Onwards and upwards!

FRIENDS FOREVER

"Jack broke up with Maryse?" Eve and Alicia gawped in unison, as they gathered around Rosa's desk, fishing for gossip before Miss Crane arrived for first period history. It was the day after the break-up, and everyone wanted to know the truth.

"I can't believe it." Eve breathed. On Friday night, Jack seemed frustrated, but she never expected him to end the relationship. "How's Maryse taking it?"

"She's fine." Rosa lied, remembering that she'd agreed to keep Maryse's heartbreak a secret. "Well, as fine as you could be after your boyfriend of two years dumped you without a reason." Well, she had to make it seem realistic.

"They're the last couple I ever expected to break up." Alicia shook her head in disbelief.

"Tell me about it."

News of the golden couple's crumbling relationship was spreading around the school quickly; it was the topic of every conversation. No-one could quite believe it; it was as if a dark cloud had fallen over the usually sunny Beverly Hills High.

"So you said he didn't give her a reason? I wonder why he broke up with her."

Rosa felt the colour rise in her cheeks, as she remembered Maryse's 'theory' about Eve. "I...umm..."

Luckily, Rosa didn't have to finish her sentence, as the room fell into a silent hush upon the entrance of Jack Swagger. He took his usual seat by the window, next to Montel, and the two engaged in a conversation.

"Awkward." Alicia commented, "Do you think he's upset?"

Her question was answered by Jack erupting into laughter after a joke Montel told him. The two exchanged high fives, before turning to look at the praying eyes of the cheerleaders.

"What?" He confronted. "So I'm supposed to spend my time weeping like a baby?"

"Weeping like a baby? That doesn't sound like you, Jack." The teacher, Miss Crane, entered the classroom and sat down at her desk, coffee mug into hand to get her through the day. One of the younger members of the Beverly Hills High staff, the students were fond of her. "What's up?"

"Oh believe me, Miss, I'm anything but weeping like a baby." Jack grinned.

"That's good to hear, Mr Swagger, because you know what today is-"

"Sorry I'm late." Much to everyone's surprise, in the doorway of the classroom stood Maryse. People expected her to be a mess; all mascara tears and shapeless sweatpants, but she proved them wrong, looking as glamorous as ever in a short black dress, with a pair of sunglasses balanced on her head.

"Take a seat, Maryse." Miss Crane instructed. Instead of taking her usual seat in front of Jack, she noticeably placed herself on the other side of the classroom.

"You look great." Eve mouthed across the class, reassuringly, to which Maryse winked back, impressively concealing her inner fury.

"As I was about to say, today is the first day of our new assignment."

A collective groan swept the classroom.

"I know, I know, it's never fun, but the assignments will be done in pairs, so I guess that means half the workload." Miss Crane tried to find a positive.

"Can we choose our partners?" Rosa called out, already signalling for Maryse to come and join her.

"As a faculty, we've decided that we're going to pick your partners."

Another groan. Eve tuned out as the partnerships were shelled out alphabetically – how uninspiring. That did mean however, that Maryse and Rosa ended up together.

"...Anya Salter and Steven Smith..." Miss Crane continued reading from her list. "...Jack Swagger and Eve Torres..."

Maryse, Rosa and Alicia all turned to stare at Eve, who was in a state of both shock and mild horror. Sure, she got along with Jack, but this couldn't have been a worse time for them to be paired up. She instantly shot Maryse an apologetic look, however she wasn't sure of why. Little did she realise that Jack's feelings were the exact opposite of hers.

This couldn't have come at a better time.

"Dude, I am kicking your ass!" Kelly laughed, as she continued to dominate Kofi as the pair battled at Nintendo Wii Tennis.

"Nintendo Wii's are for girls." Kofi grumbled, struggling to defeat the perky blonde.

"Then you must really suck." As a 'YOU WIN' sign came up on Kelly's side of the screen, she embarked on a victory dance, shimmying around her living room, before flopping down next to Kofi on the couch. "Either way, let's just establish my awesomeness."

Kofi rolled his eyes; for such a good-looking girl, Kelly could be very dorky. In a cute way. "No, you're just incredibly competitive." He had been shocked at the spunk Kelly had in her. "Besides, if we ever play Call of Duty on the Xbox, you're mine."

"Is that a challenge?" She placed her hands on her hips. "Because my brother's Xbox is upstairs and I will happily school you at Call of Duty as well!"

"God, you're terrible."

"No, I'm just kickass at video games." She grinned proudly. "Well, I only got kickass when I got pregnant."

Unsure of how to respond, Kofi decided silence was his best form of defence. Kelly's pregnancy was surely a touchy subject.

"It's okay; you don't have to act like I'm going to cry if it comes up." Kelly assured him, before smiling. "Actually, being pregnancy was kind of fun."

"Really?" Kofi had only heard horror stories.

Kelly nodded. "You can eat whatever you want and be as moody as you like, and no-one can blame you."

A chuckle left Kofi; only Kelly could find a positive in pregnancy. He knew he shouldn't have, but he loved spending time with her. When he did, he never stopped smiling, due to her infectious laugh. She was cute, and goofy, and just wanted to have fun. Plus she had a mean selection of video games.

Kelly hopped to her feet, "So what do you say about that game of Call of Duty?"

"I'd-" Before Kofi could answer, his ringing cell phone cut him off. "Hello?" He answered.

"Where the hell are you?" Alicia demanded. "You were supposed to pick me up twenty minutes ago! We've probably missed the movie now, and I'm pissed off!"

Crap. Kofi had been having so much fun with Kelly, he'd totally forgotten about the plans he and Alicia had made. How could he have forgotten? "Shit, I'll be right there." He hung up the phone and got to his feet.

"Let me guess; Alicia?" Kelly queried, pretending not to be hurt, as she placed the Wii controls back in their usual spots. Her mother was meticulously organised, and Kelly was worried she'd picked up some of her bad habits.

"I had a date with her, and I totally forgot." Kofi chuckled. He picked up his school backpack he'd left on the floor, and made his way to the front door. "Can we reschedule that Call of Duty game?" He smiled, hopefully.

"Sure," She grinned back, and he left.

Kelly walked back into her living room, and watched out of the window as Kofi made his way down the garden path, and hop over the flower beds so he was in his own front garden. He only went into his own house for a couple of seconds, as he dropped off his school bag, before making his way towards his car.

She sighed; he was a great boyfriend. It's just a shame he was with the wrong girl.

Hope you enjoyed that update! It's a little rushed, but please leave a review :)