"You know, Ephram, I didn't think it was possible, but you look even more dead today than usual."
Ephram Brown threw a glance at his father, whose sad attempt at humor was not what he wanted to hear this morning. He'd been up half the night tossing and turning. It was only a week into the new school year and he hadn't fully adjusted to the idea of getting up before the crack of dawn. He stood, resting his arms on the counter, trying to wake himself up. Delia was sitting to the left of him, happily eating her father's cooking, which Ephram had to admit, had gotten better over the past year.
There was the sound of a horn outside and Ephram groaned. The trio, consisting of the Abbott children, Bright and Amy, and the miracle child, Colin Hart, was here to pick him up. Somewhere in-between him hating them and them loving him, he just accepted his role as part of their gang. Besides, he knew that this would be the only way he would actually get to spend time with Amy. He'd never admit it, but he just hadn't found a way to let her go yet.
"That's my ride. Later."
Ephram grabbed his bag and headed out the door before he could hear anything his father had to say. Amy had gotten her license over the summer, and was now the one driving them all to school. Her small car seemed to fit them better than Bright's truck, which was ready to bite the dust anyway. He climbed into the back with Bright, who had fallen back asleep in the short ride to the Brown residence
"And I thought I was tired," Ephram said.
Amy and Colin laughed from the front of the car. Ephram's eyes met Amy's in the rearview mirror, and even after all this time, there was still that tension in the air. He lowered his gaze and cleared his throat.
Colin turned around, "Hey, we've got another new student. She starts today, she's in our class."
"Word really does travel fast around here," Ephram replied.
"She moved across the street from us," Amy chimed in. "I think you're going to like her, Ephram."
"What makes you say that?"
"Oh I don't know. I heard she's from the East coast. She moved here with her mother and stepfather, but for some reason, her little brother remained back east. Her mom's an accountant, apparently sold her firm and has retired to little old Everwood, sounds very similar to your father. She looked all punk rockerish and had pink streaks in her hair too."
Ephram raised an eyebrow. "How do you people find out all this information without even talking to the person? I mean, I've been here a year, and I still don't know how you knew everything about me before I knew any of you existed."
"If it makes you feel any better, Eph," Colin said, "I didn't know anything."
"Dude, you were in a coma."
All three laughed at Bright's comment, who conveniently woke up just as they pulled into the school parking lot. Months after Colin's surgery and recovery, it was nice to know they could all joke about it. The four gathered their things and exited the car.
Ephram didn't really feel like hanging around the happy couple and Bright this morning, so he went straight to his locker. He walked with his head down and as he looked up he saw someone at the locker next to his, which had been empty. And he knew right away it was the new girl that Amy had been talking about in the car. She was medium height, maybe only one or two inches shorter than him. She had long dark hair, but the pink streaks Amy had said she had were now deep red. She had a CD player held in one hand, with the headphones resting around her neck. The music was loud enough that Ephram heard it as he approached her.
"Who are you, and what did you do with the vacant space that was the locker next to mine?"
She turned to look at him and he saw her piercing blue eyes, which seemed full of anger and fire. "That depends, who are you, and who told you that you were funny?" she snapped.
"Sorry," Ephram said, "I was just trying something a little different then "Hi! Welcome to Everwood!" and maybe, make you laugh."
Her facial expression softened. "How did you know I was new?"
Ephram smiled. "Word travels fast. You'll learn. I was new last year. I learned. And to think, I thought I'd be the only new resident of Everwood for the next decade. I'm Ephram. Is that So Long, Astoria?"
"You listen to the The Ataris?" she said, with a curious look now on her face.
"Among other things. That's a good CD, but I prefer their early stuff. They've mellowed out through the years."
"Yea, I do too. But, it's all I can listen to since I've been here. Reminds me of home."
"You still never told me your name."
"I'm Ryan. Ryan Bailey."
The bell rang. "Well, Ryan, I must be going now. I'm sure I'll be seeing a lot more of you." Ephram turned and walked away, smiling.
As she watched him walk away, it was at that point that Ryan smiled. The alliance that had just been made was about to turn their worlds and everyone in them 360 degrees.
