Ay-ples and Bay-nay-nays

"I can't believe you three are still together." My best pal Kelly shook her head at me. It was after Thanksgiving break and I had been complaining about having two dinners to go to. It was so filling once, and just torture to eat so much twice in one weekend. My stomach still ached from the thought of all the food. We had been too full for our usual antics, and that was saying something.

"Thanks Kel, your faith in us is inspiring." I replied dryly. She just grinned and clutched her books to her chest tightly. I slammed my locker shut and joined her with the others on their way to classes.

"I know. I am just saying what everyone else here is thinking though. I mean, it is absolutely lovely that you are in my humble opinion. It makes your fan club happy to see them pick you up at the end of the day." She commented and I nodded wryly. A group of girls came to watch every single time. It was slightly embarrassing.

"I have to get to class. See you at lunch?" I replied quickly. She nodded and I took off down the hall and around the corner to my room. I went in and waved to two of my friends in the class before taking a seat. The bell was going to ring any second and we had assigned seating. The teacher wasn't unreasonable, just a little strict in this class.

As long as I did my homework, didn't play on my phone, and didn't pass notes while he was talking it was fine. It really wasn't too much to ask for the students to pay a little attention, and he tried to make it relevant for us. Tried, but only sometimes succeeded. Unlike my next class. Yeah that teacher didn't try. Those kinds are so hard to take seriously.

You say you expect me to put all my effort into your class but you don't even put effort into teaching? Yeah right. Good luck with that. That class was pretty much a free for all under the desk texting all your friends. He didn't even bother taking the phones or giving detention so nobody ever got into trouble for it. I liked to check in on my boys then, that way I would get a text back for lunch.

I waited for that bell. It was like music to my ears. I would grab my bag, throw my stuff in it haphazardly, and rush off to get in line for lunch. I almost always got a sandwich, fruit and milk. Today they had chocolate chip cookies, so I grabbed one of those too. I plopped down at our usual table, the one that used to be next to the twins' table. Kel joined me with her lunch and Gilles took my other side with his girlfriend at his elbow.

"Hello gorgeous." She said. I bumped her and grinned as I took a bite of my ham and cheese sandwich. I couldn't stomach more turkey if I tried.

"How was first half?" I asked her after I swallowed. She shrugged and rolled her eyes.

"Grand. Pop quiz in Geography. Ms. K was on a mission to convince us all to be mathematicians today." She grumbled.

"Oh joy. I have her next." I blinked as two people filled my field of vision. I looked up to see one of Rafe's old friends who was in my grade. I believe they were on the team together back then. He was with a stranger I had never seen before.

"Hey guys, this here is Trey. He is new here, and I think coach is recruiting him for the team. Do you mind if he sits at our table?" The guy, Matt's brother Lance I think it was, asked us with a hopeful smile. Was I supposed to give him permission? It wasn't like it was my table or anything. I rolled my eyes in a glance to Kelly. She smirked.

"Ah, sure. Have a seat." I gestured in front of us. My brow lifted when the new guy reached across the table and offered a hand to shake. I took it reluctantly and had a good look at him then. He was a big guy, well built and tanned from being out in the sun. I grinned thinking to myself that it would change being around here for any length of time unless he went tanning.

"Hey, I'm Trey. Who are you, beautiful?" He breathed. I sighed internally, but tried to play nice on the playground.

He had blond hair, streaked lighter from the sun. His eyes were blue, but much paler than my boys' were and not nearly as sexy if you asked me. I could tell the girls found him attractive from all the hungry looks being cast his way. I realised he was holding onto my hand a little longer than necessary and pulled a bit to get him to let go.

"I'm Theo." I grabbed my apple and took a bite. He watched like a hungry tiger waiting to pounce. Great. Just what I needed. I glanced at my phone and saw two messages from my boys. I opened them up and smiled gently at the sweet messages. Trey was watching me with interest the whole time, not saying a word though.

"Awe honey. You can just forget it; this boy is way out of your league." Kelly piped up with an evil grin towards the new boy. He looked at her, surprise written across his face.

"Now Kel, be nice to the new kid." I murmured in between bites of my juicy, delicious apple. The boy was practically drooling as he watched me eat it. I decided to spare him and took my cookie with me to go. I heard the whispers from the table though as I left. You would have thought he might catch on when I was staring at my phone the whole time instead of encouraging him. Oh well, he would learn.

