A/N: Hey, a new story! I should really be updating my old ones, but She’s All My Fancy Painted Him has gotten to the point where I just want to write in random conversations between me and my crush, and I don’t want to do that, in case anyone I know ends up reading this and realizing he’s my crush, and I just don’t have any inspiration at all for What Might Have Been. So this should be a little different. Lots of interesting and hopefully unpredictable relationships, and a really tangled web of lies and schemes that almost all of the characters are participating in as they try to get the person they want either for themselves, or just to be happy. No one is saying how they really feel, and half the characters don’t even know. It should be fun to write. Slightly longer chapters, too, hopefully. So, tell me if you like it. Also, if anyone sees any typos I’d appreciate you pointing them out. I didn’t really bother to proofread too much.

Chapter One: The First Alliance

Alie’s POV

I tried to slip into class as quietly as I could. It wasn’t a big deal to be late, especially if it was only a couple minutes, but interrupting the teacher was considered rude. Also, I had always disliked lateness in general. I tended to be the first person to show up in any of my classes, and I always noticed the kids who came in late. At least, up until this semester that had been the case. This semester had been different. I’d spent more time talking in the hallways (possibly because I now had more friends), and had started slipping into class a moment before the bell, or sometimes a moment after, more and more often. I was enjoying myself, but a part of me missed the girl with the perfect attendance record and the straight A’s.

I was lucky – no one looked at me. Well, Danny looked up and half-smiled, and my heart gave a little flip. I barely even noticed that one other person had seen my arrival, my closest friend in the class, Jamie. You see, Danny has been my crush for about a million years. Okay, well, two. But in high school, at least to me, that’s a long time. And he’s in my Western Civ class. If it weren’t for that, I would probably consider the class one of my worst. But just seeing him makes it the highlight of my day. I’m never really sure how close I am to him, whether I’m just another friendly acquaintance, of if he actually thinks I’m awesome, and I never know when to wave. But since he smiled first, I moved my hand a bit, and then made my way to my usual seat, next to Jamie.

I’m never really sure why Jamie and I are still friends. We have a fair amount to talk about, but I don’t think either of us really enjoys the conversations we have. She’s not interested in guys, and she feels that I’m kind of ditzy, whereas I would occasionally like a light-hearted conversation. I suppose our conflict could be summed up in the following discussion, which took place at a sleep-over about a year ago.

Me [talking about Danny]: And he’s really cute, and nice, and I really, really like him. And… yeah. I like him a lot.

Jamie [disgustedly]: Alie, that’s so silly. And pointless. What can you possibly hope to get out of this?

Me [with a grin]: Kids?

Jamie looks shocked.

Despite this we keep sitting together, maybe because neither of us has anyone to talk to in Western Civ. I would feel nervous sitting by Danny. I did in Shakespeare last year, but that was only because he really didn’t have any other friends in the class either. But in Western Civ, he has Elaine.

Elaine is not his girlfriend. Of this I am positive. However, in some sense she might as well be. She clearly likes him, and he clearly likes her, and she demands his constant attention. She’s one of those princess-y people, with the long hair, perfect figure, and flirtatious, sweet, and self-centered air. The kind of girl who wraps guys around her fingers without even trying to. And with Danny she certainly tries.

She’s incredibly possessive, too, and with her around I don’t dare sit near Danny and try to talk to him. She’d shut me out of their conversation immediately, and I don’t think I have the social skills to do anything about it.

So I always sit with Jamie. And occasionally I exchange a smile with Danny, but we don’t talk.

Sometimes we talk in our other classes, but not during Western Civ. And he doesn’t look at me during class either, like all those “Does He Really Like You?” quizzes seem to think guys with crushes do. So it really surprised me that day when every time my gaze strayed to him, it looked as though he had been looking at me.

I was even more surprised when he passed me a note that said, Will you wait after class for me? I’d kind of like to talk to you alone.

I didn’t really think he’d ask me out, but some small part of me couldn’t help hoping. Anyway, even if he didn’t, I always want to spend more time with Danny. So of course I passed a not back saying, Yeah, sure.

I was dying of curiosity, of course, but I wasn’t about to let him or anyone else know it. My school has block scheduling, which means classes are really long, so it was another 45 minutes before we actually got to talk.

Those 45 minutes were hell. I kept looking at him and Elaine, realizing that he had been looking at me, blushing vaguely and staring at my desk, and then turning my head slightly to glance at him out of the corner of my eye and ponder what he wanted.

Also, Jamie kept trying to talk to me about something completely unrelated, and didn’t seem willing to be distracted.

After the umpteenth time she tapped my arm in impatience I told her I was going to sleep and put my head down on my desk in exasperation. It wasn’t particularly comfortable, and I was too excited to be able to actually fall asleep, so it didn’t help too much. But it did get Jamie off my case. And the bell did eventually ring.

Fortunately, after that the class cleared out pretty quickly. After all, who wants to hang around class after the bell rings? Especially the last class of the day, which Western Civ was.

It was clear that Elaine wanted to wait for Danny, but when he made it plain he wasn’t coming she reluctantly went on without him, after casting me a very disparaging look flipping her hair a bit.

Danny looked after her, seeming uncomfortable, something which he rarely was.

“Alie…”

“Yeah? Did you need something?”

“Yeah, I… I wanted to ask you…”

My heart stopped. ..Out? Was he going to say “out”? Could he possibly say it? Could he possibly mean it?

“…A favor.”

Oh. My heart started beating again. He wasn’t going to ask me out. I tried not to look disappointed.

“What kind of favor?” I was puzzled. People don’t normally need to ask favors alone. Well, whatever. He’d tell me, and then I’d know. There couldn’t be much more beating around the bush, anyway.

“So what I was wondering was… well, you know Elaine, right?”

“Yes, I know Elaine.”

“Well, I kind of really like her.”

“She’s nice. So…?”

“I meant like as in interested in. Crush like. Potential girlfriend like.”

“Yeah…” My heart was slowly dying. I’d known he liked her, but I hadn’t really known he liked her. Deep down, I had always believed he would come to his senses and like me instead. But it was clear that wasn’t going to happen.

“So what I wanted to ask you was would you pretend to be my girlfriend?”

“What? Why?”

“So that Elaine will be jealous.”

I wanted to say, “That is the most fucked up thing I have ever heard. Dude, she so clearly likes you, you have no idea. And people only respond the way you want her to in movies. She’s not going to declare her undying love because I pretend to be your girlfriend. She’ll do it because you’re hot. And won’t mean it. Now me, on the other hand? I’d mean it. Oh, yes, I would.”

I didn’t say that. What I said was, “Sure. Of course I’ll pretend to be your girlfriend.”