Hey, thanks to all of you who have read and reviewed my story. I always love seeing the first set of reviews as theyr eally get me fired up to continue the story. Oh, and Caligirl77, thanks so much for pointing that out. I didn't realize that it was set like that, and changed it. Glad you guys are all enjoying this! Here's the next piece.

The following morning, Anna rose early. It was only 5:45 when she stepped into the shower. She couldn't help it, though...the idea of starting all over was exciting and scary at the same time. She would no longer have a class of 30 or so kids, and wouldn't know a single person. Then, she remembered Bradin and smiled to herself. He had been so nice to her and made her feel so welcome. Getting out of the shower, Anna walked over to her closet, not looking forward to picking out an outfit. What to wear? Just then, her bedroom door swung open. Startled, Anna let out a yelp.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!" Screamed her father, as he walked in, shirt wrinkled and vodka on his breath.

"G..get..getting ready f.f...for school.." Anna spat out.

"It's six in the fucking morning. What the hell are you trying to do, wake me up? Cause it sure as hell is working!" Stumbling towards her, his hand cracked across her face as he slapped her. Anna used her hand as a compress as her lip started bleeding. She did what she could to hold back tears. "Get some fucking clothes on, slut." He slurred, motioning to the towel wrapped around her. Anna did nothing but nod. When he stumbled out, Anna let out a sigh of relief and let the tears fall. She would never cry in front of anyone besides herself, ever. It was a rule she had. Still, she felt foolish for believing that her father had changed. He was still the same man he had always been, just in a different location.

Anna walked towards the mirror, noticing that her lip poured out a signigicant amount of blood. She grabbed a cloth and held it there while she went back to her closet, making sure to be very quiet. "I'll look horrible no matter what." Anna's subconcious had a way of overpowering her, though, she went very well about hiding it. Sighing, she walked out onto her balcony, staring out. The day was bright and already showing signs of being warm. The sun rose steadily over the water, shining brilliant colors in every direction. A typical Playa Linda morning. Goind back to her closet, Anna gave up and selected a jean mini skirt and threw on an old tee-shirt from when she played 3 v 3 two years ago. Her team had won, going all the way to Indiana for the finals. She really missed playing soccer. Her wavy hair had dried itself by 6:45 and as she stood in front of her mirror, Anna couldn't help but think, "Plain." To herself. Knowing that there would be other girls dressed to the nine's at school, she figured she'd just be invisible. What she didn't know however, was that her natural beauty was able to shine through. Anna didn't have to wear high heels and fancy clothing to really stand out, she just did naturally.

After slipping on her favorite pair of ADIDAS sandals, she headed down to the kitchen. Forgetting that they hadn't gotten any food yet, Anna was left with a wide variety of desserts and other odd things from neighbors to choose from. Deciding to be healthy, she grabbed the fruit platter and put a few pieces on the plate in front of her. "I wonder what it'll be like...starting over. It's going to be incredibly strange not having any of the girls there with me to talk to, or run to if something goes wrong. I mean Bradin will be there, but I don't expect him to hover over me and help me all day...it's nice that he's even walking with me. But, I'm sure he has his own group of friends...it doesn't matter anyways. I'll just blend in." Anna's thoughts were interrupted by a knock in the door. 7:20, he was early. Anna took a deep breath before opening the door, and finally mustered up the courage to do so.

"Hey!" he greeted, smiling and excited.

"Hey, hold on a minute, okay, I'm just going to brush my teeth really quick, okay?" Bradin nodded and Anna quickly ran up the stairs and brushed her teeth. "Here goes nothing," she thought to herself as she ran downstairs. Bradin couldn't help but notice how at ease she appeared, and as Derrick and Nikki had said the night before...very pretty. "Alright, I'm ready!" Anna exclaimed, grabbing her bag.

"Great." The two walked out into the beautiful morning, making there way to school. "Excited?" He questioned.

"Oh...I guess," Anna laughed. "I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty nervous."

"Nah, no need to be. You'll love it here, and I'll be here with you the whole time. Seriously, you ever need anything, just come to me."

"Thanks, Bradin." Anna said.

The two walked in silence for a few minutes, just taking in the scenery. Bradin looked down to her. She was so short walking next to him...couldn't have been too far over five feet. It made him smile. Anna looked up to him, catching him staring at her, and looked down immediately, smiling secretly to herself. "Hey, wait...what happened to your lip?" Bradin asked, stopping and facing her. Anna's face heated. Could she really have been so careless as to forget to put cover up on? For a moment she panicked.

"Oh..err, ummm, accident with the soccer ball," She tried laughing it off.

Bradin bought it. "Oh, you play!"

