Piper June.

Piper goes heads to school with her backpack full of assignments she's been working on since Ezra left her house a few nights ago. She's focused on moving forward, except that she doesn't exactly know where forward is. Does forward include Ezra or Pierre? Neither? What should she do? Should she do anything? Say anything? Eventually, she knows that one of them is going to figure out what's been happening and he's not going to be happy with the idea of sharing her with someone else. Still... Piper really does enjoy the attention she gets from both boys. This is only bound to backfire, but until then, she might as well enjoy them both. What they don't know can't possibly hurt them.

♥

Jenny blows an angry bubble as she stands at her locker. Piper and Ezra are kissing against the row of lockers, Piper leaning up in her little shiny shoes as Ezra winds an arm around her waist. Jenny wants to be ill. So her plan didn't really work the way she'd hoped it would, and Ezra went running back to Piper despite the fact that she'd been all over Pierre this weekend. Does he know?

There's no way he could possibly know. The only reason Jenny even knows is because she overheard some girls talking about that prep school kid that's hanging around Piper like a moth around a flame. If Ezra knew what his little flower child was getting up to, he'd definitely be singing a different tune. Piper probably thinks she's a cute little thing who can get away with whatever she likes when she bats those big blue eyes at anyone, but Jenny isn't stupid and there's no way she'll fall for her or her stupid, dumb innocent ruse.

She slams her locker loudly as the bell rings, slipping into her English class as the teacher starts taking attendance. Clearly, she won't be able to get Ezra by herself. She's going to need help. But who? Who hates Piper as much as Jenny?

No one. That's the problem. Everyone is convinced that Piper is this cute little thing who could do no wrong, but Jenny saw through all of that, and soon, everyone else would too.

♥

"What are you doing tonight?" Ezra asks, curling some of Piper's hair behind her ear. "I wanna take you to the movies." Piper leans closer into him as more people board the train, glancing up at him. She's leaning against the wall and he's standing in front of her, tall and still not at all imposing as he looks down at her with a small smile.

"Yeah? Date night, huh?" Piper teases, lacing their hands together. She leans up to kiss his nose, wrinkling hers with a small giggle. She holds her books to her chest, book bag hanging heavily from her shoulders. She knows that she lives in a complete different neighborhood from Ezra, and that he's going out of his way to take her home, but she really appreciates it. She feels... special. "I don't know. I have to study for a test tomorrow - "

"You can study after I take you home," he murmurs, wriggling his eyebrows at her. "I promise I'll have you home early." Ezra kisses her, squeezing her hip playfully. "I'll be on my best behavior too. Scout's honor."

"Who's coming?" she asks, tone curious.

"I think Jude and Quinn, maybe. Maggie and Clark, definitely. It's like a big group date, so if your parents get all... iffy, you can just tell them everyone is going out as friends." He starts pouting cheekily, grasping her hand. "Please? I never get to take you anywhere."

"Okay, okay," Piper relents, giggling impishly as they reach their stop. Ezra walks out with her, taking her books to lighten her load.

♥

"I like you, Pierre," Maggie says simply, sipping her frappe as she watches him. She crosses her legs, checkered skirt running up her thighs. She looks dressed to kill, but she always dresses nicely. (Clark always keeps her in nice clothes, not because she's ever asked him to, but because he kind of likes spoiling her and can afford to do it, so.) Her blonde hair has been straightened and blown out so it hangs down in soft platinum strands, pulled back with a simple red headband. Her feet are tucked into black kitten heels, sheer tights with polka dots adorning her smooth legs. Pierre sips his own coffee with a smile, glancing down at his phone. "You're a nice kid. You've got your whole life planned out. I think you're really going places. I heard you got into your dream university. Good for you. You're smart."

"Thanks. I think? Where are you going with this?" Pierre asks, eyebrows furrowed a little. He's only here because Piper's doing something this afternoon and probably later tonight, and practice is canceled, so he has one rare afternoon where he has nothing to do. He wants to take her to the museum, but that's going to have to wait until they both have another free afternoon. Or until the weekend, if she's not busy. "I don't think I understand."

