****AUTHORS NOTE: Hey this is my first fanfic- all of the characters in the story are based off of the people in my life. Also this Chapter may seem slow because I wanted the reader to meet all of the characters and get to know the main character. Ian only appears at the end of the first chapter but will appear more frequently as the story goes on. There also will not be random sex scenes- this is the story of a friendship that becomes more over a course of time. Please send me reviews and let me know how it is and any tips you might have. Thanks for reading! ****

I look in the mirror and criticize my clothing. I'm wearing a long jean skirt and a long sleeved blue shirt. I look like my apostolic relatives… oh well I don't really care. I force my eyes up to their reflection. I changed in Australia… Right before my junior year in high school my mom and her fiancé had a nasty breakup. I felt bad because he was such a nice guy… I guess its better that it happened before the wedding… Anyway my mom wanted to get away and we had both always wanted to visit Australia so we moved there for a year. Before we moved I was 5'7, had shoulder length hair, and had brown eyes. Now that we are back in our small town in the U.S., I've grown two inches and my hair is all the way down my back. My eyes changed the most though… once solid brown; they now have a ring of golden flecks on the inner edges along my iris.

I walk across my room and turn my stereo system off. The Phantom of the Opera is only adding to my anxiety. Today will be the first day of school and also my senior year. I will also get to see all of my old friends that I haven't seen in a year… they might not even recognize me. I even have a splash of freckles across my nose and cheeks now. I'm also anxious to see Gregg… he was my boyfriend when I left but he probably moved on. I hope he did because I'd rather be friends. I did a lot of growing up in Ausie and I realized relationships at 17 are pointless, or at least for me. I grab my gag and head downstairs to find a note by the phone.

"Sorry- had to leave early! I love you and hope you have a good day oh! Don't forget to finish unpacking when you get home because Grams will be visiting this weekend so start cleaning!

Love Mom"

I smile at her note and then walk through the door. I check my watch as I start to school. I don't know why I'm feeling so self-conscious. I came back prettier than when I left. I also came back with an Australian accent. I know Jessica and Laurie will love it. They are two of my best friends. And of course Macy and Caity will love the accent as well. Thinking of them calms my nerves just as I walk up to the school. I straighten my shoulders and raise my head a bit then push the doors open. I walk down the hall towards the spot where we used to hang out in the morning, feeling like everybody is staring at me. I keep going pretending not to notice. As I near the old hangout I can see Jessica talking to Macy. I smile and walk up and tap her on the shoulder. She turns around and waits for me to say something obviously not recognizing me. I can't seem to talk around the idiotic grin on my face. She just looks at me like I've escaped from a mental hospital.

"Can I help you? I don't mind people admiring my awesomeness but staring is a little creepy… take a picture- it'll last longer." She turns back to Macy as the bell rings and I slip into the crowd rolling my eyes. Before I head to the choir room I get a glimpse of her spinning frantically, realization on her face. I laugh to myself and keep walking. I don't have choir till 5th period but I have ten minutes and really want to see if Mr. Ward is still here. I walk in and see him leaving his office reading some papers. I'm so happy I run up and hug him but immediately pull back because it's probably not a good idea to hug male teachers. He looks at me in surprise.

"Sorry Mr. Ward. I was just afraid you had left! I'm so happy you didn't!"

"Uhh... that's ok…um who are you? I mean you look familiar but I don't remember having you in class before…"

"It's ok. It's been over a year but I'm back now."

"Wait… Lizzie?! Oh wow. I saw your name on my roster for 5th period."

"Yeah… well I should probably head to 1st period. See you in 5th." I head to my first period- math. I hate math… I walk in and find the only open seat. Behind Greg. Well at least I know somebody. I sit down and get out a notebook and pen from my bag. When I look up Greg is turned around in his seat watching me. "You look different." is all he says. The teacher walks in and he turns around without saying another word to me for the rest of the class. The bell rings and I'm just about to leave when I see a piece of paper with my name written on it hit my desk. I grab it and Greg looks over his shoulder as he leaves the class room. I hesitate then put it in my bag. I'm afraid of what he might have written too me but whatever it is it can wait till I get home. My next three classes go by quickly. Most of the people I don't know or if I do recognize them it's because I have had classes with them my freshman and sophomore years. I walk quickly to C lunch and go to the area where we used to eat lunch to wait for Jessica and our old lunch group. I pull out the note and stare at it while debating if I really should wait till I get home or just get it over with now.

"Hello." I look up and see three of my old friends standing in front of me. Jackson scrambles to set his food on the window sill and then holds out his hand.

