Steven wakes up and spends a few minutes looking quietly up at his ceiling. He glances over to his alarm clock and sees that it isn't set to go off for another six minutes. He's surprised to be awake so early, and reaches over to turn it off. He stands up, gets dressed, and as he opens his bedroom door he notices a smile on his face. He's surprised; he can't remember the last time he felt alright about going to school. He even feels a little excited. The wonder of it causes his smile to grow a little larger as he walks out of his room. When he gets to school Elizabeth isn't there, and his enthusiasm for the day quickly wanes. By the time he gets to science class and finds himself staring at her empty chair, he's thoroughly depressed. After assigning some work the teacher leaves the room, allowing the class to work in silence. Once he's gone everyone starts talking, but quietly enough so as not to draw the attention of any other teachers who might pass by. Steven glances around with a sigh and starts working quietly on his assignment. A few minutes later he hears Elizabeth's chair scrape across the floor and looks up to see her sitting down across from him. He smiles. "Hey, I didn't think you were coming." "I wasn't gonna," she says. "But something was bothering me about that talk we had about religion. I had to clarify myself some." Surprised, he says, "You came to school just for that?" "Well, I was coming anyway to meet Liam, but I came a little earlier so I could elaborate, yeah. I hate the idea of being misunderstood, and I was a little rash the other day. I didn't want you to think religion had gotten the best of me and I'd just thrown up my hands in an inability to understand. I kinda went off the hook, but that's not like me. I prefer to stay cold and calculating until I've beaten whatever I disagree with completely into the ground," she says with a grin. "Getting all theatrical about it doesn't do anyone any good." He settles in for one of her speeches, perfectly attentive, just glad that she's sitting in front of him. "Okay," he says. "What have you got?" "Two words," she answers, holding up two fingers. "Faith and spirituality. Religious people are always talking about them, and I think they've got it all wrong." He grins. "But you don't." "That's right. Spirituality to them is this mysterious thing, some feeling that can't be defined, some connection to something 'bigger', something other than oneself that helps them understand the mysteries of life. Well, I think that's a lot of bull. People may have that feeling of understanding things in a deeper sense than they can explain, but it's not coming from above, it's not coming from outside. It's coming from inside. It's their own brain that's guiding them, their subconscious, some part of their mind that's letting them in on things they don't consciously understand. But they're basically ignorant of the way their minds work, so they attribute it to something other than themselves, which is understandable. I mean, if they don't have the capacity to understand why they have these feelings or this knowledge they can't express, then of course they wouldn't know that it's coming from their own mind. But then it comes down to the problem of making shit up – if they don't know where this 'mystical' knowledge is coming from and figure that it must be coming from somewhere besides themselves, great, whatever, but when they decide that it's coming from a god and that they know why this god gave it to them and what it wants them to do, that's too far. Maybe they can't stand not knowing where their more abstract thoughts and ideas come from, so they make up the god, they make up the doctrines and they follow the dogma, it's not such a difficult process to understand, but I can't condone it. I mean, it's the twenty-first fucking century, there's no excuse for that kind of ignorance in this society. We're not living in grass huts, here. It's outdated, primitive philosophy. "So what people have to learn," she continues, "Is the idea of the spirituality of reason. There's no god guiding you, no deity holding your hand and helping you make sense of the world. It's your brain doing all those things. Reason is our tool for understanding the world, for unlocking the mysteries of life, not all this mystical shit. And you can have it without a religion. Spirituality and religion have nothing to do with each other. In fact, I think religion fucks spirituality up. Doing what you can to decipher existence, to achieve that feeling of belonging, of unity with the universe, that has nothing to do with religion. It's a personal thing, just you and your brain. No fucking middleman required." He looks at her happily, but makes no move to add any comment of his own. She watches him for a moment. "What I'm trying to get across is that dropping religion doesn't have to mean dropping your sense of spirituality, that sense of an inner light. All it means is