Wow, hasn't it been forever since this story was updated; it sure seems that way for me. I must confess something to my readers that, for a while, I was considering abandoning my stories but then I realized I couldn't do such a thing. So, here is "Stuck" back for a comeback. Sorry for the break, but I hope everyone is still interested. So, please review so I know that everyone's still out there!

I know you think that I shouldn't still love you or tell you that

But if I didn't say it, well I'd still have felt it, where's the sense in that?

Chapter Nine

Remaining Doubts

The following day, Clear found herself unwilling to go to school; it was true that no normal teenager actually wanted to go to school but this feeling was much different then just the usual resentment. It was true that she had managed to smooth things over between her and Tod, but how long would that last when Alex was around to stir up trouble once again. Yet, as she got ready that morning, Clear found herself thinking not of Tod but of Alex, just as she always seemed to be doing; she didn't know what sort of person it made her to think about someone else when she had her own boyfriend but she was certain that it wasn't anything good.

Tying her hair back into a ponytail, Clear finally stepped away from the mirror without giving herself another glance and headed out of her bedroom and down the stairs. She bypassed the kitchen and slipped out the front door after snatching up her backpack, in no mood to force small talk with her grandparents. Leaving a little bit earlier wasn't exactly a bad thing either; it would give her a chance to finish the homework she had neglected after returning from The Green Igloo last night as well as give her a chance to think about Tod and Alex. She always figured that if things got really bad between the three of them, that she'd just break up with Tod and that would be that; she had no desire to ruin the childhood friendship that her boyfriend and his best friend shared and hoped that it didn't come to that anyway. Why couldn't Tod just realized that there was nothing physical between her and Alex? That would make things a whole lot more simple.

Or you could stop thinking about Alex and actually remember, for once, that you have a boyfriend, Clear reminded herself as she trudged down the sidewalk. She really had started the whole mess in the first place, now that she thought about it. Perhaps it was up to her to make sure that it didn't get any worse.

When she arrived at Mt. Abraham High, she found that half the student population had already arrived, including Alex, Tod and George, who were grouped together discussing a football game from one day or another. When he saw Clear, Tod smiled and waved her over, slipping his arm around her waist as soon as she had joined them. Alex gave the brunette a half smile as he continued to speak with George and she couldn't help but appreciate his apparent lack of interest in her, it made things much easier.

The conversation about the football game began to taper off, George turned to face Clear and, in an attempt to get rid of the silence, said, "So, Tod tells me that your dog ran away." It wasn't the best of conversation starters, but it was obvious that no one else was going to say anything.

Clear nodded, feeling a pang of sadness at the mention of Prince; with all the chaos of starting a new job and what was going on between her and Tod she hadn't had any time to go looking for her lost dog. "He's been missing for almost two days, I doubt he'll find his way home." She admitted, not for the first time.

"That reminds me," Alex murmured, setting his backpack down by his feet and kneeling, digging through his binders until he pulled out a wrinkled sheet of paper. "I made these last night, I figured we could put them up around the neighborhoods and maybe find your dog that way." He handed Clear the paper and she saw that it was a Lost Dog flyer, complete with a picture of a German Shepard that had been printed off the internet and therefore looked nothing like Prince.

Despite that fact, she couldn't help but smile, honestly touched by his interest in helping her find Prince. "Thank you, Alex." She said graciously, still smiling widely. She wished that she could say more, but with Tod standing beside her, didn't want to risk starting the smoldering problems once again.

Alex smiled as well, nodding, seeming to sense the meaning for Clear's restraint and seeming slightly bothered by that fact. He knew it was his fault to begin with that he wasn't the one to have his arm around her waist, the reason that his best friend was constantly watching every move that he made. If he had never asked Adrienne out then he would be going out with Clear and they wouldn't have to be stepping so lightly around each other.

Before the situation got any more awkward, the school bell rang, signaling that Mt. Abraham students had exactly two minutes to get to their first period classes. Tod gave Clear a goodbye kiss on the cheek before rushing off toward his class, worried, as he always was, that he would be late; George headed off toward gym, leaving Alex and Clear to walk off toward their respective first periods.

"Thank you for making the fliers." Clear told Alex as they walked, smiling at him. "I really mean it, that means a lot to me."

Alex smiled in return, the gesture seeming much more genuine. "You're welcome. It was sort of my fault that Prince ran away in the first place, so I thought it was the least I could do." He told her, still smiling slightly. He suddenly stopped walking and turned to face Clear, who found herself slightly surprised by his sudden change in demeanor. "Look, I'm sorry about everything that's happening, between you and me and Tod, it's all my fault."

"Alex, you don't have to say anything." Clear told him, sighing inwardly and wishing that he had never spoken. If he hadn't, then she might not be so tempted to reveal just how she really felt about him. "It's not-"

He held up his hand to silence her. "It is, it is my fault because I decided to go out with Adrienne when I should have just gone out with you in the first place. I thought that going out with Adrienne would be what I've always wanted but it turns out that it's nothing like I wanted and-"

Now it was Clear's turn to silence him, shaking her head and sighing. "Alex, please don't do this, don't say anything. Don't make it harder then it already is. I'm going out with Tod now," she turned away slightly, staring down at her feet. "You're too late."

Alex shook his head as well, brow knitting. "I don't want to be too late. Don't you get it, Clear, it's you that I've finally realized that I've liked all along. Tod will understand if..." He trailed off, wondering just what he was saying. Did he really want to hurt his friend, jeopardize the friendship that they'd had for so long? Was it really worth it?

"No, he won't." Clear said when Alex was silent. "I like you, Alex, I always have and I wish you had realized that you felt the same way earlier. Now it's too late and there's nothing any of us can do about it." She tried to ignore the flicker of hurt that she saw cross his face as she continued to speak. "I want to be happy with Tod, I really do, but I can't with you saying things like this."

Alex found himself silent, unable to think of anything else to say to her; Clear didn't want to hurt Tod any more then he did and he realized that she was right. There was no room in their lives for 'what ifs', and it wouldn't do either of them any good to keep thinking about what might have been. What might have been, Alex thought, if I hadn't been so stupid.

Instead of saying those things, however, he just nodded and headed off down the hallway toward his first period class, leaving Clear alone in the hallway. For a moment, she stared after him, before turning and walking the opposite direction toward her own class, trying to put their conversation out of her mind.

* * *

Alex and Clear had been so wrapped up in each other that they didn't even notice that Tod had been watching them from outside his first period classroom, located down the hallway. He listened to their conversation intently, feeling a mixture of anger and betrayal; he almost couldn't believe the things that Alex was saying, his supposed best friend so willing to stab him in the back. He didn't know what to think anymore, didn't know if it was worth it to try anymore, or if he should just give up.

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So, the tension is building, or is it? Oh well...the song is "White Flag" by Dido. Just a little note, have any of my readers seen the movie Alex & Emma, which just came out on video. I just finished watching it and, it's a great movie but it's also a lot like this story, with the whole love triangle and such. On a different note, for those of you that the USA Television Network, Final Destination is actually going to be on Sunday at 9 P.M. How exciting, for me anyway. And a word to Dharke, Dog Soldiers is a great movie, gotta love those werewolves. Have you seen Ginger Snaps?