BRYCE

My heart had dropped to my stomach. I walked into English, disoriented, as the bug-eyed teacher instructed me to sit at the desk with my name on it. I stumbled up and down the aisles, staring at the ground as other students grazed past me, then plopped down in the seat adjoining a name-tag that had Bryce Loski scribbled across it.

I stared at the writing, my thoughts racing. Who was that guy? He was clearly older since he called Juli a "freshie." It was crazy how one second we were smiling at each other, as if whatever happened this summer didn't happen and we were back to when times were good, but then the next, she was hugging some random guy and looking at him like he put the stars in the sky.

I sucked my teeth and rifled through my book-bag, realizing I'd completely forgotten about the letter for the last few minutes. I was so determined to give it to her... but now I wasn't sure what to do with this folded up paper that held had every confession of mine.

Getting out my things, I finally lifted my head to look around the room. I knew about half the people. My breath hitched as I noticed Juli walk across the front of the classroom then settle at the desk directly ahead of the one in front of mine.

I couldn't stop thinking about the way that stranger picked her up and the way she smiled at him. My heart was heavy. Imaging Juli being with someone that wasn't me hurt more than I could describe. I hated that I always took her for granted. What was I expecting? After ignoring Juli for the rest of the summer, I was assuming she'd gladly have any kind of relationship with me, all thanks to a measly letter?

I felt like a fool.

The bell rang and Mr. Coupland immediately cleared his throat, standing in front of the chalkboard with his hands in his pockets. This guy wasn't going to be my favourite teacher, that was for sure.

"My name is Mr. Coupland. You will only address me as Mr. Coupland. Not as Coupland, or Coup, or my first name, which you'll never know." I suppressed an eye roll. "This course requires a lot of books and you are expected to treat them with care. I will see to it that you bring these back at the end of the school year in the condition you received them in. If not, you will have to reimburse the school." I already figured out his first name. Insane.

After he handed out the books and we wrote our names on the inside covers, Coupland ordered us to read a short story in one of the textbooks. What sent a pang of worry through me, though, was when he said we'd be answering questions about it in groups.

What if I was put into a group with Juli?

After a few minutes spent skimming a story that had something to do with a mountain climber, Coupland told us our groups would be made up of the people in our row. I swallowed hard, then leaned over to look past the guy sitting in front of me and saw Juli's profile as she gazed around the classroom. I liked thinking that she was looking for me.

Desks screeched against the linoleum as everyone in the room shuffled around, until finally, what seemed like the quietest row in the class were facing each other in a circle. Juli sat across from me and I didn't get to see her expression when she realized I was in the group but I wish I did. Her legs were crossed and so were her arms. She pensively looked down at her open book as Coupland blabbered on in the background.

I couldn't take my eyes off of her. She was wearing a sunflower dress that only she could make beautiful, her long hair pulled back. Her green eyes shot up in my direction and I snapped my head towards my new favourite teacher. After he handed out sheets and told us each had to have a group representative answer a question in front of the class, which only solidified just how much I knew I'd hate freshman English, I was left staring at a group of five people I didn't know how to talk to.

It was strange that I'd never seen four of them before, yet had an immaculate history with the one directly across from me.

"Alright," Juli took a deep breath, "First question. What's the moral of the story?" The idea of giving her the letter rolled around in my head.

"I think it's about courage," the girl beside her squeaked.

Perfect. Life imitates art.

"So, it's telling us to be brave," Juli pulled out a pencil then looked up at the group, "Everyone okay with me writing that?" She received quiet agreements and a few shrugs, and a smile spread across her face as she stiffly ran the pencil over the page.

"I always forget how to use a pencil after the summer," the guy beside me said. The group shared a chuckle.

Juli shot through the questions, and confidently told us that she'd volunteer to be the speaker. I loved what a natural leader she always was. It was something I admired, and kind of envied. I couldn't believe that I once found this girl unbearable. She was spectacular.

Coupland shushed the class after a few minutes, then pointed to our group.