understanding that it really is inner, not outer, not from heaven, not from god, it's you, and it can never grow if you don't understand that. In fact, it'll stay stunted for your entire life if it stays connected to a bunch of religious nonsense. But you don't have to lose it." She keeps watching him, and he gets the sense that she wants him to say something. "Alright, that's one down. So what about the other one?" Her eyes narrow slightly. "Are you really even paying attention to me?" "Of course! Spirituality, stunted by church, needs to be independent to grow. I'm with you." "Okay, then." She eyes him a little, then continues. "The second one, faith, is essentially the same thing. I see religious people clinging onto it, not wanting to let it go because without it they'd have nothing. It's the only thing that's holding their fucked up lives together. But it doesn't have anything to do with religion, either. There's nothing fundamentally wrong with faith, it's having faith in things that make no sense that causes problems. Just like connecting spirituality to some made up bullshit, having faith in that made up bullshit is gonna fuck you up too. If you're gonna have faith, it's gotta be in logical stuff. Take me for instance." She gestures to her chest and his eyes move momentarily to her breasts, but he shoots them immediately back to her face and mentally scolds himself. She doesn't seem to notice. "I've got faith in my own abilities, faith in the idea that humanity will pull it all together someday and really live up to the amazing beings we could be, but I have reasons. I can explain why I have faith in myself, it's not like having faith in a god or an afterlife or some other bullshit I've got no reason for believing in the first place. All of the things I have faith in, that I believe in have got a basis in my past experiences, in the things I know. I take the things I've learned and the ideas I've had and project them into the future as a possibility, as something that could come about, something that could really happen someday. But I need a reason for thinking they might, I can't just make stuff up. Religious beliefs, on the other hand... where did they come from? What kind of basis does anyone have for believing them? All they've got is the assurances of other people, passed on for thousands of years, and when you bring it right down to the base, right to the beginning, you know where it all started? With some guy who claimed that he spoke with god, that god told him stuff, when all he was talking to was his own mind. "So that's why faith and belief both make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I'm not saying you can't have them, but you have to be careful with them. You have to have some reason for them. They always have to come second, after the gathering of data, after the hypothesizing, after the idea. Then, if whatever you think seems likely enough, if it seems possible, then of course you're going to have some faith in it, or some hope that it'll come true. Hope's another one, another word that's been mangled by those people. All three of them are a by-product of thought, decision and choice. They can't be the front line you use to face the world. Hollow faith isn't worth anything. It has to have something to back it up." She looks at him, and without being prompted he begins to summarize what she's just said. "Faith, hope and belief are derived from gathering information and integrating it into a reasonable theory, which to your understanding becomes a possible and logically attainable outcome which can be realistically worked toward. You don't have faith in random things which you can in no way validate or verify without the benefit of a huge leap in scientific method. Religion is a middleman which is in no way necessary to this process." Her expression positively glows, and he feels a sudden swell of pleasure fill his chest. "Yes, exactly!" she says as she leans across the desk, briefly taking his hands in hers as she beams. "I should get you as my condensing guy, to shorten my speeches down." She sits back in her chair, laughing. "You don't know how good that feels, to know that somebody really understood what I was talking about. Or that you can spit it back to me really well, at least. I can't tell sometimes if I'm just talking into a void or what." She smiles at him. "Good work!" He smiles back at her, feeling extremely glad. He's struck with the amazed thought that she's actually far easier to please than he suspected, and in his mind the possibilities of his future with her rapidly begin to increase. Jennifer goes over some history with the class, paraphrasing liberally from the textbook. Her glance moves occasionally to Jessica, who to her surprise follows along quietly and without comment. The class passes uneventfully, and the lunch bell rings. As the last few students leave the room Jennifer calls, "Liam!" He stops and turns toward her. "Yeah?" She