Author: Lioness Black
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Not mine. Just good fun.
Feedback: I love to hear back from my readers. I like praise as much as the next person, but please feel free to give me criticism where you find fit. However, if you do not like my story for any reason, all I ask is that you tell me why, as opposed to simply telling me you don't like it.
Summary: High school's the same, even when you've changed. Sequel to Friends. Changes. Together. Alone.
Chapter One: Sunny
9/21
Study Hall. I love study hall, it gives me a chance to write when I don't have time in the rest of life. I mean, how much time am I supposed to have between homework (the load is much worse now that we're "officially" in high school), working at the store (SO glad Dad reinstated my full pay when school started), and trying to be a normal teenager by hanging out with my friends?
But now there are things to think about. Here's an outline:
A. My birthday. We have just over a month until Sunny turns 15. I haven't talked about it with friends yet, but I think this calls for a PARTY.
I. Should I expect a surprise party or just start planning with Dawn and Ducky?
II. Should I really expect something from Dad? He busies himself like crazy with work, I guess to keep from thinking about Mom. I know that it's still something I think about, but I try not to let it get me down. It's weird too, what Dad and I have become. We're sort of settling into this strange pattern. We're not the family we were, just minus Mom. We're a new family. A Dad and Sunny family. I don't think I'd want to be the same family anyway.
B. is for BOYS. Since all the guys at Vista think I'm a total slut because one prick thought it would be cool to spread rumors about me, getting a date is harder than ever (since most of the guys who ask me out now only want one thing that this girl just isn't giving out). So I need to consider my options.
I. Go out with guys from Palo High. My so called reputation couldn't have spread that far, could it? But then I might just be a traitor for going out with the "enemy." I hate sports rivalries.
II. Don't go out with guys at all and spend the rest of high in a dateless wasteland. No. Not going to work. Even if I have to sponge off of Ducky and tag along on his dates with Justin (which I would never do), I'm going out.
III. Don't go out with guys but instead sit around thinking about Mr. Rutherford. This is an idea I could go along with. Who wouldn't want to daydream about Mr. Hunky? Sure, he's my bio teacher (why didn't I take bio last year?), but he's only like 25, with gorgeous brown hair and blue eyes. Okay, the reading glasses are kind of dorky, but when he takes them off, it's more than worth the wait.
The only problem with that one is that it totally cuts into having an actual social life and I don't know if I'm good for that. Unlike my friends, I LIKE going out and drinking and having a good time.
If it were up to Dawn, we'd spend every night in watching The Parent Trap. Noooo thank you. Give me wild parties! Maybe not that wild, since "wild" usually has me puking in the bushes or getting us caught without seats in a moving vehicle by the police. So maybe just parties.
I need to remember to casually drop hints about my birthday. I started this morning when Ducky drove me and Dawn to school. It's out of his way, but he offered. Walking, or have Ducky drive us? Hmmm, you decide.
Amalia couldn't come with us to school since she's always getting rides with Brendan and his mom. She goes over to his house everyday before school and sees his Dad. I can sympathize. She doesn't seem to mind that it takes up a lot of her time, especially when she's already so busy.
I guess she sees things that I couldn't. I mean, it's not even her relative and she takes so much time to be with him. She even quit her job because they weren't giving her enough time to be with him and his family. When Mom was dying I couldn't be inconvenienced like that. When I'm around Amalia I try not be a huge reminder that my mom died from the same kind of cancer his Dad has, but I have to be a big neon sign flashing "PEOPLE DIE FROM LUNG CANCER ALL THE TIME!"
I feel REALLY uncomfortable around Brendan.
Ducky invited Maggie too, but she decided to get a ride with the chauffeur, which is so unlike her, I wonder what's up, but I don't just ask people things outright. Okay, yes I do, but for some reason I didn't. She's SO busy right now. Of course some record label wants to sign on Vanish right when school's about to start. She must be freaking out.
I know I'm freaking out about school this year too, since this is when it starts to really get important on what your grades are. Double that, since I almost failed the 8th grade from skipping so much.
Anyway, I'm sitting in the front seat next to Ducky and Dawn is in the back. I strike up conversation.
"So, how are things going with Justin?" I ask.
"Great," Ducky replies.
