I feel soooooooooooo awful that I haven't updated lately. Starting a new semester is always insane but I'm more settled now!!! Okay, so I haven't done any disclaiming for this story so I'll tend to that right now.

I own Paul and Sarah. I don't own any one else! Now that I'm through with that, I shall proceed with the story.

The Pretty Committee pushed through the doors of the high school looking their best. Massie couldn't help but smirk as people, specifically guys, turned their heads and stared for as long as they could. Massie was front and center, wearing a BCBG Cream Sweater Dress with Dark wash Sevens tucked into a pair of camel suede boots. Alicia was wearing a Ralph Lauren metallic bubble skirt with a cashmere turtleneck. She had on black, opaque stockings and black pumps. Dylan was wearing a green Betsey Johnson mini-dress with dark wash Citizen jeans and a pair of green satin pumps with a pointed toe. Kristen had raided Massie's closet until she found the perfect outfit. She wore a BCBG Black and white color block dress with a pair of True Religion skinny jeans and white patent leather pumps with a pointy heel. Everything is back to normal, Massie thought. That was the case until lunch, the girls strutted in and took their seats. Kristen spent half the lunch staring longingly at Paul who seemed to have made friends with Derrick and Cam. Massie rolled her eyes and pulled out her phone.

Massie: Kris! Just go talk to him.

Kristen: What do I say?

Massie: Improvise. Talk about soccer, duh!

Kristen rolled her eyes, snapped her phone shut and stood up. She walked over and sat down next to Cam and across from Paul. "Hey guys! Mind if I join you down here?"

"Yea, no problem." Paul said kindly. Kristen beamed.

"Thanks! So. You ready for the game tomorrow?" She began twirling a piece of her already curled hair.

"Yeah. As ready as I can be I--" he stopped talking and looked past Kristen's head. She turned and saw Claire walk in, arm in arm with Layne. Claire threw them a glance but ignored Paul's wave. He sighed dejectedly and leaned his head on his hand.

"Hey, Paul! Why so sad?" She asked, as if she didn't already know.

"I really like Claire but, I don't want to mess with her boyfriend." Kristen held back a wince as Cam and Derrick looked up.

"Claire has a boyfriend?!" They said in unison.

"Yeah, Connor Foley. You know that actor?" Paul sounded so depressed. Cam rolled his eyes and glared at Kristen, he knew what she was up too. Even if he didn't have Claire, that doesn't mean he didn't want her to be happy.

"They broke up. Believe me, I know all about it." Cam started to put stuff in his backpack.

"When?!" Paul perked up.

"About 3 weeks ago. Didn't she tell you?" Paul looked over to where Claire was sitting with Heather, Meena and Layne.

"No. Kristen said--" Kristen cut in to save herself from humiliation.

"Actually, Alicia told me that they had gotten back together but I guess she could be wrong." She said, narrowly avoiding major embarrassment. Paul started to smile.

"I should go talk to her, I freaked out cause she said something about blackmailing yesterday that freaked me out. I thought she had a boyfriend." He shoved his Math textbook into his backpack and went over to the table where Claire was sitting. Kristen watched as she got up and followed him out of the cafeteria. A few minutes later, they returned, hand in hand. Grins spread across both of their faces. They sat down and the group chatted for a few minutes before the bell rang and they left for their next class. Kristen was so upset she was almost crying. How could I lose a guy like Paul to Kuh-laire? She thought. Along with the rest of the PC, she left the cafeteria looking defeated.

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Claire pushed through the doors of the high school and smirked as nearly every head turned. She had been lazy this morning, throwing on a Marc by Marc Jacobs purple silk top with a pair of medium wash Sevens and a pair of gold, peeptoe heels. Her hair was down and she was wearing very little makeup. She felt kind of like her old self, just with better clothes. So what if Paul doesn't want anything to do with me? Kristen can have him. She held her head high and strutted down the hall.

The bell rang and Claire nearly sprinted out of her classroom. She had a plan, she wanted to test whether or not Paul liked her enough to apologize for his weird behavior the day before. "Hey Claire!" She glanced behind her and saw Cam catching up with her.

