C H A P T E R O N E

summary: We're all abit weird, nobody is normal...and it's okay to be yourself...right?

Paige Darling was always content with the weirdo that she was...she wasn't popular, or smart or rebellious...she just existed and was perfectly content with that kind of fate.

Then she got shoved into the big scandalous web that is popularity, into the life of the extraordinary...into a secret that will end only in heartbreak.

It all started with an invitation to Alex MacGregor's party.

Paige Darling never expected an invite. But she'd been paired up with Freddie Hunt all year for Chemistry, and Paige liked to think that the pair had formed somewhat of a friendship over the past year.

"I dunno!" Paige shrugged regretfully after handing the shockingly good looking blond back his yearbook, "I'm a pretty busy lady." She joked grinning as excitement began to rise in the pit of her stomach, Friday nights she'd become quite accustomed to sitting in front of the television with a cup of tea enjoying the friday night lineup, one show in particular 'Downton Abbey' managed to keep her constantly on the edge of her seat.

Freddie chuckled as he read her quote, which said 'Lev-ee-oh-sah!'. A nod to one time in Chemistry when the pair got into an argument over how to say the made up word from Harry Potter. Paige was very insistent that 'One must cast any spell from Harry Potter as one would in the movies...with an british accent.'

"What could be more important than the hottest party of the year with the coolest people you'll ever meet?" Freddie teased leaning against a locker as Paige shrugged chuckling,

"It's not that I don't want to go." Paige started, as she continued stuffing the last of her lockers contents in her bag, "It's just that a great night for me involves pyjamas, a cup of tea and either a good book, a good television show, or a good cd." Paige then shut her locker and faced Freddie with a shrug, "I wouldn't really know what to do at a party except stand around feeling awkward."

"Then I'll simply have offer you my services as a Party Animal extraordinaire." Freddie decided as he grabbed her bag off her and slung it over his shoulder, Paige tried not to look to alarmed at the gesture and simply followed him as he began to walk through the emptying school hallway, "Once you've been to a party with me, you're quiet nights at home will be over."

"I happen to like my quiet nights at home thank you very much." Paige assured him,

"Come to the party. You're friends Briar and Lo will be there."

Paige nodded slowly knowing that Freddie wouldn't give this up, "I guess I could go if Lo is going. Yeah that'll be fun. She justt got her license too so I guess that's maybe my night sorted." Paige began to rant as she processed her thoughts outloud, stopping when she noticed Freddie begin to chew his lip.

A pensive look appeared on his face and Paige felt herself begin to worry as he stood and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Well, actually...I was thinking we could maybe..." Freddie started, running a hand through his shaggy blonde locks, "...well, maybe we could go...together?"

Paige stared at him blankly and tilted her head,

'Surely he can't be suggesting?'

"Like with Briar and Lo too right?" Paige asked as Freddie took a step towards her and bit his lip,

"No..." Freddie said tucking a lock of hair behind Paige's ear, "...I mean like...just you and I."

This was the moment Paige died from cardiac arrest.

Let's start from the very beginning.

Freddie Hunt is one of the most popular guys to attend Greybridge Preparatory College. Now to be part of the popular crew, one needed three essential traits. The first of these being money.

Paige wasn't entirely sure about the details that made Freddie's family rich, but he did once boast to her that his family was so rich that if he wanted, he could just live of his parents fortune until he died and still leave something for his grandchildren to inherit.

His fortune was also apparent in the car that he drove, the house that he lived in and the clothes that he wore, which now brings us to the second trait...Looks.

Freddie possessed his mothers movie star looks. A dazzling bright smile that could lighten up the coldest heart. A shock of shaggy honey blonde hair, that was always perfectly styled. Big sapphire eyes that were framed by long dark lashes that could trap the beholder in a hypnotising trance. Then there was his body. Freddie was the new starting Quarterback for the Greybridge Direwolf Football team, which guaranteed a body teaming with rippling muscles.

The final trait that one required in order to possess popularity at Greybridge Prep, was friends...afterall, it's not what you know its who you know.

Freddie's family was well known. His Father was a good guy who not only donated annually to local charities but also volunteered at local shelters, whereas his Mother used her former fame to promote many of the towns fundraiser events. Then there was his older brother Flynn who'd created somewhat of a legacy for himself at Greybridge Prep. Considered the Mother Teresa of Greybridge, Flynn was loved by everybody.

