A/n: OMG 200 reviews. This is so cool. Thank you everyone!!!!

Lindsay- What, are you like reading my mind... lol... grr... can't give away spoilers ;)

Everyone- This chapter has been written, rewritten, and rewritten one more time. I worked very hard on it, because it is hopefully a translation to the next part of the story. This is going to be a three part story, maybe more because I am really enjoying writtening it. Basically, the next part is going in dept and going on the road to fix all the problems I have introduced. By the way, there are some problems I have hinted at, but never really went into dept on, and some have caught on to them, and others will be like, duh, I should have known when the problem becomes out in the open. I just, I'm trying to have only three to four right now. I have set up for there to be about seven different ones, so, its going to be play by ear from now on. That means your opinion is very important. Well, sorry for the long note, but it was just and fyi.


Sunday morning came with a bitter air. The apartment was silent besides the sizzle coming from the stovetop in which Abbie stood over. Kat, sitting quietly at the table, rustled through the paper, which had to be a week old. She flipped back in forth through pages, but sighed and plopped it down.

"Is there anything exciting happening. Everything in this paper is business," Kat said, looking up with her hair in pigtails dangling right below her shoulders.

"Have you read the title?" Abbie asked, her voice as flat as the Texas' plains. A shrieking curse escaped her lips as her arm shined red and a bitter hiss came from the frying pan.

"Ouch…" Kat said sympathetically as she tried to help Abbie over to the sink.

"I got it," Abbie bitterly replied, shoving past her best friend as she aided her arm.

"Whatever," Kat said, her harsh voice matching Abbie's as she sat back down.

The rest of he Carmichaels got up at eight, dragging around in their stockings. Abbie's parents refused to say a single word to each other as they sat across from the table and ate the delicious breakfast their daughter made. By eight forty-five they were all dressed up and ready to leave to Sunday morning church.


Elliot woke up at five thirty, trying very hard to wake up his brother as he did so. The quiet sway filled the house and brought a peaceful remedy as he button up his over shirt. His dark blue polo and kaki pants brought out his perfectly tanned skin and short brown hair. After making sure he was presentable, he looked at the clock. It was 5 forty-five, so he still had fifteen minutes to eat. He didn't know why, but since he could remember, the rule had always been with his mother, no eating two hours before Mass. Out of the few religious rules she did have, that was one of them, and one of the most strongly believed one right behind Mass every Sunday, no matter what, and prayer before family dinners except at a public restaurant.

He looked around the house on last time before deciding to hit a gas station for a cheap cappuccino and a bagel.

Since he was allow to us his father's car, he walked down to the dimly lighten parking garage, and found the black, almost beat up, mustang and head off to the local Quiky Mart and then to church.


Alex woke up with a moan to a thud and bang at her door. The bleak light shred through her eyes as she attempted to open them. Blinking twice, she reached for her glasses to read the clock. She had approximately an hour to get ready, so her legs stretched as she turned on the radio and sprang out of the bed, looking like a used slinky, almost tripping on a pile of clothes that littered the floor.

She picked out a light, spring colored green blouse, a white tank top, and a vertically stripe matching green shirt and laid it on her bed as she started up her shower that was connected directly to her room.

The church thing was just a charade. Neither of her parents are religious. They never prayed at meals, never talked about religion, but her father was always out in the public, working directly under the governor, so, the religious thing made him look like a family guy.

After about seven pretty good songs sung, Alex turned off the shower and was met by a chill fog when she opens the shower door. She finished with the bathroom, and then moved to her room, slowly putting on the shirk and the white tank top. She then applied her makeup, not too much, but just a little green eye shadow and some lip-gloss.

"Alex, dear, you need to get a bit to eat before church," her mother said, passing by her room in her heels. Alex just rolled her eyes; sure, she would eat. They would be eating after church with some of her father's friends, so, why would she eat before that. It's only about an hour away.


The day passed by slowly, each second dragging like it was the final minute of a tied game. Slowly, the sun decided it was time to sleep, and with that, in the city that never sleeps, everyone closed their eyes in await for the next day.


Olivia woke up at six like every morning for the past year. Her head pounded after the intense fight with her mom last night, but sympathy consumed her, so, she went to check on her. Of course, she was passed out on the couch with a lovely mess below her. Olivia's first task was the mess, which she had now become numb to cleaning. After disposing the bag, she ringed her mom's arm around her neck and carried her carefully in her room as she headed for a quick shower.

The pain of her mother's drinking had become almost numb, but their fights, they were new. Her mother's harsh word played through her mind, as she got ready. She was useless, worst than the man that by definition was her father. Olivia kept telling herself, her mom was just trying to get to her, but the pain was still there, and for that, she couldn't forget about it and wonder, maybe the things were true.

Pulling a dark blue top over her head, she studied herself in the mirror. Her hair hanged by her shoulder, straighten and highlighted. She hated how it looked, but decided to keep it that was as she walked out the door, not even attempting to look for food.

Alex ran down the stairs to meet Olivia, her hair pulled tightly back in a messy bun with her thin-wired glass framing her perfect face. Alex flipped her book bag over her shoulder before the doorman opened the door with a smile, which Alex returned.

