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Okay, so, thanks to Dharke for her hilarious reviews, they made me laugh. There are about three chapters left in this story but I'm going to write a sequel. And in reference to Dharke wanting Clear to whack Alex with a piece of wood...sorry but I don't think I can fit that in. Maybe some other story. :) And, sorry if the story is sappy and too romantic and all of that crap but, hey, I'm fifteen and single and that gives me the right to be romantic and sappy. It's pathetic, I know, but it's a fact. And, go read ScribbleDribble's stories, they are very funny...good stuff. On with the story!

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Chapter Fourteen

Head Over Feet

Tod was already at the movie theatre when Clear arrived, leaning against the wall and looking slightly uncomfortable. The movie theatre was crowded, packed with teenage couples, more interested in necking then actually seeing the movie of their choice. When he finally saw the brunette, Tod brightened slightly and headed her way, looking her over once from top to bottom. She was wearing slightly baggy jeans, the bottoms falling over the heels of her sneakers; her shirt was sleeveless, despite the chill in the air and her long brown hair was braided into the front. Tod wished that he had decided to bring the rose after all.

Clear smiled, looking slightly embarrassed and even more nervous. "Sorry, I'm late." She apologized, causing Tod to shake his.

"You're not late, I'm just early." He explained, fishing around in his pocket for the pair of tickets that he had already purchased. He handed one ticket to Clear and the two of them entered the bustling moving theatre, pushing their way through the crowd.

Clear declined Tod's offer to buy her popcorn or any other movie snack, knowing that she was too nervous to eat. As she waited in line beside Tod, who was ordering a drink, she scanned the area for Alex, part of her hoping that she wouldn't see him. She wondered if Tod had bought tickets to the same movie that Alex and Adrienne were going to and figured that he had; that was, after all the reason they were there in the first place. The same part of her that hoped that she didn't see Alex was also the same part of her not reminded her not to care about him any longer. Alex had a girlfriend, and it wasn't her, so she needed to just let it go; Tod liked her, after all, and she was beginning to like him as well. But there was still the part of her that loved Alex, a part of her that wouldn't die in a matter of days.

Luckily, the room where their movie was showing was packed, so Clear hoped that Alex wouldn't notice that she was there. She could tell that Tod was hoping the same thing, which only confirmed her suspicions that spying on Alex was only a front. They found two seats in the back of the theatre, directly across from the exit.

Clear shifted uncomfortably in her seat, eyes scanning the theatre for Alex without really meaning to. Finally, she spotted the back of his head; she wasn't surprised to see a blonde head right beside his. It was obvious that Adrienne was relating some dry tale to the boy beside her, by the way that her head was bobbing every once and a while. She wrinkled her nose slightly, attempting to force down the jealously that she felt when she looked at Alex and Adrienne together. It wasn't right, she was out with Tod, she needed to let Alex go.

Tod followed her line of sigh and looked, noticing who the brunette was looking at. He felt a pang of jealousy as well, but for complete different reasons; he was jealous of Alex for being able to command so much of Clear's attention without wanting it, for being the only person that Clear most often thought about. Tod wished that it was he that Clear was thinking about at that moment, but said none of these thoughts out loud. As far as Clear was concerned, they were just two 'friends' at the movies on a Friday night, doing a little 'recon'.

The lights dimmed and Clear finally managed to tear her gaze away from Alex's direction, turning instead to look at Tod, who was watching her out of the corner of his eye. She offered him a weak smile, feeling guilty for not having said a word to him since they had sat down. Pursing her lips, Clear finally gave him all of her attention, preparing to ask him a question that had been burning on her brain lately. "Tod, this isn't really about spying on Alex is it? This whole night." She asked, expression begging for an honest answer.

Tod looked surprised at her question, turning to face the brunette. He considered lying to her, sticking with the story he had fabricated but the expression on Clear's face suggested that she wouldn't buy it anyway. "No, it's not; I don't why I started that whole thing...I mean, it didn't even seem like a good idea at the time. But, I knew that you liked Alex and I really didn't think that you would go out with me if I asked." He confessed, feeling his cheeks get slightly red. He hadn't counted on confessing his feelings to the brunette, at least, not tonight and he found himself embarrassed all over again.

Clear's cheeks also grew slightly red, and she was thankful for the dim light; she'd thought that maybe Tod had asked her out because he liked her a little, but she hadn't counted on him baring his soul to her. "Tod I..." She trailed off, not quite she what to say. After all, he was probably right, she probably wouldn't have accepted a date invitation from him.

"But I really like you Clear, I think your pretty and, maybe, a little quiet...I figured I had to try and get you to go out with me. Even if it was by using some lame-ass excuse." Tod finished, unable to finish speaking once he had started.

Clear took in his words, slightly surprised and even more touched; he was the first boy, first person really, that told her that she was pretty. That was why she didn't resist when Tod leaned over and kissed her gently on the lips.

* * *

Alex rolled his eyes, staring blankly ahead at the coming attractions on the movie screen, hoping that Adrienne would take the hint and shut up about what Terry Chaney had said at cheerleading practice. But the blonde kept on talking, mouth going a hundred miles on hour. "And then Terry told Shelby Masters, you know Shelby, the girl that thinks she's cool because her daddy has a lot of money? Anyway Terry told her that-" Adrienne rambled, silenced only when Alex stood up. "Where are you going?" She asked.

Alex looked down at her, surprised that she had even that he was there. "I'm going to get a drink." He mumbled, pushing past the people that were seated beside Adrienne, unable to over-look the fact that they all looked slightly relieved that his date had finally shut up.

He started up the aisle, trying to calculate how long he could be gone and still have a good excuse. 'Long line' would only work for the first ten minutes or so. Maybe Adrienne wouldn't even remember that he had left and thus, wouldn't remember how long he'd been gone.

As Alex neared the exit, he noticed a couple sharing a kiss and wished that Adrienne would shut up long enough for him to kiss her...at least once. Hell, he'd actually be happy if she just shut up. He did a double-take when he thought he recognized one half of the couple and a closer look revealed that he knew both halves. Tod and Clear were sharing a gentle, but none the less passionate kiss; at first, Alex felt like he was intruding upon a private moment.

He was surprised by the next emotion that he felt. He felt slightly that his best friend was kissing Clear and, surprised, wanted to attribute it to the fact that he was out on a date with a beautiful girl that he wouldn't get to kiss because she was more interested in talking about bimbo Terry Chaney. That was, after all, all that his jealous feeling was...wasn't it? He didn't like Clear, after all, and he had encouraged his friend to take her out.

But as he left the crowded room, he couldn't help but wonder.

* * *

When the kiss finally ended, Clear found herself feeling slightly disappointed. She had wanted the kiss to go on forever, as cliche as that sounded. She offered Tod a slightly embarrassed but none the less happy smile, which he returned, intertwining their fingers together.

All thoughts of Alex Browning had vanished and now Clear thought only of Tod. She was falling in love, completely head over feet with the boy sitting beside her. And for the first time in a while, Clear realized that she was happy.

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Okay, so, anti-climatic...maybe. But I wanted Clear to end up happy; I figured she deserved that before her life turns to crap. Remember, I am still a huge Alex and Clear fan so...look out in the sequel everyone...ooh, exciting. Not really. Just a little note, the character of Adrienne is based on a blonde bitch I know from my school who stole away *my* Alex...is my teenage-singleness showing again? Sorry about that little outburst...please read the epilogue, more notes there!