Okay, um... I decided to post this story. I forgot to put it on the choice list, and I still think its really good. So tell me what ya think!

Ch. 1: Knight in Shining Armor

"But, Ari! You were the one who came up with this idea," I wailed, glaring at him.

"Yeah, Ellie, I know, but when she asked me, I couldn't say no! And anyway, I told you that I would take you only if neither of us found a date," I scowled and looked down. Only Ari could call me Ellie, everyone else called me El, or Elaina, which is my real name.

"I still can't believe you said yes to Charlotte Thames! She has been my only enemy since I moved here in fourth grade!"

Now he glowered at me, "Ellie, can't you just get over it? We're sophomores now! She pushed you in a mud puddle six years ago!"

"You're not the one everyone called 'Poopie Pants' for all of fourth grade, fifth grade, and sixth grade! Until, of course, I got my boobs, and all the guys thought I was hotter than Brittney Spears…" I smiled and flitted my eyelashes at Ari. He'd been my only friend before seventh grade. The only other person in the school that knew the truth about why my pants were all stained. He'd watched the whole thing, and when I got on the bus after that horrible first day at Lake View Elementary, it turns out, that he lived across the street. We'd been best friends ever since, and I knew that I was in love with him after my first boyfriend, Ben Tracie. He was an ass hole who liked to take girls first kisses away, and then dump them. When he dumped me, Ari was the only person who could make me feel better.

"Ellie," Ari sighed, laughing a bit, but mostly seeming disappointed.

"What?" I demanded, folding my arms. "Oh, get a life!" I snapped at two freshmen that had stopped to stare at my chest.

"She's not the same person she was back then. I would know, I had to deal with her longer than you," I stared into Ari's perfect green eyes, wondering how so much color could be kept in his eye sockets. Compared to my light blue eyes, his were much more beautiful.

"If that's how you feel Ari, I'm not going to stop you from taking her to the winter formal," I said, hiding the hurt in my voice. I'd turned down every other guy in the school. So now I've got to go and beg the next cutest guy I see to go with me… which isn't a problem, since I had half of football and baseball teams in my next class.

By the time I got in there though, I was the only person still standing, even thought the bell hadn't rung yet. So on my way to my desk, I just said, loud enough for everyone to hear, "Who still needs a date to the formal?" in my best flirty voice.

Which caused a stampede as ten to fifteen cute guys came running over. I looked over each of them, and picked Jason Irving, he was tall, dark, and handsome. Perfect for me, and he reminded me somewhat of Ari. Who was also tall, dark, and handsome. Although Ari's hair was black, with a bit of natural red highlights—and Jason had brown hair with fake blonde highlights with gray eyes, not green ones.

Jason smiled as I told him I would love to go to the dance with him, "Great! I'll pick you up at seven-thirty, kay?" he asked, without really waiting for an answer. Well, I didn't think he wanted an answer because he just walked back to his seat.

Maybe I should've went with Kyle Schubert, he's not as cute, and I wouldn't be able to wear that high of a heel, but he's a big teddy bear! I thought to myself, getting out the homework from last class and handing it to Ms. Everette, not really caring that I didn't do six or seven of the twenty-eight quadratic-formula problems.

After Algebra, Jason did the nice thing and walked me to class, his arm around my shoulders. When Ari saw me, he looked completely surprised, and had to do a double take. I smiled lightly and flipped my long curly blonde hair over my shoulder and leaned up to Jason's ear and whispered, "I think everyone's getting jealous of us. We must be the cutest couple since Greg and Tyler!" I said, getting excited. Greg and Tyler were the cutest couple of last year, and any year. They won homecoming king and queen, and prom king and queen last year.

He looked down at me and said, not in a whisper at all, "Yeah, the guys are jealous that I have you, and the girls are jealous that you have me."

I smiled, it was probably true—he was the quarterback of the football team, and I was the most popular girl in school (and that included the juniors and seniors) I was already the head captain of the cheerleading squad, and I was a shoo-in for student council president when I'm a senior.

The only problem was that Ari was the most popular boy in school, and he wasn't on any team. He was just an all around nice guy, and no one had ever disliked him… and that I was completely in love with him and he didn't want me as more than a friend.

I turned to Jason as we neared my next class, History. I grimaced; this was the only class I might as well just take a failing grade in. History was just not my thing; I could never remember all those dates and names. I mean, aren't we supposed to forget the past and look to the future? Except for the thing about learning from past mistakes, that is important, but that's the only thing I can possibly see from learning about history.

"Well, I guess I should go…" I said, looking down, and then quickly back up, feigning nervousness, and biting my lip. Jason then backed me up against the wall, placing his hands on either side of my head.

That's when I really got nervous. "Uh, Jason…" I started to say, but he just bent his head down and looked me in the eye.

"Elaina, just go with the flow, babe."

Oh, I got mad then, not just mad, I was furious. I took my hands and pushed Jason away quite roughly.

"Call me babe one more time, and you won't have a date, or the balls to ask anyone else to the dance," I hissed in his face, poking his chest with every few syllables.

That got a few stares and whoops from the people around me. I turned to face the crowd, and curtsied a little, smiling the political smile I wore when I ran for captain and sophomore representative.

Then I walked calmly into my history class, and sat down in my usual seat.

History actually passed very quickly for once, although I kept getting in trouble for talking to Lacey, my best girl friend. The second she moved here and joined the squad, I immediately took her under my wing and made her my second in command. Her long stick-straight, dark hair and heart-shaped face made her almost as pretty as me.

Lacey wanted to know everything about how Jason and I got together, and then she wanted to know what happened outside class.

"He moved to fast, he tried to kiss me, and he was only my date for like an hour. It was ridonculous!"

"Omg! Girl, you should dump him! Go with Ari! If he thought you're rep was in trouble, he'd definitely dump Charlotte, and go to the formal with you! He's like your knight in shining armor!" I sighed and rolled my eyes. What I didn't know? Was that that statement was truer than anything Lacey had ever tried to interpret.