Tyler Johanssen pushed open the door that led outside and glanced out nervously at the huge crowd gathering in the courtyard outside his new school. There was a buzz in the air, and he didn't like it.

Tyler was used to being in front of big crowds, but this was different. This was out of his domain. He wasn't sure what to make of it yet.

He glanced up at the stage that was suspended above the crowd and saw a girl standing onstage, a microphone clutched in her hand. She had long brown hair and eyes of the same color. It took a second for her face to click with a name. This girl was Tori Vega, the most popular student at Hollywood Arts. She was a singer, an actress, and just about everything you needed to make it at this school. A boy Tyler immediately recognized as her friend Andre stepped up next to her, and Tori raised the microphone to her mouth.

"Hey everyone!" she said, cringing slightly at the way the microphone butchered her voice. "Andre and I wrote a song for the upcoming state music competition, and we wanted to get some feedback on it, so sit back and enjoy!"

Tyler sat down on a bench, eager to hear what they'd prepared. The guitars started and the song held a sweet melody. He glanced down and tried to block out the thoughts of his old home. He'd left Canada less than forty eight hours earlier, leaving behind his friends and teammates, and now he was living with a completely new billet family, as well as having to attend a new school and join a new team.

The beat picked up, the song turning into something fun and easy to dance to. People began to clap to the beat and dance in the crowd. Tyler glanced up and caught the eye of a small redhead. He looked away quickly, but couldn't stop himself from turning back after a few seconds. She smiled and looked back at the stage. Tyler drowned out the music by focusing on her, trying to learn her every detail. She was short, maybe 5 feet. Her red hair appeared to be long and silky smooth, hanging midway down her back. Her brown eyes held a lively twinkle that strongly drew his attention, and her small smile was undeniably adorable. He made a mental note to talk to her later, if it was at all possible.

Lunch was only a few hours later. Several people broke through the doors to the courtyard outside just a few moments after the bell to lunch had rung, filling the seats at the tables positioned at random intervals throughout the area.

At her usual table, Cat fiddled with her fork, actively avoiding her food. She poked a limp piece of lettuce and it flopped over unattractively on her plate. She stared at it with a frown.

"Cat, eat it... It's good for you." Tori said, having watched Cat pick at her food for the past few minutes.

Cat put the piece of lettuce in her mouth and chewed slowly without enthusiasm. When Tori looked back down to her casserole, Cat immediately spit the lettuce into a napkin, wadding it up in a ball in her hand so Tori wouldn't see. Beck noticed and laughed from across the table, and she glanced up, briefly admiring his smile for the few moments it shone. Looking at him, she knew something was off. Dark circles were under his eyes. His eyes were very faintly red-rimmed. She didn't bother to question him, since she knew he would talk about it on his own time.

"Come on, it's almost time for class. We have to go get you fixed up." Tori said to Beck after noticing how he looked like he hadn't slept a wink. She turned back to Cat for a brief moment. "See you later, Cat."

Cat watched as her two friends stood from the table and walked away, leaving her alone. She sat there for what seemed like forever before she heard a voice come from behind her.

"Hey."

She turned around, slightly startled.

A boy was standing there. He looked awfully tall, maybe about six feet. He was muscular, the T-shirt he wore clearly defining and emphasizing the curves of his biceps and triceps. He had light blonde hair spiked up above his head, and his eyes were an oceanic blue, distinctly reminding her of the blue waves that would crash onto the shore at Venice Beach.

He smiled apologetically when he realized he had startled her. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. Just saw you sitting here all alone, and I thought I'd come and say hi, keep you company."

She felt butterflies in her stomach, making her feel lightheaded for just a moment.

"I'm new here, and I don't know many people," he continued.

"I can show you around," she offered, and he looked up with a surprised smile. "I'll introduce you to my friends, and you can hang out with us."

He seemed so familiar, but she didn't know why. She thought for a few moments, until she realized he had to be the boy she had spotted during Tori and Andre's performance a few hours earlier.

"I'm Tyler," he said, extending his hand for a handshake. She extended her hand in return, their hands slotting together for a few moments.

"I'm Cat," she responded, leaving her hand entangled with his for much longer than was necessary, hoping it wouldn't become uncomfortable to Tyler.

"So, what do you do outside of school?" Tyler asked her, secretly not wanting to let go of Cat's hand, but there was absolutely no way he was admitting that.

"Just hang out, go to the beach, stuff like that." Cat mentally rolled her eyes. Hang out? Go to the beach? Was she serious? She sounded like an idiot. Couldn't she have thought of anything better to say? Maybe his presence was just tripping her up. "You?"

"Hockey takes up most of my life," he said with a soft laugh, and she caught a glimpse of his impressive smile, slightly lopsided and exposing a few impressively white teeth. "But I'm looking forward to trying some new things here."

She nodded her understanding. Hockey had to be the reason why his biceps and triceps were so impressive.

"What team do you play for?" she asked, hoping her lack of knowledge of the sport didn't come back to bite her.

"I'm playing for the Hollywood Arts team, actually." He smiled.

Cat had never known they had a team before that moment, but, hey, they had had a ping-pong team, so it was pretty obvious that they should have a hockey team.

"When do you play next?" she asked.

"We've got a game here in LA on Friday night. I can get you tickets if you want," he offered. She smiled happily, delighted to hear that. While she didn't know much about the sport, watching a cute guy work his impressive muscles for a few hours had to be a good time.

"I'd like that," she replied, as the bell rang loudly, signaling the end of lunch and, unfortunately, the end of their conversation.

"Meet me at my locker after school," he said. "I'll make sure you can get some tickets."

"Thanks," she said. She didn't realize she was about to be late to her next class until she looked up to see the courtyard empty, save for her and Tyler. "Well, I better get to class now. See you after school," she said, lifting her hand in a brief wave to him before she headed to class.