1 Chapter 1

Claire's POV

It was a beautiful day outside. The sun was shining brightly as it shone through the large window of my room on the second floor of my house. I looked out of the window, smiling to myself and taking in the view of the garden. I sighed happily. My mom had just finished up with breakfast and had brought it to my room.

"Claire dear, could you get some plates for me?" I heard my mother ask from downstairs. I nodded at her, grabbing some plates and bringing them to the table. I placed them down and sat beside my mom. After we'd both eaten our fill, I got up and grabbed some of the paper towels from the kitchen sink and handed one to my mother.

"Thanks honey. How many times do I have to tell you that there is no need to help me clean up." She said before putting another piece of toast in her mouth. I rolled my eyes at her.

"I'm not an idiot mum. You're only cleaning because I told you to. Besides, you know I'll never leave you alone when it comes to cleaning." I said walking back to the table and pulling out my homework from under my books.

Mom smiled softly. "You're right I guess. Thanks honey." she mumbled before looking at the clock. "Oh no! I completely forgot today's my book club meeting!" Mom said standing up from the table and quickly going to grab her purse from where she had left it by the door.

"Do you want me to come with you?" I asked before she could even finish talking.

My mom shook her head. "No, honey don't worry. I'll be fine." She said kissing me gently on the forehead before hurrying out of the door.

I sighed loudly before sitting back down at my desk. Today was going to be fun.

---

The bell rang signalling the end of class. I packed up my stuff quickly before rushing towards the exit. As soon as I stepped outside I felt someone grab my arm and pull me backwards. I gasped in surprise, spinning around to face whoever it was.

"Woah hey! Slow down princess." A familiar voice said, sounding worried. I recognized that voice from anywhere; especially after hearing it so often these past few weeks.

I looked into the deep brown eyes of my friend. He wore a white button down shirt and khaki pants along with his signature dark sunglasses. It was hard not to smile after seeing him. But I forced my expression to remain serious. I knew what happened the last time I smiled at him.

"Sorry Freddie. We have a book club meeting. I've been planning this for years." I said turning my gaze away from his hazel eyes and back to my schedule. "I don't really see the point of meeting twice a week though. What's the point of doing group projects when we can do them individually? There has to be something better we could do than that." I said, still avoiding eye contact with him. I was still mad at him for making us spend time together during group meetings.

Freddie let go of my arm and started walking in the direction of our next class.

"Well whatever you choose then princess. It doesn't matter. Just make sure you meet us here tonight. And don't forget your glasses. They look cute on you." He said before continuing down the hall. I watched as he disappeared from sight and groaned slightly.

'Why does he insist on acting like everything is normal?' I thought to myself before heading over to my locker to grab my textbook. Once I finally reached it, I turned my attention to my bag hanging off my shoulder.

Once I had pulled my backpack free, I began to rummage through the small compartment inside, searching for the required items. When I found it I pulled out my notebook and pencil case, stuffing my belongings into the pocket on the side of my bag.

As I shut the compartment and zipped my bag shut, I noticed that someone else was already there. My eyes widened slightly and I quickly shoved my stuff back inside of my bag before turning around. I didn't recognize the boy at first but once I saw him it immediately clicked in my brain.

"Baz?" I said in disbelief. The boy in front of me raised an eyebrow in confusion. I took a step forward, closing the gap between us. "What are you doing here?" I asked.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I was hoping you could give me a hand with something." he said glancing down at his watch.

I laughed lightly. "What? Are you trying to catch someone's attention?" I teased.

Baz shot me a playful glare. "No! Well yes, but that's not the main reason why I'm here." he replied. I opened my mouth to speak again when Baz continued, "We have a book club meeting. I was wondering if you would be interested in joining us."

"Of course I would join you!" I exclaimed excitedly.

"Are you sure?" he asked skeptically. I nodded my head enthusiastically causing him to roll his eyes. "Alright, alright. I believe you." He said with a smirk tugging at his lips.

