UP TO DATE A/N: This story was rewritten on September 19, 2009. Not many big changes in the plot, just spruced it up a little bit. And, the project changed, and so now it is something more relevant to the story. I thought that the old way it was written didn't really make much sense. You know? So, if you haven't read the updated version, please do it now.

Old A/N: Hey guys, this is a new story that I actually wrote a while ago but never posted. I just added a little more and edited it. Hope you like it! :)

Summary: Riley is a defiant girl with a bit of an attitude. Brooke is head cheerleader and part of the popular group. Kayla is the “new kid” at a school where social status is everything. When these three completely different girls are forced to work together on a project, will it bring them together, or just create utter chaos? (Rated T for language)

&LAKJDFLJ&

It was Kayla Olsen’s first day at her new high school, and naturally, she was very nervous. She ran a hand through her long dark hair as she walked into her English classroom reluctantly. She tried to avoid the many eyes that watched her as she made her way to the front of the room to speak to the teacher. Not everyone had arrived at class yet, but Kayla found herself examining the students who were there while she waited for the teacher (a creepy and balding old man) to finish speaking on the phone.

In one corner sat a few friendly looking girls. Kayla considered trying to befriend them until she saw one of them take out a pack of cigarettes and stealthily hand it to one of the others. An incredulous look on her face, the new girl turned to look in the opposite direction, where a very irritated looking girl sat next to an amused looking boy. She continued to look around and saw that near the back were who could only be the cheerleaders, because they were wearing the short pleated skirts and shirts that bore the school colors and symbol.

The teacher, Mr. Jenkins, finally hung up the phone and turned to face Kayla.

“Ah, you must be Miss Olsen,” he said. She nodded, unable to find her voice at the moment. “Alright, well, welcome to the class. I’m Mr. Jenkins. You may take a seat over here.”

Jenkins pointed to a seat that was near the girls with the cigarettes. Kayla sighed, knowing it would probably smell really bad over there, but sat in her seat none-the-less.

The class was called to order and Kayla prepared for her first day of Hell.

&LAKJDFLJ&

Riley slumped into her seat in the English classroom reluctantly. She didn’t want to be there, but then again, who would? English was the most boring class ever (she hated reading, and writing for that matter), especially with old man Jenkins as a teacher. She laid her head on the desk in front of her, beginning to fall asleep, but was interrupted abruptly by a flick on the back.

Annoyed, she whipped around to see her best friend grinning down at her.

“What is it, Zack? Can’t you tell I’m not in a good mood right now?” Riley groaned.

“Like it matters. You’re always in a bad mood.” Zack smirked.

She rolled her eyes and waited for Zack to tell her what he had been interrupting her sleep for, but it didn’t look like he was going to say anything so she proceeded to lie down on the desk once more.

Unfortunately for her, Mr. Jenkins (the creepy old man that was supposed to be their teacher) interrupted her this time with a stern glare. She sighed and sat up straight, and with Jenkins’s nod of approval, looked up at the white board to see what they were doing that day in class.

“Today, class, we are starting a very important project,” Mr. Jenkins began after the class had been called to attention. “It’s going to be done in groups of 2 or 3, which I have chosen.” Jenkins ignored the unpleasant groans from the students and continued. “It’s worth 20 percent of your grade, so I’d listen up if I were you.”

Being the trouble maker she is, Riley decided to go against what the teacher had just instructed and turned to say something to Zack, who sat in the desk beside her.

“I wonder what groups we’ll be in,” she loudly whispered to him.

“Yeah. Maybe we’ll get lucky and be paired together. I just hope I don’t get stuck with anyone really stupid,” Zack replied. Riley yawned and nodded.

“I’ll be fine, as long as I’m not stuck with Brooke.” She spat an ugly sneer in the aforementioned girl’s direction.

“I really don’t see why you hate her so much. Have you ever even talked to her before? She’s actually pretty nice,” Zack said, looking over at the pretty blonde and her cheerleader friends.

“She is SO not nice, Zack. She’s a freaking prep that thinks she’s better than everyone else, just because she’s head cheerleader. Big whoop,” Riley said. Zack raised his eyebrows at Riley’s obvious grudge against the cheerleaders.

“Well, you don’t know what she’s like. She could be a nice person,” he said.

“I don’t believe you,” Riley spat.

“Why?!” Zack asked, bewildered.

“Because. You’re a guy. And she’s a pretty girl. You’re only saying this stuff because of her looks.”

Zack had no time to answer, because Jenkins had noticed their conversation (the volume level of their voices had significantly grown louder) and had smacked Riley’s desk loudly with his cane. The duo shut up and tried to listen as he finished droning on about the project.

