I had left Dillon, Texas many years ago, but never forgotten it. I'd spent my best summer there, had my best friends, my first broken bone.

So I smiled as I watched through my dad's car's window the "Welcome to Dillon" sign we were passing by.

Even though I'd only lived there a year or so I felt like I was going back home.

And, besides, I had unfinished business.

Three hours and twenty-seven minutes later I was in my new room, trying to get a shelf fixed on my wall. Useless to say, I wasn't having much success. I couldn't really tell if I was placing it straight while holding it.

"Paul! Paul!"

"Yeah? What the hell do you want?" he screamed back.

"Dude can you get here and give me a hand?"

"Ahhhhhhhhh" I heard him grunt. "What?" he asked, coming into my room.

"Is this thing straight, I can't really tell from this near."

"Umm, yeah, I guess."

"Come on! Is it or is it not?"

"Yes! Yes, it's straight!"

"You know I'll kick your ass if it's not, right?"

"Yeah, whatever. Like a midget like yourself could ever even reach my ass."

"Ha ha, real funny." I started drilling the shelf to the wall, then stopped as Paul started leaving. "Yo!" I said, waiting him to turn to me. He stopped in his tracks, but didn't face me. "Thanks bro."

"Uh huh. Just stop YOing me, will you?"

"We'll see." I smiled to myself and got back to work. I just loved my huge younger brother so much.

We'd had our bad times and had only recently started working things out, but with my mood swings and short temper + him being the annoying, often selfish, helpless kid in an adult's body, it wasn't easy.

Pretty bumpy relationship we had, pretty fierce fights. At least we'd stopped hitting each other, thank God, 'cause Paul was getting taller and taller by the hour, and he was already 1.86m.

I decided to postpone the drilling of the other shelves, had a shower and went to bed. It was school next day.

I rolled over in bed half of the night, occasionally deciding to stare at the tree branches outside my window, barely lit by a far away street light, and had nightmares I couldn't really recall the next morning, when I woke up at 4.57 a.m. All I knew was that I was so sweaty I definitely needed another shower.

Showering usually had a relaxing effect on me, but as the hot water caressed my naked body I started freaking out. Butterflies were born and dancing all around in my stomach.

I turned off the water, wore my bathrobe and stared at myself in the slightly steamed up mirror.

Would Luke recognize me? Would I recognize him?

To be honest, though, that wasn't the only thing that worried me.

I'd never been good with first days of school or making new friends. I was shy, irritatingly so, and my self confidence was way below my feet. I felt awkward about my body, about my pronunciation and I had learnt that if I didn't speak much, then maybe, just maybe, no one would notice the awkward way I pronounced some words. It's a long story, but I can make it short for you.

I'm not from Texas, I'm not even from the U.S. or America for that matter. I was born in Finland, raised in Italy until I was 9, moved to Dillon, left Dillon, lived in Italy again, then in China for six months, now Dillon again. Messed up? Maybe, but I don't mind. New places always excite me, new cultures awake my interest, as long as I don't have to befriend anyone. But today, oh today I would have to do just that, because everybody knows it, if you don't fit in the first day, you probably never will.

Entering the school, I removed my headphones and turned off my obsolete nokia 2730.

Where did I have to go to get my schedule? I asked myself, trying hard not to think about Luke, but unable to do so and therefore eyeing everyone around me, looking for his face. My lips were dry and my legs suddenly felt incredibly heavy. I could do this. I was seventeen for heaven's sake, not a kid anymore. Still, I couldn't get myself to ask any of the students about where I had to go, so I asked a teacher and headed for Mrs. Taylor's office, last door on the left.

The room was empty, so I just sat there until a surprisingly beautiful blonde woman hurried in.

"Good morning" I said.

"Good morning. I am so sorry I had you waiting, hope it wasn't for too long." She sat down and started looking for something, probably my folder. "It's Nell Drew, right?"

"Yes"

"Well, I'm Mrs. Taylor and I'm the guidance counselor, like you probably already know. Oh, here it is, your folder and here you go, this is your schedule."

"Thank you."

"I trust you won't have any problems here with your last year. No matter how irregular your course of study has been in some times of your life, you've never had bad grades" she continued, flipping through my files. "Wow, China…" I smiled at her, glancing at me. "And, well, it's pretty late, so I'll show you to your locker and then you can hurry off to your first class. Come on."

The matter was quickly dealt with and soon Mrs. Taylor was telling me how I could go to her for anything, no matter what, and leaving.

I thought about it for a second, then called after her.

"Mrs. Taylor!" She turned around, rather surprised.

"What is it Nell?"

"I used to have a friend here in Dillon, Luke Cafferty, I was hoping you could tell me if he's attending this high school or West Dillon." This was embarrassing. She smiled a bit, looking at me in a funny knowing way that made me even more uncomfortable.

"Oh, he's here all right. He's in the football team and he's actually coming this way right now. I have to go, but it was nice meeting you. Have a good one, Nell."

"Thank you Mrs. Taylor, you too." I don't know how I managed those few words. I was frozen, panicking, but I had to see him, so I forced myself to look the way the guidance counselor had.

And there he was, walking confidently right in the middle of the hallway, joking with a bunch of friends, he punched one on the arm. He was wearing jeans and a green t-shirt with the words "Rising Hell" on it, tight enough to leave me in no doubt about his muscle mass, his hair was short, his smile wide with perfect white teeth. My heart was pounding painfully in my chest, trying to beat its way through my ribcage, I was struggling with myself not to hyperventilate. I clutched my history book and new schedule tighter to my chest, tightened my grip on them, my knuckles ready to pop right out of my skin. I felt feverish and melting now. I preferred frozen, give me frozen back.

This was not happening. He wasn't popular. He wasn't on the football team. That wasn't him. Please, God, no.

I kept staring at him for a few more seconds as he got closer and then quickly turned to face the lockers, before he could notice me. No, no, no, no, no.

A girl with incredibly curly, shoulder length hair was shoving some books into her locker right next to me.

"Excuse me" I asked, making her look up at me "Sorry, who's that guy over there, the one with the green t-shirt?"

"Ummm, that's 4s, Luke Cafferty, the school's star running back." She said looking at his back as he made a turn to the right. "How's it possible you don't know him?"

"Actually I'm new around here."

"Of course. He's cute right?" I didn't like the weird smile creeping up on her lips.

"I guess." Yes, he was. "The name's Nell by the way." I added.

"I'm Becky, nice to meet you." She smiled, genuinely now. "What's your first class? I'll take you, come on."

"English" I answered, following her.