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Chapter 1 - The First Day

Christian's POV

Great, another school year, another school. I was expelled from three private schools over the years for fighting. My mother said if I get expelled from another school, I'll be shipped off to military school, non-negotiable. It seems that with my abysmal record, even my parents couldn't buy my way into another private school in Bellevue, so I'm attending Seattle College Prep for my junior year.

My parents tried to do everything in their power to stop me from getting into fights at school. All the school counselors said that I have major anger issues, so my parents forced me to see a therapist, which hasn't helped at all.

I think I visited at least five different therapists, and I never felt comfortable with any of them. All they wanted me to do was talk about my past, but fuck if I'm ever going to let anyone know my darkest secrets. I don't need their pity for my shitty start to life.

Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever told anyone about my nightmare of a past as a child with my drugged-out prostitute of a mother and her pimp who abused me and used me as his ashtray. And I fully intend for it to stay that way, too.

I honestly can't tell you why I get into all these petty fights. I'm just so angry – angry with my life, angry with myself. I feel undeserving of this amazing family I was given.

I was adopted at age four by Carrick Grey and Grace Trevelyan-Grey – a prominent couple in Seattle society. My mother, Dr. Grace Trevelyan-Grey, is the Head of Surgery at the world-renowned hospital, Seattle Grace. My father, Carrick Grey, owns and runs the best law firm on the west coast.

My older brother Elliot attends college at Yale. He's no doubt the golden child in my parent's eyes. He always had perfect grades and was the star quarterback of his high school football team. He was the living, breathing cliché of every teen romance movie.

My little sister Mia is just the best, though. She has a special quality about her – everyone she meets instantly falls in love with her. It must have something to do with her outgoing and bubbly personality.

And then there's me. A failure. The disappointment of the family. I can't control my anger. I drink too much. I start fist fights. The only thing my parents can be proud of is the fact that I have decent grades: A's across the board.

But school is utterly useless for me. Thoughts in my head move a million miles an hour, and hearing teachers drone on about history and math holds no interest for me. I can ace their class without ever paying attention. It comes naturally to me.

Anyways, back to my family. We were all adopted, but somehow, I'm the only one who's fucked up in the head. None of my siblings seem to have to deal with any of the shit that goes on in my brain. It's probably because they were fortunate to be adopted before they could remember anything.

Both Mia and Elliot were adopted as babies. They had teenage mothers who wanted a better life for their child than they could have provided. I, on the other hand, was four, and burned into my brain are the memories of the pimp beating me, burning me with his cigarettes. But the worst memory of all... Holding my mother's hand while she was stone cold and dead, begging, pleading for her to wake up.

My birth mother overdosed on drugs, probably cocaine or heroin. I sat next to my dead mother for what seemed like days. When the pimp finally came to our apartment, he at least had the decency to call the police.

I will always be eternally grateful for my angel, Grace Grey. When the EMT brought me to the hospital to be examined, Grace was the one who found me. And she saved me. And now look how I turned out. A fucking failure to my parents. The just proves how unworthy I am. I don't deserve to be a part of this family. I don't deserve my angel of a mother. Grace truly saved my life, and I repay her by fighting and getting expelled from school.

Damn, I need to turn myself around, don't I? New year. New me. Right? Hopefully, no one at this school will have heard about my past. I need to change. And change fast. If not for my sake, then for my family's sake. No more drinking. No more fights. I can do this.

All these thoughts swirling through my head are interrupted by my alarm. It's 7:00 AM on the dot. Why have I already been awake for 3 hours spewing out thoughts about my life? It's a simple answer. I'm terrified of sleep. Sleep only brings nightmares, vivid ones about the pimp beating me, burning me with his cigarettes. Those memories leave me frozen in place in bed, and I let my alarm keep sounding off.

"Christian dear, are you awake?" my mother's voice snaps me out of my trance as she knocks on my door.

I turn off the alarm and reply, "Yes mother; I'm awake. You can come in."

She opens the door and greets me with a warm smile. "Good morning darling. I have breakfast ready for you downstairs. School starts at 8, so you should probably leave by 7:30 to be safe. You don't want to be late on your first day. Seattle Prep is a farther drive than your previous schools in Bellevue. I know you just got your driver's license. Are you sure you don't want me to drive you?"

I give her the best smile I can muster and say, "Good morning mother. I think I'll be fine to drive myself. I'll be down for breakfast in a few minutes."

"Oh, I almost forgot," my mother starts, "I had your uniform pressed; it's hanging in the closet."

"Thanks, mom," I curtly reply.

She gives me another smile, this time more encouraging, and she heads back downstairs. She's definitely praying that I'll be able to stay at this school until I graduate. Here's to hoping!

I know I can't fuck up this time. My parents are serious about sending me to military school. They're not bluffing. My father wanted to send me right after I got kicked out of my last school, but Grace convinced him to give me another chance. My father relented, so Seattle Prep will be my last chance.

I'm hoping that I can stay under the radar this year. At all of my previous schools, I was the one people pointed at, the one people gossiped about. I was the boy who was always alone. The boy who had no friends. The boy who could kick your ass in a fight. But this year, I'm determined that it will all change. I'm not going to allow myself to become a source of entertainment for idiotic high school kids.

I'm going to do my work with my head down and try to avoid fighting at all costs. That means I'll need to stay away from the alcohol. I really need to sort out my shit, prove my parents wrong. I'm not the disappointment they think I am.

I get out of bed and grab my uniform from my closet. It's the standard private school uniform: khaki pants and a white, long-sleeve button down. Fuck, there's even a tie. How pretentious!

I begrudgingly put on the uniform along with the tie and go to the bathroom to fix my hair and brush my teeth.

When I walk downstairs for breakfast, I see Mia sitting at the breakfast bar talking mom's ear off about all the clubs and activities she has planned for this year. Mia's going to be a freshman at Bellevue Academy. She's so excited to finally be in high school.

"I think I'm going to join cheer. The uniforms are so cute! Oh, and maybe I can run for a position on the student council. I think I can be useful to help plan all the big events like homecoming and prom…" Mia's overexcited self babbles to mom.

I take the seat next to her where there is already a plate full of french toast and fresh fruit waiting for me.

"Hey, Chrissy," Mia says much too enthusiastically for the morning. And she called me Chrissy. Ugh, I hate that. But she's the only person who can get away with that.

"Hey, Mia. Are you excited for your first day?" I decide to indulge her.

She then starts telling me the exact same thing she was telling mom. I pretend to listen to her while I eat my breakfast.

Thank God mom interrupts, "Mia sweetie, I think it's time for Christian to leave. He has a much further drive than you do. You can tell him all about your first day when you get home from school."

And there's another reason to be eternally grateful for Grace Grey – helping me escape from Mia's constant blabbing. I grab the keys to my car and wish Mia good luck on her first day of high school.

I pick up my backpack and head for the garage. Before I can open the door that leads to the garage, Grace stops me. "Christian, a word please?"

I sigh and turn to face her, "Yes, mother?"

"I need you to behave yourself. Your father is serious about sending you to military school," she says. Tell me something I don't know!

I relent, "I know mom. I'm going to try. No more fights, no more drinking, none of it."

She comes to embrace me and is careful not to touch any of my boundaries. Oh, did I forget to mention that I can't be touched? Any time someone touches my upper back or chest, I see red. It's definitely a side effect of being abused by the pimp day after day.

Finally, I get into my dark grey Audi R8 and drive to school. I know it's an extravagant car for a seventeen-year-old, but it was a gift from my maternal grandfather, Theodore Trevelyan, right after I got my driver's license. Grandpa T has the same car, and he saw how much I loved it when he used to take me for rides. We've always been close.

My dad freaked out over the gift, though. He didn't want his son to look like a spoiled brat, and he wanted to return the car immediately. Grandpa T eventually convinced him that I should keep the car. It was a gift after all, and my dad is unable to stand up to his father-in-law. Rumor has it, Carrick wasn't the first choice for his daughter. But regardless, it's not like my dad has any ground to stand on. He drives a Bentley for goodness sake.

Anyways, it takes me about twenty minutes to cross the bridge into Seattle and another five minutes before I'm pulling into the school's parking lot. I'm in the reserved lot, no doubt for the kids whose parents donate plenty of money to the school. I have spot number 102, and it's right at the front of the school. Fuck, how much money did my parents donate to this school?!

In front of a spot, there's a bronze plaque that reads: "RESERVED: C. GREY." I pull in right in between a midnight blue Maserati reserved for A. Steele and a cherry red BMW M5 reserved for K. Kavanaugh.

I grab my backpack from the trunk and head for the school's administrative offices. With me being a new student, they're making me pick up my schedule, which is supposed to be matched up with someone else's so they can show me around for the first few days.

Ana's POV

For as long as I can remember, I've always been excited about the first day back in school, and today is no exception. I'm going to be a junior this year, head of the cheer team, and student body president. What can I say, I'm a natural queen bee.

Anyways, here are some things you need to know about me:

I'm seventeen years old and am an only child. My parents got divorced when I was four years old. My "father," Raymond Steele, technically isn't my real father, as in we're not biologically related. However, he's the only dad I've ever known, and he loves me like I'm his own daughter. That I'm sure of.

