-Jeanette-
I looked across the table at Simon, who was quietly sipping his coffee. When I looked over, he must ahve been already looking at me, for our eyes met for a brief second before I flushed and looked away, suddenly very interested in my beat-up Sparries. I smoothed out my very wrinkly blue-white-and-purple skirt several times, almost obsessively (like Michelle, who I've noticed has a habit of obsessively smoothing her skirt/jeans/khakis when she's nervous or excited. Or perhaps it's because she's a little nutty about having wrinkles in her clothing, I don't know), then straightened my collar and brushed some frizzy brown hair out of my face. I took off my glasses, breathed on the lenses, cleaned them off, then did it again. All just to avoid Simon's eyes. When I was done with all of that, I went to pick up my coffee by the lid. My fingers slipped and I dropped it on the ground. Coffee went everywhere, and i let out a little shriek. People nearby stared. I could feel my face burn as Simon quietly chuckled, trying to cover it by putting his hand over his mouth.
"Simon, this isn't funny!" I exclaimed as i wiped off the coffee trickling down my leg.
He rose his eyebrows, trying to supress a grin and failing epically, replying, "I'm not laughing."
"Oh, yes you are, shut up..."
Me and Simon reached for the cup at the same time, and our hands landed on it within seconds of each other, me first, then Simon.
I glanced up at him, and my face must have gone firetruck red. He quickly pulled his hand away, muttering, "Sorry."

-Simon-
I sat up as fast as possible, muttering a quick apology. She picked up the cup and tossed it in the general direction of a nearby trash can. She, of course, missed, and a bit more coffee trickled out of the cup.
She sighed, still blushing rosily, and put her hands over her face, saying quietly, "Oh, god. I can't do anything right."
I did my very best to supress a grin and replied, patting her on the arm, "Jeanette, please. That's bullshit and you know it."
"I'm clumsy. I'm so stupid and clumsy. It's embarrassing. I'm so clumsy," she said, her voice still muffled by her hands. "God, I hate it so much. I'm so terribly, awfully clumsy."
"So? It's cute," I blurted.
Oh no. I did not just say that.

-Jeanette-
... Did he just say I was cute?

-Simon-
She looked at me between her fingers.
We were totally silent.
I thought i was going to fall over and die.
I cleared my throat and opened my mouth to explain, but right then Alvin ran up to our table, panting. He grabbed me by the shoulders, shaking me a little, and asked in a frantic voice, "Have you seen Brittany?"
At this point i could hardly process words. "What?"
"BRITTANY, SIMON. HAVE YOU SEEN BRITTANY." I think it was intended to be a question, but the way he shouted it made it sound like more of a declarative sentence. He shook me so hard my glasses almost fell off.
"Uhhhhhh...no...?" i replied.
Alvin cursed and turned to Jeanette. "Jeanette. Have you seen- aw, shit, forget it, you don't know what's going on half the time anyway..."
With that, he ran off.
I watched him go, and muttered, "What the heck was that about?"
Jeanette shrugged. "i don't know. Wanna go find out?"
I shook my head. "Not really. We'll find out eventually anyway."

-Eleanor-
"She WHAT?" I exclaimed, dropping the ill-fitting shirt on the ground at Theodore's feet. We were still in the store. He had just filled me in on what had gone down while i had been in the dressing room.
His eyes were wide. "I-I don't know," he replied, picking up the shirt and putting it on a rack nearby. "She was here and then she was running out of the store... Alvin went after her- and speaking of Alvin, i think we're making a hu-"
"I've gotta find her!" I interrupted. "I bet she found out about him cheating on her! Oh gosh, I bet she's flipping out!" I started toward the exit.
Theodore grabbed my arm. "Ellie, NO. I really need to tell you something about Alvin. It's just... I really think we're making a hu-"
"Theodore. I've got to go!" I interrupted again, agrivated now by his random acts of persistence. I yanked my arm out of his grip, and ran out of the store as quickly as possible.

-Theodore-
I completed my sentence quietly as I watched Eleanor go:
"... a huge mistake..."

-Eleanor-
I ran all over the mall, looking in every store I passed. I was sure I was never going to find her in this maze of a mall until I spotted a blur of auburn hair and a pink shirt going out of the doors. I ran as quickly as possible after her, slamming the doors open. i watched as she sat down on the sidewalk, rubbing her eyes. She looked like she had been crying. I walked over and sat down next to her.
"Britt..." I said quietly, touching her arm. She looked over at me, and i could see she was gritting her teeth. We were silent. She looked back at the road. "Brit, what are you doing?"
"Waiting for Dave," she replied, looking at me again, her expression a bit softer this time. "I called him. We're going home."
"Why?" I asked, even though I already knew.
"I don't want to talk about it," she replied, looking away and pouting again.
"Did you and Alvin get in a fight?"
"Something like that," she answered, still avoiding my eyes.
I pursed my lips. "Mmm-hmm. Really though."
"Really though," she mimicked my (somewhat higher than hers) voice. I stuck my toungue out at her. She returned to her normal voice and repeated, "Something like that." we were quiet while I gave her a doubtful look. She turned her head away, nose in the air. Suddenly, she said, "You may want to text the others and tell them we're leaving."
I nodded, and pulled out my bright green Rumor. I texted a message and sent it to the other four. It said:

Apprntly Brit's made the executive decision that we're goin home. Come outside and wait for Dave w/ us.