"Great! Let's meet tomorrow at four, okay? Don't be late." I said grinning at him. "Yes ma'am." Baz said chuckling slightly. I rolled my eyes, although I couldn't stop smiling. I quickly turned around and headed off down the hallway.

I had just arrived at school and was now getting ready to go find my friends. I was currently standing in the middle of the hall waiting for my turn to go to lunch. Luckily, I hadn't run into any teachers yet so I wasn't too concerned about being late or missing any classes.

Just as I was walking down the hallway, I came face-to-face with another student. Before I could even react, he had pushed me roughly to the ground causing me to drop my things onto the ground. "Watch it, nerd. Do you have no idea where you're going?" he snapped angrily.

I glared at him, gathering up my fallen things and shoving them into my bag. "Excuse me?!" I shouted in anger, glaring daggers at the boy. "That's rich coming from you, Mr. High-and-Mighty. If you think I'm stupid, I guess you haven't seen what happens to nerds like you when they get caught cheating." I sneered, picking up my things and pushing past him.

"What did you just say!?" The boy yelled. I ignored him and kept walking until I was out of the building.

"What are you doing here?! And what were you arguing with that boy over?" Asked a surprised looking George. I rolled my eyes.

"Nothing, it doesn't concern you." I responded simply before heading into the cafeteria.

When I walked into the cafeteria, I saw the rest of the gang sitting around eating their lunches. Once I made my way over to the group, I plopped down on a bench next to George.

"Hey princess." He said nudging me with his elbow.

I chuckled slightly. "Hello to you too, George. Hey Charlie." I said, nodding my head towards the curly haired boy. Charlie grinned and waved at me while Charlie nodded in greeting.

After a few moments, a blonde boy slid into the bench next to George. "Hey Louis, long time no see. How are things with you and Ellie?" I asked curiously.

Louis smiled softly. "We're good! I actually called you today to ask you a favor. Would you mind helping me with something?" he asked nervously.

I tilted my head. "A favor? Why? What is it?" I asked curiously. I wasn't usually asked for favors from people unless it was from Harry. Although I loved all my friends dearly I would hate to help anyone out. Especially since most of the time I wouldn't be able to pay them back either.

Louis cleared his throat awkwardly before answering. "It's nothing major." He said scratching the back of his neck nervously.

I looked at him expectantly. "Umm well..." he trailed off before sighing heavily.

I raised an eyebrow. I knew he wasn't telling me something. He had always been very secretive whenever it came to the subject of relationships. But I decided to let him continue. This was probably something that would take a lot of courage to talk about anyway.

"So umm...." he began before pausing. I waited patiently for him to continue. I wanted to know what kind of favour he needed help with, and I wanted to help him if I possibly could.

Finally Louis spoke up. "Okay well... you see..." he paused again and cleared his throat. I gave him an encouraging nod urging him to continue. I was beginning to wonder if he was even capable of speaking properly at this point.

He sighed again before continuing. "Ellie and I are having problems lately. I feel like she's not even listening to me anymore." He said, his voice filled with sadness.

"Well... I could try to help you guys resolve this problem but I'm not exactly sure how. I mean you two are obviously happy together so what makes you think things will ever change?" I suggested, thinking back to our conversations the other day.

Louis shook his head. "No. That's not what I meant. She isn't even talking to me anymore. I don't know what happened. Last night she told me she loves me but then she told me to leave her alone and left. I tried to call her a bunch of times but she hasn't picked up her phone once." He finished with a pained expression on his face.

I frowned slightly. Even though I couldn't fully understand what was happening between Louis and Ellie, I could tell that the both of them were deeply hurting. Louis seemed determined to fix the situation, while Ellie refused to acknowledge anything was wrong. But I couldn't just sit by and do nothing about it because I cared about them. I owed them my support. So I would help them out however I could.

"Well... what happened yesterday morning?" I asked carefully. I didn't want to sound harsh but I also didn't want to give Louis false hope.

