So I'm back with the next chapter after a long wait. I'm so pleased to hear such awesome feedback from you all! You make me day so much!

Reviews:

RosettaQueen20: We know he is deep down, don't we?

KuroDeity: No offense when I say this, but I laughed at your comment when I first read it. You must be a dog person because you totally just ignored Leo's state of mind! XD All's good though. Dogs are great. XD

Guest: I'm so glad to hear it! I had a lot of fun creating my OCs.

LonelySkeleton013: Thanks. ;P He is, isn't he? I kinda feel like I have a part to play in that... :/ And yay! I was actually not sure what anyone thought about the length of my chapters. I didn't want it to feel like it was dragging out too much. Thanks for your review!

tournee-de-la-ladybug: *blushes* Thanks so much for the compliments! Knowing I'm working with characters that are not all my own, I'm so grateful for your review. And my OCs (as I said above) were so much fun to create. I'm glad you enjoy them and hope you continue reading my story with as much enthusiasm as you put into your review!

WifeofJaceHerondale: Seriously guys! I can't help but smile at all your reviews! Thanks so much! I've got the best reviewers ever! ;D

Now that my face has turned back to it's normal color and my eyelashes have fluttered sheepishly, let's get on with the story, shall we?

WARNINGS: SWEAR WORDS (like 2 maybe), RACISM

SHOUT OUT!
Anyone you do not recognize as PJO characters are rightfully mine. I think you get that already. :P

~Leo's POV~

Cookie was lying on the floor of the kitchen all sprawled out beside her dish, staring at Leo with her big green eyes. He felt a little uneasy having the creature watch him so intently. It almost made him feel like he was being hunted or at least possible prey that was yet to be considered. He stared back at her while taking a bite of his cereal, ultimately having an incredibly intense staring contest. He had to admit. She was good. She hadn't blinked in over a minute.

It was only just after seven in the morning, yet Leo had been up for hours already. He'd watched the sun come up all the way from the distant light on the horizon, to the now giant ball of fire making it's way into the morning sky. There was even a bit of pink mixed in with the orange and blue, the sky filled with shade from a painter's color pallet. He was sure both Hazel and Rachel would love to see the way the colors changed as the morning progressed, seeing that they were both into art. Maybe they already have. If they were awake. Anyway, Leo had seen it. He hadn't been able to sleep. There was so much on his mind, he didn't know where to start. The documents, school, the nightmares, and now the stupid episode he'd had yesterday. He hadn't the slightest clue how or why that even happened. Having so much attention on him acting that way... it was both something he felt guilty and embarrassed about. They all probably thought he was a mental case now. Freaking out because a dog was injured? He could almost bet money that that was what they were all thinking. Leo didn't know what happened to the dog. Did they even figure out what its problem was?

Leo suddenly glanced up at the hallway when he heard the shower turn off. Alice had left him alone to eat breakfast while she got ready for the day.

That was another thing. He hadn't spoken to her since the episode. Like, at all. She herself didn't really try to have conversation with him, probably sensing he didn't want to talk about it, which he didn't. Instead, she snuck concerned glances his way every once in a while, and that was almost worse. He knew inside she was begging to know what the episode was all about yesterday, but she stayed silent. And even if she did ask, what the hell was he supposed to say to her? Things got a lot more complicated all of a sudden. Now, on top of the uncomfortable living-with-a-complete-stranger problem, he had to deal with the lingering awkward silence between them. He sighed. At least he had to go somewhere today, even if it was school. For a few hours he'd be saved from living in the miserable pitying atmosphere where the only person other than Leo looked at him like she did the dog at the shelter.

Taking another bite of his breakfast, Leo went back to staring at Cookie. "You should be grateful you're not a human," he mumbled through a mouth full of cereal. "The worst of your worries is a dirty litter box."

Cookie yawned and began cleaning herself.

"And hairballs."

A while later, Leo heard Alice's silent footsteps walking down the hallway towards the kitchen. She always had a quiet walk, almost as if she was sneaking up on someone. When she appeared, she wore her nurse's uniform - purple scrub pants with a white flowered scrub top. Her hair was already blow dried and pulled back in her clip, ready for work. Her purse was in her hand. She noticed him looking at her and smiled a concerned smile once again. He wished she would stop doing that.

