Hey guys! SO this is Chapter 3 of JUY so enjoy...beware...lots o' drama i guess you could say

Chapter 3

I gapped at who I was staring at. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Squid giving me this weird look, along with ZigZag.

"How'd you…but I thought you were…why are you…?" I stumbled over the questions I was trying to get out.

"Ah I knew you'd miss me Kelly. I was a good boy for a few months, and they let me back." He winked at me and took a seat in the far corner of the class.

"Alrighty then!" Mr. S said, clapping his hands together. "Let's discuss what we're going to be doing over the next 180 days…"

"Shorty, Shorty come back here!" ZigZag and Squid called after me as I darted down the hall after class. He's back; he's back and now he's probably going to fuckin kill me. I put my back to my locker and slid down to the floor. I buried my face into my books. No one can see me like this, not now, not ever. I can't be weak, weak only means you're afraid of you enemies. You can't be afraid of them. My father's voice had said that last part 2 years ago when I was complaining about how Emma Patrow had ruined my chances with Johnny Walker back in freshman year. Of course I was in a different school now, a tougher school where if someone saw you crying, that would be the last of your rep. as you knew it. Thank god that was the last period of the day, and thank god my locker was in the middle of no where.

"Kelly?" Amber's voice echoed down the hallways. Her tone was harsh and stern, somewhat motherly. She was followed by ZigZag and Squid. They ran down the hallway, Ambers heals making the only sound in the school. I looked up from my books, putting my hair behind my ears. They looked down on me and I looked up at them.

"What the hell?" ZigZag said, out of breath. Amber pulled them aside. She attempted to whisper, but her voice was so loud that I could even hear her whisper.

"Guys, that's Kevin." She said, looking at the harshly. "He's the guy that got her sent to that, that camp you guys were at. He's the guy that practically ruined her life." Squid and ZigZag looked appalled.

"Ruined her life?" Squid asked his tone sounded at though he didn't believe her.

"Are you kidding? He put that girl through fucking hell. From August to February it was non-stop, 'He almost knocked me out again' or 'I didn't want to steal it so he decked me'." Amber paused and looked at me. "Then she decided she was going to do what he said because he had told her he loved her and that she was his best friend and she didn't want to get pummeled again." The all walked over to me and sat down. Squid and ZigZag on either side and Amber in front of me.

"Why the hell did he have to come back here?" I asked, looking at all of them. They shifted uneasily and shrugged.

"I mean, doesn't he know he made my life hell already. Does he really need to just show up and act like he's all nice and cool?" I asked to nobody particular.

"You do know that we can screw up anybody who takes a second look at you don't you?" Squid asked. I smiled, remembering what he had gone down at camp with Twitch and Flash. Maybe I am stronger now, maybe I can handle this.

"Oh I know that." I said. Amber smiled too.

"And she smiles finally!" Amber said, getting me to smile more. I stood up.

"You're right. Why should I let Kevin get me down? I got you guys and I can fend for myself." Squid and ZigZag laughed. "Well, I can sometimes." I added.

"Ricky, Alan, mission Find Kelly completed." Amber said, pulling her wild hair back into a ponytail.

"Aw you guys made it your mission to find me. Don't I feel special?" I said as we walked down the empty hallways to the exit.

"Well we always knew you were special." ZigZag said.

"Yeah at least she didn't have paranoia issues." Squid said to ZigZag. "I read his files." Squid added as I looked at him weird.

"Did you read mine?" I asked worriedly. Squid laughed and nodded.

"Kelly Bridget Loper-Jackson, 5'1, 110 pounds, San Antonio, Texas, trashing the school, stealing computers, current parent or guardian Margaret Ann Loper…" I signaled for Squid to stop but he laughed. "But it gets better, please?" I sighed and agreed. "Miss Jackson here suffers from Apiphobia, fear of bees, Astraphobia, fear of thunder and lightning, Epistaxiophobia- fear of nosebleeds, and Cacophobia, fear of ugliness. Kelly…" I cut him off. Holy crackerjack he did read the damn file. But how?

"That's enough buddy. And I'm not afraid of ugliness; you threw that one in there." He smiled.

"And you know all this because?" Amber asked, more freaked out than ever.

"I think I have a photographic memory." Squid said scratching his head.

"Or you have a weird talent slash disease." ZigZag added.

"Or maybe you're just a creepy stalker." I added after ZigZag.

"Thanks guys." Squid said sarcastically. WE all walked in silence out the front doors of the school.

"Ah the light it burns!" I said, shielding my eyes from the bright Texas sun. We headed out to Amber's car, the only one parked in the senior lot.

"Ok now that the boys are gone, what did you have to tell me?" I looked at Amber in her car. We were parked in her driveway, her in the driver's seat and I in the passenger's seat. She fiddled nervously with a lock of hair that fell from her ponytail. I swatted her hand away from her hair. She gave an over exaggerated sigh.

"I'm worried about Ricky. He's always thinking the FBI's out to get him or something." I rolled my eyes. Wouldn't be surprised exactly, considering what might have gotten him into CGL.

"Amber, he's been like that since I've known him. It's all part of his paranoia issues. It's not that big of a deal." I sighed thanking god that was the only thing she needed to tell me. I just noticed that she wasn't going in the direction of my house.

That's all right you're not pregnant or anything." I asked, laughing at my joke.

"Ha-ha hell no." Amber said, opening her car door.

"Uhm, way to forget to bring me home." I sat in the car and she looked through the window.

"Oh just come on and eat dinner at my house. You know my mom like loves you." I smiled and got out of the car. Amber's house was in a secluded neighborhood from the rest of South San Antonio. ZigZag, Squid, and my area of town had run down houses, small ones and double family ones. Amber's street was the only street in the southern part of San An. That actually looked nice. Now I don't just mean nice, I mean really nice. It doesn't even look like the rest of our part of town. Lianne and her friends lived on this street along with several of the other popular people in our school. And then there was Amber. Sometimes I wondered why she didn't make friends with them.

"Kelly!" Her mom greeted me as we stepped into the doorway of her house. Amber's mom is tall and willowy, with the same red hair as her daughter, just sleek and straight.

"Hi Mrs. Mackey." I followed Amber to the kitchen where the smell of spaghetti filled my nose.

"Dinner's almost ready. Why don't you two go up to Amber's room and hang?" We both nodded in agreement and walked up the stairs to her room. Her bedroom is bigger than mine and my brother Greg's put together, and she even had her own bathroom. On her bed there was an array of teen magazines with cute celebs on the front. On her desk there was a laptop, opened to AIM and her bedroom dresser was overflowing with clothes. What I'd give for all of that.

"Let's check who's online, shall we?" Amber asked, sitting at her desk. I pulled up a chair and looked at her buddy list. 2 screenames immediately popped out at me, ASsquid567 and Ziggy911.

"Oh look Alan and Ricky!" Amber said, clicking on their screenames.

Squid never told me he had a screen name? All the time's I've asked I get a "My mom won't let me" or "It doesn't work on my computer." Hmm…methinks Squidly has some explaining to do…

uh oh what's the deal with Squid and keeping this screenname a secret? Tune in for the next chapter of Just Another Year... Review lots

lots o' love SMACbaby

p.s check out my other story New Girl in DC (and review that one too! ;-)