So this will be one of the longer chapters. And I know the dates are little out of whack, but I'm following with this year's calendar rather than next year, and if the dates happen to be wrong, please just pretend they're right.

On a random note, I'm feeling quite proud with how quickly I'm getting everything updated. I mean, this is way faster than FL and I still am able to get other stuff done. This week is just one of those weeks I guess. (But I say quick updates now and probably just jinxed it.)

September 4th, 2013

Christine's Pov

I woke up early. 6:15. I didn't know why—I definitely didn't fall asleep early—but I got up and started digging for my clothes and got around anyway.

Not to be mean, but Rachel bought me so much crap. So many new clothing options, that it nearly made my head burst. I dug and dug through bag after bag until I found the right Avengers tee and paired it with my own skinny jeans. I grabbed a nearby beanie and popped it over my neatly brushed hair. Shoes were a hard one, but luckily I had been paying attention during our shoe vlog; I grabbed my zebra Converse.

Dad wasn't up, but Rem was. I vaguely remembered Dad being asleep when I got home from the mall trip. He'd been heading in early lately and I've been getting worried with how much work he'd been burying himself in. It couldn't be good for his stress.

"Hey, Rem?" She stopped pouring my orange juice to look up at me. "What's Dad been up to?" Just because I knew he was busy, didn't mean I knew with what.

Rem whirred toward me. I took a big spoonful of Lucky Charms, kind of wishing it was Apple Jacks instead. But for now, I could deal. "Oh, you know," she said vaguely. I really didn't know, but either she was ignoring that or didn't care—maybe even both. "File stuff. The Community's been putting a lot of stress on him for the…lab reports."

It took all my willpower not to cringe at the words lab reports. It kind of hurt Da was sharing my life with other scientist, but I knew that he kind of had no choice when it came to it being his job and all. Another thing that I didn't get was they the science was referred to as The Community—at least by Rem and Dad. I don't think that's what Davenport called them, because all Davenport ever did was gloat about his success.

But instead of sharing my thoughts, all I do is respond with an uneasy, "Okay," and putting my empty bowl in the sink. I finished my orange juice in one big gulp and put that in the sink, too. Checking my phone, I have a few minutes before I usually leave, but I told Rem good-bye, picked up my backpack and left anyway.

Chase, Adam, Bree, and Leo were all waiting at the end of the block just like we agreed on. With it being our first day of school together, we decided it'd be better to walk.

"Was your Dad acting crazy, too?" Bree asked as soon as I approached them. I crossed my arms and gave her a look.

"Hello to you too, Bree."

"Fine. Hello, Christine. Now, was your Dad off his rocker or what?"

I shrugged. "Heck if I know," I said wistfully as we started to walk. "He's been locked up in his office-slash-lab since the end of August."

"Yep," Bree confirmed, "That sounds pretty crazy to me."

"Why dos his sanity level matter to you, anyway?" Chase asked suddenly. I had to admit, he had a point; Bree never took interest in my Dad's mental health before, and it seemed odd for her to be concerned about it now. On the first day of school, of all days.

Her shoulders rose and her face twisted in concern, as if worried by something but didn't want to say. "I don't know," she said finally. "It just feels like the science world's gonna want to chart our school lives. Today would be the day they start, wouldn't it?"

Chase sighed as if telling her this many times before. "Bree, you're just kidding yourself," he said like reading off a script. "No one is taking notes on it."

"How do you know?" When he didn't respond, Bree nodding her head as if his silence settled everything. "Exactly, you don't know."

After that, the subject was dropped. We continued on to school with Adam occasionally blurting out in random disappointment that they didn't visit a cow farm like he wanted to this summer. Like always, his sadness about the farm animal was easily passed and ignored.

Upon arriving to school Leo took off toward Gordo, new comic from our last mall trip in front of him at arm's length and mile wide grin stretched a crossed his face. I shook my head and laughed at his childish behavior; even with a new school year, some things will never change.

I was turning to go to my locker when I bumped into something. "Sorry," I muttered, but not really meaning it. Even though I should've meant it, it was their fault, too.

I dropped to the floor to pick up my sprawled books when a rough, calloused hand bumped into mine as I reached for my History book. "It's okay."

At that voice, I froze. Just when my morning was off to a good start. Callan looked down at me—he was still taller than me by a good couple of inches even when knelt down beside me. My poetry book for English was in his outstretched hand. His hair, still as golden and beachy as last year was swept to the side. I bit my lip, resisting the urge to ask if any bleach had been involved into making his hair so Pop Star perfect. When he spoke, Callan's accent was stronger; didn't one of the girls mention him going back to down under for the summer?

"Oh…hey." I stood, hugging my books a little too tightly. My smile felt a bit too forced and was way obvious, adding to awkwardness already there. "How've you been?"

"Good, you?" Callan hadn't changed much since last year. A little taller (boy, I bet the basketball team loved that) and tanner, eyes deepening to a deeper blue. But no, I didn't see anything majorly attractive—nothing to make me fawn like Ashley and Sammie. (Occasionally Janelle to, but no one said anything for Leo's sake.)

I rocked back and forth; the floor was so interesting. "Oh I've been fine," I said quietly, changing my sight to the cover of my poetry book. "Well—uh, bye, I guess."

Leaving quickly, I turned on my heel and speed-walked to my group.

"Talk about awkward," Rachel sang with a grin, nudging me with her elbow.

"Shut up, will ya?" I shouldered my bag.

She rolled her eyes and Bree did the same with a head shake. "But, man, had the summer treated him well…" Her eyes watched as Callan, reluctantly, walked off and waited for the elevator. "Maybe a bit too well if you know what I mean."

