Hey, folks! This story comes from a gifset I made for tumblr. Those who follow me there probably know what I'm talking about. Anyway, this is just a fun, little story I decided to write. This is rated M for later chapters ;)

A reminder, this is AU. Anything can happen.

Disclaimer: Don't own Grey's or its characters. It's all in good fun!

Ten years had passed since Seattle Grace Academy's class of 2003 graduated and moved on to better – or worse – opportunities. Some attended college, others jumped straight into the real world and found jobs. Everybody followed their own paths whether it led to success or failure. Now that their 10-year reunion had arrived, many people were curious to find out what happened to their classmates – who was rich or poor, alive or dead, happy or depressed. The reunion would reveal who changed the most or stayed the same.

For Jackson Avery, he was eager to return to his former hometown and see his old friends. A popular student-athlete at the academy, everybody knew his name. Captain of the varsity football team, the basketball team and the track team. Homecoming and Prom King during his senior year. An honor roll student. A gorgeous face that all of the girls worshipped, the appealing charisma that even the teachers had adored. He had it all. Big man on campus.

And he became an even bigger familiar face in college and beyond. A star wide receiver at UCLA, Jackson was drafted in the first round of the NFL draft by the San Francisco 49ers after declaring early following his junior season. He had grown to become a fan favorite nationally. Football experts dubbed him the second coming of Jerry Rice. Like in high school, everyone knew his name in the fantasy football world.

But for one weekend, he just wanted to be Jackson Avery. Not the superstar athlete, just Jackson. It wasn't going to be easy keeping a low profile considering he was returning to his hometown of five years. Prior to that, he had lived in Boston until his parents decided to relocate across the country for better job opportunities. His father was a lawyer and his mother was a doctor who operated her own private practice. Both of them had hoped he would follow one of their footsteps, but he always wanted to become a professional athlete.

From what he had heard, the majority of his class would be attending the reunion. Over the years, he had lost touch with his close group of friends, so he was looking forward to seeing them. While he had made numerous friends through teammates and famous celebrities, none of them understood him the way his high school buddies did. Nobody ever tried to outrank each other. They were all balanced with different personalities. He blamed himself for not making a better effort in staying in touch with them. Busy schedules made it difficult, but that was no excuse in his mind.

Reunion weekend consisted of two events – a so-called "Re-Meet & Greet" at the Emerald City Bar, which consisted of classmates reacquainting themselves with old friends while getting drunk in the process, and the formal reunion dinner in the academy's gymnasium where awards would be presented. The dinner also served as another excuse to be intoxicated all over again.

Dressed in a dark grey suit accompanied with a purple tie, Jackson casually entered the bar after retrieving his name tag from a table by the door. It had been shut down exclusively for his graduating class and he instantly recognized some faces, mostly former teammates of his. Unsurprisingly, eyes quickly dodged towards his direction when other people noticed his presence. Just what he needed, his peers staring at him like he was a god. Despite all of the attention he received, he hated it. As much as he wanted to tell them all to knock it off, he couldn't. He refused to be that snooty, famous guy.

Because he was a humble man. His mother constantly reminded him that no matter how much money and attention he got, it was important to stay grounded. No one appreciated arrogant sports stars. Well, the ones who weren't shallow anyway.

"Avery! Hey, Pretty Boy, over here!" Alex Karev shouted from across the room, waving his hand.

Jackson laughed at hearing his old nickname resurface. He hadn't been called Pretty Boy in years. It had been at least two years since he last saw his best friend in person. He smiled as he approached Alex and greeted him with a quick handshake and a hug. "How's it goin', man?"

"Doing well, doing well." The Caucasian man proudly held up the beer bottle in his hand. "Dude, this shit is free!"

Alex freaking Karev. He and Jackson were each other's wingman since they met during freshman year. The two men had hit it off immediately because they shared a passion for sports. Starting linebacker on the football team, all-state in wrestling and a beast with the hammer throw. The only thing they hadn't shared in common was performance in the classroom. Unlike the pretty boy, he was a slacker, usually paying nerds to do his homework and papers for him.

Now, he was a police officer, working in the downtown precinct. Tackling crime and beating up on criminals for a living had always been his goal in life. He hoped to become a senior detective one day. Just as he and Jackson started a conversation, they were interrupted by his wife.

