==Palisade, North Carolina, United States==

After another weekend of doing absolutely nothing, Monday rolled around and it was time to go to school for the week. The halls of Palisade High School were crowded by busy students trying to get to class, go to the library, or just hang out in the hallways.

Casey showed up to school wearing her favorite color - a flowery yellow dress with uggs boots. Alissa, on the other hand, preferred pink to be her favorite color. She showed up in a pink sweatshirt and denim shorts.

Alissa's mother, Ryleigh, once taught at Palisade High School. However, after realizing that she may one day have to teach her daughter, she saved her the embarrassment and transferred to a nearby high school.

Casey stowed some textbooks into her locker and took some others out before finally shutting it. When she turned around, she saw Alissa standing behind her.

"Hey, Casey!" Alissa beamed.

"Oh, hey, Alissa." Casey groaned.

"Like, why the long face?"

"It's Monday and we have a whole five days of school."

"Oh, get over it. We'll live. It's only, like, the second week of school."

"Which means we also have a whole year of school." Casey fake-chuckled.

"Wow, you don't like to think positively." Alissa chuckled.

"It's just that my guidance counselor pretty much, like, recommended me for all AP and Honors classes and now that's, like, all that's on my schedule." Casey complained. "I have to go from having a boring school day to having a boring home night."

"Hey, you have your parents' brains. They're both really smart."

"Yeah, and I wish I wasn't super smart." Casey groaned. "It kinda sucks when people, like, have high expectations of you."

"It's your junior year of high school, Case." Alissa reminded her. "It's supposed to be your hardest. While my classes are nowhere close to as hard as yours, they're still pretty hard for me."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Casey sighed. The bell rang and students started to scramble around the hallways. "Well, that's the bell, I guess I better go off to AP Biology. At least I sit next to Wyatt Wilcox."

"O-M-G, no way!" Alissa exclaimed.

"Yeah, our last names are together in class alphabetical order, so the teacher put us at the same table."

"Wow, you are, like, so lucky!" Alissa bubbled.

"I know!" Casey giggled.

"Alright Case, I'll see you at lunch!" Alissa waved and started to walk away. "Tell me what happens in class!"

"Yup!" Casey smiled and walked off in the opposite direction.


"And that is the basing of the Endosymbiotic Theory." the AP Biology teacher, Ms. Kiffin, instructed the class. "Now, are there any questions?"

"Are you suggesting that the mitochondria and chloroplast derived from ancient bacterium?" Casey raised her hand and asked.

"Yes, that is what the theory states." Ms. Kiffin nodded. "My, you pick on this subject quite fast!" she complimented Casey.

"Um, thank you?" Casey put her hand down.

"Wow, you're really smart." Wyatt Wilcox whispered to her from his seat.

Wyatt Wilcox was the definition of a high school bad-boy, which was why all the girls fell for him. Not to mention that fact that he was a senior, which attracted all of the underclassmen girls. From his shaggy brown hair to his leather jacket and ripped jeans, he could have been mistaken for a biker any day of the week.

"Uh...thanks!" Casey stammered. It wasn't everyday that Wyatt noticed her existence, so she didn't know how to react when he spoke the first words.

"Hey, do you think you can help me study for our next quiz?" Wyatt asked in his sly voice. "As you can tell, I'm not exactly the smartest kid in class."

"Uhh...yeah...yeah I can!" Casey babbled. "Um...where...where should we meet up?"

"Wanna meet up at the library or something?" Wyatt asked. "Or we could go to that Java House place."

"That...uhh...sounds great!" Casey exclaimed. "So...is this...like a date or something?"

"Yeah, I guess you could call it that." Wyatt nodded.

Casey couldn't contain her emotions. She wanted to explode out of her seat.


When lunchtime came around, all of the kids crowded around the school cafeteria. While it wasn't the best food on the planet, students also had a choice to pack their lunches, in which most students did.

"So he's, like, practically asking me on a date!" Casey told Alissa and the rest of their friends about AP Biology at her lunch table. "I don't even know what to do!"

Casey and Alissa sat at the 'pretty girl table'. It was a guy's dream to be invited to the table, and only a select few had ever had the chance to press their butts against a seat there.

"Wow, every girl would, like, kill to be you, right now." Alissa said. "You should consider yourself lucky!"

"I know! This is unreal!" Casey exclaimed.

"I think he posted online that he likes girls with an attitude or something." one of their friends told her. "I'd act like a total bitch."

"Why would he like that?" Casey asked.

"I don't know, I heard he just likes to put girls in their place." another one of their friends said. "It gives him a feeling of control."

"Oh, like, who cares? He's hot!"


Finally, the school day came to an end and students started to make their ways outside. After a long fought Monday, most of the students were tired and just wanted to go home to relax.

"Hey, Case." Alissa waved as she walked to her best friend's locker. "Can you give me a ride home today?"

"Lucky for you, I drove to school." Casey smiled. "So I can drive you back."

"Sweet! Thanks!" Alissa started to walk over to her own locker.

"What's up, Casey?" a deep, harsh voice asked her. She turned around, startled."

"Oh...um...hey, Wyatt." she greeted her crush. "What's...uh...going on?"

"I just wanted to know if you wanted to study at the Java House tonight or something?"

"Um..." Casey remembered that he liked girls with an attitude. "Well, what if I don't want to?"

"Heh..." Wyatt smirked. "You will."

"No." Casey protested. She wasn't serious, but she just wanted to play along.

"We'll see about that tonight. I'll meet you there and that's final." he walked away before she could come back at him.

From a distance, Alissa watched their conversation. Something about it made her feel queasy, however.

"That didn't sound like fun..." she mumbled to herself.

"Hey, Alissa!" a male voice exclaimed from behind her.

"What do you want, Trevor?" Alissa groaned.

Trevor was the classic high school loner. While kids didn't pick on him, he just wasn't ever able to find the right group of friends. He was a skinny child with short brown hair that matched his eyes. What Alissa found irritating about him was that he had a massive crush on Casey and wouldn't leave either of them alone about it.

"Can you tell Wyatt not to talk to my girl?" Trevor asked.

"Your girl?" Alissa widened her eyes. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Yeah."

"For the hundredth time, she is not interested in you!" Alissa exclaimed. "What's it going to take to get that into your head?"

"Neither of you know it, but I'm destined to be her soul mate!" Trevor protested. "Wyatt isn't the right fit for her. I'm the guy she's always wanted."

"Wow, you are one stubborn kid, aren't you?" Alissa asked. "Even though I do agree with you about Wyatt."

"What do you mean?" Trevor asked.

"Wyatt doesn't seem like he's too interested in Casey for who she is." Alissa admitted. "He's got something up his sleeve and I know it."

"How about we find out?" Trevor suggested.

"Um, no." Alissa stated.

"You said it yourself that you don't like where this relationship is going..."

"But that doesn't mean that-"

"Alissa, let's get real here." Trevor crossed his arms. "Casey is walking into a deathtrap and you know it."

"You're right..."

"So, what do you say?"

"Fine, I'll help you out. But if we get caught, I'm blaming it all on you."

"Deal!"