"Question one?"

"The moral is-"

"Stand up." Juli's eyebrows knotted together and she stood out of her seat, shoulders back.

"The moral is that people need to be brave."

"Okay," Coupland leaned against the chalkboard, looking unsatisfied.

"A-And that in the face of danger, you have to remember what's important."

"Go on."

"Well, Walt has a bad relationship with his daughter, but when he's put in this life-or-death situation, he realizes that their- their problems aren't that serious."

"Isn't that more about the importance of refusing to suppress?"

"Yeah, it's both, I guess," Juli seemed to get smaller. "It takes bravery not to suppress something."

"Okay, but I disagree that the moral concerns bravery," Coupland cockily proclaimed. The urge to hit this guy over the head with my binder was hard to keep controlled.

"But-"

"It's about suppression and instict."

"But doesn't courage have to do with-"

Coupland frustratingly put his palms up. It was clear he wasn't used to getting argued with. "Perhaps it's something a young lady wouldn't understand."

"Pardon me?" Juli half-shouted. The room got eerily quiet.

"What's your name, dear?" he condescended.

She opened her mouth as if she was about to scream, but quickly swallowed the words. "Juli," she stuttered.

"Juli, I don't appreciate being yelled at in my own classroom. Now sit down."

"I didn't yell, I don't understand how-"

"Sit. Down."

"You can't treat her like that." Heat prickled on the back of my neck and I felt everyone's eyes on me. Did that voice come from me?

"Just- just because you're a teacher..."

Oh my God, that voice was mine.

"...It- it doesn't mean you can..."

Bryce, what are you doing?

"D-disrespect people."

"Can you give me the right answer?" Coupland raised an eyebrow. It was clear that he wasn't sending me out or scolding me just because the one thing I had in common with him was my gender. It infuriated me. I tightened my lips, not knowing what to say next.

Coupland moved onto the next group, acting as if what just happened didn't happen. I sat there, fuming because he was such a jerk and confused because I did something that was so not... me. As he spoke to group two's representative in his self-assuring way, I looked over at Juli to see she was already looking at me. She widened her eyes and cocked her head to the direction of the teacher, then gave a disapproving shake. I crinkled my forehead and nodded.

It was the first normal exchange we had in months. I looked down at my books, sinking into the warm, unfamiliar feeling of being proud of myself. Although the teacher wasn't exactly a joy, I had a feeling I'd find myself looking forward to this class each day.

Eventually, the gruelling exercise was over and everyone was back in rows. Once the bell rang, I quickly gathered my books and pulled up my book-bag and the crinkled epistle in the side-pocket patronized me as if it was asking, well?

"Bryce?" A familiar voice shot me out of my stupor. I looked up to see Juli standing by my desk. "Thank you," she proclaimed.

JULIANA

"Thank you," I mumbled. Bryce ran a hand through his blond locks and gave me a tight smile. I couldn't believe he spoke out. To a teacher. An intimidating one. On the first day of school. All because of me.

"He's- he's a numb nuts," Bryce stammered, and I laughed. He looked down, shoving the rest of his books into his bag, the dimples caving into his cheeks as he chuckled with me.

I could see it in his eyes. No matter how many times he tried to mask them, something was wrong.

"I really don't get what the deal is with people who clearly hate kids becoming teachers," I sighed. He stood out of his desk, looming over me. Dana was right- this boy had a growth spurt. We walked out of the stuffy room side-by-side.

"Where's your locker?" Bryce scratched the back of his head.

"By the gym," I scowled, "It's toxic down there." We shared a laugh. I felt an arm hook around my elbow and snapped my head over to see Dana standing there with a mischievous grin.

"Hi, Bryce! Bye, Bryce!" She whirled me around and scurried down the hallway, pinned to my arm. "Get married already," Dana whispered.

"I can't do that if keep kidnapping me like this!"

