Life at PCA has gotten off to a strange but eventful start for our favorite group of teens. Things were bumpy at first, but after some trial and error, some still ongoing, things finally settled down. As a new term started, the realization that their school days were drawing to a close struck many of them. The imminent transition into adulthood and the prospect of parting ways loomed over them, evoking a sense of fear. Some among them exhibited a clear vision for their future, while others struggled to decide even their lunch preferences.

"This is impossible!" Lola groaned, slamming her textbook shut with all her might and anger. She and her group of friends were having a study session for a new class they could take now that they were upperclassmen, Sociology. "I already know what I want to be, but for whatever reason, Mr. Matthews won't accept me being an actress." She crossed her arms and leaned back into the cushions of one of the couches that littered the campus.

Chase chuckled, taking a sip of his soda. "Well, he did say he wanted us to go into great detail about our hopes, dreams, and goals for the future." He was seated next to his girlfriend, Zoey Brooks. He was still in awe that he finally got to call her that now.

Lola glared at him, "And how is me saying world-famous superstar actress not enough?" she pouted even more when her group of friends started laughing at her. Her cheeks were slightly flushed when she thought back to the class and how she went on for almost twenty minutes trying to explain what type of actress she wanted to be, and Mr. Matthews saying her explanation wasn't giving enough details. "Also, how is it fair that we have a paper already due, but Quinn gets to skip out on her classes." She pointed at her roommate, no longer wanting the attention on her. She usually likes it when other people stare and look at her, but only when it's for a good reason and not when they're laughing at her.

The glasses-wearing girl was taken aback that the attention was now being directed at her. "I'm not skipping class; I'll be attending a seminar." She explained, taking out a thick-looking hardcovered book from her bag titled, "Science and Nature, Two Different Elements But One World." At the bottom of the book, it showed who the author was, someone named Winston Conti.

As the rest of the group dozed off at the sight of the hardcover book, Zoey voiced her need to clarify about the event. "So, why exactly are you attending this again?" she inquired.

Logan spoke up with one arm around his girlfriend's waist and the other clutching his textbook on his lap. "Because her geeky pen pal is the one hosting the seminar."

Quinn mockingly glared at him and playfully nudged his ribs. "Winston isn't a geek," she defended, glancing at her book's back cover. However, her gaze shifted when she caught sight of the author's photo. "Well... maybe a little." Turning the book around to show her friends, they all cringed at the image of a young boy who embodied the stereotypical geek: slicked-back greasy hair, oversized glasses, braces, a bowtie with suspenders, and an ill-fitting, fully buttoned plaid shirt.

"Quinn, hate to break it to you, but that boy is a geek with a capital 'G,'" Michael commented, popping a handful of gummy bears into his mouth while shaking his head at the book. "How did you even come to know this kid?"

"Yeah, who is he?" Zoey asked, genuinely curious, as her friend had never mentioned this person before.

Setting her book down on the table, Quinn shrugged and leaned back against the plush couch cushions. "Winston is a prodigy, even more so than Paige and me combined. He grew up in Italy and published his first book at the age of seven. Over the years, I've been following his work, and one night, while browsing the web, I stumbled upon his blog. That's how we started conversing."

"Sounds saucy," Chase interjected, wiggling his eyebrows playfully. However, his attempt at humor was met with pointed looks from everyone. "What?" he asked, scanning the group, but his eyes ultimately settled on Zoey, who playfully rolled her eyes at his antics.

Lola also gave an eye roll, hers not as affectionate as her friend's. She looked over at her friend sitting across the way, but her gaze landed on the curly-haired boy with his arm wrapped around her waist. "And you're not upset that your girlfriend is sending special late-night emails to another boy?"

Logan scoffed, "Please," sitting up and removing his arm from his girlfriend's waist, he leaned forward to grab the book and placed the author's photo beside his face. "Does this really look like the type of guy I need to be worried about?" He gestured to himself and the picture of the boy genius. As much as they didn't want to admit it, he did have a point. That photo did not do the other boy any justice. "Besides, it's not like he's sending her secret love poems…right?" he turned his head quickly to look at Quinn, needing some confirmation as that thought crossed his mind. He didn't care about them conversing about science, math, or other boring subjects, but if the guy was flirting with her, that was a different matter.

Quinn just smiled and took the book back. "Yes, I promise no secret love poems are being sent to anyone." She placed the book in her lap and smiled sadly at the picture of her online friend. "Honestly, there really aren't any messages being sent."

"How come?" Zoey asked, popping a gummy worm in her mouth, looking confused at what her friend had just told them.

Quin shrugged, "One day, Winston said he wanted to go traveling, and he wouldn't be able to contact me much," she fiddled with the book's edges, fingers running over the pages. "Last week was the first time I heard from him in months." Seeing a message from that familiar email address had been such a shock. She almost didn't believe it was real and considered trashing it, thinking it could be spam. In his message, he described that he was coming to PCA to give a talk on his latest findings and that he was excited to meet her in person.

