Janet Wood fancied herself to be a level-headed girl. Since childhood she had been described by family and teachers alike as gentle, mild-mannered, and reliable, albeit a tad stubborn on occasions. All attributes typical of a Taurus such as herself – not that she actually believed in astrology, but her friend Cindy was mad about the subject, and she told her to no end about the meaning behind her birth star.

So, the previous year, at the ripe old age of sixteen, when she finally got rid of her braces and suddenly developed in certain areas that nature had neglected before, the last thing she expected was to throw her reason to the window, and for a boy, no less.

She didn't even mind that he hadn't recognized her at first despite having gone to the same classes for months, because, the moment Janet's eyes locked with Peter's green ones, she was done for. It had been a day just like any other, when out of the blue, as she ran through the crowded hallway to get to calculus class, she bumped into somebody, sending all her books on the ground. Only, this time, it wasn't just anybody, it was Peter Van Horn, the handsomest boy in the whole school and captain of the football team. Her secret dream for the past two years, and every other girls' in that school as well.

"I'm sorry." he apologized, as he helped her pick up the books.

"It's alright." she blushed, trying to be done as fast as she could.

"… Do we know each other? You look familiar, but I think I would remember a face like yours." he flashed his pearly whites as they got up, a move that charmed the pants off of any girl.

"Actually, yes … we have history, and geography together."

"Oh, sure ... sure." he replied, clearly lying. "And your name is ..."

"Janet." she self-consciously tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Janet Wood."

"Right!" he pointed a finger at her. "... So, I gotta go now, but I'll see you around, Janet. If you ever wanna swing by my table at lunch, you're welcome."

So she did. After that, she became the talk of the town. From nobody to Peter Van Horn's new girl, she snagged the most coveted position in the whole school, after head cheerleader. For three months, she was on cloud nine. She sat front row at all the games, attended all the best parties, and everyone treated her like their best friend. She finally felt seen, respected. So, alright, her grades slipped to a few B's here and there instead of the usual A, but being an It girl had its price, right? Besides, the school year was almost over and with a few extracurriculars that summer, her credits would even out.

Then, with the end of the school year, prom season rolled around, and that's when her fantasy came to an unexpected crashing halt.

Up until then, Peter had been a perfect gentleman with her. They didn't have too many chances to be alone in private, besides a few parties, but he never pushed their kissing too far, and if from time to time he allowed himself to let his hands roam, she was sure to place them back where they belonged without any complaint from him.

So, it was to her surprise that on prom night, she found a slightly tipsy Peter pushing her down on the back of his rented limo, attacking her neck with a strength that felt unfamiliar to her. She was wearing a light blue dress that exposed her shoulders, and he couldn't seem to wait to expose the rest of her as well, much to her discomfort.

"Janet, do you know how much I love you?" he told her, staring deeply into her eyes, and she felt her heart pounding a mile an hour into her chest, mixed feelings sending her into a dizzy state. "Let me count the ways."

At this corny and incorrect declaration, Janet couldn't help but burst out laughing, despite Peter's attempt at kissing her.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"You got that from Elizabeth Barrett Browning." she giggled.

"No! I swear I never took that chick out!" he raised his hands defensively.

"She's a poet?" Janet said.

"Well, literature was never my thing. I was always much better at physical education, if you know what I mean, so why don't we get back to what we were doing ..." he said, before attacking her exposed skin once again.

Janet's pleas to take things slower went unheard, because Peter continued his roaming under her dress, undeterred.

"Come on, baby, don't fight it. I've been waiting three months." Peter told her, as he came up for air. "This is prom night, you're supposed to put out."

Janet was revolted. She had to think quickly, and before she could even realize what she was doing, she bit his nose, then hit him in a very sensitive area with her knee, sending him crouching on the carpeted floor. She ran out of the car as fast as she could, completely humiliated, as she heard him call her some unflattering expletives.

"And by the way!" she yelled at him, holding the door open. "It's not how much I love you, it's how much I love Thee!"

