Disclaimer: I dont own the Nine Lives, only my original ideas and a deep addiction to this show that is fed by writing.

You were all so good about reviewing that I decided to post this chapter sooner!

"Hey, Brian, so change of plans, can we go to a basket ball game at seven tonight?" I asked. Amy still sat on the floor leaning against the lockers.

"Um, sure, I guess."

"Great, it just sounded kind of fun, and then-" I paused momentarily trying to come up with a reason why he should take me home or out to dinner afterwards. "I'm supposed to spend the night at Amy's." Amy looked up at me confused. "Yeah, she'll be there, she'll bring me home." I said answering his question. I could tell that he was kind of upset but what could I say, oh by the way after the game I'm ditching you to hang out with my old boyfriend. I'm sure that would have gone over real well. "Yeah, you too, Bye." I said then hung up the phone and shoved it in my back pocket again.

"What was that about, Chloe?" Amy asked. "I don't want to go to the basket ball game tonight." She whined.

"You don't have to you can show up for the last ten minutes and pretend like your taking me home."

"What?" She asked confused. I rolled my eyes and pulled her up off the floor.

"I'm not actually spending the night, I'm going to hang out with Alek. I just didn't want to tell Brian that." I explained.

"What is this, some kind of booty call?" she asked.

"Yes, that's exactly what it is. We didn't do anything while we were dating but now that we split up all we do is make love to each other." I told her shaking my head.

"Don't tell me the thought has never crossed your mind." She shook her finger at me trying to play the stern mother.

"Oh I wouldn't be able to lie to my best friend." I told her as we walked down the hall.

"Can't keep her hands off of you can she, Petrov." One of the guys said when we were in the gym before school. I just shook my head and continued the pushups.

"So, Petrov, how does she like it?" Another asked. Again I just shook my head knowing that to say anything would only egg them on.

"I bet she likes it rough- she seems like the kind of girl that likes a little bruising." Yet another guy said.

"Guys, this is why you don't have girlfriends and can't get laid. You stick your foot in your mouth. Don't talk about girls like that- especially ones that are my friends." I told them before getting up and going to the other side of the court. I shot a few hoops before heading to the showers.

The water cooled me off. I had been a lot more upset about their comments than I'd shown, but I know if I showed any of the emotions I was feeling it would only have continued. It probably still will for a little bit. Guys were stupid. I can't believe that that's the way some of them think. Sure, I make jokes and I may have gotten close with a few girls before I backed out, but I didn't think about girls that way. My mom had taught me to respect them and living with Valentina and Jasmine had taught me to fear them. As I shampooed my hair quickly I thought about Chloe. I'd make sure that she would get tickets in the front row so I could make sure she got my jersey, as a friend of course because that's what friends do.

I shook my head, it was silly but it was making me smile. I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around my waist before walking into the locker room. I went to my locker and was undoing the combination when I heard something move behind me. I turned around and saw Claire sitting on one of the benches. "how the hell did you get in the guys locker room?" I asked. She smiled seductively and came towards me. Her fingers played around the edge of my towel first where it was knotted at the front and then moved around towards the back.

"You know how I got in here, it's how I get in-" She looked down for a second, biting her lip, then looked up. "everywhere, kind of like you, if you wanted to." She smiled. I threw my head from side to side stretching my neck.

"We've been here before, Claire. You aren't going anywhere and neither am I. Look I don't want to do that. Go find someone else." I told her pushing her away from me. She stuck her bottom lip out in a pout and continued to play with my towel. "Claire." I told her and pushed her back to the bench and sat her down.

"Alek, c'mon, I know you like to play but-"

"I'm not playing, Claire. You and I have never had sex, nor will we ever. I don't do that, especially with girls who have been with everyone in school."

"If it weren't for that virgin bitch Chloe King that you are needlessly chasing after you wouldn't have thought twice before having sex with me, right here and now."

"Don't talk about Chloe like that!" I yelled at her. I was breathing heavily and I turned around to catch my thoughts. I could feel her push her body against me. "Damn it, Claire. Go!" I grabbed her arm and led her to the door. I opened it and pushed her out the door. I ignored the rest of the students in the hall, scanning quickly for Chloe to make sure she wasn't seeing this. I wanted to make sure she didn't get the wrong idea. Luckily she wasn't, but everyone else in the hall was staring. "Stop stalking me, Claire. We aren't ever going to be together, not that way, not any way. Get that through your thick red skull." I told her and then shut the door to the locker room. I turned and saw the rest of the team.

"Does that mean I can tap that?" one of the guys asked. I sighed and stalked back to my locker to grab my clothes.

"Do whatever you want." I said.

I pulled my phone out and stared at the screen as the screen lock came up. I smiled at the screen. It was the picture of Chloe and I from the homecoming dance. It still made me stop and catch my breath. My friends made fun of me when they saw it because it was everywhere. My phone, my computer screen, on my wall, it was everywhere. It's what got me through not being able to be with her, although now it seemed that this would not be a problem anymore.

I couldn't stop smiling all day at school and when I saw Chloe at lunch I couldn't help but smile even more. She smiled back and waved before turning back to her conversation with Amy and Paul. I sat down at my normal table and watched her while I opened my coke bottle. "I thought you guys weren't talking." Someone said behind him before sitting down.

"Yeah, I thought that you two were broken up." Another voice said. My vision was filled with Erik's face and I could sense Jasmine sitting to my left.

"Haven't you heard, she misses our friendship. She's willing to put all the heartache aside so we can go back to that. Life is finally going my way again." I smiled and took a deep drink. Erik gave me an inquisitive look before he smiled.

"I'm not going to complain, I haven't seen you this happy in a while, man." Erik said laughing and picking up his hamburger.

"Same" Jasmine said elbowing me in the side. I smiled again. I knew that they were right, that I hadn't been smiling lately. I looked over at Chloe again and watched as she animatedly talked to her friends, how the light from the windows made her skin twinkle. Her hair stirred lightly with the air that was leaking in through the window. Then she saw me staring at her and she smiled pushing her hair behind her ear. I laughed to myself lightly and looked down and so did she. If my plan worked the way I wanted, this smile of mine would be hanging around for a very long time.

So, yes it's a filler chapter, but I hope you like it anyway, and it was necessary. Hope you guys review because the next chapter is the game and it's gonna be explosive but unless I get lots of reviews I'm not going to post right away.

Reveiws make me happy, real reviews about the chapter make me even happier. Make me smile!