Zoey curled her upper lip, looking even more confused. "That's a little weird."

Quinn nodded in agreement, "I thought so too. I tried asking him why the sudden need to travel, but when I tried emailing him, my replies would always bounce back saying undeliverable." She frowned, remembering that day when she realized she could no longer talk to her good friend. Winston was special to her; he was one of the few people her age who really understood science and cared about it. As much as she loved her friends, she wished some days she could talk with them about science and engineering and all that.

He was totally not jealous, but hearing his girlfriend talk about another guy and appearing upset over them bothered Logan a bit. "Hey, clearly, the brainiac isn't much of a super genius if he did that. Don't worry so much about that loser."

Quinn smiled at her boyfriend. His words were crud, but she knew he meant well. He can still come off as a jerk, but she knew that he cared for her. "You're sweet," she gave him a peck on the lips. "Thank you."

Logan leaned back, arms folded back behind his head as he grinned smugly. "What are boyfriends for."

This time it was Lola who curled her upper lip. "Eww," she was still not used to this. Her best friend dating and being all lovey-dovey with a guy she still, at times, cannot stand. She was happy for her, the two years she was with Mark, she can't remember once her ever being this happy with him, but somehow with Logan, she was. It was really sweet, but sometimes their PDA really made her want to gag.

The couple just waved off the future actress while the rest of the friend group chuckled before they resumed studying. Logan wrapped his arm around Quinn, bringing her body towards him so she could lean into his side. Happily accepting the cuddles, Quinn rested her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his waist. Looking around, she saw her friend group shake their heads, and some pretended to gag, but they still smiled. Turning her attention to the students walking around them, she saw a majority passing by without giving them a second thought, but a few would falter as they noticed her and Logan cuddling. Some would walk away faster; others would point, and some didn't bother trying to hide that they were talking about them. Both she and Logan knew they would get a lot of attention when making their relationship public; it was part of why they hid it for so long. Some days she still felt a little uncomfortable with how people acted around them, but then she remembered who mattered. Their group of friends accepted them, their parents were so happy they were together and the most important thing of all, they loved each other. Feeling his warmth against her body, the way his fingers ran gently up and down her arm mindlessly as he went back to studying, and how from time to time he would look from his textbook to stare at her, love brimming in his gaze, made her smile like she never has before.

"Quinn!"

Groaning silently to herself, said genius girl untangled herself from her boyfriend's embrace to sit up at the sound of Dean River's calling her name. Standing up when she saw him heading her way, she smiled politely. "Dean Rivers? What can I help you with?"

The dean of PCA smiled down at the girl, giving a slight wave to the rest of the group as well. "I'm here because someone said they really wanted to meet with you." Stepping aside, a young boy who seemed to be around their age stepped forward. He had ashy blond hair styled so that only a few pieces hung down in front of his face; he wore a red and black plaid shirt with a white t-shirt underneath, faded blue jeans, and black sneakers. In his arms were a bouquet of yellow roses and a box of chocolates.

"Quinn, Mi Amor!" he jumped towards the girl, arms wrapping around her in an embrace that had her stumbling forward. Pulling back, he gave her the flowers and chocolates before kissing her on both cheeks. "My muse, it is so fantastico to meet you in person."

It didn't take much for Quinn's mind to shut off and stop working, but when a random guy suddenly hugs her, kisses her, and gives her items of affection, then her brain will shut off until it can make sense of this. She didn't have it in her to turn around, but she could practically feel the confused gazes of her friends and one angry glare. "Um…do I know you?" it had to be a case of mistaken identity. The guy obviously thought she was somebody else. That was the only rational explanation.

Said boy merely laughed, showing off his pearly white teeth. "It is I, Winston."

"Winston!?" Quinn cried out in shock while doing a double take.

"Yes, this is Winston." Dean Rivers proudly stated as he gestured to the beaming boy. "I received an email earlier this month that Mr. Conti wanted to arrive early and surprise his dear friend, Quinn Pensky, before the seminar that he'll be giving here right at PCA." He smiled, ready for the girl to start jumping with joy and talking about science, but instead, she seemed too shocked to speak. Looking around him, he saw the friend group sitting down, mouths wide from gaping. Only Logan was the opposite; his mouth was closed and curled into a deep frown as he gripped his textbook tightly. "Don't you kids have a class to get to?"

Four of them shook their heads rapidly, while one just glared.

Quinn could not believe her eyes. Just moments ago, she and her friends were looking at the boy's photo, but now it seemed like he was a new person. "Winston…but how? You look so different?"