I ignored my friends' playful jabs, suddenly aware that the boy seemed to have disappeared into thin air. "Where'd the dudes go?" I asked, spinning the dial on my locker. "Weren't they there a second ago?"

"Well, yeah…" Rachel rolled her lips into her mouth. "But Chase kind of saw how you two were acting and before our…let me say, special friend, could appear, Leo and Adam dragged him off. But it was mostly Adam," she added like an afterthought. Of course—she'd say Adam did the most even if he was on the debate team and just sat there, picking his nose. (Not that Adam ever heard of a debate team…or that our school even had one.)

I sighed, digging around for my pencil case; why was it that I was always freaking losing that thing? "Well, later my dudettes. I must leave you to face the dragon known as my biology teacher." Waving, I dragged my slumped self toward Mr. Borges's classroom sadly.

Being in that grump's class was one of the worst ways to start off the first day of school.

I managed to get through my three morning periods (why they called it three when Math was really just two mushed together, I won't ever understand) pretty well. I made to lunch unscathed.

"So, oh em gee!" Ashley reported; face holding a seriousness that her persona often lacked. I felt a bit small compared to her, even when her business suit was really a band tee, denim mini, and diamond studs with gold heels. Still, she could give Rachel's mom a run for her money. "I have the biggest news since the Justlena break-up."

Bree put down her slice of pizza with a look of mild annoyance. "How many times do I have to say this?" she cried fed up. "They aren't broken up if they keep getting together every five minutes. Those celebrities need to suck it up and make up their minds…"

I nodded in agreement as Ashley said, "Anyway, you know that really shrill, annoying, admittedly bitchy redhead from the mall?" Well, yeah, apparently she's Tina Walter and the new girl for the district."

Oh no.

I liked to consider myself a pretty reasonable, okay person when it came to dealing with people I wasn't exactly fond of. Take my mother for example—I could have exploded way many more times that I did, but I held it back most of the time for my Dad's sake. Without my conscience I probably would've blown up at him too many times for him to handle.

But that bossy, infuriating, flirting redhead—Tina—that kept hitting on my boyfriend? And completely ignoring my warning signs for her to back off? Oh god no. I can't put up with her for the next three or something years of my high school experience. I just couldn't.

"What did you just say?" I asked my voice dangerously calm. I could've sworn I heard I heard the other girls mutter, "Oh shit, here we go." But could they blame me? If anything, I found myself doing way better than Rachel did when she found out about Adam's little thing about Danielle. "Tina Walters, eh?"

Sammie spread her hands out in front of her. "Look on the bright side," she tried cheerfully, "She's joining right at the beginning of sophomore year—when all of the cliques have been done and formed in freshman year. So according to my calculations, she should be the nobody no one talks to for at least a good couple months."

"And rumor has it she has Balton and Lite." Rachel raised a brow at me. I've want to ask how she mastered how to do that, but after giving the question some serious thought, it sounded ridiculous even in my head. "Don't you have those, dear Christina?"

I furrowed my eyebrows right back at her. Ha—at least I could do that. "First off, my full name is Christine, Genius. But, I appreciate your efforts of trying to be smart. Secondly, you try to ruin my lunch and I will personally make sure you burn in hell, my dear."

"Ouch," Bree snickered through a bite of pepperoni and cheese. "I can see where this year is heading."

I gave her a look. "Well, little Miss Sunshine, we have yet to see you take the oath of this lunch table and commit a swear as tribute." I pulled out my best this-means-business face and put my eyes, interlocked, on the table.

"Bitch, please."

Rachel actually gasped, like not expecting that.

I clapped my hands. "Well done, Davenport."

We continued talking and slamming this one girl. I don't know why, but I sat there and let them croon about this girl I didn't know. But a nagging little drill in the back of my head convinced me that I did know—she tried hitting on my boyfriend; immediately she's a threat. I was about to intervene on Bree and Sammie's side conversation when an arm looped around my shoulder and a breath tickled my ear.

"Hey." I smiled and reached up, pecking my boyfriend's lips. "Mind if I join?"

"I might kill you if you don't," I joked as Chase laughed, dragging up a chair and sitting down next to me.

The girls sighed wistfully. "If they are still at the honeymoon level at their wedding, I may explode," Ashley commented. Rachel looked at us, saddened. I felt bad for her—even if Adam did know her feelings he didn't express anything. Such a pity for her to have a real, genuine crush on someone who didn't know how to treat a girl right. But it's not like anyone could tell Adam that, it'd be like kicking a puppy.

"What are you think about?" Chase asked, leaning closer to me.

I shook my head, smiling at him in assurance. "Nothing. Don't worry about it."

He looked at me, not entirely convinced, but went back to his food anyway. I noticed a stunning look or tall and strong and geeky and egotistical around him. Just when I was about to ask where Leo and Adam were (I swear, those three were almost never not together) when Chase suddenly asked, "What was up with you and mister know-it-all?"

I should've expected this. "There is nothing going on with Callan and I," I said, giving him a pointed look as I said Callan's name. "I thought that was last year?"

He sighed, smiling a tiny smile at me as he kissed my cheek. "It was. I swear it is."

Maybe I would've given a response, or maybe not. But we never know because at that moment, a stick with too much spray tan and strawberry perfume breeze into the cafeteria in the biggest pair of pink high heels I've ever seen in my life.

"Hey there, handsome." Tina winked. Straight at Chase. "Miss me?"

So I kind of wanted to make it as a cliff hanger, and I promise not to be too long with the next chapter. I have some loose ends to finish up with my other work. I hope you guys liked and please review us your input and ideas.

And in case your wondering, the whole girls and the cussing thing was inspired by me and my friends' lunches when we hang out together, and I used it a little for length. The next chapter will be in Chase's Pov.