"Tammy? Wake up! Time for school!" my mother sang as she floated into the room and drew back the drapes. I pulled the cover over my head to block the light streaming in from the windows.

"No it's not," I groaned.

"Yes it is."

"No. It's not."

Mom laughed. "You know, denying it is not gonna make it go away."

I sighed wearily and first peeked over the edge of the blanket then threw it off of me as I slowly got to my feet.

"It was worth a shot."

I felt my grumpy mood begin to lift a little as I made my way to the bathroom. It's been three months since I've been to school and I found that I was really excited. There was no reason I shouldn't be, I realized. I've missed my friends and today was the big renunion. I'd been anticipating this day since the last day of school.

So I smiled because everything today had to be perfect.

I twisted my freshly blow-dryed hair up with a clip before I took out the dress I had picked out the night before. It was one of my favorites, making me feel positive with it's large white flowers on the pink background. It hugged my upper body and flaired slightly around my legs, coming to an abrupt stop at my knees. I paired it with pink ballet flats and put my dark hair in a neat ponytail. After putting on a little lip gloss I looked-

"Perfect," I smiled in satisfaction. Just as I was picking up my tote bag, my mother called my name.

"Coming!" I called as I skipped down the stairs.

My mother turned to see me as I walked into the kitchen. She smiled.

"You look very nice," she said with a warmth that reached my toes.

"Thanks," I replied, "So do you."

And she did. But then, my mother always looked beautiful to me. Her brown hair was a shade darker than my own and currently had lighter streaks going through it from all the sun she had gotten this summer. Her eyes were a striking hazel and her face was all smooth lines and angles, her lips a perfect cupid's bow. She was the most beautiful woman I've ever known.

"Now," she muttered to herself after I had eaten, "What did I do with the...keys...?"

I immediately answered, "On the hook." Her face cleared as she plucked them off said hook. No matter how many times she put the keys there, she never remembered that was where they were when she needed them. She was forgetful like that though she swore up and down she could remember the day of her own birth.

"These keys, always ending up some place other than where I put them," she sighed. I shrugged.

"Or you can never remember where they actually are," I muttered

"What?"

"Nothing."

I stared distrcatedly out of the window as we drove to school. The sun beat down hotly on the asphalt, making it glitter in the light. I could hear the kids giggling excitedly as they ran for the bus pulling away from the curb. Three mothers stood on the sidewalk, each of them smiling brilliantly.

It seemed like the entire neighborhood was mirroring my mood.

The car suddenly lurched to a stop and I looked out at the school, where some students were milling about out front. I could feel my mom watching me take in the familiar surroundings.

"This is it," I breathed, "Tenth grade." It was then that I became aware of the erratic beating of my heart. My mom snorted.

"You know, honey," she told me, "You've been here for a long while. You won't need to steel yourself for complete culture shock. New work, new people, but still same school."

"Wow," I turned to frown at her, "That's got to be the pep talk of the century."

"Right. Sorry," she chuckled, "How about this. You know this place like the back of you're hand and almost everyone in it. You're an excellent student. There's nothing to be nervous about." She was wearing that proud I-can't-believe-you've-grown-so-fast look she gave me a lot these days as she stroked my hair lightly. I let out a sigh, a smile coming to my face.

"Thanks. I'll see you soon," I said as I got out of the car. She waved happily as she drove away.

I began to make my way up the stone steps of St. Damien High. Despite the school's slightly sinister sounding name, it really was a nice place. Right now, the tan bricks of the building were bathed in sunlight, making the grass look greener and the day seem brighter. The students wandering around the vast expanse of land in front were hugging each other and my mother was right; I recognized almost every single one of them. Kayla Martinez and Erin Armstrong were jumping around, Jordan Taylor ran and tackled Oliver Child in a hug. A few feet away from them, Kieth was wiping a smiling Emily's tears.

