Olivia and Josephine were having lunch on the large second-floor terrace, overlooking the beautiful stained glass dome of the small and historic St. Aquinas Church, which was connected to the school's main building. The landmark was otherwise concealed from view by the newer and taller adjoining school buildings surrounding it.

The terrace was full of chatting students in uniforms. Girls in pleated skirts, and boys wearing striped ties in the school colors, enjoyed the sun while sitting at the many round limestone tables and benches scattered about an old three-tier Roman fountain.

Josephine, a tall skinny girl with wide hips and long features, was the only one at school whom Olivia really talked to. And in that sense, she thought of her as a friend. But if she had to be completely honest, they didn't have much in common, and therefore rarely saw each other outside of school.

They were discussing a book from their summer reading list when Roxie came over and sat down at their table as if it was an everyday occurrence. This was not the case. During the week, Olivia had mostly seen Roxie hanging around with a group of girls everyone referred to as the Fashionistas because all they ever talked about was fashion and their next 'must-have' items.

Both Olivia and Josephine stopped their conversation and looked at Roxie with mild surprise.

"Hi." Roxie smiled at them, not taking any notice of their stunned silence, and opened a bottle of water. "The Amelias told me I needed to speak with you if I want to be on the Social Committee because you're Student Body President?" She looked at Josephine, taking a drink.

The majority of the school's students had been surprised when Josephine was named President over Claire Chang, a competitive overachiever who had started the rumor that Josephine only got elected because her father was a teacher at the school. Chang was probably right, but Olivia would never admit so much to Josephine.

"Oh, yes. Right." Josephine nodded, pushing her long braided ponytail of ash-brown hair behind her shoulder.

"I would like to get involved with any school events that come up," Roxie explained further, grabbing the fork for her mixed salad.

"Do you have any experience?" Josephine spoke with a slight lisp and looked at Roxie with probing gray eyes.

"Sure." Roxie nodded, chewing an olive. "I used to be on the Social Committee at one of my former schools, and I've done some other council work too." She pulled something from her messenger bag. "I've made a portfolio of my previous work." She handed over a black dossier.

"Oh." Josephine took the file with mild surprise, pleased all the same. "It seems you're serious about this." An approving smile graced her thin lips while she quickly looked through the papers. "I need to take it up with the council, of course, but I'm sure we can find you a position. We do need someone to handle ticket sales for the First Dance."

"I'll do that," Roxie volunteered without missing a beat. "So, are you two coming to the party at Claudia Banks'?" She looked at Olivia to include her in the conversation. "As I understand it, it's usually worth going."

That was a subtle way of putting it since it was all everyone at the school was currently talking about.

Every year, on the first weekend after the summer break, the Banks cousins held a party for only an exclusive group of students considered part of the in-crowd. It had been started by Claudia's and Rebecca's older brothers when they went to St. Aquinas themselves. And even though a lot of the students claimed it was stupid, most of them secretly hoped for an invitation. But just because you got invited one year didn't guarantee you a spot the following. If you didn't live up to certain criteria, you were out.

What exactly those criteria were, Olivia had no clue. She only knew she hadn't met them since she was only invited her freshman year—presumably because she bore the name Casini. But her parents wouldn't allow her to go, and she had never received another invitation.

Josephine had never even been invited and tried to sound like it wasn't a big deal, taking a bite of her carrot stick. "You're invited?"

"You aren't?" Roxie looked back and forth between them, feeling like she might have stepped on their toes.

"Um, no," Olivia answered.

"Oh, who cares?" Roxie waved her salad fork dismissively, a small tomato on its tines, trying to save her lapse. "Just show up anyway. Any real party always gets crashed," she said and popped the tomato in her mouth.

"It's okay. It's not really our scene," Olivia tried to discourage when Josephine sent her a look. "What?" Confusion crossed Olivia's face. They had long ago agreed how presumptuous the Banks party was.

"You know what." Josephine discreetly nodded her head at a table further ahead to their right. Olivia was painfully aware of which table she was hinting at. Josephine had caught her looking over at it repeatedly, unable to stop herself.

Roxie resolutely turned in her seat to have a look. The table that was alluded to was occupied by a group of senior guys sure to have been invited, including Ricky and Sebastian, who looked over that instant as if on cue. A smile spread on Sebastian's lips, meeting Roxie's gaze.

"Which one of them?" Roxie asked curiously, smiling with a gleam in her eye as she slowly turned back around, trying to hold Sebastian's gaze.

"No one. It's nothing," Olivia quickly declined, her cheeks gaining color while heat rose to her face, looking down at her half-eaten panini sandwich. She picked at the toasted bread, giving Josephine's leg a light push with her knee under the table to make her keep quiet.

Roxie lowered her voice slightly, continuing to smile curiously. "Is it Sebastian Whitener?"

Josephine shook her head and leaned over the table to Roxie and whispered. "Ricky Stark von Linden."

