What can I say, I'm in school and I have had so much work to do lately it stinks. BUT we are on winter vacation so I have a lot of spare time on my hands.

So here I go…

((Thought))

Akane got to class the next morning early so that she would have time to talk to Ranma. But when she got there, Ranma wasn't in class. ((Where could he be?)) She walked to their desk and sat down to wait for the late Ranma. Her class mates shuffled in the class room one by one, but there was still no sign of Ranma. The teacher called the class's attention but Akane kept her head on the desk, thinking about what she was going to say to Ranma.

"Ms. Tendou! Would you like to…" The class door opened. Akane's head popped off of the desk to see who it was that had entered. It wasn't Ranma; instead it was a boy with a yellow bandana on his head and a girl who was about Akane's height, with shinny blonde hair and a perfectly white smile. The boy walked towards the teacher and handed her a note.

"Thank you, Ms. Tendou for your attention. Now class, these are our newest student Ryouga Hibiki, and Samantha Walker. Ryouga, please take a seat at the table next to Ms. Tendou; Akane, raise your hand. And Samantha…"

"Excuse me, but Ranma sits next to me" Akane said quickly.

"Well, not anymore." The teacher replied back smugly. "Samantha, sit at the vacant table next to Akane and Rouge's table."

The two new students went and sat at their newly assigned seats as the teacher started to write something on the board.

"STUDY HALL" was written in large letters on the board. "Class, each of you should have gotten a letter in home room informing you about the change in your schedule. This class has been changed to 'study hall' because of some technicality having to do with the previous class not existing in Japan, or some nonsense like that."

One of the students slowly raised her hand. "YES!" the teacher called out to the student.

"We haven't been to homeroom yet." The young girl said quietly.

"We'll, I fail to see the relevance of that considering the purpose of the letter was to inform you of a schedule change and I just VERBALLY informed you of the change, which makes the letter that YOU would get in HOME ROOM completely REDUNDANT!" The teacher took a deep breath. "But, thank you for informing me that you have not yet gone to homeroom. Now class, everyone should get their books out and start to study, study, STUDY!" The teacher then sat down at her desk and got a piece of hard candy off of her desk and started to nibble on it with a smile on her face. The class sat in shock for a few moments and then a young man went up the teacher's desk and handed her a note. She opened it slowly; and her smile turned into a face of disappointment. She then stood.

"It has been brought to my attention that it is only the second day of school and that you have no homework." She sighed. "What is the school system coming to? Well, if you DO have homework, than you can work on it here. If NOT, then class is dismissed and you can go wait in the school yard until your next class. GO AHEAD! SCOOT!" The teacher then sat back at her desk and popped another hard candy in her mouth and picked up a book.

The entire class left out of the room with the exception of Akane. ((I have to talk to Ranma today)). The door opened and Ranma entered. Akane's eyes widened. The teacher then explained to him how his seat was change and how the course had been changed also, and explained where the rest of the class was. While the teacher was explaining Ranma tried his best to keep his eyes fixed on the teacher, but he couldn't help the occasionally glimpse over at Akane. After the teacher finished Ranma ran out of the class room.

"DANG IT!" Akane said to herself and grabbed her things to go run after him. She got out to the school yard but still hadn't seen him. The only occupants were a few of her class mates sitting around in various places talking.

"Um, excuse me, Akane?" a voice came from behind her. She turned around to find the new student standing behind her with a big funny-looking but shy grin on his face. ((Well, I guess I can look for Ranma later.))

"Hi! Your name's Ryouga, right?"

He nodded.

"Sorry I wasn't being too friendly earlier, I was kind of…thinking about something."

"Oh, it's fine. Would you mind spending the period with me? I uh, don't really know anyone else."

((Great, now I really won't be able to find Ranma.)) "Of course I don't mind!" The two walked to the little stream behind the school and spent the rest of the class period talking until the bell.

Meanwhile, on the roof of the school…

((I really hope she didn't follow me.)) Ranma thought with his head resting on his knees. ((Why does she feel she has to feel sorry for me? I never asked her to. I never even asked her stupid family to move over in this area. Why does she have to be so, STUPID?)). Ranma heard footsteps from behind him. The only people who went on the roof were Ranma and… "Akane, I don't want to talk to you. Go away." But the footsteps did not recede, instead the person just continued to stand there "Akane, I said go a…" when Ranma turned around, he saw that this was not Akane, but someone he had never seen before. ((OH MY GOD!)) "Sorry, I thought you were someone else." Ranma then put his head back on his knees.

"My name is Samantha, but you can call me Sam for short." The girl said and smiled.

"Ranma Saotome." He took his head off of his lap and sat up straight.

"Oh, so you're Ranma! I think I sit next to you now in 1st period. IT wasn't going to be like that though, that Akane girl through quite a fit about you not sitting next to her anymore." Sam started to giggle and Ranma turned around just in time to see her radiant smile.

"Yeah, she's a feisty one." They both laughed together.

"May I join you Ranma?"

"Yeah, sure." Ranma moved his book back from beside him and made space for Sam to sit down.

