I seem to be constantly doing similar things to SparklingDiamond. Trust me, it's coincidence, this story is nothing like the sequel to Why Can't I... but it is THE SEQUEL TO 'THE LAKE'!!
**Note, I know in the States they have like eight classes a day in high school or something, but in Canada they have four (twice as long) so I'm writing it that way, because that's the only way I've ever really known.**
Chapter One
"Breath check?" Tod asked his five friends, holding out a pack of mint gum. Instantly, everyone made a grab for the gums.
"Hey, where's Carter?" Tod's brother, George asked, looking around, then sighed. "I guess he's with his football friends."
George looked just past his girlfriend, Clear Rivers, out to the parking lot to see Carter Horton hanging around with his buds from the football team. He turned back to Clear, Tod, Alex Browning, Terry Chaney, and Billy Hitchcock. "Man, I hate being right."
"What can you expect?" Terry asked with her hands on her hips and a slightly dissapointed frown, "I mean, we had fun with him this summer and all, but he's got his other friends. And... you can't expect him to want to hang around with only us."
Billy yawned, wanting to change the subject. "I woke up too early this morning," he grumbled. He looked at his watch. Eight-fifteen. Yesterday, at that time, he was in deep sleep, head under his pillow, not waking up until lunch time. Today, though, he woke up at six-thirty, and dragged himself through the morning routine that lead him to Mount Aberham High School... first day of tenth grade.
Tod smiled through his exhaust. "You know, Alex, you were right about fifteen not being a signifigant birthday, but tenth grade is pretty awesome. Like, we are FINALLY a higher ranking than others. We can finally be looked up to by someone."
Alex smirked. "Maybe if you brush your teeth once in awhile..."
Everyone laughed and they walked together into the school.
The group had been tight since summertime. It had been an awkward way of meeting each other on their trips to Lake Iroqouis. Clear, who hadn't been close to any of them, was visiting her stepgrandmother. Tod, George, and Alex were all there together. Billy was working there. Terry was camping with her former best friend, Erika Hannamn. Carter was with his cousin, Mark. Through a long chain of events, they left the lake as friends... and Terry and Billy and Clear and George left as couples.
It had been one fun summer. Parties, barbacues... good times all around. They were perfect ingredients to make this school year a blast.
Terry was the first to be noticed. The whole group was not used to really being noticed. They were real blips. But Terry had been through a change this summer. She had left school at 170 pounds and come back 110. Billy, who thought that Terry was beautiful no matter what, still understood that Terry was embarassed about going to 'fat camp.' But he knew she would get over it--he hoped.
A short boy with dark curly hair made a whistle at Terry. She blushed and didn't say anything. Clear groaned and fought the temptation to pound his face in, but she wasn't that kind of girl. Besides, she wanted to look cool around George... not that she had to pretend she was someone else around him.
"Hey, Terry!" a popular girl, Alexa, said to her as she passed them, "You look pretty."
Terry responded with a small smile and a 'thank you,' then the group continued to the auditorium. Not much happened on the way there, except that Tod proved that one cannot perform pathetic yo-yo tricks and walk at the same time.
Once inside, the six sat down at the back, a row away from Carter.
"Hey, Horton," Alex said plainly.
Carter didn't even turn around.
George tried not to look dissapointed, so he put on an 'I told you so' expression. Clear and Terry turned to each other and started talking about girl stuff. Tod crumpled up a piece of paper and tossed it at Christa Marsh. Alex made a similar action to Blake Dreyer. Billy took out a box of M+Ms and began to eat.
No one acknowleged the fact that their former friend, Carter, had morphed back into his old jackass self. Tod was about to say something to Carter, but his brother gave him a look that said, 'drop it.' Immediately, he leaned back and remained silent.
As the boring vice principal gave the usual speech, Clear turned her ear to Carter, talking with his friends.
"So, Carter, man," his friend, Jimmy Parker, asked, "What kind of partying did you do this summer?"
Carter, without a breath, laughed, and said, "Aw, man, me and my cousin had this awesome fuckin' cottage... it was like, parties every night, and he hooked up with this hot surfer chick, and we had this one blowout with EVERYONE there, and I got so waisted..."
