Note (PLEASE READ): So I've decided to start up a new multi-chapter Clique story. This one is going to be in a totally alternate universe and totally out-of-character, just a heads up. It's my first attempt at writing something with a little angst. I hope you enjoy! Disclaimed.

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Colorblind

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A young, brunette girl, no older than the age of six, sat down at a picnic table under an oak tree. She slowly opened her Hello Kitty lunchbox and pulled out a tuna salad sandwich – no crust – a juice box, and a giant cookie. She watched as other girls sat down with their friends and shared grapes and carrots. But no one came to share food with her. No one else came to sit with her. No one else invited her to play tag or sleep over with them. And even though she wore her hair different everyday, and even though she wore really cute clothes, no one wanted to be her friend.

She looked around sorrowfully at the children running around, laughing and having a great time. A strange feeling suddenly stirred inside of her; she had never felt it before. Something about seeing these other normal kids playing made her angry. It made her want to stuff their socks into their mouths and stomp on their art projects. It made her want to go and push all of them into a mud puddle and fill their lunch boxes with worms. It made her want to scream as loud as she could on the highest mountain so God could hear her. This poor little girl always felt that God skipped her, that He had looked right past her. She would say her prayers every night and wish with all the might of her little heart that someone out there would be her friend. But every morning, she would wake up and go through the same boring routine. Go to school alone, eat lunch alone, and come home alone.

Her tiny fists balled up at her sides as she shoved aside her uneaten lunch. The young girl was no longer hungry. She rarely ate lunch anymore because her classmates made fun of the way she ate.

Suddenly, a brown haired boy ran next to her table to retrieve a stray soccer ball. There was a smear of dirt across his forehead and grass stains all over his blue shirt, but the girl smiled at him anyway. This was her chance.

"Yuck!" The little boy screamed. He pointed at her mouth. "Your face is ugly!"

The smile instantly faded off her young face.

The boy's group of friends came running after; to see what the commotion was about. When they saw what the boy was pointing at, they also proceeded to make faces and laugh.

"There's a hole in your face!"

"Hole-y face, hole-y face!"

"Watch her eat her sandwich! It's so weeeeird!"

The taunting grew worse and worse until the little girl couldn't help it anymore. "Shtop making fun of me! Leave me awone! Go away! Pwease!"

But the little boys only laughed harder.

"Listen to her talk!"

"Is she retarded or something?"

"She's a poopy brain. Poopy brained, hole-y faced, ugly girl!"

Hot tears immediately formed in the poor girl's eyes. She knew this would happen and she was stupid enough to even acknowledge the boy. What was she thinking? Of course no one wanted to be her friend. She was ugly.

And all of this taunting, this teasing, this bullying, was because she was born with a left unilateral cleft lip, something she had no control over.

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A small, amber haired girl walked down the hall slowly. Her cleft lip had been repaired by the best plastic surgeon in town. The only reminder left was a tiny scar, a shade lighter than her natural skin color, on the left side of her lip. But replacing the cleft lip was a set of bulky metal braces that poked at her cheeks and impaired her speech. Her birth defect had caused her teeth to grow abnormally and the only solution was the unwieldy metal contraption. The braces seemed too much to be inside the mouth of a fourteen year old.

As usual, she sat alone at her lunch table by the trashcan and the door, for an easy exit in case the teasing got out of control. She opened her lunch bag to reveal some pasta salad and a bottle of Perrier her mother so kindly told Inez to pack. She chewed her food slowly, but it stuck inside her braces anyway.

Discreetly, the girl tried to pick the pasta out of her teeth, but of course, the brown haired boy noticed. He began whispering to his friends behind his hand and they all laughed at her.

The teenage girl blushed furiously. She didn't understand why this brown haired boy made fun of her so much. She never did anything to provoke him, yet he decided to pick on her anyway. All she wanted to be was left alone, to get through middle school without a scratch. But that will never happen as long as she has these train tracks running through her mouth.

At last, lunch was over. But the worst part was just beginning.

Everyone was throwing their trash away now, and she just so happened to be sitting by the trashcan.

"Gosh," the brown haired boy said as he neared her table. "Some people are just so indecent, picking their teeth in public. How disgusting."