Riley noticed that he was reading out groups now (she had completely missed the explanation of the project, but she’d get filled in later by her group, maybe), and so she started listening for her name. Finally, after what seemed like forever, her group was called.

“The final group will be Riley Hanson, Kayla Olsen, and Brooke Lenon. That is all.”

Riley’s mouth dropped open.

“Hey, you got paired with the new girl,” Zack pointed out. “And uh….Brooke. So much for wishful thinking, eh?” he laughed.

But his best friend was not laughing. No, she was pissed. She’d been stuck with what was possibly the worst group ever – a girl she didn’t even know who was most likely all shy and crap like that, and the head cheerleader that she despised. This project was going to suck.

“There is no fucking way I’m working with Brooke! She’s a bitch!” Riley shouted angrily, not caring that the whole class had just heard what she said, and that Brooke was giving her a wondrous look of surprise. Actually, the new girl looked quite scared and Mr. Jenkins looked…quite angry.

“Miss Hanson! That is not appropriate language to use at school. Apologize to Miss Lenon right away,” he said sternly.

“No,” she said.

“Excuse me?”

Riley cringed, she’d hit a nerve. Okay, better just say sorry. No need for yet another detention.

“Fine. Sorry, Brooke,” she said sourly. Mr. Jenkins definitely didn’t look satisfied, but he ignored it none-the-less. He was probably just as sick of giving Riley detention as Riley was sick of receiving them.

Mr. Jenkins sighed and told the class to get into their groups. Riley saw that neither Brooke nor the new girl were moving to get up, so she gave one last desperate look at Zack and strode over to the other side of the room.

&ALSDKFJALG&

Brooke was surprised. She didn’t know why Riley Hanson hated her; they’d never spoken in her entire life. She tried not to think about her partner’s angry outburst as she came walking over to Brooke’s desk.

“Hi,” Brooke said slightly awkwardly. She didn’t know Riley very well, but she did know that she was quite the slacker and had a very short temper. Great, that meant that Brooke would most likely be doing most of the work. Unless, of course, the new girl was going to help; but Brooke had already accepted the fact that this girl probably didn’t want to get too involved with herself and Riley.

“Hey,” Riley said, not looking at her partner. She sat down in the seat next to her and began pulling out the little grammar and literature notes that she had.

Brooke looked at her skeptically, wondering why in the world she was pulling out her notes, when the new girl, Kayla, strode up silently and took a seat next to them.

“Um, hi,” she said rather quietly.

Riley looked up for the first time since she had migrated over to Brooke’s desk and registered that there was another person there now.

“Oh,” she said. “Hi. I’m Riley,” she said, extending a hand to the new girl.

The girl took her hand and shook it. “Kayla,” she said.

“And I’m Brooke,” the blonde said. “Nice to meet you.”

Kayla nodded and an awkward silence filled the air. Just when Brooke was about to attempt a conversation, Mr. Jenkins came to their desk and handed Riley a small slip of paper.

“What the hell is this for?” she stared at the slip blankly.

Brooke slapped herself in the forehead and rolled her eyes. “Were you not listening to the directions for the project?” she asked, irritated at her partner’s ignorance.

Riley glared at Brooke. “No, I wasn’t. Couldn’t you tell I was having a conversation at the time?”

“Class isn’t a time for conversations, Hanson. You better listen next time.”

Kayla sat silently as she watched her two partners verbally shut each other down. She was awkwardly invisible to the two of them, it seemed, but she tried to get their attention somehow as she didn’t want to get into trouble. Her attempts were pointless, though; the girls wouldn’t stop bitching at each other. Kayla cursed the bad luck that had landed her into a group with these two.

“You don’t know anything about me, Lenon, so just shut up and go over what we’re supposed to do or I’ll kick your ass,” Riley was saying now.

Brooke finallyl receded and sighed as she launched into a full explanation of the project. From what Kayla gathered, it was to go something like this: the group was given a small slip of paper with one word on it, and the three of them would have to present what the word meant.

It sounded simple, but it really wasn’t. The words weren’t ordinary words, and Jenkins wasn’t looking for ordinary definitions – this project was supposed to make you think.

“The purpose of this is to open your minds to all the different ways people interpret these words” was what their teacher had said. In English, that meant the girls would have to psychologically interpret the word in every possible way and write up a report on people’s opinions about it. This would include interviewing people and asking what the word meant to them.

“So…what’s our word?” Kayla asked curiously after the explanation, uttering her first words to the girls since the introductions.

Riley unfolded the piece of paper.

“Friendship,” she read.

Oh boy.

&ALSDKFJALG&

A/N: There's the first chapter! Hope you liked it. Review please? Oh, and thanks to its . Nothing . Special for helping me catch errors. (: