The picture is how i imagine Fern (Emily Grace Dixon)
Prologue
Emily Grace Dixon hates being sixteen. In her opinion it's a stupid age, it meant that she was older but nothing actually changed, apart from the fact she could now drive a motorbike. It's nothing to do with her friends or family, both are great. If you don't count the mother who kicked her out three years ago in favour of her new boyfriend. Her father and stepmother, Rob and Jan are both amazing. Genuinely the best parents anyone could ask for, their supportive, loving, friendly, understanding and just plain cool. They even agreed with her decision to be called 'Fern' instead of Emily, because they knew how much she hated the name (and the fact that her mother had picked it). The nickname Fern had come from her dad and a hiking trip when she was still a small child to a forest full of fern. Since then it stuck.
Fern was starting a new school after an incident with her ex-boyfriend, also known as scumbag, who (lets leave the long and upsetting back story behind for now) dislocated her shoulder. It was accidental but was treated as a serious incident and her dad chose to switch her school. Ten weeks later the shoulder was almost as good as new, except from the ache and two more weeks of recovery time. She was not allowed to participate in physical ed or lift too heavy objects.
Honestly, she was gutted to be moving schools. She was popular and well liked at her school, most people enjoyed her sense of humour. Moving to a new school meant making new friends and settling into new routines. The pros being that the school was closer and the cons that her three best friends Lilly, Amy and Josh were not going to be seen on a daily basis.
Fern smiled at her reflection in the floor length mirror in her bedroom. The school didn't have a dress code so she had opted for light denim skinny ripped jeans with a plain white vest top. It was fairly warm outside already so she had slipped on a light blue checked shirt over the top, undone with the sleeves rolled above her elbows. Her white doc martens were clean and shiny on her feet. She had applied some blue eye shadow and used a dark blue eyeliner to crate flicks at the outer edges of her eyes. Other than that she was makeup less, if you don't count her cherry lip balm. Her once brown but now baby pink and purple hair was down, stretching just below her chest. The colour was done professionally, the light pink stretching from her roots (which and grown back brown for about an inch) to her shoulders were the purple joined in various light but appealing shades. The mixture of her hair and her makeup really brought out her light blue eyes.
She picked up the brown leather messenger bag and placed it on her good shoulder (the right one) before going downstairs.
Her dad and Jan were already in the kitchen eating at the breakfast bar. "Morning" she announced, leaving her bag by one of the stools to get her lunch and some breakfast. A brown paper bag was sat on the counter, she peaked inside to see a chicken salad wrap, an apple, chopped up carrot and a banana toffee muffin. "You absolute legend" she said to the smiling Jan.
"Least I could do its your first day of school" she beamed. Although Jan was only her step mother she really loved Fern and treated her like her own.
Fern put the brown paper bag with her lunch and two chilled bottles of peach ice tea in her school bag before sitting in the seat between her parents and tucking into her pancakes and maple syrup. Breakfast was silent while everyone ate and drank their coffee, it was Monday and most defiantly a coffee morning.
Rob was reading the paper as he ate, not paying that much attention to his wife and daughter until Fern stood and put her plate in the sink to be washed. He looked his daughter up and down with a smile. "Are you sure you don't want me to take you to school?" He asked for the twentieth time since last night.
"I'll be fine dad" Fern replied with a grin on her face. She placed a kiss on both their cheeks before slinging her bag onto her shoulder and leaving for school.
She had only just shut the door and made she way down the path when her phone started ringing. She checked the called ID, Lilly before swiping the screen and greeting her best friend. "Hey sweetie, what's up?"
Lilly was her best friend since forever, they were like sisters growing up. Lilly was skinny but in a petite way rather than an athletic way like Fern. She has barely any boobs and hardly any curves. Lilly's best feature is her long auburn curls that stretch all the way to her lower back and her green green eyes. Normally Lilly stuck to tight fitting clothes with expensive price tags to show of the small frame she had. Her favourite colour is green, like her eyes which she wears whenever she can.
"I miss you" Lilly replied with an obvious pout even over the phone.
"I only just left school on Friday after ten weeks of isolation, how can you miss me?"
"I just do" the voice snapped playfully.
Fern smiled to herself. "You free after school?"
"Yes" Lilly said eagerly. "Fancy the coffee shop?" The coffee shop was a small but very busy cafe that was situated in between both of their schools. They chose to hang out there at any given opportunity. It was one of their spots. Fern also worked their some nights and weekends for cash, even though her day's parents had set her up with a rather large trust fund that she could now access.
"I have a shift later, I'll see you there." Fern answered.
Lilly seemed ecstatic, even over the phone Fern could sense her best friends moods. "Amy and Josh are here, they want to say hi" she announced before two very loud "hi's" were said.
Fern laughed. Although Lilly was counted as her best friend, she was perhaps more specifically her oldest friend. Amy and Josh were also her best friends, they were a strange little group of buddies. Amy was a curvy chick, not overweight but with wider hips and large boobs. She stuck mostly to baggy clothes to fit a rock image that she had been up keeping for years. Her platinum blonde hair was short and choppy in a sexy pixie cut that she often spiked up or quiffed back. Josh was an attractive guy with dark blonde hair that fell over his forehead and brown eyes. He wore band tees and jeans most of the time but scrubbed up nicely too.
"Hi guys" Fern giggled. "I'll catch you later ok? I've just arrived at school." She announced before hanging up the phone and sliding it back int her jeans pocket.
Fern walks into the new school, she's fairly early but she wanted the time to be able to find her new locker. Instantly she notices a boy in the same year as her with pale skin and dark curly hair as he climbs out of a blacked out car with a leather shoulder bag. He's wearing a light grey shirt and black slacks with leather shoes, he looks smart but comfortable. The shirt is tucked in, accentuating his lean figure. She catches a glimpse of his blue eyes when he turns to her. He isn't smiling and his cheekbones are sharp. It's like he sees straight through her because in seconds he's slamming the door of the car and walking into school without even a second glance.
Fern couldn't help but feel disappointed. He was very attractive and seemed like a good starting place for a friend but he was obviously not interested.