"You almost ready?" she asked.

He shrugged and took another bite, avoiding making any more eye contact.

There was another moment of awkward silence between them, something that was beginning to feel normal now. There wasn't anything for him to say. It made him wonder why she even bothered trying to talk with him? He could just see it on her face that she wanted to say something more. Instead, she placed her purse on the counter and started digging through it, looking for something. Finishing the last bit of milk in his bowl, he stood up and put it in the sink. Alice finally paused and looked up at him without a smile this time.

"Are you sure you're up to going to school today, sweetie?" Her voice was edging a whisper. "You don't have to if you're not feeling well. Principle Wells will understand."

"I'm sure," he muttered almost a little too quickly. He'd had enough of her pity. "I'll be fine."

"Are you certain?"

"I said I'll be fine. Stop asking me." He ignored the slightly hurt expression on Alice's face as he walked past her to go downstairs. There wasn't any reason why he should feel guilty about it either. He didn't know her, and she didn't know him. Give it a few weeks and he'd be out of here with his friends back at camp. They'd help him out of this hellhole. Then Alice would be yet another person from the past, left as a stranger he barely knew and he was more than okay with that. If only that reality would hurry up and get here.

As soon as he reached the bottom of the stairs, he heard quick, little, thumping footsteps trailing behind him. Great, he thought. The cat really is hunting me.

He entered his room and grabbed his backpack from off his desk chair. He always left it out just in case he had to make a quick runaway. Setting it on his bed, he began gathering the items Alice had gotten for him for school. Cookie watched him from his doorway with the same intent as she had in the kitchen. Books, pencils, pens... He was probably packing more than he needed, but he'd rather have extras than not enough. Lastly, he shoved his tool belt in with his other supplies. Now that he was living in the mortal world again, he didn't like the idea of going anywhere without it, even if it wasn't strapped around his waist. Monsters could be hiding anywhere, including the school. He'd heard the story of what Percy's first monster attack was like. Just a regular day at school, then BAM! The teacher was a Fury. Literally. There was no way he was going unprepared.

Leo didn't know when Alice left for work. She'd told him last night that she'd drop him off at school before she headed for the hospital. Until then, the temptation to sit back and watch his TV was nagging at the back of his mind, but knowing the risk if he ever touched the thing helped him fight against it. He hadn't turned it on in all the time he'd been here and wasn't ever planning to. It was just as dangerous as using a phone or computer. A signal would go out to all the monsters in the area, telling them that there was a demigod nearby in no better shape than a sitting duck. And then there would be the whole problem about putting everyone here, including Alice, in danger. He didn't hate the woman that much. Still, the TV was temptation.

Instead, he looked over at the cat once more and puffed out a sigh. "I bet there aren't even any good channels, are there?"

She just stared.

"What? You don't watch TV? Oh, yeah. That's right. You look out the window and stare at everything out there too. Cats really are creepy."

This time a small meow came out from the fluff ball, sounding more like a squeak. Cookie stood up and walked over to his bed. Jumping on, she took a moment and sniffed his bag before lying down in front of his pillows.

He smirked. "Cozy? Well I got new for you. That's my bed."

Her eyes found his, holding nothing but a blank expression. If she could talk, she'd probably say something about not caring.

"Oh, is that right?" he raised an eyebrow. "Well you'll care if I take you off. How 'bout that?" He then reached out and picked her up only long enough to lower her back to the floor. Then he pointed his finger at the open doorway. "Out." When nothing happened, he tried again. "I said, get out. I don't want a furry creature sleeping on my bed all the time. I don't even know where you've been. I bet you've got fleas or something."

Flicking her tail at him, she blinked. After a moment or two later, she trotted out and jumped up on the couch in the downstairs sitting room.

"Leo, honey," Alice called from the top of the stairs. "You ready to go?"

Taking one last glance at Cookie as she tucked her paws under herself, he grabbed his backpack from off his bed. "Ready as I'll ever be," he muttered.

