"I swear to god, no one likes her."

Noon. A time for the students of Oakland High School to sit around under the afternoon sun, catch up on the basics of how their day was going, who was dating who, and anything else that was slightly relevant to their lives. Not that everyone else's social lives were really all that important, but they were constantly a topic of discussion.

I, luckily enough, did not have to partake in such a foolish conversation. I could keep to myself for as long as I wanted, and only nod a simple reply whenever someone looked to me for my opinion of the matter at hand. Quite the easy task, many would think. Of course, you actually had to half-pay attention so that you didn't say something stupid in response to an even stupider question.

They – meaning the goons that I sat with, but they were my friends, so it was expected – always seemed to want to know what I thought of something. Couldn't they think for themselves? Supposedly not. "Hey, April," one of them started, so I peeled my eyes grudgingly away from the little freshman whom had just had his money stolen, and looked to the girl. "Yes or no?"

All I did was shrug my shoulders and look away again, only to notice that the younger student had vanished. Damn. Watching people get beat up was always on the top of my 'amusing things' list. "Come on, April," Beverly insisted, nudging me hard in the ribs, "pay more attention to us. You know you like listening to our conversations."

"Yeah, if I'm interesting in drowning in worthless conversation."

Okay, so that was a little uncalled for. Whatever.

I couldn't tell if Beverly gaped, or blinked confusedly, because I had looked away again, keen on keeping myself away from another pointless argument. That was all we really did, anyways. Argue, argue, and argue. Civility was something our little monarchy of a lunch table lacked. Oh well, it wasn't like people cared if we were constantly bickering. If one of us left the table, then someone else, probably someone of lower social status, would fill the spot.

Maybe we were more of a communist table, with Josie cracking her whip at us and telling us when to do her bidding, or just shut our mouths. Thankfully, I was safe from being killed out of the government. Josie and I had been best friends since kindergarten. The rest of the girls we had just met in freshman year, save Beverly. We'd met her in middle school.

Beverly, instead of reacting negatively like I had suspected, giggled. "Thank god you haven't died. I thought you lost your edge. You looked too … space cadet."

The rest of the people at our table chuckled, and I couldn't help but join in. It was true – I wasn't really acting like myself. And, no, Cousin Mary from Once A Monthville hadn't come to town. I was just … being thoughtful and bitchy, which usually turned out to be a bad combination.

"Yeah, sorry," I said with a shrug. "I'm just tired, that's all."

Remy Donaldson, the youngest of our little group, finally spoke up. "Did you have History before lunch?"

I nodded my head.

"Figures," Josie muttered, leaning forward on the table. "Mr. Waldorf's voice is so … just, eech. I hate his classes."

I looked at my best friend questioningly. "Doesn't he only teach History?"

Josie nodded. "He only teaches one subject, but he helps monitor tutoring."

It took a lot of self-control to keep from laughing. I knew Josie wasn't that good of a student, and I hated to rub it in her face that she needed to be tutored in a variety of subjects. I, on the other hand, was a very good student. Currently sitting at eighth in our grade, I was living the academic good life. Go me.

Twirling a piece of hair around my finger, I let myself slip into one of my drifting sessions again, where everyone around me seemed to just fall silent, and I could dwell on the problems in my life, which seemed to be in large supply those days. Like I couldn't go anywhere without there being drama. And let me tell you, that sucked.

"Hey Remy," I interjected, looking to the blonde girl to my right, "want to get going? We have Gym next. Coach likes for everyone to be there early, you know that."

Remy nodded pleasantly, collecting her things and setting them onto her tray, before standing up. "Yeah, sure April. Let's go."

I grinned. Remy would do anything for anyone if she thought it would get her higher up on their likeable list. I happened to be the only person who noticed this, so I could usually force her into doing anything I wanted. Collecting my things, I paused before I followed Remy. "Josie, I'll see you after fifth period, okay?"

Josie looked up from swirling her fork in her instant potatoes, before nodding. "Yeah, sure thing. We still up for the movie?"