My biological father died before I was born. He was in the army and was killed in combat. That's where my mother comes in. Carla Adams married my biological father, Franklin Lambert after she found out she was pregnant with me. Sadly, he was killed in battle and left my mom alone with a child to care for. Ray and Franklin were good friends in the army, so that's how he and my mother met. Long story short, they got married then subsequently got divorced. My dad would never say anything like this, but my mother was and still is a gold digger.

My mother came from a struggling working-class family. Ray, on the other hand, came from a well-to-do family. They weren't filthy rich, but they were well off, with both of his parents working in the professional fields. My mother never really loved Ray. She saw him as an opportunity to give herself an easy, comfortable life. My parents' marriage tumbled when Ray caught my mother cheating on him with the man who became her third husband, Stephen Morton.

Ray filed for divorce, and there was a messy custody battle. Since Ray adopted me when they married, he had just as much of a legal right to me as my mother did. The court found Ray more fit to take care of me, although my mother was granted visiting rights. Staying with my dad was the best thing for me after all because my mother ended up in the hospital and filed sexual abuse and rape claims against her third husband. I shudder to think of what he might have done to me had I went to live with my mother.

After Stephen, my mom didn't know what to do with herself for a while. The divorce settlement with my dad left her with an ample amount of money, but my dad encouraged her to find a job and settle down somewhere. She ended up in Georgia with husband number four who is a good twenty years older than her, Bob Adams. Talk about a sugar daddy! My mom practically takes care of him, but I suppose money is the only thing that matters to her. I don't even think she cares about me. Even with the encouragement and monetary assistance from my father, she never wants to come see me on holidays or birthdays. It's always just Ray and me, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Oh, now more about my dad. He was honorably discharged from the army when I was about two years old. After the military, he opened a private security company, which became pretty successful. I'm talking hundreds of millions of dollars successful. But my dad sold the campany a few years ago. More recently, he was summoned to work for the White House as the National Security Advisor. One of his best friends from the army, Fitzgerald Grant, happens to be the president.

Initially, my dad planned to move both of us to Washington D.C. He had a place lined up for us and got me admitted to Sidwell Friends School. However, Seattle had become my home. I didn't want to leave all my friends and have to start over at a new school. When I told my dad I didn't want to leave, he said he wasn't going to take the job. After me insisting that he needed to take the job and would regret it if he didn't, my dad made the move to D.C., and I'm living in Seattle on my own. No doubt, my dad has his security goons keep an eye on me from time to time.

My dad got me an amazing penthouse in a building named Escala. I still get to go to Seattle Prep, and my best friend is still the one and only Kate Kavanagh. I'm one to admit that I lead an extraordinarily privileged life. Most teenagers don't have their own penthouse, drive hundred thousand dollar cars, and have millions at their disposal to spend. But that's my reality.

Today's the first day of school, so I set my alarm clock for 6:00 AM. School starts at 8, but I need plenty of time to get ready. After all, first impressions are the ones that stick.

At 6 AM on the dock, I shoot out of bed and bolt for the bathroom. I take the time to do my daily skincare routine: La Mer cleansing foam, Sisley toner, Saint Laurent serum, Clé de Peau eye cream, La Mer moisturizer, and to finish it all off, Chanel sunscreen. Did I mention I was high maintenance?

After skincare, I move on to makeup. I don't wear much makeup because the truth is, I don't need it. Not to sound self-absorbed, but I'm not afraid to admit that I'm a natural beauty. I was blessed in the looks department. Kate always tells me how every guy at school is dying to go out with me, but I've never met anyone I was interested in. Kate always jokes that I'm asexual and that I'll be a virgin forever. She's always so dramatic!

Anyways, back to the makeup. I don't need much, so I fill in my eyebrows and use some concealer to cover up the dark circles under my eyes. I check myself out in the mirror and am satisfied, so it's onto hair next!

I brush out all the tangles and fix my part. I decide to leave my hair straight instead of curling it. I think I come off more sophisticated that way.

I go back into my room and open the door to my enormous walk-in closet. Usually, it would take me forever to find a suitable outfit, but lucky me, the school has uniforms! I put on the obligatory plaid skirt and white blouse. I pair it with a pair of my favorite Gucci pumps and a headband that matches the color scheme of the plaid.

After all that, I go downstairs to fix myself breakfast. I decide to go with something light, so I grab a yogurt from the fridge and cut up fresh fruit.

By the time I finish eating, it's almost time to leave. I get my backpack and car keys and take the elevator down to the garage.

