Bobby Gold did his best to ignore the eyes of all the other kids staring at him as he walked the hallway of Storybrooke High School. He had moved to Storybrooke almost a week before from Great Neck, New York, with his father, Ian, and their live in housekeeper, Nora. Bobby's mother had died the previous winter, and Ian could no longer stand Great Neck, couldn't live with the memories. So when he was offered the position at the bank in Storybrooke, he jumped at the chance.

"You'll see, son," Ian had told him when he broke the news of the move, "It'll be whole new life in Maine. As soon as you get settled in, you'll love it!" So that was that. Bobby had lived in Great Neck his whole life, and now he was starting a new school in a whole new town.

As the students gathered in the auditorium for assembly, a tall boy with sandy hair walked up to Bobby.

"Hi! I'm David Nolan," he said, "And this is my girlfriend, Mary Margaret Blanchard." He nodded toward the girl beside him.

"Bobby Gold. Nice to meet you." They both shook Bobby's hand.

"You can hang out with us, and we can help you find your way around," David said.

"That'll be great. Thanks."

They settled in their seats as the bell rang. Mr. Matheson, the principal, walked up to the podium.

"Good morning, everyone. This year we have two new students with us: Robert Gold, from Great Neck, New York, and Belle French, who is joining us all the way from Melbourne, Australia. Belle, Robert, where are you? Let's make them welcome." Bobby stood up, and he saw a girl a few rows over stand too. As the student body gave the newcomers a round of applause, Belle caught Bobby's eye and gave him a big smile. He blushed and sat back down, wishing he could disappear. He had gone to the same private school with the same kids his whole life. Being the 'new kid on the block' was a new and very uncomfortable experience for him.

David and Mary Margaret showed Bobby to his first class, which was English Lit. The teacher handed him his textbook, and the reading list for the semester, and Bobby took his seat. He was so intent on going over the list, he jumped when someone leaned over and spoke to him.

"I've read almost all the books on this list already. Have you?"

Bobby looked up to see Belle French looking at him. Her blue eyes peered at him over a pair of reading glasses, and her brown hair was pulled into a loose, messy bun. She definitely had that 'cute librarian' thing going, Bobby thought, and it suited her very well.

"Well, I've read quite a few of them," he answered, turning red as a beet, "I like to read, but I like to watch movies more."

Belle gave him another big smile. "Reading is my favorite thing. My mom says I could read before I could talk."

Their conversation was cut short when the teacher called the class to order. Bobby could barely concentrate with Belle sitting right across the aisle. He went over the things he wanted to ask her in his mind, like what kind of books she read, how come she moved here from Australia, what else she liked to do with her spare time. But when the class was over, she grabbed her books and was gone; saying, "See you around," before he could even open his mouth.

The rest of the day went by in a stressful blur. Bobby was relieved when the final bell rang. He found Nora waiting for him when he got home with an after-school snack ready, like she had been since she'd joined the family when he was 8. With everything else in his life turned upside down, Bobby was grateful for at least one thing that was familiar and predictable. After he'd finished his snack, he went upstairs to his room to get started on his homework. He found himself unable to pay attention to his studies, however. The memory of Belle French, her smile, her blue eyes, kept coming to his mind and prevented him from thinking of anything else.

Next time, Bobby makes some new friends, and has a run in with some of the 'popular' crowd! Reviews are always welcome!