Chapter 1

Out of the many majestic tales she had heard from some of her best friends, it was hard to believe any of them were true about some people in Central Wayne.

�I swear!�

�Uh uh!�

�I swear to God!�

�You�re so kidding!�

�If I am lying, may I be struck down by some horrible disease!�

�You already have a horrible disease!�

�Oh, and what horrible disease do I have that I am not aware of?�

�Stupidity!�

It was just a regular lunch day at school on a regular Wednesday morning. It was another boring, listless day. Nothing too special about the scene here. Regan Stanbury was listening to her friends bicker intensely over a situation that had just occurred there at CW. She was pretty sure that neither of her friends knew what they were talking about, and so she just sat back and watched with a smile on her face. That wasn�t usual though, and any of Regan�s friends could have told you that. She usually was the most opinionated one at the table and when she was quiet that usually meant something was on her mind.

�I swear that happened, just last night!� screamed one of Regan�s best friends Paige Sumner. Paige was a sophomore and loved nothing more than to gossip. Especially about things she knew would get a rise out of people.

�No, it did not!� Piper Wilcox fought back. Piper was another sophomore, and Piper was the type who never took things in and believed them all at once. She had a way of working out ideas in her head and she never believed one story before she heard the other.

�Fine,� Paige retorted, looking away from Piper. �It wasn�t like I was there or anything.�

�Well, my dear,� Piper shot back. �You left out that one gleaming detail in your story.�

Regan raised her eyebrows. Things were getting sort of heated. It was almost as if they were really fighting. Piper and Paige would never fight, not even over something as stupid as a rumor.

�I think there is a hole in your story,� announced Chloe Zimmerman, a junior who had just gotten out of the snack bar line to join them at lunch. She seated herself tightly in between Piper and Regan without saying a word. They knew it was coming. Chloe always managed to squeeze in between two people if there weren�t enough chairs and clearly, there never was. �You�re missing the huge part of it.�

�Oh, yeah?� Paige asked, looking up from her dismembered pizza.

�Yep,� Chloe said simply, setting down her Combos and pushing a straw into her Sierra Mist.

�What�s that?� asked Piper, now a little more interested.

�Apparently, that�s not all that happened. She didn�t just take her top off in gym class,� she reported matter-of-factly.

Regan had heard this story only ten thousand times. She quickly tuned out into her own little world, not really thinking about anything. She stared at her hands, which were cold as ice.

She was woken up suddenly by a slam on the table. She looked up to see Bailey Collins� soft, tan hand in front of her. Regan looked up. �What?�

�What�s wrong with you?� Bailey asked. She looked from Regan back down to her pizza, which was as dissected looking as Paige�s was at that point. Bailey was another junior.

�Oh, nothing,� Regan stated simply.

�Sure,� said Chloe, turning to their conversation suddenly.

�Seriously,� Piper said, now looking at Regan as well. �If there is something wrong, just say it. Don�t say nothing because if you do that, then we won�t know what�s wrong so we can help fix it.�

�Seriously,� Regan said, looking straight on into Piper�s slate colored eyes. �There really is nothing wrong, I was just thinking.�

�Come on,� Chloe said in a tone that told Regan she didn�t believe a word of it. �You don�t just get quiet for no reason you loud mouth.�

Regan smiled, but it wasn�t a full smile. �Re�gan,� Bailey continued, not giving up. �Tell me!�

She shook her head. �Really, it�s nothing.�

�Oh,� she said, and then instead of trying to press it out of her, she took the next step. Try and guess. �Is it Chase?�

Regan blinked absently. �Chase? Why would I have any beef with Chase?�

Bailey shrugged. �I don�t know, I was just wondering.�

Regan shook her head and then thought about Chase. Yes, it did have something to do with him.

Chase Walker was another of Regan�s ex-boyfriends. They had dated for almost three months a short time ago, and the breakup went surprisingly well. They had remained very good friends and still went out on dates every now and then. They were each other�s backups. They weren�t sure how they felt about each other. Regan was sure of one thing; she was definitely not in love with him. She liked him a lot, and felt attracted to him physically in every way. She just wasn�t sure how she felt about him otherwise.

�Are you sure?� Bailey asked again.

�Yeah, why? Has he been talking to you?� Regan asked suspiciously. She knew that Chase and Bailey had been good friends ever since sophomore year when they had lit class together. Now they shared two classes together in their junior year and they talked occasionally, but mostly about Regan.

�Yeah, actually,� she said, pushing away her pizza.

�What has he been saying?� Regan asked nonchalantly.

�That you seem to be angry at him all of a sudden. He said he called the other night and you made up an excuse to get off the phone,� Bailey told her.

Regan flashed back to the last time Chase had called her. True, she had been a little inattentive and aloof when talking to him, but that wasn�t because of him specifically. She had her mind on a lot lately, and she didn�t know where any of it had come from. That�s why she had spaced out for most of the lunch hour. Her mind wanted to involuntarily focus on different things and she found herself having trouble paying attention.