Said boy nodded eagerly and was beaming bright. "Yes, and it is all because of you!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms out to show more of himself off. "When you told me your tales of your life at school with your friends, it inspired me. So, I set out on my own journey," he was talking so vibrantly, eyes getting a faint vacant look in them as he remembered all the things he had done in the past year. "I have made so many wonderful friends, just like you. And they helped me become me!" he really did go through a makeover. Quinn had changed up her style since she first started at PCA, but the guy in front of her seemed to be someone completely different. She knew people could change, but she didn't think it was possible for them to change that much in the span of a few months.

"The new him looks a thousand better than the old him," Lola whispered, eyeing the boy genius turned boy hottie.

The four friends muttered in agreement while Logan practically jumped out of his seat. "Winston, right?" he appeared next to Quinn, shoulders squared up as he flexed his muscles and tried to appear intimidating. "Logan Reese, I'm-!"

"Yes, you're Logan! The handsome jerky guy from Quinn's messages!" Winston exclaimed with glee as he gestured to the curly-haired boy before turning his attention to the rest of the group behind them. "And you are Lola, Zoey, Chase, and Michael. I recognize you all from the messages Quinn and I have sent each other."

Typically, when someone calls him handsome, Logan is pleased that they recognize his natural good looks and are in awe of his features. However, this time it was different. Opening his mouth to let the guy know exactly what he was feeling, Logan was halted when the genius boy yawned. "My apologies, amici, but I am rather fatigued from my journey to see mi amor Quinn and preparing for my lecture later this week." Completely unphased or not even noticing the strange looks he was getting, Winston turned his attention back to the dean. "Signore Rivers, as they say in America, I am ready to chillax in my room before Quinn and I explore the campus."

Dean Rivers nodded, "Excellent!" he was very excited to have the genius boy at their school. If all goes well, the press will be amazing, and more people will want to send their kids to his school. "Quinn, come by the office in an hour or so, and we'll get you all set up to take Winston on tour." With that, he walked off with the boy genius, leaving behind a group of very confused and shell-shocked teens.

The two had just stepped away, a group of girls slowly following behind, giggling and pointing at the boy, when the others finally reacted. "Oh my god!" both Zoey and Lola all but screamed out, scaring Michael and Chase.

Michael groaned, rubbing his now ringing ear. "Why do they always have to scream."

The two girls ignored him as they jumped up and ran at Quinn, who had now turned to face them. Logan stood next to Quinn, looking rather upset.

"Quinn!"

"I know!"

Lola pushed her hair out of her face to grab her friend's and roommate's shoulders. "You need to tell us everything you ever said in your messages!"

"Yeah, and why is he calling you his muse and amor?" Zoey didn't know much Italian, but she knew those words were a term of endearment and affection.

Logan groaned, taking the flowers and chocolates from his girlfriend's hands and throwing them on the table. "Better yet, explain why he's giving you chocolates and flowers and kissing you." He was not happy with this new development, not happy at all.

"I don't know!" Quinn shook off Lola's hands, which were slowly digging into her shoulders. For a petite girl, she was surprisingly strong. "All we ever talked about in our messages were the latest scientific theories, the possibilities of how to test them, and the results we may get from them." She was just as confused as the rest of them. She hadn't been expecting her longtime pen pal to arrive suddenly today and act the way he did or look the way he did. "The only time we didn't talk about science was when I mentioned you guys and the stuff we did together."

Zoey raised an eyebrow at this, "And he never bothered to mention his friends or his life?"

Quinn shrugged again, "He said he didn't really have friends, mostly just colleagues from the university he taught at, but he started teaching when he was only 11, so not too many people wanted to hang out with him outside of work." She crossed her arms as she spoke. She had always felt a little bad for Winston whenever he expressed interest in her life and what she was doing with her friends; she realized that he was lonely and wanted to know what having a life with friends was like. She understood that so well because before coming to PCA, she didn't have any friends of her own.

"Aww, the poor guy." Zoey felt bad for the kid now.

"Yeah, that has to be so hard." Lola nodded in agreement.

"More like sad and depressing," Michael muttered to Chase, who nodded in agreement. The two were very interested and actively listening, but they were also concerned for their well-being and kept a safe distance on the couch.

Logan groaned again, stepping forward and pushing the other two girls aside to be directly in front of his girlfriend. "And did you ever mention in one of your little emails to Mr. Italy that you have a boyfriend?" he crossed his arms, looking exasperated.

"Not exactly," She said with hunched shoulders, looking guilty, but quickly added in. "The last message I sent him was right after Mark broke up with me. I haven't talked with Winston since then!" she exclaimed, hoping she was explaining herself properly.

The frown did not come off his face, "Well, how come you never told him after you and I got together?" he asked, wanting all the details.