The girl heard him of course, and it took all of her self control not to cry, but she felt the dreaded tears forming in the back of her eyes.

He dumped his trash loudly into the bin, and a little bit of lettuce just so happened to fly out and hit the girl in the face.

This boy has been ruining her life since elementary school. She hated him with all of her guts and no matter how hard she tried to avoid his hurtful words, he always found a way to make her feel worse about herself.

He and his soccer pals would sometimes run by her on their way home and kick mud at her shoes and clothes.

Some days, she would go home and cry herself to sleep. Her parents didn't know about those episodes and she planned to keep it that way. Her mother always told her that once the braces came off and she grew into her body, she would be the most beautiful girl at school. Her father always told her that he would buy her all of the hottest trends so she could be the most fashionable girl and everyone would look up to her. And they always said that even if she never changed, she would always be their beautiful little girl that they loved so much. But that wasn't enough for her. She didn't want to be loved by only her parents. She wanted real friends and real people to like her.

The poor girl had been waiting for the day she would finally turn pretty for years. And it couldn't arrive any faster.

She had been through a living hell every since she met the brown haired boy who liked to play soccer.

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The once vulnerable, brown haired girl has finally changed into a butterfly. The day she longed for had arrived at last.

She was now a sophomore in high school. Her teeth were pearly white and perfectly straight. The braces were gone last summer. Aside from the small scar above her left upper lip, her fair skin was clear and radiant. Her hair fell in sleek, amber waves down to the small of her back. Her body that used to be so short and plump had grown into a tall, lean, and strong body that looked good in any outfit. Behind her walked the only four people she ever trusted: her four best friends Claire, Alicia, Dylan, and Kristen.

It was one hot afternoon and the eighth graders were eating outside. Massie had to sit in the hot sun because all the good seats in the shade were taken. She was just about to pass out from a heat stroke when a bubbly blonde girl and her three friends walked over with an umbrella, joining the brunette for lunch. They're been best friends ever since. They were inseparable. They became the popular girls in the school, but not because they were mean. It was because they were kind to others, set a good example to others, and reached out to people that felt put down. Massie especially felt for those unfortunate students. She knew what they felt like because she herself had went through ten years of torture before she finally became who she was today.

Now, Massie felt like she belonged on the Earth at last. Like her presence wasn't just a waste of air and space. She had friends who loved her for who she is, ugly or pretty. She finally got what she wanted, and it was about damn time.

The brown haired boy had finally stayed away from her after she got her braces off last summer. On the first day of sophomore year, Massie walked into the halls a new person, with her best friends following right behind her. People looked at her differently now. Gone was the disgust and mean thoughts; they were instantly replaced by jealousy and want. Her classmates wanted to be friends with her now. Massie never thought the day would ever arrive. God had finally heard her. She was finally a someone.

Sophomore year breezed past in a flurry of crushes, school, and good times with her friends. But Massie wasn't sad that the school year was ending. She was excited. Junior year was going to begin in three months and she planned to start stronger than the previous year. She planned to not only become successful in school, but with sports and with her friends. She would be the triple threat that every girl hated, but secretly wanted to be. She would finally catch the eye of her crush, Cam Fisher. They would be prom king and prom queen together. They would get married, move to Manhattan and have two beautiful children.

Massie had her whole life planned out ever since fourth grade. She wanted to show those bullies the person she would grow up to be. She would become a better person than they were. The young girl planned to graduate with top honors, earn a full scholarship to NYU and become a psychologist. It was the perfect life she knew she would grow up to have. Her daddy even said so.

And now, seven years later, Massie was still pursuing the same dream. She had already completed two victorious years of high school. How much harder could the final two be?

Plus, this summer, she and her four best friends were all going to Alicia Rivera's summer house in California. They would spend June and July there, and then take a road trip back to New York. It would be the perfect break from a perfect school year.

Could her life get any better?

Too bad Massie couldn't see what this summer had in store for her.

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Massie wiped the thin layer of perspiration that covered her forehead. She had just managed to drag her two suitcases up the steep driveway of Alicia's beach house, all the while carrying her heavy hobo bag in the crook of her arm. Damn Alicia's house for being on a hill.