He hasn't told me much about what goes on between the two of them since he told us (or, I weasled it out of him) that they were having oral sex. I don't know if they've gone all the way or what, but they look really cute in the halls. They aren't really "out" out, I guess, since they don't hold hands or kiss by their lockers like some people, but you can just TELL. They have a closeness.
Not that everyone doesn't know that they're gay and dating since James Kodaly went around and told everyone the day school started. But they don't seem to want to draw attention to themselves. Which is understandable since Cro-Mags picked on Ducky before. They don't need more ammo.
Ducky looks in his review mirror at Dawn. "What about you and Christian?"
"Good," she says. "I still haven't met his parents. And then Christian is turning 16 in November so Dad is freaking out that I'll want to go on car dates. Like Christian and I have been going out on a lot of dates anyway. Usually it's just hanging out with everyone."
"Speaking of birthdays in November," I said, "I know of someone who has one coming up."
"Really?" Dawn asked, with so obvious fake curiosity. "Whose?"
"Mine and you know it," I said. Okay, so I wasn't subtle. And I totally just changed tenses. When did that happen? When did I notice? ENGLISH CLASS IS TAKING OVER MY BRAIN!
I'm a nerd.
"Oh yeah," she replied. "What do you want?"
Good grades. A million dollars. A personal assistant. A hot boyfriend who doesn't just want me because I'm supposedly easy. Johnny Depp preferably.
"I don't know," I said. "Maybe some new CDs?"
Ducky groaned. "We're not going to get you CDs. You get CDs for people that you only semi-know."
"Is that why I got a CD from you and Amalia both for Christmas last year?" I asked.
"Exactly. This year, though, we have no excuses. You are going to get real gifts. Thoughtful gifts. Not just "Oh my god, I have to get someone something, let me get them this CD.""
"Get through my birthday first," I said. "Then we'll talk Christmas."
"Deal," Ducky said.
"Speaking of, don't you have a birthday coming up before mine?"
"What?"
"You've been 16 as long as I've known you. You have to have a birthday coming up even before mine."
"Oh, yeah," he said. "September 30th."
WHAT? Why didn't he bring it up? I mean, my birthday isn't until the beginning of November and his is less than 10 days away and he hasn't spoken of it? Is turning 17 that devastating? I hope not.
"Well, what do YOU want?" Dawn asked.
"We're here!" Ducky exclaimed cheerfully. Fake cheerfully, I might add. Not at all like his normal self. Something is going on here and I don't know what it is. I hope he's okay, though. I get worried about Ducky because you know he's feeling all of this stuff and he never talks about it.
Maybe he talks about it with Justin.
It's sort of weird for me, since both of my best friends have boyfriends now. Things that they might have come to me for, they go to them now. Actually, I'm the only person I know (well, know closely) that doesn't have a boyfriend.
Dawn and Christian. Ducky and Justin. Maggie and Tyler. Amalia and Brendan. Sunny and...? No one. Not a single person.
I guess dating around can really kill your social life.
Bell. Gotta go.
After School.
I should be doing my homework right now. I'm in the middle of it, actually. I came straight home and did bio.
AM SO INTO MR. RUTHERFORD. He's funny too. So much of our class is learning about reproduction and stuff, even though technically, our sex ed is Health class (which we took last year), he keeps comparing animals to humans in parallels of sexuality. He's always cracking jokes (dirty ones!) during class.
He's by far the coolest teacher I have.
Especially since I have Mrs. Krueger this year. Great. She's such a dork, I don't know how to express it. But I have to appreciate her, since she's actually really nice. I hate it when grown ups are nice.
Mr. Rutherford is not a grown up. He's an adult, and is very cool. He's the kind of adult I want to be someday. And I don't think anyone would have a problem with that.
He knows who I am too. I'm Sunny Winslow, freshman. No one should know who I am. But he does. As I was leaving class today, he said, "See you tomorrow, Sunny."
I about fainted. How great is it that my teacher knows who I am? He see 500 students a day and he called me out by name.
Crushes on teachers are such a waste since you KNOW nothing will ever come of it. I shouldn't be putting my energy into it. I should work on my homework, think about having a small get together for Ducky (since he seems so weird about his birthday, I don't think a big party is what he would want), and think about maybe checking out the Palo High guys. They can't be THAT bad, can they?
Doubtful. Highly doubtful.
