Hello! Welcome to my slightly darker SLOTAT rewrite. :) This will contain many similar storylines with twists and character swaps, along with some things that never happened in the show. I will be getting rid of some characters and potentially adding a few in later. So far, I have up to "season" 3 mapped out but I don't want to get too ahead of myself haha. Our story will center mostly around the lives of students at Grant High School. :)

Rating may change to M later for mature themes.

Chapter One- Head Over Heels Pt. 1

Fifteen-year-old Madison Cooperstein draped her duffel bag over her shoulder and exited the city bus, her short red ponytail bouncing behind her as she stepped onto the sidewalk. Still new to the cheer squad and, therefore, uncomfortable in her skin-tight workout clothes, she pulled at her shorts to make them appear as long as possible. Thankfully, it was the end of August, so it was warm enough to walk to her destination comfortably.

Ugh, why didn't I change after practice? She looked both ways and hurried off to her destination. Madison despised being out alone in the dark, but right now, her best friend needed her, and that was more important.

Two blocks later, she approached Amy Juergens' home and hurried across the lawn. Why was she so jittery? It wasn't like these were her parents or she could get into any trouble in this situation. Besides, without reasonable suspicion, it isn't like someone else's mom or dad was going to go through her stuff, right? She rolled her eyes and then nervously glanced down at her cheer bag for any odd-looking bulges. She chuckled dryly, then took a deep breath and rang the doorbell, peaking through the frosted glass as she watched a figure approach.

Moments later, a slightly balding man in his mid-thirties answered the door. "Oh, it's you Madison. You're here pretty late don't you think? Amy is getting ready to go to bed. She needs to rest before the first day of school. Actually, you both do."

"I know, Mr. Jurgens, I-I'm sorry. I just really needed to talk to Amy about something super quickly if that's okay," the teenager told him nervously. With as much fake confidence as she could muster, she then told him, "I'll be ten, fifteen minutes tops. I just have a question about the summer project for English. I know that Amy finished hers weeks ago."

He glanced down at his watch, then back up at her, sighing. "This is why you shouldn't wait until the night before to do your homework. But okay, I guess that's alright. Anne isn't even home with Ashley yet- so you can just go on up, but don't stick around too long."

"Thank you, Mr. Jurgens!" She smiled sweetly as she hurried up the stairs. As the young redhead approached her best friend's room, she was surprised to find the door cracked open. "Amy?"

She knocked on the door lightly before entering the room, only to find it empty. She heard a shower running across the hall and assumed that Amy would be in there, so she approached that door next. That's weird. Why would she be showering if she knew I'd be over after practice? The young girl lifted her hand to knock, then paused when she heard the faint sounds of someone who sounded sick, just muffled by the running water. Oh. That's what she's doing in the bathroom.

"Amy?" She called out as she knocked. "Are you sick?"

She heard a toilet flush and the sounds of the sink running. Seconds later the door opened, and she was pulled inside quickly. Amy closed and locked it behind her at the same speed.

Madison wasn't one to judge, but boy, had her best friend seen better days. She was wearing a pair of middle school gym shorts and an old T-shirt paired with the fuzzy robe that she'd had since she was ten. The brunette's long hair was matted with sweat and she had circles under her puffy, red eyes. Amy shook her head. "Not really, no. But I don't think I'm contagious. Did you bring the test?"

Madison nodded, unzipping her cheerleading duffel and handing Amy a brown paper bag from inside it. To break the tension, she joked, "I think I broke the school record for the mile by the way. Practice ran long tonight and I had, like, fifteen minutes to get from cheer practice- to the store- to the bus station before the 8:30 came. Oh, and it was like $12 at the Rite Aid, you can pay that back to me whenever, no rush or anything."

Amy nodded. "Thanks, Madi. I really appreciate this. I haven't been able to get away from my parents for days and honestly, I'm way too terrified to buy it with them in the store when we go together."

"Of course. I'm just honored you came to me. Have you said anything to Lauren?" Madison asked her.