�Oh,� she said, brushing it off. �It wasn�t him, I have my mind on things.�

�Like what?� Bailey pushed, knowing she could get it out of her eventually.

�Just� things,� Regan said, not wanting to get into specifics.

This was the part of the job Bailey hated the most. Regan was normally so closed up about her thoughts that she didn�t know what would happen if she didn�t start sharing her problems.

Bailey was the sweet, understanding type. She hated when any of her friends were upset, and that was especially true for Regan. She had shoulder length, light blonde hair and bright, sparkling blue eyes.

�Regan, you�re not being fair,� Bailey complained jokingly.

Regan rolled her eyes. �I know,� she said simply, getting up and pushing her chair in.

Paige led the way to the bathroom, as she did every day. Their bathroom excursions were something to be remembered, and Paige was usually the one who went out of her way to make it like that.

Regan didn�t feel much like celebrating today�s trip, however. She was too lost in her thoughts to let any outside influences dominate.

�What�s wrong, honey?� she asked Regan. �You�re not laughing at me like you usually do.�

�You�re still funny, Paige,� Regan said, unable to do anything but laugh at the comment.

�Yeah, I know,� Paige said.

Regan didn�t think much of the public bathrooms, but she went inside with her friends anyway, leaned up against the wall and thought.

What am I thinking about exactly? I mean, it�s not as if I have any major problems. Do I have any homework due today? No, not really. Why do I feel so upset? I mean, Chase isn�t really bugging me. Well, this thing about not knowing what to think of him has been upsetting me. What do I think of him exactly? Do I love him? Oh no, definitely not. Do I like him enough to ever be his girlfriend again?

�REGGIE!� Chloe all of a sudden screamed out. The next Regan knew her hair was sopping wet.

�What in the hell?� Regan yelled, looking over at the other four girls hysterically laughing at the sink.

�I am so sorry, Regan!� Piper said, coming over to hug her. �I did not mean to I swear!�

Regan smiled and just brushed it off. �Oh, it�s water,� she said easily, and combed her fingers through her hair. �It�ll dry.�

�I�m sorry, sweetie, really,� Piper said, not being able to contain her laughter. �Please, I am so sorry,� she kept repeating.

�No, really. It�s water,� Regan said again, going to leave.

Piper grabbed Regan�s arm gently and brought her back into a hug. �I�m sorry,� she said one more time.

Regan was beginning to get annoyed. �Really,� she said firmly. �I am fine,� she stated, and then turned and left.

It was obvious to everyone out in the hall there had been some sort of water fight when she walked out. Only half of her hair was wet, and her face was a little damp too. Only a little bit of water had gotten onto her sweater, but it was no big deal. She knew it would dry by sixth period.

The four girls came out and smiled at her sheepishly. She just smiled weakly at them and they continued to laugh. She was not annoyed in the slightest, but laughing and enjoying herself wasn�t too high on the priority list.

Chloe looked annoyed. She walked over to Regan and punched her stiffly in the arm. �Come on! Cheer UP!� she demanded.

Regan just smiled and turned away to look out the window. She snuck a glance at her watch to check how much longer she had for lunch.

Bailey put her arm around Reggie, pinched her cheek, and through jokingly clenched teeth seethed, �Cheer up!�

The bell rang for fifth hour and everyone jumped up to walk down the hall. Lunch was over. The five girls would part ways to go to their next class.

Regan waved to them over her shoulder and looked down at the floor as she walked on to her next class. It was her lit class, something she generally looked forward to. It hadn�t been as bad as she thought it was going to be that week.

Regan eventually lived through the Lit class and found herself in psychology, thinking again. She was thinking so hard she didn�t even notice her friend Maria Upcott sitting next to her. She was trying to get Regan�s attention by slamming her book open and shut over and over.

�HELLO! EARTH TO REGINALD!� Maria finally screamed.

Regan looked up. �Oh, hey, Maria,� she said nonchalantly.

Maria glared off to the side. �I did not just sit here and slam my crap around for twenty minutes for you to just say �hey!� What�s up? I haven�t talked to you all day! I couldn�t make it to first period because I had other things going on.�

Regan nodded. �Yeah I noticed that. I was thinking it was eerily quiet in there today.�

Maria rolled her eyes, replying, �So what�s up? Why so glum?�

She shrugged. �I don�t know, really. I�ve got a lot on my mind.�

�Do not tell me you are having Chase troubles again,� she stated. �That boy needs to decide if you are his girlfriend or his fuck puppet! You need to decide that too.�

Regan smiled at her. �I don�t know what he is anymore. A friend to kiss or a guy I date,� she sighed.

�Fuck puppet. My precise words,� Maria said, with a look on her face that stated she was right. She opened her Diet Pepsi, guzzled it down and offered it to her. When she didn�t take the offering, Maria knew something was wrong. �Seriously, what is going on?�

Regan sighed. There was something about Maria that got Regan to open up like no one else could do. She loved Bailey to death, but she didn�t have the magic touch Maria did when it came to opening her up. Partly because Bailey would nag her to death until she said something but if she didn�t tell Maria what was wrong right away she�d get annoyed and not care anymore.