"How much I love The what????" Peter asked, still unable to move as he held his crotch.

And with that final quip from the king of morons, she slammed the door in his face, putting behind herself her brief career as his queen.

Janet threw herself back into her old routine that summer, studying to regain back her lost credits, and hanging out with her best friends Terri and Cindy. No more distractions for her from then on, she swore, especially boys who were bound to break her heart and she would have to continue seeing every day at school.

So, it was with that spirit than she began her Junior year, unaware that destiny had other plans for her, despite her best intentions.

While most people would have dreaded the thought of leaving all their friends behind to start over in a new town, Jack Tripper couldn't have been more excited at the prospect of moving to Santa Monica. A natural extrovert, he never had any trouble getting along with his peers, and what he sometimes lacked in confidence, he made up for in humor. If anything, the only problem he had encountered consisted in the ever-looming presence of a certain someone in his life. Namely, his older brother Lee. Handsome, intelligent, athletic, practically perfect Lee. Everyone, including their parents, worshiped the ground he walked on, comparing the two of them all the time and relegating Jack to the role of lesser little brother.

No more of that, he had finally decided. This year was gonna be different. This was his Junior year, and Lee would graduate soon.

With a new school, and new people, especially girls who knew nothing about his brother's small town legend status, he would finally establish himself as his own person and be recognized as Jack Tripper, the funny. charming guy from Economics class, instead of Jack Tripper, Lee's goofy brother. This year would be a new beginning for him, he could just feel it.

"Helloooo, Earth to Jack." Mrs. Tripper waved a hand in front of her son from the other side of the table, waking him up from his reverie.

"Sorry, mom. What did you say?"

"I said, Orange juice or milk, darling?"

"Juice. Thanks." he replied, and the woman poured him a glass.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Mr. Tripper intervened, dropping his fork to dig into his suit pocket. "Lee, here's the keys to my Toyota. Just be careful not to scratch it, please."

"I'm sure he won't." Mrs. Tripper commented, as the boy took the keys. "He didn't pass drivers ed with the highest score for nothing, after all."

"Hey, mom, dad ..." Jack ventured, trying to sound as dignified as possible and not like a squeaky mouse. "I was thinking … Maybe I could drive today?"

"Why would you wanna do that?" Mrs. Tripper asked, turning around to face him.

"I just thought for a change, you know … to not bother Lee, I could drive him for once."

"That's very sweet of you, honey," she patted Jack's hand reassuringly. "but you just got your learners permit. I wouldn't feel safe having you drive streets you don't know, especially in this town."

"The traffic is ghastly." Mr. Tripper agreed.

"Yes. You're used to small town streets, this is different. Maybe another time."

"… Alright." Jack replied, dejected. "It was just an idea."

"And a very nice one, junior." Mr. Tripper told him. "I'm sure Lee won't mind driving you, don't worry."

Lee didn't say anything. He just smiled smugly in his brother's direction, a look worth a thousand words.

So much for change.

Terri was Janet's oldest friend. They had met in fourth grade when Janet moved from Indiana to California, and they had been inseparable since. In a way, Terri was everything Janet wasn't: a spontaneous, boy-crazy, gorgeous tall blonde. Not to mention an occasional smoker, a thing that made her infinitely cooler than she could ever be. Not that smoking was actually cool. In fact, it seemed kind of gross to her when she saw Peter do it the few times they had gone out, but when Terri did it, she looked effortless, like one of those black and white movie actresses she saw on television all the time. She had a natural allure that Janet completely lacked. Not that she couldn't be charming herself, but she had to admit, she was more of a good second impression type of girl.

Despite their differences, though, the two girls complimented each other perfectly. They both had a no-nonsense attitude and fiery nature that could come out at the most unexpected times, and they were both fiercely loyal. Janet's sweet side tamed Terri's wild nature and prevented her from stepping out of line, and Terri's confidence encouraged her to stand up for herself and face her fears. In a nutshell, they were each other's soul sisters.