Leo sat in the passengers seat of Alice's black Sedan, watching the crowds of high school kids climb the steps to the front doors. His backpack sat on his lap and his stomach was left behind somewhere. Nausea had crept back without permission. This was the part where he wasn't sure how it would turn out. Schools were harder to prepare for because there were always so many students, so many characters. Who you ran into was a total surprise... well, sometimes. He couldn't say he wasn't aware of at least some kinds of people he would come across. There were certain types of students you can always find in school: the bullies and the cliques. The rest were everywhere in between. They could be good, bad, or both. Who knew? At this point though, he could safely say that no one in that building was someone he could fully trust even if Alice insisted that the students were welcoming.

"Are you having second thoughts?"

Pulling him out of his stare, Leo turned to look at Alice. He opened his mouth to say that he wasn't, but when nothing came out, he shut it again and looked down. His fingers began fiddling with his bag's zipper. He could feel her worried eyes on him.

"If you do go," she went on in a soothing tone, "and you feel that it's too much, you can call me and I'll come pick you up. Do you have a phone?"

He shook his head, hating himself for letting her see him like this. He didn't even fight back. After experiencing his attitude for the time that's he's been here, she was probably expecting him to say that he didn't need her. And he didn't. He just didn't want to be left in that school without knowing whether or not he had a way to get out. If he needed, that is. His nerves were getting the better of him.

"That's alright," Alice said. "I'm sure Principle Wells can let you use his. Just don't be afraid to call."

And then the silence. There wasn't anything for him to say, but he could practically hear her thoughts running through her mind, things she wanted to say, the questions she wanted to ask. It was all laid out for him in the concerned look in her eyes.

Hating the feeling of being studied, he quickly bit his lip and opened the door, ready, more or less, to put up with what the day was going to hold for him. Before he closed the door behind him, he heard Alice raise her voice.

"Have a good day, Leo. Maybe search for Bronwyn and the others. They'll help you out."

Before anything else was said, he shut the door and slung his backpack over his shoulder, making his way to the school with everyone else. He looked back only once to watch her start the car again, but she didn't drive off. Instead, even from the distance he was from her, he could still feel her eyes on him. She was beginning to remind him of the cat. He physically shook that thought off and continued on.

Soon enough, after climbing the steps and pulling the door open, he was inside, swallowed in the sea of students. Immediately he felt small and intimidated. He'd definitely forgotten what if felt like to be placed in this scenario. From right to left, guys and girls swarmed the halls, rushing here and there. A lot of them were standing at their lockers, sorting out their new books and adding new ones. Several girls were busy redecorating their lockers with pictures of their recent crushes and taking down old ones while gossiping with their best friends. Other groups of kids were gathered in small huddles, talking and laughing with old friends about their summer holidays. No one looked his way. It was almost as if Leo was invisible. Of course, he didn't actually mind that. Being the new guy was never an easy role to take part in. However, given enough time, students would start to notice the new face and then attention would be directed towards him. Leo was prepared to hide behind his mask if he had to, but after everything that has been going on, he wasn't sure how well he'd be able to keep it up.

Swallowing hard and still feeling a little overwhelmed by the amount of students wandering the halls, Leo reminded himself that the best place to start was to go to the principle's office to get his schedule. At least there he'd come across a familiar face who was willing to give him some guidance.

He bumped past students the whole way to Principle Wells's office, excusing himself and pardoning his interruption while passing through talking groups. None of them seemed bothered by him, which was a good sign. They simply went back to discussing whatever they were discussing. Finally, Leo managed to find the room he was looking for and knocked on Principle Wells's door.

"Come in," he heard a muffled voice. He did. "Ah! Leo, I was expecting you. How are you this morning?"

He held on tight to his bag's straps. "Fine, I guess."

"Good, good," the man smiled. "I suppose you're here for your schedule."

"Yup."

Principle Wells nodded and pulled out a drawer to his desk. From inside, he fished out a paper and pushed it across the table for him to see. "I'm assuming you might need a little help remembering where all the classes are. If you have any questions about where to find the right classroom, just ask one of the kids in the halls. They'll be more than willing to point it out for you."

