Ok, so I'm starting up a new story even though I've got four more that are in progress...but, I was way too excited to just let this story gather dust on my flash drive and my muses get lazy.

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters used in this story. I only own the idea and my OC Alex. That being said, on to the story. =)

The screeching of an alarm clock woke April Mendez out of her sleep for the night to let her know that she had to get out of bed to start another week of school. April didn't mind going to school; in fact, she actually looked forward to every day that she had to go. But, then again, it seemed better to go to school and be surrounded by hundreds of other students than to be in a big house by herself all the time. Finally managing to roll out of bed and putting on her glasses, April went to her closet and got out a fresh uniform. Her school's uniforms weren't that bad, but the uniforms were something that got numerous complaints from a majority of the student body. April, on the other hand, never thought that they were bad; she, along with all of the other girls at school, were required to wear button-down polo shirts and plaid skirts, with their choice of shoes. After April got her uniform and her favorite pair of high-top black Converses out of her closet, she proceeded to go take a shower, get dressed, and do her hair before heading downstairs with her backpack in hand.

Once downstairs, April made her way to the kitchen only to find that her parents hadn't left for work yet. April's parents had very demanding jobs; her mom was one of the top lawyers in Union City and her dad was one of the leading surgeons in the whole state of New Jersey. While her parents' jobs earned them high paychecks that kept them in the lap of luxury, April secretly hated her parent's jobs because their work hours were long and they were hardly ever at home with her. However, when they were at home, things always seemed very stiff and quiet, mostly due in part to the fact that Mr. and Mrs. Mendez always made sure to keep a bit of a tight rein on April to make sure that she wouldn't get into any kind of trouble.

"Good morning, mom. Good morning, dad," April said, as she moved to grab an apple to eat on her way to school.

"Good morning, April. Did you sleep well?" Mrs. Mendez asked.

"Yes, I did, mom. And now, I'm headed out for school. You two have good days at work," April said, making her way to the door.

"April, wait," Mr. Mendez said, looking up from his newspaper.

Stopping with her hand on the doorknob, April turned around and asked "Yes, dad. What is it?"

"Like your mother and I always tell you, have a good day at school and be careful. Also, when you get home, remember to do all of your homework before you do anything else," Mr. Mendez said.

"I promise. Now, I'm off to school. Hopefully, I won't be late," April said, leaving her house and closing the door behind her.

Once April was out of her house, she heaved a sigh as she took a bite of her apple and began her walk to school. Every morning, she'd have the same talk or a talk very similar to it with her parents before leaving for school. Even at school, she had to deal with a monotonous routine of going to her classes, having lunch, and heading home at the end of the day. Sometimes, April wished she could put a stop to her dull routine, but sadly, she had no idea how to even begin to do so. Instead of mulling over her own personal dilemma, April continued her walk to school as she tossed the core of her apple into a nearby trashcan.

Arriving at school, April made an immediate break for the school building. She always made sure to arrive at school before most of the other students started coming to school because she needed the time to think and be to herself. Following her usual route, April went to the library where she set her backpack on an empty table before walking around and taking a look at the bookshelves. She had made her way to the poetry books when she started to get a feeling that she was being followed. Turning around, April saw that it was one of the only people that she really considered to be a friend, Josh Matthews.

"Hey, Josh. You here for an early morning too?" April asked, as she glanced at the spines of the books.

"Hey, April. Yeah, I am. I just had to get away from home as soon as I could before my mom and dad tried to give me an early morning lecture about being as safe as I could be while I was at school," Josh said, meekly.

"Ugh. Trust me, my parents already gave me a bit of a speech like that this morning. I decided to just peel out before the speech could get dragged out any longer than it needed to be," April said, pulling out a copy of 'The Complete Works of Edgar Allen Poe'.

"Haha. I guess that's one of the downsides of being children of some of the richest people in the city," Josh said, adjusting his glasses.

"There's that and the fact that we've got to always act a certain way when we're in public," April said, taking the book back to the table where she left her backpack.

"At least when we're here, we at least have some kind of freedom to be ourselves," Josh said, smiling nervously.

"Yeah, I guess so," April said, a distant tone in her voice. As she handed the book over to the librarian to get it checked out, April thought back to the talk she and Josh just had. Josh may not have realized it, but April really didn't have much in the way of a personality aside from who she was when she was at home. It was easier for Josh to say those things because he at least made a considered effort to socialize with some of the other kids in their classes, not to mention, he had been trying to find a potential girlfriend. April, on the other hand, always felt held back by her inhibitions and didn't do much in the way of trying to make friends with the other kids in their classes. Taking the book, April turned to Josh and said "Come on, Josh. Let's head on to Mr. Cole's class." As the two friends walked to their first class of the day in silence, April couldn't help but feel that her day might not go exactly the day she wanted it to. All she could do was hope that nothing too out of the ordinary would happen.

So, it may seem like the story's off to a bit of a weird start, but I've the next two chapters typed up and ready to post.