**Original POV**

"Caitlin! Get up!" My mother's voice rang in my ears. Squinting, I looked up at the small lime green alarm clock on my nightstand. Even through the fog my eyes seemed to be cursed with every morning I could still read the blaring red numbers – 6: 30.

I rolled over on my side, pressing my face deeper into my pillow. I had been dreading this morning since my mother had told me about the move. She had gotten a job offer in Westport that she simply couldn't refuse. As Westport's new Chief of Police her paycheck would improve considerably, and since my father had walked out of our lives nearly eleven years ago, as the sole provider in our family it was something she couldn't pass up. I tried to be understanding, but it was hard leaving everything I'd known behind – home, school, friends…

"Caitlin! Now! You'll miss the bus, and I refuse to drive you." That really gives me no incentive to get up, I thought. I opt to stay home and sleep.

Reluctantly I tossed the blankets from my legs. "I'm up!" I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, walking over to the full length mirror in my new bedroom. My normally sleek blonde hair looked as if I'd teased it up, and my eyes were still smudged with remnants of yesterday's makeup. Sighing, I gathered up a change of clothes and a bath towel and headed into the shower.

Feeling slightly more refreshed, I slipped into my skinny jeans and my hoodie before applying my eye makeup. My blue eyes were the one feature I had going for me; everything else about me was uninteresting and plain, other than my neon clothing. I quickly curled my hair, fussing when I couldn't get my bangs to lay just right. The kids at my new school were definitely going to find me to be the dorkiest individual yet, Fantastic.

45 minutes later I was ready to head out and brave the unfamiliar territory. I locked the door behind me as I left; my mom had already gone down to the station. "No reason to be nervous, honey," I muttered to myself. I sighed, thankful at least that my first day at Westport High didn't need to made into a huge ordeal.

I waited alone for the bus. The wind chilled me, and I pulled my sweatshirt tighter to my body. My stomach was cramping up with nerves. In an effort to get my mind off school, I plugged in my IPod. "Calm down," I whispered to myself. "Relax."

"Are you okay?" a softly accented voice spoke up behind me. I wheeled around suddenly; I hadn't even heard him approach. The boy had to be at least 6 feet tall; he towered over me. The spiky black hair he'd styled in a fashion similar to that of a lion's mane made him seem even taller. I pulled an ear bud out and smiled. He had the most beautiful chocolate brown eyes.

"I'm alright," I said, forcing myself to break his gaze to stare at my black Chucks. "…just talking to myself." Wow. It was absolutely impossible for me to hide my idiocy.

The boy laughed. "I do that too." He tossed his hair and shifted his books to extend one hand toward me. "I'm Bill," he said. "Bill Kaulitz."

I accepted his hand. "Caitlin. I'm new," I explained.

"Why'd you move?"

"My mom is the new Chief of Police," I replied. "My dad walked out on us when I was seven, so we follow the paychecks." I ground my tennis shoe into the curb. "You probably didn't need to know that, though."

He fell silent, looking down the road, presumably in search of the bus. "I'm sorry. It must be difficult for you."

"Moving halfway through the school year? Or not having a dad?" I shrugged. "Either way, I'm used to it. I've never lived in any one place too long. And as far as I'm concerned, I've never had a father, so I wouldn't know any different." I watched Bill bite his lip nervously. "I'm sorry," I apologized seeing his discomfort. "This is kind of a heavy conversation for our first conversation. I'm…I'm awkward."

He smiled, his eyes squinting as he did. "It's alright. I define awkward."

A gust of winter air brushed against my cheeks. "Is the bus always this late?" I asked shivering as I tugged up on the zipper of my hoodie.

"Only when it's cold," Bill nodded earnestly. "I think the bus driver plans it that way." He slipped off his jacket and handed it to me. "Take it."

My mouth dropped open as I looked at his tall lean body; there wasn't an ounce of fat on his body. His little black and white striped T-shirt wouldn't do him any good against the crisp January air. "You'll freeze," I protested, shoving the jacket back in his direction.

"Please," Bill begged. "I'd feel better if you wore it. I'll be fine." At that moment, a chill racked his body.

"Here's an idea…" I slid my arms into the sleeves, which were much too long for me. "We share."

He grinned; he had nice teeth, really nice teeth.

"Fine." He tucked his arms into the jacket, wrapping them around my waist. With anyone else this might've been an awkward scenario, but there was something about Bill that made me feel comfortable. Maybe I wasn't as big of a loser as I thought, maybe.

The bus pulled up a few minutes later causing a hurried struggle as Bill and I went through the ordeal of untangling ourselves. A couple platinum blonde girls snickered as I walked past their seats. "Looks like the fag got a girl…" I rolled my eyes; maturity was something the world lacked.

A husky guy sporting a leather jacket laughed. "Hey Bill," he called, his voice reeking with false friendliness. "Where's your brother?"

I heard Bill mutter something, but keep trailing behind me. We collapsed in the last two seats on the bus. "You're going to love it here," Bill said sarcastically, shaking a bit of snow from his hair. "Absolutely love it."

"I can already tell," I murmured, turning to watch my neighborhood pass through the frost-covered window.