"So you admit you'd like to become Mrs. Bryce Loski! Interesting," she chortled. I was a bit bothered that she took me away from my conversation with Bryce, but at least I got to speak with him, even for a little bit. I was determined to find out what had been troubling him.

We met up with Alison, Jessica, and Jane, and the five of us made our way down to the gymnasium for club sign-up.

"Everyone managed to get through the day without sluffing?" Jessica hollered.

"Well, I know for sure that Juli would never miss her classes," Dana pulled a strand of my hair and I slapped her away.

"Well, I thought I'd be falling asleep in my Careers class, but I have a pretty good-looking distraction to stare at," Jane snickered.

"Isn't highschool great?" Jessica linked in with Jane, as if officially accepting her into our group, "So many good-looking distractions."

"What's this distraction's name?" Dana asked.

"I never got it," Jane replied.

"One step at a time, Dana!" Jessica teased.

We laced through the crowds and each wandered off towards our points of interest. I made a beeline for the Science Club and wrote my name on the first line. I was happy to find they had a book club, which I signed up for, seeing Alison's name already there. I also wrote my name under auditions for Junior Girls' Soccer.

Eventually, I found Dana, and the two of us set off to find the rest of the group. My breath hitched once I saw Bryce, hands in his pockets, standing next to Garrett. Ugh. What was he doing with Garrett?

"Juli..." Dana had her signature undertone of wilfulness weaved into her words, "What is going on with you and Bryce? You two have such a long, complicated history."

"Tell me about it," I mumbled. I continued to look at him as we walked back, admiring the broadness in his shoulders.

Dana frustratingly shook me, "No, you tell me about it!" I let out a breathy chuckle.

"We just stopped talking over the summer." I swallowed my pride. "He... started ignoring me."

"He's so immature," Dana adjusted the brown headband in her hair, "Boys! They get scared you won't like them back so they chicken out. The male species is seriously deranged."

"I don't know if it was because he was scared I didn't like him ba-"

"Juli Baker." Dana stopped in her tracks and I mirrored her. She bore her brown eyes in to mine. "Any fool can tell that Bryce is head over heels for you." My heart fluttered.

"Well," I shook it off, "I don't-"

"How was English?" I could practically see the hearts in my own eyes and Dana seemed to pick up on them quite quickly, too. "Good, I'm guessing?"

"You won't believe what happened," I slowly replied, letting the drone of the crowds' chatter buzz in my ears. "Mr. Coupland was being a total jerk to me, making some comment about how I won't understand something since I'm a girl-"

"What!" Dana growled. "Sorry, continue."

"Right? Anyways, out of nowhere, Bryce speaks up and tells him he can't be disrespectful."

"Bryce told Coupland that?" Dana comically brought her hands up to her cheeks. "What did he do?"

"He kind of acted like it didn't even happen. Luckily."

"So he spends a whole summer ignoring you, then stands up for you to the scariest teacher ever? See, Juli? I told you. Deranged species."

"There you are!" Alison appeared between us.

We all reunited, talking about the teams and clubs we'd signed up for. The four of them decided to take the bus back home but I knew I needed a walk to clear my mind.

As I made my way off the campus of my new school, I couldn't stop thinking about the way Bryce defended me, in his matured, yet still kind of craven voice. He really had grown since the last time I saw him -more into a man. I bit my lip and looked down, brown crunchy leaves tumbling across my path.

I missed him. A lot. And I was hoping that today was an indication that he was done hiding.

I'd never been one to easily forgive and forget. But the way his eyes looked just told me that he had a good reason for acting how he did, and it only made me eager to fix it for him.

I made it home and looked over at Bryce's house, then at the sycamore, then finally at our front door. It reminded me of how Evan picked me up that morning, which only sent another wave of uninvited feelings to my stomach.

I skipped to the kitchen to grab a snack and saw dad sitting at the counter, arms folded in front of him. He always got home from work in the evening... What was he doing here?

"Hi," I chirped, clueless yet pleasant.

"Juliana," his voice was low, "I have some bad news."