"Jackson, Nice to meet you. And please feel free to join us for lunch."

"Thanks, but-"I start to explain before Gabriel interrupts me.

"Oh come on. They don't bite." He says winking and I notice the emphasis on

they.

"Same Gabriel… maybe a little cockier since I left… and Jackson you got taller. Adam isn't talking though… now that's majorly different!"

"What?" Gabriel and Jackson say in unison.

"Who are you and how the fuck do you know my name?" I smile at Adams response.

"Now that's more like it! Oh and BTW, that means by the way, my name is Lizabell." They all stare at me for a while until somebody pushes through Adam and Jackson and slams into me.

"I missed you bitch!" Jessica yells loud enough to make a teacher shout something about language. I laugh and hug her back. After catching up with everybody during lunch I go to my next class which is choir. Finally! We get there, join Macy, and sit on the risers where the soprano 2 section will be. Mr. Ward walks towards the risers to give some lame intro speech but trips on the piano and decides to start the voice testing instead. The bell rings just before it's my turn. I pack up and say bye to Macy and Jessica. For some reason Laurie isn't here. My last class is super boring but only seems to last for ten or fifteen minutes. I don't feel like talking and have lots to get done so I immediately start home. I put my ear buds in and listen to Happiness is Overrated by Airborne Toxic Event. I let my mind drift for a minute then decide to stop and take my shoes off. I like the feel of the warm sidewalk on my feet. I walk forward with my arms outstretched feeling the breeze. I tilt my face towards the sky and close my eyes, feeling the warm sunlight. I lose myself in the music and the feel of Mother Nature around me and for a second feel like I'm floating. A hand on my shoulder rips me from my escape and I turn to find Greg smiling at me. I take my ear buds out and try not to sound annoyed.

"What?"

"You shouldn't cross the street with your eyes closed…"

"Why were you following me?"

"I live this way too."

"Oh…"

"I'll walk you home." I think for a minute before I respond.

"Wont that bother your girlfriend?" I ask hoping he has one and hoping he agrees so we can go our separate ways.

"Probably… but she can get over it. It's not like we are going to do anything but walk and talk to each other." Crap…

"Fine." I start walking and he continues to stay by my side as we cross the street and turn left.

"So did you read the note yet?"

"No, I didn't have time."

"Oh… well how was your first day back?"

"Fine…" We turn right and walk up my porch steps in awkward silence.

"Ok screw the note." His quick words make me jump. "Look before you left we had something and it was great but you left and things changed… I have a girlfriend now and I just wanted to know if you wanted to go our separate ways permanently or stay friends because before we went out we really were good friends…" His words rush out so fast that it takes me a second to process them.

"Oh thank God! I didn't want a relationship and was afraid of how you would feel."

"Ok." He looks relieved. "So do you want to stay friends?"

"How can I say no? You're doing that puppy dog thing with your eyes." I laugh and he smiles then says he should get home. We hug, which is only a little awkward, then I open my front door as he starts walking towards his house. I go inside and set my bag down on the table by the front door. I walk into the kitchen and find a note on the counter.

"Hey I made it home for lunch but I probably won't be home until eight or nine –gunna go get drinks with some old friends- go ahead and take the night off. There's pizza in the fridge love you

Mom"

I smile and grab the box of pizza and make my way to the couch in the living room. I turn on the TV and the Wii and browse through Netflix until I find my show. I decide to start with the first episode. I lose myself in the pizza and The Vampire Diaries for the next few hours until somebody rings the doorbell. I pause the TV and walk to the door wandering who it could possibly be. I open the door and stare in confusion. Nobody is there…

"Hello?" I poke my head out the door but there is nobody in sight. Maybe I'm imagining things… I close the door. Just as I'm turning back towards the living room the doorbell rings again. It keeps ringing over and over…

I wake up to the sound of Damon being a smart ass and my doorbell ringing…huh… I must have heard it in my dream or something…This time when I open the door I see two people. Jessica and Laurie are eagerly standing on my porch with big grins on their faces. Laurie screams and attacks me with a long overdue hug. I laugh with them for a minute and then lead them into the living room. They both make themselves at home and plop down on the couch.

"Nice show." Laurie says and winks at me. She is also a huge fan of the show. I hit play and pass them the pizza box. We spend the next twenty minutes catching up. Laurie and her boyfriend are still together and Jessica is happily single. I tell them about what happened with Greg and that I don't want a relationship and they agree. After that we get so caught up in talking that we lose track of time. I look at the clock and see that it's almost midnight.