When I get to school, I'm a little earlier than usual, so not too many kids are here yet. I drive to my usual parking spot reserved for me. Kate usually has the spot next to mine, but this year someone named C. Grey has it. Hmm, I've never heard that name before. Must be a new student.

Oh, that reminds me! I'm supposed to be showing around a new student for a few days. That means I have to go to the office to pick them up. I'm kind of excited for this new student. We need some fresh faces around here.

On my walk to the courtyard, I call Kate to see where she is. It's 7:35, so she probably won't be here for another five or ten minutes. She picks up on the first ring and tells me that she's pulling into the parking lot. Even though we just came back from our Europe trip a few days ago, I miss her.

When I get to the courtyard, there are already plenty of students who are chatting and catching up. I spot some of the girls on the cheer team and go to talk to them. A few minutes later, Kate joins us. She's on the cheer team too, and all the girls are talking about how excited they are for the new season to start. I seem to lose track of time talking to the girls, and when I check my phone, I realize it's already 7:50. Shit! I need to pick up that new student. I politely excuse myself and speed walk to the administrative offices.

Christian's POV

When I walk into the office, an amiable middle-aged woman greets me. She perks up at my entrance and says, "You must be Christian Grey. We're so excited to have you this year. I'm Ms. Ross. It's so nice to meet you."

Yeah, you're excited that my parents donated a shit ton of money.

I obviously don't say that and respond, "Hello Ms. Ross. It's nice to meet you too. I was told I needed to pick up my schedule here."

"Yes, of course. I have that for you right here," she says, handing me a folder, "Your schedule is in there along with our dress code and other school policies. There's also a schedule for the athletic tryouts this week if you were interested in joining a team. A student volunteered to show you around the campus for the first few days. You guys have the same schedule. She should be here any minute. You can take a seat while you wait."

I smile at her, take a seat on the leather couch, and fiddle on my phone. A couple of minutes go by before someone pops through the door. She's about 5'8'' with a very slim figure. She has thick, long mahogany hair, and her legs seem to go on for days. She's wearing a fitted white blouse and a plaid skirt. She's also wearing Gucci heels along with a matching headband. Christ Mia! She's got me all knowledgeable about women's fashion from just listening to her at the dinner table drone on and on about the latest designers. This girl's body is fucking perfect. Her little perky tits are just the right size. They would fit perfectly in my hands. FUCK GREY! Get your head out of the fucking gutter. A girl that looks like that would never go for you.

"Hi Ms. Ross," the girl exclaims, "How was your summer?" Ms. Ross jumps out from behind her desk to hug the girl.

"Anastasia, it's so lovely to see you. My summer was anything but relaxing. You know how energetic and crazy my kids are. I barely got a break in. What about you?" Ms. Ross says.

"Summer was amazing," she replies. Damn, that girl has the voice of an angel. And her name is Anastasia. Quite a beautiful name for a beautiful girl. Fuck, I haven't even seen her face yet. Calm your dick down Grey!

Anastasia continues, "I spent some time with my father in DC and then it was off to Europe with Kate."

"That sounds lovely," Ms. Ross replies. "Oh, I have the new student here." She motions to me, and I get up from the couch.

Anastasia turns around to look at me and DOUBLE FUCK! A gorgeous pair of brown doe eyes and rosy pouty lips hit me. "Anastasia, this is Christian Grey. Christian this is Anastasia Steele. She'll be showing you around."

She extends her hand out to me, but I'm too busy staring at her. Fuck snap out of it! It took an awkward moment for me to extend my hand out to her finally. Fuck, even her hands are dainty and perfectly manicured.

"Hi Christian, it's so nice to meet you," she says.

I barely spit out, "Likewise."

Ms. Ross interjects the introductions and says, "Well, I should let you kids get on with it. Class starts in a few minutes. Have a great first day you guys."

We both smile and say thank you before exiting the office. I have no idea what to say to this girl. Her beauty is rendering me speechless.

Anastasia starts walking, presumably to our first class. Before the silence becomes too awkward, Anastasia begins the conversation. "So, Christian, do you live in Seattle?"

Nervously, I reply, "No, Bellevue."

"Oh, is there a reason why you're not attending school in Bellevue?"

Fuck, that question kind of hit a nerve and I rudely reply, "I'd rather not talk about it." Grey, come on. That was fucking rude!

Anastasia looks shocked at my response, and I apologize, "Sorry, that was rather short. It wasn't a good situation, and I'd rather not talk about it."

She turns to look me in the eyes and gives me a soft smile. "No worries Christian. I'm not one to judge. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"Thanks for understanding," I say, gratefully.

