1.

My name is Melissa.

I'm no one special. The daughter of the vice principal of our school, and I take gymnastics.

Everyone thinks I'm good at it, more so because I'm small and thin, even though I don't starve myself like some fools who want to get into gymnastics. I have pale gray eyes and pale blonde hair and pale skin. Some people think it makes me look pretty.

I think it makes me look like an elf or something.

Right now though, I was dealing with my father, the Vice Principal, who was showing off to our new student. "And this is my daughter Melissa. She is going to show you around."

I gave my father a look. My parents don't really notice me much anymore. They set up rules and more rules and if I step out of line or break them, so many of them, I'm grounded. Otherwise, they're so busy with school and the Sharing that it's like I don't exist.

The Sharing is some weird community group thing. I tried to get into it, for my parents, but they didn't even act like I was there most times. They didn't even ask me to be a full member. They just ignored me, even there.

"Melissa, this is David," my father said, not even looking at me as he spoke. "His family just moved here. Try to make him feel welcome."

I looked at David. He was a little taller than me, but I wasn't surprised. Most people are. He had blond hair and brown eyes and a look on his face like maybe he had an attitude, a swagger. Confidence, like he could take the world on.

"Hi," I said quietly. I was nervous, not because he was new, but because my father was there. I wanted to have him look at me, acknowledge me, care like he used to.

He just nodded and left. David and I watched after him for a bit and he said, "... Some dad."

I looked down and just nodded.

Maybe he realized he hit a nerve because he said, "I mean, um... sorry... Shouldn't have said it, he's still your dad, even if he's the Vice Principal and all that." He looked at me, warm brown eyes boring into mine, before giving such a wacky grin that I couldn't help but giggle. "Do you forgive me? Please say you do, I don't want to get the first person I met to be angry at me."

"It's fine," I said, giving him a smile. It felt weird. I hadn't really smiled in a while. I guess that since David was new, he didn't hear all the rumors and gossip about anything yet. Some people thought I was stuck up because I was the Vice Principal's daughter, a good student and good at gymnastics and well... it felt good to know that someone really didn't care about that. "Most people are too worried about that. I don't mind though. Come on, let me show you around."

He smiled and we walked. It was before homeroom so I showed him where his locker was and watched him put things into it.

"That's a pretty blue box," I said, seeing it. "Did you make it?"

He shook his head, "No, I found it in that construction site over across from the mall. In a hole in a wall. Inside the cement block. Like it had been put in there or something."

"Weird," I said peering at it. "Hey, it has some writing on it."

David nodded, "Yeah, but I don't know the language. I tried looking it up."

It looked almost artistic and I tilted my head, "Maybe it's a code?"

He looked surprised, "I didn't think of that. Why though?"

"I don't know," I said, thinking. "Someone put it there though, right?"

"Think it's worth anything?" His eyes lit up at the prospect.

"If it is, you can buy lunch," I said, making him grin. "And a toy for Fluffer McKitty."

"Fluffer McKitty?" David repeated, closing the door to his locker and carrying his stuff.

"My cat."

"His name is Fluffer McKitty?" David looked incredulous.

"I thought it was cute!" I protested, making him laugh. "And what, you'd name him something better?"

"Yeah," David said. "My cat's named Megadeth."

"You named your cat Megadeth," I repeated before I began to tease him, "Not Aerosmith or Led Zepplin?"

He made a face at that, "I'll stick with Megadeth. It's better than other names like... Fluffer McKitty."

"Hey!" I protested, making him laugh.

"I've got a cobra too."

"A cobra?" I blinked. "But aren't they..."

"Illegal? Sorta, yeah. You're not supposed to be able to own them, but my dad got it for me. He goes overseas a lot. He's a spy. But don't tell anyone."

"... Your dad gets you a cobra and mine can give out detentions. Where did I go wrong?"

Before we could say anything else, someone shouted, "Yo!"

