Sam Pov:

I could feel their mocking stares and hear their whispers filled with disdain "slut", "blow queen" they would call me and those were among the nicer ones, apparently getting drunk and getting on your knees before any guy that approaches you at a party is a good way to get a bad reputation and doing it multiple times pretty much seals it. God, I was a mess last year I'm still not sure how I didn't fail a single class. I'm lying. I know how and it's called summer school. I looked at my stepbrother Patrick, he was walking in front of me carving a path for us to walk through the mess that is a high school hallway on the first day, as much as I love Mary Elizabeth and Alice I don't think they fully understand what I went through and thinking back to those times it was Patrick who really helped me get through and be able to hear the way they talk about me and not to feel self-conscious and be able to keep my head up.

I felt Patrick bumping our shoulders together bringing me out of my musings and I looked at him. He was giving me a reassuring smile and I realized we reached the advanced English classroom. Now that is something I'm still trying to understand, the girl who almost dropped out of high school after a single year got recommended for the advanced English class.

"This is my stop, see you later Patrick" I told him

"of course little sister, and remember I will be driving us home so don't hang around too long or I might leave you" he answered me with that infuriating smile of his, really he is only 3 weeks older than me and ever since our parents got us that truck he has been lording it over me that I'm still 3 weeks away from being able to get my licence -"you can be so annoying sometimes, remind me why I love you"

"my astonishing good looks and my extremely charismatic personality" he confidently responded

"ahh, now I remember is because you are full of yourself" I responded instantly wiping the smirk off his face and before he could come up with a come back the bell rang and with a quick "bye" I walked into the class to see that the only seats remaining were right in front of the teacher's desk, Great.

I sat down just as the teacher walked in and started roll-calling after he was done everyone but one was there and he started introducing himself when he was interrupted by the door opening instantly everyone turned to look at the kid that walked in. He was clearly embarrassed and he murmured something about getting lost. "yeah right that's the best excuse you can come up with?"

"Charlie Kelmeckis right?" the teacher asked him, Charlie quickly nodded "well have a seat. As I was saying I'm Mr Anderson but you can call me Bill and I'm going to be your teacher this year. This semester, we're going to be working with Harper Lee's ``To Kill a Mockingbird". He started passing books around and talking about the book and I got distracted looking at Charlie as he settled down next to me. He was on the small side with dark hair but the main features were his eyes, they were blue but not that pale blue that is common, his were darker and expressive very expressive. I don't think I have seen him around. Maybe he's new? that would explain the whole being lost part, he pulled out a Trapper Keeper and I heard the girl on his other side whisper "Nice Trapper Keeper, faggot" now that's a word I hate, faggot, mainly because how many times Patrick was on the receiving end of that insult when he came out as gay last year and because Really? of all the possible insults you have to mock someone for their sexual preference. Suddenly all the hands went up except for Charlie's and mine. Shit, what did he ask?

"He's British -Bill continued- He also invented the serial. In fact, at the end of chapter 3 of his first novel, he had a man hanging off a cliff by his fingernails. Hence, the term cliffhanger. Anybody?.

I could see Charlie write something down as a boy near the back said "Shakespeare".

"That's a great guess, but no, Shakespeare wrote theatre not novels. Anybody else?

The author was…"

And he stopped, he was looking at what Charlie had written- did he write the answer down? and then they looked at each other. Bill was giving Charlie an encouraging look but Charlie seemed reluctant and uncomfortable so Bill continued "... Charles Dickens. However, if you and I had gone to a play in Shakespeare's time, it would have cost 4 pennies. Can you imagine that? We would have put those pennies in a metal box, which the ushers would lock in the office. And that's where we get the term... anyone?" while everyone was throwing wild guesses around, I kept looking at Charlie so I could see if he would do it again and sure he did then looked up to find that Bill was staring at him. Waiting for him to raise his hand. "I'll give you a free "A" on anything but the final term paper if you get it right. Charlie looked down. He's not going to answer. But why?. "Box office" at that point everyone was feeling like idiots for not knowing, that is everyone but charlie, he had a little smile on his face and his eyes got a little sparkle - but it wasn't arrogant like he thought he was better than the rest of us, no he was enjoying it. The rest of the class passed without much happening except that Charlie did it twice more and every time after someone gave the correct answer he got that same smile on his face. This class just got way more interesting.

