Author's Note: This is the first chapter of Part II. It introduces April Winslow, and the story will concentrate on her for chapters 5-8.
Fourteen-year-old April Winslow woke up with a start as her alarm went off. She reached over to her nightstand and slapped down the snooze button to stop the infernal noise. Why did I set my alarm? she asked herself. She glanced over at the kitty calendar on her wall to see the date, but it was too far away for her to read it. Looking down, she saw that all her stuff for the day-clothes to wear, books, and her backpack-had been laid out on the floor. Then she remembered something. Oh yeah! How could I be so forgetful? It's the first day of high school! Yikes!
Bouncing out of bed, April turned her light on so she could close the mini-blinds on her window and still be able to see, hurriedly got dressed, and went into the bathroom to work on her hair. It is the first day, so I might as well look a little nicer than just pulling my hair back into a ponytail, she told herself. Satisfied after brushing it to simply leave it down, she went back into her bedroom to put her stuff in her backpack. She grabbed her shoes on her way downstairs to eat breakfast.
"You look rather spry this morning," April's mother, Allison Winslow, commented as her daughter came rushing down the stairs. April walked over to the cupboard, got out a bowl and spoon, and sat down to a bowl of cereal. "Are you nervous?"
"Yeah, a little," April admitted right before she popped a spoonful into her mouth. "Has Dad already left?"
Her mother nodded. "He had to get to a board meeting, so he left early."
"Okay." April began to wolf her cereal down.
"Slow down!" her mother admonished. "You still have half an hour before you have to walk to school."
"Aww, c'mon, Mom. Can't you please take me? It is my first day," she pleaded.
"Oh, all right. But you have to walk from now on."
"Thanks, Mom!" April said as she finished her breakfast. She walked over to where her mother was sitting, gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, and dashed upstairs to brush her teeth and wash her face.
The time between then and leaving went by too slowly for April. By the time they had to go, she was getting jittery. Finally, she climbed into the passenger seat of the family van. Her mother then got in, but before starting the car, asked, "April, do you have everything?"
"Yes, Mom," she replied with a roll of her eyes, anxious to get going.
"What about your lunch money?"
April held up three dollars for her mother to see. "I have everything, Mom. Can we go now?"
Her mother replied by starting the car and backing out of the driveway. Five minutes later, they pulled up to April's new school, Northfield High. This is it, she thought. April absentmindedly waved goodbye to her mother and walked into the building.
She opened one of the doors and was greeted by noises of all kinds. So many students were talking and laughing, she wanted to plug her ears to shut out the sheer volume of sound. It echoed off the high ceiling, multiplying the volume. April glanced at her schedule, which also had her locker number and combination on it, and slowly made her way through the crowd to the section where her locker was.
Getting it open on the second try, she unloaded a few things to make her locker look nice. She put the pictures of her summer vacation and camp and her calendar up with magnets. After a few minutes, she stepped back and was satisfied with the arrangement. She had placed a picture of herself and her best friend, Cara Laurent, at the beach right in the middle to smile at her.
April looked up at a nearby clock. Five minutes 'til school starts. I better go find my first period class now. She glanced down at her schedule to see what that class was. English. Fun.
She made her way to class without too much trouble after glancing at her map of the school. Walking in, she smiled as a familiar face greeted her.
"Hey, Cara! I didn't know you were in any of my classes!" she commented as she slid into the seat behind her friend.
"Yeah, well, I tried to get a hold of you when I got back from Texas, but you had already left for California," Cara said, smiling when she spotted her friend walk in.
"Oh, yeah! My parents decided -- last minute -- to take a week's vacation right before school started and go there."
"Cool! Sh, class is starting!" she admonished, holding a finger to her lips.
At the end of English they finally had a chance to compare schedules. "Yes!" April cheered. "We have science and math together, as well as lunch!"
"Way cool! Oh, we should probably go. Look at the time," she said as she pointed to the hallway clock.
"Yeah. See you at lunch!"
"I'll meet you at your locker, okay?"
"Sure!" The two friends waved and parted ways to go to their respective classes. April's next class was history. She walked in and, to her dismay, saw no familiar faces to greet her. Sliding into an unobtrusive seat in the back, she got out her binder and tried to look busy. There was an empty seat next to her. A guy slid in next to her, and by the looks of him, he was "popular." Oh, brother. Did he have to pick that spot?
"Hey," he greeted her.
"Hey," she returned, a little hesitantly.
"I'm Daran Windward. What's your name?" he queried.
"April Winslow. Nice to meet you," she replied, then turned her head away from him, hoping he would get the message and stop talking to her. Unfortunately, he did not, and kept chatting idly until class started.
