I'm very sorry it took so long for me to post this. I just have so much going on, and I barely have time to do anything. Also, I warn you: This chapter is not my best.


Warrick Brown knew one thing for sure: Being Warrick Brown in high school wasn't easy. You know - scratch that. Being Warrick Brown in general wasn't all that easy. He felt like he had not only moved to the opposite side of the country, but also been integrated into a completely different culture. He couldn't exactly tell why, because even though everything was different it was still all the same. Six weeks, it had been since he made the decision to leave Vegas behind in favor of jet skis and palm trees. Well, he would be lying if he said those were his reasons for leaving; because he had never even seen a jet ski before in his life.

Not to mention, he liked Vegas. He loved Vegas, because Sin City is the one place where the only thing bizarre and weird is to be neither bizarre nor weird. Unfortunately, in his opinion at least, none of that seemed to matter once inside a school building. All high schools are the same, and the thing is; if high school had been anything like the name suggested it could have been his arena. That was certainly not the case. It wasn't like his report card was going to change the fact that he had to this very day never had a real girlfriend.

Teenagers are like animals, most of them adapt pretty easily. Therefore, Warrick had adapted to the fact that he was looked upon as a geeky, non-social kind of guy. Which was not at all the case by the way, but given the clumsiness and the glasses in addition to being somewhat shy and people just make up their minds about you. He didn't come to Miami to make friends. He came to challenge himself: academically and personally. When the opportunity presented itself in a science program at school, him being the ideal candidate and all, he felt like it was the universe's way of telling him to shake things up and make a change. Not that he believed in the universe sending messages or anything.

Las Vegas was still and would always be the city closest to his heart but he would happily admit that Miami definitely wasn't bad either. As the result of random events would have it, since he came here he got a roommate, got to go to a high school party (which was indescribably awesome), he had kind of made friends and because of Maxine's stunt people knew his name. He had a reputation. People talked – about him. What they said didn't even matter.

"Ideas people, ideas! That's what I need you to come up with!"

Their teacher, Mrs. Thatcher, grew up in Colorado and she was hell bent on taking the students anywhere snowy to ski in the winter. They were still a couple of hundred dollars short, but Mrs. Thatcher had set her mind to it as well of the minds of the entire senior class. One way or another; in a few couple of weeks they would be on the bus heading North.

"A bikini car wash would do it" Warrick heard Lou whisper to the blonde he sat next to. It was always blondes, he had noticed. The obviously feigned laughter that emerged in the girl suggested that she was in no way unaffected by the flirting. She's not sticking around for long, Warrick thought. He didn't really know Lou that well, but he had noticed that the giggly, shallow type got him bored quickly.

"Was there perhaps an idea you would like to share with the class, Mr. Vartann?" Mrs. Thatcher said, picking up on the not-so-subtle whispering in row two.

"Sure, but I don't think you'd like it" Lou said, flashing his pearly whites at the short-haired and otherwise also rather short woman. Not even Mrs, Thatcher was completely immune.

"You're right, I probably wouldn't. Anyone else?"

A combined bake sale and – wait for it – karaoke night. That's what the class had decided upon, and on top of it all he was the unlucky bastard that was assigned to assign. Basically, his job was to give everyone a task and make sure they completed it. Why karaoke, anyway? It's humiliating on so many different levels. There was no way he was ever going near a microphone. That was his task, he assigned himself to it as of now: Steer clear of any voice-enhancing devices.

"Hey, what do you have there?"

Warrick knew who she was, the brunette. Her name was Natalia. He just wasn't sure whom she was speaking to, after all the two of them had only exchanged a few words. He kept walking down the hall.
"It's Warrick, right?" She was walking beside him now.
Okay, so she was probably speaking to him. Or maybe he wasn't the only Warrick at school? In Vegas he'd been the only one. It could be a very common name in Florida, for all he knew. Probably not, though. Okay, he should speak up now. That would be polite.
"Yeah." Nice going, he said to himself. Nice going. Socializing is really your thing Warrick, Why don't you do that more often? I can't seem to know why people thing you're socially awkward. Could it be the sarcastic monologue? "This is, uhm… A file that gave me, actually. The senior class is arranging a karaoke night and bake sale, for the skiing trip. She put me in charge."

Wow, so you can formulate sentences.
He really needed to stop the monologue thing.