Leo nodded once and took a look at the sheet of paper.

"Of course, there is a general map of the entire school on the back as well."

He flipped it over and glanced at it, wondering how long it would take for him to memorize where everything was. The orientation he'd had made him feel a little better about finding his way, but was glad for the map all the same, even if it was a little hard for him to read with his dyslexia. The text was small and a few words bounced around. Thankfully the font was bigger on the other side of the page.

"Do you have any questions?" Principle Wells asked after Leo had time to look everything over.

He shook his head. "I don't think so."

"Alright then. Your locker is number 48, just down the hall and to the right. You'll find it. Hope you have a great first day, Leo. And don't forget to ask questions if you need answers."

"Thanks," he mumbled back with a half grin. He opened the door again and made his way out back into the halls, his schedule held tightly in his fist. Apparently calculus was his first class. He was more than grateful because it was both a class he enjoyed and the easiest to find. It was almost directly across from the billboard and trophy shelves which made a great landmark. If there was one thing he didn't want to do on his first day, it was being late to class and making his arrival more obvious and embarrassing than needed. Might as well just put him in a spotlight. He was going to try to avoid that.

"Excuse me," he uttered while squeezing past more groups of kids. "Sorry. I'm just trying to find my locker."

A girl with blonde ponytails turned around from her circle of friends and looked at him. "Oh, hi. I haven't seen you around here before. You new? What's the number?"

"What?"

"Your locker number."

"Oh, uh, 48."

She pointed her finger to the lockers a little further ahead. "It's over there."

"Thanks," he offered her a half-hearted smile.

"Hey, no problem," and she went back to the conversation with her circle.

Finding locker number 48, he opened it and began sorting out his things. He tried to ignore all the commotion going on around him, but it was difficult. There were a few kids a little ways from him standing at their own lockers talking over the noise about some dumb video game. Others pushed each other around and bumping into him. There were even paper airplanes flying past the halls. He was feeling smaller and smaller by the minute. Remembering what he'd thought in the kitchen this morning about being glad he was going somewhere to avoid talking with Alice, was now untrue. He wanted to lock himself in his room for the rest of the day, not talking to anyone. Call him antisocial, but that's how he felt. And lucky him, now had to spend the entire day around people who would probably want to talk and get to know him - or at least that's what Alice made it sound like. He really wasn't in the mood for any of that.

As if on cue, Leo felt a tap on his shoulder. Cursing on the inside, he spun around with his books in his arms and found himself face to face with Bronwyn Labbett who was smiling at him like he was some kind of celebrity. Her pink hair had a turquoise barrette in it today.

"Heya!" she gleamed.

"Bronwyn. Hey," he tried at a smile.

"So it's your first day. How are you feeling?"

Shitty. "Uh, good I guess. Calculus is my first class for the day, so at least I'm off to a good start."

She squinted her eyes a little at that. "Is that sarcasm or honesty?"

"Believe it or not, I like to call myself a math genius. Even tutored the teacher one time back in eighth grade."

"You're teasing!" she laughed. "But you seriously enjoy math? Out of all the other classes?"

"You doubt my brain capacity?" he smirked.

"No, not at all! I just don't know a lot of people who like it."

"Yeah, I enjoy math. Honestly, it's one of the only things in school I actually excel at."

She crossed her arms. "Interesting. Well, I hope it goes well then."

"It should. Unless I've grown dumber over the last few months."

Bronwyn giggled. She actually giggled. Very few times had Leo ever heard a girl giggle the way she did, and especially towards him. Those kinds of things usually only happened to Jason or other macho dudes with pretty faces. He wasn't really sure what to think about that.

"I'm sure that's not the case," Bronwyn grinned. "And hey, I've noticed your locker is number 48. Mine is just across, number 35. If you ever need to find a familiar face around here, that's where you'll find me."

He stretched his neck to attempt looking through the crowd. "Sure. Sounds good."

"Now I gotta go," she told him. "Classes are going to start right away. I'll see you later, 'kay?"

"Yeah," he said waving to her as she already began making her way to her locker. "See you."

He waited until she was out of sight to let his smile fade. This was going to be a long day.