"Jackson! It's good to see you again," Izzie Karev, formerly Stevens, squealed in excitement. The blonde woman nearly pounced on her friend and hugged him tightly. "Did you just arrive?"

"Yeah. Can you believe it's been ten years since we graduated? I mean, twenty eight hardly screams old, but attending a high school reunion forces you to think otherwise," he quipped, sharing a laugh with the Karevs. "Alex and I were just catching up. How's your practice doing?"

Izzie was a core member of Jackson's group of friends and also Alex's high school sweetheart. Captain of the cheerleading squad and student council vice president. The night before graduation, the couple eloped – with Jackson as the lone witness, of course. Their parents were livid upon discovering their secret, but they managed to remain married for ten years, despite the weekly bickering that occurred between them. And the happy couple had two little children to call their own.

Aside from her husband, she also loved animals. Ever since she found an injured deer on the side of the road, Izzie wanted to become a veterinarian. Like Alex, she fulfilled her dream and started her own practice after working for another for two years.

"It's great. Business is doing well. We're really flourishing now," she gleefully replied.

Alex threw his free arm over his wife's shoulder and kissed her cheek. "Izzie's the best vet in Seattle," he gloated, eliciting an eye roll from the blonde. "What? You are."

"You're supposed to say that because you're my husband," she teasingly said, then she gently slapped Jackson's shoulder with the back of her hand. "Did you come here solo? You have to be seeing somebody, Avery."

Jackson pursed his lips, forcing a smile as he slowly shook his head. "Nope. There's nobody."

Even for an attractive man like him, finding a woman to love and spend the rest of his life with wasn't simple. Trust was a major issue for him because there were plenty of women who either wanted him solely for his appearance, his money or both. A lot of them barely attempted to get to know him on a personal level. He wanted somebody who was real and loved him for his flaws more than anything else.

Alex leaned forward, smirking at his best friend. "Dude, are you still waiting for her to come around?" he whispered.

"What? No way," Jackson dismissively answered before furrowing his eyebrows. "Is she coming?"

"Any minute now."

He turned around, scanning the room for the woman he slightly dreaded, yet was eager to see again. However, she was nowhere to be found. Instead, he spotted another familiar couple from their high school years. "Hey, there's Charles and Reed."

Another pair of good friends from ten years ago, Charles and Reed Percy. The threesome waved the married couple over and they all exchanged hugs and handshakes. Like the Karevs, they were high school sweethearts, but got married after graduating college.

Charles was a big guy, taller than both Jackson and Alex. He played tight end on the football team until a career-ending knee injury sidelined him at the end of their senior season. The unfortunate injury also halted his hopes of becoming a professional baseball player. Now he held a boring desk job for a software company in Portland. It wasn't the worst occupation in the world considering he managed his own department, but seeing his two friends excel in what they had always wanted to be caused him to become internally resentful towards them.

His wife Reed, formerly Adamson, had been on the cheerleading squad with Izzie. Also a member of the debate team, she had been perfect for it because she constantly argued her way through everything, including what to name her children. Two already in tow with a third one on the way. Her large baby bump signaled she could pop at any moment.

"Nice, Reed. You finally grew out of that pixie cut phase," Alex teased and gestured towards her long, brown locks. Her hair was down to her shoulders, but back in high school, it was always cut short.

"Shut up, smart ass. I've had my hair long for the past five years," she retorted, playfully nudging him. "And you saw me yesterday when we set up that play date for the kids, so quit acting like you haven't seen me in so long."

"You guys all met up yesterday?" Jackson curiously asked. He tried not to think too much of it, but being left out of the unofficial reunion plans stung a bit.

Charles softly chuckled. "It was mostly for our kids to meet since they're all in the same age range," he explained, patting the football player's shoulder. "And we weren't sure if you were in town yet. You're a busy man, Avery. But you know, when you have some kids of your own we can include you too."

"You gotta find a woman to procreate with first, dude," Alex reminded Jackson, who rolled his eyes at him. "Look around you. There are plenty of freaking fish in the sea to choose from. Somebody in this room could be your future wife – or a pretty hot one night stand. Whichever you prefer."

