Chapter 2: Gossip and 3 New Friends

It was Leo Valdez. I couldn't believe he was in New York. I hadn't seen him since I was 12.

I ran away once when I was 11 and we literally ran into each other while we were both on the run. We developed a grudging friendship, until the orphanage found him and he told me to keep going. It was no use, they eventually found me too, but I played the "my daddy is royalty return me to england or he will kill you" card and got out. I did have to go back home, but it didn't matter to me. He is the only person besides Sasha and Autumn who know my whole story. I know his too. He is a fire user. He looks almost exactly like he did the last time I saw him. Same dark hair and eyes and elfish features. Same crooked smile.

We stare at each other for about 10 seconds until I break the silence by saying "Hello Leo, long time no see." He smiles and says in a bad english accent, "Yes I do believe the last time I saw you, you were running through the woods in Virginia." I laugh. Until I realize Autumn, the VP, and Leo's crippled companion are staring at us like we are crazy. Oops.

"Oh, umm, we used to go to school together until I went back to England and Leo switched foster homes." I lie smoothly. "Yah. Umm, this is Jacob Fields. We just moved to New York from Arizona." I can tell he is lying, but Leo is the only person I cant read like a book, I can only sense his emotions.

"Yah", I say, "This is Autumn Summers. I guess we're your guides today." Leo smiles slightly, "Yups, gives us time to catch up old lady."

"I am only 5 days older than you!" That was Leo's nickname for me when we we're friends. "Which makes you an old lady compared to this spring chicken." We are walking down the hall now, and I can't help but smile at the looks people are giving us. Talking to the new boy as if we are old friends. "Let me see your locker numbers." I say to Jackson and Leo. They have lockers across the hall from Autumn and me. Sasha's is about 5 lockers to their left.

Speaking of Sasha, she is walking down the hall with Dylan. They are laughing drawing stares and whispers from the popular clique. Unfortunantly, their lockers are just next to mine so I can hear them even without using my mind-reading skills.

"Oh my god Kelly, look at the new lovebirds. Its the geek and the loser! Look her loser friends have added a cripple to the group!" Says Alison in what she obvious thought was a whisper. Kelly laughed and said, "Yah, but I like that one," she pointed to Leo, "he is HOT! Im gonna get that boy, girls. Just watch." I was fuming. She could not have Leo, he was mine. Then I thought about what I just thought. Wait….I don't like Leo, do I? I mean I haven't seen him for 5 years. But I have to admit, he was cute. I guess maybe….no I couldn't like Leo!

"Hey girls", I say, "Maybe next time you could talk louder and then the entire school can hear you instead of just the hall." I can't believe I just said that, it was so stupid. I'm expecting to have them at least start teasing me about my family, which I will have to make up a lot of lies about. I never tell anyone who my dad was. I didn't like tho play the royalty card.

"Who invited you to join the party?" Kelly smirked, "This is the pretty girls club, and umm, no offense but you don't live up to our standards. Now scoot along back to loserville." She smile a sweet smile and walked off with her friends.

"Oh, and Annie dearest?" she said turning back, "Don't go crying to your great aunt whats-her-face, wouldn't want her to have a heart attack. Then you'd have to go back to England and your little shack to live with drunk old dad!" I almost cracked then and there, but i held my tongue long enough for them to turn the corner, then I slammed my locker closed and walked off. Autumn, Leo, and Sasha caught up to me.

"Bitch." Sasha said. Then she saw Leo. "Who is this guy?"

"This guy is Leo Valdez, I know Annie from when she went to a different school." He said sticking to our lie. "It's ok, Leo, they know about everything. Actually Leo and I met when I was on the run in Virginia." I explained. I didn't want to talk about what had happened in the hall, so I swiftly changed to a lighter topic. "How did it go with Dylan?" Sasha blushed as we entered homeroom. "Fine, he is joining us for lunch today, and I gather you lovely gentlemen shall be joining us as well?" She said to Leo and Jacob, who had caught up with us.

"Of course, my lady." Leo said in his formal british way.