Leo settled himself down in one of the desks in Mr. Grosling's classroom. Already he could feel eyes watching him as if he were some kind of mystical creature that randomly decided to bombard their class. He'd taken a seat in the very back of the room, hoping he'd get as little attention as possible, but it was obviously not working. He pulled a few pipe cleaners he'd taken from his bag out from his pocket and began twisting them together nervously. He had a feeling he would be going through them as easily as if they were packs of gum. In his old desks when he was younger, he'd always had a full pack stored away along with rubber bands and popsicle sticks. He believed he'd only had them taken them away twice in the past, but they were always replaced. What could he say? It was hard to break old habits.

More and more students entered until slowly, one by one, all the desks, except for one, were taken. Leo received a few smiles and waves from a few teens. Somewhere in front of him, he heard whispers talking about him and where he was from. It was difficult to hear exactly what they were saying, but the gist of it was that he was the new guy they had all heard about. He could have sworn his arrival was announced on flyers everywhere for all to see. Who didn't know about him?

Trying his best to relax, he leaned back in his desk with his legs stretched out, one foot on top of another, and continued twisting the pipe cleaners. The green mixed with the yellow, wrapping around each other like those DNA models. Unintentionally though, after working on it for a short while, he found that the shape reminded him of the gorilla he'd once made years ago on the walk home from school. Feeling that strange sense of panic rise up from his chest again, he quickly took it apart and began making something new.

"That a hobby of yours?"

Startled, Leo looked to his side to find a teen guy sitting in the desk directly beside him, watching his hands work. His buzz cut hair looked like short blond grass sprouting from his head. "Uh, no not really," Leo quickly explained while stuffing the pipe cleaners in his pocket. "More of a time killer."

"What was it you were making? Weren't you happy with it?" he smirked back at him.

"Honestly I didn't really know what I was making."

"Ah," he nodded. "I see."

Leo looked up at the clock. "Say, what time is this class supposed to start? We've been sitting here for a while."

"Mr. Grosling has a reputation of being late for class on the first day of school."

He laughed a little. "And here I was worried I would be late to class on my first day."

They made small talk for a little while until finally, after a few minutes, a hurried man came bursting into the room with his hands filled with files. He had a receding hair line even though he didn't look that old. There was only a small amount of grey hairs on his head and in his beard. He was old enough to be the teacher though, so that's what Leo decided he was.

Mr. Grosling didn't even look up at any of them when he began talking to the class while sorting through his files on his desk. His fingers moved fast and clumsily while flipping through the pages inside the folders. "Alright, I know I'm late and you'll have time to scold me about that later, but for now, get your books out and turn to page 10."

Everyone did what he said immediately without a second thought. Not wanting to get into any trouble already, Leo did the same. It kind of shocked him how fast this guy spoke.

A hand shot up from one of the students. "Mr. Grosling, aren't we missing someone?"

Still not looking at any of them, he answered, "Yes and that's why I haven't told you to start reading yet. There are a few things I want to say before we begin." He paused what he was doing and walked over to the door. Sticking his head out into the hall, he shouted, "We haven't got all day!" He then pulled his head back in and resumed searching his files for whatever he was looking for, randomly pulling different sheets out and placing them on the desk.

Leo leaned to the side a bit to see past someone's head to look at the door. He could hear footsteps rushing down the hall until the late student finally made it. Who he saw made him want to hide under his desk.

No! Oh, gods, no! Why, out of all the people here in Yonkers, did he have to be here?

Isaac Newman, the blond Hulk Leo had had the pleasure of meeting yesterday, apologized to Mr. Grosling before making his way to the empty desk only a few desks down from Leo. His shirt was so tight fit on his muscular build today, it looked as if he would tear it simply by bending down. The girls in the room didn't seem to mind though because their eyes followed him all the way to his desk. One even blushed. Before he sat down though, because Leo's luck was anything but lucky, Isaac turned to pull his backpack off his shoulder. Leo froze as soon as their eyes met. Although he knew it was only a few split seconds that their gaze stayed on one another, it felt like the longest staring contest he had ever had. What made it worse though, was that Isaac turned away with slightly raised eyebrows and a smirk, which only made Leo feel as though he had lost the only round that had actually mattered.

