A/N: Hey!! Thanks for all the reviews. I know that Courtney is a bit OOC, but all will become clearer in later chapters... And the wings will be coming soon. Also Courtney's family will be revealed... so now that that's out of the way. R&R people!! XD Thanks!!

Disclaimer: Same as previous


I hope tomorrow will be better… There has to be something good about highschool… Something special or good about me... There just has to be…


The next day went by slowly, each second seemed to be dragging on for Courtney. She had managed to make it through the morning being semi-alert. When the bell sounded for lunch she snapped to attention for the first time that day. She slowly began packing up her books when Trent came over to her table.

"How's day two?"

Trent was sitting in the chair in front of her table, his back facing the front of the classroom. She sighed and brushed a stray hair out of her eyes.

"It was okay…"

He chuckled and passed Courtney her pencil case. "Well you heard your name when Mr McClean said it the first time today. That's good, right?"

Courtney rolled her eyes, "I suppose."

Trent stood up. "You ready?"

She tried to smile, but couldn't quite muster one up.

Why oh why did I say I would sit with his friends in the cafeteria? I suppose one day won't be so bad…

"As ready as I can be…" She sighed.

Trent looked at her worriedly. "Are you sure Courtney? I mean. You don't have to."

"No I'm sure." She quickly replied. "I'll just finish packing my stuff."

She reached for her file, but Trent grabbed it first. "They won't bite. I promise."

Courtney nodded slightly, and the two made their way towards the cafeteria. Trent was leading the conversation, with Courtney listening, but mainly lost in her own world. She was drawn back into reality when she saw Trent waving to a group of people at one of the end tables.

He placed his hand on the small of her back and lead her towards the table. Courtney blushed slightly at the feel of his hand on her back. He gently directed her to the table and then let his hand drop from her back.

"Hey guys. This is Courtney."

Trent then introduced her to all the people at the table. But within a minute Courtney was feeling completely overwhelmed.

Ok… So there was the Lindsay girl… and a Cody? Colin? Oh I have no idea…

Courtney sat in an empty seat next to Trent, trying to get snippets of the conversations going on around her. Realising that she was in over her head, she took out her spinach and strawberry salad, a peach half in juice and a Coke, and began to eat.

"Is that all you're eating? I mean it's lasagna day and all you're eating is a salad?"

Courtney looked at the girl who had spoken. She had thick, wavy brown hair that was tied in a high ponytail on the side of her head. She had thick-rimmed glasses and was wearing long pants, a t-shirt and a vest, complete with badges. Her lunch tray was full of food.

Trent spoke quickly, preventing Courtney from trying to respond. "She's a vegan. And she's very strict about it."

The girl stared at the small peach half, and the little container of salad. "Looks like more than vegan to me… don't vegans eat like… bread?"

Courtney's lips became drawn in a tight smile. "Some."

Trent rolled his eyes and turned to Courtney. "This person interrogating you is Beth. Hey Beth."

Beth once more analysed Courtney's food. "Looks more like you're on a major diet or something." She replied, ignoring Trent's warning.

"Not really. It's just the kind of food I like."

Courtney watched as Beth's eyes went back down to her salad. She could sense that more questions were on the way.

Ugh… I may as well just tell her and prevent twenty questions…

"My digestive system doesn't handle normal food very well. I'm lactose intolerant and anything apart from plain fruits and vegetables makes me sick."

"Really? That's weird. I mean. Who can live on just green stuff anyway? Have you seen a doctor about this? Because…"

"Beth…"

Trent's voice was quiet, but the warning in his voice was evident, though Courtney was sure that only the three of them had been able to hear him.

Beth's eyes widened slightly and she gasped. "Oh sorry!" She smiled, lighting up her whole face. "It's really nice to meet you. I hope we can be friends!" She offered another smiled and then turned back to her meal, not taking a further glance at Courtney's food.


Lunch break at Wawanakwa High was only twenty eight minutes long. Short in anyone else's standards, but for Courtney it seemed to drag on for hours. The cafeteria was small, the voices, trapped, reverberated on the walls, assaulting her ears.

It's like everyone is shouting all at once…

Several of Trent's friends tried to incorporate her into their conversations, but she was so overwhelmed that she couldn't keep up. Courtney's concentration depleted as the temperature seemed to rise in the cramped room.

How is no one else noticing how hot it is in here?

Her t-shirt she chose that morning began to tighten around her neck. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now the heat was suffocating her. Her shirt feeling more like a turtleneck than the t-shirt it was.

As soon as the bell rang Courtney bolted out of the cafeteria, not even staying long enough to thank Trent and his friends. She burst into the bathroom, dropping her book bag on the floor and rushed to the open window. She stretched her face towards the cool breeze, trying desperately to lower her temperature. As the cool breeze began to cool her down the nausea that had filled her stomach during lunch began to dissipate. After cooling down slightly, she grabbed her book bag, and made her way to her next class, reaching it with moments to spare.

After school Courtney walked home slowly, soaking up as much of the sun and fresh air as she could. The queasy feeling in her stomach completely disappeared, on the walk home, allowing her an easy sleep that night.


The next morning when selecting her top, Courtney went back to a tank top. The morning went quickly and before she knew it, it was biology. Trent sat down in the empty chair beside her.

"You don't mind? Right?"

Courtney shook her head gently.

"Cool."

She chuckled slightly, and took out her bio book. "Yeah, the girl who usually sits here spends the whole class doodling hearts for someone named Justin. It's a little distracting."

Trent laughed. "Probably Justin Edwards. He's super popular. He's a male model and half the school population is after him."

"Everyone goes for the obvious ones I suppose." Courtney replied, pulling out her pencil case and opening her notebook.

Trent opened his textbook to the page Mr McClean had written on the whiteboard. "Want to have lunch with me today?" He paused for a moment before correcting himself. "I mean, me and my friends."

Courtney hesitated. An internal war was raging within her.

I really don't want to… but I also don't want to hurt his feelings…

"I don't think so… I…"

She was about to continue when Trent interrupted.

"Is it Beth? She didn't mean to make you feel self-conscious or embarrassed. She's just really honest. It's actually kind of refreshing once you get used to it…"

Courtney sighed slightly. "No it's not her, or any of your friends. They're lovely. But I just can't… I can't stand the cafeteria. It's too loud and confining. I need to spend lunchtimes outside. I suppose the eleven years of homeschooling is going to take a bit of getting over. I just don't think I can relinquish the freedom I have had so quickly… I'm really sorry."

Conversations stopped when Mr McClean called the class to order. Trent was silent for a while before turning to Courtney once more. "Do you mind if we eat with you outside then?"

Courtney remained quiet as Mr McClean began a lesson on phyla. She turned to Trent and gently whispered, "That would be nice."


When the bell rang Trent turned to Courtney. "I'll meet you outside. I'll just let the others know where we are, if they want to join."

By the end of lunch Courtney was able to remember half of the names of Trent's friends, and had managed to join into a few of the conversations. Beth and Trent walked with her to her next class, and Courtney felt that it was now natural to walk with them. When Trent made a joke about Mr McClean, Courtney's laugh echoed around the halls. After just three days school was beginning to feel more familiar to Courtney. She didn't feel anywhere near as lost, nor did she feel so overwhelmed.

And for the first time since leaving Moore, Courtney felt like she belonged.