A/N: I really hope that you enjoy reading this story as much asIam enjoying writing it. Please RR. Thanks. -)

Chapter 1

"Good morning, Beverly Hills!" The voice on the radio exclaimed. "It's going to be a beautiful day here in Beverly Hills, with lots of sun and a high of 65."

"Oooh, shut up!" Sarai said as she rolled over and slammed her hand down on the radio to shut it off. She sat up in her bed and wiped her eyes. "I really don't want to do this!" She said as she swung her feet around and stood up.

The first thing Sarai did was go to the bathroom to start her shower. After having a shower, she went back to her room to do her hair and makeup and get dressed. She decided to wear her green University of Minneapolis Golden Gophers t-shirt that her brother had gotten her when he started taking classes there the previous fall. She decided to wear it with her favorite blue jeans. She left her long, bleach-blond hair down and put on her Golden Gophers baseball cap.

"Mom!" Sarai called out as she walked downstairs to the living room. "Mom!" She called again.

She walked into the kitchen to find a note on the counter from her mother that said she and Sarai's father had left early for work. Her mom had also written 'GOOD LUCK!' on the note

"Yeah, just what I need! Luck!" Sarai said as she crumpled up the piece of paper and threw it in the trash can. "This place is such a crock, anyway."

Sarai got a box of cereal and a bowl out of the cabinet. She took out a spoon from a drawer and got the milk out of the refrigerator and poured herself a bowl of cereal. She really didn't feel like going to school today. Sarai had just moved to Beverly Hills with her parents from Minneapolis and today was her first day of school at West Beverly High. She didn't really want to be in Beverly Hills at all. She didn't fit in there, and even if she did fit in, no one would understand her or her problems.

Sarai grabbed her backpack out of the closet closest to the front door and headed out to her car, a '65 cherry red Mustang convertible that her brother had bought and completely restored for her. He gave it to her a year ago, when she'd just turned 16 and gotten her license.

Sarai drove to West Beverly High, with at least a million thoughts on her mind, just like she usually had whenever she drove to her old school in Minneapolis.

She turned into the West Beverly High parking lot and found a parking space close to the school. She made sure to hang up her parking permit on her rearview mirror, then picked up her backpack, complete with folders, notebooks, pens and pencils and other various school supplies. She'd also brought her journal with her. Most of the time that journal was the only thing that listened to her, so she wrote her thoughts down in it a lot.

As Sarai walked into the school, she knew people were staring at her. She knew that they'd be able to tell she wasn't one of them, which she definitely wasn't. She didn't want to be one of their kind, either. Sarai had always believed that everyone who lived in Beverly Hills was rich and spoiled.

The first thing Sarai had to do was go to the counselor's office to pick up her class schedule. She already knew where that was, since she'd been there just last week to register for classes.

Sarai opened the door to the counselor's office and went in. The secretary looked up at her.

"Can I help you?" The secretary asked Sarai.

"Yeah. I'm Sarai Greenly. I'm a new student and I need to pick up my class schedule."

"I have that all for ya right here!" The secretary said as she handed Sarai a manila-colored folder. "Your locker assignment and combination are also in there. Your locker will be upstairs on the second floor."

"Thanks." Sarai said as she took the folder and walked out of the office.

Sarai walked up the stairs to the second floor to find her locker. As she rounded a corner in the hallway, she heard a boy talking to her.

"Hey, the Golden Gophers!" The boy exclaimed.

"Yeah? So what's it to ya?" Sarai replied as she opened her locker.

"Nothin' much." The boy replied. "You new around here?"

"Why do you care and more importantly, why do you wanna know?" Sarai asked as she closed her locker and started off down the hall.

"Hey, I'm just trying to make you feel more welcome here and maybe make a new friend." The boy replied, walking alongside Sarai.

"Yeah? Well thanks for rolling out the welcome wagon, but I won't be needing a ride and I most definitely do not need any friends right now and this conversation is so over." Sarai said as she found her homeroom and walked in and took a seat.

"Ouch!" The boy said. The 30-second warning bell rang.

"Good morning West Beverly! This is Jennie with your morning announcements!" A girl's voice blared over the intercom.