We continue walking to class, and I realize that I haven't even checked my schedule yet. I have no idea what class I have first.

"Anastasia," I begin, "what class do we have first?"

"AP Calculus BC," she replies, "The class is mostly seniors. I think we might be the only two juniors in this class. Mr. Warner teaches this class. You'll love him. He's one of my favorite teachers. You can call me Ana by the way. Anastasia makes me feel like my father is chastising me."

She lets out one of the cutest chuckles, and I smile right back at her.

"Okay, Ana it is then," I say.

We continue walking for a little while and stop when we reach one of the buildings. "This is Buckley Hall. All the math classes are in here. We also have AP Statistics in here fourth period. I'm not sure if you had the chance to look through your schedule yet, but all of our classes are 45 minutes long, and we have eight periods."

"Thanks for letting me know. So our schedule is exactly the same?" I ask her.

"Yep," she replies and leads me through the doors.

There were already students walking about, a buzz in the air no doubt because it's the first day of school. Walking through the halls, pretty much everyone takes the opportunity to say hi to Ana. Damn, this girl must be popular.

"I'll introduce you to some people later. We have second period free. A lot of my friends do too, so you can meet them," she says to me.

I reply, "Thank you, that's very nice of you."

When we walk into our classroom, I see that most of the seats are already filled. There are two seats front and center and two seats in the back corner. I would be inclined to take those seats in the back, but just to my luck, Ana leads us to the two unoccupied seats in the front of the classroom.

We take our seats and put our stuff down. Ana says to me, "I'll be right back. I'm just going to say hi to someone."

She walks over to a blonde girl sitting two rows behind us, and they quickly fall into a very animated conversation. I take a look around the classroom at the other students. A few nerds are occupying the other seats in the front, an assortment of other kids occupy the middle seats, and guys that one would label as "jocks" are in the back. How typical. And to top it all off, guess who those guys are staring at? Ana, of course. Fuck, that shit makes my blood boil. Fuck Grey, you literally just met her!

Anyways, I forgot to mention some things about me, didn't I? I pretty much fit the stereotypical 'jock' body type and look. Not to be narcissistic or anything, but I'm a good looking guy. I guess God had to reward me with something good. If I had such a shitty personality, at least I had good looks. I have caramel colored hair and grey eyes. I'm fairly tall at 6'3,'' and I have a toned body. All that anger lends itself well to the gym.

Anyhow, those jock fuckers don't intimidate me one bit. I might not be on the varsity football team, but I can sure kick anyone's ass in a fight.

Ana returns to her seat next to me when the teacher walks into the room. Ana takes out her materials for class: a Louis Vuitton notebook and a matching pencil case, both monogrammed. Fuck, this girl is every guy's wet dream.

I take out my supplies as well, with no intention of taking notes.

The teacher makes his way to the front of the room and begins talking.

"Hey guys, I hope all your summers were enjoyable. For those of you who don't already know me, I'm Mr. Warner. Before we start, I'd like to make a note of a new student, Mr. Christian Grey." Oh, fuck. Just great. So much for trying to stay under the radar. I hope none of my other teachers do this.

Mr. Warner scans the room, presumably looking for me. When he sees me, he says, "Christian is sitting right here up front next to Miss Anastasia Steele. Please take the time to introduce yourself throughout the day."

I feel the eyes of all my classmates on me and start to feel very uncomfortable. God, I wish I could sink into my seat and disappear.

Everyone's interest seemed to turn back to the teacher and off me when he starts talking about the syllabus and class expectations, and blah blah blah.

Anastasia is dutifully taking notes in the cutest bubbly handwriting I've ever seen. I find myself staring at her terribly cute concentrated face. She turns her head up to look at me, no doubt sensing my stare. I'm caught red-handed as her eyes meet mine. Bashfully, I dart my head down to my unopened notebook and try to pretend that I wasn't staring at her all along. However, that doesn't seem to fool her as I hear her let out a soft chuckle.

Ana's POV

When I get to the office, I immediately greet the school's counselor. "Hi, Ms. Ross! How was your summer?"

She tells me about her hectic summer with her kids and asks me how mine was in return. I give her a short answer and tell her about visiting my father in D.C. and my trip to Europe with Kate.

Then, she mentions the new student I'm supposed to be showing around and motions to the person behind me. I didn't even notice him! I turn around to a stunning, well-built, well over 6 ft mass of a man. Shit, this guy is hot!

Nervously, I hold out my hand to greet him. Ms. Ross said his name was Christian Grey. What a sexy name to go along with a sexy man. Since when did I start thinking about guys this way?! Ana, what are you thinking?!