"Or he could wait for you know who to arrive," Izzie chimed in. "She texted me that she was coming, so how about we wait for her to show up before you start pimping Jackson out to other women?"

The pretty boy sighed in frustration. He figured his friends would pester him about his old flame from high school. Things hadn't ended well between him and his ex-girlfriend. They had broken up during their freshman year of college because a long distance relationship took a toll on them. He was in California, while she was at NYU trying to become an actress. Every once in a while, they would talk at friendly gatherings. The most recent encounter was at Charles and Reed's wedding, which was almost six years ago.

Looking at his four married friends, Jackson suddenly became bitter that their relationships remained strong since they were eighteen and he had no such luck. All of them had children and were settled down in their respective homes. His life consisted of traveling all over the country to play football, reading what the critics were saying about him and being hounded by female fans who wanted to sleep with him. In his first two years in the NFL, he had been content with dating around after being committed to one woman for almost five years. However, the act grew old quickly and he was keen on settling down, raising his own family.

All he had was Toby, his golden retriever. His furry companion made for great company, but he couldn't have sex with his dog. Well, he could – if he had severe mental problems.

"Listen, I know you all think I'm still hung up on her, but it's been almost a decade since we broke up," Jackson defensively stated, sliding his hands inside of his pockets. "And if things haven't changed then, I highly doubt we'll miraculously solve our problems now."

"But you two haven't seen or spoken to each other since our wedding," Reed argued and shrugged. "Things could be different now. As far as I know, she's not seeing anybody either…"

"I'm telling you, my feelings for her aren't like that anymore, so let's drop it," he ordered, promptly ending the discussion. A beer was necessary to help calm himself down. "I need a drink."

The group moved to an open table at the request of Reed, who desperately needed to rest her feet. They reminisced over shenanigans they engaged in throughout high school. Some good, some they wished they could erase from their memories. An hour had passed since Jackson arrived when the sound of the bells jingling whenever a person entered or exited the bar alerted them. Each time, it had been somebody else instead of the sixth member of their group. But finally, she showed up.

Alexandra Caroline Grey.

Or Lexie, as everyone called her. Also known as Jackson Avery's girlfriend all through high school. They were deemed the so-called power couple at Seattle Grace. She was his Homecoming and Prom Queen. In the yearbook, they were voted "Cutest Couple" and "Most Likely to Be Together Forever".

And she had been popular as an individual as well. Captain of the softball team, student council president. She also participated in theater arts. Her passion for acting and singing led her all the way to New York and ultimately, Broadway. Lexie's performance as Sophie Sheridan in Mamma Mia! earned her a Tony Award nomination. It took a few years to find her niche in the musical theater world, but people were beginning to recognize her for her talents.

The last time Jackson had seen his ex-girlfriend in person, she had just graduated from NYU. Their conversation consisted of the basic questions old friends asked – how were they doing, what were they up to, where did they currently reside. But it had been incredibly awkward for them because they hadn't buried their past issues, which he believed weren't his fault to begin with.

They were living on separate coasts, so paranoia over whether or not either of them were faithful to each other developed. Being on the football team meant he was occasionally surrounded by cheerleaders and fangirls. She had accused him of cheating on her, thanks to harmful speculation from Reed, who loved to share gossip regardless if they were true or false. The accusation led to endless fights over the phone, immature e-mail messages and their eventual fallout.

He truly loved her, but if she couldn't trust him, then what was the point? They had to end their relationship. Their friendship flew out the window too.

Lexie stood by the entrance wearing a red cocktail dress, searching for familiar faces. Her long, brown hair flowed past her shoulders and she looked just about the same to Jackson – gorgeous. But he mentally scolded himself for letting his feelings resurface. After all of these years, he remained pissed at her because she had stopped trusting him.

Over a silly rumor.

Fucking Reed.

"There she is," Izzie announced, waving her arms above her head as she called out Lexie's name.

Jackson adjusted his tie as he sat up in his seat. The brunette woman stood across from him, slightly smiling at him. "Hey, Lex," he politely greeted her.

"How are you, Jackson?" Lexie replied, setting her purse on the table. She appeared to be just as nervous to see her ex-boyfriend. Their four friends remained quiet, holding back their smiles as they watched them interact for the first time in six years. "Umm… it's been a really long time."

