"So this Kristen was Chase's girlfriend!" Nicole gawked, her hand finding the bowl of cashew nuts in the middle of the floor. The three girls sat in a circle around the bowl (with another few jumbo-bowls of Haribo foam-bottomed love hearts and another of butter popcorn), listening to Zoey, who had returned to the dorm shortly after Rebecca and Nicole had plunged into their designs, distraught and fuming, slamming the door, kicking pillows before collapsing in the middle of the floor. Nicole and Rebecca dropped their pencils and notebooks and rushed to her aid.
"I can't believe she's back," Rebecca groaned, "one of reasons I chose PCA was because it would mean I'd only have to deal with her in the holidays."
"Did she mention anything about Chase when she was at yours? When she was at the nunnery? Anything at all?" Nicole asked, stuffing a handful of butter popcorn in her mouth.
"We weren't allowed to talk to 'slash' about guys at the nunnery," said Rebecca, picking up the big bottle of coke and tipping it back, "it was very feminine pro. Little lady. Grow up to be a good housewife to the president sort of thing."
Nicole watched Rebecca put down the bottle and grab a claw of haribo's in her right hand, a gummy snake and a smaller bottle of Fanta lemon in the other while a sliver of red chew slid out the corner of her mouth.
"Yu-huh, I don't really think it worked."
"Nah," Rebecca bit the head off the snake vigorously, "I'd have been perfect and annoying if it weren't for Kristen. She rebelled me during the holidays and at the nunnery. She wasn't sane. She'd do what she wanted. She's good to have a friend, but awful to have as an enemy. Better on your side, you know?" Rebecca thought back to the original question, "She didn't mention Chase per say, but she was pretty put-out for a while about something, so maybe it was him going away. She isn't used to rejection."
Zoey had stopped listening a while back. When Nicole and Rebecca delved into their gossip chatter about Kristen Williams, her mind had been hijacked by Chase's face and expression when he saw Kristen.
"So does Chase still like her Zo?"
Zoey's focus returned to find Nicole and Rebecca staring intensely at her, food in both of their hands. She didn't understand how the two could eat like food deprived horses and still stay the skinniest girls in their year.
"I hope not," Zoey sighed, "but I don't know. It's so lame, I shouldn't kick up a fuss because it's my fault that we –"
Rebecca dropped the popcorn out of her hand and Nicole let out a gasp of disgust.
"This girl is moving in on your territory!" Nicole screeched before Rebecca piped in to finish : "Of course you have the obligation to kick up a fuss."
"He said she was his girlfriend!" Zoey cried, "For how long? I don't know, but it seems that if Chase and Kristen had known each other since they were ten then that's probably when they hooked up. You should've seen her you guys, she was all over him, ecstatic, all pretty and glamorous and hug-y. And he…he…he looked pleased to see her."
"I wouldn't blame him," Rebecca shrugged, "Kristen's a pretty girl."
"Rebecca, I know she was a pretty girl. If Kristen wasn't supermodel material like you then I wouldn't be freaking out so much!"
Zoey looked surprised to see Rebecca grin slightly.
"Zo, tell me the truth here," she said, "when I first came, and Chase helped me to my classes and stuff…were you…uh…'freaking out'?"
"Yeah," Zoey admitted, "but you can't blame me. You are 'Number One' to every guy and this Kristen girl, well, you two are now officially the best-looking girls PCA has probably ever seen, let alone in the year."
"Am not," Rebecca said, disgusted so much she had to put down the second gummy snake, "where are you getting this rubbish from?"
"Oh puh-lease Rebecca," Zoey rolled her eyes, "okay, item number one, how tall are you and what do you weigh?"
Rebecca looked over at Nicole, who had averted her attention to Rebecca.
"5ft 8/9, six stone," she cast a sulky glance at Zoey.
"And Carter Carson, te most popular guy in school and in his leavers year, asked you out on a date yesterday, am I correct?"
Rebecca pouted slightly and sighed havily before answering, "Yes. Yes you are."
"Enough said," said Zoey, sinking into an even further state of depression as Nicole chewed thoughtfully on a mouthful of popcorn.
"Ow!" She gasped, "I think that last kernel just broke my tooth!"
She put her finger in her mouth and began poking about.
"Ah no," she said, relieved, "it's still there. But it feels a little bumpy."
"Okay, casting the issue of Nicole's teeth aside," Rebecca took another bite off the snake, "are you upset because you think she'll make a move?"
"I don't think she will," Zoey sighed, "well, at least I hope she doesn't."
"She probably will," Rebecca sighed, "and I'm sorry to say but Kristen, well, she isn't self conscious. At all."
Knock knock.
"Hang on!" Dana wrapped a towel around her body and started blow-drying her hair quickly.
Knock knock knock.
"Just a minute!" she called politely, resorting to rubbing her hair vigorously with another towel.
Knock knock knock knock.