stands up as the classroom empties and leans against her desk, gesturing for him to come over. "What's up?" he asks. "Nothing, just... well, we haven't seen much of each other lately." "Are you kidding?" He gives her an odd grin. "I see you every day." "I mean outside of class." She feels herself begin frowning and catches herself, smiling at him. "What are you doing for lunch today?" "Jen..." He looks away for a moment then turns back to her, his face completely earnest. "I think we should tone things down a little. There were always rumors about us, but lately they've been getting a lot worse. And they're all converging in one direction: The word is that you're close to getting fired. Not because of me so much as the way you run class. I think you should really try to pull things together." She sits in silence, stunned, and feels a slight flush of embarrassment in her cheeks. With a hint of disbelief in her voice she asks, "What? And since when do you pay attention to school gossip?" "I don't, usually," he says, looking away. "But this is different. This isn't bullshit, I think it's the truth. Things are conspiring against you." "Alright... I'll keep my eyes open, then. But that has nothing to do with us." She smiles and takes his hand, and he looks back at her. "Do you remember that day we drove out of town and spent the afternoon talking? I was thinking about it the other day, and I think that was my favorite day since I moved here. We hardly even knew each other, but we could talk to each other so easily. How often does that happen, that you can just talk to someone? Don't worry about what other people think. Let's just go somewhere, by ourselves." He can't help but feel some flattery and a small smile creeps onto his face, but he says, "I'm sorry, I really can't. I've already made plans to meet Elizabeth." "Well, okay..." she says, still touching his hand. "Do you two need a drive anywhere?" "Jen," he says, removing her hand gently from his. "The two of us are going to have lunch." He looks her directly in the eyes. "Alone." She's silent for a moment, and her eyes unfocus slightly. "Alright..." "I'll try to make it up to you sometime." He watches her for a moment, then says, "See you later." "...See you." He leaves the classroom and she sits carefully back in her chair, looking blankly across the room. Her eyebrows lower slightly as a frown forms on her face. A dark feeling grows inside her as she realizes what has just happened. She's been rejected. She can't even remember the last time that happened. A swell of anger explodes in her and she clenches her fists until it passes, then exhales slowly. Her mind still can't quite deal with the concept; rejection... He had rejected her. "Hey, I bought you something." Liam and Elizabeth sit on opposite sides of a table at a fast food restaurant; they've finished eating, and she chews idly on some leftover fries. "Oh yeah? What is it?" He reaches into his gym bag and pulls out a hastily wrapped object, handing it to her. "What's the occasion?" she asks. "Nothing, I just felt like getting you something." She unwraps it and finds an umbrella covered with a cartoon raindrop pattern. He grins. "You like it?" "Yeah... it's... great." He laughs and she smiles at him, then slides out of her seat to sit next to him. "I'll use it everyday," she whispers as she leans over to kiss him on the cheek. He smiles as she lays her head against him. "Hey," he says, "you haven't been leaving poems in my locker, have you?" "Me?" She pulls her head back to look at him. "No." "I didn't think so. It's weird, I've found a couple so far. I didn't think anything of it at first, but it's getting a little strange." "Think you've got a secret admirer?" "I don't know." He raises an eyebrow. "Maybe." "Keep the next one, I wanna see what it says." "Sure." He reaches over and picks up her umbrella. "Now let me show you how this umbrella works..." She smiles and lays her head back against his shoulder. Hillary stands with Evan in the park, beside the light woods that separate it from the school. She watches him, feeling a little unsure of herself. "So why did you want me to come out here, anyway?" He looks slowly around their surroundings, his hands in his pockets, before his gaze finally rests on her. "Hillary, I'm gay." She's not really surprised, but feels a touch of coldness pass across her stomach. "So? What does that have to do with me?" "It complicates things. There are people who don't take well to the idea. It makes them uncomfortable. I want you to hang around with me, like a girlfriend, so people won't question me. I think I made a few mistakes, and I want to cover them. I could never do this before, but nobody in this town knows me yet. They've got no reason to suspect that I'm a homosexual. I think it'll work out quite well, to help me work my way into a more tractable position. And you were attracted to me already, so this way we both get what we want." She