rainie's pov --- setting: coolen high cafeteria

I come up sitting down next to Paul whose already sitting at our usual table. Jess-ee-cah sits across from me. "Guess what I got?" I ask him leaning again him.

"Strawberry fruit snacks," He says not even looking at me. I shake his cast under the table.

"You're too smart for me, Paul Spinella," I say pressing a kiss to his cheek.

Jess rolls her eyes. "You do this everyday," She said. "God, it's intoxicating sitting near you guys." She always makes that comment too. I take them out and rip the bag open and start picking out pieces and popping them into my mouth.

"Guess what?" I ask.

"What?" Jess asks.

"I guess I hooked up with Bennett Williams last week," I say. "I mean, the details are a little fuzzy but I've heard the possibility of oral and other nasty deeds were involved."

Paul doesn't even wince. "That's funny," He says. "Where?"

"Jonah O'Connor's house," I say popping another strawberry fruit snack into my mouth. "Which is funnier because we were together the whole time. Must be amnesia..."

Jess shakes her head. "Heard Bennett has a new girl." She says sipping her soda pop. I look at her. "Who?" I ask.

"Elisa Loren," Paul says next to me.

I look at him. He takes a bite of his school buffalo chicken sandwich. And I wait. "Whose that?" Jess asks looking at him. "Some new girl? A slut without a reputation yet?"

He chews and swallows. "You know that shitty band Three Cheers?" He asks me.

I hug his arm. "The band we met over?" I ask smiling batting my eyes.

He sighs. "Yeah, that one," He says. "The singer Nathan Pratt's girlfriend."

"How do you know?" Jess-ee-cah asks. "I thought you and Williams weren't on speaking terms."

Paul looks up. "No," He says. "We talk all the time. We work together a lot and she came in once and he freaked out about it. Sean Mayor said he's liked her for almost a month now."

"Have you seen her?" I ask him loosening my grip of his arm.

He nods. "She's short," He says. "And-"

"Is she pretty?" Jess-ee-cah cuts in.

"Don't say 'yes' I say," I say pulling away from him. He rolls his eyes and eats more of his sandwich. I look at his lunch grimancing. His lips taste gross after he eats this sandwich. I pop a strawberry fruit snack into my mouth.

"I'm hunting her down," Jess-ee-cah says matter-of-factly. "I bet she's pretty. I'm surprised I don't know her..."

"She's a junior," Paul says. "She's really quiet too."

"She's not a slut?" Jess asks.

I shoot her a look. "You're not funny." I say. "These Rainie-is-a-slut jokes are getting old."

She smiles and looks down. Paul shifts and then Jess looks up and sees this girl walking by. "Hey, Mand," She jumps up. "Do you know a girl names Elisa Lauren at Kerrington?"

I pop another strawberry fruit snack into my mouth and Paul keeps eating his gross sandwich. I look at him. "Is she pretty?" I ask.

He looks at me shrugging. That's an obvious yes. I nudge him. "Oh, well," I say. "At least I know if you break up with me for some girl you're going to drive into a tree once you realize you've blown it."

He sighs and looks away. I lean my head on his shoulder. He puts his andwich down. "I love you," I say.

"I love you, too," He says. I smile and look at him. He kisses my lips quickly and gets up to throw his tray away. I stand up with him weaving my fingers into his. "What are you doing?" He asks.

"You're going to buy some fruit snacks to share with me," I say. "Right?"

He throws his tray away and we walk over to where they sell fruit snacks. He gets the strawberry kind and hands them to me. I'm still not done with my other bag but we go back and sit across from each other and eat them. I love strawberry fruit snacks, and his lips taste like strawberries like when they do when he eats strawberry pancakes at IHOP.