A/N: Sorry times 'x' for the long wait… If any of you were waiting anyways. It's the end of school year here for me, so exams are high and flying, assessments are piling up and tests are never ending. Oh and now that my basketball season is over, and even though I have 3 more tests on Monday, I thought I should take a break from the study and do a bit of updating.
So enough of my ramble…
Part 7: Only the Beginning…
6th of September, 2004 (Monday) – Orange County, California (14 Years, 9 Months)
The brunette walked around her new high school campus, in search for just a familiar face. Luckily, she spotted her petite best friend from afar and waved for her as she briskly walked through the crowd of teens.
The other girl was also looking around for a familiar face, instead of looking ahead she looked up in a slight angle for her friend's face, she finally spotted. Squealing as she sprinted as fast as her god forsakenly expensive shoes would take her, "Coop!"
They finally met in a friendly hug.
"Thank god I found you…" Marissa said.
"Ditto!" Summer said in her bouncy voice. "So what are we suppose to do now?"
"I really don't know, maybe we go to the new allocated rooms for freshman?"
"Sounds like a plan…" Summer nodded.
As they were walking towards the school, they continued talking away yet again about the latest fashion for the season. Without having an eye on the pathway ahead of them, Summer knocked into somebody and fell flat on her behind. All Marissa knew was that her small friend suddenly fell over in the midst of their conversation.
"Oww!" Summer cried.
"Oh god, I'm so sorry, are you alright. Really, I'm very sorry." The boy said apologetically.
"Oh my god, Sum, are you okay?" Marissa questioned, crouching down over the fallen girl.
"I'd be fine, if this curly head dumb ass didn't crash into me," Summer shot at the boy in front of her.
"I'm sorry," he continued to apologize.
Summer got up with the help of Marissa, and brushed off the dirt on her hand and bottom. "Gosh. Let's go Coop," with that, she stormed off.
Marissa turned to the curly head boy and mouthed an 'it's okay' to him before catching up to Summer.
Evanston, Illinois
"Hmm, that's a bummer."
"Bummer? She's like fully getting on my nerves!" Grace seethed out, glaring at the floor.
"I'm sure she's not that bad…" Katie mumbled, as she was finishing off her breakfast.
"Not that bad?! You haven't met her…" Grace looked at Katie incredulously, as she unknowingly quickened her pace.
"Will you slow down, I'm trying to finish breakfast here…" Katie called as she tried to catch up.
"Sorry."
"Why again are we walking to school? It's our first day in high school, we should get like specials or something."
"My mom's driving Jessie and Zoë to school, and I really don't want to be in the same car as her."
"Oh, I see, so this is about you now, is that why I didn't get my daily free ride to school?" Katie joked.
"Well I'm sorry, I can't stand being in the same car as the girl. Chaos may break out if I were."
Katie just shook her head in disdain, then she looked up and finally saw her new school campus. "Look, we're finally there!"
"Thank god!" Grace breathed out, slightly puffed from the early exercise. "I'm so not fit for this…" Referring to their walk to school.
Katie just looked at her amused, "And to think that it was your idea to walk. Hmm, maybe we should do this more often," Katie laughed, not feeling one bit tired.
"What ever, just because I'm not as athletic as you, and my legs aren't as long either. I've got to contribute more to the walking…" Grace tried to defend.
"Oh, a compliment coming from Grace Manning! What a surprise!" Katie teased as she threw the last bit of her breakfast into the rubbish bin, a good 10 feet away. "Goal!" The brunette danced.
"You can be such a boy sometimes…" Grace looked at her dancing friend.
"Thanks…" Katie replied bluntly, "Hmm, you keep talking about how this Jessie is always on your nerves and blah, blah, blah. What about your other step, Jessie's brother? Doesn't he get on your nerves?" The taller girl questioned genuinely.
"Umm…" Grace blushed lightly, but luckily she was kind of pink from the tiring morning work out already. "Well, he's not too bad so far."
Katie looked at the darker brunette, "Not too bad huh?" She saw right through her, having grown up with her. "Ooooh, does our Gracey have a crush now?!" She teased before running off towards the school, narrowly missing Grace's swinging backpack.
"What's so funny?" Tad joined Katie on the dash across the front lawn.
Katie slowed down, "Grace got a crush!"
"REALLY? WHO?" Tad questioned nosily.