"No way," she responded, ripping open the box in her hands. "You know I love her, but she's so judgy sometimes. No, I'll tell her if there's something to worry about... But Madi, please keep this between us. Nobody can know, I can't start high school like this."

"But, Amy, what if you are... pregnant?" She asked, whispering the last part.

"I don't know Madi. I can't be. I have to have some weird stomach virus or something. I just have to. Besides, who gets pregnant their first time?" The brunette scoffed. "It barely even lasted, like, two seconds, and it definitely wasn't like in the movies, you know, all romantic and stuff."

Madison nodded. "I'm sorry it wasn't great Amy. But no matter what, I'm here for you, pregnant or not. Besties for life!"

Amy mustered up a smile, thankful that she at least had the support of her oldest friend. "Thanks. Now, uh, I don't mean to be rude or anything, but can I please have some privacy?"

Slightly disappointed that she couldn't be there to see the results, Madison nodded. "Okay, I get it. You probably want to be by yourself. Will you call me later?"

"I'm not sure, Madi. I might just want to be by myself tonight. But I'll see you first thing in the morning at school, okay?" She promised, leaning in for a hug.

"Sure," the redhead smiled. She grabbed her bag, then paused before she left the bathroom. "Omg, I can't believe we're starting high school in twelve hours!

I can't believe I'm about to take a pregnancy test. Amy thought to herself as her friend walked out of the bathroom.

As the young girl read through the instructions, reality set in and she let out a shaky breath. Okay. Now or never. After she discarded her robe and shorts, Amy sat down on the toilet, pregnancy test in hand.

Madi debated on calling her dad for a ride, but she didn't live far, and she was honestly nervous about keeping a secret this big. As she began her walk home, she heard her phone chime a few times from the pocket in her shorts. When she pulled it out, it was a number she didn't recognize.

Heyyy, I saw u goin hard practice 2nite
U did awesome!
Looking 4ward 2 seeing u school
Ur rlly cute btw :)

She bit her lip, feeling giddy. She'd only just made the squad and somebody had already noticed her? It was already week three of practice, but still... None of the girls had really even bothered to remember her name yet, though she'd joined just to make friends. Who could it be?

Omg ty :) I'm working rlly hard like every day haha
*heart eyes emoji*
Who is this tho? lol

She crossed the street, eagerly waiting for a response.

I don't think we've met yet! Hi
I'm Jack Pappas, I'm on the football team

The halls of Grant High School echoed with the eager voices of students and faculty as they poured onto campus the next morning. New beginnings and change filled the air, as it was the first day of a brand new school year. As returning students met up with old friends and chattered eagerly about their summers and class schedules, freshmen wandered about nervously, searching for their lockers, their classrooms, and any signs of a familiar face. Teachers grabbed their coffees from the lounge and went over last-minute lesson plans, while parents cried over the fact that their children were growing up. It was an emotional day for many.

Sophomore Adrian Lee circled the lot and parked her red convertible, a birthday gift from her father, who had never even bothered to show up in her life until a few months ago. The sixteen-year-old grabbed her bag from the seat beside her and set her sunglasses on top of her raven black hair. She glanced down at the map she'd received at her registration last week and back then up at the school.

"You can do this," the Latina girl whispered to herself before tossing her papers into her bag and taking her keys out of the ignition. "It's only three years."

Three long years.

Adrian was new to Grant High, having just moved from San Bernandino to Valley Glenn over the summer. After losing someone close to her and having a pretty rough freshman year, her mother, Cindy Lee, had decided that it would be best to move Adrian to a new city. One that was closer to the father she'd yet to know, and one where her daughter could start a fresh chapter in her life.

She despised being the new kid- even if she had agreed that moving away from Pacific High was in her best interest. It was frustrating not knowing anybody, having to figure out her way around, and being stared at all day by the kids that had been in school together forever.

