a/n: my bad guys.

Apparently liking Landon Crane was a problem for more reasons than one.

The first was that Landon Crane was an upper classman; in fact he was upper classman elite, according to Alicia. The second was that he was a complete and total psychotic asshole, who had ditched all his real friends the second he moved up a grade, according to Dylan. The third, and most important, was that he had been the first guy to ever break Massie Blocks heart, according to Kristen.

So all in all, Claire hadn't exactly picked a winner.

But it wasn't her fault, honestly. Landon Crane was the epitome of a high school crush. He was absolutely gorgeous, and sexy, and so charming that Claire nearly swooned every time he even glanced in her direction. It was impossible not to fall in love. And he was the one who had sought her out. Waiting by her locker during passing period, walking her home after school, paying for her lunch everyday last week. No one had ever tried to hard to win her affections.

Surprisingly, though, Massie hadn't been all that upset at Claire's big revelation. She'd just smirked, blandly of course, and said in her same ever calm, bored tone "He's exactly what he looks like Mouse, have at it." And continued filling her already even nails as if nothing had happened.

Alicia had pulled her aside later and frantically whispered screamed why exactly Landon Crane was such a bad idea and why she should never in a million years, entertain the idea of dating him, and Claire had listened attentively and nodded at all the right times.

But that didn't stop her from making out with him Monday morning in the boys restroom when she really should have been in English.

"You're so different than them, Claire." Landon had whispered affectionately, pressing her up against the cold tiled wall and running a thumb gently over her bottom lip. "You're so much better than they are." A warm hand glided under her shirt, up to her bra, his mouth was on her earlobe, nose nuzzling her neck. "Don't let them change you, Claire." He then proceeded to whisper things in her ear that she'd only read about in books, and she blushed all the way up to her hairline.

Alicia frowned at her when she sat at the lunch table that afternoon, but didn't say anything, just raised one perfect eyebrow pointedly at Claire mussed hair and wrinkled shirt, before turning her attention back to the others.

"I cannot do this!" That was Dylan, of course, wailing dramatically and slamming the front cover of her biology textbook and resting her forehead on the table. "I'm going to fail the fucking tenth grade. They'll call me Dumbass Dylan, the girl who could memorize photosynthesis."

"I offered to study with you last week." Kristen said in her ever present, know it all tone, pushing her black glasses further up her straight nose. "But you were too busy catching up on season six of Gossip Girl." She clucked her tongue disapprovingly and turned another page in the book she was reading.

"Spoiler alert! Its Penn Badgley" Cam announced plopping his tray down beside Dylan's and nudging her shoulder with his. "Who else saw that one coming?"

"I don't watch American television." Alicia sniffed, playfully turning her perfect nose up in the air and leaning into fake whisper mischievously to her boyfriend. "Solo los idiotas miran esa basura" to which only Josh laughed at.

He cooed sweetly into her ear "Me encanta cuando hablas mal de nuestros amigos" and Alicia bat her thick lashes coyly in response.

"Enough. No Spanish at the table. " Chris said firmly, digging into his lasagna with gusto "it messes up my concentration."

"Wait what about meeeee! How am I supposed to past this test? Morren is a fucking Nazi. He wont even let us use cheat sheets." She threw her hands in the air as if a lack of cheat sheet was a true offense, that ought to be punishable by death.

"Don't say Nazi, Dylan, that's offensive." Derrick deadpanned, throwing a buff arm around the back of Massie's seat and leaning back to stretch his neck.

"I'm in the middle of a serious crisis Derrick, I think I'm allowed to be a little offensive." She huffed, hand combing her wild ringlets and rolling her bright green eyes at the blonde boy.

"Dylan relax." Massie ordered, sharply, yet softly. Snapping the redhead out her self induced panic attack. "You're going to pass this test because you'll have the answers to every question." She took a slow sip of her Diet Coke and smirked softly around the bendy straw. Claire gulped deeply when Massie's intense amber gaze met her own, and withered a little under the heavy, knowing stare.

Dylan for her part looked a little confused, but mostly interested, leaning forward on her elbows and lowering her normally loud voice to an equally loud whisper "You have the answers to the test?"

"No." Massie placed a piece of grilled chicken into her delicate mouth and chewed pristinely. "Mouse over here, is going to steal the test." Get gestured toward where Claire sat unmoving with the end of her silver fork.

"Obviously she still hates you Mouse. You're fucking around with Landon Crane." Cam said it so matter of factly, Claire felt like an idiot for even asking. They were seated in the bed of Chris's truck, skipping photography. Cam was laid out on the makeshift bed of blankets Chris kept back there, smoking heartily on a cigarette and blowing the smoke into Claire's face while she bemoaned to him about her latest hardship. "Like Leesh didn't tell you about the shit that went down between them."

"Okay, but how is this a fair punishment? They want me to steal Cam! Test answers! Isn't that illegal?" Claire babbled, stress running her fingers through her already ruined hair. She hadn't been able to get Massie's words out of her head since lunch had ended two hours ago, and was now anger venting about the situation to Cam, who looked like he seriously regretted allowing her to ditch with him.

"Probably. Just tell Massie to fuck off."

Claire scoffed "I'm sure that would go over really well."

Cam took another long drag from his cigarette before tossing it over the side of the truck and sitting up to face Claire. He looked as unimpressed with her as he sounded, raising a black eyebrow dubiously and scrunching his nose in distaste.

"Have you always been this fucking pathetic? Or did you actually have a spine back in Florida?" He swung his legs over the edge and jumped to the street below, sneakered feet thudding on the black pavement. "Either steal the test or fucking don't Claire, but quit blaming this shit on Massie. Yeah, she's a real bitch, but she's not making you do anything you don't wanna do, okay?" He pulled his backpack onto one broad shoulder. "Now get the fuck up. I can't get another fucking tardy."