Meredith grabbed the keys to her car from the bowl on the table by the door as she slipped on her shoes. She stuffed the granola bar that was in her hand into her mouth and threw the door open. Second week of school and she was already late.

She threw her bag on the passenger seat and started the engine. She hardly paused at the stop sign at the end of her street and sped through the wealthy suburb in a sad attempt to get to school on time. She turned a corner sharply and was forced to brake suddenly.

The brakes squealed, she lurched forward, thanked God for seat belts, and then slammed back into her seat breathing heavily. Frozen in the middle of the street was a boy about her age who just moments ago had been innocently trying to cross the street.

He looked from the girl in the driver's seat the front bumper of the car, it was no more than a foot from his leg.

After regaining her breath Meredith undid her seatbelt and jumped from her car.

"I am so sorry. Are you okay?" She asked earnestly and looking at him up and down trying to spot injuries.

"I'm fine. Are you okay?" He asked as she examined him meticulously.

"No! I just almost hit someone!" She screamed and walked around him in a circle in her continued search for injuries. The boy cracked a smile.

"I noticed" She came back around front and glared at him.

"Are you seriously making fun of this situation?" She stared at him incredulously, waiting for an answer.

"A little bit, yeah."

"I cannot believe this. And now I am going to be very, very late to school" She sighed and looked down at the ground to get her thinking straight.

"You gonna be alright?" The boy asked. She looked up but her eyes halted on a patch on his jacket. She stepped back and looked him over completely. He was wearing the male counterpart of her school uniform.

"You go to St. Bridget's?" She asked her own question and ignoring his.

"First day" He told her. She nodded and held an exasperated hand to her forehead.

"Get in, I'll give you a ride. That's where I'm headed too"

"I'm not sure I feel safe getting in a car with the person who just attempted to kill me, to be perfectly honest" She removed her hand from her forehead and glared at him.

"Fine, then you can walk the five miles to the school." She went back to her car and yanked open the door. The boy stood in his place, from the look on his face he was thinking hard about something.

"It's really five miles?"

"Just about, a little more actually"

"Promise to slow down?"

"Yeah, sure. We're already late so it doesn't really matter" She got in the driver's side and moved her bag to the back so he could get in. He did and she started the car again and started driving at a much slower, and much safer speed.

"I'm Meredith by the way" She told him as she actually stopped for the stop sign and looked both ways before going forward.

"Daniel, it's nice to meet you. Although I must say it would have been nicer if it'd been in a different way"

"I really am sorry about that, are you sure you're okay?" She looked over at him and he immediately panicked.

"Eyes on road!" He screamed and pointed at the windshield. She laughed lightly and looked forward again.

"Sorry."

"I'm fine for the moment, but with your driving be prepared for a heart attack"

"You just move here?" She changed the subject from her driving skills.

"Yeah, from Seattle."

"Why?"

"Dad got a new job"

"Exciting" She said sarcastically, a dark look passing through her blue gray eyes. She'd moved with her mom more times than she could count and knew exactly what it was like to be stuck with a parent who cared more about their career than their child's well being.

"Not really. It's too sunny here." He admitted with a frown toward the blue sky. Meredith laughed and turned left. They could see the school now.

"Or it's just too rainy in Seattle. I could never live there."

"It grows on you. The ferry boats are nice" Daniel told her distantly. She glanced over at him but he was looking out the window.

"Whatever you say. What grade are you in?"

"eleventh"

"Me too." She pulled into the school's parking lot and started looking for a spot.

"Maybe we'll have a couple classes together"

"There!" She shouted joyfully and pulled quickly into one of the last available spots. They got out and started heading for the school when Meredith suddenly pulled Daniel to the ground behind a bush.

"Ow! What the hel-" She clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Mr. Davis, the security guard, is doing his morning check." She whispered to him, "We get caught we get detention and I already have one on my record for this year. Three and I get in big trouble" She glanced over the top of the bush to watch her arch nemesis walk around the entrance to the school.

"It's the second week of school" He whispered back and she just shrugged never taking her eyes from the thick guard.

"I prefer sleep to studying, so shoot me. Come on, let's go around back and sneak in that way. You have your schedule right?"

"Yeah, I got it yesterday"

"Good, let's go. Keep down" They moved silently behind the bushes and literally right under Mr. Davis' nose and the around the back of the school. There was a large courtyard that had doors leading to all the main hallways on the side of the school, the only problem was the tall brick wall around it.

"How do you expect to get over that?" Daniel asked when they stopped in front of the wall.

"With a little help from mother nature. Come on." She grabbed his arm and pulled him over to a tree with a branch that conveniently went right over the wall, "You first" She told him and let go of his arm.

"Why? You're the one who has done this before"

"I don't want you looking up my skirt. Now go"

"Do you really think so little of me?" He asked with a wry smile.

"I don't know you. Now start climbing before we get caught" he sighed and pushed her lightly out of the way before tossing his backpack over the wall. He took a running leap and grabbed onto the branch that was at least ten feet off the ground. Hand over hand he carried himself over the wall before swinging his legs up and over the wall so he was sitting on it. Meredith just stared at him.

"What?" He asked with the same crooked smile.

"You make it look so easy"

"It is. Now hurry and start climbing before we get caught" She tried to glare at him but a smile won out. She handed him her bag and then found a foothold and pushed herself up and into the tree. She grabbed onto the branch above the one that went over the wall and used it to steady herself as she walked carefully across before stepping lightly onto the wall. He was smiling at her. A light blush crept up in her cheeks as he watched her.

"What?" She asked him.

"You make it look so pretty" She laughed at him.

"Do those lines ever work?"

"Sometimes" he said honestly, "So where do we go from here?" She sat down on the wall and looked down at the ground that was a good seven feet below them with disdain.

"down" She told him sadly.

"you don't like this part?"

"I always manage to hurt myself" Meredith admitted. One particular branch right below her feet was causing her worry.

"Oh, well in that case" He slipped off the wall with ease and landed neatly on his feet. He held his arms up to her, "I'll catch you" He told her. She eyed him skeptically but it was either this, or fall and twist her ankle and be in pain the rest of the day. She took a deep breath and pushed herself off the wall. He caught her and let her feet gently touch ground. He held onto her a moment longer before letting go and picking up her bag to hand to her.

"Thanks" She told him. He picked up his own backpack and swung it over his shoulder.

"You're welcome. Do you know where D113 is?"

"Yeah, it's right down the hall from my class. Follow me" She dusted off the back of her skirt led the way to one of the four doors in the courtyard.

So this is the result of being home sick with an unidentifiable stomach thing that makes it so you can't eat anything but pretzels. hope you profit from my misery. A review might make me feel better, just putting it out there. hehehe.