"Hey." She said quietly.

"How are you? I haven't really talked to you since you've been here." He spoke nicely but Claire could tell how awkward he felt.

"I'm good. It's nice to be back in school. Even if it is only part-time, I'm glad to be here." She gave him a sideways smile.

"That's good." Both teens walked quietly for a moment.

"You're not mad are you?" Claire asked, breaking the silence.

"About what?" he said quietly. Claire had to keep from rolling her eyes. He knows what. She thought.

"I'm sorry that I've treated you so badly. Really, the thing with Paul is nothing. He and I are just friends and believe me when I say it won't be anything more." She looked straight ahead, to afraid to look at him.

"Why not?" he sounded surprised.

"He and I just don't work. We're not exactly a pair. He belongs with, like, Kristen or something." She did a terrible job, masking her disappointment. He looked sideways at her, resisting the urge to hug her and hold her hand.

"So. No guys right now then?" He asked sheepishly.

"Pretty much. It's what is smartest. I mean, I should really focus on my career and school. Guys are just an extra." She sighed.

"Yeah, that's what I would do if I were in your shoes. I mean, if I were a girl and…uh…you know what I mean." He laughed at his own awkwardness.

"Yeah." She giggled. They stopped in front of her locker. "Friends?" she said, sticking out her hand.

"Definitely." He smiled and shook her hand. He could've sworn she'd held on for an extra second before turning to open her locker. He waited until he was halfway down the hall before turning around. He hoped she would've watched him, but she was busy talking to Layne.

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The girls had a plan, everything was ready, and Claire wanted to make him regret ditching her. She and Layne walked down to the cafeteria after discussing the plan. Claire did not like what she was going to have to do but she wanted Paul and she'd stop at nothing to get him. As they walked into the cafeteria, Claire could see Paul and Kristen sitting together out of the corner of her eye. He waved but she just turned her head away. They walked over to their table where Meena and Heather were already sitting. "Hey!" she smiled warmly and hardly glanced out of the corner of her eye. He looks miserable, she thought.

"What's up?" Meena said, eyeing her suspiciously.

"Nothing why?" She bite her lip to conceal her grin.

"You seem kind of shifty or something?" Heather said, apparently she had noticed it too. Layne barely let out a giggle and the girls immeadiately turned on her.

"What is going on!?" Meena almost shouted. Layne looked to Claire and raised he eyebrows. Claire let out all of the laughter she had been holding in. Layne followed suit and finally, they had calmed down enough to explain.

"I'm trying to test Paul. So far it's working. We've got a plan." Claire smirked and gestured to Layne, whose face dropped abruptly. Suddenly, Claire noticed, there was another person at the table. She grimaced as she turned her head to see a grinning Paul.

"So," he said, "tell me more about this plan of yours. To get what's that guys name again? Paul, was it?" Heather let out a giggle and Claire gave her a look that said, Shut up!!. Claire giggled nervously.

"It's a long story, can I tell you about outside?" She smiled shyly.

"Course, let's go." They left the cafeteria and went into the small lobby. "So. The cold shoulder was what? A test?"

"Kind of…" Claire trailed off, she could feel her cheeks burning with embarrassment. "What happened yesterday? You asked me out then all of sudden freaked out and changed your mind." It was his turn to be embarrassed.

"Oh. Uh. I, uh, thought you like had a boyfriend." He said quietly, kicking the floor.

"What? Why would you think that? No way! Other than one ex who's stalking me. I'm on really great terms with the rest of them. Cam and I are great friends now, and the rest of them are back in L.A." She smiled.

"So…" he said. His eyes still focused on the floor. "Want to hang out sometime?" Claire responded by giving him a peck on the cheek. His cheeks turned red and he grinned. They hugged then went back into the cafeteria hand-in-hand.

Okay, so I'm not sure but I kind of want to end it here. I have great idea for another story and I know it's not the longest, I think I will. Tell me what you think? Should I continue with the Claire/Paul/Cam storyline or end it now while I'm still ahead? I will start on my other story so look for it soon!!!!!!!!