"I really need to get one of those," Olivia joked, teasing Alex about being rich.

"Yeah… Oh… did you hear?" Alex asked excitingly.

"What? You broke up with Tim?"

"No, I mean, about Claire?"

"What, did she finally decided to leave and go off with Daddy?" Olivia asked, rolling her eyes.

"No, not that Claire. Claire Kincaid, she died this morning," Alex said, tears threatening to fall again. She had gotten called at three when it happened, since her and Claire were close for a while, and had spent the morning crying silently in her room. She would refuse to let her father see her cry. While he was a good man, he was proud and strong and refused to believe in weaknesses.

"Oh my gosh…" Olivia said, hugging her friend for comfort before they walked to school.


Olivia watched the door as the warning bell rang. A few people shuffled in, but most were sitting on the back of chairs or on desk talking to their pack. Elliot wasn't here, but that was nothing to worry about, he was often late, blaming it on StuCo business.

"So, did you hear about Claire?" a junior asked her, sitting on the desk in front of her.

"Yeah, I fell bad about it," Olivia said, trying to be sympathetic like she was suspected to be, but today, she didn't feel for everyone else too much.

"Yeah, I mean, I feel bad, because I didn't really know her that well, but she was on the Debate team," he said, looking at her and talking to her as if they were friends forever.

"I know…" Olivia said, sliding genially into her chair as the final bell rung and Elliot finally slithered into class like a snake.

Roll call wasn't taken quickly before the announcements came on over the PA system. With a annoying, almost too clear of a voice, the secretary started: "It is my unpleasant duty to inform you, late last night, Claire Kincaid passed away in the hospital after being in a coma for almost a week. A prayer session will be held for her after school for anyone who wishes to come. Guidance councilors are available for anyone who wishes to talk. I know you all fell my pain, and I hope we can get through this and let it built us stronger, not just and individuals, but as a school. Thank you."

A few muttered tears rang through the room, and a single gasp let out by a girl. Jamie, one girl Claire was always around was unusually absent. As the room fading hushed, the teacher quietly tried to take control.


Olivia had successfully managed to avoid Elliot and Fin, but a gut feeling told her to find him. The lunch bell rang, and while she stayed frozen, she thought briefly about what to do. She hadn't figured out why she was avoiding them. Fin, they had kissed before, sure, but there was something more there. And Elliot, she was guilty that she kissed Fin and felt like the whole world knew, when in fact, not even her best girl friend, Alex, knew. Standing up, she headed to lunch, deciding to avoid everyone in her little group altogether and instead go sit with Abbie.

There, another gut feeling arouse, and she knew this one was serious. Maybe she had misjudged Abbie. Maybe Abbie was like most of the people she hung out with, but Olivia seriously doubted it. Shrugging off the feeling, she waited in line, only to get some fries and grapes.


Abbie and George walked out of the line and sat down on a hill together to eat. The sun shined bright into their backs, heating up their cool meals.

"You want a soda?" Abbie asked as soon as she sat down. George looked at her with a twigged smile and started digging through his pocket.

"Don't worry bout it, Coke or…"

"Coke's fine," George choked, silently thanking her in between bits.

Abbie walked towards the soda machines. George and her had stayed late to talk to Ms. McCoin about the project, so they were one of the last few in lines, meaning the soda machines didn't have much of a line. Walking up to the Coke machine, waiting behind two sophomore girls who gave her dirty looks, she waited, looking around. There were about two hundred people outside, about one forth of the school. Since it was a small school, well compared to her last that had 800 in the freshman grade, most people knew most people, meaning, most people knew about her. Sighing, she placed a dollar in the machine, punching in a Coke, she let it fall, grabbed it and the two shining coins and placed them back in the machine, this time getting a Sprite. Grabbing that out of the bottom, she turned around, running right into a girl who had just left the bathroom.

"I'm… sa…sorry," Abbie stutter, cursing self-consciously as she picked up the sodas.

"It's my fault Abbie," Alex said with an off smile. Again, like the other day in the park her eyes were red. She knew Claire, Abbie figured, so offered a sympathetic smile.

"Bye…" Abbie again stuttered before leaving to get back to George.

Handing him his soda, she sat down to her peanut butter sandwich without any jelly. They chatted about this and that, and were met by Casey and a few of her friends, all which weren't eating, just sipping on water bottles since they had finish their meals. With only fifteen minutes left in lunch, Olivia joined them, surprisingly without her fan club. She gave a polite smile to Casey and her friends, but sat down across from Abbie, chewing nervously on her half bowl of grapes.

"So, I'm waiting in this shop, and Marco comes up and actually talks to me for about a whole ten minutes," Sammie said, giggling with Casey and Sarah.

Olivia was the only one to notice Abbie flinch at Marco's name, and felt rather stupid asking about it. Sammie had no idea that Abbie went out with Marco, so there was no reason to embarrass her now. Olivia sat there, silent, working out the perfect plan in her head as she watch Abbie and George, feeling a bit slightly envious for Alex as they flirted, not even noticing.