One thing the teenage girl did love though was reinventing herself. The one good thing about starting fresh was that nobody had to know who she used to be. She could be anybody she wanted. This time around, she wasn't going to let anyone or anything make her doubt herself again.

Exiting her car, she placed her glasses back over her eyes and adjusted her sheer white top before heading toward the doors of the school. She thought back to the map in her bag, refusing to take it out and look like some lost little freshman. No matter, she'd spent enough time the previous night memorizing it to avoid that problem. She swung left as she entered the campus and headed toward her assigned locker. Punching in the combination, she placed a few things into it and then grabbed a wallet-sized photo from inside her binder. She glanced at it- lingering for a moment on the boy's face- then smiled sadly and hung it on the inside of the door with a small magnet.

Adrian closed her locker and glanced down at her watch. Twenty minutes until the first bell. She rolled her eyes, annoyed that she'd have to occupy her time, but grateful she wasn't making a bad first impression, at least. Thinking back to the map again, she remembered that there was a cluster of tables to sit at outside, so she decided to head that way.

She glanced down at a text she'd received from her mother that morning as she exited the doors to the courtyard. Her mother was a flight attendant and had flown out over the weekend, so she wasn't able to be there on her daughter's first day of school, but Adrian was used to it. She started heading toward where the tables had been on the map and flipped her screen closed as her eyes landed on the best-looking guy she'd seen in ages. Brown hair slicked back with gel and drumsticks in hand, Adrian knew that this boy was going to be trouble.

Damn. She thought to herself as a smirk drew itself across her face. Maybe this year won't be so bad, after all.

"Well hi there," she purred as she sauntered his way, taking a seat on the table beside him. "My name is Adrian. Remember the name, I'm sure you'll be seeing a lot of me very soon."

He smirked and held out his hand, kissing hers when she placed it into his. "I sure hope so. I'm Ricky."

Fifteen-year-old Ben Boykewich stood at his locker, anxiously inputting the combination. He was tall for his age but skinny, standing at nearly six feet, with curly brunette hair and a shy smile. When he got it wrong for the third time, he audibly groaned and softly banged his head against the locker. Leave it to me to be the lame freshman that can't even get his locker open.

Just then, his two best friends approached him hand-in-hand, both beaming. Henry Miller was fifteen, a Phillipino boy with a goofy-looking grin, and Alice Valko was his girlfriend of over a year, a baby-faced Japanese girl with pigtails that was three months younger than himself. The three "musketeers" had been inseparable since the sixth grade. Although they ragged on each other constantly, Ben knew that his friends would be there for him through thick and thin, especially after helping him grieve his mother two years ago.

"Ben!" They called out to him in unison, dropping their hands to lean in and hug him from behind.

Then, Henry laughed at him and teased, "so you still can't get that combination down, huh? Didn't you spend, like, our entire freshman orientation trying to learn it?"

Ben felt his cheeks get hot as he rolled his eyes at them, pushing off of the locker and turning toward them both. "Ha, ha. Only because you two spent all of orientation sucking face behind the bleachers."

Alice blushed too, then she stuck her tongue out and punched him in the shoulder. "Whatever. You're just mad that you can't get a girlfriend."

Henry chuckled and grabbed ahold of his friend's lock. "Listen, man, I'll help you out this time, but don't make it a habit alright?"

"Mark my words, this is the year I'm getting a girlfriend. Preferably Grace Bowman," he smiled, staring across the hall at the pretty blonde in her cheerleading uniform. He'd been in love with Grace Bowman since kindergarten when she stood up to a bully on the playground for him. They hadn't spoken much in the decade since that day, but he'd never forgotten how much it meant to him.

Just then, he watched as a blonde football player approached her from behind, wrapping his arms around her waist. He watched at she squealed in delighted surprise and then turned to face him before leaning in for a soft kiss. And he felt his heart break into two.

"Who the hell is that guy?!" He exclaimed as Henry popped the locker open, looking triumphant, then rolling his eyes when he realized Ben was no longer paying attention. "I thought she wasn't allowed to date! She's a Christian, her parents won't let her!"