Clear scoffed. The only part about that that was true was Mark hooking up with a surfer chick, Danielle. And she didn't take too much of a liking to Carter. Not at all. The parties? There was one, and Mark got arrested for it.
Getting waisted? Carter had been put on cop watch that night. He had not even been offered booze, nor did he have the guts to take any. Alex and George stayed dry that night as well, only drinking sodas, since they had a feeling they would need responsibility. Clear and Terry got drunk, ironically, the event that brought the two (and Clear and George) together. It had also gotten them their navel rings. Billy also got a little smashed, resulting in him getting fired from the tuck shop and a face full of dog pee. Tod had given away after two beers and three shots. Not the ideal evening.
Clear looked at George with a raised eyebrow, as if to say, 'are you hearing this?' George smiled a little, and looked into his girlfriends deep eyes. Clear was having a hard time lately. She wasn't getting along with her new stepdad, Colin.
After an eternity of silence, but not necesserily listening to what the speakers had to say, they picked up their bags and headed to... tenth grade.
***
"Homeroom," Alex muttered, matching the number on the door to the number on his sheet. His science teacher was his homeroom teacher. That meant that science would be ten minutes longer than his other classes. He hated science.
Billy showed up behind him, biting his lip and looking frazzled. "I can't believe I've been going to this school for a year and I'm still getting lost."
That was Billy for you. Slightly slow. His heart was never to hard to find, even though he couldn't find the shoes on his feet if you asked him to.
"You'll be fine, Billy," Alex assured him, knowing he was lying. Still, they walked in and paired up at a table. The table sat three. When Carter walked by, Billy pulled out a chair.
"Saved you a seat, Carter!" Billy said shyly.
Carter laughed and joined his (other) friends.
"Fuck," Billy and Alex said to each other. They ended up being joined by Rory Peters, who was nearly eighteen and supposed to be out of school by now. But he was still wollowing away in tenth grade... the few times that he actually came to class, though, he was a riot.
"Hey, Peters," Alex greeted, as if they were old friends.
"Browning," Rory said tiredly with a nod before leaning forward on the stool and slowly closing his eyes, as if going to sleep. The respect they had for each other was uncanny--they didn't really know each other. It was something guys did, always unite, stick together, that kind of thing. The thing Carter should have been doing.
**Note, I know in the States they have like eight classes a day in high school or something, but in Canada they have four (twice as long) so I'm writing it that way, because that's the only way I've ever really known.**
Chapter One
"Breath check?" Tod asked his five friends, holding out a pack of mint gum. Instantly, everyone made a grab for the gums.
"Hey, where's Carter?" Tod's brother, George asked, looking around, then sighed. "I guess he's with his football friends."
George looked just past his girlfriend, Clear Rivers, out to the parking lot to see Carter Horton hanging around with his buds from the football team. He turned back to Clear, Tod, Alex Browning, Terry Chaney, and Billy Hitchcock. "Man, I hate being right."
"What can you expect?" Terry asked with her hands on her hips and a slightly dissapointed frown, "I mean, we had fun with him this summer and all, but he's got his other friends. And... you can't expect him to want to hang around with only us."
Billy yawned, wanting to change the subject. "I woke up too early this morning," he grumbled. He looked at his watch. Eight-fifteen. Yesterday, at that time, he was in deep sleep, head under his pillow, not waking up until lunch time. Today, though, he woke up at six-thirty, and dragged himself through the morning routine that lead him to Mount Aberham High School... first day of tenth grade.
Tod smiled through his exhaust. "You know, Alex, you were right about fifteen not being a signifigant birthday, but tenth grade is pretty awesome. Like, we are FINALLY a higher ranking than others. We can finally be looked up to by someone."
Alex smirked. "Maybe if you brush your teeth once in awhile..."
Everyone laughed and they walked together into the school.
The group had been tight since summertime. It had been an awkward way of meeting each other on their trips to Lake Iroqouis. Clear, who hadn't been close to any of them, was visiting her stepgrandmother. Tod, George, and Alex were all there together. Billy was working there. Terry was camping with her former best friend, Erika Hannamn. Carter was with his cousin, Mark. Through a long chain of events, they left the lake as friends... and Terry and Billy and Clear and George left as couples.
It had been one fun summer. Parties, barbacues... good times all around. They were perfect ingredients to make this school year a blast.