"I'm never going out with a dentistry student again, that's for sure!" Terri declared, as she stuffed her locker with her belongings.

"It was that bad, uh?" Janet asked, as she and Cindy did the same.

"Don't even get me started!" Cindy echoed Terri's sentiment.

The two girls had gone on a double date the previous saturday with Terri's new boyfriend Phil and his twin brother Winston, and needless to say, it was a disaster.

"I tried to break it off with him, and he called me Bugs Bunny!"she lamented, before inspecting her teeth on the locker mirror. "… I don't have an overbite, do I?"

Janet and Cindy glanced at each other, unsure what to tell her.

"Well, at least you got rid of him" Cindy changed the subject. "Winston won't stop sending me gifts. Just because he's rich, he thinks he can buy anything, including me ... well, he can't!"

"Sorry, Cin." Janet patted her shoulder sympathetically. "I guess he didn't take the hint?"

"Hints, plural. He gives me the creeps, I swear."

"Speaking of creeps …" Terri said, glancing down the hallway, where a certain dark-haired nuisance by the name of Larry Dallas was headed in her direction.

"Hey Terri." Larry leaned on the lockers, the signature move he reserved to his designated female victim of the week. "Long time, no see."

"Never long enough." she replied, slamming her locker door a little too hard.

"Ouch." Larry feigned offense, laying a hand over his heart. "So, when are we going out?"

"Let me think … " Terri put a hand on her chin in contemplation. "How about september 31st?"

"Alright!" Larry replied, rubbing his hands eagerly, before realizing she was messing with him. "… Ha-ha. I get it. Very funny."

Janet and Cindy giggled behind her, as Larry retreated in defeat. Until next time, that was. Never let it be said he wasn't persistent.

"I don't understand why you won't just go out with the guy." Janet told her, as they headed to class. "He's crazy about you."

"He's a weirdo … and a cheapskate. I heard he went out with Gretchen Howard -"

"Who hasn't?" Cindy jumped in. Gretchen was known around school as 'Greedy Gretchen', a moniker referring to her sociable nature with the other sex.

"Not the point." Terri told her friend. "He told her they were going for an exotic dinner and a movie, and they ended up eating Chinese takeout on the hill behind the drive-in to save up on their tickets."

"You know his dad works part-time at the used car lot, It's not his fault!" Janet jumped to his defense, to her own surprise. She guessed, deep down, she did feel a little sorry for the guy.

"Well, It's not mine either!"

"He was good enough for you when you made out with him at Linda Sendowski's birthday party." Janet observed.

Terri gasped. "I told you girls to never bring that up! I was a little tipsy, and it will never happen again. Ever."

Cindy was about to retort, when her eyesight set on something horrific, at least to her eyes. A delivery man was making his way through the hallway, holding the biggest bouquet of yellow roses in existence, yelling her name.

"Oh, no." she said.

"Cindy Snow?" the man stopped in front of her.

"No." she shook her head, hoping to send him away.

"No, that's you. I saw your picture."

"You're way off, sir." Janet chimed in. "She's Cindy's twin ... Mindy."

"You don't fool me. Winston told me all about you, you don't have a twin. Come on, take the flowers, they're all paid for."

With that, he dropped the bouquet in Cindy's arms, almost sending her toppling down in all her clumsy glory.

"Whoa, steady, there." Terri helped her standing still.

"You know what, Janet?" Cindy said, barely audible through the forest in front of her face. "I think you're onto something with this no boys rule."

"Hello, everybody." Mr. Angelino dropped his briefcase on top of his desk. "And welcome to English literature. I see many new faces in here … and some old ones." he shot a glance at Larry, who flunked his class the previous spring.

"He's kinda cute." Terri leaned down to whisper in Janet's ear.

"Ew! He must be fifty!"

"Young fifty."

"Ahem, excuse me, ladies." Mr. Angelino stopped talking to address the two girls. "Is there something you would like to share with the rest of the class?"

"No, sir." Janet replied meekly, as she and Terri shook their heads.