He slowly nodded his head. "It has. Anyway, I'm doing alright. Still doing the football thing. Congrats on the Tony nomination. Too bad you didn't win." A part of him felt like an asshole because he actually celebrated the fact that she lost. "I'm sure you'll get another chance."

She briefly shrugged and sighed. "Yeah, well… fumbling the potentially winning touchdown pass in the Super Bowl must have been terrible for you too."

Alex slightly winced. "Ouch. Right in the balls," he playfully commented, eliciting a scowl from his best friend.

Niners versus the Baltimore Ravens in the most recent Super Bowl – a memory Jackson hated to be reminded of and wished it had never happened. Why Lexie felt it was necessary to mention it? He had no idea, but it was likely due to him bringing up her Tony Award loss. Their burned bridges remained exactly that. Burned and still burning.

Izzie simply shook her head disappointedly. She didn't understand why after almost ten years, her two friends couldn't engage in a civil conversation. Their problems happened a long time ago and she felt it was time that they reconciled their differences. Reunion weekend was the perfect opportunity to do it, but so far, the same old story between them continued.

The blonde woman was ready to intervene and give them a piece of her mind when the arrival of a former classmate caught her eye. Another woman with auburn hair and wearing a black sleeveless dress looked very familiar to her, but she couldn't quite pinpoint who she was. She squinted her eyes, trying to remember her name. A minute later, the veterinarian connected the dots and gasped loudly.

"Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed, startling her husband and friends. Izzie pointed at the redhead in amusement. "Do you guys remember that woman over there? She looks so different. Do you know who I'm talking about?"

"Which one?" Alex inquired. He spotted the woman and his eyes grew wide. "Holy shit! She got hot!"

"Excuse me?" his wife sternly responded.

He sipped his beer before sheepishly replying, "Obviously, she's not as hot as you."

"Okay, who are we staring at?" Jackson glanced back at Alex with a puzzled expression on his face after the latter pointed out the redheaded woman. He had no idea who she was, but after a second glimpse his eyes were glued to her face. She had a hint of innocence on her based on the way she timidly chewed on her lower lip. And he thought she was one beautiful woman. "I still don't know who she is, but she's… wow."

"Are you freaking serious, Avery?" Alex scoffed with a smirk. "You don't recognize her at all? It's not like she had a complete facial reconstruction. She's the same girl, but like… hot. She's like the real life ugly duckling story."

The pretty boy simply shook his head. "Still not ringing a bell here."

Lexie rolled her eyes. "How can you not figure it out, Jackson? I mean, you and Alex were the worst to her in high school," she recalled. By then, all six of them were staring directly at the woman. "Just put a stupid beret on her head and maybe you'll figure it out."

The beret. Holy shit, he thought to himself as he finally remembered who she was.

April Kepner.

"Five bucks, Avery," Alex offered, placing a five dollar bill on the table. He and his friends were having lunch in the cafeteria when he decided to make a bet with his best friend. It was simple, really. Sit next to the mousy loner for the entire duration of the lunch period and pretend to show interest in her. "C'mon, don't be a pussy."

Jackson stared across the room at April Kepner, scrunching his nose uncomfortably. Nobody knew much about the quiet senior. She didn't have many friends – if she actually had any. Mostly kept to herself, but had the brains to get into any university she applied to. Not a hot commodity like his girlfriend, Lexie. In other words, she was a nerd, glasses and all. And she always wore a purple beret to accompany her long and droopy brown hair.

There were other people sitting at the table with her, but they weren't necessarily there for her. It was obvious considering the group of four sat on one side, while April was seated alone on the opposite side.

"Twenty bucks," he countered.

"For Kepner? No way," Alex retorted, slapping another five dollar bill on the table. "Ten. That's my final offer."

"Fifteen."

"Fine," he agreed, swiping the money away before Jackson could take it. "You think I'm a moron? You gotta sit with her first before you get the prize. Your time starts now, so go."

Izzie shook her head in disgust. It wasn't the first time her friends toyed with April. While she herself wouldn't go out of her way to become friends with the bookworm, she didn't think her classmate deserved that type of treatment. "You guys are jerks," she accusingly stated. "Stop picking on her."