"Oh," Alice said awkwardly. "That's Jack. Her boyfriend."

"Since when?!"

"They got together over the summer, I guess. They go to the same church or something so her parents let her go out with him," Alice told him sympathetically. "I met him at orientation when you and Henry were in the computer lab. I didn't know whether I should tell you."

"Well, you should've," he sighed. "What am I going to do now? I've been waiting for her for, like, ten years!"

"Like I've always said, that's freaking crazy dude. You're fifteen, why would you want to settle for one chick?" Henry asked him. Alice shot him a dirty look and he realized what he'd said, quickly backtracking. "I mean, not me of course, I got lucky enough to find my soulmate when I was 12, and I'm grateful for that. But for you man, that's crazy!"

"Yeah, nice save," she told him sarcastically. She turned to walk away. "I'll see you guys after first period."

"Anyways, you need to get your mind off of Grace and onto someone new," Henry insisted, looking back at his friend. "We're in high school now, you can't just stay a virgin forever."

"Aren't you a virgin, Henry?" He asked dryly.

"Yeah, but at least I'm halfway there! You don't even know how to talk to a girl," he teased. "Maybe you should just rip off the band-aid and go after the first girl you see. Like, maybe her."

Henry pointed down the hallway at a cute-looking brown-haired girl, who was standing with two other girls that had their backs to him. They seemed to be having an intense conversation. "She's actually really cute, who is she?"

"That's Amy Juergens. She was in my history class last year. Kind of shy, we only talked once or twice, but she seemed nice," he told his friend with a shrug. "You should talk to her. Anyways, I'm gonna go find Alice, not trying to start the first day off in a fight because I put my own foot in my mouth."

Ben laughed, forgetting all about Grace Bowman. "You go do that, idiot."

Meanwhile, down the hall, Amy was being cornered by her two best friends. Freckle-faced Madison had gotten to Amy first, insisting she tell her what had happened the previous night. Their other best friend, Lauren Treacy walked up to them both before Amy could answer. Lauren was taller than most girls her age and came off as quite sophisticated, her hair slicked back into a tight ponytail and her lips a bright, bloody red, contrasting beautifully with her dark skin.

"Okay, you two, out with it," she insisted. Amy and Madison shared a look, then they both looked at Lauren. "I know you two aren't telling me something, and I really freaking hate it when you leave me out of things. It's our first day of high school together, don't ice me out dudes!"

"We aren't icing you out, Lauren, I'm sorry," Madison insisted. She shot Amy a pointed look, who bit her lip and turned toward her curious friend.

"Lauren, I'm sorry. Just- I- something happened over the summer that I haven't told you. I only told Madison because I was scared and I needed help and I was scared that you would judge me," Amy told her, tears in her eyes.

"What happened? Amy, you can tell me anything. I won't judge you. Sometimes I'll give you tough love, but it's from a good place," she insisted.

The brunette nodded, wiping away a stray tear. "Okay, um, over summer at band camp... I had sex."

"You what?!" Lauren shot a look at Amy, then at Madison, who nodded her head in confirmation. "That's a big one. Okay, um, I need details, like yesterday!"

"The details don't matter because I want to forget all about it. It wasn't good and I haven't even talked to the guy since," Amy cried to her friends, who both placed a comforting hand on her each shoulder.

"Sorry Amy, that sucks," Lauren told her sincerely. "Wait, you said you were scared and needed help. How does Madi come into play here?"

Amy looked down toward the ground, instinctively covering her stomach with her textbook. Madison looked like she was about to cry, and Lauren looked lost. "I- I needed her to buy me a pregnancy test."

"A pregnancy test?!" She whisper-yelled. "Amy, didn't you use a condom?!"

"I did, but it must've broken or something, I don't know!" She yelled back. A random student glanced their way before continuing with their own conversation. "All I know is it didn't work, because the test she bought me was positive."