"Very well. As I was saying, this year -"

The man didn't have time to finish his sentence, because the class door slammed open, a young boy with frazzled sandy brown hair barging in.

"What now?" Angelino turned to face him, irritated.

"Hi, I'm Jack Tripper. I'm new, so … I got the wrong class before." he giggled awkwardly, running a hand through his hair. "But now I'm here."

"We should all be so honored, Mr. Tripper. Now, please, will you mind taking a seat behind the little flower girl over there?" The man pointed to the free spot behind Cindy.

Jack didn't take more than a few steps, when his attention was caught by someone in the middle rows, next to the girl he was supposed to sit behind of. She had long, straight dark hair and big brown eyes framing her heart-shaped face, and she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Completely taken by this vision of beauty, he forgot where he was for a second, only to be brought back to reality when he tripped on his feet, barely making it on his chair without falling on the ground. The whole class laughed at the mishap, and while admittedly it was a slightly humiliating situation, he couldn't help but staring once again at her, marveling at how she looked even prettier when she smiled ... and, did she have dimples?

It was a few minutes after the lesson began, when he heard the blonde girl in front of him, whose name was apparently Cindy, call her friend.

"Psst, Janet." she whispered. "I broke my pencil. You got a spare one?"

So, her name was Janet. What a lovely name, it was so … Janet-y.

"Wait, I'll check in my bag." she replied, her voice as sweet as her face.

Then, she turned around, and after digging out a freshly sharpened pencil, she raised her head, meeting his gaze.

"Hi." she mouthed.

"Hi." he replied, before she turned back to give Cindy the pencil.

He didn't hear a word Mr. Angelino said for the rest of the lesson.

"So, what'll be?" the lunch lady asked Jack, who was standing with his empty tray, scanning the unappetizing selection the cafeteria had to offer.

"I guess … the meatballs?" he replied, uncertain.

"I wouldn't get those if I were you." a boy he recognized from literature class slid next to him, before addressing the woman behind the counter. "Hi, Doris. We'll both have the ham and cheese sandwich with a side of potatoes, a carton of milk, and two cookies."

"Thanks ..." Jack said, as they made their way in the dining hall with their now full trays.

"Larry."

"You're in Angelino's class too, right?"

"Yep. For the second year in a row."

"Hey!" a kid a few tables back yelled at them, pointing a finger and laughing. "There's Jack Tripping! "

"The name's Tripper!" Jack yelled back. "... great, I have a nickname already."

"Don't worry, they'll forget all about it tomorrow," Larry reassured him. "There's a free table over there, let's sit."

The two settled into their spot, and began digging into their food, before Larry spoke again. "So, how do you like it here?"

"It's fine. Bigger than my old school, but not that different." Jack replied, playing with his fork nervously. "… So, can I ask you something? "

" Shoot."

"You know Janet, from our class? What's she like?"

"Janet, uh?" Larry smirked. "She's hot."

"Yeah." Jack sighed. " … So?"

"I don't know her too well. I know her birthday's in april, and she got a brother that goes to UCLA, and a sister in middle school. And she always gets straight A's."

"How about a boyfriend? Is she seeing anyone?"

"Not as far as I know. But let me tell you, she's way out of your league, pal. She used to go out with Peter Van Horn, until he dumped her." Larry replied, before biting into his sandwich.

Of course, that wasn't the truth, just the official version Peter spread around to save his reputation, but Larry, and everyone else in the school besides Janet's best friends, was none the wiser.

"Who's Peter Van Horn?" Jack asked.

"Only the captain of the football team. Over there, with the big letterman jacket and brown hair?" Larry pointed to the other side of the room, where the guy in question was joking around with what had to be at least ten people, including Jack's brother Lee.

"Oh, come on!" Jack exclaimed in frustration.

"I told you, he's the coolest guy in school."

"Yeah, and my brother already managed to become best friends with him."

"Which one's your brother?"

"The one in the green shirt."