Isaac knew he was here and there wasn't even any point in hiding it.

"Turn to page 10 in your book, Isaac," Mr. Grosling declared again, this time examining the papers he had pulled out and them putting them all on a pile on his desk. "Okay, first things first, we have a new student with us." He raised his hand in a manner that meant stand. "You know who you are."

Wait. What? Leo almost couldn't even process what he had just said, one, because of how fast he spoke, and two, because he was still in shock after finding out who one of his classmates was. So, when he overcome those few stunned seconds sitting in his desk, when he did finally stand, it was clumsy and awkward.

"U-uh..." he stuttered. "Hi."

"Tell us a little about yourself. Your name. Where you're from, etc." he muttered while leaning against his desk, his arms crossed.

Leo's palms began to sweat, so he curled them into fists. There wasn't a place he didn't want to be more than right here, right now. Along with the rest of the class, Isaac sat there with his eyes pasted on him, expecting him to share information about him. His smirk never left his face as if silently telling him that they had unfinished business he wanted to settle with him. As if his life couldn't get any more complicated... If Leo shared his real name, Isaac would know he was lying, therefore, showing that he had felt intimidated yesterday during their run-in. That was something he tried hard to avoid showing bullies or anyone intending to cause him trouble because they always got the upper hand that way. They knew they had the chance to push him around if he was intimidated, and they took advantage of it most times. On the second hand, lying about his name would only delay everyone from finding out the truth. He was sure some of them already new what his name was. Bronwyn, Trent, and Andy did. Principle Wells and the rest of the teachers did too. It would be inevitable that his real name would seep out some time or another. And then Isaac and his gang would definitely know that Leo was intimidated by them.

Having no other choice, he decided to tell the truth, purposely avoiding eye contact with Isaac.

"M-my name is Leo Valdez," he started shakily. "I'm sixteen. Uh... I grew up in Houston, Texas. Before I moved here, I traveled quite a lot to different states and even visited a few different countries. Guess you can say I've been around," he tried at a smirk even though his attempt at a bit of humor just took a belly flop. This wasn't going too well and the distraction of Isaac wasn't helping. "I, uh... Yeah. Yeah, that's about it," and he sat back down, feeling no better than an idiot.

"Thank you, Leo, for sharing with us," Mr. Grosling murmured. "We are all happy to meet you and all hope that you will enjoy your time here with us at Yonkers High School."

Leo nodded once, feeling everyone's eyes on him. He'd been stared at enough this morning already to last several lifetimes. Cookie, Alice, the people at school... More than anything, he wanted to curl up into a ball and disappear. More than anything, he wished he could cross his fingers and appear back at camp with Calypso at his side. None of that was going to happen though.

For the remainder of the class, Leo sat in silence, not bothering to put his hand up even though he knew the answers. He pretended to work hard on the sheets he was given, but instead drew stick figures and random shapes. When class ended, he purposely squeezed himself into the crowd so Isaac couldn't single him out. On top of that, he headed the opposite direction from his locker so Isaac wouldn't follow and learn where he could find him. He had no idea if the guy was actually even following him, but it was better to play it safe than to assume he had nothing to worry about.

Making a wide circle around the school, he was back at the main entrance next to the principle's office. His locker was just around the corner. Just as he turned the corner, he almost ran into a well-built teenage guy who was busy talking to his friends. Leo's heart almost jumped right out of his chest before realizing it was Trent Shaw and a couple dudes from the football team, evident by their football jackets.

"Oh, sorry, man. Didn't see you," Leo apologized. Oddly though, Trent only made brief eye contact with him before continuing with his conversation, not even saying a single word to him, like he didn't even see him there. Didn't he recognize him? Leo didn't see many Latino students that attended this school so it would be hard for a person to simply not recognize him. He understood if the guy was in the middle of a conversation with his friends, but everyone else had at least offered him a friendly hello, even those who hadn't seen him before. Was this even the same guy that showed up for the private orientation? Trent Shaw was not as sociable with him as he had been only a week ago.