Louis sighed and ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "I tried to ask her out on a date. I tried to kiss her but she refused. But then I started telling her everything I've been keeping hidden from her, like my feelings for her. But after that, I can't seem to get her to listen to me. At first she tried to argue but soon enough she just left. Now she ignores me and refuses to talk to me. It hurts so much, Claire. I love her so much and she won't even bother to show how she feels. All she does is ignore me. You have no idea how bad it feels." He cried in frustration.

His words hit me like a bullet straight to the heart. I felt tears begin to form in my eyes as I listened to him talk. As I struggled to come up with something comforting to say, George placed a gentle hand on my shoulder to calm me down. His touch brought me out of my trance.

"Look, Louis. Maybe you should just break up with her right now. You need to move on and live your life without any distractions." George suggested.

Louis scoffed. "Yeah right, and who are you to tell me what to do? You haven't been dating anyone for months now." He said narrowing his eyes at George. I glanced over to see George flinch at the sudden outburst.

"Look, man I didn't mean to offend you. It's just that I think you might regret it if you don't end this relationship. Trust me, you'l never forgive yourself if you don't." George said quietly.

Louis clenched his jaw. "You don't know anything about me." He spat, his voice filled with venom. "And don't tell me how I should deal with my problems, George. If Ellie wants to act like this, then maybe we should just break up." He added turning away from George.

George stood up slowly. "Louis..." he started.

Louis cut him off sharply. "No, George. Don't. Please don't say anything else. I've heard enough of your 'help'." He spat bitterly before storming out of the cafeteria leaving George standing there alone.

George sighed sadly. I placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder to comfort him but he quickly shrugged me off. "Don't worry about me, Claire. I'll be fine. I'm used to it." He mumbled, wiping the tears off his cheeks.

I furrowed my brows in confusion. "Used to what?" I questioned hesitantly. George sighed again before sitting back down.

"Being ignored by girls for years." He muttered dejectedly. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Of course he deserved better than that. I sat down beside him and wrapped my arms around him pulling him closer to me.

"I'm sorry." Was all I managed to whisper before pressing my lips lightly to his forehead.

He leaned into my touch before placing his hand over mine gently squeezing it reassuringly. I smiled and continued staring down at him lovingly.

"Claire!" I jumped slightly and looked up to see a girl running toward me with a huge grin on her face.

"Kenzie!" I exclaimed happily as I stood up to meet her halfway. We wrapped each other in a tight hug and laughed.

"Where have you been? We've been waiting for you all week!" She scolded playfully, pinching the side of my arm.

"Sorry, I got held up," I explained.

She laughed before grabbing my hand and dragging me along with her. "Come on, we're gonna be late to class if we don't hurry!" She exclaimed excitedly.

We rushed through the halls, giggling to ourselves and passing every last one of our classmates. We finally reached our classroom just before the bell rang and we took our seats in our usual spot by the window.

"Did you have fun tonight, Claire?" She asked excitedly, smiling widely at me.

I nodded. "Yeah, thanks for asking. Did you have fun too?"

She smirked mischievously. "Of course!"

I chuckled softly. "What did you do?"

Kenzie grinned smugly. "I snuck into Mr. Reynolds house and stole his car keys! He didn't even notice." She whispered, causing me to laugh loudly and slap my knee.

Kenzie and I burst out laughing until I realized someone was glaring at us harshly. I turned around and saw Eleanor glaring at us angrily, her hands folded over her chest and her mouth formed into a tight line.

"Um Ellie, why don't you go grab your stuff?" I suggested, trying to ignore her glare.

Eleanor huffed before walking towards her locker. I groaned quietly when she slammed her locker shut.

"Is Ellie really bothering you again?" Kenzie asked worriedly. Her green eyes were filled with sympathy. "If she is, you can tell me or Al. Or anyone really. I swear they won't judge you." She promised.

I smiled slightly and nodded my head. "Thanks Kenzie. I appreciate it. And yeah... it doesn't seem like it's working." I replied, shrugging.

Kenzie frowned slightly and placed a comforting hand on my arm. "Do you wanna talk about it?" She asked softly.