"I know you're really good friends with Piper." Maggie stirs her drink, glancing out the window. Clark is supposed to be here soon, and she'd like this little meeting with Pierre to end before then. "And I know you know how I feel about Piper. Of course I do. She tells me everything. I mean, she's almost like the little sister I never had."

"But Jude is your little sister," Pierre points out. Maggie's red lips are in a line as she suppresses an eyeroll.

"But Piper is actually a nice girl."

They sit in silence and stare at one another for a few quiet moments, silent and reflective. Clark still doesn't show up and Pierre's phone is still silent. He texted Piper (twice, no reply) because he wanted to hear her voice and he wanted her to call, but so far she hadn't. She must have been really busy.

Maggie was only having this conversation with Pierre because he was going to ruin everything - he was eventually going to see Piper and Ezra together again and realize that he didn't stand a chance, and boys like Pierre had very little experience with rejection. All Maggie wanted was a drama free way to end the year, but if Pierre kept this up, she was afraid that the year would end in a literal bang.

"What I'm trying to say to you, Pierre, is that I personally think it would behoove you to keep your distance from her. I know what kind of boy you are, and we both know what kind of girl she is. It won't work, and you're already in too deep - "

"I didn't realize I had to ask the Queen Bee for permission to like someone," Pierre says dryly. Why are so many people personally invested in what he does with his life? As far as he's concerned, it's no one else's business but his. He drops some money on the table to pay for his coffee, gathering his bag and coat from the chair. "I'll feel however I want about whoever my little heart desires, thank you. What are you going to do about it?"

♥

Piper pulls a large jumper over her lanky body, buttoning her acid wash jeans quickly. Her father left this morning and he isn't due until Christmas, in two short weeks. She combs through her hair quickly, peeking out the window. Olivia likes Ezra, but Piper doesn't really want Ezra to come to the door because that will only mean that Olivia will assume that he's her boyfriend. And Ezra is her boyfriend, but Olivia will tell her dad, and that can't end well for anyone. She brushes over her cheeks with a powder brush, eyes shut as she quickly does her makeup.

She wants to look nice. Ezra and Piper don't really go on dates and the fact that Ezra even wants to take her out on one makes her feel kind of special. Like maybe he's a real boyfriend. What's next? Flowers? Trips? Pierre's going to have to step up his game.

Speaking of Pierre, Piper thinks as she grabs her phone. She finds that he's texted her intermittently this afternoon, hoping that she's having fun with whatever she's doing and that he'd like to do something with her some time soon. He's such a nice guy, but Ezra is... dangerous and risky and Piper would be lying if she didn't say she kind of liked it, or the attention that she got from both of them.

Piper spots Ezra walking down the street, cigarette hanging out of his mouth. She tugs on her tennis shoes and grabs her purse, shoving her purse and some bills into it haphazardly. Olivia is lying on the couch, asleep. Piper kisses her cheek and leaves her a note on the fridge:

'I went to the movies with some friends.
I'll be home before 10.
Love
PJ'

Piper's thudding down her porch steps when Ezra starts climbing them, and they almost bump into each other. He looks at her with a small fond smile, steadying her with his hands as he flicks his cigarette. Piper giggles, sheepish and embarassed as she holds her purse, breaths coming in shallow pants.

"Where's your jacket?" Ezra asks, settling his over her shoulders. It's too big, sleeves covering her small hands as she leans into his side.

"I forgot," she murmurs, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Thanks for picking me up."

♥

Jenny doesn't really know what she's even doing here, or why she agreed to this. She's doing Maggie a favor. Maggie wants Jenny to go out with some guy because she's noticed that Jenny's been feeling a little down, but how else is she supposed to feel when her man is chasing some little cookie cutter Girl Scout all up and down the East Side? She spread her lips, gently applying a thick coat of dark burgundy lipstick. Her brown hair is limp and loose, bone straight as she ties a small pink bow in it. She's not exactly happy about this blind date, but it's only one date and it's not that big a deal.

Her mom isn't working and her dad is probably off fucking his secretary again, so Jenny doesn't exactly have to ask permission to go out because no one's home. She takes a quick sip of the flask that she's hidden in her delicates' drawer, vodka with the smallest hint of cranberry juice. Excellent.