"You're related to him?? You don't even look like the same species, no offense."

"None taken."

"Anyway, if by a miracle you do manage to get a date with Janet, will you do me a favor?"

"What?"

"Put in a good word for me with her friend Terri?" Larry pleaded. "I've been trying to go out with her forever."

"Alright, But, one thing at a time."

"That's all I ask."

Jack had just closed his locker, ready to put that first day of school behind him, when Lee approached him, jogging lightly through the hallway.

"Hey, there you are." Jack told him. "Can we go home now?"

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that. My friends over there." he pointed to a few of the people who were with him at lunch, including a couple of pretty girls. "They wanna swing by the mall and maybe for some pizza later, so do you mind if I give them a ride and you take the bus? Oh, and tell mom and dad I'll be home by seven, eight tops."

Jack shook his head in disbelief.

"Lee, you know what? I'm getting a little tired of y -" he began saying, having reached his patience threshold, when he spotted Janet heading into the library building, books in hand.

"You know what? Go ahead." he told his brother, his anger suddenly forgotten . "I'll stay here a little longer."

"Thanks, Jackie." Lee patted him on the arm, and went back to his new friends.

After school, Terri and Cindy invited Janet to get ice-cream sodas, but she declined, opting to stay at the library to sort out her schedule and get ahead with her readings. There was no time to waste, after all. Everybody knew that junior year was just as important as senior, if not more, in preparation for College. So, it was with the utmost focus that she sat down in the semi-desert building, ready to get to work. She had just opened her biology textbook when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone coming her way.

"Excuse me. Do you mind if I sit here?" a boy she recognized as the new kid from Angelino's class pointed to the chair on her opposite side.

"Not at all."

She didn't have a chance to get a good look during class, him sitting behind her and all, but now, she had to admit he was pretty cute. Alright, very. Not that she was interested, but she still had two working eyes, after all.

"You're in my english lit class, right?" he asked her, sitting down.

"Yes. You're Jack Tripping."

"Tripper." he corrected her.

"Oh, sorry. I'm Janet."

"So, Janet, what are you studying there?" he pointed to her book.

"Botanic science."

"Ugh. Such a drag, right?"

"Oh, not for me. I love taking care of plants and flowers, learning how they function …"

"No, absolutely. Nature is so fascinating." Jack quickly changed his tune. "And, hey, I mean, if you like that sort of thing, we could go for a walk in the park, or a picnic one of these days … ?"

"Oh." Janet said, surprised. "I'm flattered, but … no, thank you."

"No?"

"I don't date. Sorry. It's a ... religious thing." she lied, not willing to explain her whole deal to a stranger. "My parents are italian catholics, pretty strict."

"Hey, if you don't wanna go out with me, It's fine, you don't have to lie."

"I'm not lying."

And it was true. Technically, she wasn't. Her parents were italian catholics, and they were pretty strict.

"Look, I get it. You're used to guys like Peter Van Horn -"

Janet furrowed her brows, taken aback. "How do you know about him?"

"People talk."

"Well, people should mind their business!" Janet replied, offended.

The librarian, an elderly woman in thick rimmed glasses, came up to their table to admonish them. "Keep it down!"

"Forget it. I don't know what I was thinking." Jack said in a lower tone after she was gone, before getting up from his chair. "Larry was right. A girl like you would never go out with a loser like me."

"Now, wait a minute!" Janet got up as well, stopping him in his tracks. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. It was just an observation."

"Tell me, exactly what kind of girl am I?"

"Well, It's just that you're so -" he stammered, sensing he was on thin ice.

"Listen, buster." she didn't give him time to speak. "I don't know what you heard, but for the record, Peter didn't break up with me, I broke it off with him, because he's a jerk!"

"I didn't mean -"

"… And if you think I'm one of those girls who only goes out with popular boys and looks for a good time, then I don't think we got anything more to talk about!"

With that, she grabbed her books and stomped away. Well, there was one more thing he now knew about Janet. She had a hot temper, and he just got burned.