Jackson guffawed as he stood up and gathered his belongings. "It's not like I'm asking her to prom," he dismissively answered and picked up his tray. "Besides, Alex actually owes me fifteen bucks, so I'll suffer through twenty five minutes of boredom to get it."

He walked away from his table and confidently approached April's. Her head was down as she picked at a crumpled napkin, so she hadn't noticed his presence right away. She noticed movement from the corner of her eye and slowly gazed up at the most popular boy in school.

"Hey," he charmingly greeted her. She stared back at him with wide eyes. "Mind if I sit here?"

Jackson struggled to look away from April. He studied her from head to toe. Every curve, every detail he managed to make out from across the bar. Staring at her like she was on display made him feel guilty, though, because aside from his table it seemed as if nobody else noticed her, which was very much like their high school years. Now he was infatuated with her after two minutes even though he never gave her the light of day when they were teenagers. It sickened him. It made him feel obnoxiously shallow.

But he couldn't help it. She was so damn beautiful.

"April Kepner cleaned up well," Reed complimented, then she chuckled. "No glasses, new hair color. Thank goodness she ditched the beret. It would've been a little ridiculous if she wore that to the reunion."

"Wait. Didn't you guys burn that beret?" Lexie vaguely remembered. She slapped her palm against the table and pointed her finger at Jackson and Alex. "Yeah! In the chemistry lab. You two burned her beret."

Alex raised his hand next to Jackson for a high five. "Hell yeah, we did!" he joyously replied. His best friend barely glanced at him before shaking his head. He lowered his hand and grabbed his beer. "What? It was hilarious. She screamed like we murdered her freaking kitten."

"We didn't even mean to burn it. It was an accident," he retorted. In the past, it had been funny. Looking back at the incident now, he was beginning to realize just how big of a jackass he used to be. "Do you think we were truly well-liked by the majority of our senior class?"

"Are you asking if you think our classmates faked liking us?" Izzie answered with her own question. "I've always thought I treated people fairly whether I was friends with them or not. You want to know why? Because your past mistakes will come back to haunt you at occasions like this high school reunion."

Charles cleared his throat after drinking his own beer. "That was deep, Stevens," he muttered and belched afterwards. Amongst the six of them, he had lost his sober state first.

"Listen, everybody in our class didn't like everybody, but I don't think they pretended to like us," Reed insisted. She nodded her head towards the three men sitting beside each other. "I'll admit we had our share of being mean, but you guys were terrible."

Alex removed a five dollar bill from his wallet and dangled it in front of Jackson's face. "Why don't you buy Kepner a drink?"

The pretty boy smacked his friend's hand away. Ten years later, Karev was still kind of an ass. "This isn't high school anymore. Grow up, man." He returned his gaze back to April, who had moved from the entrance of the bar to an empty table. She sat alone while she checked her cell phone every other second. "Someone really should talk to her, though."

"When you mean someone you're talking about yourself, right?" he suspiciously asked. "You're not foolin' any of us, dude. Your eyes have been attracted to her boobs like they're magnets. Kind of like how you used to stare at Lexie freshman year."

Partially covering his face with his hand, Jackson wanted to shut up his wingman with one deserved punch. "Thank you for always being so blunt," he mumbled.

The police officer shrugged. "I make an effort," he sarcastically replied, making his peers laugh except for the embarrassed man sitting beside him. "Lighten up, Avery. We're supposed to be having fun catching up and crap. You're acting like we're at your family reunion or whatever."

Lexie grabbed her purse and smiled at Jackson. "Looks like you need another drink. C'mon, I'll join you at the bar," she offered, getting a head start and walking away from the table.

"See? Maybe there's still hope for the both of you," Alex stated, nudging his best friend with his elbow. "Go for it."

Jackson decided to listen to him, but only because sitting at the bar meant he would be closer to April. He casually approached the bar, taking a couple of peeks at the redhead before sitting next to Lexie and ordering himself a glass of whiskey. "I wasn't trying to make you look bad earlier," he told his ex-girlfriend. "The fumble mention was low."

"We can't always have things be in your favor, can we?" the brunette woman sneered and sipped her martini.

