CHAPTER 1

"Some Roads Lead Nowhere"

I sighted my friends standing by the lockers and began to make my way over to them. Manny seemed to be chattering excitedly over something, while JT and Liberty were bluntly flirting with each other, but it was nothing I wasn't used to. Manny squealed when she noticed me. Just after I started speeding up, I slammed straight into someone's chest. Stunned, I stumbled backwards a few steps. As the guy grabbed my arm to steady me, I noticed something familiar about him. I sneaked a glance at his face and let out an involuntary gasp.

"Sean," I breathed out, speechless. He only patted me on the shoulder before casually walking away. To say the least, I was shocked to see him. Nearly a year ago he'd moved to Wasaga Beach to live with his parents during the aftermath of the shooting. Since then, I'd had no direct contact with him. I'd heard rumors that he had turned into some sort of heartbreaker, dating girls left and right. Truth be told, I might have a few unresolved feelings for him that I've pushed to the back of my head, but I would never allow them to control me again.

"Was that Sean?" Manny exclaimed when I reached her. I wasn't surprised if she had a couple doubts. She only saw him from the back, and he had certainly bulked up. His hair was longer and slightly shaggy, he was at least three inches taller, and he gave off a 'don't mess with me' vibe. I nodded and glanced behind me, only to realize he was out of visible range. I was more that taken aback by the small chain of events that had occurred during the previous minute. I blinked a few times and shook these thoughts away. In comparison to last year, this year was perfect, with only a few minor set backs.

"Why is he back from Wasaga already?" Toby wondered aloud. I shook my head; I was just as clueless as he was, but theories were beginning to form in my brain. Maybe he and his dad had a falling out. His dad was an alcoholic, so there could be some correlation. Or it's possible he returned for Ellie. I'd heard them declare their love for each other before we drove back to Toronto, which was something I had never said to him before. I would love to say that he might have come back for me, but judging by our interactions only moments ago, I had to rule that one out. But Tracker moved away a couple years ago, so I didn't have the slightest idea where he might be living, unless he's back on welfare.

The bell rang, and I scurried to my first period. I took my usual seat in the front of the class and set my bag down. Ms. Kwan was still setting up the work for today, so most of the students were currently chatting amongst themselves. As I was about to strike up a conversation with Craig, I heard a distinct name that caused me to eavesdrop on what Marco had to say. I could only make out every other word, so I only understood about half of it. From what I could comprehend, Ellie had yet to hear about Sean's return and Marco didn't want to be the one to break the news to her. Apparently Ellie had grown a little cold towards Sean as she felt that he had ditched her. I didn't blame her. I felt the same way, to some extent.

"Alright students..." Ms. Kwan drawled on about an assignment we would be working on for the next few classes, but I didn't pay her any attention. I never thought I'd see the day Sean was back from Wasaga Beach. I realized I'd seen him for less than a minute, but he appeared to be so over everything. He didn't say one word to me when I ran into me. No 'Hi Emma,' no 'How've you been,' not even an 'Are you okay?' He had just patted me on the shoulder and was off, as if it was no big deal. Maybe it was meaningless to him. Maybe I was meaningless to him.

Lunch arrived after three eternal classes, and I hurried to meet Manny. I spotted her in the lunch line, and was about to join her when I noticed the guy standing next to her. Sean. They were laughing at something and looked a little too friendly for my liking, but I regained my composure and nonchalantly made my way to them. When Sean saw me, he told Manny he would see her later, without greeting me or even looking me in the eye. Manny threw him her award-winning smile before he left. I widened my eyes a little and waited for her to explain.

"Sean and I are lab partners," she revealed. I nodded as if that clarified everything for me and dropped the subject. We sat down across from JT and Liberty and Manny picked up on their conversation, while I stayed silent. I focused my gaze on Sean, who was sitting with a few girls. I noticed Jay sitting with a couple of his rowdy friends and wondered why he wouldn't sit with them instead. Jay locked eyes with me for a second and nodded. I put the pieces of the puzzle together. Sean found out about us.

A/N: In case it wasn't clear, this takes place almost a year after the shooting. Everything that occurred during the shooting and in the aftermath is still set and stone, such as Jay and Emma hooking up. Anyways, please review. I'd love to have at least ten reviews before I put up the next chapter, but that isn't a requirement. Thank you for reading; I sincerely hope you enjoyed it!