I slid the phone shut, and looked over at Brittany. "Brit, you know you're going to have to talk to me about this eventually, right?"
She just kept looking straight ahead.
My phone vibrated. It was a text from Theodore. As soon as I went to open it, I got another, from Alvin. I opened Alvin's text instead, figuring Theodore probably just said "K" or something really short like that. Alvin's text said:

WHY? Wht hppnd neway? Ask her! WTF IS GOIN ONNNNNNNNNN?

I chuckled at Alvin's awful texting and replied:

Idk, she wont tell. Altho I bet you know EXACTLY whats up w/ her, you douche

I sent it and slid my phone shut, just in time for it to vibrate again. This time it was Simon. He said:

Okay, Jeanette and I will be there in just a minute. Unfortunately we are on the wrong side of the mall.

I slid the phone shut and looked over at Brit, who was looking around the parking lot very quietly. She looked tired. I patted her back quietly.
Suddenly, we heard a voice behind us. it was Alvin. "Brit, what happened?" he asked, plopping down next to her.
"Don't. Talk to me." she replied, breaking up the words as if they were two seperate sentences.
"She's mad," I informed him.
"No shit," they said at the exact same time. They glanced at each other, and Brittany quickly looked away and fixated her gaze on something straight ahead and far away.
Alvin sighed, played with his phone absentmindedly.
Theodore came out of the mall, and sat next to me with a loud "Ugh". He grimaced and rubbed his butt.
"Didja sit down too hard, Theo?" I asked, chuckling.
He nodded. "Freaking concrete..."
I laughed, and leaned on his shoulder. He put his arm around me and kissed me on the nose.

-Brittany-
Next thing we know, Eleanor and Theodore are kissing right there on the sidewalk.
"Yep, that's okay, guys. Becuase everyone in the whole fuh-reaking world realllly wants to see that," Simon commented as he walked out of hte mall, Jeanette close behind.
They appeared not to hear him.
Finally, Dave arrived. Alvin and I stood up, but Theodore and Eleanor were obviously not paying attention. Dave honked the horn and Theodore jumped, startled. Eleanor's hand flew to her mouth. "Ouch!" She said in a muffled voice.
"Are you okay?" Theodore asked, leaning in.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Your tooth hit mine when you jerked away like a spaz," she said jokingly, getting up and climbing into the car.
She sat in the back, and Theodore sat next to her. i glanced at Alvin, who I could tell was wondering if I was going to sit with him- which I wasn't. I climbed into the back, making Theodore sit in the middle, and sat by the window. Alvin frowned, but looked over at Dave and asked something, which i assume was if he could sit in the front, because Dave replied:
"If you're not going to jack around and distract me."
Alvin whooped and ran around the car to sit in the front. I swear, Alvin is fourteen, but still acts about eight.
The car ride back to the house was long and rather boring, for me anyway. I pulled out my iPod and listened to some loud, hardcore music (which, in this case, was Fall Out Boy) while staring out the window.

-Alvin-
The ride back was so much fun! "Livin On A Prayer" came on and God knows there is no way to listen to that song and NOT sing along loudly and yell "KEY CHANGE!" at the key change. Me and Simon and Theodore and Eleanor and Jeanette were all like, "OHHHHH WE'RE HALFWAY THEH-ERE WOAH-OH! LI-IIVIN ON A PRAYY-YER!" while Brittany sat in the back and listened to her iPod.
I don't know what's gotten into her lately, but I'm determined to find out, and when I find out, I will fix it.

-Eleanor-
As soon as we arrived at the house, Brittany packed up her things and left without saying a word to anyone. She walked over to our house, opened the door, went in, and locked it behind her. Jeantte tried to go after her, but I stopped her. When Brit gets in one of these moods, it's not even worth it.
We sat in the living room, watched "Glee" (only because me, Jeanette, and Theo insisted upon it), and played a couple rounds of Phase 10, and Theodore won several times. Alvin punched me in the arm because he knew I was feeding Theodore the cards he needed, helping him to kick Alvin's butt for once.
I denied it, of course.
The night ended when, during a game of Spoons gone wrong, Alvin knocked over a bookcase and got us all sent to bed.
I laid on the couch and stared at the ceiling, unable to sleep. I looked over a Jeanette, who was reading "Sense and Sensibility" by the light of her phone.
"Haven't you read that book already?" I whispered.
She looked up, jumping. "I'm sorry, what?"
"Shhh," I hushed her. "You'll wake up Dave. And I said, haven't you read that book already?"
She nodded. "Yeah, but this is my copy. Simon gave it to me last Christmas, along with the complete Jane Austen collection," she said, her cheeks flushing a bit at the mention of Simon's name.
I smiled, and looked over at her as she marked her place and hugged the book to her chest fondly. After a minute, I asked, "You really like him, don't you?"
She nodded again, smiling. "Yes. Yes I do. Goodnight, Eleanor."
With that, she turned over, still holding the book as she pulled her quilt up over her shoulders and slowly drifted off to sleep.

