Chapter One: Awkward Turtle

"You wanna know what I think is stupid? Cheese. Stupidest dairy product EVER." Sixteen year old Stephanie Hyde looked at her group of friends around the table and smiled. "Right?"

"Steph, we were talking about Victoria's obsession with the Backstreet Boys, not cheese. Dumbass," Stephanie's friend, Sean Forman, announced.

"Oh my God, I love cheese!" fifteen year old Archie Kelso interrupted. "How can hate cheese, Stephanie? Damn you!"

"Jam it, Archie. No one fucking cares." Archie's twenty year old half-sister, Betsy, said with a snort. "Notice how me and you are the only ones that aren't high, and you're still dumb as a doorknob." Betsy took her long blond locks into her hand and twisted them into a ponytail.

"They are so much better than N'Sync, guys," Victoria Burkhart said randomly.

Sean gave Victoria "the look." "Dude, we're not talking about that anymore."

Victoria gave Sean a steamed look and screamed. "You know what? I'm outta here!"

"Have a nice trip," Betsy mumbled.

If you haven't already guessed, The Circle's back. When the old gang left it to rot after 1980, their kids took control of it come 1996. And the rest is history. Man.

"Heh," Archie laughed. "Cheese."

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" everyone else told him.

Archie glared at them. "You know what? I'm outta here too! I have girls to…you know…do!" Archie stood up and went upstairs, following Victoria.

"You lucky bastard," Sean said sarcastically.

"So, I guess it's just the three of us, huh?" Stephanie chortled.

"You're so high, Steph," Betsy murmured.

"What?"

Betsy shook her head. "Nothin'. Anyways, I gotta go. Dad and Laurie want me to take Archie to baseball practice and then I'm gonna go see my mom. Bye."

Stephanie and Sean waved good-bye to Betsy and both sighed. Stephanie hated it when it was just her and Sean. They'd been best friends forever, along with Sean's twin sister, Heather, and Victoria's older brother, Brian, because they were all the same age. Her and Sean had always had a sort of love/hate relationship and now it was just a little awkward.

"So…what's up with you, Steph?" Sean stood up from where he was sitting in an old lawn chair and sat down on the couch in front of the old TV, which was now broken and covered with cobwebs.

"Not much," Stephanie said as he sat down next to him. "I've been helping Dad more at the music store. It's been pretty quiet since Leo left for Vegas, you know?"

Sean laughed. "Leo's been gone for almost eight years."

Stephanie blushed. The drugs were getting to her head a bit. "Well…eight years of quiet, then."

"You know, Stephanie, you don't have to act awkward around me. We've been friends for years."

"I know," said Stephanie. "But we're gonna start school soon. We'll be juniors. Don't you think…?"

"Don't I think…what?"

Stephanie stood up. "Nothing. Just…never mind."

Sean smirked. "No. Not nothing. I wanna know."

"Good bye, Sean." Before Sean had a chance to say anything else, Stephanie left through the back door that led outside. Wow, she thought. That was an awkward turtle.