Hey again everyone! I know I didn't put this into the first chapter when I should have, so I'll put it into this one. Obviously the characters are not of my design, and thus, belong to their creators. The only thing that is mine is the story.

Now that that is out of the way, enjoy chapter two!

Chapter 2 – The First Day Back

The last two weeks of summer were rather droll. I finished the novel I was reading, and Eddy's scam fell through like they always do.

"I don't know what went wrong! That one should have worked! It was warm and everyone would have loved them… Are you even listening to me Sockhead?!" We were almost to our school, walking in the warm morning air with the sun low in the sky, but brightening our simple world all the same. I looked over to him, smile on my face.

"Don't worry about it Eddy. It is in the past now, and we have a new school year to begin. Are you not excited for what our junior year will have in store for us?!" Eddy game me a glare as if I spit in his coffee.

"Get off it, Double D. Your design must not have panned out with the fans. My plan was foolproof, right down to my schtick that I would use to sell them. Yeah, that's what it must have been. A design flaw." He stroked his chin deep in thought while we walked.

Ed was not with us this morning on our walk to school. His mother made him walk Sarah and Jimmy to school. They were a couple years under us but Sarah was close with Nazz so she was already fairly popular in the high school. However, their mother still wanted Ed to walk them on their first day to make sure they were safe.

As we neared the steps up to the school, Eddy ran up and called back to me. "Sockhead! We are going to re-vamp the design of those fans at lunch! Be ready to actually focus!" And with that, he vanished into the building.

Now I'm going to be completely honest, working on another scam for Eddy was not what I wished to do on my first day back in school. I wanted to smell the pages of my new text books, pour over the course lists of my advanced classes, and organize my supplies for the duration of the first semester before I knew I would need to go fetch more. Maybe I can convince Eddy to have that conversation at a later date. I didn't want to lose out of my festivities I had planned for this glorious day.

As I walked into the building I only vaguely recall bumping into something. "Yo, watch where you're going Double dweeb!"

I stopped, my face dropping and my pulse picking up. I turned back around to see Kevin Barr and Nathan Goldberg. Kevin's face was in a scowl and I could feel myself shrinking under his gaze. Nat, however, had a cocky grin on his face. Together however, the two athletes created an imposing image, and one that I cannot remove from my memory. Kevin used to be more lean muscle, thin, but not as thin as I am. Now he was built with more muscle from going to the weight room most mornings and acting as the football captain, and while I was tall, he stood a few inches above me. Nat, on the other hand was all lean muscle. While he played on the football team as well, he didn't push himself to "bulk up" like Kevin has. Nat moved here during the summer before our freshman year of high school and he became close friends with Kevin due to their mutual fondness of sports. His teal hair made him stand out when in comparison to Kevin's red hair under his cap.

"Oh, my apologies Kevin. I seem to have been focused on the joy that this day has given for all of us. A brand new year, and a new start." At that, Kevin raised an eyebrow and pushed past me with Nat walking behind him.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever, dork."

I watched them walk, keeping a closer eye on Kevin's broad shoulders as he went away and had to physically shake myself out of my staring. This was Kevin Barr. I was lucky if I could keep myself from panicking whenever he was nearby. The fact that I was able to make coherent statements this time was purely because of my excitement for what day it is.

"You know what I can't stand, Nat?" Nat shook his head as we walked through the hallway. "I can't stand how easily excited that dork can get just because school has started. Like what the hell? Does he not have any real life?" Kevin muttered angrily under his breath.

"I don't know, dear, but I think the little guy is cute." Nat grinned and waved his hands casually.

"Whatever man. You can have the double dweeb then. He's hopeless and if that's your thing, go for it." Kevin was well aware of Nat's pension for penis. Sorta the reason why, while they were friends, Kevin changed on his own before and after football practice. Nat never complained. If anything, he joked about not needing to see Kevin out of his clothes to have a good idea of what lies underneath and that simply made Kevin roll his eyes.

Kevin nodded a small goodbye to Nat as they parted to head to their classes. He smiled when he saw his other best friend, Nazz, walking toward him. They compared their schedules well in advance and realized they had the same homeroom class so they planned to meet every morning to head to class together. She was like a sister to him and he would do anything for her. They tried dating when they were younger, but they both decided it would be better if they were simply friends. They both found it awkward when they kissed, like kissing their sibling.

Nat and Nazz had more of a struggle with their relationship. While they were friends, sure, they still seemed to grate on each other's nerves so Kevin frequently had to play as the go-between.

Kevin simply hoped this year would go well and that his team would make it far. Schooling wasn't a big deal for him. That's not to say he didn't care, it just wasn't a top priority of his, even with Nazz scolding him for that regularly.

"So how do you think this year will go, Kevin? Think you'll finally ask one of the other's out?" Kevin shrugged. Dating the cheerleaders wasn't exactly on the top of his list either. Nazz gave him a knowing smile. "It's ok if you want to talk about it Kevin. I know already."

Kevin shifted uncomfortably. Earlier in the summer, Nat and Kevin messed around a little bit, nothing major. "We only made out a little Nazz, it wasn't that big of a deal. And there was a fair amount of alcohol involved." Nazz chuckled and nodded, slowly.

"Alright, alright. No need to get huffy Kev. Come on, let's get to class. But the instant you say you are dating Nat is the instant I beat the crap out of you." Kevin turned his face up at that.

"I have no intention of getting that close to Nat. It was an accident, alright?" Kevin put his hands in his pocket and slid into the classroom with Nazz grinning widely behind him.

When Kevin finally looked up from the ground after sitting down, he saw someone walk into the room. "You've got to be kidding me."

"You've got to be kidding me." I gulped and looked into my homeroom and saw him sitting in the back of the classroom. It was not loud enough that it pulled the attention of all the students in the classroom, but it was loud enough for me to know that it was directed back to me. I knew the voice, all too well.

Kevin was sitting in the back row, so I sat myself in my normal spot.

The very front.