Author's Note: OOO...thank you so much, guys, for the first reviews of my story. I haven't had much time to write, but I did manage to write this. I was truthfully experimenting with less boring ways to introduce characters to one another. Tell me how you think I did please!
I would also like to thank Kiko Kamia, mornstar (you are so awesome! I'm so happy your back!), dreamcaster555 (lamb), Star Breacher, and Yumi-clone. I've gotta recongize you cause you were my first reviewers! THANKS! And now, everyone that's reading this, enjoy!

"Welcome, students!" the principal proclaimed when all the students had filed in and settled down. Angela watched him with a bored expression on her face, as did most of the students as the principal continued. She was acutely aware of all the lively talking that was going on in the crowd of students. Surely the principal must notice. But when she glanced back at the dark haired principal with lively light brown eyes, she saw no acknowledgement of the talking at all. Geez, this guy has a lot of tolerance.

Angela took the opportunity to discreetly glance around by turning her head slightly to the right or left. She did this with any new crowd. And she always was a hard critic when she did so. Most people were uninteresting to her. They were like any other individual, another crab in the sea. But this time when she did her practiced scan she found multiple people that made her stop for a moment and study harder.

First was a no-nonsense, pretty girl that caught her eye. Her brown hair framed her face all around, making it look round. She wore all black with a touch of red and she looked as if she was paying rapt attention, which surprised Angela. One hand cupped her chin as the other drummed on the table, revealing fingernails adorned with black nail polish. Though she looked unapproachable, Angela made a mental note to try to do so later.

The next two people that caught her attention were two boys. One, with raggedy hair and silently smoldering eyes caught her attention with his mostly black attire also. The spiked collar around his neck scared Angela a little, though she admonished herself to not judge people by how they looked. Actually, the boy's face was pretty gentle looking at the moment, making him very attractive as he also paid full attention to the talking principal. But the most interesting by far was the last individual.

A mop of dirty-blonde hair was on his head, left mostly the way it was except for a little spiked up in the front. He was acting as if he paid attention but Angela noticed his eyes wandering around the room. His eyes kept shooting back to the previous boy Angela had studied though, for some odd reason. But his looks weren't what most attracted Angela (though that helped considerably). It was his whole being. He had, what Angela would describe it as, a writer's air.

She knew from the first moment she looked at him that he was a writer. Of what kind, she didn't know, but she was certain. Call her crazy, but to recognize these people was her talent and a rare one at that. Nevertheless, she saw in him what she looked like herself as a writer and she smiled suddenly.

Perhaps this year won't be all bad.

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After the introduction and speech had been given, the students all found themselves in line to receive their first meal ever at the school. Angela, Lori, Ian, and Charlie were all in line wondering what fabulous (not) food they were going to be served.

Lori was served the first out of the four of them. She gazed down at her plate contemplating what that mushy green stuff was. It looked awfully suspicious. Then she turned her gaze upward to contemplate where she would sit. Well, that's easy. She, in all her years in school, had pretty much sat alone. A loner, they called her. Well, whatever.

She picked a spot at a very vacant bench and sat down. Then she proceeded to poke a fork through the plastic wrapper it was in. Angela watched as Lori fought with the plastic. Then Angela watched as Lori came out triumphant.

Angela then was aware that her tray was finished being slapped with disgusting looking food, the only bright ray the slice of chocolate cake. She scooped up her tray and then hesitated, looking from Lori to everyone else in the room to one of the empty tables. Then, going with her gut, she took a deep breath and sat down directly across from Lori.

Lori's fork stopped halfway to her mouth when she saw Angela sit down across from her. She thought either she was playing a very sick joke, or making a very grave mistake.

"Um, what are you doing?" she asked semi-politely. Angela looked up, startled she had spoken.

"Well, I was going to sit here. Is that okay?" her voice seemed, to Lori, very weak and quiet.

Lori kind of felt bad as she heard herself respond, "No," in a very flat and hard voice. Angela looked startled once more. Then Angela's eyes softened.

"Are you saving this seat for someone?" she asked gently.

Lori was getting more annoyed by the second. "Why do you need to know?"

