Note: Gretchen and Jason are not together anymore. All will be revealed in future chapters.

Chapter 3

If there was anything going on at school worth knowing (other than what was actually taught in classes) then you can bet that sooner Gretchen Wieners would find out about it. All it took was trading in some worthless, day's old gossip about Kyle Morgan and the girls swim team and what had really gone on at Ashley's party last weekend to find the first facts on the mysterious new hottie in Karen's life.

What she had found was that he was that he was a Math Geek and a senior and that he was a new student. Ok not much, but she had had only had a day to work on it. Karen was depending on her after all.

Unhappily the only Math Geek she knew was Cady, and that was one conversation Gretchen was absolutely not ready to have.

It was while she was walking along the school corridor towards the cafeteria, wrapped in her own thoughts that she bumped into her solution.

Literally.

'Hey,' she said painfully getting up, 'watch where you are going. Like some of us are totally not ten… feet… tall.'

Her jawed dropped. The guy who had bumped into her was way, way, way hotter than almost any guy she had ever met. He made Jason look like a mutant Chihuahua (though in fairness to Jason it should be mentioned at this point that Gretchen was not feeling very charitable towards him at the moment – with good reason.) She stood up, smoothed down her mini skirt and summoned up her best smile.

'I'm so sorry,' the hunk said, 'are you ok?'

'Better than ever,' she babbled, 'it was totally my fault. Are you, er, going to lunch?'

'Yes,' he said. He paused nervously (which astounded Gretchen – how could anyone so handsome be nervous about anything?) 'Um, would you like to sit with me? '

Gretchen practically melted into her new Gucci's. 'Um, sure!' she squeaked.

The following lunch hour would see both the best and one of the worst things that ever happened to her. First the best thing: as she entered walking beside the hunk practically every eye in the place turned her way. Jason nearly wet himself and Regina looked like she was about to pass out from shock.

It was something else. Better even than in the glory days of the Plastics when all eyes had been on… well Regina. This time she could almost read their thoughts: 'how did Gretchen Wieners land a guy like that.'

Her delight was only slightly dented when she discovered who they would be sitting beside. 'Oh hey Cady. Janis. Damian.'

They looked at her in astonishment from across the table. Gretchen avoided their eyes carefully. She noticed Karen holding court with her crew on another table across the cafeteria. The blonde waved at her cheerfully.

'Oh, so you guys, know each other?' said the hunk.

'Oh we go way back,' said Janis. 'Bestest buds, right Gretch?'

'Always,' said Gretchen hurriedly. She turned to her handsome neighbour. 'Um that is my name by the way. Gretchen. Gretchen Wieners.'

'Wieners as in the toaster strudel?' He laughed easily. 'I love your work!'

'Oh it's my dad's really,' she said modestly. 'I just helped with the jingle.'

He looked hugely impressed. And then he did something that on anyone else would have sounded impossibly dorky, but made Gretchen fall just a little bit in love with him. He actually sang the Wieners Toaster Strudel ® jingle:

'Wieners Toaster Strudel / The morning delight! / Wieners Toaster Strudel / A breakfast in every bite!'

'I was twelve when I came up with that,' admitted Gretchen shocked at her own delight that she was taking responsible for something so dorky.

Damian stared into her eyes and said, in his most deadpan voice: 'You are so deep Gretchen Wieners. Please have my babies.'

They all laughed, even Gretchen much to her own surprise. 'Well,' she added generously, 'my friend Karen helped a little.'

'That wouldn't be Karen Smith would it?' The hunk mused, 'I think I met her last night.'

Gretchen went cold inside. 'Um your name wouldn't happen to be Mike Sedzikowski would it?'

'Yes it is,' he replied happily, unwittingly crushing Gretchen's hopes. 'Did she mention me?'

Gretchen looked back over at Karen, who smiled and gave her a thumbs up.

'Um,' she said.