"Yeah, I guess..." Anna nodded, thankful he wasn't going to press.

"Wow, that's awesome. Playa Linda has one hell of a girls team, I should introduce you to the coach. The season has started, but maybe she'd consider letting you on." Anna just nodded.

Before she knew it, they were standing outside of Playa Linda High School, amidst masses of kids. Anna had been right about one thing...the girls there really did dress nice. She looked down at her plain outfit, slightly embarassed. She bit her lip, hoping things would go well.

"Bradin!" A guy shouted. Anna and Bradin simultaneously glanced upwards. He was a taller boy, brown hair and built, tanned and had a flock of girls around him.

Bradin nodded. "Hey man, Alex, I want to introduce you to someone. This is Anna Scott, she just moved here from Wisconsin. Anna, this is Alex."

Alex's eyes grew big. "As in James Scott's daughter?" Anna bit her lip and nodded, trying to smile. "Dude, he actually moved here. That's amazing." The flock of girls that had been around him gradually assembled themselves around Alex, Bradin, and Anna. "Ladies, meet Anna Scott." Alex said, eyeing Anna. Anna cringed slightly as the girls, all dressed in really, really mini skirts, tanks or halters, and heels. They all had perfect hair and teeth, and the perfect bodies. Blonde bombshells.

"Hey...nice to meet you," Anna offered. They stayed silent for a few moments, and then one who Anna took to be the "flock" leader spoke.

"The author's daughter, right?" Her elegant voice asked. It was neither friendly nor cold, just bare. Anna nodded. "Alexis," The girl labeled herself, sticking out her hand. "People just call me Lexi, though." She gave Anna a slight smile before pulling her hand back and taking off with her posse of girls.

"It was er...nice to meet you Anna," Alex grinned as he followed after them.

"You too!" She called after him.

Bradin shook his head, laughing lightly. "Gotta watch out for Alex...he's been with every girl, I swear." Anna's eyes widened, following Bradin as they headed into the school. He led her up to the second floor main office. "Hey, Mrs. Richards," he greeted one of the ladies. "This is Anna, she just transferred from Wisconsin." She looked up, slightly startled, her glasses nearly falling off of her. Mrs. Richards was an older woman...the kind of woman everyone secretly wished was their grandmother. She just had this sweet, caring way about her that really drew kids into her.

"Oh, hi there!" Mrs. Richards finally said, a big smile on her face. "Great, Anna Scott, right? I have your schedule right here, and a lock for you. Bradin, will you take her to help her find a locker and maybe a few of her classes? If you need a pass just come back here for one. We're really busy in here today." She sounded very exasperated. Bradin grinned, and nodded, taking Anna's schedule and lock. They headed back out into the hallway where Anna immediately felt eyes that were looking her over and over.

"That's her," one bystander whispered to her friend, as she pointed towards Anna.

"The author's daughter," another whispered into a friend's ear.

"I heard they moved into practically a mansion." One kid exclaimed, slightly out loud.

Bradin looked down at her, as she seemed shaken. "Your reputation proceeds you," he laughed.

Shaking her head, Anna closed her eyes. "This is really unreal..."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, you're in a few of my classes. Let's see...Creative Writing, Science, Gym, and we have the same lunch period." Anna did feel at ease, knowing that she'd at least know someone. They arrived at an empty locker, as Bradin undid her combination. "My locker is two sets of lockers down, and across the hall...not far from here at all. This is the closest I could get. It okay?" Anna nodded, again biting her lip. "How about you...are you okay?" Again she nodded, trying to give a smile. "Come on, everything will be okay, I promise."

Anna went throughout that day, very fazed by everything around. People were actually noticing her...talking to her...talking about her. It seemed like everyone wanted to be her friend. However, she had not yet had to go through her first lunch period. Anna had gotten late lunch, apparently the most crowded lunch. At 1:10, she headed into the cafeteria, looking around for Bradin. When she spotted him, her heart raced. He was at a table with Lexi, and some of the other girls from that morning, Alex, and a few other guys she didn't know. She attempted to walk over towards them, but decided she didn't have the nerve. So, she slowly turned around, trying to find a vacant seat. A few seconds later, someone grabbed her arm. Scared, she tensed and let out a yelp. When she turned, she realized that it was only Bradin. She let out a sigh of relief and caught her breath. "You," she started, "Have a knack for scaring me."

Bradin laughed, looking apologetic. "I really am sorry. I was just wondering why you weren't coming to sit by us."

"Oh...I err, didn't see you anywhere." She lied.

"Oh, well we're over here, come join us." He gestured towards the table of people and led her towards them. All of their heads slowly turned, and every pair of eyes was on her. "Everyone, I'm not sure if you've met Anna. Anna...this is everyone." Bradin pulled her up a chair between him and another guy.

