Chapter One

~Alex~

I started walking down the halls when I realized that everyone had gone quiet, once again. God I just wish that I could be known as something other than the nerd. I stand out so much in this place. Everyones so popular, pretty, sunkissed, and blonde. I'm just glad I have Valerie. Speaking of which, there she is. "Hey Val!" "Hey Alex, how was your morning?" "Fine I guess, ya know the usual. How about you?" "Great actually, Brett asked me if we could start talking." Val smiles and wiggles her eyebrows at me. "Oh girl, get some." I start to laugh. The small hall we walked into filled with laughter and I realize that Val is the only one really holding me together. Our laughing dies down and my phone pings. "Oh who is that?" Val looks at me suspiciously. I roll my eyes and tell her it was my mom. "Oh okay, we should go before Mr. Tyler decides to give us a lecure of us being responsible sixteen year old girls." She laughs a bit more, but what I read on my phone has me speechless. "Val?" "Yeah Alex?" "My mom just texted me and told me I'm moving in with my dad." "WHAT!" "I'm sorry Val." "Oh no no. You can't leave me. No I c-can't

d-do high school a-alone." Val stutters while a small stream of tears run down her face. I stand there for a moment and decide to walk away not being able to see her cry. My first class is P.E. I started to get changed when Val walked in the locker room, her eyes bloodshot and tear stains still occupied most of her cheeks. She just gets changed without a word. I stop her, and all she does is just looks down at the floor, avoiding eye contact. I study her stance debating on what to say; from the way she's breathing I can tell she's still slightly crying. That's one thing that bothers me about Val, she is always afraid to show her real feelings, like if she does then she'll be judged or something. I can also tell that she's trying not to look at me because if she did then she would break down and cry even more. We walk out of the locker room after she had calmed down a bit and we talked. At the end of the week my mom tells me I should probably get my stuff and start packing. I ask mom if we could stay until the summer. She replies with "Alex, we need to get you to Maine as fast as we can. I hope you understand." "Mom, what I understand is you're making me leave everything I've grown up with and everything I love, and I don't even know why." "Alex, I'll talk to your father." "Thanks mom, but why do I have to go?" "Enough Alex." She snaps at me. I just try to shake it off and go back to my room. I lay there and think about Val, she's so beautiful. With her long blonde hair, blue eyes, white teeth, and perfect body. She's just perfect and I'm over here like a potato.

I ask Val if she wants to come over and stay the night, sadly, her mom is not very trusting of her. My parents are the total opposite. They trust me with almost everything. Mom calls me down to the kitchen and tells me I can't wait until the summer, but we can wait until the beginning of April. I just replied with a sigh and an okay; after we ate I went to bed trying to think of a way I can make it up to Val.