By the middle of the period April was yawning from boredom. We did this last year in as much detail, she thought.
"Aww, man, we did all this last year," Daran grumbled under his breath, barely loud enough for April to hear.
"You did too?" she asked him, surprised.
"Yep. I had Dawson for my history teacher."
"So did I! Did you go to Forest Heights?"
"Uh huh."
"I don't appreciate students who talk during one of my lectures," the teacher interrupted.
"Oops! That's us!" Daran whispered.
"So be quiet!" April hissed, turning her attention on what the teacher was saying -- or at least acted like she did. She tried to keep with the flow just enough so she could answer a question if called on. A couple of minutes later she yawned again. Will this class ever end? she asked herself.
Finally the bell rang, signaling the end of the period. All the teens in the room jumped out of their seats to get out of the class as quickly as they could. April chuckled, realizing that about everyone in there was at least slightly bored with either the subject or the teacher. Or both.
Someone came up behind her. "So, what's your schedule like?" Daran asked her.
Oh, not him again, April groaned inwardly. "Well, here, take a look."
"Hmmm…cool! We have math and Spanish together too!"
Why the heck is he so excited about us having classes together? she wondered with an inward frown.
He continued, "We also have lunch together!"
She thought fast. "Oh, hey, sorry, I better go. I told a friend of mine that I would meet her after this period," April lied.
"Oh, okay. See you 'round."
"See ya."
April got through her next two classes without too much hassle. She had P.E. next, in which she found Mariel Anders, a good friend of hers throughout middle school, and in study hall, right before lunch, she found her friend Alice Sterling.
"Whew!" April sighed as she arrived at her locker with Cara waiting. "I got a book in history and in English! Now my back is going to kill me!"
"Yeah, I'll be in the same boat by the end of the day. C'mon, April, we better go so we can find a good place to sit -- away from all the strange people, if you know what I mean."
"Yeah," April agreed. They made their way to the school's large cafeteria and found a place to sit and wait for Alice and Mariel. In a few minutes both girls had joined them.
"Hey, guys," Mariel greeted them.
"Hi. How are your classes going, you two?" April asked both Mariel and Alice.
"Oh, they're okay. Do you have Peterson for history?" Mariel asked them.
"I do. Man, she's so boring she'll put you right to sleep!" April commented.
"I know what you mean. Cara, what about you?"
"Oh, I've got Sanders for history. He's not too bad. At least he makes things interesting," she told Mariel.
"I have Sanders too," Alice remarked.
"Here, April, let me compare schedules with you," Mariel said. They held their respective schedules up next to each other.
"Darn! We only have P.E. together!" April exclaimed.
"Shoot!" Mariel agreed.
"Oh, you guys, I had an interesting experience this morning." At April's words the other three stopped talking to listen and looked at her strangely. A bit self-consciously, she cleared her throat and continued, "You see, there was this guy -- who I've never met before -- who sat down next to me in history. He introduced himself and started chatting on as if we had known each other for years. Then he asked to see my schedule, and it seems that we have the same lunch, plus history, science, and math together. Weird, huh?"
All the girls were staring at her. "Who was this guy? I mean, what's his name?" Alice asked.
" Daran Windward, I think..." she trailed off as she spotted their reaction.
All three of them gasped in unison, eyes wide. "April, he is the most popular freshman in this school!" Mariel exclaimed.
"What?" April said, incredulous. "You guys are pulling my leg."
"Nope," Cara told her. "You said he was in your math and science classes, right? Well, we have those two classes together as well. You'll have to prove to me he did that."
"Don't count on it. He was probably just being weird or random or something. I bet he won't speak to me again."
The others exchanged a look that said "Yeah, right."
All too soon lunch was over. At the end April caught herself looking for Daran. What am I doing? she asked herself. Get him out of your mind, April.
Cara and April headed to science together. They got there early enough to find two seats next to each other near the back of the room. Sliding in, they plopped their things down and began to chat when a voice broke in.
"Hi, April." It was Daran again.
"Hey," she replied nonchalantly. Daran then slid into the empty seat next to April.
"I couldn't find you at lunch. Where were you sitting?"
"Over at the round tables near the snack shack."
"Oh. No wonder I couldn't find you. I was over at the other end of the cafeteria."
"Class, get into your seats now," Miss Knight broke into their conversation. Daran gave April a "later" signal.
Miss Knight began to ramble on about what she would expect from the students in the class. Cara took this opportunity to pull out a piece of paper and wrote something down. She passed the paper over to April, who read Wow! Sorry that we didn't believe you at lunch. You're right; he did act like he'd known you for years. Are you sure you didn't just meet him before this morning and simply never told us?
