I sighed. First day of school and I was the new one. I twisted my head and looked out the school bus window. It was beautiful here in Coconut Cove, Florida. Suddenly the bus went silent. I was wondering why when I heard a voice. "What's your name, Desert Girl?" a menacing, yet somewhat stupid voice snarled. I rolled my eyes before turning around.

"Lily. What's yours?" I asked. The big kid glared at me before shoving me.

"Dana. Now where'd you come from?"

"Arizona. But I must admit, the change is different. This is hot, but it's a humid heat, not a dry heat." I answered. I heard a nervous chuckle from several rows behind me. Dana twisted around and glared, and the kid shut up.

"So I was right. You are from the desert, Desert Girl." Dana said menacingly. I nodded.

"Have ya ever met a friend from the west coast, Desert Girl?" Dana said. I was confused.

"Yeah, I got friends over there." I said, since that seemed like the most logical answer. It turned out to be the wrong one.

"What I meant, Desert Girl, was do you recognize anyone on this bus?"

I glanced around before shrugging. "No. Should I?" A tiny gasp came from a few rows over, probably from the same kid who had laughed.

Dana shoved me against the school bus window. "Stop bein' smart, if ya know what's good for ya." I wouldn''t give him the satisfaction of whimpering. Suddenly I saw this kid. Running. Faster than anyone I'd ever seen before. Well, except for me. I watched him. Dana whisper-snarled in my ear, "Ya had enough?"

"Yeah." I said impatiently. Dana let me go as some more kids came on the bus. Suddenly a blackish-brown haired kid thumped down next to me. He looked at me.

"You get the Dana Matherson welcome?" He whispered. I nodded. "Tough luck. Don't worry, he'll forget about you, sooner or later. What's your name?"

"Lily. What's your name?" I asked.

"Roy. You're new here, right? Where'd you come from?" Roy asked me curiously.

"I'm from Arizona. But before that, we lived in Oregon, Washington, Utah and Montana." I said.

"You've been to Montana?" Roy asked excitedly.

"Yeah. Been all over half the country now." I answered.

"What state has been your favorite?" Roy asked.

I hesitated, thinking. "I liked all the states I've lived in. Perhaps Montana, or Washington." I said.

"I used to live in Montana. In fact, last semester I moved here. Dana-" Roy chuckled, "doesn't like me very much. So hang out with me-" Roy cut off as the bus lurched to a halt. A blond haired girl sat down on the row across from us. "So as I was saying, hang out with me, or Beatrice, if she'll let you, and Dana will leave you alone."

"Who's Beatrice?" I asked. He nodded towards the blond haired girl that sat down. "Ohhh." I nodded. "Gotcha." Beatrice looked like she could beat anyone up.

"Dana won't mess with her." Roy whispered. Suddenly a blond haired boy sat down in the row in front of Beatrice. "Hey, Garrett!" Roy gave the newcomer a high five.

"Who's he?" I asked Roy.

"Garrett. My best friend. He can do all sorts of stuff," Roy got cut off.

"I can do phony farts. If you want, I'll do the-" Garrett said enthusiastically, before getting cut off by Roy.

"Some other time. But hey, I'll swing by your house later on..." Roy continued on. I ignored them and turned my attention to the window. Where was that fast running boy? I peered out the dirty window. I couldn't see him.

"Hey, what are you looking at?" A voice cut in. I turned my attention back to Roy. I mentally shook my head to clear it.

"Sorry, what were you saying?" I asked.

"I said that it was time to go. We're at school now." Roy explained.

"Oh, okay." I grabbed my backpack and headed for the door, following Roy, who was enthusiastically talking with Garrett. Roy turned back to me.

"The first class is Math." Roy said, continuing on, "Follow me and I'll show you to the classrooms." I nodded.

Later, at lunch ~ "Hey. I have a question." I said to Roy. I'd been following him and Garrett around for the classes leading up to lunch.

"Hmmm?" Roy asked.

I took a deep breath before asking, "I seen this kid this morning on the school bus. Well, he wasn't on the bus, I was on the bus, and then I saw him run by. I haven't seen him here, so I figured I'd ask someone." I gulped in a breath before rushing on, "He was running like crazy. He was faster than anyone I'd ever seen before."

Roy tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I don't know who he is. I seen him last semester, but I never saw him actually here at school. I tried following him, but all that happened was I got hit in the head by a golf ball. I kept trying to find him, but I never actually got past the golf course. Something always kept coming up. Like my mother would send me a text, asking me where I was at and when would I be home. Or the golfers would chase me off, saying that if I didn't have a pass to be there, and neither of my parents did, I couldn't be there. They got a lot stricter after I was hit in the head by the golf ball. They had to call my parents after they dug through my backpack trying to find some sort of identity." He chuckled at the thought.

I made a mental note: golf course. I finished up my lunch, and I mentally prepared myself for more somewhat boring classes.

That night ~ "Well, how was your day at school?" My mom asked.

"Interesting. The style now is apparently short shorts and tank tops. But aside from that, the actual classes weren't very interesting." I said.

"Oh well. Maybe tomorrow will be better." My dad said, chipper for being at work so long. My mom was seemingly just as cheerful. I sighed quietly. My parents said good night, and I turned off my bedroom lamp. I listened to the night sounds, still trying to adjust to how noisy, yet quiet it was. I dozed off, and dreams claimed my sleep.

•—•—•—•••—•—•—•

Hi! I hope you liked my newest fanfic! It's based off of the book and the movie HOOT. I twisted it a bit so that Roy hasn't met Mullet Fingers yet, and the golfers got more strict with their rules. Lily moved from Montana to Utah, Utah to Oregon, and Oregon to Arizona, and finally, Arizona to Coconut Cove, Florida. She isn't a typical girl, as you'll all soon find out.

PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW! They are greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Katie ~

By the way, check back soon for more chapters!