Grace finally caught up and pushed Katie lightly in the shoulder, "Will you quiet down! He goes here you know!" Grace whispered urgently, as her eyes darted around the place.
"He goes here?! OH MY GOD!" Katie squealed excitedly, "Where?" She too looked around, not really sure who she's actually looking for. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks, causing a gap to form in the previous line of three. "Wait, how does he get to school?"
"He gets driven too."
"Hang on… Woah. Did you not want to get driven today because of Jessie being on your nerves, or was it because you didn't want to sit in the same car as your crush…?"
Grace looked at Katie guiltily, "Both?"
"You two walked?" Tad peered at his two best friends.
"Yes, Miss Grace Manning here decided that she wanted to avoid her two step-siblings, so we had to walk to school."
"Could've called you know, I'm sure my parent's wouldn't have mind picking you two up as well."
"Yah, maybe next time."
1st of April, 2005 (Friday) – Orange County, California
"Hey baby, guess what?" the blonde boy walked up behind his girlfriend.
"Hmm?" Marissa questioned without turning to look at her boy.
"…I cheated on you…" Luke whispered into her ear.
"You what?!" the brunette turned abruptly facing her boyfriend.
"April fools!" He called out, laughing, "You should've seen your face, priceless I tell you!"
Marissa shoved his shoulder, "You are such a boy, it's not funny."
"Sup Coop?" Summer walked up to her, with a handsome boy trailing behind her.
"Nothing much, Luke just decided to say he cheated on me as an April Fool joke." Marissa shrugged.
The petite brunette looked at the boy and said, "Well it better be a joke because you'll pay for it if it were true." Summer warned.
Luke raised his bulky arms up in surrender.
"Good."
Leaning closer to Summer, Marissa whispered in her ear, "Who's the new boy this week?"
"Chris." Summer said nonchalantly.
"Chris… Who was your last week?" the lanky girl asked rhetorically.
"Who cares right? It's not like I've found my own 'Luke'." Summer shrugged, "So what are we doing tonight?"
"I dunno, you have anything planned?"
"Yeah, party!"
"Where?"
"Lance's place," Luke answered.
"Boy party? No way, it'll be boring!" Marissa replied, just outside her French classroom door.
"C'mon Coop, a party with Summer Roberts, is never a boring party." Summer pointed at herself as she said her name, "Pleeeaase?"
"Fine."
That said, the final bell rang, "Okay, see you at break!" Summer yelled as she rushed off to her Spanish class. Chris, her temporary boyfriend, left for his gym class, that even Luke didn't pick up.
Luke kissed her girlfriend goodbye before he too had to run off to Spanish with Summer.
Spanish Class
"Alright boys and girls," the teacher clapped a few times for a bit of attention and silence, everyone went quiet and took their seats. "We have a new edition to our class, would you all please give a warm welcome to…" Mr. Castillo called out enthusiastically, he looked down to the piece of paper the girl just handed to him, "…Miss. Sanchez."
Evanston, Illinois
"Katie, did you wanna come over after school?" Grace asked as they sat in English, waiting for their teacher, who was late once again.
"Yea sure, anything special on tonight?" Katie asked.
"Nope, just felt like watching a movie…"
"Am I invited?" Tad stuck his head forward, in between the two girls' table.
Sighing, "Yes Tad, you're invited, but please do not, I warn you, do not bring another one of your goonish jock friend. Especially the two you brought along with us at the cinema."
Katie couldn't help but laugh at the memory of those too vain jocks, it was hilarious to say jokes they completely don't understand, and then watch their faces turn into one of pure thought. "Yeah Tad, no friends this time."
"Fine. Fine. Just thought you two might've wanted a guy you know…"
"Thanks but no thanks. The guys you'll ever be introducing would be so thick in the head, it'll be impossible to ever connect." The brunette said in one breathe, she then turned to Grace, "So I see you're finally going to introduce us to your steps properly, no?"
"No. Eli's probably off to band practice, and Jessie… well Jessie likes to keep herself closed up in that attic of hers." Grace replied, "So no meeting…"
"Whatever you say Grace…" Katie said as the teacher breezed in through the door, mumbling her apologies.
A/N: As you see, if you've just read, many characters are finally being introduced. I think I might update in another few weeks, I dunno… But you'll definitely get to meet Jessie by the next update – for sure. Alex… hmm… must find a way to stick her in.
