"Hello?"
"Hi!" said Troy happily.
"Hey, Troy!" said his girlfriend on the other end of the phone.
"So, where do you want to go on our date tomorrow?" asked Troy.
"I don't know," she said. "We'll see. I'm kind of in the middle of something, though, so I'll see you tomorrow at school, okay."
"Okay, see you then!" Troy hung up the phone. He was so happy to have been forgiven by all four girls. And he couldn't wait to go out tomorrow with his number 1 girl... besides Rachel, of course. And out of Paris, Carol, and Molly, Troy knew this girl was the one who could accept being number 2.
The next day, Troy walked in the hallways. Paris passed by.
"Oh, hey Troy!" she said happily.
"Hi, Paris! How's it going? Look, gotta rush! Gotta talk to my girl! But, um, look, I just wanted to thank you for doing the project with me. My first A in English Class. I must admit, it feels pretty good!"
"Hey, I'll talk to you later, Troy. I won't keep you waiting!"
Troy waited impatiently in front of the school. There he saw her, his girl… he had chosen her because she just made him smile and beam and be… happy. And she wasn't a cheerleader. No, she was a soccer player. Carol was perfect for him, and she didn't mind Rachel being before her in Troy's lineup. She understood what best friends were for, and she never lost Troy's trust for one moment. She was never worried about him being with Rachel or any other girl, for that matter, not Paris or Molly.
The two walked over to Umberto's and shared a milkshake.
"I'm joining the Girls' Soccer Team this spring!" exclaimed Carol. "And I joined in the spring because I knew you didn't play at that time of year, so you could watch me play and I could watch you play!"
Suddenly, Rachel walked in to Umberto's.
"Hey, Rachel!" called out Troy. "Come sit with us! You don't mind, Carol, do you?"
"No, not at all!" said Carol. "Come on Rachel, come sit down!"
Rachel sat down with her shake and sat down.
"What kind of shake did you get?" asked Troy.
"Vanilla mocha peanut butter cherry caramel swirl," said Rachel.
"Eeeeeeeeeew… sounds gross," said Troy, frowning.
"Come on, you haven't even tried it! Try it, it won't bite!" exclaimed Rachel, holding it up to Troy. Troy reluctantly took a sip.
"Ew, tastes just as bad as it sounds," said Troy sarcastically. "No, I'm kidding. It's not that bad. But I'll stick to my usual."
Just then, Molly and Paris walked into the café.
"Molly, Paris! Over here!" said Troy.
"Hey guys," said Paris and Molly, shakes in hand, as they walked over to the table and sat down.
"Hey Troy!" said Molly. "Congrats on the A!"
"Yeah, I know, I'm psyched. Plus, I'm psyched that in the end, we can all get along," Troy said.
"Just as long as you don't start dating all of them, I'm cool," said Rachel. "And just as long as you don't become a jerk like you did!"
"Agreed," Paris said. "Troy, you're a total jerk. Come on girls, let's get out of here."
All the girls stood up, glaring at Troy, and marched out.
"Wait! What ? What happened to 'we can all get along'?" exclaimed Troy. He sighed and sat down.
Great, he thought to himself. I've lost them... again.
Just then, the girls raced back to the table, laughing and smiling.
"We really got you there, Troy!" giggled Carol. "You should've seen the look on yor face! Priceless!"
Zac smiled. Not only had he found the perfect girl for him, a girl who was devoted to him and could find some time to squeeze him in, but he had also made two new friends and strengthened his friendship with Rachel. Plus, he was King of Charity! And he was SO glad he didn't have to try out for the cheerleading squad! Of course, Rachel kept her end of the bet...
"Who's auditioning next?" asked Annie, looking down from her paper. She was sitting at the Captains' Table with two other cheerleaders, and different girls were trying out. "Next... we have... Rachel McKenzie. Well... if it isn't my ex's best friend. It's already a no, hon. Now, buh-bye. "
"Good, because I don't want to join your little squad. And your ex, he found a new girl. A girl that can devote some time to her guy, unlike you. You were so consumed with drama and cheerleading that you couldn't even make it to one of his games. And this new girl is perfect for him. And he's King of Charity. You must be bummed he broke up with you that early, because you could have been Queen had you been his date. But thank god you didn't win, because then the spotlight would have been on you, and the whole school would have seen your chipped french manicure and your brassy highlights. Now... buh-bye."