. You guys would be perfect together."

"Shut up!" Dylan pretended to look angry and smacked the side of Claire's obnoxiously perfect blonde head. Claire laughed, then abruptly stopped and a wicked grin spread across her face as she caught sight of something.

"Holy crap. Do you see what I see?" Claire whispered, awestruck, staring out the window.

"No..." Dylan craned her neck to see. In a flash, Claire rose, ran to the stained glass French-paneled windows, threw them open and screamed,

"Christopher Plovert!"

Dylan squeaked and ran to the window beside her to see the same boy who was on their computer screen staring up at the two of them from the front of the dorm in confusion and embarrassment.

"Uh, yeah?" The blonde boy shouted back, rubbing the back of his neck anxiously as his face reddened at the fact that he was being addressed by Windsor's resident partying goddess and shuffling his Converse-clad feet.

"Are you looking for anyone?" Claire asked, her tone instantly melting into a seductive, 'come-hither' tone that could rival even Kathryn Merteuil's from Cruel Intentions. Her sun-kissed blonde waves practically sparkled in the sunlight like spun gold and Dylan marveled at Chris' ability to not collapse from the radiance.

"Uh, Kristen Gregory actually," He stuffed his fists into his jean pockets with a sheepish look on his face. "Do either of you know where she is?"

"I think she's with Derrick right now," Claire responded, leaning on her elbows on the window sill, tilting her head to the side to look even more like an ethereal princess transported from some fairy tale or another. "But I mean, you're totally free to come up and hang with me and Dyl until she comes back. I insist. Besides, she should be back any second now."

"Uh..." he hesitated, face flushed a deep shade of red, and ran a hand through his slightly spiky blonde hair. "I dunno. I mean, yeah, sure, why not?"

Claire dropped her eyelid into a naughty wink before grabbing Dylan's arm and shaking it vigorously.

"Come on, let's let him in," she smirked and the two of them ran out of the room and down the elaborate spiral staircase to the foyer. When they pulled open the door, Chris shuffled in, an awkward smile twisting onto his face. "Hello Chris, I'm Claire Lyons," Claire introduced herself, holding out a perfectly tanned hand to shake.

"Yeah, I know," he blurted and she arched a golden brow and smirked. "But, uh, I'm sorry, I don't think we've met," He averted his startlingly blue eyes to meet Dylan's jade orbs.

"Dylan Marvil," She smiled shyly and absently tucked a strand of auburn hair behind her freckled ear. He was so cute. Suddenly Claire sharply jabbed her elbow into Dylan's side causing her to yelp and fall forward, directly into Chris' arms. The movement caught him off-guard and the two of them went sprawling onto the floor.

"Dylan? Chris? What are guys doing?" Kristen's confused and slightly angry voice came from the doorway and the two of them glanced up to see Kristen, Derrick and Todd standing beside them, staring at the way Dylan's lithe body was lying on top of Chris's, her hair slightly messy and her tiny Juicy Couture tank riding up slightly from the fall.

Kristen looked torn between strangely upset and downright furious; Derrick just looked confused and slightly amused by their compromising position; while Todd just looked angry.

"I'll see you guys later," he mumbled under his breath and turned abruptly to leave.


gahh, that chapter sucked. so so so badly. i'm so sorry.