"Well," came the instantaneous reply, "I needed a place to sit and I saw you all alone. So I decided that maybe you would like some company and I came to sit with you. Is that a good enough reason for you?" Her voice remained the nice, gentle, calm voice of an innocent little girl. Lori's eyes hardened as she gazed at Angela. Angela stared unflinchingly back.

What do I have to do to get rid of this girl? She asked herself as she searched for something to say that was witty and snappy. She couldn't believe that in only three turns to talk, this girl had stumped her. Normally, Lori had an abundance of responses just waiting to be said. But this time she drew a blank.

"Uh...well, I usually don't sit with anyone," she started, sounding to herself to be really stupid and defenseless.

Angela never faltered. "Well, it's a good time to start."

Lori stared back at Angela as she started picking at her mysterious lunch. She's good, Lori thought as she twirled her fork absentmindedly in her fingers. Lori even felt admiration creeping in for this strange girl in front of her, but that made her angry and she pushed it down. Simultaneously, she pushed away from the table and stood up. Angela gazed up at her quizzically.

"I'm not going to deal with this," she said resolutely in as cold a voice as she could manage. "I'm not going to deal with you." Lori almost flinched at how harsh that was to be saying to such a seemingly delicate and pretty girl. Angela, however, gazed up at Lori with an unmoving gaze. Lori felt unsettled as she turned, dumped her food in the trash, and left the building.

As soon as Lori left, Angela felt an overwhelming wave of hurt and sadness well up inside her. I just wanted to get to know you...to be your friend. Then Angela built a barrier of anger to keep out her sadness. And you could use one! Suddenly not hungry, she stood up and turned around.

At that moment, Charlie was entering the aisle. To do so, he had to pass Ian. Charlie knew Ian's reputation as a prankster, so he tried skirting as far away from him as possible, but the aisle was small and so he inched through, not seeing the leg Ian had sneakily stuck out. Charlie's foot caught on Ian's leg and he was sent flying forward, his food flying forward as well.

The whole room watched the interesting spectacle and gasped in shock when all Charlie's food splattered all over Angela's shirt. She opened her mouth in surprise and stood, gazing down at her favorite shirt ruined and a boy staring up at her from the floor apologetically. It was the writer. Rage threatened to possess her, but she closed her eyes and forced herself to breath. "Its okay," she said quietly, more to herself than to anyone else. Charlie gazed up at her composed face with mixed feelings, wondering what she was going to do to him. He seemed paralyzed on the floor.

He was almost bowled over with shock when she gave him a weak smile and said, "Its okay. I was just going to leave anyway." He detected a small trace of a waver in her voice as she turned on her heel and walked away.

Ian's haughty laughter suddenly ripped through his eardrums. He picked himself hurriedly off the floor and glared at the merry Ian. In between bouts of laughter, Ian choked out, "Oh my god. That was the funniest thing I have ever seen. Did you see her face? Honestly, Charlie, that was the worst pick up line I have ever heard. Oh wait, that's right, you didn't say anything." Ian tumbled right into another bout of laughing at his seemingly funny interpretation of the incident.

"Ian," Charlie said in a smoldering voice. "Shut up. Now."

Ian wiped his eyes. "That was priceless."

"Shut up."

"The best thing I have ever seen."

"SHUT UP!"

With that, Charlie pounced on Ian, sending both of them crashing to the floor. Ian howled in surprise, but then his trained body instinctively fought back. The students around them gasped again in surprise and then caused an uproar, which brought most of the teachers running. Before Ian and Charlie could really tear one another up, they were separated and admonished sharply. Then they were dragged to the principal's office.

The people quieted after that in the cafeteria and they returned to their meals.

Outside, a blonde haired girl slumped against the wall of the cafeteria, her body still on top of her sweater. She was clutching her laptop again and her breath came in quick breaths. After what she had just seen in the lunch room, this year would be once again a hard year for her to find friends. But she needed a friend. Badly. More than ever before. If she didn't find one soon, she felt as if she would burst inside. I just need someone to carry my secret with me.

She had been keeping her secret for more than two years now. Time to pass it on and lift the burden.

Suddenly, the image of the black haired girl with the food splattered T-shirt came into view. Making up her mind, she got up, wrapped her sweater back around her waist and started in the direction the black haired girl had gone.