Oh, yeah. The two of us went on weekly Friday movie trips to this theatre on the other side of town, where she would pay for tickets and I would pay for everything else. It was our way of keeping close when our lives were going in such different directions. I was Yale bound, and Josie was heading to the community college. Not there was anything wrong with that in my books. But the way her parents thought of it was bad. They had expected their little girl to head off to an Ivy Leaguer, because anything less was bad on the family image.

I felt so bad for her.

Offering a wave, I toddled after Remy, chugging to keep up with her. The girl walked too fast. Thankfully, I caught her at the garbage can, where she was thoroughly engrossed in conversation with Caitlin when I arrived. I tossed my stuff into the garbage, before grabbing Remy's arm and pulling her away.

"Come on!" I urged as I pulled her away; she was hardly putting up a fight.

Then, with more force that I knew she had, Remy yanked her arm away. "What was that? I was trying to talk to Caitlin!"

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, that's nice. But I asked you to come with me, not talk to that blonde bimbo!" I couldn't have been more blunt about it – I really didn't like Caitlin. And there was a reason for it, but we'll get to that later.

People were looking at us now, and Remy had noticed. So, instead of putting up more of a fight, she nodded and we started into the school, passing people who waved at us as we walked. For a while, we were silent, until Remy had to break the quiet with the shuffling of her feet against the floor. She knew that the sound her shoes made annoyed the hell out of me, but she had to keep going, all the way to the gymnasium.

Finally, the sound was drowned out by speech. Most of our P.E. 30 class had already arrived. Thankfully, Miss Wheeler had ceased to show, so we still had time to change. Class with her usually started fifteen minutes early, and she'd yell if you were later then that. It was the only class at OHS that didn't start at 1:05.

I was still dragging Remy by the wrist when people began to make comments to the both of us. Unfortunately, we were two of the three girls who were enrolled in P.E. 30 E (yes, the school classes were labeled with letters). Trust me, having guys constantly begging you to flash them, or sneak off into the change rooms with them wasn't all that fun.

Remy waved at someone I didn't catch a glance at before we disappeared behind the door. We immediately went to our assigned lockers and changed, only to meet up again before we exited back into the gymnasium.

"Why're you in such a bad mood?" Remy prompted, pressing her open palm against the door so I couldn't open it.

"I'm not."

"You know you're a bad liar."

Shit. This was what I got for hanging around the same people through the past three years, right? Oh well. This was our last year – our senior year – and then we'd all have to make new friends. It'd be … interesting. Remy didn't know how to converse with people outside of our clique, if that's what you could call it.

"Just … we'll talk about it later, okay Remy? I don't feel like dwelling on it right now."

Remy shrugged her slender shoulders, dropping her hand back to her side. "Fine, whatever."

And with that, I opened the door and brushed by her, slinking into an empty spot behind two groups of guys that were in our class.

Almost as soon as Remy stopped in her spot next to me, Miss Wheeler entered in through the main doors, clad in her usual sweat suit that made her look twenty pounds heavier then she actually was.

"Good afternoon class." We all mumbled 'good afternoon, Miss Wheeler' in return. "Today, since we just finished dance" – several people scoffed, others laughed, and some offered oddly sexual sounding groans – "we will be starting Gymnastics."

I pushed my hand up into the air, not waiting for her to call on me. It was widely known that I didn't get along with my gym teacher, and I had to uphold my reputation of making stupid comments in her class. "Miss, what grade are we in? I mean, isn't gymnastics a little bit … preschool?"

Miss Wheeler went red in the face as people broke out into hushed laughter. They knew better then to laugh loudly; Wheeler would probably ban them to detention for an eon. "Miss Ritter" – I nodded my head in brief acknowledgment – "that's strike one. You should know better then to talk back by now."

I grinned mockingly at her, crossing my arms on my chest before I stuck my tongue out. Wheeler had already turned and was fetching a paper from her clipboard, so she didn't see my childish act.