"Shit!" Laurie and Jessica follow my example and make a beeline for the door. We say goodnight and I lock the door behind them. After I turn off the TV I head up the stairs. After I wash my face and brush my teeth I put on my night gown and walk over and turn my stereo system on. I fall asleep staring at my ceiling and listening to Creep by Radiohead.

My dream is soft but mysterious. Light music plays somewhere off in the distance while shapes and swirling colors surround me, merging and moving to the music. Everything except a beautiful pair of blue eyes that seem to change back and forth between blue and grey with the music. The next morning I wake up and lay in bed trying to savor my dream. After a few minutes I get out of bed and head to the bathroom to take a shower. The steam around me brings my dream back to my mind. It was a slice of heaven compared to my usual nightmares. It's actually quite rare for me to have a good dream. I finish washing my hair and wrap myself in a towel before I walk into my room. It's nice having my own bathroom in my bedroom. Once I'm dressed I quickly do my makeup and brush my hair. Maybe it's the dream or seeing my friends but I'm feeling really cheerful today. I have a feeling that something good is going to happen today. I go downstairs, grab a banana, say goodbye to my mom, and go outside to find Greg walking up the porch steps. We exchange greetings and start towards school. By the time we get there the first bell has already rung so we go straight to class. We have a sub today in first period that lost the worksheet so she tells us to do whatever as long as we don't blow the classroom up. Greg turns around and makes a face at me.

"What kind of teacher misses the second day of school?"

"Maybe after they saw who they had this year they decided that it would be best to just stay home."

"Hey wanna hang out in the choir room? His first period is empty." I look at Greg in confusion.

"Are you in choir now?"

"Yeah." He gets up and asks the sub and then turns around to give me thumbs up. We grab our bags and leave. We open the choir room to find that Mr. Ward left the classroom to get something. We walk in and set our stuff down anyway. I sit at the piano and play some music on my phone. I close my eyes and listen.

"I love the acoustics in here." I say it out loud but mostly to myself. We spend the rest of the class period in the choir room just listening to music. When the bell rings Greg tells me to meet him here after school so we can walk home together. The next few weeks go on without much difference or any excitement. The fourth Monday of the school year is when it all changed…

During choir that day Caity told me that she was going to see her boyfriend at college that weekend and asked if I wanted to go with her. After saying I would she told me that she would pick me up Saturday morning at six. As she started to walk away she turned around and spoke up.

"Oh, there is also some famous guy that will be at the campus. I'm going to do an interview with him for the school paper. Would you want to come and help or tour the campus?"

"Yeah sure I'd love to help. Do you know this famous guy's name?"

"Uhhh… yeah. Ian Somerhalder. She smiled and walked off to her next class while I stared after her in shock. Was she serious?! Was he really going to be there? Wow! If I really get to meet him this will be the best weekend ever! After the news that I will get to meet Ian Somerhalder the rest of the week goes by in a blur. Saturday morning I get up at three although I never really slept. After I take a shower I walk back to my room to pick out an outfit. I pick my ocean blue shirts, a pair of jean shorts, a jacket and my grey converse'. I go to my mirror and do my makeup carefully. By the time I'm done it is 4:45. I suddenly think about the interview questions. Caity said if I had any good ones we could use them. I sit down at my desk and start writing some questions. When I look at the clock its 5:30 and I have twenty questions…oops. I laugh to myself and grab my purse. Once I have everything I need I go down stairs and have time to start the coffee for my mom and grab an orange before I hear Caity pull into the drive. When I get into the car she smiles.

"Excited?! I am. I haven't seen Sam in so long. Did you think of any questions?"

"Twenty." We laugh and I pull the questions out of my purse as she turns onto the highway. As I read them to her she occasionally says things like "we have to use that one" or "oh that's good."

"Wow. You did your research on this guy didn't you? I had no idea he was involved in all the save the earth stuff like you. I laugh and turn on the radio. Maybe it was my nerves or Caity's reckless driving but the car ride only felt thirty minutes long. When we pull up into a parking space we still have thirty minutes before the interview but we head in that direction anyway. Surprisingly my nerves start to calm as we reach the building. By the time we walk into the entrance I feel completely normal and calm. We ask directions and go to the room to start setting up. We lay the questions on the coffee table and sit in the chairs in front of us. All of a sudden Caity stands up.

"I think we passed a water fountain down the hall. I'm going to get a drink but I'll be right back. I say ok and start reading over the questions that we have chosen. I notice that one of Caity's questions doesn't make sense as I hear her come back into the room.

"Um Caity… What is this supposed to-"The eyes that look at what I'm pointing too aren't Caity's. I stare into the pools of blue-ish grey that are looking back at me.