"Is this how the weekend will be for us? Throwing witty, smart ass remarks at each other?" he irritably asked, loosening his tie. "For the thousandth time, I never cheated on you in college. I'm not sure why you chose to believe Reed. She completely screwed with your head. How could she even know what I was doing down at UCLA when she was up here attending U-Dub?"

"She made a lot of valid points – at the time," Lexie explained. "Star football player, all the hot California girls you could get your hands on. We hardly saw each other, so it was easy to assume you were fooling around. We were freaking too young to know any better."

"I guess," Jackson half-heartedly agreed.

"Are you seeing anyone?"

He shook his head. "No. You?"

"Nobody," she dejectedly answered. Lexie glanced back at their group of happily married friends. "I always thought Charles and Reed wouldn't last because Reed was such a control freak. Now they've got the most kids. And everyone thought we'd get married first until Alex and Izzie eloped. Goes to show that not everything you think will happen actually happens."

Jackson tapped his finger against the rim of his glass, avoiding eye contact with his ex-girlfriend. "Being voted Most Likely to Be Together Forever jinxed us, huh?" he jokingly questioned and softly laughed. He looked up, taking another glimpse of April. "But you know what they say, everything happens for a reason."

Alex held the tip of his pencil and wobbled it in front of his face. He laughed to himself as he easily entertained himself. "I've always loved this trick. It really does look like rubber."

"Instead of being useless, how about you help us finish this lab?" An aggravated Lexie demanded. They were in the middle of AP Chemistry class and as usual, Alex sat around doing nothing while his friends did all of the work. "You can be helpful by writing the answers down for us."

"What are we doing again?"

"Stoichiometry."

"What's that?"

Lexie groaned in frustration. "How the hell did you get into AP Chem, Alex?" She rolled her eyes and turned her attention towards Jackson and Izzie. "Did either of you figure out problem nine yet?"

"Nope. Something never adds up right," the cheerleader complained. "Is our solution completely dry yet, Jackson?"

"Uhh…" Jackson checked their evaporating dish through the watch glass cover and nodded. "Yeah, and how about I pick it up this time? You'll probably drop this one and we'll have to start all over again. We're behind enough as it is."

"Nobody told me to use the tongs."

He smirked at the blonde. "I thought it was common sense since you know, we're using the Bunsen burner?"

"Are you calling me dumb?" Izzie accusingly asked.

"I'm calling you… forgetful," Jackson hesitantly replied with a forced grin. A high-pitched voice from the front of the classroom caught their attention. To nobody's surprise, April had finished her lab first. "Maybe we should've swapped Karev for Kepner's brain. We would've finished faster."

The nerdy girl with the purple beret handed her work to their teacher. "Here you go, Ms. Robbins," she chirped. "I even showed all of my work to prove my answers are correct. Triple checked them too."

Arizona Robbins forced a smile as she skimmed over April's work. "I'm sure you didn't even have to double check this to begin with," she politely said. "Thank you, April."

"Oh, and I was wondering if that extra credit assignment is still up. I decided to go ahead and do it."

"Yes, it's posted online, but you don't need the extra credit," she insisted. "You have a 100% in my class, so the extra credit won't give you more than that."

April pushed up her glasses and shyly smiled. "I know, but I think I could use the extra practice for your next exam."

Robbins placed her hands on top of her student's shoulders and leaned forward. "Trust me, you don't. Instead of worrying about my next exam or any other school assignment, just relax for the next twenty minutes. Read a book or you know what? I'll allow you to nap in my lab. Just do something that isn't related to any school work," she advised. "Be immature for once."

Slowly nodding her head, the brunette returned to her desk and pulled out a book from her backpack. The book was actually for an English class assignment, but she decided to pretend to read it for leisurely purposes. Being the first person finished with her work, April was isolated from the rest of her classmates. All of them remained in the back of the classroom at their lab tables trying to solve the same problems she breezed through in half the time.

And she had done the work by herself rather than in a group. She figured it was pointless collaborating with her peers since they most likely would have used her for all of the answers. Working independently was her preference anyway.

Principal Miranda Bailey appeared at the doorway, lightly knocking on the open door. "Ms. Robbins, a word please?"