Grace Bowman eagerly waited her turn to speak in homeroom. They were doing an ice breaker, one of her favorite day one activities. This one was relatively easy, all each student had to do was introduce themselves and say a fact or two to help their classmates get to know them. As the girl next to her sat down, Grace jumped up from her seat in excitement.

"Hello everybody! I'm Grace Bowman, obviously a freshman like all of you and obviously a cheerleader," she joked, glancing down at her uniform. "I'm also a Christian and my faith is a really, really big part of my life. I go to church every Sunday and I've been singing in the choir ever since I was a little girl. My dream is to be a doctor just like my dad! Oh! Since I have the floor for a sec, I actually wanted to tell you all that we're hosting a "welcome back" dance at the youth fellowship hall at my church after the game this Friday night! The gym is still being repaired, so we thought we'd throw something together just to be nice. Tickets are free. Don't worry, no sermon! Just music, dancing, and great food!"

"That's absolutely wonderful Ms. Bowman, could we wrap it up, please?" Her teacher, Mr. Molina asked her. Blushing, she nodded.

"Please spread the word! Everyone is invited- and there's a poster in the cafeteria with all of the info! Thanks, guys!" She smiled and sat down, listening politely as the boy beside her began introducing himself.

Wait
So u have a gf?

Madison was absolutely fuming. The cute boy that she'd been up texting half of the night, sharing jokes and even a couple of selfies with, had a freaking girlfriend?! She asked if she could maybe meet up with him for lunch and he'd just... sprung this on her.

Oh, well. Of course he had a girlfriend. He was a football player and a sophomore... She was probably gorgeous. How could Madison be so freaking stupid?

Yea, don't b mad pls
She's on ur actuallyteam, Grace Bowman
My stepdad is forcing me 2 go out w her tho :(
Tbh she's rlly annoying :(
& nowhere near as pretty as u!
I never wanted 2 date her, but her dad gives the church $ ... so I had 2

The redhead blushed, trying not to smile. Well, if his dad was making him go out with her, it was different... Right? That still didn't justify her talking to another girl's boyfriend. But... No boy had ever paid attention to her this way before.

That's kind of awful :(
Sry u have 2 deal w that, ur stepdad must suck

Yea, but I swear he's not a bad guy, the church was just rlly struggling & he saw it as a way 2 help out
My real dad is a bad guy, he's in prison now tho
I talked 2 my stepdad last nite tho
Told him I had 2 end it w her
Told him I met sum 1 new :)
I rlly wanna take u out Madi, u seem so cool

Madison squealed. She hadn't even met him in person yet, but he was saying all of the right things.

... I'm sorry about ur dad
We can talk about it if u ever want
:) Btw ur cute
:( I RLLY wanna meet u now

I have stuff 2 do 2day, but 2mrw I can come over after practice if u want
I just have 2 take her home 1st
Pls understand
I rlly like u
But I have 2 find the right time 2 break it off, it isn't her fault that my stepdad made me date her
N I can't just leave her stranded school
But I'll come see u as soon as I'm done w her

:( I understand. But ur rlly breaking up w her right? I can't b a home recker...
I'm a better person than that
& Yea she's annoying but she seems rlly nice...

Of course I'm going to break up with her
What kind of guy would lie about somethin like that
N I'm gunna take u out :)
N kiss u if that's ok :)
Heyyy can I see ur pretty face again? Send me a pic of u rn

The redhead rolled her eyes and smiled before ducking into the bathroom and checking her appearance in the mirror. Hesitantly, she reached up and undid the top button of her shirt, showing a little bit of her chest. She confidently squeezed her elbows together and took a cute-enough selfie with a small amount of cleavage before anxiously hitting send.

Wow, cute && sexy
I like it :)

The bell rang and she hurried out of the bathroom and on to her next class of the day, one she, thankfully, shared with her girls.

"So what are you gonna do Amy?" Lauren whispered to her friend as she and Madison sat beside her in third period. They still had a couple of minutes before the final bell. "Are you gonna tell your mom?"

