AN: I redid this just a little. Someone was nice enough to point out that it was like their story. I'm a fan of the story and the author, so I think she handled it well. It wasn't intentional I swear. I think it happened because such a fan of the other story. Let me know if you see anymore similarities and I'll change them I promise.

He looked at the building in front of him wondering what would happen once he stepped inside. His sister was already at the door waiting for him. She rolled her eyes before coming back down the stairs to grab his arm.

"It's not like your going through this by yourself. We're in this together. Now come on." She said pulling him up the stairs.

It didn't help that they had transferred only two months before school let out. He had little time to make friends before the summer. He wasn't like his sister, making friends didn't come easy to him.

"Sarah you're going to pull my arm out of socket. Quit yanking on me!" He said under his breath as they passed students and teachers.

Sarah stopped long enough to look at a sign on the wall pointing to where the office was. She pulled at her brother again letting him know that she was in control.

"Let go. I can walk you know?" He said jerking his arm away from her.

"David I swear, you are worse than Les. You know for somebody who's smart you can be really dumb sometimes."

Neither of them saw the group of guys leaning against the lockers as they walked past. But one of them had noticed David. They were gone before he could call out to them.

"Aww man new kids. Isn't a little late in the year to be transferring?"

"Shut up Snitch. It's a free country." The leader said before smacking the one called Snitch upside the head.

"Abuse!"

"Then call the cops." The leader said giving him a weird look.

"Maybe I will Kelly."

"Won't be the first time I've had to run from them." He said shrugging his shoulders.

The warning bell rang before Snitch could respond. They all spread out except for three. One of them being Jack Kelly. The other two were just as important. They were his best friends, the only two he really trusted. One of them he had grown up with the other he had met when he moved into his neighborhood six years before.

"Hey Jack, you feel like ditching Calc?" The blond one asked adjusting his bag on his shoulder.

"You got anything else planned?" Jack asked quirking his eyebrow at him.

"No, just don't wanna go." He said pushing his hair out of his eyes.

"Why not? You in Race?" He asked looking at the shorter of the two.

"Nah, I've got drama. Medda'll never let me hear the end of it if I ditch."

"All right." The blond said turning to follow Jack down the hall.

"Hey Blink, don't you have Econ with Denton now?"

The blond stopped in his tracks and turned.

"Tell him I had a doctors appointment." He said before walking backwards out of the school.

Normally Race would have gone with them. But he didn't want to cross Medda's path. He had done it once and he had sworn to himself that he would never do it again. She was scary when she got angry. He slipped into the class just as the bell rang.

"It's good to know you can be on time Higgins. Take a seat." Medda said not looking up from her desk.

Race shook his head wondering how she had known it was him. He looked around the room and at least six other people hadn't come in yet. The door opened again and Race turned in his seat. A tall boy he had known practically all his life and a curly brown haired kid walked in together.

"Miller, Thompson. Okay you two are here. Take a seat."

The tall boy sat in front of Race and the other boy sat a few rows away before being surrounded by the girls in the class.

"Something's never change." Race said shaking his head in wonder.

"I know. I don't see how he does it."

Race looked up and saw the blond turn in his seat. Race chuckled before pointing his pencil at the girls.

"Do you think they realize he would go for you or me over them?"

"Mush is too hot to be in gay in their eyes." The blond said with a smile on his face.

"Blink needs another note. Doctor this time."

"Where is he now?"

"With Jack."

"Why did I even ask?" He said before turning back around.

"Hey Skitts, you have the notes from Calc yesterday?"

"I thought I heard you snoring. I'll give them to you at lunch." He said with a laugh.

"Thanks." He said hitting Skittery on the shoulder with his pencil.

XXXX

David stood at the end of the lunch line staring across the cafeteria. He was hoping Sarah would have this lunch period, but he couldn't find her. He made his way to an empty table and sat down. He was opening his soda when he saw someone walk up to the table. He looked up hoping the guy wouldn't make him move. The guy jerked his head letting him know he needed to move and David rolled his eyes before getting up. He gathered his stuff and made his way to the end of the row.

"You can sit here if you want." Someone said catching him off guard.

He turned his head and saw a curly haired guy looking at him. The guy gestured for him to sit down. What could it hurt? David thought himself as he dropped his bag to the floor and sat down. The guy smiled at him and David hoped the guy wasn't trying to fool with him.

"I'm Michael." He said opening up a laptop.

"I'm David."

"I wouldn't sit over there again if I were you. He won't be so nice next time."

"Who is he?"

"Morris Delancey, he thinks he owns the school. And his brother's crazy. So don't mess with him if you want to live."

"Thanks for the warning." David said giving him a weird look.

A guy sat next to David then turned Michael's computer around so he could see it. David turned to look at him but all he saw was blond hair so white it was almost blinding.

"What are you working on now?"

"History paper. That's David, he's new." Michael said turning the computer then pointing to David.

The guy turned to David and nodded his head. Another guy walked up to the table and sat down on the other side of the blond guy. He was short with dark hair and glasses. He pushed the blond guys hair out of his face before he kissed him. Michael cleared his throat making them pull apart. He gestured with his eyes toward David.

