TITLE: The Perfect Lie

SUMMARY: Rose is deeply in love with Megan. But she's afraid that she would lose her lady love if she confessed. So she decides to lie and say she's crushing on Charlie. All she has to do is manage to lie and keep lying to Megan, Laureal, Charlie, and Sage. Only thing is that as twins Sage knows Rose better than anyone else. Can Rose keep Sage from learning the truth? Or will it be the end of the Baker twins and of Rose's friendship with Megan?

CATEGORY: Family/ Friendship/ Romance/ Drama/ Hurt/Comfort/ Comedy/ Angst/ Tragedy/ Spiritual

RATING: T

CHAPTER RATINGS: G - M - the M rating chapters will be marked.

PROLUG

Rose raised her hand and timidly knocked on the closed door. She held her breath for the allowance to enter. Besides waiting for Laureal, she never was one to knock on closed doors. Why should she? She was Rose Baker, the second granddaughter of Laurel Limoges. The famous cosmetics queen of the World. She didn't have to knock in any room of her grandmother - her and her sister's house. She ruled the house. It was given fact of life. Even this room, Rose had accesses to it - due to birth right.

But, that had changed when she had come into her life. When Laureal had hired her to tutoring Rose and her twin, Sage. Megan Smith. What was it about this young woman, barely older than the Baker twins that made Rose stand outside the closed door, waiting for allowance to enter? She couldn't understand it - Megan was just a tutor. Once the twins got into Duke, than Megan would be out of their lives, for good. That was what Sage kept saying, after Laurel said that Megan would be staying, no matter what the twins did to try to run Megan out.

What was it about Megan Smith that made Rose's heart beat crazy fashions? Megan wasn't in Rose's social class, no the older woman was as poor as a church mouse, and from a messed up dysfunctional family. Sage says that Megan wasn't even worth the time of day. But, there was something about Megan that tugged at Rose's heart. It wasn't even because Megan's mom had left when she was only seven, or that she had too basically grow up and help raise her younger sister, Lily, because her father turned to booze and the past. Rose had lost her parents when she was just a mere baby, she barely remembered her parents.

The door opened and a bouncy Megan was in her face. "Oh hey Rose, I was just thinking about you." She waved the sixteen year old into her spacious ground floor bedroom.

Rose followed in, shutting the door behind her. She didn't want anyone to just walk in. She knew that Sage was out with friends, and the rest of the staff knew to knock before entering a room. "Oh, what about?" Her brown eyes open wide and a wide smile washed over her lips. She didn't even have to try hard to like Megan, unlike Sage, she had liked this new tutor of hers from the first time she set eyes on her. She flopped onto Megan's bed, right next to Megan. Her bare leg lightly brushed Megan's bare leg. Rose felt a hot flush in her checks, she ducked her head quickly to hide the pink.

"Rose," Megan asked with concern lacing through her voice.

Rose played with the comforter on the bed, she couldn't look up. If she did than she knew that everything would be out. She couldn't allow that to happen. She had to take the time to calm her nerves and get her passive face going. Only problem was that she didn't have one. Sage had the most perfect passive face of all mankind. But, Rose had never mastered that trait. Rose decided that she was going to play off what was clearly was written on her face, lie like her life depended on it. Her life did depend on it.

She felt the bed swift and than she felt an arm move across her shoulders. She tighten up, but than she forced herself to relax. She couldn't allow too much to give away, otherwise Megan would remove her arm. Than there would be no more contact, Rose couldn't bare that. The thought made her want to cry. Toughen up Rose. Don't let Megan know that she is truly getting to you. Hide your emotions, like Sage. Be like Sage. Act like Sage. Tune in Sage. Come on Rose, you can do this. You must do this. Don't let Megan know that she is truly getting to you. Hide your emotions. Be Sage. Tune in Sage. Be Sage. Rose lifted her face and looked into Megan's baby blue eyes. She got lost in the eyes. She knew she was a goner.

"Who is he?" Megan as in a knowing voice as she smiled hugely.

"Huh?" Rose asked not hearing what Megan had said. Megan was so close. All she had to do was lean in the few inches that kept her from those much kissable of all lips. All she had to do was claim those lips for her own .... she slowly inched forward ... than Megan's words hit her full force.

"Who is he? Who's your latest crush?" Megan ask with laugh.

Rose stopped dead in her tracks. Megan thought she was crushing on someone, she was really, just not in the gender that Megan thought. She blinked and said the first name that came to her mind, "Charlie." She moving backwards a few inches, not enough to make Megan remove her hand, just far enough away from those lips.

"Charlie .... my Charlie?" Megan said with surprise.

"Yes," Rose said jumping up and down. "Is that ok with you Megan, I mean I know Charlie is way too old for me. God he's like almost thirty, but he's so cute. Like a puppy dog." Rose managed to move out of Megan's reach, without making Megan think something was wrong. "You just want to pull him into your arms and never let go."

Megan was relieved. Rose was actually crushing on someone that she approved. There was no chance that she and Charlie would ever get together, there was too many years between them. Charlie was an adult and Rose was still a minor. Besides, Charlie was dating Madison. That looked promising and she hoped that Charlie would find his way in life; and perhaps settle down someday. But, Rose's crush on Charlie was quite harmless and safe for Rose. She smiled. "Yes, it's ok, Rose. But, you know he's dating Madison right?"

"Madison isn't right for him." Rose said waving her right hand in the air. "I know that Charlie is too old for me, and that he would never consider dating me, not while I'm still a minor. But, Megan, I'll be eighteen in less than two years. Than it would be ok for him and I." Rose leaned back and relaxed against Megan's pillow, the pillow where Megan's head rested every night. She was able to smell Megan against the pillow case, and she was pleased that Megan didn't notice one bit. She was safe. She found the perfect lie. All she had too do was contiune to crush on Charlie as long as Megan resided in the mansion, and than she would be safe.

END PROLUGE