"Joey!" Olivia looked at Josephine in shock, her entire face burning hot with embarrassment and betrayal.

Normally, Josephine would have held her tongue, but ever since she started dating her crush, Blaine, she had been trying to get Olivia to own up to hers as well. It wasn't fair though. Blaine was considered an outsider, just like them. Josephine hadn't risked looking like a fool in front of the entire school if Blaine had turned her down. No one would have cared. But 'Clumsy Casini' trying to ask out Ricky Stark von Linden when everyone knew he was seeing Claudia Banks... It would make her an even greater laughingstock than she already was.

And then there was the whole issue with her parents' rule of 'no dating before graduating.'

Olivia got up from the bench exasperated, stumbling a little in her haste, and took her tray. Following the outer wall covered with ivy, save for the panoramic paned windows, she went inside the dining hall.

How could Josephine tell on her like that? And to someone, they didn't even know.

"Liv," Josephine called softly after her, turning on the bench. "I'm sorry."

"Olivia." Roxie caught up with her when she was throwing away the rest of her lunch, placing the empty tray on the pile next to the garbage can. "I'm not gonna say anything. I swear." Roxie gave Olivia a genuine look. "You wanna know something?" she then asked with a coy smile.

Olivia didn't really care but felt she had to be amiable with Roxie since she had defended and helped her on their first day—when she could just as easily have ignored her.

Still warm in the cheeks, Olivia nodded, pushing her glasses up her freckled nose, and followed Roxie when she waved her over to a more isolated area of the dining hall.

"The only reason why I asked if you like Whitener, is because I do." Roxie tried to suppress a smile, excitement lighting her dark eyes. "A lot," she added, and her smile broke free on her kind face.

Olivia smiled back politely, feeling a little better as Roxie shared something personal with her, though she still felt embarrassed and hurt Josephine had told on her.

"Whitener is a nice guy," she agreed, nodding some and looking down at her ring, twirling it around on her finger. "I mean, I don't really know him." She shrugged a shoulder. "But he's not pretentious like some of the others can be." Olivia looked at Roxie with earnest eyes. "He doesn't act like you're beneath him or anything. And he's really smart."

It was known throughout school that Sebastian had a genius-level IQ. If it weren't because he got high all the time and was sort of lazy, he would probably have been at Harvard by now, getting his doctoral degree.

"And he's hot," Roxie supplemented, her smile spreading into a grin.

Olivia couldn't help snickering a little at Roxie's boldness. "Sure. That too."

"So, Ricky..." Roxie smiled sweetly and nudged Olivia's arm.

Olivia felt her cheeks burn again. She looked shyly down at her hands, spinning her clover ring, staying quiet. She knew it was a cliché, falling for the attractive guy with a dubious reputation, but it wasn't like that.

Ricky hadn't started at St. Aquinas until their sophomore year. And during the Start of Term Quiz, Olivia and her team had been called up against his.

Predictably by any measure, Olivia tripped on the steps going up to the stage, making everyone in the auditorium snicker. Everyone except Ricky, who had been right behind her. Instead, he helped her up and asked if she was okay. He had then continued to stare at her for the duration of the questionnaire, smiling whenever their eyes met. It was then and there Olivia's heart started beating harder in her chest, stirring a warm and excited feeling in her body.

That was who she had fallen for; the handsome, kind, and caring guy smiling at her from across the stage. It wasn't until later Olivia heard the bad rumors about him, and by then, it was too late; he was already stuck in her head and had been ever since.

"There's no reason why someone like you couldn't be with a guy like him," Roxie said with an examining look at Olivia, tilting her head to one side. "I don't think you see yourself very clearly. I happen to think you're really pretty," Roxie complimented with a gentle smile, then wrinkled her little button nose. "You just need to get rid of those humongous glasses so that people can see your face and not just their own reflection. I mean, I would die for a body like yours, and with a bit of makeup... boys would be turning their heads for those brown doe eyes."

Roxie's words only made Olivia's entire face burn crimson, and all she wanted to do was hide in her hands. She wasn't used to getting complimented, and it made her feel out of place.

"He's seeing Claudia Banks," she mumbled barely above a whisper, unable to look up from her ever-twirling ring. "So, it's moot." She shook her head.

Roxie looked thoughtful for a moment. "Tell you what. You're gonna come over to my house one of these days, and I'll give you a complete makeover. It's not for nothing fashion is my religion." She smiled. "You need a change in attitude, and I, as it just so happens, find that the best way to do that, is to feel good about the way you look." She gave a small satisfied nod. "And who knows, maybe Ricky will forget all about Claudia Banks." She gave Olivia a crooked grin, her dark thinly-shaped eyebrows raised, turning away when she could tell Olivia was about to argue.

"That's a deal then!" she called over her shoulder, walking away and leaving Olivia standing with all of her objections lingering on the tip of her tongue.