April replied with I'd never hide something like that from you! You're my best friend, remember? Yes, we did just meet this morning. I can't figure out why he's taken such a liking to me.
Neither can I, Cara wrote back.
Hey!
Sorry…didn't mean it quite like that…really!
Uh…huh, April teased.
The rest of the period went by uneventfully. When it ended, April and Cara stood up, stretched, and grabbed their bags to leave.
"See ya in math, April," Daran said as they walked out the door.
"See ya," she replied.
Cara said, "I'll see you in math too, k?"
"Yep."
April then went to her Spanish class. It was boring, too. All the teacher did was go on and on about what they were going to do that year, then gave them a little assignment due next class. She could not wait to get to math. Wait a sec, April thought. Am I looking forward to seeing Cara or Daran? Oh boy. Life is complicated as is without adding a strange guy into the mix.
About the same thing happened in math as in science. Cara and April sat together, with Daran sitting next to April.
Right before the bell rang, when the teacher gave them some time to chat before school got out, Daran asked April, "Do you have e-mail?"
"Yes, why?"
"'Cause I was wondering if I could have it."
This surprised April as well as Cara. "Sure." She gave it to him.
"Cool." He told her his. "Comes from my last name, if you're wondering," he explained.
April chuckled. "It's cute."
Right then the bell rang. "I'll e-mail you, okay?" Daran told her.
"Okay."
"I better go, April," Cara said. "Want me to call you later?"
"Yes!" April said fervently. They both laughed as they left class.
* * *
Once home, April unlocked the door and walked inside. Sheesh, I'm glad Mom works too, otherwise I'd be peppered with questions as soon as I walked in the door. This way I get a few hours to recuperate and get my thoughts together before she and Dad get home.
A few minutes later, after she had had her snack, April pulled out her books and began working on her Spanish homework. The phone rang, and she jumped out of her seat to answer it.
"Hello?"
"Hey, it's Cara."
"I was hoping it would be you!"
"Wasn't today weird?"
"I'll say! I have no idea what was up with that Daran guy today. He is so strange. Why did he talk to me so much instead of his other "popular" friends in those classes?"
"I have no clue, my friend. This is as confusing to me as it is to you."
"No kidding. I hope it was just a first-day thing and not something he thinks he'll be able to follow up on. I don't know if I can handle an entire year of this kind of thing!"
"Yeah. Hey, at least I'm in all but one of those classes!"
"Thank goodness for that, Cara. I think I'd go insane if you weren't there."
"Go insane?"
"Hey, watch it, girl! I am not insane!"
"Really?"
"Darn you!"
Cara laughed. "Hey, April…that gives me an idea."
"What do you have up your sleeve now?"
"Well, you could act weird in class, and maybe he'd lay off of you."
"Uh, no. And ruin all the chances I have to get to know other people in the class?"
"Good point. Hey, I have to go. My sister is getting home soon and she'll most likely want to use the phone. You are so lucky to be an only child, April."
"Ha ha. Yeah, I guess I am. See you tomorrow."
"See ya." April hung up and sighed. Tomorrow is going to be a long day…
* * *
The next two weeks went by more quickly than April expected. She dashed home from school on Monday afternoon and called Alice up as soon as she was in the door. "Have you ever had this much homework?" she asked Alice.
"Never! I think since we're having a three-day weekend coming up they think we'll use the extra day to work on projects. Sheesh!"
"I know what you mean! This is only our third week of school and I already have a speech, a book report, a history research paper, and a major science lab assigned -- and they're all due next Monday!"
They complained to each other for a few more minutes, which April ended by saying, "We should go if we're to get a head start on all this homework."
"Yeah," Alice agreed. "But you can bet a million bucks it won't be fun!"
"Same here. See ya tomorrow."
"See ya," and they hung up. April sighed. This is going to be a week of long days… That night she did not go to bed until after midnight for trying to get ahead on her projects.
The next day she wearily sat down next to Cara in English. "How late did you stay up last night working?" Cara asked.
"Until about midnight," April replied, trying to cover up a yawn.
"Wow! How much did you get done?"
April perked up as she told her friend how much work she had done. "Well, I finished the book and the report on it, and wrote my speech. I still have to practice it, though."
Cara whistled, then got a warning look from Mr. Wilson, their English teacher, and lowered her voice. "You got that much done? I'll have to step on it, then. I think -- as a reward for all the work we've done this week -- we should go see a movie or something on Saturday."
"Good idea! I need a break!"
"Don't we all."