Remy leaned over to me, so that I could hear her when she spoke. "Look! You can see underwear lines!"

Trust Remy to say something that would make me spew out a loud laugh, before I had time to catch myself, or cover my mouth with my hands. Wheeler straightened out and looked at me, almost as if she were attempting to burn holes through me.

"Miss Ritter, do you find something funny?"

I shook my head solemnly. "No, Miss Wheeler. Sorry, Miss Wheeler."

When Wheeler turned again, I smacked Remy hard on the arm. "You bitch!" I spluttered in a hushed tone, glaring at Remy. "Why'd you do that? You knew I'd start to laugh!"

Remy nodded her head, before smiling impishly at me. I groaned, looking away from her, and attempted to focus my attention. It was widely known that I was lacking in the attention department when it came to Phys Ed, so it took a lot of effort to keep from making another comment that would be my hall pass to the detention room. Luckily, Elliot Ferguson was in front of me, so I could keep my eyes on his rear while Wheeler when into the complexities of gymnastics. No one was really listening, and I could tell when she snapped her fingers.

That usually meant for us to go gather supplies, but everyone just looked up from where they had been staring looking at the oversized woman as if she were some kind of oddly fascinating bug with eight antennae.

"Mats, now! And pair up!" I immediately groped for Remy, but she'd already toddled off to go join Todd. The two of them had been dating for the last year. I always figured he was the only reason she had signed up for P.E. 30, anyways. Looking over my shoulder, I searched for Charlotte, but when I saw her, I could tell she was already with Tyson Burke.

Shit.

That meant I was going to have to go with one of the guys.

That wasn't a good thing. Most of them were immaturity at its worst.

Oh no. There were three people approaching me. What was a girl to do?

Spinning around on my heel, I desperately searched for an exit. Any thing that would make me safe from … them, if they could be classified that politely. Oh well. I was a small dash away from Logan, my best guy friend, and he didn't look to be working with anyone.

I turned back to the people who had been coming towards me and waved, before ducking between a small crowd to Logan's side.

"Help," I said immediately wrapping my arms around his, which was hanging at his side. Of course, I'd neglected to look at whom he was talking to, and when I did, I instantly regretted thinking of Logan as a safe haven.

Nikolas Tiernan.

I was so dead.

It wasn't the kind of 'melt in your spot because the guy is so gorgeous' dead, but rather the kind that meant you knew the person would do his best to embarrass you. Nikolas and I didn't exactly have the best of histories, and all we did was make pointless arguments public. You know, the kind that was supposed to be hushed between ex's in the hallway. But that was exactly what we were: exes. I can't believe I even dated the guy.

Logan reached over, ruffling my hair with his hand. "Hey, Apple," he greeted, and I was surprised he even acknowledged my presence. They had probably been talking about sports, and nothing got between Logan and his sports. Sometimes, I wonder how the two of us even got along so well.

"Apple?" Nikolas mused aloud, looking rather pointedly at me. "Wow, April, I didn't know you could deal with something so immature being directed at you." He grinned; acting as if he'd already won and argument that had ceased to begin. "You sure as hell didn't when we were together."

"That was more then a year ago," I retorted, taking a step back and pulling Logan with me. "Come on, let's go. Nicky should be left alone." I smiled smugly, and blew Nikolas a kiss, before tugging Logan off with me in direction of the storage room.

But, it was obvious Logan thought more of the interaction between Nikolas and me then I did.

"He still likes you, you know that?"

I couldn't help but scoff. "Yeah, right. Nikolas and I haven't been on talking terms, let alone liking terms, for the past year. And if he still likes me, what's with him and Caitlin, the whore?"

"Yeah, well to him, you're like the untouchable. Besides, he's using her."

"Meaning?" I asked. Logan has a problem with constantly confusing me, and I chose to ignore the using her comment. He'd blow it up out of proportion, like always. Like, if I looked at one guy, he'd assume I wanted to sleep with him.