"Nice to meet you," I say with my hand held out waiting for him to shake it.

A few moments later he finally shakes my hand and mutters something inaudible. Hm, must be shy or nervous about being at a new school, especially junior year when everyone already has their friend groups established. I'll try to make him as comfortable as I can, and I'll introduce him to as many people as I can here, so he feels welcomed. Oh, I can even invite him to the party this weekend! Good idea Ana!

We leave the office and start to walk to class in complete silence. Think of something to say, Ana!

Impulsively, words start spewing out of my mouth. "So, Christian, do you live in Seattle?" It's quite odd that I've never seen him in any of my social circles. Maybe he just moved to town? It's very rare that we have new students at Seattle Prep junior year.

He replies, "No, Bellevue."

"Oh, is there a reason why you're not attending school in Bellevue?" I ask. His body immediately tenses, and he spits out, "I'd rather not talk about it." Shit, did I do something wrong! Oh God Ana, think of something to say!

Before I can say anything else Christian pipes back in, "Sorry, that was rather short. It wasn't a good situation, and I'd rather not talk about it."

I wonder what happened to him. This boy is very mysterious, but somehow that turns me on.

I assert, "No worries Christian. I'm definitely not one to judge. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." I want to make him feel as comfortable as possible here.

"Thanks for understanding," he replies.

I give him a warm smile, and we continue walking across the expansive campus to class.

Surprisingly, Christian asks me a question. "Anastasia, what class do we have first?"

He must not have had the chance to check his schedule yet. I reply, "AP Calculus BC." I explain to him how the class will be all seniors except us. I also tell him about the teacher, Mr. Warner, who is one of my absolute favorites. I also tell him to call me Ana. Anastasia is much too long, and it's what my dad calls me when I'm in trouble.

When we reach the math building, I give Christian a mini-spiel about the building. "So, this is Buckley Hall. All the math classes are in here. We also have AP Statistics in here fourth period." That's when I remember that he didn't get the chance to look over his schedule, so I inform him that all the periods are 45 minutes long and there are eight periods every day. He also asks if our schedules are the same, and I confirm that they are.

On the way to our classroom, a lot of people in the hall say hi to me. Christian must have felt a bit awkward, so I definitely need to introduce him to some people soon. I tell him that since we have second period free, I'll have the chance to introduce him to some of my friends.

When we walk into the classroom together, most of the seats are already taken. Me, being the good student that I am, dart straight to the front where there are two open seats right in the center. I hope Christian doesn't mind. We set our stuff down, and I see Emily, one of the girls on the cheer team.

I tell Christian, "I'll be right back. I'm just going to say hi to someone."

I go over to where Emily is sitting, and she gives me a big hug. "Ana, it's so good to see you," she exclaims.

"It's great to see you too Emily. I just wanted to remind you that cheer practice starts tomorrow," I say.

Emily replies, "Yes, Ana. I know. What I really need to know is who is that hottie you walked in with. I've never seen him around."

"That's because he's a new student," I quip.

Emily giggles, "Well, damn that boy is fine. I would hit that."

I laugh along with her, knowing she's kidding. Deep down though, I'm a little annoyed that she made a comment like that. I already called dibs on Christian!

I lightly hit her on the shoulder and chastise her, "Emily! Don't say things like that with people around."

She laughs at me and says, "I missed you Ana Banana. You better get back to your seat before Warner gets here."

I take a look at the clock and see that class is about to start. I tell Emily that we'll catch up more later and go back to my seat next to Christian.

I take out my notebook and pencil case, so I'm ready to take notes once Mr. Warner starts class.

When Christian reaches into his backpack to take out his supplies, I take the time to stare at his muscular arms through his shirt. I feel myself starting to bite my lip involuntary. God, Ana! Stop drooling over him; he's going to think you're a desperate hussy!

A few moments later, Mr. Warner walks in and starts talking. He introduces himself and makes a note of Christian as a new student. I can sense Christian's uneasiness, as everyone in the class looks at him. He's not one for attention, unlike me.

Anyways, Mr. Warner starts droning on about the syllabus and class expectations. To look like a dutiful student, I take notes, unlike Christian who hasn't even opened his notebook.

In my peripheral vision, I think I see Christian staring at me. I have to know for sure, so I tilt my head back up, and what do you know, our eyes meet. He's definitely staring at me. I smile at him, but that causes him to turn away from me, and he finally opens his notebook and pretends to take notes. I let out a light giggle due to the fact that he was so embarrassed at being caught staring.

Christian's POV

Math was tedious, to say the least. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't have been able to pay attention because of the mesmerizing girl sitting next to me.

