I trudge down the hall, already sick of school and sadly it's only fourth period. Stopping at my locker I start fiddling with the lock until someone shoves me hard against it. Spinning around with my fists clenched I see a petite girl with long raven hair, wearing a cheerleading uniform, giving a high five to one of her drones.

She spins around so she's able to face me, walking backwards down the hallway. "Hey queer, you have a little powder left on your nose. I guess old habits die hard, huh?"

Taking a deep breath I smirk, "Hey Carmen! It's so great to see you! I've missed you so… oh wait no, I was thinking of someone else, my mistake." I roll my eyes and turn back towards my locker.

She stops walking and takes a few steps towards me, "Really Ashley, how did you get out so quickly? Sleep your way out? You know, you really should learn some self control." She smirks and looks over her shoulder to her drones, which start to snicker.

So before this little comment I was going to take the high road and just try to ignore her. But now the old Ashley is creeping up, and I'm ready to start slapping some bitches. Slamming my locker shut I turn to face them with fists clenched at my sides again. I smirk, "I think you have me confused with yourself. Last I heard you're the one who doesn't know how to keep your legs crossed. Hmm… what was it Madison was saying? Something about the whole football team, including the trainer AND Coach Riley…? Ringing any bells?" My smirk only grows larger as I see Carmen's eyes bulge out. "You know Carm," I shake my head and pat her shoulder with faux concern; "you really should learn some self control, at the rate you're going you'll have no one left to screw." With that being said, I turn on my heel and head towards the nearest bathroom ignoring the bell.

Entering the bathroom I yell at two sophomore girls to leave, who quickly scurry off. Once they leave I clench the counter to control my trembling hands. Staring at myself in the mirror, I realize my sudden need to get out of here. I shouldn't have come back; I'm not ready for this. I need a fix, and I need one fast. "You're such a fucking wimp, no wonder your own mother can't stand to look at you. First day back and you already want to give in." Realizing I'm talking out loud, I glance away from the mirror disgusted with myself and walk over to a sink to splash cold water on my face. Deciding school isn't an option for me at the moment, I take out my pack of cigarettes and head towards the quad, towards my tree.

It's while I've stopped to light my cigarette that I finally notice her. She's sitting under my tree sketching something. I stay still and observe her. She looks so peaceful right now, and I'm enthralled. I'm also slightly jealous that she's able to have something that allows her peace. Deciding I've stared long enough, I continue my path towards her, "Hey Spence, I didn't peg you as someone who ditches class." Lame, I know.

She looks up startled, but quickly regains her composure. Setting her pencil on her notebook she looks at me with a smirk, "And I hadn't pegged you for a smoker." She tucks a piece of hair behind her ear and smiles, "and I'm not skipping class right now, I'm out here for art." She smiles sheepishly, "the teacher let's me come out here sometimes."

I give her a genuine smile, the kind that makes my nose crinkle a tiny bit. I throw my cigarette on the ground and stub it out. "Oh, well sorry to interrupt… I'll let you get back to whatever you were drawing." Wait a minute; this is my tree, why am I offering to leave? She should be the one offering to go.

She looks up at me, squinting because of the sun, "Nah, I could use the company." She pats the spot next to her, "besides, you scared my subject away."

I glance to where she's pointing, noticing a squirrel running away with a nut sticking out of its' mouth. I look back at her only to catch her staring. Ok, I guess I can share my tree with her, but just this once. I let out a small chuckle and plop onto the ground next to her. "So Spence, tell me about yourself."

"What would you like to know?" She asks me shyly.

"Everything," I respond getting caught up in her light blue eyes, completely mesmerized by them. Snapping out of it I glance away, "I mean whatever you want to tell me." Looking anywhere but into those eyes, I start to play with the grass as I feel a blush making a rare appearance on my cheeks.

She's smirking now, noticing the pink in my cheeks. Leaning back against the trunk, she makes herself comfortable again. "Well let's see… I was born and raised in Ohio by my mom and dad. I have one brother, Glen, who is my twin actually. He's on the basketball team here and I love him to death, despite the fact that he's a complete ass. As I mentioned earlier today, we just moved here last month. My mom 'claimed' we all needed a change of scenery, so she made us all move here to take a job at some big fancy hospital." She looks sad while she talks about her mom, her blue eyes not as bright. Noticing me staring at her again, she puts on a smile and continues on. "My dad is the best, he's a social worker, and is the best cook in the world. And yeah, I think that covers it. Oh, and obviously," she points to her notebook, "I like to draw."

Smiling I lay back in the grass, staring up into the tree. "Wow, so how's L.A. compared to Ohio?"

"It's… different." She shrugs, "I miss my friends and everything I had to leave behind," pulling out a handful of grass she throws it at me while looking at me, "but, I'm learning to like it,"

Not able to break away from our staring contest we currently seem to be having, I completely forget that I was upset a second ago about the grass.

This time it's her that looks away. "So… it's your turn, tell me about you."

As if I planned it myself, the bell rang meaning 4th period was over and that I don't have to answer her question. Quickly standing, I hold out my hand to help her up. She smiles and grabs it. Pulling her up a little too hard I notice she's awfully close to me now and she's not backing away. Gulping, I take a step back releasing her hand that I wasn't even aware of still hanging on to. "Well, I'm going to go now. I told Ellie I'd meet her n-now and yeah… later Spence." Great, I've turned into a stuttering fool in front of her. Turning away before I'm not able to, I start to walk towards the school, not daring to look back.