When Logan grinned, I could almost tell that he wasn't going to tell me. So, when he spoke, I was surprised. "You're like the one thing that he can't have."

Pah, it must have been a blow to Nikolas' pride when he discovered not every girl was willing to lie down and die just to have him look at him. But, I had to admit that it was true; there were only three girls in the whole school that I could think of, that Nikolas couldn't get into bed with him.

Those three girls being me, and Nikolas' two sisters.

"Whatever," I said harshly, pulling away from Logan and attempting to pull a mat away from the pile. "You could help, you know."

Logan came up besides me and pulled, making it obvious to everyone around us that he was a lot stronger then me. "Besides, I can't say I blame him for still liking you."

"Drop it, Logan."

Logan chuckled absently. "Fine, Apple."

I tugged the mat behind me as I went to look for a place in the gym to work, struggling as I did so. Too bad Logan had scrammed off to talk to Nikolas again. Probably reporting what I said, I thought happily, knowing that it would make Nikolas flustered and angry. That was the only way that Nikolas could be for me to find him tolerable.

I know it made me sound like a sarcastic, sadistic bitch, which I'm not, but I loved to know that he was suffering. It had been over a year since Nikolas and I had broken up, but I was still holding a grudge against him. I'd caught him half-naked with Caitlin – he's insisted she threw herself at him – and then I just told him it was over. Since then, every word between us has been hostile.

Remy still thinks we should get back together, for some odd reason or another. Of course, I've told her a million times over that there is no chance in the world that I'm ever going near him again, but she's constantly trying to make us get along. But you can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear, right? At least, that's what my dad was always saying.

Tugging at the mat, and ignoring the fact that everyone else was already set up and starting their stretches – which Miss Wheeler had said we were going to be doing all class – I waved my hand over at Logan, urging him to trot back over to me. I wasn't going to stand here and look like a loser, just for him. He immediately came over, smug grin on his face.

"Don't grin like that," I said sourly.

"Why not?"

I nodded with my chin over to Nikolas. "It makes me think of him."

Oh, shit. That came out wrong.

And obviously, Logan thought it did too. His lips twitched upwards, but he didn't say anything.

Thank god.

"So anyways," I murmured, pulling the conversation away from the thing that was Nikolas Tiernan, "how's it going with your never-ending pursuit of Leah's affections?" I plopped myself down on the mat which I had been hauling to our spot, before reaching out and attempting to hook my fingers around the end of my sneaker. I was the least flexible person in the world.

When I looked up, though, Logan's normally tanned cheeks were showing color. He never blushed. The kid was impossible to embarrass, or at least he usually was. Apparently, I'd hit a nerve. And for some reason, it made me feel guilty.

"She hates me."

I almost didn't hear him speak, because Logan had resorted to whispering. My eyebrows furrowed and I pulled out of my stretch, and took to just staring pointedly at my friend.

"Hates you?" I echoed. "Not possible. You're the most likeable person in the world."

Logan shrugged his shoulders, not bothering to say anything in reply. And for some reason, that made me angry. Furious, actually. But instead of retorting, I kept my normally loud mouth shut, and continued on with the 'activity', as Miss Wheeler was calling it.

I knew the thought of Leah hating Logan was going to plague me for the rest of the day, and Josie sure as hell wasn't going to want to about it. At least we'd gotten away from the topic of Nikolas.

But then, I was struck with an idea. There was the student auction in the next month, and I was going to work my magic and play matchmaker.

Leah and Logan wouldn't know what hit them.

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A/N: Whoo. I don't know why, but this didn't take me a long time to write. And I didn't think I was going to introduce the plot yet, but I did. shrug Oh well. Next chapter will be bits and pieces of April/Nikolas - evil grin - and then April and Josie beginning to plot. Ooh, what fun. But little does my darling April know, revenge is a bitch.

A very, very, very big bitch.

I'd love it if you reviewed. Reviews make me smile.