looks away and frowns slightly. "You want us to be a couple?" "On the surface, yes." "That's not really the kind of relationship I had in mind." "Maybe not. But I didn't just choose you because you were available. You said you were only interested in me because of my looks. You admitted that you knew nothing about me. I can respect that." She glances at him quizzically. "You admire beauty," he says. "You admit how important it is. I can't stand people who claim that it isn't important. Beauty dictates the decisions of the entire world. All attraction between people, at a fundamental level, is based on physical beauty." "No it isn't." "Yes, it is. People don't admit it, they make up reasons why they've settled with whoever they've settled with, but deep down they always want someone more beautiful. It doesn't make sense and it isn't necessarily fair, but I don't lie to myself about it. I want to possess beauty, and everything else is secondary. I know you feel it too, and if you help me get what I want you'll have what you want. You'll have me. Look at me." She looks at his eyes, and he smiles at her. "You feel it, don't you?" he asks. "You want to be with me. You don't even know why, the same way I don't know exactly why I want the people I want. But I want them, and the difference between the successful and the unsuccessful is how hard they pursue their goals. You're not unattractive, and I can show you how to exploit your image, how to use it to have the people you want near you. You should never have to settle with being with anyone less than whoever it is you really want." Applying that logic to their situation, she glances down and smiles to herself.

He puts an arm around her. "I know it's somewhat unusual, but trust me. This will work out for the best, for both of us. We'll have to get our stories straight as to how we met, for your friends. I'll tell them that I thought you were the most beautiful girl in the world and had to have you; you'd be surprised at how much that will increase your standing at this school, when word gets around" He doesn't actually know if it will or not, but at this point she seems to believe anything he decides to say to her. He doesn't feel any direct attraction to her, but the way she moves into his arms, how she holds herself against him without hesitation gives him a certain satisfaction. Just more proof of how right he is, he thinks to himself. How much beauty really does sway people. "So who is it?" she asks him quietly. "Hm?" "Who's the boy?" He grins as he glances up at the sky. "I'll tell you some other time." Walking hand in hand away from the restaurant, Liam and Elizabeth are stopped by a girl younger than them who has silver sparkles on her face and hair, as well as some basic makeup. "Excuse me," she asks. "Do you have the time?" "Sure," Liam says, checking his watch. "It's quarter to one." The girl says "Thanks!" as she gives him a big smile, which he returns. He watches her as she walks away, and Elizabeth nudges him lightly with her elbow. "Come on," Elizabeth says. "She couldn't have been older than fourteen." "Yeah, but she was cute." He looks at her. "You should try wearing sparkles sometime." She rolls her eyes a little. "Yeah, right. Jailbait Elizabeth, that's me." He grins. "Don't act like you're never attracted to people you meet on the street." "Not the way you are, you lech. Sometimes I see people I feel drawn to right away, but it's always because somehow they're displaying some backbone, some independence of thought. It's kind of surprising how easily they stand out sometimes, you can tell them just by the way they react to ordinary stuff. You can always tell someone who knows how to look after themselves above and beyond the capacity of an average person. But I don't see people like that too often, and I don't want to get naked with every girl I meet like some people I know." "Be fair. It's not just girls." "What?" He smiles and says, "I find some males attractive too." A little surprised, she says, "In a sexual way?" Glancing at her slyly he says, "No, it's not the same as with girls. But sometimes I'll see a guy and imagine myself unbuttoning his shirt, then kissing his chest, then running my hands through his hair..." She's silent, watching him, her eyes wide. He bursts out laughing. "Hahaha! Man! Who'd have thought the worldly Elizabeth would be such a prude?" "It's not that, it's just that's the last thing I ever expected any straight guy to admit." She shoots him a glance. "And how can you say that's not sexual?" "I was just playing with you. There are guys I find attractive, but it's more casual. It doesn't have that same sense of urgency, that overwhelming importance that attraction to girls has. I don't see what's so weird about it. Don't you ever feel attracted to other girls?" "No," she says. "I really don't." He shrugs a little and puts his hands in his pockets, saying, "You just haven't met the right girl."