The familiar faces didn't stop there. As I made my way down the hall after I'd gotten my program, every studen't who'd been here the year before greeted me, laughing and joking as if we hadn't spent three months apart. It took me forever to finally get to my locker but there was one more person waiting for me.

"Tammy!"

My fingers froze on the lock and I dropped my bag to the floor.

"Di?"

Diane Carter attacked me in a hug the way only Diane Carter could. I squeezed her hard. After a lot of screaming and yelling and a bit of crying on Diane's part, I finally took a good look at my best friend.

She was the same as always which wasn't surprising in the least. There was not a force in the universe that could change Diane into something other than who she was.

"You look great," she beamed. I squeezed her hands.

"So do you," I repeated my earlier words, agaiin telling the truth. By this time, we didn't need words to convey just how much we missed each other. I began fiddling with the lock again.

"How did you like camp?" I asked conversationally. She sighed and leaned against the locker next to mine.

"Let's just say, the woods are not my place. I almost got attacked by a bear and Eric is all 'Don't move an inch.'" She imitated him in a deep, panicked voice, "Hell no. I hauled ass."

I laughed at her antics as she continued her animated stories about living in the woods for six weeks. Truth be told, I hadn't believed for a second that she'd survive the first day. Diane was a city girl, through and through and trees and bugs and 'crap-holes' had to be huge culture shock for her.

"Did anybody else this year go?" I asked. Her eyes widened as if she'd just remembered something and she nodded eagerly. She opened her mouth to speak and her eyes fixed on something behind my head.

"Oh, yeah," she said slowly. I cocked my head curiously.

"Who?" She lifted a hand and pointed behind me. I turned around to see what she was talking about.

Will King was not cute. He wasn't handsome either. No. Will King was hawt.

He ambled toward us slowly, giving me enough time to look him . He had light brown hair and dark eyes, dancing with mischief. When he caught my eye, he smiled beautifully and I offered one back, surreptitiously squeezing Diane's hand. I squeaked.

"He was there?" I mentally slapped myself for staying to spend the summer home with my mom.

"Yup. And he wasn't the only one." Diane was turning red and I knew it was a great effort for her to not go into fast-talking mode, something she did when she got excited, "Rebecca was there to."

I squeezed harder. Rebecca Greene. Will's girlfriend. My heart flew up into my throat, then dropped 20 miles down. I swear I could feel it beating in my stomach.

"No!" I gasped. Diane nodded more vigorously.

"Yes!" she hissed, trying to twist her hand out of the death grip, "But get this: They broke up."

I whipped around to face her with wide eyes. "NO!"

"I'm serious! I don't know what happened. It was like one day they were making kissy faces at the lake and then the next...like I said, I don't know what happened. Okay. He's coming." I squealed.

"How do I look?"

"Perfect as always."

"Thanks." I grinned.

"Hey!" I turned around and nearly died at the sight of Will holding his arms out for a hug. I stepped into his embrace eagerly, breathing in his scent. He leaned over to give Diane a brief squeeze.

"Hey," I said, pleased at how calm I sounded despite the fact that pretty much every organ in my body had stopped doing what it was supposed to, "How was your summer?"

"Great! It's weird though; I actually missed school." He wrinkled his nose. I nodded.

"I totally know what you mean. Just this morning I-"

"So, how's Becca?"

I loved Diane. I truly did, but there were often times like this when I wanted to strangle her...even if I had been planning to ask the same question sometime later.

Will suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Ah, I wouldn't know. We broke up a while ago."

Diane and I gasped sharply, pretending to be appalled. The internal me did a little happy dance.

"That's so horrible," I sighed sympathetically, "Are you two okay with that?"

He shrugged, his eyes starting to wander. "Yeah. It was a mutual thing, you know? I guess we were just meant for other people."

And when his gaze settled on me, I knew without a doubt that this was just the beggining of a perfect day.

A/N: Aha! I'm finished! Leave a review and let me know what you think of our new friends!

Your CuTii3Pii3 ;)