"Oh yes, I heard about that. The trip, not the karaoke thing. You're doing it all by yourself?" Natalia said, remembering some talk about snow and hot chocolate – there was a slight chance she hadn't been paying a lot of attention.

"No, she is going to assign someone else as well."
"Good, because the senior class is huge! What do you like, do?" She took the file in her hand and glanced at the front page.

"I, uhm… I make sure things get done, I guess," he said and scratched his head. Truth to be told, he wasn't entirely sure what he was doing. "We need people to do decorating, to bake, create a karaoke playlist, and a bunch of other stuff. Any wishes?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, I am sick of cookies and anything remotely related, but my mom will be more than happy to provide pastries. You can put me on decorating. Put Ryan there too, Ryan Wolfe" she said pointing to the file.

"Okay, great. Done." Warrick smiled. Natalia was being genuinely interested in talking to him for no apparent reason at all. It's nice, he thought. It really is nice.

"I have a class in five minutes, in the other building. I have to go. You know, you should hang out with us more, oh – and let me know if you need any help. You seem to have your hands full." She talked as she walked away from him. She didn't even realize she was keeping him from replying with all her talking.

Natalia would be lying if she said she knew how it felt to be an outcast, because she didn't. Still, that didn't change the fact that she wanted to be a good person. Everyone likes to think they're a good person. If you don't make an effort though, you're not a good person. You're neutral. You're neither good or bad, just… neutral.

Rambling; again. She'd done that a lot lately, even if it was just to herself. Sometimes she poured her heart out to Calleigh or Maxine, but she had come to realize that there can indeed be too much girl talk. Talking to herself was the only remaining option.

Time had passed since the party where the failed attempt took place. Time had definitely passed, and she had talked to Ryan about it. It wasn't like they were in denial or not talking about it, but who knew there would be more failed attempts to follow?

Maybe she was incapable of sex. Maybe he was. Perhaps they both were? The only thing she knew for sure was that God or whoever it was upstairs making decisions didn't approve of sex. At least not sex between her and Ryan.

If one of her sisters weren't walking in, then his aunt and uncle were coming for a surprise visit. If they didn't, well – you could be damn sure that the fire alarm went off and the building had to be evacuated. Of course it wasn't burning, it was the universe messing with them. She would say karma, but she couldn't remember what she had done wrong. Ryan had to have done something unforgiveable.

She never thought she'd see the day she would, at eighteen, not be able to sleep with her boyfriend. Maybe if she dragged him into a bush or underneath a cafeteria table when the universe was least expecting it they'd be able to do a quickie. Romantic, huh?

"I need your help," Natalia said as she sat down next to Maxine. "Not just your help, but, you know, your help. All of you; Catherine and Calleigh and you."

Maxine looked puzzled and then some, but didn't take her eyes off her phone for more than short moments at a time. "Ohhkaaay." She typed a few more letters and pressed send before she locked the phone and put it face down on the table. "How may I – we, be of service?"

"I'm immune to sex. I think I might be vaccinated against it."

"Interesting. What do you need me for?"
"To help me have sex."

"I'm not really into that kinds of stuff" Maxine grinned; knowing how annoyed Natalia would be if she didn't take the request seriously.

"That's not what I-" Natalia paused for a second. "Neither am I."

"For all I know that could be the problem in your relationship."
"Maxine, stop suggesting I am a closet lesbian and take me seriously."

"Ryan does have some femini-"
"Max, stop!"
"Fine. I'll help. We'll help."

"Good. Thanks. I-" Natalia met the cold eyes of their teacher who caught them talking in his class and clearly wasn't liking it. "- shouldn't talk about this in class. Tonight?"

"I'm free. Calleigh's going to the movies with Eric."

"Goddamn him, why doesn't he take one of his guy friends for once?"

Maxine laughed silently. "Probably because it's not his guy friends he has a major crush on."

Oh, how true. So very, very true.
"Whatever. He is stealing my friend."

"She can come later."

"Who were you texting, anyway?" Natalia whispered, looking in the direction of the phone Maxine now held up under her desk. Maxine grinned, widely. "Greg, and we're not texting. We're sexting."

"Oh, well of course. Who doesn't sext in class?"
Maxine smirked. "I get more action with this phone than you get at all."