-Jeanette-
I woke up the next morning to Simon ruffling my hair. I opened my eyes, and watched as he walked to the door and left, presumably for work. I smiled to myself and sat up, stretching.
"Well look who's bright-eyed and bushy-tailed!" Eleanor commented as she walked into the room and leaned on the doorway, holding a cup of steaming coffee and a peice of bacon.
I smiled. "Good morning, El."
Theodore walked in, pinching Eleanor's butt as he walked by her. He sat on the couch, saying to me, "You missed breakfast. Sorry. I can make you, like, an omelet or something really quick if you want me to."
"No, that's okay," I replied, shaking my head. "I'll just have coffee."
I was on my way to the door when Alvin ran in, skidding on the hardwood floor in his socks, and shouted, "Everybody freeze!"
Obeying, Theodore and I froze immediately. Eleanor lazily sipped her coffee and took a bite of the piece of bacon in her hand. She sighed and asked, "What do you want, Alvin?"
Alvin grinned. "I know what we're going to do today."

-Theodore-
Eleanor rolled her eyes and muttered, "Oh god. This is not good."
Alvin bristled and said, "I'm going to ignore that, Eleanor." he paused for a moment, as if for effect, then continued, "Let's all walk to the pool. Tonight is Midsummer Night's Swim, did you know that?"
I frowned. "Really? The pool people always put out the news the day of. It's so annoying."
"I... don't know," Jeanette said, leaning on the side o fhte door frame opposite of Eleanor. "I was actually thinking about going down to the library to visit Simon and..."
Eleanor snorted. "Really? Are you sure you want to do that? I mean, I love Simon, but not enough to go to the library and have to deal with the library girls."

-Jeanette-
I had never visited Simon while he was at work. The prospect of talking to Simon while Michelle was around and not being sure what she was going to say was nerve-wracking and moire than enough to scare me away. But I had never thought about the other library girls.
I was about to ask what she meant when Theodore nodded, and added, "Yeah. Michelle and company, not exactly the friendliest people in the world."
Alvin nodded. "I mean, why would you even bother, Jen? Every girl in the place has a crush on him... Well, with the exception of Eileen..."
"And Eileen's his ex, and we know he's still not really over her, so..." Theodore trailed off.
Eleanor suddenly asked, "Okay, I never knew with those two: Who broke up with who?"
At the exact same time, Alvin said, "She broke up with him" and Theodore said, "He broke up with her".
Eleanor turned to me and looked at me expectantly.
I shrugged. "I don't know."
She sighed. "Whatever. The point is, we think it would be better for your mental health if you didn't go to the library."
I frowned, and thought for a minute, then finally gave in and said, "... fine. I'll come with you guys then."

-Simon-
I walked into the library, and spotted Eileen right off the bat. She was standing behind her desk, looking through a pile of papers. She looked as great as ever. I walked over, humming "Come On Eileen" quietly as I walked behind her desk to get to mine.
"Simon Seville," she said, without looking away from her papers. "If you hum one more note of that song, I will disassemble Michelle's laptop, rebuild it as a machine gun, and shoot you in the skull."
I chuckled. "I bet you will. Nice skirt."
She smiled, but still didn't look away from the papers she was rifling through. "Thanks, Si."
I walked over to my desk, still looking at Eileen over my shoulder. My attention was drawn elsewhere when I heard Michelle knock over a pile of books on a cart nearby. i turned around, and saw that Seth, her older brother, was sitting at her desk, eating a muffin and saying loudly:
"Oh gosh, look at how this crumbly muffin is getting all over Michelle's half of the desk... oh... oh gosh... These goshdarn crumbs are just everywhere!"
Michelle ran over to her desk, looking like she might explode. "Seth! Quit it! Move. Now."
He got up, laughing, and walked off.
She glared after him, and pulled out the wet-wipes she kept in her purse at all times. She started scrubbing furiously at her desk, muttering under her breath.
I walked over and sat in my seat, which is next to hers. We share a desk. I sighed. "I'm sorry, Michelle."
She looked up, suprised, then shook her head. "Oh, it's okay. I was just about to wipe it down anyway."
Michelle has OCD. If you don't know, that stands for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. In her case, it means that she cleans everything and has a fear of messes, dirt and germs. She also is extremely organized, almost to a scary degree. She labels everything. EVERYTHING.
"Do you want me to pick up those books for you?" I asked after a long pause, grinning.
She nodded, without looking up from the one spot she had been scrubbing for six minutes.
I walked over to the books she had knocked over when she had seen her brother making the mess, and kneeled, starting to put them up. When I thought I was done, I noticed one that had slid underneath the cart. I picked it up, and saw that it was "Sense and Sensibility", the sole copy in the library, the one Jeanette had read so many times before I had gotten her her own. I smiled fondly, and put it up.