Hello all! I just wanted to make something clear. When I described Lacey as fat, I'm picturing her like Amber Riley's size. I didn't want people to think I went overboard with that. And again, I know some of you are wondering why I did that, but I promise there's method to my madness. Since I'm not one of the more popular fanfiction writers, I would like to give a big Thanks for reading, enjoying, following and/or reviewing, it REALLY means a lot to me.

Lacey makes her way to her next class: Music. She's sort of excited about it considering her love of music. Her teacher Mrs. Stevens drops the greatest bomb on her when she informs her that all of her students have to join the school choir. Lacey hates that idea immensely. She does not like singing in front of people. She is really self-conscious about it even though she has a lovely voice. She is now trying to figure out a way to get out of it. Mrs. Stevens then makes her sing scales to find out her vocal range, in front of everyone no less. She then tells Lacey what she already knows; she's a soprano. She hates the thought of being in the choir, but she knows she must come to terms with it. She loves that she'll have access to the piano though. She loves to play. While initially hating the idea of piano lessons when she was younger, she became really good at it.

Lacey heads to Biology and is thrilled to see Phoebe.

"Hi Lacey, we meet again. How was your last class?"

"Good because it's music, horrible because I am now a proud member of the school choir!" Lacey says with much sarcasm.

"That is horrible, but the choir is pretty good and they go on awesome trips. You'll be fine."

"So what is this teacher like?"

"Mr. Jackson is cool. but we change lab partners every month and we change today. It sometimes sucks because you could end up with a crappy lab partner."

Lacey was about to ask Phoebe something else when Danny walked in the classroom. She felt her breath hitch in her throat. Thankfully, Phoebe didn't hear. He walked right up to their station.

"Are you stalking me Lacey?"

"What? No!" She can literally feel her cheeks turning red until him and Phoebe start laughing.

"I'm kidding. Lacey."

"Oh. Sorry." Their eyes linger on each other a few seconds longer than necessary.

Then Mr. Jackson walks in and puts Lacey on the spot.

"Lacey Porter? Come forward please."

Lacey reluctantly walks to the front of the class.

"I see that you are new here. Welcome. And since you are new, you get first pick of lab partners. Reach in and pull out a name." He produces a bowl to her with slips of paper in them. Lacey is silently cursing as she reaches in and picks one. She opens the paper and her eyes nearly pop out of her head.

"So who did you pick. Ms. Porter?"

"Danny Desai."

Danny liked the idea of having Lacey as his lab partner. Something about her intrigued him and he relished in the thought of getting to know her better. He could already see that he had an effect on her from the way she blushed around him. But truth be told, she had an effect on him as well. When she came back to sit down, he again noticed that she smelled like roses. And the high stools they were sitting on gave him a better view of her thick thighs.

I wonder how soft they are.

Get it together, Danny.

He is trying to pay attention to Mr. Jackson, but it's kinda hard with her sitting next to him. Him being this attracted to her threw him for a loop at first, but it didn't seem so weird now. Sure she's bigger than the other girls he dated in the past, but she is also prettier. She is actually gorgeous. That dimple she has makes her even cuter. And her smile lights up the room.

Yeah, Danny Desai, the gorgeous quarterback and team captain, rich, bad boy, the insanely good-looking guy that can honestly get any girl he wants, has a crush on Lacey Porter. And he will get her. He's sure of it.

Lacey notices him staring at her and she really doesn't understand why. You'd think he never saw a fat person before. She knows he's not staring because he's interested in her, because this boy defines hot, and there was no way in the world he wants her. She sees the way other girls look at him. They practically drooled when he walked in the room. Why is he staring so much? Do I have something on my face?

"Is there something on my face?"

He looks at her intently. "No, why?"

"Because you keep looking at me like something is wrong."

"Maybe I'm looking at you because I like what I see.''

She looks at him strangely. She locks eyes with him and forgets what she is about to say.

"That's not funny."

"I wasn't trying to be funny.''

"Well, it's cruel."

"What? Why would me looking at you and liking what I see, be cruel?"

