Sorry, Curtis, that the last chapter wasn't very long; I'm hitting patches of writer's block and I just wanted to get a chapter posted. I hope to have all the details smoothed out and the chapters longer. Thanks to all the reviewers and their reviews, it's just what my muse needs. I urge everyone (there I am, being pushy again, ah Dharke?) to read Dharke's "The Missing Days" story for her continuation of the missing Prince part of this story. So, please review and enjoy!

I've come to know the rules and all the scriptures of love

If it ain't real, fake it. If ain't yours, take it. If it don't exist the make it.

Chapter Seven

Losing Love

Another Mt. Abraham School day was over, which signaled freedom for most of the study body. But for Clear, it signaled the start of her first day of work at the Green Igloo, a job she was beginning to believe that she wasn't quite cut out for. She waited until the hallways were almost empty before slipping out of her last period class, her tardiness due to the fact that she didn't want to risk another run in with Tod and Alex. She was certain that Tod would stop by the Igloo during a point in the afternoon, just as she had suggested, and press her more about what was going on between her and Alex, which was not a conversation she was looking forward to.

Clear managed to slip out of the parking lot without being cornered by Tod and began walking toward the center of town in the direction of the Green Igloo. She wondered if the butterflies she felt in her stomach were strictly first day on the job nerves and not something more, something connected to the problem involving Tod and Alex that was surely just going to get bigger. Could she really keep denying the fact that she still felt something for Alex, still felt fluttery inside every time he smiled at her or even glanced her way. Emotions that she definitely didn't feel with Tod.

Enough, Clear reprimanded herself mentally, don't think about that right now, you have a job to concentrate on. But, worrying about the first problem with her first boyfriend was job in itself.

The Green Igloo soon came into view and Clear forced her boyfriend troubles to take a hike and replace themselves with thoughts about how not to screw up her first day as a waitress. Bree Scott was once again standing at the hostess' podium at the entrance, looking tired and slightly stressed out. Her face brightened immediately when she saw Clear and quickly went to greet her.

"Thank God you're here, this is always the busiest time when everyone gets out of school and we've only got Rachel working the floor right now." Bree began to explain as she led the brunette toward the back of the restaurant once more. "And let me tell you, when Rachel gets stressed out, she gets even more irate then she normally is."

Clear nodded, placing Bree's words in some back file of her mind to save for later. So there were only two fellow waitresses, Clear mused, if the other was anything like Bree she figured she they would all get along just fine.

Bree had led the new employee into the kitchen, which was hot and filled with steam and the smell of burning food and dish washing detergent. Two burly chefs were working diligently to fill the orders that were scrawled out on yellow slips of paper, sweating as they bustled about from oven to oven. Aside from the chefs, there was only one other person in the kitchen, the other waitress by the looks of her green apron and frazzled expression. She appeared older then Bree and herself, with blonde hair that fell skewed across her face and blue eyes alight with impatience and exhaustion.

"Clear, this is Rachel Campbell, the other waitress." Bree introduced as they approached the older girl. "Rachel this is-" She attempted to continue before Rachel Campbell cut her off.

"This better be the knew girl that Stricken hired, otherwise we're in deep shit because I've only got two hands and feet and there's a bunch of impatient people out there." Rachel snapped, giving Clear the once-over before rolling her eyes. "But she doesn't look much like a waitress, more like a circus reject from the beaver people act."

Clear frowned at her words, brow knotting as she thought about a smart retaliation before her moment was gone. However, Bree spoke before she had a chance to completely form her retort. "Rachel, this is Clear, the new waitress." She spoke with her eyes narrowed, as though warning the other waitress to watch her mouth.

Rachel didn't seem to notice Bree's warning, or, if she did, didn't bother to acknowledge what she had said. Instead of speaking at first, however, she handed Clear a small notepad and pen, slipping off her apron and depositing it in the brunette's hands. "On that case, then, I'm on my break. Table three is ready for their food order." And with that, Rachel breezed out of the kitchen and toward the back door.

Clear frowned and stared at the apron and notepad in her hands; this wasn't exactly how she had pictured her first day as a waitress to go and this certainly wasn't how she pictured her fellow employees. She had envisioned a scene that might have come straight from Cheers or some other old television show.

"Don't worry about Rachel, she never thinks before she speaks but she's really not a bad person. Believe it or not, she's actually nice once you've been around her for three months." Bree said, as though sensing her discomfort and confusion. "As for waitressing, it's easier then you'd think; the tables are arranged by number, starting from the one closest to the door, which is one. All you have to do is pop out there every so often to see if anyone needs anything and be here when the orders are up."

Clear nodded, taking comfort in Bree's words as she slipped her apron over her head and dropped it around her shoulders. She hoped it was really as easy as Bree made it out, otherwise she really would have her work cut out for her. She followed the hostess out of the kitchen and back into the main part of the restaurant, where Bree directed her toward table three.

Putting on her best fake smile as she approached the couple at table three, Clear slipped her notepad and pen out and prepared to take down her first order. "Are you guys ready to order?" She questioned, trying to look both helpful and patient, for she was trying to be both.