"Because that's when my messages stopped being delivered," she threw her arms up in the air, feeling a head starting to form from all this drama that was developing. "Look, the last time I messaged Winston, I expressed how upset I was at Mark for leaving me for another girl and stated I was going to change myself to get him back," she thought back to last year when after she talked with Lola she had instantly gotten onto her computer to message her pen pal and describe in detail what had been happening in her life and her plan to get her ex back. "However, after you and I kissed, I tried emailing him to explain what had transpired between us, and that's when I saw his reply of wanting to travel. I kept trying for weeks to send him a message, but they always bounced back, and after a while, I stopped trying." She tried giving her boyfriend a sweet smile, hoping to help calm him down and reassure him. It did not really work.

Logan blew air out of his nose, his nostrils flaring out as he did. "So this guy thinks your single?"

"I don't know, maybe!" she groaned, running one hand through her hair as she tried to get her thoughts straight.

"He definitely thinks your single if he's giving you this type of chocolate," Lola spoke up from her spot on the couch. After Logan had pushed her and Zoey aside to speak, the two girls sat back on the sofa to observe and look over the presents. The group started eating the chocolates together while each had put a yellow rose behind their ears.

Michael happily nodded in agreement, pointing to the box of sweets. "Quinn, you gotta ask Winston where he got these because I need them in my life."

Logan glared at his roommate and best friend. He was so taking his clackers later and hiding them. "Baby," Quinn put her hand on her boyfriend's arm, making him turn his attention back to her. "I know you're upset, and I'm sorry. But I swear nothing is going on with me and Winston."

Tapping his foot for a bit, Logan considered her words and took in her features before sighing, "I know." He wrapped his arms around her, hating that she was upset and that he was part of the reason for it. He knew Quinn would never cheat on him, especially not after what she went through with Mark and him not being honest with her. "I'm sorry, but I don't like this guy." He was suddenly very much not okay with her spending alone time with the guy.

Pulling back, she brushed her nose against him and smiled. "I promise the next time I see him; I'll be sure to say that the Logan I wrote in my messages is now my boyfriend."

Smirking at this, he pulled her closer, arms wrapped around her shoulders as she placed her two hands around his waist. "You mean the handsome jerk Logan," he chuckled when he saw her cheeks take on a red hue. Suddenly a thought popped into his head. "You said you used to tell him stuff about us?" he asked, and she nodded in confirmation, only making his smirk grow in size. "Which means you thought I was handsome before we got together."

Biting her lower lip, Quinn smiled and said, "I suppose that even though I found you insufferable at times, I had to admit that you were pretty cute." She affectionately rolled her eyes, knowing full well she was only feeding into her boyfriend's ego.

"Had I known you liked me so much, I would have made a move sooner." He chuckled, slowly swaying them together.

Quinn blushed, feeling her heart skip a beat, but her mind was swifter. It caught onto what he was saying. "Hang on," she stepped out of his embrace to get a good look at him. "Are you saying that you had a thing for me before Mark and I broke up?"

Realizing what he had said, Logan cleared his throat. "Well, I mean…you were…and I was…" he kept crossing and uncrossing his arms, not really sure what to do with them or himself. He opened and closed his mouth, feeling like the words were lost on him, and kept getting further and further away the more his girlfriend smiled. It was only when he heard the sound of a wrapper did his focus change, and he slowly turned around to see their group of friends staring at him. Their full attention was on them as they slowly continued to eat the chocolates. "Do you people mind!?" The four shook their heads, continuing to eat and watch him as if he was some reality tv star.

Feeling bad for her boyfriend, Quinn stepped forward to stand beside him. "I have to go meet Winston in a bit; how about you come with me, and we can tell him together that we're a couple."

Logan liked that idea; it meant he could show the guy that Quinn was his girlfriend and she was no longer single. "When do you have to meet him again?"

Glancing at her watch, she saw the current time: "In about forty-five minutes." Dean Rivers said to be in his office in about an hour, so she had a bit of time to prepare and think of what she was going to say to her pen pal.

"Wanna go make out?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows and grinning wide.

"Okay!" she all grinned, constantly feeling giddy whenever he asked her that.

The two laughed together as they grabbed their stuff, hands intertwined as they ran off together to go kiss. Leaving behind their group of four friends, a bouquet of flowers, and a now-empty box of chocolates.

"Does anybody else find that weird and disturbing?" Chase asked, crumbling up the wrapper of his last piece of chocolate.

"Totally."

"So weird."

"Still a crime against nature."

They were all in agreement that it was a bizarre thing they just witnessed. "But we're gonna find out what happens next, right?"

"Totally!"

"So gonna."

"It'd be a crime not to."

The four laughed together as they went back to studying. "Wait," Zoey grabbed her backpack and had a panicked look on her face. She suddenly remembered what Dean Rivers had asked them before. "Don't we have class right now?" They all looked at their watches and cried in shock and despair as they realized they were all late for their next class. Soon they, too, were grabbing their stuff and running across campus.