Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight books. I'm only borrowing the characters and will return them mostly unharmed. Italics are Quil's thoughts.

"Claire?" Quil was standing in the upstairs hallway of Claire's house. As he neared her room at the end of the hall, he heard unusual sounds of shuffling slip out from under her closed bedroom door. What is that girl doing now?!

"Claire." He said more forcefully as he leaned closer to her door. "I'm going to come in! Open the door!" He raised his fist to pound on the thirteen year old's door but halted his hand's progression as it slowly creaked open. Poking his head in, he knew any other normal human male would have run at a first glimpse of Claire's bedroom. Even he, with all his experiences with terrifying vampires and bloody fights, had to force his feet to stay planted where they were.

Clothes. Piles of clothes covered the room, strewn over the bed, floor, desk, and even the ceiling lamp. And makeup. He saw different colored powder cosmetics thrown haphazardly all over the floor and nail polish bottles crowding Claire's side-table. His nose crinkled as he inhaled the heavily perfumed, too-floral air.

"Claire Lea Kaltha! What are you doing?!" Claire poked her head out of her bathroom to look at Quil. He almost took a step back at the sight of her: her eyelids were covered in flashy teal powder and her cheeks with bright pink blush. Her hair had been teased to the extent that it reminded him of a haystack. Moving his eyes further down her body, he took in her simple tank top and pajama shorts. Meanwhile, Claire had flashed him a sheepish smile and answered with an innocent, "Nothing."

"Nothing? This doesn't look like nothing, Claire. Your mother is going to kill you AND ME if she comes home to this mess, and I would like to know exactly what I'm going to die for." Scoffing at his overdramatic tone, she merely answered, "I'm just planning my outfit for tomorrow."

"Planning your outfit for tomorrow? Is there something important happening?" As he looked at Claire, who was shuffling her feet and keeping her eyes on some point past his head, he realized that there was definitely something going on tomorrow.

"Nothing much. Melanie is having a barbecue at the beach since it's supposed to be sunny."

"Mmhmm," Quil answered skeptically. "And who is going to this barbecue?" Spots of pink appeared under the blush on Claire's cheeks. Quil's eyes narrowed as he began to suspect exactly who would be at this barbecue. "That Ace kid is going to be there, isn't he?" With fists clenched, Quil tried to suppress the urge to sweep Claire up and hide her away from all teenage boys. Ace was some new kid at school who Claire and Melanie had been drooling over for the past few weeks. If he had to hear about Ace's "angelic blue eyes" or "sun-kissed hair" one more time, he was going to blow his brains out. Or, he thought happily, he could take this thirteen year old "stud-muffin" out. Mentally slapping himself for thinking about battling a kid for Claire's affection, he decided to return to the matter at hand.

"It's nothing, Quil," Claire tried to explain. "Just food, music, chit chat… Just the usual."

"If it's just the usual," Quil growled, "then why is there a shirt hanging from your ceiling? What's with the makeup?" He tried to conveniently ignore the cause for his aggressive reaction: jealousy.

"Geez, what's your problem, Quil? Relax. It's just makeup. I know this might have slipped your notice, but I am a girl." Quil backed down slightly as he realized that he had ruffled the feathers of an already irritated Claire, which was unusual for the laidback girl. He tried to deal with the situation in a less abrasive way:

"I know you are a girl, Claire. In case you've forgotten, I've known you since before you could talk." He paused to let his words sink in. "I'm just wondering why you've taken a sudden interest in your appearance." Claire flushed once again and began to pick up her clothes in order to avoid looking at Quil.

"I don't know. I just wanted to look pretty tomorrow." With one sentence, she had Quil at her feet. He perched on her bed near where she was sitting cross legged on the floor, folding her clothes slowly.

"Claire, you look pretty how you are. You know that," he said gently. "And if this Ace guy can't see that, then what do you want him for?"

"I really really like him, Quil," she whispered. "How can I get him to notice me?" Quil's chest contracted at Claire's quiet question. For a moment, he yearned for the days when Claire's biggest dilemma was what game to play or what story to read before bedtime, or when one of his silly jokes could solve any of her problems. Suddenly, his mind was dazzled with a sudden epiphany: his role in Claire's life was changing. Up until this point, she had looked to him as a father figure and invincible protector. He struggled to accept the fact that he was now becoming something else: a friend. Yes, a friendship had formed on the first day they met, but this kind of friendship was more durable, in a way. They were on equal, or almost equal, levels. She was asking for his advice not from a mentor's point of view, but from the perspective of a friend and peer. His realization had him staggering to form a sentence. He felt excited for the near future but also terrified of what would happen. And things will only get harder from here.

"Quil?"

"Yeah. Sorry. I was just… thinking." Gathering his thoughts, he added, "I wouldn't worry about anything, Claire-bear. He'll notice you." How could he not?

"Do you think so?" Quil had to hold back a jealous grimace as he saw Claire's hopeful expression. God, if I could only get my hands on this Ace kid…

"Yeah, I really think so." He watched Claire continue to neaten up her room. Deciding to lighten the meditative girl's mood, he added, "And, if he doesn't notice you, then it only proves one thing."

"He's blind?" Claire guessed, with an eye-roll at the clichéd response.

"No."

"He's dumb?"

"No. Well, yes, but not what I was thinking."

Claire thought for a moment and laughed as she found a typical-Quil response. "He's gay?"

"Exactly!" Quil couldn't help but smile at the cheery thought. Hmmm, maybe I won't have to pay him a visit after all!

AN: Alright, the question for this chapter was "How can I get him to notice me?". I'm open to any suggestions on what questions she can ask. Thanks to everyone who has taken time to read and send some feedback!