"He was really cute. Maybe you can get the twins to give you a pass for him?" Kelly laughed at the look I shot her.

"Are you kidding? Why would I want him when I have them? I can barely keep up with my boys as it is, trust me. I do not need another sexy jock in my life right now." I went to my next class and munched on my cookie outside in the hall. It was delicious.

"So you do admit he is sexy? Hmmm." She leaned against the lockers and played on her phone while we waited for the bell to ring. I glanced into the window at the class before ours and caught sight of my own reflection. I had changed over the last year or more. At first I hadn't noticed it, with how gradual it was. My body was maturing, my baby fat disappearing with the regular exercise and proper meals.

I was still pretty short, but I was also strong and curvy in all the right places. I had put on some muscle by necessity and a little bit of a growth spurt made me longer in the legs and torso. My face showed the faint shadow of having to shave sometimes, and when I didn't clean up it made my face seem more angular and mysterious. My eyes were much more confident, thanks to my boys.

I still thought of myself as plain though. Ordinary even. Why this new boy was interested was beyond my powers of comprehension. I watched the day go by with only half a mind on my studies and the other half wondering... what did these guys see in me? What was I missing when I looked into the mirror? My hair was plain brown. My eyes were plain brown.

I was... androgynous at best, feminine at worst. Like my face didn't fit with my body anymore. At least when I was yet to hit puberty full force, I was cute. Now... what was I? I thought I looked gangly. Unproportioned and oddly put together. My hair was too long. My face was too feminine. I was spending so much time around all these tall, muscular men that I felt tiny and weak in comparison.

"Well, isn't this lucky. I guess we have Math together." Trey sauntered up to me confidently and I gave him a once over and half-smile just so I wasn't being rude.

"Looks that way. Let me know if you need notes. I can get Ms. K to photocopy them for you after class." I dismissed him as my phone buzzed with another message. I was getting a ride home tonight from my boys after their study session at the Uni. That improved my mood.

"Thanks, I will." He replied. I looked up in confusion, already forgotten about what we had been talking about. "Notes?" He reminded me. I nodded and blushed at my own embarrassing inattention.

"Right, sorry." I mumbled.

"It's okay beautiful. I can imagine a popular guy like you must have more important things on his mind than the new kid's notes." He leaned against me and tried to peer down at the text on my phone I was typing. I tilted it away from his nosy gaze and sent it.

"I prefer if you didn't call me that, please." I asked quietly. He looked confused.

"You mean beautiful? Why not? You are pretty gorgeous you know. Do you have a girlfriend? That cute red-head girl?" He was flirting with me and I was incredulous that he hadn't been told or overheard yet about my boys.

"First off, I don't see it. I used to be cute, but now I just feel awkward. Second, no, Kelly is not my girlfriend, but I am taken." I replied harsher than before.

"Damn. Guess I was too late. Don't worry though, growth spurts can make you feel that way. I hope you realise soon how awesome you are." He winked at me. The other class had filed out of the room and he turned to enter as I spluttered at the doorway. Damn kid had me thinking about it all class too. Was I good looking? Maybe I was just so obsessed with my boys' stocky frames that I discounted my own.

Good thing I can daydream and take notes at the same time. Ms. K had me stay behind to copy notes and gave me a slip to get into my next class when I was done. It was unnerving to stand there and watch over the machine as it flashed over page after page while this... admittedly good looking guy stared at me like he was mesmerised. I didn't know what to say to the guy, so I just stayed silent.

"Are you in any sports?" He decided to make small talk. I shook my head no.

"You just move here?" I asked out of politeness. He nodded his head yes. That explained a lot. He probably hadn't been here long enough to hear the local gossip. I gathered up the notes and stapled the edge to make a booklet for him. I handed them over and made to leave. He grabbed my arm gently and I turned to look at him.

"If it doesn't work out, give me a call?" He held out a small piece of paper with his number on it. I hesitated.

"I will only take that if you want to be friends, Trey. If you want more then I can't." I leveled with him. He sighed and nodded. So I took the number and shoved it in my tight jeans pocket, knowing I would not lose it that way.

"So friend... what do people do for fun around here?" He asked on our way down the hall. I laughed softly to myself.

"I wouldn't know."

A/N -I know, I know... no smut in this chapter. This was a filler to give you a breather before the next intense chapter. Hold onto your hats... it's about to get...