Slightly confused, Leo continued on his way at a slower pace, trying to understand Trent's sudden odd behavior. After he opened his locker though, he decided to let it go. It wasn't as if he really cared that much anyway. If things worked out the way Leo planned, he'd be out of here before he made many more run-ins with Trent or any other of the students.

"Well, if it isn't Sam Lopez," a snide voice came from behind him. Immediately, Leo felt his blood turn cold, and that was not an easy fate since he was a fire user. How in the world did he know where to find him? Leo even went out of his way to lose him. Why did everyone have to keep sneaking up behind him?

Feeling disappointed his plan to shake him off his tail didn't work, he grabbed his Chemistry textbook and forced a look of innocence. "Who?"

Isaac and his three minions stood in a circle, cornering him into his locker. The smirk he still had made every second it was on his face, confirm all the more that he was an A+ asshole. "Oh, sorry. Or is it Leo Valdez now? You see, I think we're a little confused about that. You go by different names each day, or what?"

"Sure!" he grinned impishly. "Keeps it interesting. You don't?"

"Well, I suppose I do have to remember that your mind works different than the rest of us."

Leo felt his smile fade a little at that comment. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Isaac leaned forward a little with his eyes wider as if he hadn't heard him. "Hm? Oh, nothing," he said as if he honestly didn't mean anything by it. "Just saying that you're newer to this school. It takes time to adjust to the atmosphere here."

"Oh. You know it's funny 'cause that explanation didn't seem to fit the comment you told me just a few seconds ago."

"Didn't it?" One of the guys behind Isaac whispered something to another dude. They snickered and continued to watch Leo being cornered like cat and mouse. "I'll have to admit, Valdez, I got pretty excited when I first saw you sitting in that desk," Isaac went on, wrapping his arm around Leo like they were best buds. "Learning that we're already in the same calculus class - both our first class of the day - I realized it could give us a chance to get to know one another better, right? I mean, how could we not? After meeting at the corner store yesterday and then again today, it's like fate. We could really be great friends. The rest of my guys wouldn't mind gettin' to know you too."

Leo made a face like he was "disappointed" and shrugged his arm off his shoulders. "Er, that's too bad. Truth is, I don't really have that much time for friends these days. Too much settling in... and stuff."

"Oh, I don't think we would take up much of your time at all anyway," he smiled. There was something behind it though, something hinting that he had other plans rather than just getting to know each other. It wouldn't surprise Leo if it had something to do with taking advantage of being the stronger dude with a group to back him up. In fact, he knew that was the reason he came to talk with him.

"Well as much as I would love to hang out with you and your gang of skateboard buddies, I really have to head to my next class. Hey, look!" he said cheerily while making his way past them, "I already have the books in my arms. I think I'll just go and -" He was suddenly pushed up against his locker, Isaac's arm pinning him across the chest. His gang drew closer.

Isaac's face lost the same kind of politeness it held only moments earlier and was replaced with a cold glare despite his small smile. "Look. I've been trying to play it nice, but obviously, you haven't been getting my drift. So, I guess I'll have to make myself a little more clear to you. You're not getting away as easily as you did yesterday, got that? You were lucky then. Now, you're in a whole different scenario. You don't have the public eye on your side. I rule the school here. You'll learn that very quickly. And you? You're just a nobody, a newbie in this city. You've got no title over me."

Yup. That's what he was waiting for. His day just got a whole lot worse and he hadn't even reached his second class yet.

"But," Isaac continued, his tone changing a little. "I have a way that could possibly get you on my good side; a way that will help me forget your little jabs you gave me at the corner store."

"Yeah? And what's that?"

He pulled back his arm and studied him for a moment. A small smirk came to his lips. "Meet me at lunch. We'll discuss it there."

Part 1 done! And hey, since I haven't updated this story in such a long time, I'm going to be really great to you and update the next chapter before touching any other stories! Yay! I hope I made you excited! Besides, this is a part 1 and 2. I just gotta group them together. ;)

You know the drill. Review and continue on reading.

(Sorry for taking such a long time to post)

~supworld-issa-tiger~