Terry was the first to be noticed. The whole group was not used to really being noticed. They were real blips. But Terry had been through a change this summer. She had left school at 170 pounds and come back 110. Billy, who thought that Terry was beautiful no matter what, still understood that Terry was embarassed about going to 'fat camp.' But he knew she would get over it--he hoped.
A short boy with dark curly hair made a whistle at Terry. She blushed and didn't say anything. Clear groaned and fought the temptation to pound his face in, but she wasn't that kind of girl. Besides, she wanted to look cool around George... not that she had to pretend she was someone else around him.
"Hey, Terry!" a popular girl, Alexa, said to her as she passed them, "You look pretty."
Terry responded with a small smile and a 'thank you,' then the group continued to the auditorium. Not much happened on the way there, except that Tod proved that one cannot perform pathetic yo-yo tricks and walk at the same time.
Once inside, the six sat down at the back, a row away from Carter.
"Hey, Horton," Alex said plainly.
Carter didn't even turn around.
George tried not to look dissapointed, so he put on an 'I told you so' expression. Clear and Terry turned to each other and started talking about girl stuff. Tod crumpled up a piece of paper and tossed it at Christa Marsh. Alex made a similar action to Blake Dreyer. Billy took out a box of M+Ms and began to eat.
No one acknowleged the fact that their former friend, Carter, had morphed back into his old jackass self. Tod was about to say something to Carter, but his brother gave him a look that said, 'drop it.' Immediately, he leaned back and remained silent.
As the boring vice principal gave the usual speech, Clear turned her ear to Carter, talking with his friends.
"So, Carter, man," his friend, Jimmy Parker, asked, "What kind of partying did you do this summer?"
Carter, without a breath, laughed, and said, "Aw, man, me and my cousin had this awesome fuckin' cottage... it was like, parties every night, and he hooked up with this hot surfer chick, and we had this one blowout with EVERYONE there, and I got so waisted..."
Clear scoffed. The only part about that that was true was Mark hooking up with a surfer chick, Danielle. And she didn't take too much of a liking to Carter. Not at all. The parties? There was one, and Mark got arrested for it.
Getting waisted? Carter had been put on cop watch that night. He had not even been offered booze, nor did he have the guts to take any. Alex and George stayed dry that night as well, only drinking sodas, since they had a feeling they would need responsibility. Clear and Terry got drunk, ironically, the event that brought the two (and Clear and George) together. It had also gotten them their navel rings. Billy also got a little smashed, resulting in him getting fired from the tuck shop and a face full of dog pee. Tod had given away after two beers and three shots. Not the ideal evening.
Clear looked at George with a raised eyebrow, as if to say, 'are you hearing this?' George smiled a little, and looked into his girlfriends deep eyes. Clear was having a hard time lately. She wasn't getting along with her new stepdad, Colin.
After an eternity of silence, but not necesserily listening to what the speakers had to say, they picked up their bags and headed to... tenth grade.
***
"Homeroom," Alex muttered, matching the number on the door to the number on his sheet. His science teacher was his homeroom teacher. That meant that science would be ten minutes longer than his other classes. He hated science.
Billy showed up behind him, biting his lip and looking frazzled. "I can't believe I've been going to this school for a year and I'm still getting lost."
That was Billy for you. Slightly slow. His heart was never to hard to find, even though he couldn't find the shoes on his feet if you asked him to.
"You'll be fine, Billy," Alex assured him, knowing he was lying. Still, they walked in and paired up at a table. The table sat three. When Carter walked by, Billy pulled out a chair.
"Saved you a seat, Carter!" Billy said shyly.
Carter laughed and joined his (other) friends.
"Fuck," Billy and Alex said to each other. They ended up being joined by Rory Peters, who was nearly eighteen and supposed to be out of school by now. But he was still wollowing away in tenth grade... the few times that he actually came to class, though, he was a riot.
"Hey, Peters," Alex greeted, as if they were old friends.
"Browning," Rory said tiredly with a nod before leaning forward on the stool and slowly closing his eyes, as if going to sleep. The respect they had for each other was uncanny--they didn't really know each other. It was something guys did, always unite, stick together, that kind of thing. The thing Carter should have been doing.