"I didn't see you there. I'm Ethan and this is John." The dark haired guy said pointing to himself and the blond guy.

"I'm David."

"Are you okay with us kissing?" Ethan asked giving him a curious look.

"I'm fine with it." David said with a nod.

"Good, we would've done it anyway." John said shrugging his shoulders.

"Don't pay attention to him. He's just outspoken."

"It's fine."

"And he's the nice one." Another blond guy said coming up to the table.

David had seen this one in his Calculus class this morning. But he didn't know his name.

"You're in one of my classes right?"

"Calc."

"Right, I'm Skittery." He said sitting down.

David looked at him like he was crazy. Michael gave him a small smile before closing his laptop.

"We all have nick names. Some of us just chose not to use them that often. Not unless we're around the person that gave them to us." He said explaining the name.

"It's a long story. Maybe one day you'll get one." Ethan said nodding his head.

"If Jack has anything to say about it he will." Skittery said taking Mush's drink.

He tipped it back as far as he could draining it in one gulp.

"You're buying me another one." Michael said not looking up.

"What are the rest of your nick names?" David asked starting to relax.

"Specs."

"Dutchy."

"Mush." Michael mumbled.

"Interesting." David said with a laugh.

"Jack gets creative." Mush said shrugging his shoulders.

"You've probably seen him around. He's the one who wears the red bandana around his neck." Skittery said trying to explain.

"I think I saw him this morning. I wasn't paying attention though."

"Don't let him know that." Skitts said with a laugh.

XXXX

Jack watched David from the corner table his friends had sat at since the beginning of the year. Leave it to Mush and Skitts to make friends with the new kid. He still hadn't talked to the guy. That would have to wait, he had other things to worry about right now. He had seen what Morris had done when David sat down at his table. Jack needed to have a talk with him about being respectful, again.

"Hey Jack, you gonna finish your fries?" Blink asked bringing Jack out of his thoughts.

"Take 'em." He said shoving them towards his friend.

"You okay? You've been really quiet today." Race asked sitting on the other side of Jack.

"Just thinking." He said not taking his off David.

Race followed his gaze. He gave Blink a weird look behind Jack's back.

"About the new kid?" Blink asked sounding confused.

"Yeah. It's nothing."

"You got a crush Jackie boy?"

Jack shook his head wishing he hadn't told them he was gay. They were cool about it, but they were always trying to set him up. Half the school was either gay or lesbian. As far as he knew Skittery and Blink were the only straight ones out of all of his friends. He didn't hang out with Skitts that much anymore though. Not since he had moved out of the neighborhood. He didn't really care much for Mush and Specs, he always thought Specs was talking down to him. And Mush was too good looking for his own good. Ever since he was thirteen Mush had attracted attention from both guys and girls. And Jack had to admit when Mush walked around without a shirt on even he couldn't help but stare. That's as far as it went.

"Just wondering what the guys like I guess."

"He looks like a smartie to me. Too much like Specs." Blink said rolling his eyes.

"He's got nice eyes though." Another one of their friends said sitting down.

Jack looked up and stared at the guy.

"He's my lab partner in Chemistry." The guy said shrugging his shoulders.

"You know what? He's in my Calc class too." Race said looking over at David again.

They were all silent while they let the news sink in. Race was forming a plan, a bet actually. And if he knew Jack, he wouldn't back down. He'd talk to him about it later.

XXXX

Jack was on his bed staring at the ceiling when his cell phone rang. He picked it up from next to him checking to see who it was.

"I'm busy Race." He said sounding agitated.

"Don't hand me that shit. You're staring at the ceiling."

"I knew I should have switched rooms." He said looking out the window.

Race flicked him off from across the yard.

"Come down and let me in."

"The doors unlocked." He hung up the phone hearing Race open the front door.

He found Race in the living room stretched out on the couch. Jack sat on his feet not caring that Race had thrown a book at him.

"What do you want?"

"I have a proposition for you."

"What?"

"You have to get the new kid to not only go out with you. But fall in love you."

"Are you out of your mind?"

"You've been alone long enough."

"Whatevs." Jack said rolling his eyes.

"You gonna do it?" Race asked rolling his eyes back at him.

"This is another person we're talking about here. He can get hurt."

"Not if he doesn't know what's going on." Race said smacking Jack's shoulder.

"I don't know." Jack said running his hands through his hair.

"Since when do you back down from a challenge?"

"What if he finds out?"

"We won't tell anyone. Don't you want to be happy?"

"What kind of question is that? You think I want to be lonely?"

"Then take a chance. Come on, I know you want to." Race said smacking his arm.

"Fine." Jack said with a sigh.

Race managed to get his feet out from under Jack and he smiled in victory. He walked to the door then stopped.

"If you fall for him, we can stop all right?" He said opening the door.

"That won't happen." Jack said sounding cocky.

"You never know." Race said before shutting the door.

Jack stayed where he was until after his dad came home. He never heard him complain that every light in the house was on and that he wasn't made of money. He had other things on his mind, David being one of them.