"You know why, Danny."

"Why? Because you're-"

Lacey cuts him off immediately.

"Please don't say it!" Her sudden outburst turns a few heads. Danny looks at her with concern. He realizes now that she thinks he looks at her in disgust. And that he was gonna call her fat. He lowers his voice before continuing.

"What did you think I was gonna say?"

"Look, I don't need you reminding me that I'm fat, ok? I know."

"I wasn't gonna call you fat, Lacey."

Her defenses are really up at this point. She looks at him in defiance.

"Really? Then what were you gonna say?"

"I was gonna say that you're beautiful."

Time seems to stand still for Lacey. She really can't believe he called her beautiful. She knows she is, but she never expected to hear it from him. Danny is so good-looking, that he doesn't seem real. He is undoubtedly the most handsome guy she has ever seen. And she's pretty sure there are several other girls that would kill or die to hear that from him. She looks back up and looks at him. He seems pretty sincere, but she really doesn't know. She doesn't know him. He could be a master manipulator or a sociopath. This could all be some sick, twisted game to him. A game she doesn't want to play. No matter how attractive he is.

"Thank you." She manages to somehow get that out after he almost renders her speechless.

"You're welcome."

Biology is over and it's now lunchtime. Phoebe grabs Lacey's hand and pulls her with her.

"You can sit with us. I have to introduce you to my other friends. Wait until you see how gorgeous Cole is. He's almost as hot as Danny."

Lacey gives Phoebe a look.

"What? I know you think Danny is hot. EVERYBODY thinks Danny is hot."

Lacey quickly diverts the conversation so she doesn't have to answer.

"Isn't Joe your boyfriend?"

"Yeah, but I'm not dead. i think Joe is hot too, but nobody is hotter than Danny. All of the girls like him, but he rarely dates. People think something is wrong with him . Girls throw themselves at him, and he shoots them all down. He did go out with Sarita, but that didn't last long. They broke up so fast, it's like they were never together."

"Maybe he's gay." Lacey said it, but in no way, shape or form believed it.

"O m g! Sarita said that too since he never wanted to go all the way with her. Her twin brother is gay and he says he's not. Wait until you meet them. They're like night and day."

Lacey wonders why Phoebe is telling her all of this, but she's just glad to have a friend. Phoebe seems so nice even if she talks too much sometimes. They're at the cafeteria and they spot Regina sitting at the table on her phone, texting.

"Hey Reg. You remember Lacey, right?"

"Of course." Regina is still busy texting.

"I invited her to sit with us, ok?"

"Yeah, sure."

Lacey and Phoebe go back to talking about nothing in particular when Danny walks in with Joe, Archie and another really good-looking, buff guy. They sit at the table right next to theirs. Lacey must be losing her mind because she swears she saw Danny wink at her after he sat down.

Phoebe leans over and whispers to Lacey, "That's Cole. Gorgeous, isn't he?"

"Yeah he is." But he isn't as gorgeous as Danny.

Then Lacey notices that most of the guys are wearing Letterman jackets.

"What sport do the guys play?"

"Football. Danny is the quarterback, Archie's a tackle, and Cole and Joe are wide receivers. Cole is better than Joe, but don't tell him I said that, ok?"

"Sure." Lacey has no intention of saying anything to Joe, unless forced to. Lacey is imagining how Danny looks in his uniform, when a petite, brown girl with a mass of dark, curly hair walks up.

She points at Lacey. "Who's this?"

"Lacey, she's new here."

"Why is she sitting at our table?"

"Because I invited her."

"So you just let anybody sit with us?"

Is she serious?

In a sharp tone, Lacey says, "Look, I don't have to sit at your table."

The guys are now starting to pay attention.

''Quit it, Sarita." Danny says.

So this is Sarita. Danny's ex. This should be fun.

"You quit it, Danny." She spat.

"Lacey can sit there if she wants to. You don't own that table."

Sarita is fuming. Especially since Danny has embarrassed her and is taking up for the new girl. The fat girl, she must add.

