Early Morning*
"Ugh, why does it have to rain while I'm literally making my way to school?" Nikki thought as she trudged through the school hallway, reaching for her locker. Suddenly, she heard a voice call out, "Hey, wait up!"
She turned around to see a girl with long brown hair tied in a ponytail and striking red eyes. The girl was wearing a blue miniskirt and a black-and-white striped sweater.
"Uh, can I help you?" Nikki asked.
"I just wanted to know if you were okay," the girl replied. "I saw what happened during dodgeball, and it seemed like that hit really hurt you."
"Yeah, I'm fine. You don't need to worry about it," Nikki said, studying the girl. "I don't think I've seen you before. Are you new here?"
"Yeah, I am. The name's Nero," she said, extending her hand. "What's yours?"
"My name's Nikki. Nice to meet you! I hope you have a great time here," Nikki replied as she shook Nero's hand.
As Nikki shook Nero's hand, she felt a slight discomfort coursing through her body, but she quickly brushed it off.
"Well, I'm heading to my locker now. Take care!" Nero smiled and walked away.
Nikki continued on to her locker but noticed a note from her best friend telling her to come to the janitor's closet. Even though that was against the rules, it hadn't stopped them from using it as their own little meeting room for seven months. She put her diary inside and headed off to see what was up.
A few minutes later, Nikki arrived and opened the door to see Chloe and Zoey waiting for her.
"*Gasp* You're here!" Chloe exclaimed upon seeing her. "I honestly thought you wouldn't come to school today." She quickly pounced on Nikki to give her a bear hug.
"*Hack* C-Chloe, too tight! Too tight!" Nikki squealed while trying to break free.
"Okay, okay, Chloe, let her go before you actually kill her," Zoey said, pulling her back.
"Sorry," Chloe said sheepishly. "I got a little carried away."
"Well, I'm glad to see you're okay. You had us really worried," Zoey said.
"Yeah, if it hadn't been for Mackenzie knocking me out, I wouldn't be in this situation. By the way, did Mackenzie get into any trouble, or did she weasel her way out like usual?"
"Oh, I wish you saw what happened," Chloe said. "Miss Anderson sent Mackenzie to the principal for what she did, and let's say she did not take that well. *Snicker* You should've seen her face."
"So she just got sent to the principal and received detention?" Nikki asked.
"Even better," Zoey replied. "She got a three-day detention AND has to clean the girls' bathroom."
"What? No way! Isn't that place infested with bugs?"
"Pretty much," Zoey answered.
Nikki burst out laughing. "BWAHAHAHAHA! OMG, this is the best thing I've ever heard."
"I know, right? After how long, she's finally facing consequences," Chloe replied.
"Man, I can't believe I missed that, of all things."
"Oh, by the way," Zoey interjected, "once Brandon found out what happened to you, he was extremely worried."
Nikki's eyes widened, and she started blushing. "Wait, really? He was worried about me?!"
"Of course, he was! The guy was seriously considering coming to your house to check on you."
Now Nikki's face turned bright red.
"Aww, you should see the look on your face; it's priceless," Chloe teased.
"Oh, come on, you guys. Can we please not do this?" Nikki pleaded.
"Can't help it! This is the most flustered you've been, and I'm just trying to have some fun with it," Zoey said.
"AAARGH!" Nikki screamed in frustration.
The bell rang for the start of homeroom.
"Or looks like you were saved by the bell," Chloe said, sounding disappointed. "Well, see you guys later." She left, followed by Zoey.
Nikki was the last to leave and trudged her way to homeroom.
The day at school went as expected, with the teacher's constant droning and countless notes taken. However, Nikki's mind was elsewhere, wondering how worried Brandon, her crush, could possibly have been after he heard what happened. During the third period, she asked to use the bathroom to take her mind off things for a while.
While sitting in a stall, collecting her thoughts and writing in her diary, she overheard a couple of CCPs (Cute, Cool, and Popular) girls in the bathroom.
"I heard that at midnight on a rainy day if you look at the TV, you'll be able to see your soulmate."
"What? No way! Don't tell me you actually believe this stuff."
"Look, I know how this sounds, but don't you want to know who'll be the guy of your dreams?"
"Well… yeah, but is it really true? I'm not trying to sacrifice sleep for a 'legend' that isn't true."
"Fine, suit yourself, but I know I'm definitely going to try this."
Nikki waited until the girls were gone before she opened the bathroom stall to leave. She looked in the mirror, unsure whether to try this and tell her friends or brush it off like any other gossip. The thought of finding out who her soulmate could be intrigued her greatly.
"You know what? I'm going to tell Chloe and Zoey about this, AND I'm trying this out," Nikki thought. "I just hope it rains tonight, though."