After Mr. Warner dismisses us from class, Ana brings me to the courtyard to meet some of her friends. I'm not the most sociable guy, so this is probably going to be a little awkward for me at first.

Ana and I walk over to a table, presumably filled with all her friends.

"Hey, guys," Ana says to her friends, while I follow behind her. She continues, "This is Christian. He's new this year."

They all say hi to me as Ana introduces me to everyone sitting at the table. There's Kate Kavanaugh, Natalie Davis, Josh Reilly, Luke Evans, and Alex Spence.

Natalie scooches over a little to make room for both Ana and me and says to us, "Come sit, guys."

Ana and I both make our way to where Natalie is sitting and take our seats. They immediately begin a conversation about what they did over the summer. I'm naturally an introvert, so I just listen to their conversation, not feeling like it was my place to comment about what I did over the summer.

Ana tries to bring me into the conversation a couple of times, but in all honesty, I feel super awkward around all these people who are complete strangers to me.

45 minutes flies by pretty fast with everyone's non-stop chatting, reminding me of Mia. They all disperse into different directions on the way to their next class. Meanwhile, I follow Ana's lead to our next class.

"We have English next," she says, and I nod at her.

"You're not too comfortable around all those people are you?" she asks.

Crap, how did she know? She's very observant. I think about lying to her, and telling her that I'm not feeling well right now, but my conscience kicks in, and I decide to tell her the truth.

"Yeah," I reply, "I'm not a social butterfly."

She gives me a sympathetic smile and leads the way to our next class.

Ana's POV

At the end of the school day, I ask Christian, "Do you play any sports?"

"No, I don't," he responds.

I'm surprised. Judging from his body type and build, he looks like he's a football player or something of that sort.

"They're having football tryouts today," I inform him. "You look like a football player," I giggle and regret saying it right after it came out of my mouth. Way to go, Ana, now he's going to know you've been looking at his body all day!

He laughs at my comment and says, "I do work out a lot. Sports aren't my thing. My older brother, Elliot, used to play football though. He's the quarterback for the Yale team this year."

Okay, so he has a brother, good to know. "Do you have any other siblings?" I ask.

"I have a little sister, Mia. She's a freshman this year. What about you any brothers or sisters?" he inquires.

"Nope, it's just me," I answer.

It was then I heard my stomach start to grumble. "Do you want to grab some food with me? I'm starving," I ask. I'm hoping he's not going to say no. That would be awkward. And we only just met today. Crap! Is he going to think this is a date? I mean, I'd love to go on a date with him, but really Ana! Be subtle, not desperate!

I expect him to say that he has to get home, but to my surprise, he says, "Sure."

I m giddy on the inside, and my stomach is full of butterflies. More time with Christian and his hot body!

"Where'd you park?" I ask.

"I think I'm parked right next to you," he says, "I saw your name in the reserved spot when I pulled in this morning."

Oh, I remember now. That spot was for him. He must come from a wealthy family then.

"Do you want to drive together or separately?" I ask him.

"It's probably best to drive together, right? I can drive and then drop you off back here to pick up your car? Is that okay with you?" he replies.

"Sounds good," I say.

We walk together in silence to the reserved parking lot. Holy crap, look at his car! A spyder! That car makes my car look like a piece of junk.

"Oh my god! You have a spyder?!" I exclaim.

He chuckles at my enthusiasm and opens my door for me. Okay, swoon already. Someone taught this boy some manners.

He gets into the driver's seat after me and turns on the engine, making that signature sports car 'vroom vroom' sound.

"Where do you want to eat?" he asks.

Oops, I might have forgotten about that part. I think of all the restaurants around here. "There's a good diner near here. I'm craving burgers and fries right now."

"I pegged you for a salad kind of girl," he quips.

I laugh at his joke and say, "A girl needs to eat real food, you know."

We both giggle at each other as Christian starts to pull out of the parking lot.

"I can give you directions," I comment.

"Thanks," he says.

Christian's POV

I can't believe Anastasia asked me to get food with her. That means she actually wants to spend time with me. Or is she just being nice because I'm a new student and she feels bad for me? Whatever the reason, I'm excited to spend more time with her.

When we get to the restaurant, there aren't that many people there. It's 3:45 on a Monday after all.

I open the door for Ana and tell the hostess, "For two."

She leads us to a booth, and we both sit down. The hostess gives us the menus and tells us that our server will be with us soon."I'm so getting a milkshake," Ana remarks. God, she's so adorable.

When our server comes, we both order a cheeseburger with fries, a chocolate milkshake for me and a vanilla one for her.

