"So…that's why Zoey hates my brother?"
Rebecca had listened intently for close to an hour. She'd followed Logan out of life science and into the cafeteria. She'd picked up her lunch, still listening, found a table for them both to sit at and continued listening to him, occasionally dipping her biscotti sticks into the honey pot.
"I suppose…" Logan shrugged, helping himself to one of Rebecca's biscotti sticks while she was still contemplative.
"But it's not his fault!" She said furiously, "I mean, sure, he was the one that kissed her but she could've said no!"
She fell silent for a moment, sighing exasperatedly and tracing a love heart out with her finger in a honey spill on her plate.
"Everything's so…I just don't…," she sighed, sucking her honey-tipped finger absent-mindedly, "well, understand."
"And that's why you're so phased?" Logan asked, watching her finger, "Because everything's normally easy-as-pie for you and your massi brain and now there's one thing you don't totally comprehend?"
Rebecca dropped her finger back to her plate.
"I don't know…" she sighed, "but this is weird. It's like a soap opera. You could film this all and pay people to view it."
Logan laughed, a genuine laugh, something Rebecca hadn't heard in a long time.
"Well, I have thought about it," he bit a piece of biscotti off the stick, "nah, only playing. Obviously. It's just weird that for once I understand a great deal more than you."
"Oh no, I so understand the whole Zoey and Chase thingy, and Mike and Addie and his Doom X fixation, which I now know the origin of…" she looked up defiantly at Logan, "but what I don't understand is you and Dana."
"Wh-what don't you…"
"Well, Zoey and Chase's story makes sense on how there's a weird force field between them and why they're not dating even though they so should, and it explains cold feelings towards my brother and why he's so oblivious to the reason why…but yours and Dana. It doesn't explain anything. Why you hate each other, why you jibe, why you insult. Why you don't date when you're almost made for each other…" she sighed exasperatedly, her bottom lip pouting slightly, "that I don't understand."
She looked up at Logan again. He seemed to have stiffened, but he refused to meet her gaze.
"There's more to it than you're telling me," she said accusingly, frowning as she tried to get Logan to look at her, "that's why you won't even look at me!"
His posture seemed to soften slightly, but still, he did not look her in the eye. Instead, he stood, swung his bag over his shoulder and began walking away.
"Get back here!" Rebecca demanded, "You don't walk away from me! You can tell me here, straight out what really happened with you and Dana that night Logan, or the deal's off!"
Logan looked over his shoulder.
"Fine," he hoisted his bag back up his shoulder and walked on, leaving Rebecca open-mouthed in awe at the lunch table, before he disappeared around the corner.
Chase sat in Room 32 on his own. Michael was out searching for his Doom X, which he'd miraculously (for the group) lost. Last Chase had seen, Logan was walking off with Rebecca. Of course, this in itself was possibly the second weirdest thing he'd seen in his life. Second only to the fact that Logan was talking on hyper-drive, and Rebecca – instead of telling him to shut-up or pulling a face – was listening intently. So intently, to the point, that she looked like she was ready to take notes.
She knows.
Chase tugged on the hem of his red t-shirt. It was a ridiculous thing to think, considering he hardly knew what was going on himself, but Rebecca wasn't average. She was anything but, and when she put her mind to it long enough – which she evidently had – she knew what was going on.
And she might tell Zoey.
Even though you told Zoey it didn't matter…
But even as Chase sat, cursing Rebecca under his breath, he couldn't help but marvel at her work. It certainly was impressive, she'd been here less than anybody else in the group (excluding Kristen) and she knew more about everything than everyone else.
Knock knock.
Chase tugged himself up and trudged across the room to the door. He swung it open.
"Hey lonely! The guys said you were up here all by your lonesome so I thought I'd drop by and check you're not killing yourself or anything."
Chase fought the urge to glare at Kristen standing in the doorway. To anybody walking past, she looked sweetly innocent; her dirty blonde hair scraped back into a loose chignon, her lips tinged soft rose with tiny white sparkles and some natural colour on her hollow cheeks, some flour powdering a section of her hairline and streaking across her cheek. Even what she was wearing – skinny jeans, a white vest, pink cardigan and a Louis Vuitton monogrammed apron – made her look like a cute little girl with a big, white-toothed smile.
"I brought home-made Brownies," she tried, brandishing a tray out of what appeared to be nowhere with delicious looking brownies on it, "they got nuts, cause I know you like them with nuts. Can I come in?"
Chase stepped aside, allowing her to come in, dragging her pink book bag behind her. She dumped it beside the and began busying herself over by the tiny little kitchen-like section.
"What's up lonely?"
It was funny how those three words had such an effect on Chase. He knew Kristen was just trying to be nice and concerned but the last time those three words were used to him it was before he had his heart broken into a million tiny pieces. He had almost pieced it back together before Kristen arrived.
Because he knew perfectly well why one of the tastes in Quinn's potion last year was Gucci Envy.
"Just…freaking out," he admitted with a shrug, sitting down on the carpet where she signaled him to.
"Oh honey…why's that?"
"I don't know whether it's really my place to say," he lied, watching her take out two little plates and two tall glasses.
"Oh, okay. Do you have any chocolate sauce? And like, a tray thingy?"
"Sure…it's just under the bananas. I have a big nacho server in the cupboard by your knee."
She picked up the bottle, opened the cupboard and continued working away.
"Is it upsetting?" She asked vaguely, squeezing the chocolate sauce into the two tall glasses, "Like, is it a 'girl-problem.'"
