Did the last chapter melt everyone's heart? Good. That's what I was aiming for. There will be more of it to come, but not right now, or for the next four chapters, including this one.

This and the next four chapters will mention a character yet to be introduced in the story. Don't worry too much about it right now; it'll all clear up soon enough.

Read On!

Journal,

I think I found my religion. Unitarian Universalism. Seems legit.

Surprisingly, I'm right where I should be in all my classes. I'm not a year behind like I thought I would be. Back in juvie, most inmates where behind by at least one year, and I thought would be too. Now that I know that I'm not, I know I'll graduate on time.

I wore JoJo's shades to school. It's more for cosmetic reasons than anything. I went to the doctor for my eye and I got an antibiotic and some eye drops for it, but it's still unsightly. It's turning yellow, but the doctor said that was from the infection and it would go back to normal when the medicine starts to work. I wore the shades to keep it out of view. Had to convince all my teachers to let me wear them, and it wasn't too hard. And I have chlamydia. But besides that I'm fine.

Everyone here makes such a big deal over nothing. I'm back, who the fuck cares? Go on with your life.

~*~V~*~

"Let's see, I have the Matheltes after school today, the Debate team tomorrow, Chess Club on Wednesday, and tutoring on Thursday and Friday. With this schedule, I barely have time to hang out with you guys after school, what with homework and all. Do you think I should drop something?"

"We've been telling you to drop one of those things for a year now, Gretch. You're going to burn yourself out."

Walking down the halls of Third Street High School, Gretchen Grundler looked through her weekly schedule. Finding enough time between school, clubs, and friends to simply breathe was becoming an increasingly difficult thing to do. It had been building up for the last few years with her only defense in picking up so many things was that 'it would look amazing on a college application.' Having reached her breaking point (being her grades suffering because of so many activities), Gretchen was finally deciding on which to cut to free up more of her time. But the decision was hard.

She had been in the Matheltes since entering high school; the Mathletes team in middle school was a joke. Since joining the team, she had won multiple city wide competitions, as well as a few national ones. Having originally planned to join the Biology club, she expected the Mathletes to be nothing but a set of nerds arguing over who was the nerdiest, that doubled as social suicide. However, she found it to be much better than her expectations.

So she wasn't going to cut that out.

Then there was the Debate team. Out of everything, that seemed to be the one she wanted to cut the most. She had a real talent for it, and that was a good reason to not quit. But it was a talent that she didn't care for much, and wouldn't bother her if she didn't have it all. It slowly because something fun and new to do in middle school, to a chore in the ninth grade, and finally settling on being a thought of 'OH GOD I HAVE TO GO TO DEBATE AGAIN' now.

And Chess Club. Out of all the things she was signed up for, the Chess club was the most fun. It was a regular battle of the minds. Losing sent her into a rage because how could she lose to anyone in any intellectual game, while winning made her so happy because ha! I won! It would be counterintuitive to cut something that she had fun with.

Tutoring maybe? No. Just no. She wanted to help her fellow classmates, often her own friends, be as academically successful as she was.

"Perhaps I should quit the Debate team," Said Gretchen as she walked down the hallway along with Spinelli. The two were headed where the whole gang (minus the obvious one) always met before classes started. "I'm not enjoying it, and it takes the most time compared to everything else. What do you think?"

"I think you should quit something. You're starting to stress out because of all those clubs," Spinelli told her. "Didn't you say you were losing hair from all the stress?"

"Yes, I did. Well that settles it. Today after school, I'm finding Mr. Booth and telling him that I can't be on the team anymore. Or maybe I could catch him before class starts…," She stopped walking long enough to look at her watch. "It doesn't look like it. Shouldn't have overslept. Spinelli, call you tell the guys I can't stop to talk today? There's two minutes left before first period starts and my class is on the other side of the building."

"No problem. Just don't fall and break your leg like last time," Spinelli warded her.

"Thanks," She said before turning left and running instead of right to meet the others. Running as fast as she could, she started to mentally count down how much time she had left to get to class until the bell rang. She estimated at her current speed she would get there in time with a few seconds to spare. However, she didn't plan on running into someone after turning a sharp corner. She fell backwards and landed on the floor, textbook spilling out of her backpack. After coming to a screeching halt, she looked up to see who it was that had possibly made her late for class. The person she ran into didn't fall like she did; he was still standing. The blonde male (a very handsome one at thas) turned to face her, and after he stared at her for a few seconds (the creepiness of it all increase by the fact that she couldn't see his eyes due to the shades) before offering her his hand to help her up.

"Sorry about that," Said Gretchen, taking his hand. "I was in a running to get to first period."

"It's fine," He said, helping her get her books. "Just be careful, okay?"

"Okay. Sorry I can't stay and talk. I'm going to be late," She said, choosing to carry the last of her books. "I'll see you later." She ran down the hall, hoping to make up for lost time. As the bell started to ring, she reached the class in time to enter before the bell stopped. "Yes! Made it…." Taking her regular seat at the front of the class, Gretchen caught her breath. Her perfect attendance record was intact. Now that she was calmed down from her sprint, she replayed it over again in her head. What stood out the most was running into the other student. He didn't look familiar, and having gone to school with 95 percent of the student body since elementary school, she knew that for sure. Was he new? That was a possibility. It's not unheard of that students transfer schools this late in the year.

"Mornin' class, I've got good news and bad news," The teacher said, coming into the room. Snapping out of her thoughts, Gretchen began to search through her backpack for the homework that was due today. "The bad news is, I gave you all the wrong homework assignment last Friday.

