A/N: I'm really sorry I haven't written in so long, but life has been pretty hectic. Not a bad hectic, but still hectic.

They're probably juniors or somewhere around that age in this. Please note that all members of Sector V in this story have been through decommissioning, and therefore have no recollection of each other what so ever.

"So then, I was like 'oh no you didn't' and she just stood there smirking at me, and then Josh walked over and…"

Abby sighed as she half-listened to her friends discuss the latest gossip, her slender body leaning casually against a locker, her slim arms crossed. Her eyes narrowed as Leanna continued to recount an encounter with some boy who was far to old for her, the other girls chiming in enthusiastically when necessary. She loved her friends, she really did, but whenever the gossip began, Abby faded into the background as much as possible.

"Hey, did you hear Wally finally asked out Kuki? He's like, sooo been crushing on her for months!"

The other girls reacted excitedly. Wally was the school's star wrestler, and, while not very bright, his well-muscled body and bad boy attitude had girls swooning left and right. He and Kuki's long-standing relationship, or lack thereof, was one of the hottest topics of gossip.

"I don't know." spoke up a blonde girl, her brown eyes narrowed. "Kuki doesn't seem right for Wally, you know what I mean?"

Abby rolled her eyes, her eyebrows rising slightly. The stuck-up blonde girl had always rubbed Abby the wrong way, ever since their first encounter. Abby could still remember the condescending look on Maria's face as she had coldly asked "And who are you?"

"Oh c'mon Maria." said Abby, her soft yet firm voice floating calmly between the excited squeals of her friends. "Abby knows you like Wally, but even you can't deny those two fit together."

Maria made a scoffing noise, her eyes narrowing dangerously, but made no other objection.

"Omigosh, Angelie! I just remembered, you have to hear this! So apparently…"

Abby let her mind wander as her friends continued their gossip. She wished she had her MP3 player with her. It was currently sitting comfortably on her bed; it's glassy screen blank and empty. The loyal MP3 player had helped her survive many gossip sessions, and stopped her friends from asking…

"So Abs, what's up with you and Hoagie?"

… about that.

"You're still together right?" asked a petite brunette.

Abby sighed. "Yeah." she shrugged. "Course we are Kellie."

"Just checking." shrugged Kellie, her eyes lighting up. "You've been together like, two months now right?"

"Three." sighed Abby, wishing she was somewhere else. She hated discussing her love life, even with friends, preferring to keep it private and out of the gossip mainstream.

"That's a long time." said Maria her perfectly manicured nails tapping on her arm. "Personally, I'm amazed you two are still together."

Abby stiffened, her eyes hardening slightly.

"And why," said Abby calmly, annoyance tainting the edges of her voice. "is that?"

"You're just so different." said Maria, her nose scrunching slightly. "You're cool, and he's like, the super nerd of the century. I mean, what do you see in him?"

"Abby don't see how that's any of your business." said Abby, still as calm as ever on the outside even as anger began to slowly spread on the inside.

"Oh c'mon Abs." pleaded Leanna, her blue eyes wide. "You haven't told us anything. We wanna know about you and Hoagie."

"Abby's told you stuff about Hoagie." said Abby evasively. She didn't really feel like spilling her feelings for Hoagie in the middle of a crowded school hallway.

"Not much." pointed out Angelie.

Abby sighed. What did she see in Hoagie? Sure he was smart, and funny (though you'd never catch her admitting it), and she loved hanging out with him, but what had she seen in Hoagie? What had caused her to befriend and then fall in love with one of the nerdiest boys at the school? What was the spark, the initial attraction?

It wasn't looks, Abby decided. Although Hoagie was fairly attractive, his appeal really shone through when you got to know him. It wasn't right for the initial spark.

And it certainly wasn't because she thought they had anything in common. Sure she realized they did now, but then was a whole different matter.

Maria was right that Hoagie was a nerd, although Abby didn't appreciate the sneer that followed along whenever she said the word. He knew he was a nerd, and he was proud to be a nerd. He was obsessed with airplanes, so much in fact, he constantly wore a pair of goggles on top of his head, a fashion choice that had some students snickering. He loved Yipper cards, a game, that, as far as Abby knew, no other teenager dared to be associated with. He was the best student in the A.P. Physics class, and was forever burying his head in some advanced book about the aerodynamics and physics of airplanes.

A boy like that wasn't the first one to come to mind when thinking of the perfect boyfriend for one of the coolest girls in school.

If Abby didn't know better (and she wasn't sure she did) she'd say it was instinct that drove her and Hoagie together. Somehow, instinctively, when Abby first laid eyes on Hoagie in her 5th period English class, something, something mysterious and incomprehensible (something that might've, just maybe, been the first stirrings of love, or at the very least interest) had settled in her brain, slowly overtime consuming her.

It was as though she had known him before.

But that was stupid. She had never seen or talked to Hoagie Gilligan before that 5th period English class. Why then, did she subconsciously, unthinkingly, latch onto the boy? It was almost like…

Instinct.

"Well?" Maria's voice broke into Abby's thoughts, roughly dragging her back to the present.

"So?" said Kellie eagerly, bouncing slightly. "Why do you like Hoagie so much?"

"He is smart." said Josie as she tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.

"Not bad looking either." pointed out Leanna. "He's kinda cute in a sort of nerdy way."

"Not very funny though." said Kellie. "He has horrible jokes. Wouldn't they get annoying after a while?"

"Don't forget the dorky pick up lines." nodded Angelie. "He uses them on everybody."

"Not to mention that weird game he's obsessed with." said Maria, her face scrunched with distaste. "What's it called again? Tipper or ripper or whatever."

"Yipper." said Abby, her hands crossing a little tighter across her chest.

"Whatever." said Maria with a dismissive hand wave. "C'mon Abby. Don't let us do all the talking."

"Why not?" asked Abby slowly, delaying as much as she could. "You seem to be doing pretty good by yourselves."

"Oh please." scoffed Maria. "What's the matter Abby? You're not embarrassed about your relationship are you?"

Abby shook her head no, but otherwise remained silent.

"Oh c'mon." begged Leanna, frustration beginning to show in her features. "What's the big deal?"

"The deal is that this is turning into more of an interrogation!" said Abby angrily, unable to take it any longer.

"Ohkay." said Josie as she stepped between Leanna and Abby. "Let's calm down a little. How about this Abs, one word okay? Just give us the one word that sums up why you were interested in Hoagie okay?"

"Fine." shrugged Abby as she pondered. What one word best described why she and Hoagie got together?

Looks?

Personality?

Fate?

"Hey gorgeous."

The girls whipped around from their huddle around Abby to stare at the newcomer. Hoagie Gilligan blanched slightly, looking nervously at the girls who had now fixed their unrelenting gazes on him.

"Ready to go to class?" asked Hoagie, the lopsided grin Abby loved spread across his face.

Blushing slightly, Abby accepted his outstretched hand.

The two began to walk away, their hands held loosely between them, when Leanna's voice rang out.

"Hold on Abs! You never answered the question."

Abby stopped, causing Hoagie to stop too. Abby's eyebrows pushed together in thought, as Hoagie stared at her, confusion present in his features.

After a couple of seconds Abby's eyebrows relaxed, and a slight grin spread across her face.

"Instinct."

Virtual cookies to the one who tells me where I got the name Angelie from :)

Codename KND (c) Mr. Warburton

Josie, Leanna, Kellie, and Maria (c) Andra