Freddie was best friends with the other two most popular guys at Greybridge. Alex MacGregor, a green eyed brunette who Paige believed to be possessed by Satan, and Jamie Hawkins, a grey eyed blond who spent so much time in the sun, Paige often wondered if he had solar panels hiding underneath his flesh.

The three of them had been friends since Middle School and everyone was wondering if they would continue on to the same college together. Well everyone except for Paige…she had many more exciting things to think about.

Where Freddie, Alex and Jamie made up a large portion of Greybridge Preps social pyramid, Paige and her friends made up a small portion of the bottom.

But we'll get to that later.

"I- I- I-..." Paige stuttered, big brown eyes staring up at Freddie in shock as his demeanor became slightly more rigid. Paige returned to earth with a cough before attempting some form of a sentence, "Uh oh, uh...what?"

"Oh god." Freddie muttered under his breath as he looked away slightly embarassed before heaving a huge sigh and chuckling nervously. The insecurity that the jock displayed before Paige was beginning to freak her out as much as the fact that he'd asked her to go to his friends party with him. All actions that were very uncharacteristic for the most popular guy at Greybridge.

"Listen...we've been chemistry partners all year, and I don't know about you...but I've really enjoyed getting to know you." His eyes seemed to darken slightly as he went on, causing Paige to take a step back as he took a step forward, "I was hoping that over summer...we could keep getting to know more about each other."

Paige bit her lip and frowned in confusion, her brain trying to calculate what exactly this meant.

He'd shown absolutely no interest in her prior...or at least none that she'd noticed. Typically he was the exact guy that she should be crushing on and for a while in Middle School she did fancy him for a bit. You'd have to be blind otherwise. Freddie and his friends were just what Paige assumed as untouchable, especially considering that in order to get one of them to notice you, one was required to resemble a Barbie doll.

Was this some game? A bet? She knew his friends were jerks, but why would they want to humiliate her. Paige was a good person, kind to all creatures big and small. She needed to know what his true intentions were and decided that the friendzone was were he was destined for now.

"Oh like as in friends right?" Paige said as Freddie's eyes widened in surprise before he chuckled in response,

"Well I guess that's a start!" Freddie said flashing her his own heart melting grin,

Paige flashed him her on cheerful smile, "Why didn't you just say so? Yeah that'd be fine. Does that mean Briar and Lola can ride with us." she then asked, effectively friendzoning the beautiful blonde adonis.

"Uh...I think they were happy to take themselves." Freddie quickly said before pulling out his iPhone, "What's your address?"

"64 Mulberry Grove." Paige said as she checked the time on her watch, noting that her bus would arrive in 5 minutes, "Listen, I've got to go catch my bus."

Freddie nodded and handed over her backpack, as he quickly keyed in something on his phone before chucking it back into his pocket, his yearbook still in his otherhand but a massive smile brightening his features.

"I promise you're going to have an amazing time." Freddie said following Paige as she began to head towards the exit of the school hallway, "I'm not drinking, but if you want to there'll be plenty available. Alex always has killer parties."

"Is there a dress code? As in like...costumes?" Paige asked earning a chuckle from Freddie,

"You're friend Briar asked the same thing. No it's not." Freddie said,

"That's a shame. I've got my eye on this Mary Poppins costume at Costume Palace." Paige said before catching the look on Freddie's face, and chuckling "I'm kidding. I'm kidding!" she laughed.

She wasn't.

Shrugging her shoulders she glanced at Freddie and bit her lip, as she came to a stop outside the bus stop, "Why do you want to suddenly like get to know me?" she asked voicing her worries, "Is this some kind of bet with your friends?"

Freddie's eyes widened in shock as if the idea had never crossed his mind and that gave Paige a miniscule amount of relief, "A bet?" He said before shaking his head, "I know you have every right to be suspicious Paige. Especially after all the crazy stunts Alex and Jamie pull." He then stepped closer an earnest look on his face, "But I'm not like that. When I play...I play for keeps!"