'Are you kidding me?' She thought.

"The good news is I did plan on giving you all that homework this week. The homework I was supposed to give you was only ten problems. So for all of you who did that homework over the weekend, you have it easy," Said the teacher. "Now, it looks like we have a new student, and since I an inept of learning any of your names, he might already be in here." Everyone in the class looked around for someone new, but found no one.

"Let's see here," The teacher said looking at the list of students in the class. "Is Theodore J. Detweiler here?"

The sound of wind whipping past everyone's head as they looked up after hearing that name was the loudest thing in in the classroom. They were all praying that they had all heard wrong, but were afraid that they hadn't. The creak of the door as it opened echoed against the old walls and demanded everyone's attention. It kept everyone's attention as someone stepped to. They weren't sure to calm down or tense up when a blonde stepped through the door. Gretchen recognized him right away. She bumped into him on her way there. That guy was nice, it couldn't be him…

"Detweiler?" The teacher asked. The blonde gave him a half wave as a response. "Nice of you to show up. Five minutes late. Before you sit down, you have to know that wearing sunglasses is not permitted in my class." Gretchen watched, mouth agape along with the rest of the class, as he walked over to the teacher and said a few words, lifted his shades, and put them back down. "Alright, then. There's a free seat over there. Take your seat."

As their new classmate sat down in his seat, everyone couldn't help but stare at his every move. They all were thinking the same thing.

'What the fuck is he doing here?'

Gretchen joined the rest of the class in pulling out their cellphone out of her pocket and texting everyone they knew about what they just found out. Her outfit was Third Street was long gone and was replaced with a pair of black jeans, a neon blue shirt with the 'blue screen of death' message copied on it, blue converse, hair tied back in a loose ponytail, and a more stylish par of glasses. She wasn't one for any sort of disobedience in class, but this was an exception. She quickly sent a text, in text speak to save space (something else she never did), to Spinelli, Vince, Mikey, and Gus. She chose not to text Ralph; he was out sick and didn't know about TJ's existence. Five seconds after sending out the message, she received responses.

Spinelli: Please tell me you're kidding.

Vince: Is this some sort of sick joke? Its not funny, Gretch

Gus: You're lying.

Mikey: He's not supposed to be out this early! Maybe you heard wrong

'I wish I heard wrong,' She thought. She glanced up at the teacher to make sure she wasn't being watched and answered back.

I wish I was wrong. Being as smart as I am, I want to be wrong. I do. But he's here! He's sitting in this class right now! You all should get a ton of texts from others in this class just watch.

Ten seconds later she got a response.

Mikey: I just got twenty messages saying he's here.

Spinelli: FML

Vince: What the hell is going on…?

Gus: My dad has a bomb shelter in our backyard. Who's coming with me?

If it makes anyone feel better, he's not doing anything right now.

Vince: Well yeah, he's not going to do anything RIGHT NOW.

Mikey: This doesn't help me at all.

Gus: Srsly guys, there is a bomb shelter in my backyard, who is coming with me?

Spinelli: Who's the genius that let him out?

I don't get it. He doesn't look like himself. Not how I remember him. he's blonde.

Gus: I don't think that makes him any less dangerous, Gretchen.

Vince: But it's still TJ.

Mikey: Hair color doesn't change a person

Spinelli:….Blonde?

The ringing bell signaling the end of the class jolted Gretchen out of her fast texting. Her neck hurt from looking down at her phone while keeping it out of view. Students were rushing out of the classroom, but she wasn't one of them, and neither was TJ, as well as a few others. She kept an eye on his as he exited the room, but he didn't appear to notice her at all. Did he not recognize her? She hoped so. Bumping into him was bad enough. As soon as she stepped outside of the class she was pulled aside by none other than her friends.

"This is a joke right? Tell us this is a joke, Gretchen!" Gus all but yelled at her. "Tel us right now!"

"Gus, calm down. You're becoming hysterical," Gretchen told him. "And no, this isn't a joke. I wouldn't joke about something like this. He's in my class."

"Why is he here in the first place?" Vince asked, leaning against the lockers. "Who let him out? Did he break out like before?"

"I want to know the answer to that too, but I think we should wait until we have more time to talk, like lunch."

"Okay, we'll talk about this at lunch. If we all don't die in a fire first," Spinelli said. "I want to know why he's here! I has planning on moving out of this town before he turned 21, but shit just keeps happening….guy's like a bug you can't get rid of…." Her sentence died down when she witnessed someone coming out of the classroom. The others turned to see what caused her to stop talking and saw, in disbelief, TJ stepping out of the classroom. The blonde hair that Gretchen had pointed out in class stood out, as well as the shades. They stood frozen and he turned his head to look at them, though he stayed silent. A few tense seconds passed before he walked past them and towards his next class.

"Four years and he still sends chills up my spine," Gus said. "I hope we all make it to lunch."

"Me too, but let's just focus on getting to our next class okay?" Gretchen said. "Then at lunch we can come with something to do about this. Hopefully."

I smell trouble brewing.

Hiddenbehindthecurtains: Oh he's mad, trust me. :) It'll come out later, he's just keeping it all in.

Donna Nov: Yes, he is a better person, what with all the philosophy and time in his head he's had. His old friends have yet to realize this, which spells drama for the readers. As for his parents, that's a secret. :)

Reviews are appreciated! :D