"Shut the hell up, Danny! What is she, your new girlfriend?" Sarita thinks she's doing something, but Danny's rebuttal alarms her.

"She could be."

Lacey turns several shades of red.

Sarita is livid. What in the hell does he mean by "She could be." I know he doesn't think he can just break up with me and replace me with a fat chick! Sarita is still in to Danny and bitter about him breaking up with her. She can't believe this fat girl might take her place. Everybody knows that whoever Danny is with, is the Queen Bee. That's how she got her title. And there was no way in the world she was gonna let this cow steal her crown. This means war.

But Sarita fails to realize that this is a battle she won't win. Lacey has already won, and doesn't even know she's fighting. The minute Danny staked his claim on her, she won. It's rare that Danny becomes this smitten with a girl, and he was definitely smitten with Lacey Porter.

Lacey has 2 more classes, Calculus and English. She meets Rico, Sarita's twin, in Calculus. He is so awkward and cute, and obviously gay that she immediately likes him. Phoebe is right, they are like night and day. Rico is actually being nice to her without being told to.

"Hi, I'm Rico."

"Hi, I'm Lacey."

"You must be new here."

"Yup. Just moved here."

"So are you good at math?"

"Nope. You?"

"I'm a genius at math. I'll help you, if you want me to."

"Thanks."

"You're pretty."

"Thank you. You're not too bad yourself, Rico." Lacey smiles at him.

Rico becomes flustered. "I wasn't trying to hit on you or anything because I'm gay."

"I didn't think you were trying to hit on me. But I'd be flattered if you did."

"Thanks Lacey. So do you have a boyfriend?"

''No. Do you?"

"Yes, but we have to keep it a secret because he's not ready to come out yet."

Lacey is wondering why everybody feels the need to confess to her when they barely even know her. They must know she's trustworthy.

"Are you ok with being in a secret relationship?"

"Yeah, because I know how hard it is to come out. I'm lucky everybody accepted me probably because they already knew. But my boyfriend is different. He plays sports and doesn't want his teammates to feel awkward around him. So I get it. Plus, he's a great boyfriend. And he's hot."

Lacey laughs and reverts back to what Phoebe said earlier about Danny. Is he Rico's secret boyfriend? She said Rico said he wasn't, but he could have just been diverting attention away from him. It's possible, but Lacey doesn't believe it.

Why do I even care?

Because I like Danny, that's why.

I shouldn't be overanalyzing and thinking about Danny anyway. I should just focus on school. And not think about Danny Desai.

That's easier said than done.

Lacey is in her final class of the day; English. She's daydreaming and so completely lost in thought, that she doesn't notice that Danny has walked right up to her.

"Hey Lacey. I'm beginning to think you really are stalking me."

"How can I be stalking you, Danny?"

"Because you're everywhere I go."

"I can't help that we have the same classes."

"I know you can't. Can't you take a joke?"

Lacey smiles, revealing her dimple. "Yes, I can take a joke."

"See, I knew you could. So how are you liking Green Grove High so far? "

"Pretty well actually. Everyone is either ignoring me or extremely nice. Especially Phoebe."

"Yeah, Phoebe's great. I'm glad you guys are hitting it off. Maybe we can double date with her and Joe."

"Ah, good one."

"That wasn't a joke."

"What?"

"I said, that wasn't a joke."

"I heard you."

"Alright then, it's settled. Me, you, Phoebe and Joe will go on a double date Saturday night. I'll pick you up at 7."

"What?"

"Lacey, no offense, but I really think you need to get your hearing checked. I said-"

"My hearing is just fine, Danny. I'm just not understanding you."

"What didn't you understand?"

"I don't understand you wanting to go on a double date with me with Joe and Phoebe."

"Oh, you think it's too soon for double dating. I agree. It'll just be us then."

"Danny..."

"Lacey..."

Before Lacey can say something else, the teacher walks in. Danny is lucky he got saved by the bell, per se. He wasn't gonna let her get out of it, like she tried to. And he'll show her that she shouldn't think he's kidding about liking her. He can hardly wait until Saturday.