"No, no, no…" he replied hastily, running a hand through his mini-fro nervously.
"Okay," Kristen turned around, the large nacho serving now used as a tray, the part for the dips filled with icing sugar, two tall chocolate milkshakes at each end and Kristen's brownies everywhere else, "I know you haven't had one of my chocolate platters in a long, long time."
Chase grinned as she set it down.
"Man, I've missed these."
"I've missed you," she said softly, picking up a brownie, "but I can't help wonder…"
Chase took a sip of his chocolate shake.
"How is it?" She asked eagerly.
"It's brilliant, just as I remember it," he set the glass down, "but you know what? You're not how I remember you."
"Oh really?" She said defensively, "Well, neither are you. I know about Zoey…" she cast a glance full of what looked like seething hatred down at the carpet, "about how you pretended you were all concerned about me at our break up because of long distance relationships…when really you just wanted the field clear in case Zoey ever asked you out…you lied to me."
Chase looked down guiltily, he had never meant to lie to her. At the time, Kristen seemed like just another girl (well, his first girl). Zoey seemed to be the world.
"I regret it," he tugged on the hem of his red shirt again, "lying to you. You deserve better than that."
"I do," she said quickly, her English accent breaking slightly to reveal a hurt and angry tone, "and I don't mean to be evil or anything – but I totally hated you after that," again, she glared at the carpet, "and I hated Zoey. I didn't even know her! But I hated her…and then I forgot about her…until last year when Art came home so…so upset and pissed off. About her! He was like, in love with her. That's two of my guys she'd pulled from underneath my feet now. Chase, as a friend, please, just answer me this. What does she have that I don't? I don't understand why people…why…um, well, the point is…"
"She's shorter," Chase tried, "and Kristen, you're a beautiful, beautiful girl, but you're really intimidating. Like, you do realize your about a foot above your age group's average height?"
Kristen shrugged, not a non-committable shrug either, but a sort of angry, fierce shrug. This was the only part Chase didn't really miss about her, the complete dragon she became when she was in a mood.
"Why aren't you with her now then?" Kristen asked fiercely, "You dumped me for her, so you had your chance. And you didn't take it…I'm beginning to think you just lied to me again…"
"Kristen, I didn't finish with you because I hated you."
"Oh puh-lease," she rolled her sparkling blue eyes theatrically, "then why aren't you and she all over each other?"
"Because she…" Chase looked down at his shoes. He had never admitted this to himself, and now, a past milestone in his life was badgering him about it. "She cheated on me."
There was a momentous silence in the room. Kristen's eyes widened with shock.
"Oh honey," she stroked his hand, "I'm so, so sorry."
Chase frowned at her.
"No seriously, I am," she insisted, "I may hate Zoey and I may be sort of pleased you two aren't together but I hate seeing you get hurt…"
"What are you saying? That you still care?"
"I always have! What a silly thing to say," she laughed lightly, "Chase, you were my best friend! Of course I still care about you."
Chase's frown grew deeper.
"You know what I mean, Kristen."
She looked away for a second, giving Chase the chance to study her face. Her cheekbones were sharp, her eyes were sparkling menacingly, and her full, soft lips were delicate and pink.
"Chase," she sighed, "you know I hate to admit things like this…"
Chase looked down at the chocolate platter – remembering picnics on the beach when Kristen would blow off going out with her best friends just to spend a little bit more time with him, when she'd come around to his house every time he was sick with 'Back to the Future' clamped in one hand and 'Kingdom Hearts' for the PS2 in the other, when she used to squeeze his hand reassuringly whenever he felt doubtful – and his brain began ticking.
Admit it, you still harbor feelings for her.
For the old her, you've seen how she's changed…
But it was your fault that she changed. You lied to her and she went bitter. Because she always knew.
Knew more than she should.
But that's what you love about her.
Love?
Yes, love.
Chase squeezed Kristen's hand. She turned, her eyes boring into his.
"What is it?"
He leant forwards – not exactly sure what he was doing – until he felt his lips connect with hers.
He remembered her kisses, they were soft, sweet and innocent, always candy flossed flavored too, because she liked her flavored lip slicks.
And that kiss, was no different.
Hey everybody! Sorry for not doing shout-outs for a while, but I will do them now.
MrsLoganReese, as always, you rock all kinda rock. Yeah, what Zoey did was extremely bad but blame it on her mind, she was feeling all sorts of pressure, oh and Memory Lane isn't finished yet, as you can tell by Rebecca and Logan's encounter, she will find out what happened between Dana and Logan, and when she does, you will.
readerbsmsgirl1053, thanks for putting me on your favorite story list! I feel all sorts of wanted, hehe. Anyway, Dana will admit why Logan was under Kristen's bed and Kristen already knows, that's why she's going to use Logan as her little slave boy.
zxxbsmsgirl3148, haha don't worry, I believe you about the 'Moment Like This' thingy, no need to call TV people. To 'knock back' is like, to drink a glass of punch, say, all in one, in like, two gulps or whatever. Alcoholics specialize in it. It separates the novices from the old timers lol
loganreeseroxmysox and more, I know, Dana and Logan are cute together, aren't they? But they might be together, and they might not.
Chris3137, thanks for reviewing, means a lot. Anyway, yes, Rebecca is 'curious' per say, but she doesn't know who she likes yet. Of course, I know, but she doesn't…so…all will be revealed…
Thanks and pie, N x