"Absolutely not!" Amy replied quickly. "I don't think so... Well, I don't know!"

"Well, I think you should see a doctor," Madison told her. "You never know, maybe the test was wrong or you're like, sick or something!"

"I doubt that Madi, I've been throwing up for days, and... I've had other signs too. I don't know. I think I'm going to go to the clinic after school," Amy told them nervously. "Can you guys come?"

"I'm sorry Ames, I have cheer after school," Madi told her with a frown.

"And I have yearbook," Lauren added. "Oh! Did I tell you guys I got into the yearbook club? I'm going to run for historian, I'm so excited."

"That's great, guys, I'm happy for you," Amy responded sadly. "Band practice was canceled today, so I'm good to go."

"Sorry," both girls muttered guiltily.

"Don't be, I got myself into this mess, I need to do this myself," she insisted.

"What about the father?" Lauren asked hesitantly. She'd been waiting for Amy to bring it up, but it had been hours and so far, nothing.

"He doesn't go here," Amy told them quickly. "Just some random guy I met at band camp. I don't want him to know."

"Oh, well won't your mom find out about the clinic?" Lauren asked her next.

"What's with the third degree, Lauren?" Amy snapped while her friends shrunk back.

"You don't need to be snappy, I'm just trying to understand. Sorry!"

The brunette sighed. "No, I'm sorry. I'm just really scared, that's all."

"We know Ames, but we're both here for you," the girls insisted.

The teacher chose that moment to grace the class with their presence, so they turned their attention to the board and began to take notes on the syllabus.

Wow, cute && sexy
I like it :)

Jack Pappas smirked down at the photo he'd just received on his cell phone. Cute little redheaded cheerleader, the tiniest hint of cleavage teasing him. The minute he'd seen her, he knew he had to have her, so he'd gotten her number from another football player's girlfriend. One that knew how to keep her mouth shut... The two of them had a little side thing going for a few weeks during the summer, but she'd broken it off when her boyfriend had gotten home from vacation because she didn't want to cheat on him... Okay. Anyways, the only problem now was his girlfriend, Grace, who seemed to be even more clingy now that practice and school had begun.

"Hey handsome, what are you smiling at?" The blonde girl asked him with a smile of her own. She was seated across from him at an outdoor table and they were eating lunch together, but she'd spent most of her time writing down details for the dance on Friday, and he'd spent most of his time flirting with Madison through text.

"Just a picture of my favorite girl," he told her as he quickly switched to Grace's contact photo. He showed her his screen and she smiled.

"You're the sweetest. I love you!"

"I love you too, Grace," he smiled. And that, at least was true, he did love her, in a way. Or maybe he was just obsessed with the idea of her innocence. Of taking it and making it his.

He'd been lying through his teeth when he told Madison that his dad forced him to date her... He was the one who saw Grace first, asked her on a date, and made things official over the summer. And he planned to be the one to take her virginity, no matter how long that took him.

But that didn't mean he didn't have needs of his own to fulfill in the meantime. That's where Madison came in. And he wasn't really worried about her telling anybody, he knew how to keep a girl quiet if he had to. He learned that lesson from his dad, who he looked up to more and more with each passing day. Not like he could tell anybody else that though...

To the rest of the world, he was just Jack Pappas, a good little Christian football player with a bright future. Nobody knew who he really was and he planned to keep it that way for as long as he possibly could.

Jack set his phone notifications to silent and put the device into his pocket and smiled once more at Grace Bowman. "Okay, I'm sorry, I'm off of my phone now. How can I help you, baby girl?"

Okay, I think I'm going to end it here before this turns into an 8,000 word first chapter lol. I fully intended on making this end with the dance like the show's pilot, but I've already written so much and I feel like this is a great place to end it. I sincerely hope that you enjoyed the first installment of Grant High Secrets and Lies!

If you have the time, reviews are near and dear to my heart and are excellent motivation to continue. :) Until next time!

SimmerShyla