My big brother was my entire world when I was a little girl. He was the coolest person to ever walk the earth. He wasn't like other big brothers. He never excluded me. He taught me to play catch and video games and how to cuss. Dad died pretty soon after I was born. So Brian was the closest thing I had to a guy in my life. So, when Mom and I came close to losing him, we couldn't handle it, and we didn't. We did everything we could, and we saved him. But, saving him meant moving away from where we lived so nobody would mention it to him. His accident was famous and we couldn't have people bringing it up. So we left our beautiful little Florida town to move to Beacon Hills. Where I got to start high school anew at the fresh age of 16.

"Real food, Carter!" The first sentence of the first morning in my new school was Brian yelling at me as I reached for a Kit Kat bar hidden in the butter compartment of the fridge.

I looked over my shoulder to glare at Brian just as our mother wandered into the kitchen and agreed, "He's right, Carter! Gotta keep you healthy, babydoll. Come on now. An apple a day keeps the doctor away."

I grabbed a bottle of water and closed the fridge door. Brian tossed me an apple from the counter and said with a fond smile, "Come on, sis. Let's get going. Don't wanna be late for the first day of school. Didn't you hear? I'm a Junior! Again."

"Don't be like that, Brian. Some people would consider themselves lucky to be in your shoes. Getting a second chance to finish high school!" Mom scolded while she raked her fingers through her ridiculously long, stereotypically black hair. "And you'll do better this time around!"

"Yeah, yeah," he sighed. "Come on, Carter."

We made our way towards the door, Bri grabbing the car keys from the bowl in the center of the counter as we went. Mom called out, "Carter drives!"

We rolled our eyes simultaneously but made our way outside nonetheless. I walked to the driver side, Bri tossed me the keys, and we slid in effortlessly. I drove down to the end of the street, parked the car, and climbed out to switch sides with Brian. As we passed each other walking in front of the car, he slid a Kit Kat bar into my hand. We got to the high school 15 minutes early and Brian sighed, "We can go ahead in and try to figure everything out, or we could take a moment to breathe."

"I think I need a minute to breathe," I admitted. "It's overwhelming, Bri."

"I know. But we're going to get everything figured out. Everything's going to be one hundred percent fine. You'll see. New school, new us."

I snorted and we climbed out to lean against the hood. I chewed my bottom lip while Brian leaned close and whispered stories about the people who walked past. We both knew parts of the real stories about people, but it was more fun to make them up. There was nothing interesting about a cheerleader who was going to an Ivy League college in the fall. We made her a missionary, spreading the word of the Great and Powerful Zulu across the plains of Antarctica. As the bell rang, Bri announced, "This is going to be different, Carter. Can't you feel it in the air? The energy? The difference? This place is going to save us. Can't you feel it?"

"I feel like the other side made you way too dramatic for your own good," I answered laugh as I straightened myself up from the hood of the car. He threw his arm around my shoulders and gave me his big, charismatic grin before escorting me inside. At the front office, the secretary separated us and sent Brian off to Chemistry and me off to French. By fourth period study hall, I was exhausted by the day.

I found study halls useless. I'd rather be in classes, earning credits that would let me graduate early. I didn't need a study hall to get work done. That just led to boredom at home. Boredom that led to a Netflix addiction and a library that had been explored three times. Like Mom always chirped at me "Healthy mind, healthy body, healthy soul!" As if I needed reminded again and again and again.

Fifteen minutes into study hall, the chair in front of me screeched as somebody drew it back. I didn't look up from my book, instead I ignored them and continued to read. That didn't deter my new friend. A cheerful guy voice greeted, "Hi, I'm Danny."

"Are you the welcoming committee?" I questioned drily, not looking up from my book.

"Actually, yeah. So, Shakespeare, huh? Are you an actress?"

"Nope." I popped the p.

"Poet?"

"Nope."

"Romantic?"

I sighed and shut my book so I could look up at the perv bothering me while I was trying to read. But, when my eyes found his, I was taken aback. He wasn't a pervert, or at least he wasn't a pervert that had me in his sights. It was etched in every line in his face. In his smile lines, his dimples, the way he crossed his arms on the table. I laughed and spoke without thinking, "Oh, you're gay!"

The smile slid from his face and his voice deepened to a snarl when he demanded, "Do you have a problem with that?"

"God, no!" I cried out quickly. "I just thought…I thought you were talking to me because….well, because I'm a girl and new and some people think that because of those things…you know….that…."

My foot was so far in my mouth I was using my stomach acid to trim my toenails. But the smile slid right back into place on Danny's face and he replied, "Well that's fine then. Thought you were a homophobe. So what's your name, Little Miss Jump-To-Conclusions?"

"Carter Erickson."

"So where are you from, Carter Erickson?"

"Florida."

"Long way from home."

"Yeah, we moved for my brother's health."

"I'm going to assume that your brother is the only other new student here. Brian, right? Tall guy, dark curly hair, kind of cute."

"Well, my brother is tall with dark curly hair, and his name is Brian. I don't know about the cute part. But, growing up, that's what all the girls said."

"Well, now a guy's said it so that should complete the consensus. But I see that you two have the same bone structure so you shouldn't have any problems with the guys around here," Danny teased warmly.

"Trust me when I say that that is the least of my worries."

"With the guys around here, it shouldn't be. They're like animals."

"Animals I can handle. And, you know, my big brother goes to this school too."

"And he's definitely big."

"The admiration in your voice is almost disturbing," I admitted with a laugh.

"Eh. So show me your schedule. Let me know what you're doing here."