The amber haired girl approached the modern white doors and rang the doorbell. She heard the melodic tune echoing throughout the vast interior of the house, followed by the clicking on heels on the hardwood floor.

The door swung over to reveal a leggy, tanned Spanish beauty. Her hair was slicked back into a high ponytail and a pair of giant sunglasses was perched on the thin bridge of her nose.

"Ehmagawd! Massie you're finally here! The girls and I have been waiting for you. Come in, come in. James, come get Massie's bags!" Alicia squealed excitedly as she gripped Massie by the forearm and dragged her into the posh living room. James the butler walked outside slowly and took Massie's bags effortlessly. Massie flashed him a smile before turning back to follow Alicia.

Quickly, Massie was enveloped in a hug with skinny arms, strong perfume, and sunscreen. She didn't realize how much she missed her friends until she finally felt them around her. It had only been a week since school ended, but it was also a week away from her lifeline, her best friends.

Alicia smiled and walked into the kitchen, leaving Massie to catch up with the other girls.

"Wow. Sorry I'm late guys. My plane was delayed from the thunderstorm back east." Massie ran a hand through her thick hair before taking a seat next to Claire.

Dylan smiled at Massie. "Let's hope the bad weather stays over there. We can't afford to be rained out on our beach vacation."

"We're so glad you were able to make it. You could use a good vacation… and a good tan," Claire joked as she pinched Massie's pale arm skin.

Massie swatted her away playfully. "Hey! You're not much tanner than I am."

"No worries, ladies. We'll all be as tan as Alicia once we're done here." Kristen giggled.

"Did someone say my name?" Alicia walked back with a raised eyebrow, a tray of Mimosas balanced precariously in her right hand. "Here girls, we can all drink now. No worries, this isn't the kind of Mimosas little bitches drink. Mama here spiked it with a little extra somethin' somethin'."

"Yay!" Dylan cheered loudly before lunging for the glass of orange liquid. Kristen and Claire shook their heads before each grabbing a glass of their own.

Alicia looked suspiciously at Massie. "Don't tell me you're not going to drink."

"Alicia…" Massie sighed.

"I know, I know. You don't drink. But come on, Mass, it's summer vacation. Let loose a little."

Massie looked at the other girls, who all gave her supportive smiles. "Fine," Massie caved. She daintily grabbed the remaining wet glass and brought it to her lips, allowing the alcohol to slide slowly into her mouth. She swallowed cautiously, tasting the bitter drink against her tongue. It was surprisingly smooth for something so potent, and Massie instantly grew a liking to it. "It's not bad."

Alicia raised her arms victoriously. "Told you!"

Suddenly, the doorbell rang and Claire ran to answer it. The blonde girl shrieked excitedly the moment she saw who the arriving guests were. She ushered them inside to show the other girls who just arrived.

Massie's mouth instantly grew dry. Standing in front of her were the Briarwood boys, the boys who used to make fun of her not long ago. There was Cam Fisher, Chris Plovert, Josh Hotz, Kemp Hurley, and the dreaded Derrick Harrington, the brown haired boy.

"The guys are back from their game!" Claire announced.

Silently, Massie choked back a scream. While all the other girls were flipping their hair and batting their eyelashes, Massie sat there, frozen to the white leather couch. She couldn't move her body. Her arms and legs were numb. She swallowed and if felt like swallowing sandpaper.

"Alicia, can I talk to you in the kitchen?"

"But Massie, the boys just got here…"

Massie stood up and roughly grabbed Alicia's arm. "Let's go."

Alicia made a face. "Ouch. You're hurting me."

Once they were in the kitchen, Massie released Alicia's arm. Alicia rubbed the spot where Massie's hand had been just moments ago, a sour pout on her lips. "What the hell?" She whined.

"Did you invite those boys?" Massie whispered angrily. She glanced over into the living room again, and saw that the guys had already made themselves comfortable.

Alicia shrugged. "Yeah. They got here before you, but they went to play soccer so you missed them when you got here."

"Why would you invite them?" Massie was growing nervous. She couldn't stand being in the same house as the people who ruined her childhood.

