You couldn't help but admire the school as you walked up the main outside stairs into the office building. The grounds very nice and the buildings large and new looking, there was a huge parking lot and several bike racks. It seemed like any other decent school. I guess spending time here will be kind of fu- NO! You mentally chastised yourself and immediately regained the 'I don't really care' attitude you had planned on upholding. I'm just here to do my time and get out. That is it. As you entered the office through one of the double doors, the other door slammed open and a dark complected boy with chocolate colored brown hair stormed out past you. He was obviously very pissed and he wasn't speaking English. From your guess, he was using very... colorful language. "Stupido Bastardo..." He whisked past you without a second glance and continued walking away at a brisk pace. You raised your eyebrows and snorted as you continued on to the front desk to speak with a very flustered looking secretary.

Despite not wanting to care all that much, you felt sorry for this older lady and decided that you should not be a total dick like the last guy. You pulled your hood back from your face and stepped forward, smiling softly. "Hello, my name is (f/n) (l/n). I just got transferred here. You wouldn't happen to have a schedule for me, would you?" She blinked and looked you up and down before her face brightened. "Of course! Please just wait here one minute while I check my files." She turned her wheely chair and started sifting through folders in a near by filing cabinet. She pulled out a smaller file, which she looked over quickly. Her eyes seemed to catch on a little stack of paper notes clipped together and after reading over the top one, her eyes met yours and filled with an expression you knew all too well. Pity. She wheeled back over to you. "Here you are, class schedule, lunch schedule, locker number, bus routes, and school map. If you have any questions, just ask one of the staff members." she handed you the stack of paper. "Make sure you give one of the colored notes to all of your teachers. They explain your... um... situation." She hesitated before continuing, "I know it might be intimidating to start at a new school halfway through your junior year, but don't worry, you'll be okay." The honesty in her eyes made you want to cry, despite knowing the fact that you had lost the ability to cry a long time ago. "Thank you." you responded and then you turned around to leave the building. "Good luck!" the secretary called after you.

You stopped at your locker and to your surprise, you got the correct combination on the first try. Hm, maybe today won't be so bad... After stashing several additional folders you didn't need, you closed you locker and turned to look at the clock mounted on the wall in the hallway. 10 minutes, enough time to get to class. You checked your schedule and walked off to find your homeroom. On your way, you were surprised to recognize a familiar face. Oh my god, it's Haley! You walked with long strides across the hall and lightly grabbed the sleeve of her olive green sweater. She turned around to face you. Her expression morphed from confusion, to shock, to joy in about ten seconds. "(Y/N)!"

Haley Burns had been a close friend to your mother and your favorite babysitter when you were too young to go to the hospital with your mom. She was easily one of the coolest people to ever walk the earth, always encouraging you to think and use your imagination. And yes, that does sound kind of cheesy, but you loved her because of it. Just before your 14th birthday, however, she moved to become a teacher and guidance counselor. You hadn't kept much contact after that because your mom was having severe fluctuations in her health. Despite this, you still considered her a close friend.

She pulled you into a tight hug and laughed. "Oh my goodness, It's been forever! How are you honey?" You smiled slightly and quickly pushed the pain out of your eyes. "I'm fine." She pulled away to look at your face. She studied your features with serious concern. "Do you have plans after school?" You were confused. "Um, no... why do you ask?" She grinned. "Could you help me grade papers? I know about the program the school put you on, so it won't be a problem." You considered it for a moment. Heck, it was better than going home. "Sure, I can stay. Where do I need to go?" At that precise moment, the 5 minute bell rang. Haley jumped and looked at the clock before turning back to you and whipping out a pen. "Room 201, come right in and talk to me. There will be others there doing... stuff. Just so you know. Where are you going now?" You told her the room number and she marched off to show you your room. When you got there, she told you that she had a meeting to get to. "Don't forget about tonight! I'll see you there!" And then she was off, striding down the hallway in a flurry as only short people can do.

You took a deep breath and entered your classroom, lucky for you it hadn't started yet. You approached the male teacher sitting at his desk and silently extended your hand with one of the colored slips of paper in it. He looked at you momentarily before taking the paper and reading it. When he was done, he looked up at you. "Ah, yes. The principal told me you were coming. Welcome to Physiology and Anatomy! You can take that empty seat over by the window. Would you like to introduce yourself in class?" You shook your head quickly and he smiled. "I understand, that's okay." There was that same pity again that you saw on everyone's face. You forced a small smile then went to the window and sat down.

A two minute bell rang and the rest of the students filed into the room, some in groups and some by themselves. You tried not to stare, after all, it was bad enough being new, you didn't want to be known as the awkward girl as well. You didn't notice a person come up beside you until the uneven legs of the stool squealed as they were dragged across the tile floor. You turned to face forward and subtly glanced under your eyelashes to see who your lab partner would be. It was the boy from the main office.

He dropped his bag on the floor next to the table and didn't even try to hide the fact that he was looking at you as he sat down. "You know it's rude to stare, right?" he snarled irritably. Your head immediately snapped to look back out the window and your entire body tensed. His tone made you nervous. That tone never meant good things.

-Lovino-

Lovino immediately cursed himself for snapping at the girl sitting next to him. WHAT is your problem idiota?! She didn't do anything! Guilt rushed through him. He awkwardly pushed his hair out of his face with one hand and sighed. He looked away and tried to apologize, but nothing came out. Why can't I talk to girls? It's not that hard, Lovino! Just apologize! He reached out and lightly touched her shoulder with his fingertips to get her attention "Hey-" Her reaction was immediate. She yanked away and stumbled off her stool. Her eyes were scared and she looked like she was about to scream. Lovino leaned back and put both of his hands into the air quickly. Woah... is she okay? "I-I'm s-sorry!" he managed to stutter out "I wasn't g-going to do anything!"

She looked at him for a moment, frozen, before nervously sitting back down on the far edge of her stool. She dropped her head to look down at the table, letting her hair fall into her face and cover her eyes. Lovino opened his mouth to apologize again but she spoke first. "I'm sorry. My mistake. I over reacted, and I'm sorry if I offended you."

Lovino sat in open mouthed silence for a minute before regaining the ability to speak. "N-n-no! I'm sorry! I shouldn't have done that, you don't know me... Strangers don't touch other people, I'm mean how creepy can you get..." SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP! "I-I didn't mean to scare you, not that you're a baby or anything, I'm sure you could handle-" Her eyes flicked up and locked with his and he read the message that she was silently conveying. Stop. He gulped and looked away. He could feel himself blushing. Lovino took a deep breath and then let it out with a huff. "I can't talk to girls. At all." She didn't say anything so he turned back to look at her face. She wasn't smiling, but the (e/c) of her eyes said that she accepted that he was sorry. She faced the front of the room again and focused on the teacher who was now starting the lesson. "It's fine..." she murmured quietly, only loud enough for him to hear. Lovino stared at her for another moment before he felt his blush darkening and he had to look away again. He felt out of breath and his stomach fluttered oddly. She's pretty...

*Writers note- Okay, second chapter done. Again, not as long as I was originally planning, but I really want to know if people are interested before I start getting into writing a long(ish) series that it turns out nobody likes. The next chapter will have more characters and I think I'll introduce some of the 2ps then... If you liked it and you have the time (and want to) please leave me a review, they make me so happy! ;) Peace-Berries and Beans