We looked over. The person who had called out, I recognized. I didn't really know him though, he was friends with Jake. I only really knew Jake because of Rachel, they were cousins.

Rachel was my oldest friend and I guess you could say I'm one of her best friends. Well, you used to be able to say that. She seemed to be closer to Cassie these days.

I didn't mind, in a way. It made it easier if nobody noticed things, nobody would ask awkward questions.

Marco, I then noticed, looked pretty distracted and worried. Was he okay?

"Hi Marco," I said as he came over. "This is David, he's new. I'm showing him around. David, this is Marco, Marco this is David."

"Um, hi Melissa. Hi David. My name is Marco."

David gave him a look that practically shouted 'This guy is an idiot.' "Melissa just said that." He looked at me and I blushed a bit. I couldn't help it. Most people were nervous around me or overly nice to try and make me put in a good word with my dad.

"Marco's sort of the class cl-" I began, but Marco interrupted.

"What's that blue thing?"

David gave Marco another irked look, "I don't know. I found it."

What made me touch his shoulder, I don't know, but the irritation seemed to lessen when he glanced back my way.

BRRRRRIIIIINNNNNGGGGGG!

The bell made Marco leap a foot in the air and we both stared at him.

"Oh, ummm... can I have it? I mean, it looks cool and all. I could pay you ..." He began turning his pockets inside-out. Lint balls ... a very old peppermint Life Saver. . . "I could pay you a dollar and thirty-two cents," He offered lamely, holding out the bill, the coins, and the Life Saver.

David looked at him and at me, with a look of such utter disbelief that it was obvious he thought Marco was an idiot. I chuckled, "I think it might be worth a little more than that, Marco. It's obvious a lot of detail work went into it. And just labor of finding it is a little more than that."

"Uh... um..." Marco stammered.

"We'd better go," I said, looking between the two of them. "Don't want to be late. See you later."

"Y-Yeah, thanks Melissa," Marco said, still looking between the two of us. "Nice meeting you, David." He said it as an after thought.

"And even nicer getting away," David muttered, turning and walking.

Marco looked a mixture of irritated and worried. I looked at him, "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," he said darkly. "I have to find Jake." He left.

I looked around the crowded hallway, full of people going back and forth, talking and laughing. How was it that even in a crowded school I felt alone? I wasn't even new like David was.

Sighing, I walked up to my homeroom. I looked around. Rachel was talking to Cassie, not even paying me attention. I just took out the book I was reading and was about to start reading when a voice said, "So we share the same homeroom?"

I looked over and smiled. It was David. "Hey," I said, giving him a smile.

"Sorry I left so fast," David said, shrugging. "That guy rubbed me the wrong way."

"Marco's just... he's the class clown," I offered, shrugging.

"Do you like him?" David asked, giving me a strange look.

That was a personal question to ask someone you just met, but it wasn't like I had anything to hide. I shook my head, "No. He's funny but not my type." I indicated David's textbooks, "I think we'll have a lot of the same classes."

"Good to know," David said, looking suddenly very tired.

I looked at him, quiet. If he wanted to tell me what was on his mind, he would.

I hoped he would. I missed having someone to talk to, really talk to. And this new kid... he might not have an opinion about me because of my family or grades or anything. He was new.

David was silent for a bit before he said, in a tough voice, "I'm not an idiot, you know. I can tell what people think about me. My family moves every couple of years whenever my dad gets transferred. I'm always the new kid in school. So I've gotten good at telling what people think of me. And now, here I am in this different school. And I'm the new kid." He shrugged, "That kid, Marco? He didn't like me."

I like you. I almost said it, but I didn't. I didn't want him to scoff at me or anything, say I didn't know anything about him.

He looked at me, straight into my eyes, "But you... I think you would've helped me even if your father didn't ask. I think you want to like me." He smiled at me.

And I couldn't help but smile back at him as I said, "Yeah, I-"

BRRRRRIIIIINNNNNGGGGGG!

We both rolled our eyes at the bell and the school day started.