She tugs down her small cropped mock turtle neck, glancing down at herself. She supposes she looks okay. Jenny's got on some brand new jeans, dark and soft as they tie around her hips, and a nice body chain, and a black choker with a small gold cross and damn it if this kid doesn't think she looks good, maybe he's got a problem, not her. She slips her feet into some boots, grabbing her coat and a stick of bubblegum as she walks out of her apartment.

The kid is supposed to be waiting for her at that pizzeria two blocks down from her apartment, so she makes the small trudge down there. The streets here are full of sludgy, dirty snow, beat up cars, and girls that look a little too shady to Jenny. But that's just Jenny. She wasn't totally rich. Was that why Ezra chased after Piper? Did she buy him things?

Jenny stops dead in her tracks as she watches the sports car pull up to Tony's. It's that Pierre kid. Holy shit. Jenny adjusts her earrings and flips her hair over her shoulder, quickly pulling out her compact to make sure she looks decent. A little cold, but that wasn't so bad. What better way to get back at Piper than with the kid that she was two-timing Ezra with? And she couldn't even get mad, because then Ezra would get suspicious. Maybe Maggie did this without really knowing, or maybe it wasn't an accident. Who cares?

She walks into the pizza shop after Pierre, and introduces herself politely, gum already spat out on the sidwalk outside. He's polite enough, handsome and refined and honestly, he's more Piper's type than Ezra, but that would change. In due time, it would all change.

♥

Jude nudges Quinn, making a small face because he didn't buy her a box of sour candies like Ezra did for Piper and how Clark did for Maggie. Annie was here too, but she was too busy giggling with her boyfriend to worry about candy. They had wanted to see a horror film - by them, she meant, of course, Ezra and Clark. Clark and Ron, Annie's boyfriend, were sensible and good boyfriends and wanted to watch that new tear jerker like the rest of the girls. But eventually they were persuaded by Quinn and Ezra to buy tickets to that stupid gory film that would probably have the girls screaming for the rest of the night, voices hoarse and barely there by the time they left the theater.

He laughs, shoving his hand into the pocket of his large jacket. Clearly, he's not paying almost ten dollars for a small little bag of candy just because they were at the movies. He's snuck in his own stash of snacks - small bags of popcorn and candy. Jude laughs and plants a sloppy kiss on Quinn's cheek, leaning up on her tip toes as she winds an arm around his shoulders. They're talking softly while Piper eats some popcorn, waiting for Maggie and everyone else to get their things together.

While Quinn settles his hand inside the waistband of Jude's jeans, he scans his surroundings. Ezra is still all in Piper's space - how long is this going to take him? - and Piper is just giggling and simpering as Ezra holds her hand. Maggie and Clark are talking quietly, glancing at the posters on the wall that announce the coming attractions. And Annie and Ron are having a little spat about how much butter to put on their popcorn. All is right in the world.

Except, well. Not really.

From the corner of his eye, he spots his archnemesis and that weirdo that keeps sort of stalking Piper. Does he like Jenny? Quinn can't stand her. She broke Ezra's heart and Ezra was practically his brother, so that was unacceptable. And Ezra kept trying to go back to her, visited her at rehab, called her every day and she kept acting like an asshole. And acted like she hadn't done anything, and when Quinn finally called her out on all her games, she tried to turn Ezra against him. Which didn't totally work, mostly because everyone knew about her and that guy she fooled around with.

And... what's his name? Pierre? Why is he here? With Jenny? Wasn't he all over Piper just yesterday? Or the day before yesterday. One of these days. He stares at them, unsure of himself. He doesn't know if Ezra knows about what Piper's been doing with Pierre, or if Piper knows that Pierre is apparently into trashy teenage alcoholics. Jude tries tugging Quinn in the direction of the rest of their friends, wanting to get good seats in the corner before Ezra and Piper took it. But Jenny is just all over Pierre, hanging off him and giggling that stupid high pitched fake little giggle of hers, slapping him playfully.

He wants to pretend he's not seeing what he's seeing.

And then Maggie yells for them, waving them over and he just knows that tonight is going to be a really, really shitty night. He should have just stayed home and played video games with Jude in their underwear, eating pizza and cursing each other out. (That's his idea of date night.)