As her first customers detailed their orders to her, Clear found that she might get the hang of the waitressing thing quicker then she had thought.

* * *

As the afternoon began to wind into evening, the crowd of customers in the restaurant began to wind down as well. Clear was seated at one of the tables with Bree and Rachel, the three silent and reveling in the break that they were receiving; so far, the brunette believed that her day had been a success, since she had only spilled drinks once (and thankfully, while stilling in the kitchen) and only confused an order twice. Both times had provided ample teasing from Rachel, but even now the blonde seemed too exhausted to lay into her anymore for the moment.

The brass bell above the entrance jingled, signaling the arrival of another customer; with a weary sigh, Bree got to her feet and trudged to the hostess podium. "Hi, welcome to the Green Igloo." She greeted, doing well to hide her exhaustion.

Clear looked toward the entrance to see Tod standing in front of Bree, an indecisive look upon his face. "I'm actually here to see Clear, is she busy?" He questioned seconds before he saw his girlfriend, who put a smile upon her face.

Bree gestured behind her before stepping away from the entrance to drop down beside Rachel once more. Tod walked past the podium, smiling at the brunette as he approached; he took a seat from a nearby empty table and sat down next to his girlfriend. "So, how's it going so far?" He questioned, noting her weary expression.

"Busy. I think this is the first chance I've had to sit down since I got here; who knew waitressing would be so tiresome?" Clear answered, noting the rolled eyed expression she got from Rachel.

Tod squeezed his girlfriend's hand in a gesture of comfort. "Well, I'm sure you'll be used to it after a while." He remarked, leaning back in his chair and letting his eyes scan the decorum before returning to Clear's face. "So, uh, has Alex stopped by?" Tod hated himself for asking the question as soon as he saw Clear's expression.

"Tod, do you have to keep bringing that up? I'm going out with you, not Alex. And no, he didn't stop by." Clear answered, too tired to put much more feeling into her words then flat tone. "Did you come by just to ask me that?" She hadn't meant for emotion to enter that question, but it had, and she didn't like the way she had sounded.

Tod couldn't keep a glare off his face at Clear's words. "No, I didn't stop by to ask you that, I stopped by to see how you were doing." He snapped back, realizing that coming by at all had been a bad idea. This wasn't the ideal relationship that he had once envisioned, this was something different.

"You're the one that brought up Alex, so don't snap at me." Clear retorted, her exhaustion beginning to taper away, replaced by anger. "When are you going to get over yourself long enough to realize that there's nothing going on between Alex and I?" She questioned, not quite sure she wanted to hear the answer.

Tod pursed his lips and stood up, nosily sliding his chair back where it belonged. "I don't want to talk about this right now. I'll call her later." He mumbled and, with that, turned and left the restaurant. Clear knew that his call wasn't going to be a social one, just a continuation of what they had started here, or perhaps long before.

Clear wondered if it was a bad thing that she was actually happy to see him go. With a sigh, she buried her head in the palm of her hands, too tired and confused to think properly.

"Boyfriend troubles." Bree mused with a nod of her head. "I've been there." Clear looked up at her, trying to figure out if she was being condescending or simply somewhat comforting. Bree didn't look either, but she certainly didn't look like she was making fun of the brunette.

Rachel rolled her eyes and leaned back against her chair. "The trick with boyfriends is to get them so whipped by the first date that they don't even think to question anything you do. Works for me every time." She remarked, looking less helpful and more like she was simply bragging about one of her accomplishments.

"Rachel, it's amazing you even have a boyfriend." Clear remarked, wondering if she would begin to wish that she hadn't spoken.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rachel snapped, raising an eyebrow. When Clear didn't answer, the blonde seemed more then happy to let it go. "With boys, you just gotta let 'em know who's boss." She murmured, more to herself, as though to remind them all just who was the boss.

Bree turned away from Rachel, pointedly ignoring the blonde, who didn't seem to care and focusing her attention upon Clear. "What were you guys fighting about anyway?" She questioned, not sounding like she knew that she was treading upon unsafe ground. The fact that she had known Clear for less then six hours did nothing to keep her from asking.

"There's this boy at school, and my brother thinks that there's something going on between the two of us." Clear answered, sighing deeply as she thought about it.

Bree raised an eyebrow. "Is there?" She questioned, as though she were determined to get to the bottom of all of Clear's relationship problems.

Clear thought for a moment about how exactly to answer Bree's question. "It's not like you'd think, exactly. I just moved here and Alex was the first boy that I had a crush on; Tod, my brother, is Alex's best friend. I think the only thing going on between Alex and I is that I still have a crush on him. He does, after all, have a girlfriend." She answered finally, pursing her lips.

"Well, even if you still like the other guy, you have to pretend like you don't. That's the only way that you're going to have a happy relationship with your boyfriend: fake it." Bree advised, nodding once.

Clear wondered if Bree's words were the best advice she had gotten in a long while.

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The song is "If it Ain't Broke (Break It)" by Mike Vogel from the MTV movie Wuthering Heights.