After English April was on her way to her locker when she spotted Daran. In the past two weeks they had become more like friends than acquaintances. Hm. Isn't it strange that two weeks ago Cara and I were planning on weirding him out so he'd go away, and now we're sorta friends? You never know what may happen in high school. Maybe I'll go say hi to him before I go to class. Heck, he says hi to me in the halls, so why shouldn't I return the favor?
She saw him talking to a few of his other "popular" friends. She walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey."
He turned, shot her a look of disdain, then turned back to his conversation. He ignored me, and acted like I was no more than…than a smear on the floor! How rude! Such a… a… a guy thing to do! April thought angrily. She spun on her heel, forgetting the fact that she had come down there to get paper out of her locker, and left for history.
When she got to class she made sure she sat in a spot where there were no other empty desks nearby. Why the heck did he do that to me? she fumed. What did I ever see in him…
She looked up for a moment to see him walk in. Once he spotted her she turned away disdainfully-and made sure it was in exactly the same way he had treated her a few minutes earlier.
What is wrong with April? he wondered. Why is she treating me like this? I must have done something to tick her off like this, but what? I better apologize for whatever it was that I did…
April caught the confused – and hurt? – look on his face. Did I go too far? I sure hope not…
The rest of the class period went by uneventfully. Daran did not pay any attention to the lesson-he was too busy trying to figure out how to apologize. April kept her head down, trying to look busy.
Afterwards, Daran walked over to April's desk. She kept her head turned away from him. He took a deep breath. "Hey, April, I-I know what I did to you," Whatever it was, he thought, "was wrong, and I'm sorry."
April could not keep the words back. "Why'd you do it? So you wouldn't look bad to your 'popular' friends by hanging out with someone who wasn't? Fine. I get your drift," she said angrily as she grabbed her books and backpack and walked off.
Daran was stunned. Did I do that? Wait, didn't she come up to me before this class when I was talking to those guys and say hi? I was busy thinking about what Eric had told me… guess I sort of ignored her. Darn, now that I think about it, no matter how harsh those words were, she was right. Now I really feel bad. I'd better be more careful next time. Maybe I should stick a note about that in her locker or something. He sighed and left the room to go to his next class.
At lunch, April was still a little angry about the whole thing. She went to her locker to get her lunch sack. Upon opening the locker door a little slip of paper fell out. It read: April, I thought about what you said. You're right. I did ignore you. I didn't mean to, though… my friend had told me something kinda heavy, and I guess I was too busy mulling it over to realize that I needed to say hi back. I'm sorry – I'll try to do better next time. Honest. Are we still friends? His signature ended it, scrawled hastily at the bottom of the page.
The note brought a faint smile to April's face. He's so nice. How could I have been like that? I guess it all came out for the good. Phew! I'd better work on that… I jump to conclusions way too easily…
She walked over to her and Cara's meeting spot humming a little tune. April was so preoccupied with what had just happened that she ran right into Cara. "What's on your mind, April, for you to be so blind?" she said teasingly.
April handed her the note. After reading it, Cara asked, "What happened, and what did you say to him?"
"I'll tell you once we sit down." She continued, after finding a table, "Well, I saw him between first and second periods, and went over to say hi. He was talking to a bunch of his popular friends, so you can see where this is going."
"Uh huh. Go on."
"Well, he turned his head around after I had tapped him on the shoulder and gave me a you-are-lower-than-I-am-because-you're-not-popular look. It really got me mad, and so I-"
"Wait a sec," Cara broke in, "you got mad about that?"
"Yes," April said hesitantly at the look on Cara's face.
"I think you like him," she announced.
"Heck no, my friend," April denied with a solid shake of her head. "I don't think I would ever like a guy like him."
Cara examined her friend's face for a moment. "Are you sure?"
"Positive."
"Well, if you say so…"
"I do," April said forcefully before changing the subject.
* * *
Later that day, after school, April sighed as she shut her locker and made her way to the front entrance for her walk home. Why do the teachers here at this school love giving out homework? As if I'm not busy enough already… Her thoughts were interrupted by Daran's voice.
"Hey, April. Are things okay now?" She turned around to see Daran standing there with a small bouquet of wildflowers he had bought at the grocery store located a block down the road.
"Yeah." April glanced suggestively at the flowers. "What are those for?"
"Oh, these are for you," he said, handing them to her.
"Really?" On impulse, without thinking, she gave him a quick hug. "Thanks!" she said. "See ya tomorrow?"
"Yep. See ya, April."
April walked home with a spring in her step, whistling a happy tune. Daran watched her walk off, glad that it had ended so well. Hm…and she even gave me a hug. I'm glad I gave her those flowers, then. Everything must be just fine.