Ana says something to me, but I'm distracted by my phone ringing. I check the caller ID and, crap it's my mother. I forgot to tell her I was going out. She must be wondering where I am.

"Do you mind if I take this?" I ask her. "It's my mom."

"Go ahead," she says.

"Hey, mom! What's up?"

"Where are you, sweetie?"

"I went out to lunch with a new friend."

Grace gasps at the mention of a new friend. "That's so great sweetie. I'm glad you're making friends."

"Okay mom," I say before she can gush more about me finally making a friend. "I"ll be home in an hour or so."

"Have a nice time darling, love you."

"You too mom," I say before hanging up the phone.

"Sorry," I say to Ana, "my mom's very nosy."

She smiles at me and comments, "I think it's endearing that your mom's so concerned about you."

"Tell me about your family," I declare.

"My dad's working for the president in Washington D.C. right now, and my mom lives in Georgia with her husband," Ana responds.

She looks a bit upset at the mention of her mother. Probably best not to press it any further.

"So you're living all alone?" I ask.

"Yeah. I have an apartment in Seattle," she answers.

"It must get lonely by yourself," I remark.

"It does at times, but Kate keeps me company," she replies, "Anyways, enough about me. Tell me more about your family. What do your mom and dad do?"

"My mom's a doctor, and my dad's a lawyer," I state proudly. "I already told you about my siblings Mia and Elliot, right?" I ask.

"You did," she affirms.

She looks like she's just about to ask me another question when our waiter comes with our food.

Ana's POV

After the waiter brings us our food, Christian and I start talking about anything and everything.

Somehow we get onto the topic of The Notebook.

"You like The Notebook?" I giggle.

"Hey, don't make fun of me," he laughs, "I was forced to watch it with my little sister. And I have to admit it's not bad."

"I never would have pegged you as someone who was into chick flicks," I tease.

"Don't judge a book by its cover," he jokes.

I hear my phone buzz, so I pick it up and see the time. Is it already 6? I can't believe we spend that much time talking. We completely lost track of time!

"Oh my gosh, Christian it's already 6!" I comment.

"I probably have to get home before my mother starts wondering about me again," he says.

When the waiter comes by again, we ask him for the check. Christian pulls out a fifty dollar bill, and I say, "You don't have to pay for me." I pull out some money of my own.

Christian gives the waiter the money before I could. "If my mom knew I let you pay, she'd slap me silly," he says.

"I guess chivalry isn't dead," I laugh.

Christian's POV

After I dropped Ana off back at school, I went home. I can't believe we talked for that long. Usually, I'm uncomfortable and closed off around people I've just met, but she just seemed to bring out something in me.

I walk into the kitchen to grab some water, and my mom is already working on dinner.

"Hey mom," I greet her.

"Christian, dear, how was your first day?" she questions.

I give my mom the obligatory answer, "It was good."

"And tell me about this friend you've made. You are home awfully late. Did you guys have a good time?" she asks.

"We kind of lost track of time, mom," I reply.

"What's his name, sweetie," she asks, already ruling out the possibility of me making friends with a girl.

"It's actually a she. Her name's Ana. She was the one assigned to show me around school the first few days," I answer.

My mom had a look of shock on her face. She probably couldn't believe I made a friend, let alone a female one. "That's great, sweetie. You'll have to bring her over for dinner one day. I'd love to meet her," my mom says going a little crazy that I made a friend.

"Mom, I just met her. Let's hold off on a family dinner for now," I say.

"I'm just happy for you, that's all darling," she reasons.

Ana's POV

After lunch, Christian dropped me off at school to pick up my car. On the way home, I could barely focus on driving because I was thinking about him.

Does he like me? I mean he seemed engaged when we were talking. We were flirting, or was that all in my mind? Gahh!

When I get home, I call Kate, and she picks up on the first ring.

"Hey, Ana Banana," she greets.

"Hey, Kate," I say.

"Where'd you go after school today?" she asks.

"Oh, sorry. I forgot to tell you. I went out to lunch with Christian. You remember him, right? He's the new kid," I reply.

"The smoking hot tall one?" she asks.

I laugh and reply, "Yes, that one."

"Okay, go Ana Banana. You get it girl!" she teases me.

"Kate!" I admonish her.

"I'm just joking Ana," she says, "But are you actually into him?"

Nervously, I reply, "Is it bad to say I am?"

"Go for it Ana," she encourages, "There's no way he would shoot you down."

"I hope so. Thanks for the pep talk Kate. I needed it," I say.

"No problem. I'll talk to you more about this tomorrow," she states.

"Definitely," I agree, "Bye Kate," I say.

"Bye Ana," she repeats as she ends the call.