I thought about it for a minute. Talking to someone about this whole thing made me feel somewhat better. However, I knew that talking about it with my friends wasn't going to help either. Not only was Eleanor constantly ignoring me which didn't make sense since we were practically inseparable but she had already caused me enough trouble for the past few weeks, I didn't want her doing more damage.

"It's alright. Let's just forget about it." I said quietly avoiding eye contact.

Kenzie smiled softly and nodded in response. "I guess that's fine with me, especially seeing as you seem to be able to handle her." She joked, making me smile slightly.

"I guess." I said before taking out my notebook and a pen.

"Hey, Claire?" A familiar voice called. I looked up to see Louis smiling brightly at me.

I smiled shyly. "Hey, Lou. What's up?"

"I was wondering if maybe you would like to hang out today? With the three of us." He offered hopefully.

Three of us? I wondered. Was he referring to the other two boys? "Sure, sounds good. Where shall we go?" I responded enthusiastically.

A bright smile appeared on Louis' face before answering. "Oh actually, I was hoping to pick you up after school and we could go somewhere." He said hopefully.

My eyebrows shot upwards in surprise. Had he finally accepted my offer? "Really? That sounds great!" I said happily. Louis beamed.

"Great! See you later!" He exclaimed as he began walking away.

"Wait! Lou!" I yelled as he was about to walk away from me. I hurriedly caught up to him, grabbing onto his arm to stop him.

Louis turned to look at me curiously. "Yes, Claire?" He asked with a confused expression.

"I just wanted to ask if you were alright. You looked pretty angry earlier." I admitted.

Lou frowned slightly, obviously not expecting my question. "That doesn't matter. Just promise me that you'll be careful." He demanded seriously.

"I promise." I reassured him.

"Good. Because I don't want anything bad to happen to you. And besides, you aren't allowed to fall for another guy. Ever." He warned seriously.

I raised an eyebrow skeptically. Did he really think I was still planning on falling in love with Elliot? "Why am I not supposed to fall for him?" I questioned sceptically.

Louis rolled his eyes. "Are you kidding me? He was a complete jerk during lunch and you still chose him!" He yelled.

I shook my head in confusion. "I'm not sure that Elliot was the right choice. You seem to forget that I actually care about you." I reminded him.

The corners of his lips twitched into a faint smile. "Well, you're right about that, I suppose." He conceded as he pulled me close and gave me a quick kiss on my cheek. "See you later, Claire." He said sweetly as he walked away.

After school, I arrived home, eager to tell my parents everything that happened. After spending several hours talking to them, I decided I needed some time alone so I decided to clean up the house and relax. After doing all of my chores, I grabbed my journal and went upstairs to write down my thoughts in a diary.

As soon as I sat down at my desk, I noticed that I hadn't written anything in a while. I opened my mouth to speak but no words came out. What was I going to say? I don't even know why I wrote those things in the first place. But somehow I found myself writing down all of the feelings that I had for Elliot. I couldn't seem to stop. I closed my eyes tightly before letting out a shaky sigh.

I felt tears welling up in my eyes as I continued reading my diary entries. I felt a slight pain in my heart as I remembered Elliot's cruel words. I was surprised to find out that I didn't mind the comments at all. It almost made me feel happy that he wasn't completely perfect despite how much he may think he is. It's almost as though he didn't try hard enough. I could see myself wanting to get to know the real Elliot instead of his image of himself, I could see myself wanting to get to know the real him rather than the perfect boy everyone else seemed to want him to be. I was beginning to realise that Elliot had changed a lot recently but that didn't mean that I liked it any less or regretted my decision.

Suddenly my doorbell rang. I looked at my watch and realized it was nearly 5:45pm. I let out an exasperated sigh before getting up from my bed and heading downstairs. As I approached the front door I noticed a strange man standing outside in the doorway. I stopped dead in my tracks and stared at him silently with wide eyes. The stranger glanced around nervously before locking eyes with me.

"Hello, Claire. I hope you haven't forgotten me." He stated with a sinister smirk.

"Who are you?" I stuttered anxiously.