"Anna, hey." Lexi, greeted, giving a slight smile.

"Oh, so you're the Anna I've heard so much about," another girl said. She was seated next to Bradin, picking at a muffin. "I'm Callie," she said in a somewhat unfriendly voice."

"It's nice to meet you all," Anna said to everyone. She hadn't packed a lunch, as they had no food and wasn't really in the mood to eat.

"You hungry?" The guy next to her asked. She turned to him, noticing that he was devilishly good looking.

"Oh, no, I'm not really hungry at all." Anna tried to give a slight smile.

"Oh, alright well, I'm Jake." He introduced. "He has a great smile." Anna thought to herself.

Lunch was sufficiently awkward for her. Bradin's attention was mostly on Callie, Anna figured they had something going on. Everyone else gave awkward glances up towards her, then quickly back down again. She made small talk with Jake who was nice enough, and Lexi, who seemed to be warming up to her, suggested they hang out some time. She was however relieved when the bell finally rang. The rest of the afternoon was a blur, as she coasted through, hearing people say the same things over and over again. When the final bell ran, she walked out in relief. Finally.

Bradin met her as she was walking out of the building. "So...how was it?" He asked, grinning. The bright sun greeted them as it shone down on them.

"It was...interesting. A learning experience," she laughed. "Kind of weird, but interesting."

He nodded. "Well, it will get better, I promise. You just need to give it time, you know?" Anna returned the nod as they started on their way home. "Let's take the short cut," Bradin suggested as he led them through a field. The school was in distant view now, and Anna looked around her at the long grass and vast nothingness before them.

"Wow, this is kind of cool out here," she noted. "Really peaceful."

"Yeah, it's a nice place, not many people know about it, I just kind of stumbled upon it one day."

"That's cool." They turned onto their street and continued to walk. "I really appreciate everything, Bradin. Honestly, everything you've done means a lot to me."

"It's no problem, I swear. I had fun. And you're a fun person, so it just made it all that much better." Anna smiled at this. "Want to stop in for a little bit?" He asked her, gesturing towards his house.

"Hm...sure, why not?" Anna answered, following him into the house. He led them up to his room, after saying hello to his Aunt and Susannah. "Cool place," She told him, looking around and noticing how like a home the place felt.

Bradin scoffed. "Yeah, I'm sure it's millions times better than that mansion thing you have going on over there." He laughed, with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. Sighing, Anna gave a slight look down, only wishing her house felt as much like home as this house. "So talk to me...I mean I know you and now I want to know about you."

"Well..." Anna was at a loss for words. What to say? "I play a lot of soccer...and I write a lot. Hmm, my mom died when I was younger and since then it's just been me and my did in the northern woods...until now of course. What about you?"

Bradin looked down at the mention of the death of her mother. "I'm sorry to hear about your mom...that's why I'm out here actually. My parents both passed away...killed in a flash flood, and my Derrick, Nikki, and I all packed up and moved out there to live with Aunt Ava. Oh, and I surf." For some reason, Bradin felt a sense of security in being completely open with her. He hated talking about his parents, but telling all this to her made him feel somewhat relieved. The look on Anna's face was a mix of sadness, and shock.

"Wow, a flash flood...I'm really sorry..." she tried to offer words that might help, but little did she know that just seeing that she cared enough to feel the sadness too let Bradin knew she cared.

"It's okay, really. So, you play soccer. Any good?" He teased.

Laughing, Anna shrugged. "We won state the past two years, I mean, if that's good enough."

Nodding in acceptance, Bradin grinned. "That's awesome.

For another two hours, the two sat up in his room, talking and sharing memories like they were old friends. Anna had convinced Bradin that Wisconsin wasn't as boring or ugly as most people made it out to be, and he had convinced her that some sun wouldn't give her skin cancer. Anna and Bradin were entirely comfortable with each other, it was as if they were old friends who hadn't seen each other in a long time and were just catching up. For once, they were both at ease.

"Oh my gosh," Anna sighed, looking at her watch. "It's 5:30, I really should get home. I need to start dinner."

Bradin nodded, understandingly. "Alright, want me to walk you home?" He smiled.

"Hah, nono, it's alright, I think that I can make it."

Feeling slightly let down, Bradin nodded. "Oh, okay then, I'll see you tomorrow morning, same time, same place?"

Anna laughed and nodded. "Of course. Thanks again, I really appreciate everything." And with that, Anna was out the door.

Thanks for reading, everyone. I'm just trying to get a feel of how you guys are liking the story. Input would be fabulous :)