"YO, SAOTOME!" one of the boys from Ranma's class shouted across the halls.

"Hey! What's up?" Ranma said as he gave his friend some kind of pre-rehearsed hand shake.

"Nothing much, nothing much! So, who was the girl I saw you walking from first period with?"

((Girl?)) "OH! That's Sam, she's new here." The other boy started to playfully hit Ranma in his arm.

"Nice Ranma, first yesterday with Akane, now today with this same chick! Nice going…"

"HEY! There was nothing between me and that tomb boy Akane! Or anything with Sam! I don't even like Akane, and Sam is just a friend!"

The kid stopped punching Ranma and stood looking at him as though he was extremely confused. "Wait a minute. Akane I can kind of understand. But that girl same is BEAUTIFUL, and you mean to tell me that you don't even like her one bit? I mean, heck, I don't even know her and I like her a whole lot!" the kid started laughing but Ranma walked away.

((I didn't even take the time to look at her like that. Is she really that beautiful?))

Ranma was lost I thought as he walked through the hallways thinking about Sam and how she looked, because honestly, he couldn't remember.

"Hey Ranma!" a voice called to him from in front of him. He looked up to see Sam walking with a group of girls who were all giggling and whispering as they passed Ranma.

((She really is beautiful.))

Sam kept walking as did Ranma. The only difference was that Ranma's head was still turned around looking at Sam when he was walking and ended up walking right into someone's open locker door. Ranma fell to the floor grabbing his forehead.

"Oh my GOD!" The voice behind the locker cried out. "I'm SOOOO sorry! Are you okay? Are you…" The voice stopped apologizing and the face stood staring at the person who lay prostrate on the floor.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I'll be okay. Can you just lend me a hand to help me get up?" The soft small hand reached out for his and helped him. When Ranma opened his eyes his vision was too blurry to be able to make anything out and he started to fall because he had become dizzy.

"Let me take you to the clinic." The voice said and wrapped his arm around their own body and aided Ranma to the clinic where he was admitted by the nurse.

The nurse came out of the room with Ranma paperwork in her hands. "What is your name young lady?"

"Akane Tendou."

"And how did this happen?"

"He walked into my locker." ((Man, what is this, some kind of criminal interrogation?))

"Well Akane, you're free to go. Thank you for bringing him in."

"Can I go in and see him?"

"I'm sorry, you'll have to wait out here until he wakes up; It could be a while, but you're welcome to wait."

"Yes, thank you."

2 HOURS LATER

Ranma wakes up from his sleep with an enormous head ache. ((Where am I)) The School nurse walks in. "How you feelin' Ranma?"

"My head… is going… to explode." Ranma said as he grasped the side of his head.

"Well then, normally I would give you some medicine, but this headache seems pretty bad. You should just go home and rest. That would be what I suggest. Will you be able to make it home by yourself?" Ranma slightly nodded and went to stand out of bed and nearly fell.

"OH MY! I'm going to have that very nice girl that brought you in, escort you back home. She's pretty cute too so you shouldn't mind eh?" The nurse winked at Ranma and helped him up to the lobby where the young girl was waiting for him.

"Akane?" Ranma said in surprise when he saw her.

"Hey ,Ranma. How are you feeling? You walked into my locker pretty hard."

"That was your locker?" ((Just my luck, she was the last person I wanted to see right now))

"Yeah, sorry. Oh my goodness! The knot on your head! I'm so sorry!"

((Not those words again.)) Ranma thought as he winced. Akane ran over to Ranma and held one side of his face and gently caressed the other where the bruise was beginning to form. Ranma hated being patronized, but in spite of his expected uncomfortable ness and anger; he was glad it was Akane. Her hands were soft and felt warm against his face. And her eyes, even though they were just brown, were the most beautiful brown eyes Ranma had ever seen.

Akane thanked the nurse and walked out of the clinic with Ranma to take him home. After they exited Akane continued to walk but Ranma stopped.

"You don't have to walk me home ya know."

"I know."

"Then why are ya?"

"Because, I want to." Akane walked back to Ranma took his hand in hers and started to walk back to Ranma's house with him hand-in-hand.

Ryouga sat in class staring out of the window. He couldn't get Akane off of his mind. ((Oh Akane, you sure are special)) Ryouga started to blush at his own thoughts. ((Man, what I wouldn't give to see her walking by me right now.)) Just then Ryouga spotted a guy and a girl walking across the courtyard exiting the school. "Akane but wait, who is she walking with?" A girl came and stood next to Ryouga. "That's Ranma Saotome."

Ryouga was startled because he didn't think anyone was listening to him talk to himself.

The girl had spoken to Ryouga but wasn't really paying attention to him. The only thing she was thinking about was Ranma. ((Why is SHE walking with him?)) Sam laughed to herself. ((It doesn't matter, THAT can be fixed!))

Same turned to Ryouga and gave him her most charming smile. ((And he's going to help…))

He he I like how this chapter ended… the beginning was kind of lame because I'll admit, I didn't really know where I was going with it… hmm… but now I do!... okies.. PLEASE REVIEW and tell me what you think!