�It�s really weird,� Regan started. �It�s like I don�t want to be upset, but I can�t help but not be happy. I feel miserable inside, but there�s not really a true reason for me to be unhappy. Does that sound strange to you?�

Maria took another drink of her soda and shook her head. �Nope, whatcha got on your mind?�

�To be completely honest it�s extremely confusing. I have thoughts about Chase and what he means to me on one half of my brain, and then on the other I have thoughts about school, and life, love�� she sighed heavier this time, looking away and mumbling the name, �and Evan.�

Maria slammed her pop down. �Uh uh, you did NOT just say the �E� word! Regan, it took you a whole year to get rid of that asshole. Why is he coming up all of a sudden?� she demanded.

Regan shrugged and slid back in her chair. �I guess being lonely like this makes me think about him. A lot.�

�Well don�t let it,� Maria ordered.

�Oh, if it were only that easy.�

�Well, it can be if you let it be,� she said.

�I guess having Chase there on and off isn�t exactly what I need right now. I don�t know what to think of him as. I don�t know how I feel about him. I like him a lot, but I don�t love him. I am very physically attracted to him, but I am not emotionally attracted to him.�

�Sounds confusing,� Mariah finished for her.

�Trust me,� Regan stated, running her hand through her hair. �Just dating him on and off makes me feel empty. Like what was there once has frozen over and can never be thawed.�

�Awe,� Maria sympathized, patting Regan�s arm. �Don�t worry, honey, there�s hope for your ice box still.�

Before either of them could say another word, they were cracking up. That was one of the things Reggie loved about Maria. She could make her laugh no matter what.

Maria also knew how to get inside her best friend�s head. She had known Regan for four years and even though they had been through some rough times, they always remained very close.

�I hope you�re right,� Regan told her after they had finished laughing.

�Don�t worry. You know what I say,� Maria said.

They looked at each other blankly and began to laugh again. Regan felt ten times better after her class with Maria. She knew that her friend could put a smile on her face no matter what, and spending time with her in fourth period was just what the doctor ordered.

When the final bell rang, Regan walked slowly to her locker, put away some of her books, and headed toward the band parking lot where she normally parked.

Just as she thought she was home free, a familiar voice started shouting her name.

�Reag! Reag!� it yelled, coming up closer behind her.

Regan brushed off the intense icky feeling she had crawling up her throat and turned to face her follower. �Hello, Chase,� she greeted plainly.

�Hello to you too,� he said happily. �What�s up?�

�Not much, just going home.�

�Ah, okay, okay, gotcha,� he said, nodding, not sure what else to say.

�Is there a purpose to why you�re after me, Chase, or did you just feel like saying hello completely and totally awkwardly?� Regan asked, immediately stopping where she was walking in the middle of the hallway.

Chase looked away and knew that Regan was onto him. She was always very good at that. �Okay, ya got me.�

�Yeah, I do. Chase I don�t mean to be rude, but today hasn�t been one of my best and I�d really like to get home-�

No sooner had she gotten the words out of her mouth when his expression changed and the words, �Oh what�s wrong?� tumbled out.

�Nothing, I�ve just been thinking too much. If you need to know something, let me know and-�

�Tell me!� Chase pleaded, almost begging.

�It�s fine, but I need to get going-�

�No, come on!�

Regan sighed and put her hand on her head. �Okay, I will call you later and tell you about it okay? I just need to get home so I can get this day out of my head!�

He nodded sympathetically and looked down at the floor. �All right, all right, I�ll lay off as long as you promise to call.�

This time her serious expression changed into a small smile. �I will. What did you want?�

�I wanted to know if you�re free Friday night. I got some free passes to the Ice Arena and they have open skating. I was wondering if you�d like to join me for dinner and skating or something,� he rushed. He was never good at asking her out.

She smiled even more this time. She was beginning to feel warmer. �I�d love to.�

�Okay. Want me to pick you up this time?� he asked, searching for the answer he hoped was yes.

�If you want. Call me on Friday before you come so I can get ready,� she told him.

�I will do that,� he said. �Can I walk you out?�

�As always,� she told him with a small smile and they proceeded to the band room.

Once they got there, Chase stopped and looked at Regan with a small smirk on his face. �You look cute in this light,� he told her.

�Thank you, Chase,� she said, nodding.

All she could do at that moment was stare at him. He was a very attractive young man. He had sharp brown eyes with specks of gold and green in them. He had the perfect smile. It lit up his entire face and gave him an adorable glow that only added to his great sense of humor. His light brown hair was always up in a spike.

Their breakup was not bad. In fact, it was one of the healthiest breakups in history. They simply decided that being boyfriend and girlfriend was making their relationship worse, so they just thought dating was for the best.

At that moment, Chase leaned down and touched his lips briefly against hers. They kissed for a short second before he pulled away and rubbed her arm. �I�ll talk to you later.�

�Okay,� she said quietly, and watched him walk away.

She slowly shook her head at herself and wandered out of the building. This day had gone on for too long and it needed to end very, very soon.