Alex watched their teacher leave the classroom, then he looked at Jackson. "Psst, Avery," he whispered and nudged his best friend. "Do you think Kepner's got a bald spot on her head? I bet that's why she's always wearing that dorky beret."

"Or she just loves her beret," he snickered.

"Maybe we can force her to help us with this crap. I'm sick of this freaking stoichimontrosity," his best friend whined.

Jackson furrowed his eyebrows at Alex. "It's stoichi- nevermind," he sighed, firmly patting him on the back. A light bulb flashed in his head. "I have an idea. Let me do the talking, Karev."

He set his pencil on the table and walked towards April's desk. Sitting down in the seat in front of hers, he charmingly smiled at his classmate, who tried to hide her face with her book. "I like your hair today. The way it just hangs over your shoulders… hot."

She bashfully glanced up at him and nervously laughed. "Umm… thank you?"

"That's a cute beret too," he said, pointing at her hat. "Why do you always wear that anyway? Our school colors are navy and baby blue. The purple doesn't match our uniform."

"O-oh umm… my father gave it to me," April reluctantly answered as she gently patted the top of her beret. She half-smiled at Jackson. "He… he lives in France now, so umm…"

He lost his patience with her stammering and cut her off. "Can you help us finish our lab? We're way behind and since you're done-"

"I-I I don't think that's a very good idea," she interrupted. "Ms. Robbins is just outside and if she sees me giving you the answers, then I'll get a zero."

"So what? You're probably going to be the class valedictorian regardless of one flub. Everyone knows you're the smartest person in our year, so it won't matter," he persisted. "I'm not asking you to give us the answers. Just offer some insight on what we're doing wrong. I highly doubt we'll finish this assignment before the period's over."

"Yeah, Kepner," Alex chimed in after sneaking up on her. He snatched April's beret and waved it around. "Be a people person for once. Are you anthophobic?"

"I think you mean anthropophobic. Anthophobia is the fear of flowers," she corrected him and stood up, attempting to get her beret back. "Give that back, please."

The football player twirled the beret on the tip of his finger. "Well, my theory was wrong. You don't have a bald spot hiding under your hat. Let's make a deal, alright?" he suggested. "I'll give this back to you if you give us some answers in return."

Jackson chuckled when Alex tossed the beret to him like a frisbee. "Yeah, it's just a small favor. We only have a few left to do. We're not asking you to do all of the work for us." He threw it back to his friend as they engaged in a Monkey In the Middle type of game. "In fact, Ms. Robbins might actually reward you for cheating since you never do."

"I'm serious, you guys! Give it back!" April protested, glaring at both boys. "That beret's very important to me!"

"Not until you say the magic word," the pretty boy teased, flinging the beret above Alex's head. He gasped when it grazed an open flame from a Bunsen burner and caught on fire. "Oh, shit!"

Girls nearby started screaming as the beret burned on the floor. Their screeches and hollering alerted their superiors, who rushed into the classroom. Principal Bailey and Ms. Robbins ran towards the small fire while the teenagers moved away from it.

"Will somebody get the fire extinguisher?" the tiny principal sternly instructed.

A student brought one to the site of the fire and put it out. April crouched down beside her torched beret with tears in her eyes. Picking it up with her thumb and index finger, she choked back a sob as she examined her ruined hat. "My- my father gave me this," she whimpered.

"How did April's beret catch fire in the first place?" Robbins angrily questioned, but her students remained silent. "If nobody fesses up, you're all getting a detention."

In a split second, all of them pointed towards Jackson and Alex. Principal Bailey snapped her fingers as she walked towards the exit. "Mr. Avery, Mr. Karev. My office now."

Following the short woman out of the classroom, Alex fought back a laugh while Jackson smacked his chest with the back of his hand. They quietly entered their principal's office, taking their seats in front of her desk. She sat down across from them with a scowl on her face.

"Whose idea was it to burn Ms. Kepner's beret?" she inquired.

"Not mine, Ms. Bailey. Avery overthrew the beret, which proved why he's only a wide receiver and not the quarterback," Alex replied amusingly and winced when Jackson punched his arm. "Dude."

"It was an accident," Jackson muttered.