"Yeah, I know."


"You're sure she said she'd come, right?" Natalia said. "Calleigh is never late."

Maxine poured ice tea into four glasses; one for her, one for Natalia, one for Catherine and the last one was supposed to be for Calleigh – if she showed up.

"Maybe Eric finally got his head out of his ass and decided to tell her about his undying love for her, and now they are in the car having that awkward talk", Catherine suggested – she was dangerously close to telling Calleigh on Eric's behalf. Seeing him make a complete fool out of himself was fun in the beginning, now it was just sad.

"It's quite a scenario you're building" Natalia pointed. No way Eric would ever do that.

"Natalia's right." Maxine took a good sip of her tea before she continued: "He could have confessed his undying love for her, and now they're doing it in the back row of the movie theatre. Or in the parking lot, in the back seat of the car perhaps."

Catherine couldn't help but chuckle.

"Can we not talk about Calleigh and/or Eric's sex life?" Natalia asked. She left out the part were she was going to ask if Maxine had ever considered that she may just be a little to obsessed with sex and everything related to it.

"I thought we came here to talk about sex!"

"Calleigh would not approve of this conversation."

"You know what? Let's talk about your sex life Maxine" Catherine chimed in. "Because I am still not understanding your deal with Greg."

"Yes! Fine" Maxine complied, more than willing to talk about herself until Calleigh got there. "Short version: Me and Greg dated-"

"Everyone thought it would be a match made in heaven because they are both weird and inappropriate" Natalia interrupted.

"Except there was no romantic attraction. Like none at all," Maxine continued. "We kind of disagree on every subject known to man. The only thing we can agree upon is that we have awesome sex. We stopped dating, but continued the fun parts. Then he moved, and the rest you know."
"That's actually not a bad arrangement."

"It's a great arrangement, and now he's coming back for a little while – and I plan on locking him in a room with me until he has to leave again."

"I'm sorry I'm late! Did I miss anything?" Calleigh hurried inside and put her bag down next to the sofa. She and Eric went to buy ice cream after the movie, and with him being all cute and charmy and Delko-ish, she had forgotten about the time for a little while. She would never admit it out loud, but not even she could help getting butterflies at that sparkle-in-the eye-thing he did. He didn't even know he was doing it, she was sure.

"Max is a sex addict" Catherine replied.

"Yeah, but I already knew that."

"Well did you know that Natalia and Ryan still hasn't sealed the deal?" Catherine asked, triumphantly.

"You have got to be kidding me. How is that even possible? How did I not know this?"

"Because you are spending most of your time with Delko, and since he is terrible at keeping secrets Ryan doesn't tell him stuff like this."

"He is really bad at that."

"Yeah."

"Okay, so you literally gathered us here to… Chain Ryan to a bed and lock the door from the outside until you guys get it done?" She faced Natalia as she spoke, whom was slightly regretting asking for help at all. "No, not ideally…"

"We could chain you to the bed instead, if that's more your style" Catherine chimed in, always one for pushing just past the point where everyone else would see it fit to stop.

"I would like it best if no one were chained to anything."

"You prefer handcuffs?" Maxine jumped into the conversation.

"Do you honestly see me as the type to enjoy handcuffs, and chains, and whips?" Natalia argued. She couldn't really think of a good reason to why she would ask Maxine for any of this, but she already had. It was growing disastrous already.

"No one mentioned whips. However, if you'd like one I'm sure Calleigh has a load for you to pick from."

"Why me, exactly?" Calleigh asked, amused and disbelieving.

"Because you're southern and you ride horses. You are definitely the type."

Where Maxine got that from, Calleigh had no idea. Maxine wasn't wrong, but she wasn't going to give her the pleasure of knowing that.

"Maxine, I don't want or need a whip!" Natalia laughed. "I need a please and time where I won't be interrupted so I can have sex with my boyfriend!"

"I'm sure we can come up with some ideas…"

Natalia never thought she'd see the day were she was planning, brainstorming, for a way for her to successfully have 'a good time' with her boyfriend. I think I have the craziest friends in the world, she thought. Also, they were the best friends in the world. Natalia could deal with all the crazy that came with them.


I have already written the beginning of the next chapter, so hopefully I will submit it by the end of the weekend. Also, I will try to bring a little more action to the next one. Let me know what you think :)