"FOR GOD'S SAKE WILL YOU PLEASE JUST BE PATIENT AND WAIT UNTIL I'M READY TO OPEN THE DOOR YOU STUPID IDIOT!"
She flung the door open.
"Ooh Dana, you're all," Logan raised on eyebrow suggestively, "wet."
"I should've guessed," Dana rolled her eyes, "who else would has ABSELOUTELY NO MANNERS and drives me to the brink of insanity?"
"Can I come in?" he asked, stepping into the room anyway.
Ha, Logan Reese, ha. You have walked straight into my trap. By coming here, you have proved you really do want me.
"What are you smiling about?" He asked, lying on her bed.
"Oh, nothing," she said lightly, closing the door, "just imagining you getting your arms chopped off by a severely blunt axe."
Logan sat up and stared at Dana. It had been a long time since he had really last seen her, recently, his head had been consumed with Rebecca, who managed to pop up everywhere and have annoyingly witty comebacks whenever he said something. But now, looking at Dana, he realized how much he missed her. Sure, Rebecca was pretty, but she was a pain. Dana was everything he ever wanted.
"Do you want to drop that towel and come sit on the bed with me?"
Dana let out an exasperated 'tut' and stormed through to the bathroom.
"You," she shouted, "are unbelievable!"
She continued to shout at him as she got dressed, finally re-appearing in a black shirt that said 'Thank God I'm Not Ugly' and a pair of Rock and Republic jeans. Her hair was still wet and hung in loose ringlets over her shoulders.
"What did you come here for anyway?" She said coldly, hoping Logan would not be able to see through her tough persona.
"To see you, honey," Logan pouted, "I've missed you."
"Really?" She raised on eyebrow, "Well, I've missed your really annoying, giant ego ruining my day."
"Aw, so you do care."
Logan patted the bed beside him.
All he wanted right now, was her. He didn't care that he'd just given up his whole 'I Hate You' act, he just wanted her a lot closer. To his luck, Dana got up from the seat by the desk and sat beside him.
"So you came to see me, huh?" She asked, her face centimeters from his.
"Yeah, I can't live without you," Logan breathed, "it's been an excruciating epiphany to go through, having to not see your face for longer than a week."
"So you're not going to kiss Rebecca?" She asked quietly.
"That, my dear, is the stupidest and most ludicrous thing I have ever heard in my life," he laughed, "Rebecca and I have a mutual hate relationship. We want to tear each others heads off. She's annoying, she's smart, she's witty, she's conniving, she's sly and down right evil. We hate each other."
Dana still wasn't at peace with that information in her mind.
You pretended to hate me, Logan. Are you pretending to hate her as well?
"Are you going to give Daddy some sugar?" Logan cooed, making kissing motions with his lips.
"If you use that line one more time, or refer to yourself as 'Daddy,' I will knock you one," she said sternly, planting a kiss on his lips.
The two kissed for what seemed like hours. Neither wanted to part.
This is how it's supposed to be, girl. You've done well.
Knock knock.
Crap! Thought Dana, Oka,y okay, just ignore it.
Knock knock knock.
"Are you going to get that?" Logan asked, not drawing back so his breath tickled her lips. She shook her head.
Knock knock knock knock.
Dana pulled away furiously and stormed towards the door. Logan rolled over so he was on his back and stared up at the ceiling.
"What!" Dana spat.
"I'm sorry, is this Room 80?"
Logan sat up at the voice, it sounded horribly like Rebecca's.
Please don't tell me she's here.
"Yeah?" Dana replied, "Why?"
"I'm new here," the voice continued, "It says on my slip Room 80."
"You must have made a mistake," Dana hissed, "I don't room with anyone."
"Oh, I don't make mistakes," the voice replied snootily, "I just correct them. Do you mind getting out the way so I can wheel my bags in."
Logan heard a loud rumble as several wheels rolled in other the gold door threshold bar. The girl stepped into the room and looked down at Logan. He nearly had a heart attack.
She had to be one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen in his life. She was tall, slim, had amazing hollow cheeks and big, bright eyes, framed by long, curling eyelashes. Logan knew perfectly well that the girl was built the same as Rebecca with the same classical features but he knew he didn't like Rebecca.
Did he like this girl?
Probably.
"Oh, er, hello," said the girl, blinking down at him. She turned back to Dana, "does he come with the room?"
"No," Dana hissed protectively.
Who the hell was this girl with her fancy Louis Vuitton monogrammed luggage and big sunglasses!
"Pity," the girl smirked, smiling seductively down at Logan. Dana felt her whole body tighten.
"I'm Kristen, by the way," the girl said to Logan, completely ignoring Dana, "it's a pleasure to meet you."
She let her eyes look Logan up and down, finally resting on his star-struck expression.
"Or, I guess," she continued, waving a dirty blonde lock out of her face, "the pleasure is yours."