Principal Bailey folded her hands on top of her desk as she stared at him. "You mean to tell me that you accidentally threw April's beret at a Bunsen burner and accidentally lit it on fire?" she skeptically asked, arching an eyebrow at him.

"Yes! That's exactly what happened," he claimed. "Honest. I didn't mean to set her ugly beret on fire."

"What were you two doing with it in the first place?"

Of course, neither of them wanted to admit that they were asking innocent April to help them cheat. Alex had been caught copying other people's work numerous times in the past and he was on thin ice with Principal Bailey. Jackson was known for being on the honor roll, so his parents would give him crap if they found out he was trying to cheat. He also didn't take trips to the principal's office for misbehaving and a part of him wanted to kick his friend's ass for getting him in trouble.

"We were just borrowing it," Jackson lied, knowing his answer was hardly believable.

"April Kepner doesn't have any friends. You were definitely not borrowing it," she noted. "Anyway, the fire you started could've easily turned into something worse, so for the next month both of you will report to detention after school."

"What?" he gasped in disbelief, while an unperturbed Alex quietly sat in his seat given detention was his home away from home. Jackson had never gotten a detention until now. "My parents will kill me!"

"That's not my problem," Principal Bailey calmly replied. "Maybe next time, you'll have a little more heart for those who aren't as fortunate and as popular as you. Being accepted by most of your classmates doesn't give you the right to treat others like they don't matter. It doesn't make you better people. In fact, I want you two to write me a five-page essay – single spaced – about the importance of respect. It's due at the end of the week."

"Are you freaking kidding me?" Alex mumbled under his breath.

"I heard that, Mr. Karev." She pointed at his messy uniform. "And tuck your shirt in. I don't know how many times I've had to remind you to do that. If I have to do it again today, you're getting another month's worth of detention. You can both return to class now."

Jackson rolled his eyes at Alex as they left Principal Bailey's office. "Thanks, idiot. I almost had April wrapped around my finger when you barged in and screwed it all up," he bitterly stated. "A whole month of detention? My parents might as well ground me for two. They're gonna be pissed."

His best friend only grinned and squeezed his shoulder. "Look at the bright side, at least I'll have a buddy to hang out with during detention for the next month."

"Oh, yeah. I'm looking forward to it," he sarcastically responded, punching Alex's arm one more time. "Douche."

Lexie had been going on and on about her Broadway career that she didn't notice Jackson completely ignoring her. He could hear her voice, but he wasn't actually listening to what she was saying. His eyes were locked on April again. Nobody had approached her since she arrived at the bar. It baffled him because she had grown up to become insanely attractive, compared to some of the other women there. He supposed it wasn't a bad thing since he wanted to be the first man to talk to her.

Jackson finished his whiskey, clearing his throat as he pushed himself up from his stool. "Hey, can you excuse me for a second, Lex? I'll be right back."

"Umm… sure," she murmured, watching him walk away and feeling a little disappointed, especially when she realized who he wanted to speak to instead.

With his hands inside of his pockets, Jackson approached April's table and smiled at her. "Hey," he greeted her, catching her off-guard. She even turned around assuming he was talking to somebody behind her. "Remember me? Jackson Avery?"

The redhead faced forward, tilting her head down to avoid eye contact with the pretty eyed man. Those gorgeous bluish green eyes had always been his most irresistible physical feature. She chewed on her lower lip and fidgeted with her cell phone.

"Mind if I sit here?" he asked, smiling down at her.

April wasn't sure what to think. Why would a handsome jock like Jackson Avery want to sit next to her during lunch? And he had a girlfriend, so she was even more confused. Guys like him never noticed girls like her.

She immediately picked up her lunch tray and shuffled out of her seat. "I have to pee," the nerd squeaked before turning away from Mr. Popular and quickly walking away from him.

"Uhh…" April looked up at Jackson, clumsily sliding off of her stool and nearly falling over. She smoothed out her dress and walked past him. "I have to pee."

He spun around as she escaped to the women's restroom. Lexie laughed at him on her way back to their friends' table making him annoyed and embarrassed. But he wasn't going to give up that fast.

Jackson was not going home until he at least got April's number.

Please leave a review and let me know what you think :) Chapter two will be posted next week!