All right ppls! I know these characters are different from the ones you know, but come on! They're all younger. Aragorn [for example] wasn't always this hard-faced serious guy, right? Well, it wouldn't be fun in the story if he were! We have to go back in time in their lives, but forward in time also. You know what I mean? Bear with me. This is how High school fix are. They're in high school and they act like high-schoolers!

3. Discomforts

Legolas and I sit in front of the school on the steps. "I wonder when they'll finish that report," I mumble. "We've done NOTHING all afternoon and it's almost time for dinner!"

Legolas gets up. "Yea, well, I think I'm gonna go sleep. The more sleep I get before the summer is officially over, the better," he says. "See ya later, Emma."

Legolas runs off, but I just stay seated. 'He's a neat guy.'

All of the sudden I see someone sit down next to me. I look up to see a beautiful girl with long blond hair and a perfect cute-as-a-button face. She looks like she's from Lothlorien, because her hair is blond and she wore this short gold dress. "Is that Legolas you were just talking to?" she asks. "Yes, it was, actually," I say.

"Well, you best keep away, because last year I was the most popular girl in school and I will be this year. I'm bound to get him, so keep off, understand?" She gives me the 'I'm-better-than-you' smile. I laugh in her face. What a bitch this girl is! "Oh, you can have him. I'm with Aragorn," I say.

She laughs and looks at my clothes. She's grimacing at me? If she'd seen what I wore earlier, she would have been nicer. I had more money than this girl, telling by her clothes! I'd seen that dress in one of the fake, cheap stores. "Nice clothes. Where were you born? The middle of the woods?" she snorts. Did she just say that to ME? I tighten my lips.

"Excuse me!" Talim runs up from behind me and goes up to this snob. "You better keep off my friend, okay, Leanna?"

The girl laughs again. God, I hate her and her pathetic-witch laugh. "Your just jealous because I'm richer and prettier, both of you!" Everyone seems to be looking.

I jump up. "No, I think it's more because Legolas was talking to me and not you! What's wrong? Couldn't get him last year? Do you really think your gonna get him this year?" Leanna's face goes beat red and some kids laugh. I hear Aragorn laugh too.

Aragorn, I thought you'd be on my side!" Leanna whines. "Would I ever choose your side over my girlfriend's?" Aragorn says, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm...nope!"

"He's your boyfriend?" Leanna says, looking at me as if it's such a surprise. I look down at my clothes. I don't think I look trashy! Just because I'm not wearing a dress, does that mean I'm trashy?

"Yea, he's my boyfriend. Did you think I was not rich enough?" "You're a slut!" Leanna says. "Girls wearing belly shirts likes THAT are tramps. You don't deserve Aragorn."

Aragorn goes to my side. "You know squat about our relationship, Leanna," he snaps. "Well," I say to Leanna. "I think you don't deserve Legolas." I hear more laughs. She stalks off, growling. "You whore! I'm going to get back at you!" she screams. "Oh no! Don't try to kill me with your gold heels! Ah!" I scream back sarcastically with a laugh.

"Looks like you made an enemy, Emma," Talim says. "Just because of that, you might become really unpopular."

"Maybe, but maybe not," I sigh. "But I don't have to wear short dresses that show my underwear when I walk to be liked. So she can be her slutty self and I'll make my own friends, my own way."

"I don't think your clothes are slutty, like she said. She's really only liked by her friends and not admired by anyone else, Emma. Don't worry about her," Aragorn says. "One day she'll notice that no one really likes her at all."

I sigh. "This school year could be going better."



(Monday)

I walked into my first class. We started at 9:00 since we didn't have to do homeroom. The homeroom teacher hadn't shown up because of a funeral or something, so I had my Sindarin class after an extra hour of sleep! Aragorn and Legolas were both in this class. "We are going to work on Sindarin nouns today," said Mrs. Silverwell.

I smiled. "Aw, yes, the easy stuff!" "I want you to pair up!" She started calling named of groups and finally I heard mine. "Emthiel and...Legolas."

I sighed. Yay! I was with someone I knew! I am really shy sometimes.

"Aragorn...and Arwen Undomiel." I turn to see who Aragorn's partner is. Wait a minute! Wasn't she the princess of Rivendell? Aragorn was paired with a princess? Wow! She was one girl I hadn't seen until now. Her hair was long and brown and her eyes were blue. She was beautiful. I felt a pang of jealousy as Aragorn smiled at her. She was giving him this flirty smile in return.

"She might think he's single," I said.

"What'd you say?" Legolas asked with a puzzled face.

"Nothing," I answered, still staring at Arwen and Aragorn. He introduced himself to her a lot like he had introduced himself to me last year. I felt another pang of envy.

Legolas pulled out his Sindarin book. "Emma, what is the Sindarin word for 'loaf'?" he asks.

"Korne," I answer distractedly.

"Emma, this is Sindarin, not Quenya!"

"Oh!" I finally look at him. "Right. Well, the Sindarin word for..."



The bell rang! Yipee!!! "Study with your partners I have chosen for you! We will have a LITTLE quiz tomorrow!" Mrs. Silverwell says.

As we run into the halls, I notice Aragorn. "Aragorn, we..." I pause. He's right next to this Arwen girl again. Looks like they were just talking. "Aragorn," I start over. "We, as in Legolas and me, wanted to know if you'd like to go to the 'Wizard's cup' coffee shop during spare.

Aragorn flinches. "Well, Emma, I was going to study with Arwen at the..." he goes on, but I can't really hear him. He's ditching me for studying? This is so unlike him! This is the Aragorn that would never do work during spare, but be with my friends and me.

"Fine," I say, cutting him short. "I'll see you later." I walk off feeling kind of abandoned. Legolas and Talim playfully bump into me. "Let's go get Aragorn to go with us!" Talim says.

I shake my head. "I asked him. He said he wasn't going. He...um..." I paused, wondering what I should tell them. The truth? A lie? "He what?" Talim asked.

"He said he was going to study...with Arwen."

Legolas frowned at me. "That's unlike him. He usually studies after school."

I nodded. "And this is an easy quiz too! Hardly anything to study for!"

"I'm sure there is a perfect explanation!" Talim said. "Let's not start talking and get goofy ideas in our heads. Aragorn is just studying and it's a good thing, right?"

"Right," Legolas and I say together.