Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters! Or the show.

Warning: This story will eventually contain femmeslash, so if that's not your thing, why are you here:D

((( Key for Ignition )))

I've been going out with Ned now for quite a while ever since the whole fiasco in the gardens at our field trip. It has actually been about three months, but it sure does not feel that way to me; it feels like years. Is that a bad thing or a good thing? I'm not quite sure, but he certainly is a hilarious and fun guy to be with. Still, spending time at the movies, mall, and the occasional aquarium, has been great, but that's just it; it doesn't feel like any of those were dates.

That sounds weird, but spending time with Ned just feels the same as if we were back at school with Cookie just joking around; there's no magic, no fireworks, no intense and fiery passion that I thought there would be. Okay, sure, we are only in the ninth grade, but that doesn't mean that I don't know passion when I see, or feel it. Well, I take that back, our first few kisses were special. However, right now, there are absolutely no sparks whatsoever.

I had called Suzie many times on what to do, how I was feeling, and just anything that happened in my life. She is my best friend after all, and I trust her to know exactly what to do, and she always provides great support. It seems like she knows everything when it comes to romance, so I greatly value her advice as well as all the other things she says. She thinks that I just need to listen to my heart, and despite that cliché line, I believe that it is the best advice to follow.

Suzie had moved to Brazil with her father after the last day of middle school, so all of our conversations had been via our home and cell phones, but it was often very costly on our bills, so our parents put restrictions on how long we could talk for. However, it was a smart decision, because if we were allowed to have free reign on how long we talked, the monthly bills would put my family in the poorhouse.

Anyways, after reading many romance novels, which I secretly do in my free time, I had this grandiose concept of what love would be once I found someone who could return my feelings. But unfortunately, my relationship with Ned has not increased in excitement. It just fizzled out and smoldered out into nothing bigger than a small pile of barely alive embers. It just lacks all of the dreams and notions of love that I had imprinted in my brain ever since I was little. It just…

It just feels empty.

Ned isn't a bad guy, in fact, he's far from it, but now that I reflect upon our relationship, I just don't think that we belong together. Everybody in school, ever since we were little, always thought that we would make the best couple ever, and I had once thought that too.

But now, I think it's about time that I break it off with him.

"Moze!"

Ned came running through the hallways of the James K. Polk High School with as much grace as an ostrich with broken legs, tripping over his untied shoelaces and a fallen notebook that was lying oddly and haphazardly in the middle of the smooth white floor of the indoor hallway. Yes, it seems weird that both the middle school and high school were named for the same person, but then again, nothing in this town seemed normal.

He sprang back up, dusted off his clothes as if nothing happened, and attempted to lean casually against the teal lockers, nodding his head.

"So, how was your weekend?" He said with a nonchalant grin.

I looked at him and flashed a quick, but small, smile before shaking my head and sighing.

"Well, nothing new really happened with me, except for tryouts for the volleyball team. It wasn't too difficult, but the competition was pretty tough. Is it just me, or does everybody in this school seem freakishly tall?" I opened my locker and pulled out a dark purple notebook clearly labeled 'Math' in bold gold lettering. Ned's eyebrows furrowed.

"Moze, are you kidding me? Have you looked at yourself lately? You're not exactly the shortest cream puff in the dessert tray."

It was my turn to look at him confused as I shut my locker. Cream puff? That one didn't even make sense! How can a cream puff be short, or tall, in a dessert tray? Seriously, his choice of words were definitely getting more and more odd as the days went by. I shrugged and rolled my eyes. I was about to make some smart remark, but he leaned up and surprised me with a kiss before running down the hallway, waving behind his back.

"I'll see you at lunch!" He grinned before running into another student, spilling both of their belongings every which way.

I brought my hand up slowly, and after a few moments, I wiped my mouth. I've never had that impulse before, but for some reason, the thought of his lips on mine didn't seem all too appealing. I sighed again; I forgot to tell him that I wanted to break up. I stood there for a few seconds, silently going through my head all of the things that I needed to accomplish today. The bell rang with piercing volume and snapped me out of my inner reverie.

"Crap," I muttered under my breath as I started to dash off towards my math class at full speed. Why did high schools have to be significantly larger than middle schools? I ran past the 200 hallway, the 300 hallway, the office-

Then I crashed into a very surprised someone as I rounded the corner. I gasped out of surprise and a sweet scent of lilies and fruit bombarded my senses. I hit the floor hard, with a splitting pain in my forehead, causing all of the books and paper that I was holding to scatter all over. Now what in the hel-

"Jennifer?"