"Supposed to what?"

"Supposed to… to umm…" I'm at a loss for words. Finally my senses kick in.

"Oh! I'm supposed to introduce myself. My name is Lizabell…"

"I'm Ian. It's nice to meet you Lizabell." I shake his hand.

"I know… I mean I know who you are not that it's nice to meet me because that would be rude… and I'm babbling so I'm just going to stop talking now…" I let go of his hand and compose myself. It wasn't that he was Ian Somerhalder… it was his eyes. I had always liked his eyes on screen but in person it was enough to make you forget everything.

"Sorry about that it's just that your eyeballs are stunning." I kick myself on the inside after the words escape my mouth. He just laughs.

"I've never heard it put quite like that but thank you."… His smile is also stunning.

"Oh! Please sit down. Caity will be back any minute now…" He sits on the sofa so I take one of the chairs across from him.

"So um… Caity never really explained why she was interviewing you for our high school paper…"

"Oh I was hoping you could tell me. All I know is that it's for a school paper."

"Oh." Finally Caity comes back into the room!

"Shall we get started then?" She picks up her questions and sits in the chair next to me. "So Ian," she continues," what is it like to be famous?" The question doesn't seem to have any effect on him. He's probably heard it a million times.

"Well it isn't always easy. It is worth it though. People look up to you which gives you the opportunity to make a positive impact on people's lives." Wow…

"There were rumors that you were one of the candidates for the role of Christian Grey in the movie Fifty Shades of Grey. Are you disappointed that you didn't get the part?"

"Well it's a big role and it would have been a great opportunity and experience but I wouldn't say that I'm disappointed."

"Now I know a lot of people out there are curious… Are you single?" Ian laughs at this.

"Yes I am currently single." Caity goes on asking him questions for a while and then she stands up.

"Well if you don't mind I have to be somewhere but my friend Lizabell has a few questions of her own." WHAT IS SHE DOING?!

"Yeah, that's fine." He smiles at me and I stare stupidly in response. WHY IS SHE LEAVING ME?! One look at the smug expression on her face and I know she did it on purpose. Bitch… Caity winks at me and leaves the room. I look back at Ian nervously and try not to look constipated. He must be able to see right through it because he speaks up.

"I don't bite… Off set anyway." He smiles encouragingly at me. I return the smile and relax a bit. He's just a human like me…" Treat him like one" my brain tells me.

"So Ian… There has been talk of the U.S. drilling for oil in the Amazon. What do you think about this?" He raises an eyebrow at me and shifts in his chair. It's amazing how his body language changed at the tone of my question.

"Well… I haven't heard that. Hopefully it isn't true. The U.S. can manage without the extra oil. It would just be wasteful to endanger the land and the surrounding animals." I nod and look down.

"You started the Ian Somerhalder Foundation. How is it that the foundation interacts with the younger generations?" Again he seems kind of surprised at the question.

"Well a lot of kids actually care but don't know how to express their feelings and thoughts about it. We try and give them the start that they need. We help them communicate to others in a positive way about what they believe in and inspire others."

"Wow. I think it's great that you help give voices to those who have the passion but don't know how to express it."

"Thank you." I look up at the clock and cuss inwardly. I don't have time to ask any more questions.

"Well it's already twelve so I guess that's all we have time for. Thank you so much for answering my questions. It was wonderful meeting you." I stand and gather my papers. When I look back up I am frozen by a beautiful smile. I stare and he stares back. We stand like this this, staring at each other, for about a minute before I realize he had been holding his hand out the entire time. I blush and shake his is hand like an idiot. He laughs and I blush even more.

"It was great meeting you too." He walks over and holds the door open for me. I walk through and thank him. Then a thought forms in my head and I turn around to face him.

"Um… How long are you expecting to be in town?"

"Just a couple of days… Why?"

"Oh there's an earth convention going on in two weeks. Here on the campus anyway. There is going to be a rally, some fundraising auctions, and some seminars…. I just thought it might interest you…"

"Will you be there?"

"Oh yes. I've been looking forward to it all summer."

"Well that does sound fun… I might stay then." He says this as we reach the door. I turn to thank him again and say goodbye.

"Well thanks again. It was enchanting to meet you." He laughs at this

"Yes, you too. Good luck with the school paper. Maybe we will run into each other at the rally or something." I turn to talk to him as I walk backwards in the direction of Sam's dorm building.

"So you're going then?" He stops at a black car and starts opening the door as I continue to walk away backwards.

"Maybe." He says this with a wicked grin and then gets in his car. I turn around smiling to myself stupidly as I walk towards where Sam and Caity will be.