(Jim/OC) What can you possibly have when you live in a world without the fairytale prince? Well, for her, you just "get along" with life, unless you find "the prince" and he likes you, the little man on the totem pole. So, now what, unlikely princess?

She tipped her head to the side.

It didn't make it better, it made it worse.

She sighed and straightened up again. With her eyes closed, she took a deep breath. She opened her eyes again.

How was it possible that such a handsome man would come to know her? She's a very ordinary girl. Shouldn't he be partnered with another girl, someone more attractive who would fit into his standings, not her's?

With a shrug, she pulled her hair back and prepared to play tennis with her new partner. She was just finishing when she looked at the board again. There was her name.... beside....

Whispers lingered in the air.

"I can't believe he's stuck with her, of all people."

"It's so~o not fair."

"How did the ugly duck get such a man?"

"She's undeserving!"

She clenched a fist around her ponytail before she turned to leave.

Her partner was standing outside.

His brown hair and beautiful blue eye made him quite the looker. Not to mention his gorgeous tan and his strong muscles. This was the "prince" of their school, James "Jim Crocodile" Cook.

He smiled at her and handed her a racket. His white tee and long pants met his somewhat dirty, worn sneakers, and he looked like a white knight. It made her heart skip a beat. "Hey, ready?" he asked.

She gave a weak nod. "Yes, I am." She scuffed her foot slightly as she followed him.

"Oi!"

She stopped and tried not to look at Jim. He was waving at someone and she slowly turned her head to peek. Her jaw dropped. "You know him?"

"Yeah, why?" Jim asked, raising an eyebrow. "You know him?"

"That's my brother...."

"You're an Emerson, mate?" Jim smiled. "You guys are so different, I neva woulda guessed." He smiled brighter and there was a slight spring to his step.

"Julisa!" Jordan practically tackled her, but picked her up instead. "Guess what, guess what, guess what, guess what, guess--!"

"What?!" she said over Jordan's loud speech.

"We're going to central, mate!" Jordan dropped Julisa in his excitement.

Julisa's black hair flared out around her as she fell and she rubbed her rear. "Oi, be gentle, yes?" She stumbled to her feet. "Why should I be happy 'bout that?"

"Just because. We leave at the end of this semester!"

---end of flashback---

Julisa sat up-right again.

"Miss Julisa, kindly extend your knowledge to at least absorb this."

"Yes, Professor Crowler." She waited until he was back at the board and looked down. Her note page was gone!

It fell before her again and she looked to her right. Blair Flannagin smiled brightly at her. "Heads up, Julisa. You shouldn't let your mind wander. You know how Dr. Crowler hates that. So, you enjoying 'Advanced Card Techniques' or is it as boring as everything else?"

Julisa never answered those kinds of questions. "How about this, I buy you lunch for such a good note page?"

Blair out-right laughed and Crowler whipped around. "Miss Blair! Is something funny?"

"Yes!" Blair stood up. "I seem to have missplaced my boring brain with one that actually enjoys this class." She smiled brightly and sat back down.

Julisa looked down, unable to meet those nasty eyes that pierced every student. She had five more minutes of this.

Five more until the rally.

Why was it that every time the advanced students had to study before school even started? Was it even possible to overdue anything at Central?!

The bell sounded and everyone jumped up, chattering about how great the rally was going to be. Julisa moved as slow as a snail. What was the point? It was a useless exercise to have a rally for the "new guys" and the "new teach" that everyone wanted to meet.

Blair tugged her sleeve. "C'mon."

Julisa had spent almost three years away from home, away from her native Australia. She hand Jo, her brother, had long since lost their accent. They had also lost touch with what Australia considered proper and adequate for someone of a richer class. Jo had gotten into the swing of things and was fast friends with Atticus Rhodes, brother of Alexis Rhodes, and Tyranno Hassleberry, good friend of Jaden Yuki.

Julisa, on the other hand, had strayed away from friends, preferring her old life of watching her "friends" use her for things they wanted. However, nobody at Central had been like that, they'd just acted like she was one of them. Even Blair. Despite them being from opposite sides of the social spectrum, Blair was rather insistent on being around whenever Julisa was in a bind with Crowler or any of the other teachers.

Jo had told Julisa to lighten up and not be stuck-up or to get stuck in the clouds like she always did. Blair was kind of Julisa's anchor.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon! I'll miss my chance to indite the students of the first-years!" Blair said, with a fake tone of annoyance. "Besides, I hear they sent someone from your Australian Academy, erm, what was it called? Oh, that's right! They sent someone from Thunder Academy!"

Julisa's heart skipped a beat. James, er, Jim had always been the top of his classes, far exceeding everyone. He had finished all the required courses before he was even sixteen. He was held back because he didn't have all the credits. But on tests that were scored by a thousand-points, he would manage a thousand-twenty-five points. Jim was that good! Maybe they would send him....

Maybe.

"I wanna see if guys from Australia are as cute as the girls from Australia!"

"Can you not tell from Jo?"

"Well, he's only one guy, right?" Blair yanked Julisa out of her seat and ran off, forgetting Julisa didn't have her bag.

"Oi! Mate! Me things are still lyin' 'round back there, mate!"

Blair laughed. "Aha! You still have your accent!" She slapped Julisa's arm. "Well, hurry along! I wouldn't want to be left behind." And she was gone.

Julisa sighed and was heading back to the classroom. She rounded a corner and stopped.

A blue-haired boy was opening every door in the hallway. He was dressed kinda funny. A lavender shirt with ruffled sleeves? What kind of guy wears that and then wears nearly black pants and white-to-brown boots? And a blue vest to top all that off. He scratched his ear as he opened the janitor's closet. When it closed, he saw her looking at him.

"Ah! Someone!" He had a kind of heavy accent. "Erm, this is gonna sound really strange, but, er, ya'll wouldn't happen ta know where ta get outta here would be, wouldcha?"

Julisa raised an eyebrow. "Well, to be honest, you're not exactly in the right hallway." She turned and pointed back the way she came. "But if you go that way, and--"

"Thanks!" he said, already running off.

"W-wait! You'll end up--!" She stopped. His footfalls had already faded. She lowered her hand and sighed. "I'm no help. Sorry."