I rubbed my head and couldn't believe my ears and eyes.

"Suzie?"

We both stared at each other blankly for a few seconds. I really didn't think that I'd see her here, since I had thought that she was still in Brazil. A crushing hug snapped me back from my surprised state. Suzie gripped me tightly and almost squealed. Yes, the famous Suzie Crabgrass occasionally squeals when overly excited with delight.

"Jennifer! Oh my god, I was going to call you! My dad's work totally has him moving everywhere, and it just so happens that they sent both of us back here! Oh, this is so exciting."

She continued to grasp me tightly as I awkwardly patted her back. I just never knew what to do when someone hugged me for longer than a few seconds, so it felt like my hands had to do something rather then just lay at my sides like dead weight.

After what seemed like an eternity, she released me from her death grip with a bright smile illuminating her entire face. She still had her sparkling and lively brown eyes, but her face had matured more into a slightly more angular direction. Her brown hair had gotten a few shades darker, and also quite a bit longer reaching down to about a little past her chest. Her skin had gotten a little tanner due to the sun exposure in Brazil, but it still retained its silky composure. All in all, Suzie was just plain beautiful.

We studied each other a little longer before a guidance counselor walked out of the office. Her curly auburn hair bounced as she walked over to us, an overly wide, toothy smile resting on her round face.

"Well Suzie, I see you've met one of our finest students, Miss Mosely," she looked at Suzie before nodding back to me, "and if you wouldn't mind, Jennifer, could you please escort Suzie to her class? She just arrived today, so it would be a great help for us, since it seems like you guys know each other. The late bell has already rung, and people are in their classes at the moment, but I'll give you guys a late pass."

I nodded as the lady walked back inside the office. Suzie stood up and dusted off her designer clothing before giving me a hand helping myself up off the ground. Then we hastily began picking up my numerous papers and notebooks that had fallen previously from our collision. After about a minute, almost all of the papers were picked up, save a few that had drifted off towards a few lockers. I made my way over to the rogue papers, leaning down to pick them up when a hand overlapped mine on the same piece of paper. My heart fluttered from the contact and I began breathing rapidly as I chanced a glance up at the person crouching beside me.

Suzie was much closer than I had thought. In fact, her leg was almost touching mine. When had she gotten so close to me without me knowing? Her eyes looked me up and down, as if searching for something important in my expression; something that might, or might not be there. Her hand was still pressing down on mine, but with added force as she leaned in closer, the scent of lilies and fruit once again rushing through my senses like a tidal wave of heaven.

Her face was barely a few inches away, her lips slightly parted as she leaned in dangerously close to my own. My heart was aching for some reason unbeknownst to me. Her nose brushed mine as her lips almost made contact.

Then a door slammed somewhere, snapping us back away from each other like overstretched rubber bands.

My face was hot and burning, and from that feeling I assumed that I was blushing a deep crimson. Suzie released her hand, and I snatched up the paper in a nervous rush, clumsily shoving it into my backpack. We both stood up and I stared at the floor as if it had suddenly become the most interesting thing in the world. I lifted my head and dared eye contact with the most beautiful girl in the world. She was slightly grinning anxiously as if nothing had, or almost had, happened.

"So… did the volleyball team already have tryouts?" she asked quietly wanting to break the awkward silence.

I nodded slowly and we began walking towards the math hallway.

"We had tryouts already… but… but maybe I can ask the coach. I mean, we both know that you're really good at it…you know… and that… and that you'd make the team hands down…" I stuttered weakly.

She grinned up a storm after hearing my praise and embraced me in another bone-crushing hug.

"Thanks so much! You know, it feels great to be back here; we've still got lots to talk about, and I have so many people I want to get back in touch with again. This year, it's… going to be great, right?" she tentatively released me and we walked a little further before stopping at heavy, black door with a silver handle.

Without anything more to say, I just nodded dumbly. It seemed as if we were just going to forget what had just taken place, so I tried my best to dismiss the raging chaos that was tossing around in my brain.

"Yeah, this year seems like it will be interesting."

Okay! That's it for chapter 1. Kind of short, but I will be writing more, so please review and tell me what you guys think. Grammar, spelling, clarifications, etc., I want to know stuff that seems a bit off or awkward when reading so I can fix it.