Chapter 1

"Wanda! Get your lazy butt down here right now!" shouts Melanie from the bottom of the stairs.

"God! I'm coming, alright?" I practically scream back, slipping on my shoes and smoothing out my hair. There was no point in trying to tame it completely - it was wild and unruly - but I had to at least make an effort for it to look acceptable on my first day at my new school.

"Hey, honey," spoke my mum as I bounded down our thick carpeted stairs. "Keep safe today, okay? Don't give us any unnecessary stress."

I know my mum means best, but sometimes her stress gets on my nerves, I mean I am 16. I can look after myself. I know my family all feel a desperate need to coddle me but sometimes they need to realise that I need to learn to survive on my own. I know I should never say anything bad about them, after all they did take me in after my mum abandoned me when I was six. I'd only met Melanie once before - we were cousins but not close. So when I was left alone in my mother's flat for a week until the cleaner came to visit and my mum never showed up again, Auntie Lily and Uncle Wes took me in and raised me as one of their own.

"I will." I say, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. My satchel is waiting for me on the last step so I pick it up and thrust it on my shoulder. The front door is open, the figure of my cousin Melanie waiting there, impatiently, tapping her foot on the bottom step.

"Gah! Hurry up, Wanda! I can't be late and neither can you." shouts Melanie.

I reach the door and she slams it shut behind me, whilst literally dragging me to the passenger side door of her red convertible. It is a seriously awesome car, I see boys practically drool over it whenever we drive past. Or perhaps it is Melanie they are pining over? One can never tell...

"Sooooo," begins Melanie as she pulls the car out of the driveway.

"Yes?" I ask, impatient. I'm kinda stressed at the moment, what with moving schools. I used to be at Melanie's brother's school - The City - but I was bullied there, people making fun of my hair or my petite stature. So this summer my parents decided to enrol me at Melanie's school - The Cave - where she could look over me and protect me. I was happy, a fresh start was probably exactly what I needed.

But it sure didn't help that the boy I had had a crush on for so many years, Jared Howe, also went to Melanie's school.

"WandaWandaIHaveACrushOnSomeone!" she practically squeals at lightning speed as I turn around, surpised.

"Who? Someone I know?" I demand, desperate to know. I know no boy will ever ask me out in a million years so I am super interested in everyone else's life.

"Jared." she says, her face lighting up like a mad cheshire cat. My smile is gone from my face instantly. Melanie, my Melanie, likes Jared, my Jared. I s'pose I can't blame her, I mean I never told her I liked him... but still. She could've at least guessed.

"That's great, Mel." I lie, trying not to let my true emotions show through my voice.

"Are you okay, Wanda?" she asks, visibly concerned. I get upset quite easily, I'm a sensitive soul, and my family are always there to comfort me.

"Yeah," I pretend, "just nervous about school, I guess."

"Don't be, you'll be fine. Well, do you, um, think Jared likes me?" she asks.

"Who knows? You should ask him." I say.

"No!" she exclaims. "The boy has to ask the girl, I can't ask him!"

"Your choice." I shrug my shoulders, trying not to look bothered by our conversation.

"What about you, Wanda?"

"Huh?" I ask, confused. What about me?

"Is there anyone you like?" she asks, giving me a 'duh!' expression.

"What? No!" I exclaim.

"Are you sure?" she asks, winking at me. I am tempted to tell her, after all she confided in me, but I can't find the words. Instead I just shake my head.

"Your time will come, little petal, your time will come."

I try to shove her playfully on the arm but end up hurting myself more.

"Ow!" I exclaim. "And you are only a month older than me."

"I know, Wanda. I'm sorry. Anyway, we're here now. And there's Jared!" she gushes. I follow her gaze and my heart starts to beat faster when I see the handsome figure of Jared Howe coming towards us.

"Mel!" he shouts when he reaches the door of the car. "Long time no see."

"You too, Howe." she says, blushing as he lends her a hand to get out of the car. I get out my side and walk round to where they are.

Jared looks surprised when he sees me. "Wanda?" he asks. "What are you doing here?"

Melanie gives him a slap on the shoulder. "This is her school now, remember?"

A look of rememberance crosses his face. "Oh, yeah... hey."

"Hi," I say back, broken hearted that he seems so uninterested in me. Get a grip on yourself, Wanda! Get over him; he's obviously chosen Melanie and there ain't much you can do about it. I mean, come on. She's beautiful and you look like a twelve year old.

"Anyways," continues Melanie, "I was going to give Wanda a quick tour of the place before lessons start, I don't want her getting lost on her first day here!"

"Great!" smiles Jared." I'll come along with you."

All through the rest of Melanie's tour, I find my mind wondering and hardly concentrating on Melanie's voice as she shows me one red brick building after another. All I can think is Jared...Jared...Jared.

Eventually, we reach Melanie's form room and I am greeted by the sight of twenty teenage kids clambering over tables and shutting each other in lockers.

"Don't mind them!" shouts Melanie over the noise. "They're just hyper because it's the first day back."

I nod am about to say something when a teacher walks in - I presume my new form tutor- accompanied by the most good looking boy I have ever met, and that includes Jared.

I am pretty sure I hear every girl in the class swoon as said teacher pulls new boy to the front off the class. I almost do, he is pretty gorgeous. Dark hair, piercing blue eyes, winning smile.

"Quieten down! Everyone shut up!" screeches the teacher from the front of the classroom.

I am pleasantly surprised to see that everyone obeys him instantly, sitting up straight in their chairs. That would never happen at my old school.

"We have two new students with us today, Ian O'Shea is here from Texas and Wanda Stryder - sister to Melanie - is transferring from The City school. Please make them both feel welcome here. I have everyone's timetable here, please be patiently while I hand them out..."

I sit back in my chair as the teacher (Melanie informs me his name is Mr Sharon, apparently he gets teased for it a lot) hands out the timetable. I am really pleased to see that my favourite subject, English, is first. Comparing mine with Melanie I am upset to see that I am only sharing one lesson with her, Drama in fourth period. She looks delighted when she realises almost all her classes are with Jared. I share none with him.

I am just comparing my homework timetable with Mel when someone coughs in front of me. I look up and find the new boy, Ian standing in front of me. For some reason I can't speak, I find myself mesmerised by his eyes: sapphire and ice.

"Um, hey. Uh, I'm Ian and you're Wanda, right?"

I blink away from his captivating eyes. "Uh, yeah, Wanda Stryder."

"Hi. Well, the teacher told me to tell you that 'cos we are both new, we have the same classes and should stick together today."

"Um, okay." I give him a half-smile and he walks off.

Melanie nudges me in the arm. "You are so lucky." she whispers. "He is really good looking."

I can feel myself blushing, I am rather prone to it. "Hey. You have Jared."

"Not yet!" she says, winking at me.

"Who has Jared?" he interrupts.

"No one!" we cry together, grinning.