A/N: Jealousy. Ugh. The next five days are going to be extremely hard for me. NOOOOO! But, I finally got and idea. Just saying, I usually don't view the coming character in this light. It's just weird for me not to hate her.

I honestly don't understand why the girl was so damned happy all the time. Okay, maybe not happy, but definitely content with whatever it was she was doing. I mean, she only had two friends. But, they're real friends.

I sighed and poked my fork into my lunch. I wanted the people sitting with me to be my real friends, but I knew they weren't. They were just people trying to either get attention or that were completely full of themselves for being rich. I know I'm rich, but that doesn't make me happy. Sure, I get attention from the male half of the population of this school, but I know they just like to look at me because of my chest and midriff and money.

I sneaked a look at the girl's table. I knew she was richer than most of the popular kids combined, but she was just so damn content looking, and she wasn't floundering her money around or buying the best stuff available. In fact, she wore cheap black and purple shirts, black and green skirts, and black steel-toed boots every single day. Her parents even payed attention to her because she wasn't what they want her to be.

And, like I said before, she had two true friends. They were both guys, but they were both good guys- most of the students knew that. However, most of them didn't want to admit that the actually good people were supposed to be the least popular. Sure, one liked electronics a little too much, and the other was a little too clumsy.

It was weird, for me. Here I was, Paulina Sanchez 'most popular' - and therefore, probably most hated - girl in school. I had everything my heart could desire at the snap of my fingers, and I was jealous. Of Samantha Manson, Tucker Foley, and Daniel Fenton.

Actually, there was one thing that I wanted that I could have. Actually, it was a who: I wanted Danny. Yeah, I know that sounds weird coming form the girl who spouts about the Ghost Boy all the time, but I really didn't like the ghost. Sure, he was cool, but it was mostly just a cover so I could stay with the A-listers. I thought I could fake it until I made it.

I was a little more than dumb, two years ago.

But in reality, I wanted to have Danny be my boyfriend. Sure, he was clumsy, but it was endearing -and yes, I do know what that means, thank you very much- and cute. He was also one of the nicest guys I'd seen on the entire planet. Yeah, he did talk back to Dash and I, but we made fun of him, he had a right to fight back. And he only ever did so with words- he pranked Dash a couple of times, but like I said, he and I probably had it coming to us. Against popular belief, I do believe in Karma. And Danny was hot. Yeah, I know it sounds shallow, but I am a hormonal teenage girl who had always flirted with hot cute guys. Danny was that, plus kind and funny and protective. But most of you are wondering how I see Danny as 'hot'. Well, one time, I was hiding behind some bushes because there was a ghost attack. I heard a crash and looked out. I saw Danny, lying across the pavement with his shirt torn halfway off. Danny's got a serious six-pack. It's not as definable as Dash's, but all of his muscles -and he had muscles all over his body- basically radiate inner strength, not brute strength. I'm positive that if Danny stood up to Dash he could easily pin the jock up against the lockers without a thought.

But I knew Danny loved Sam dearly. He fiercely protected her, and pretty much everybody else in the school. That's mainly the reason why Dash bullied him and nobody else. Danny had always stood up for anyone, except himself. I rejected his asking me out during freshman year because I knew he was denying his feelings for Sam. But, he stopped asking me during the beginning of sophomore year.

But that doesn't mean I wasn't jealous of the goth. I always trade insults with her because I wish I was in her place. Yeah, she gets teased by the popular crowd, but she's a strong individual, always bites back, and she'll always end a cat-fight without using her fists. She just seems so amazing to me.

But the jealousy is tearing me apart. I want to be happy, and I really think Sam understands what it means to be happy. I want to talk to her, without the burn-fest that I usually start, about how come she's so darn happy. Excuse me, content. But I'm just so scared. I can't go to my mother without her hitting me and telling me that I'm just a waste of space, and my papá will not understand my dilemma.

Maybe I should just suck it up. I mean, I did have a back-up reason for calling her, just in case. I sighed and looked around online for the Manson residence number. I took out my private cell phone number and called the house line. I figured there was a better chance of having her parents pick up than having Sam pick up.

Ring

Ring

"Hello, this is the Manson residence, Jeremy speaking. How may I help you?" A sickly-sweet voice answered the phone, I shuddered mentally. No matter how I acted, I hated having to mask my voice in a sweet tone. I decided to keep the mask on for Jeremy. Thank goodness Sam and I had a project together. I could use that as an excuse.

"Hi, my name's Paulina Sanchez. I'm a classmate of Sam's, and we have a project together. Could you put her on the phone?" I asked sweetly, sounding completely like how Sam would expect. I heard shuffling and a muffled call, not able to make out what they were saying.

"Sam isn't home right now. I'm really sorry. Did you tell her you were going to be calling now?" Jeremy asked, sounding a tiny bit harsher.

"No. She gave me her e-mail, and I lost the paper it was written on, that's all." I quickly responded. It was half-true: Sam did give me her e-mail, but Dash had taken it and thrown it away in full view of Sam. She just rolled her eyes, assuming that I wasn't going to even try to e-mail her any of my part of the work, and that she'd have to do it herself.

"Okay. I'm sure if she gave you the address, she wouldn't mind me giving it to you. It's blackbird ." Jeremy answered.

"Thank you, Mr. Manson. I'll just e-mail Sam. Bye!" I carefully hung up the phone once Mr. Manson had said goodbye and shivered. He was a little creepy, and way over-peppy. I would know, since I have to act that way. I sighed and went back onto my computer. I started to type up an e-mail of all my work. It was an English project on Romeo and Juliet, and it actually wasn't that bad of a book.

Dear Sam,

Here's all the stuff I researched and wrote about that you told me I'd have to do. And I got your e-mail by calling your house, I wanted to talk to you on the phone, but you weren't there.

Anyways, I just wanted to apologize. I know I've been extremely dumb and inconsiderate and mean and there's nothing to justify that. I was jealous, I guess. I've watched you during lunch and the classes I have you and you seem a lot more content than I am. And I just wanted to be content- that's why I joined the A-listers, I just wanted to be content.

But I'm not, and it seems as if you are. I was wondering if you could give me some basic advice. I know I told you that you were dumb, but that was stupid of me to say. I think you are really smart.

And I know you're probably thinking about why you should trust me. The fact is, you don't. I've been an awful person to you, and Danny, and Tucker. But to you especially. I'm just jealous of your contented-ness because I want to be content.

So, yeah. I'm sorry. I do realize it just doesn't mean enough, especially in an e-mail, though. So I hope you realize I'm actually sorry.

See you at school,
Paulina

I finished typing the e-mail and read it over, checking the spelling mistakes and attaching the document. I hope she hadn't started on my part yet. It was, after all, only five-thirty. I bit my lip and pressed the send button. Now all I had to do was wait.

Hmm. That turned out a lot different than I expected it to. I don't think I'll ever look at Paulina the same way again. Although I still don't like her character. This is unedited.

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