The erratic beating in Paige's chest began up again, as she looked shyly away, hoping he wouldn't notice the blush colouring her cheeks. Relieved as her bus pulled up. Paige stepped passed him looking back and smiling at him,

"I'll see you tomorrow then." she said cheerfully feeling butterflies flutter in her stomach as Freddie sent her a heartmelting smile, before showing the driver her pass and headed towards an empty seat.

She never thought in a million years that the first guy to ask her out would be Freddie Hunt. She'd always set her sights low, crushing on her fellow science nerds, Rory Chang or Ankit Sandeep, dreaming someone funny would ask her out like Owen Cleaver, the Class Clown. For along time, she'd harbored a crush on drama nerd James Evers, after he'd won her heart in the schools production of The Phantom of the Opera.

There were plenty of other decent guys at Greybridge to hold her attention.

She never expected one of the Untouchables attention.

As soon as she got home, she ran to her bedroom and shrieked in excitement. Freddie Hunt was easily, the hottest guy she'd ever laid eyes on. Paige stared at herself in the mirror a huge grin on her face, before her eyes made contact with a polaroid of her and Harry Styles from a signing she went to a couple of weeks ago.

Though Harry, Niall, Liam, Zayn and Louis made a good first equal.

"Freddie Hunt wants to get to know me!" she exclaimed to Harry in disbelief. She stared at the polaroid of Harry Style's laying a big fat wet one on her cheek, before her hand moved to that same cheek with a sigh. Momentairily forgetting about Freddie.

Harry had called her 'Beautiful' after Paige told him her favorite One Direction joke and it took everything Paige had in her not to scream in Harry's face at the compliment, unlike her friend Briar who screamed everytime each member greeted her personally and gave her a hug. She was especially glad she didn't cry like her friend Lo, who was sobbing like a baby. Her childhood BFF Oakley was there too, all day he'd been acting too cool about the event, but the girls couldn't help but laugh as Oakley excitedly asked for a photo with the British hotties, jumping up and down with glee when they all agreed and joined him in a sing a long of 'Kiss You'.

Paige sighed at the memories. It had been the best day of her life, made even greater when Harry called her 'Beautiful'.

She stared at herself in the picture again. She'd made a big effort to look super hot that day. Usually Paige was content make up free in a hoody and jeans, but Paige couldn't meet One Direction dressed like a hobo.

So she begged her father to take her shopping, a request that Callum Darling was happy to adhere to since he'd never heard such a request from his daughter's lips, before Paige dragged him all over the Emerald Gate Mall, looking for outfits that emulated her favorite popstars which included Jade from Little Mix, Camila from Fifth Harmony, Lana Del Rey, Demi Lovato and most recently model Cara Delevigne.

The biggest mistake Callum made that day was leaving his daughter in possession of his credit card while he checked his email in the foodcourt, as she brought herself an entire new wardrobe and make up.

Luckily instead of forcing her to take everything back, Callum had decided that she was to spend the entire summer at her Grandparents helping out at their farm.

But we'll get to that later.

On the day Paige Darling met One Direction she'd chosen to wear a white with blue polka dots sleeveless blouse with a black peter pan collar, high waisted dark teal pleated shorts, skin colored stockings to hide the bruise she'd gotten the day before from tripping over in the cafeteria, and mint colored chuck taylors. Countless amounts of data was spent looking over youtube tutorials over how to perfect the wing technique with liquid eyeliner, she'd even learnt how to style her dark hair just like Jade from Little Mixes, loving how cute her hair looked in her father's gaudy bumblebee striped bowtie.

And it was all worth it to hear Harry Style's call her beautiful and then proceed to land a big wet one on her cheek.

For two weeks her confidence had been soaring. Kid's at school continued to compliment her new look (even though she thought she just looked normal) and stood in rapturous wonder when she bragged about the photo, and as Paige stared between the photo and her reflection in the mirror, she couldn't help the giggle that escaped from her mouth as she switched on her stereo and began dancing around her room, thinking

'If I'd known that a couple of new clothes and a bit of make up would get Freddie Hunt interested in me...I would have dressed like this aaages ago.'

If she knew what would happen that summer, maybe she would rethink that statement.

a/n: summary is a bit ambiguous.

probs lots of errors

I have no idea what's going to happen.

And now I have that Ellie Goulding song 'Anything Could Happen' in my head....must be time to go sing some youtube karaoke.

R & R (but be gentle....I'm sensitive :'( lol)

xo