When the bell rang I got up and started making my way to the cafeteria, sorry to the "Nutrition Center". I mean really "Nutrition Center"? we all thought it was stupid but no one cared enough to say anything so it just stayed that way. And then I realized I didn't have my jacket and groaned and made my way back to the English classroom. When I arrived there I could hear Mr Anderson talking to Charlie. I don't know why but instead of going in I stayed outside listening.

"No offence, sir, but if my English teacher is the only friend I make today, that would be sort of depressing" I could hear a hint of sadness in his voice as he said that.

"Yeah. I could see that". I heard Bill answering.

"So I wanted to ask you how to get to the cafeteria"

At that point I walked in and when Bill noticed me said "ahh miss Dutton I believe this is yours" while holding my jacket "thank you sir" I was turning around when he said, "would you mind showing Charlie here to the cafeteria?"

"sure - and then looking at charlie - come on I'll show you"

Charlie PoV:

The walk was quiet, the hallways had already emptied out, everyone had rushed to the cafeteria. I was watching her I had noticed she had looked at me for a lot of time during class but I didn't pay her much attention until now, she was beautiful she as tall as me and her brunette hair reached just below her shoulders and it bounced hypnotically with every step she gave and her eyes were the most beautiful shade of chocolate brown.

"I'm Samantha by the way but call me Sam" I heard her say and it brought me out of my musings

"nice to meet you Sam I'm Charlie" I quickly answered

"you're new around here right?"

"yeah we moved from Houston during the summer"

"It must be hard leaving everything behind and moving to a new place," she said while looking at me, and I didn't know how to answer without sounding weird so I just shrugged.

After that, the silence returned but I couldn't keep my eyes off her, such beautiful eyes. just as I thought that she turned to me. and said "thanks, yours are quite pretty as well" Shit. "Did I say that out loud?"

"Yes you did" she answered with a smile. And then the other part of what she said caught up to me and I instantly blushed, and she knew that there is no way she didn't, judging by the way her smile grew. I don't think I've ever been more embarrassed in my life. Thankfully we had arrived at the cafeteria and I wanted to ask if I could sit with her during lunch but I was still too embarrassed so I tried to get away with a quick "thanks" but of course she couldn't let me go that easily and she said "bye charlie" in a sing-song voice that made me finally understand what they say about butterflies in your stomach. And she walked past me heading towards the back of the cafeteria but before she could get too far a couple of elder girls bumped into her and nearly sent her to the floor and they said something to Sam I couldn't hear what it was over the hundreds of voices in the eco-filled room but I could see how it affected her the way her shoulder dropped and how she lowered her head. I wanted to go to her but before I could move she ran off and I quickly lost sight of where she went.

So I got my lunch and after seeing my sister sitting alone I went to join her only for her to tell me she was having lunch with some friends she made from some club I've never heard of but knowing Candace she wasn't saying it to get rid of me but she really was having lunch with this club. So I just went to sit by myself before heading off to my last class of the day which is Shop, freshman Shop, what can I say I needed one more class and you can't get into the second year class without passing this one first. and the other options were marching band or a sports team neither of them being something that interested me, not that shop does but it was the best option.

We were all waiting for the teacher to show up and when a kid used a pencil to draw a moustache on his face and started doing an imitation of who I supposed was the teacher. There is no way he is a freshman considering how good he seems to know the teacher. By the time the teacher walked in everyone was laughing though we stopped as soon as we noticed him but the kid doing the impersonation didn't stop just walked up to the teacher and shook his hand and said "Mr Callahan how good to see you" all while still doing the imitation which sent the entire class into fits of laughter.

"I heard you were going to be in my class. Are you proud of being a sophomore taking freshman shop, Patty-Cakes? Not that you are the only sophomore taking this class" said the teacher while looking at me. At that, I could feel everyone's eyes settle upon me. Suddenly joining the marching band sounds lovely.

"My name is Patrick. You call me Patrick or you call me nothing" said the imitation guy while wiping away his drawn moustache.

"Okay... Nothing" everyone but I laughed at that but me, as Patrick made his way to sit beside me and gave me a smile. I felt really bad for Patrick. He wasn't saying the impersonation to be mean or anything.

"Everyone open your safety guides. And Nothing... why don't you read first?" This guy really has a problem. I wonder if it's too late to join the swimming team.

"Chapter 1. -Patrick began reading- Surviving your fascist shop teacher, who needs to put kids down to feel big." And he turned to the class and said "Oh, wow. This is useful guys. We should read on." I smiled after that. This might not be so bad after all.