Sarai tuned everything out past that point and got her journal out of her backpack and started writing in it. This is what she wrote:

Dear Journal-

Have I told you lately how much life sucks here? Well, I guess it's not really that bad, but it's not really great, either. I miss Minneapolis. Just a little awhile ago, this guy stopped me out in the hall and started talking to me. He noticed my Golden Gophers shirt. He said he was just trying to be friendly and trying to make a new friend. I feel really bad for treating him like how I did and I want to have at least one friend here so badly that I can taste it, but I'm afraid if I let anyone find out anything about me that they won't want to be friends with me, ya know?

Last night I was left alone with him again. I stayed locked up in my room for awhile after my mom left to go to her real estate banquet, and when I thought he was asleep I snuck out of my window and walked to the library. I stayed there until 9, and then I walked to the park and listened to the string quartet that was giving a free concert there. After that, I went home. Mom came home at 11.

I've tried to tell Mom all about what he does, but she won't listen to me. She thinks he's perfect. I'm really afraid that he'll do it again. I still have nightmares about what happened. I still can't believe it happened.

The rest of the morning went by smoothly for Sarai. At 11:45, it was time for lunch, so she went to the cafeteria and got in line.

As she was getting her food, she heard a familiar voice next to her.

"Don't eat those." The voice instructed her as she picked up some cabbage rolls. "They'll make you sick, trust me. Try the chicken salad, that's good."

Sarai looked up.

"Oh, it's you again." She said as she went about getting her food. It was the boy she'd talked to earlier. "What do you want?"

"What's your name?" The boy asked.

"Why are you so interested in talking to me?" Sarai asked as she paid for her food and left the counter and found a seat by herself at an empty table.

Sarai learned that she had three classes with that same boy that afternoon. She'd heard his name mentioned once during the roll call in one of her classes, but she couldn't remember it, and frankly, she didn't care what it was.

He was in her 5th period, 7th period and 8th period classes. 8th period American Literature was the last class of the day. He made sure he caught her after that class, too.

"Hey! Golden Gophers!" The boy called out as they left the class.

"Ooh!" Sarai groaned. "You know, you are really annoying! Can't you take a hint that I don't want to talk to you?"

"Hey, what's your problem?" He asked. "Ever since you got here you've been acting like you've got some big chip on your shoulders. I've gone out of my way to be nothing but nice to you all day long and all you can do is be rude!"

"I wouldn't be so rude if you'd just leave me alone!" Sarai said as she unlocked her locker.

"Fine! If that's the way you want to be, I guess you don't deserve any friends!" The boy said as he started to walk away.

"Wait!" Sarai said, as she realized that she might be pushing away the only person in the school who might be her friend. "My name's Sarai."

"Huh?" The boy asked as he turned around.

"Sarai. My name's Sarai."

"Brandon." The boy said as he walked back and extended his right hand out to Sarai. "Say, where'd you get that shirt, anyway?"

"From my brother Matt." Sarai answered. "He goes to the University of Minneapolis."

"Are you from Minneapolis?" Brandon asked.

"Yeah. My family just moved here."

"No kidding!" Brandon said. "I'm originally from Minneapolis, too!"

"Really?" Sarai asked. "When did you move here?"

"Last summer." Brandon said as the two of them walked out to the student parking lot. "Me and my twin started here last fall."

"There's two of you?" Sarai asked.

"Well, I mean my twin sister. Her name's Brenda. She should be coming out here soon." Brandon said as he looked over his shoulder to see if he could find Brenda. "Here she comes now." He said. "Hey, Brenda, I'd like you to meet Sarai. She just moved here from Minneapolis."

"Really?" Brenda asked. "Hi Sarai. I'm Brenda, Brandon's sister."

"Hi." Sarai replied.

The three stopped when they reached Sarai's car.

"Hey, is this your car?" Brenda asked. "It's really nice!"

"Yeah. It's a '65 cherry red Mustang Convertible. I got it for my 16th birthday from my brother. He likes to restore old cars in his spare time."

"It's very cool!" Brenda said.

"Well, I guess I'll see ya tomorrow!" Brandon yelled at Sarai as he Brenda continued walking.

"OK!" Sarai yelled back. She turned to get into her car.

"Hey!" Brandon yelled back at her. Sarai looked up.

"Yeah?" She yelled back.

"Loose some of the 'tough girl' attitude, but not all of it! I think you'll fit in perfectly if you keep some of it!" He yelled.

Sarai smiled. "I'll try!" She yelled as she got in the car.

For the first time since she'd moved to Beverly Hills, Sarai actually felt happy. She may have just actually made a couple new friends who might actually understand how much she missed her old home.