The news that Anya had dumped the popular, star quarterback Reese Aarons for the loser, dirt-poor Chris Chambers spread like wildfire amongst the senior class. Anya didn't mind who knew that she was interested in Chris, except, she was worried about when Lorelei found out.

At lunch, the two of them avoided the cafeteria and sat by her locker to eat.

Chris' eyes were on her downcast face. He shrugged and told her, "I really admire you, you know."

She peeked up, smirking. "Thank you. You know I feel the same way. Um, but, Chris?"

Taking a bite of his banana, he looked at her questioningly.

"I have like the hugest crush on you, you know that right?" When he just smiled, blushed and shrugged, she continued. "I know this isn't fair to you, but I still can't really be with you."

An angrily confused look touched his face. "What? Then what was all that crap with you ditching Reese for me? Was that all just an act or something? Because I never in a million would want to expect that from you, Anya."

"Chris," she sighed. "Good friends last forever, and my best friend likes you. I'd never forgive myself for hurting her, because she's not the type of person you can hurt and still manage to live with yourself. I want to be with you more than anything, but she is my best friend. I know you wouldn't let a girl come between your friendship with Gordie no matter how amazing the girl was, and it's the same for my friend and me. No matter how amazing the guy is."

He kissed the side of her head, almost platonically. He understood, and she could feel that he did. "I don't have anyone else to eat lunch with today," he laughed sadly and quietly.

"Hey, friends with potential need to eat," she told him, grinning. "We're not hurting anything by eating together."

"Wait a minute," Chris exclaimed. "Your best friend is Lorelei."

Giggling, Anya said, "The one and only."

"She likes me?"

"Yeah. She told me today, but apparently she's liked you since like the first day of school. I felt like the worst friend in the world."

"This is awesome--two best friends are in love with me! There's so many possibilities!" he cackled, pretending to be wounded when Anya elbowed him in shocked disgust. "Sorry…Anyway, you should be feeling like the best friend in the world to her. What you're doing for her pisses me off because I'm not getting any benefits, but I admire you even more for it. You're a pretty amazing girl, Anya."

Smiling kind of sadly, she nodded and said, "You're pretty amazing yourself, Chris."

Deciding French class didn't excite her very much, Lorelei ditched it and went outside to sit on the bleachers. She watched the seagulls swarming around the schoolyard, looking for litter to feast on. She then prayed that they stay away and not crap on her.

Back to Chris, she thought to herself, stealing her attention from the shit-hawks. She just didn't understand how someone as oppressed and abused as he was could grow up to be better than everyone else around him. He had this gentle radiance that no one else could touch no matter how much they hurt him. And she was just starting to see all that. But she didn't think she'd be able to feel any of it…

"Hey, Lorelei. Want some company?"

Startled, she looked up and saw Reese climbing the bleachers towards her. "Not yours, really, no. Thanks!"

Ignoring her request, he sat down next to her. "Well, I want yours." She noticed he was sitting close enough that their knees were touching. "I've got a question for you."

"I don't have an answer for you."

"How long has Anya been sneaking around behind my back?"

That caught her attention. She looked at him in surprise. "Whatever do you mean?"

"I just want to know how long I've been sharing her for. And I also want to know if there's been more guys than just Chris."

Her eyes widened. "Anya cheated on you with Chris? Chambers? Anya and Chris? Goddammit."

"You didn't know?" he demanded.

"No, I didn't know. All I did know was that Anya knew that I liked him and she never said anything regarding the fact that they've been swapping saliva." She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees and sliding her fingers through her hair. "Why would she do that?" she murmured.

"I never knew you liked Chambers," he muttered, not sure what to do now that his information had upset her.

"She and Teddy were the only ones that knew," she told him. Even though she fought it, a tear slipped down her cheek. She just felt betrayed by the one person who she would trust with the things that mattered most in her life.

"Hey," Reese said softly, putting his arm around her. "Don't cry. Come on, don't give her that much."

"I'm not crying," she said, although his touch made her cry harder. It should be Anya comforting her as she cried. But it was Reese who was comforting as she cried about Anya. Her body shuddered. "And she probably told Chris that I like him and they probably both had a good laugh about it--"

"Lorelei, shut up, why would they laugh?"

"Because it's pathetic!"

"What is?"

"I am!"

"No, you're not," he promised. "You're not."

She didn't know why, but all of a sudden she was spilling everything to her former best friend's former boyfriend, whom she formerly despised. "It's always been Anya getting everything and me being happy for her and wishing I could just have some of what she had and everyone has always loved her because she's just so--fucking perfect, and I've always been her shadow. But she was the only one who wanted to look at me and be my friend and I really love her, and I don't get why she couldn't just tell me that she had already made Chris fall for her and--I just--Dammit. I just wish that I didn't have to be me and she didn't have to be her."

"She's not so perfect, Lorelei. She broke both our hearts, didn't she?" Reese stroked her hair. "That's why you're proving to be more beautiful than she could ever be."

Lorelei glanced up at him, an angry, hurt look on her face. But she wasn't mad at him. No one had ever called her beautiful before.

Reese took advantage of that look she gave him and kissed her and after a moment, she kissed him back. He had to restrain himself from smiling. He knew that she needed him to be there for her. But she didn't know that he just needed her, in a different way. To get back at Anya.

And somehow, hopefully, if he played his cards smart and used Lorelei in just the right way, he would also get to hurt Chris.