Alicia tapped her feet on the ground impatiently. "Calm down, Massie. They're just boys. All we're gonna do is hang out. That's it. Nothing more."

Massie's eyes grew cold. "You know I don't like them, Leesh! Did you invite them here to purposely ruin my summer?"

"Massie, this summer isn't all about you," Alicia rolled her eyes. "Besides, you're hot now. They can't do anything. We've got your back."

Massie released the breath she had been holding ever since she laid eyes on the boys. "Thanks, Alicia. But Derrick's here. You have no idea how much I hate Derrick."

"We know. And honestly, the rest of us girls don't like him that much either after what he has done to you. But we had to invite him if we were going to invite all of his friends."

Massie closed her eyes and breathed deeply. "I guess you had no choice."

Alicia placed both hands on Massie's shoulders and shook her hard, forcing the brunette to open her eyes in shock. "You're going to have fun. I promise, okay? You're going to have the best summer of your boring ass life."

All Massie could do was stare at Alicia as her brain tried to wrap itself around what the Spanish girl was saying.

"You know," Alicia nudged Massie with her elbow. "Maybe you can finally get your chance with Cam this summer."

Massie blinked as she registered what Alicia was saying. Then, she smiled sadly. "I sure hope so."

"Then what are you waiting for? Operation 'get Cam to like Massie' starts now." Alicia gave Massie a gentle push back into the living room.

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"Who knew the beach could be so fun?" Dylan sighed as the girls stumbled back onto the Rivera property.

"Man, I don't know about you, but learning to surf is the hardest thing I've ever done. I think it has drained every ounce of energy I have. I'm going to bed. Night," Claire said as she walked away.

Kristen rubbed her temples. "Too much to drink. I feel the pounding of an on-coming hangover. I'm going to sleep too. Goodnight, girls." She staggered after Claire into the guest house they were sharing.

"I'm gonna chill and watch some TV," Alicia announced as she opened the patio door of her house. "Try not to mess up our room too much while I'm not there." She said to Dylan, who nodded and tripped up the stairs.

"Uh, Alicia," Massie poked her friend in the back.

"Hm?" Alicia answered, her eyes glued to the show that was playing on her giant TV.

Massie shifted uncomfortably. "Who am I rooming with?"

"Um, I think you have the other guest house to yourself. It's the one to the left. I picked the best one for my best friend." Alicia's voice grew silent as she became engrossed with a movie playing on the television.

Massie smiled even though Alicia couldn't see. "Thanks, Leesh. You're the best. I'll see you in the morning."

She headed back outside and heard a faint "night" coming from Alicia in the living room.

Slowly, Massie walked along the path towards the beach house to the left. She was kind of glad that she was getting a room to herself. It was going to give her some time to think, alone. That was exactly what she needed at the moment. Some time to think and gather her thoughts all by herself, with no one to disturb her.

Smoothly, the unlocked front door opened and Massie stepped inside the big guest house. It wasn't as fancy as the main house, but it was a very nice living place none-the-less. Massie headed up the spiraling staircase with her hand trailing on the wooden railing. She would explore more of this house in the morning.

Suddenly, she heard music coming from a room upstairs. Massie froze. There was someone else in this house? She thought she was going to be alone.

Stepping on the balls of her feet, Massie walked up the rest of the stairs and approached the closed door with a sliver of yellow light escaping through the crack on the bottom. With a shaking hand, Massie grasped the metal handle and opened the door quickly.

There, sitting on the bed with no shirt on, was none other than Derrick Harrington. His eyes were closed as he bounced to the loud rap music.

Massie screamed.

Derrick's eyes flew open.

"What the fuck?" Massie yelled as she stared at the extremely attractive boy sitting in front of her. Hot red hatred flashed before her eyes as she stood there, unable to move. The room was spinning in tight circles and Massie was trapped in its never ending rotation. She suddenly felt as if she was a part of a horror movie that had no happy ending. Alicia was going to hear some very angry words from her tomorrow morning.

His brown eyes widened as he realized who was standing in his doorway. "What the fuck is right."

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Note: So? What do you guys think? It's a little different from what I'm used to writing, but I kind of like where I'm going with this. I hope you guys do too. Read and review please!