A tiny part of Len was excited about today, yet another larger part of her was petrified.

   The last few years at school had been really hard on her. Before the death of her parents, she was an outstanding student. She was in all the gifted classes at her tiny, rural elementary school. Her teachers adored her. Not only that, she had shown great interest in art as a young child. She loved painting with vibrant colors.

   She would tell her mother, "I am painting the way I love you, Mama." Magenta, aqua, lime, candy apple, lemon, cerulean, sunburst. Such bright and bold colors covered her artworks.

The last time she touched a paintbrush was before her tenth birthday.

She slid open her dresser drawer that had all her tops in it. Each was lovingly folded with care by her sister. She spotted a new one she had bought online in the middle of summer. It was sheer and dark green with a fine charcoal grey pattern of tiny stars. The top fit loosely and she wore it over a black tank top. She completed her outfit with some ripped black leggings and black lace-up vegan leather boots with the slightest of heels.

The fact that it was summer was not a concern to her. Len also knew how cold schools could get, so she grabbed her favorite navy military jacket that cinched in at the waist and had a soft grey hoodie.

She looked in the mirror and admired her artistry. Smokey grey eyeshadow, thick lashes, dark eyeliner, full deep purple lips. The flecks of green in her dark amber eyes were brought out by the metallic grey hues surrounding them. Her thick blunt bob and bangs complimented her heart-shaped face. She gave the smallest of smiles to her reflection and adjusted the silver star and moon charms hanging from her choker.

She was, seemingly, ready for her first day of high school.

"Are you ready yet?" Juliette popped her head into Lenore's room.

    "Yeah. We can go now."

"Lenny! You look awesome!" Juliette had entered Len's room now and sat at the foot of her bed. "How are you feeling? Still nervous?"

    Len tugged at her choker, looking at herself in the mirror, "Yeah. I just want to get through the day."

    Juliette did not expect many words from her little sister. Her expression said it all, though. She was terrified. Her nerves could really get the best of her. Juliette also knew that once Len was finally inside the school, with everyone else bustling here and there, she would slowly begin to relax. A lot of what was in your head is not as scary when you actually experience it.

The girls headed out into the living room. It was 7:32am and the boys were patiently waiting, sitting on a couch. Jude had just started to fall back to sleep.

"Lenny..." Uncle Andy got up from his seat, placing both hands on his hips, "Do you think they have that top in my size? Where'd ya get it?"

"Oh my God. Shut up," she let out a tiny giggle and gave his shoulder a sharp slap.

"Hey," Andy gave Jude's foot a gentle kick. "Time to get out of here."

Jude's head fell forward from having been perched atop his bent arm. His eyes popped open and he stood up tall and stretched out his arms above his head, expelling a long yawn. "Alright. Let's move."

Juliette followed her uncle and siblings to the door, locking it behind them. College did not start for another couple of weeks. She was going to stay home alone today. Cleaning out the fridge and cupboards were her top priorities.

***

   Andy's Datsun that he had been working on all summer long gave a pleasing hum as he parked it in front of Len's school. "Just on time, honey," he said looking over at her in the passenger seat next to him.

"Is homeschooling still not an option?" Len implored, looking into her uncle's eyes, seriously hoping he would change his mind.

"You're going to be fine, kid," was all he said.

"Yeah, Lenny, chill." Jude was in the back seat, eyes glued to his smartphone screen.

Len took a deep long breath. She knew she could do this. Why was she so scared?

She had basically burned all bridges with her old friends, but maybe today she would meet someone. She really wanted a friend. She wanted to meet someone new.

Lenore loved her family will all of her heart and soul, but she could not really cut loose in front of them. After years of so much emotion in that household, she had grown pretty numb.

  Gently shutting the door of the Datsun, she set her eyes upon her uncle. Leaning forward and looking up, he gave her a warm wink and a wave through the open window as he pulled away, "I love you, Lenny! Knock 'em dead!"

   Jude's eyes were still fixed upon the glow of his phone.

   She turned to face Blanesville High School and tugged at the strap of her black and slouchy messenger bag.

    All she had to do was move. Take a step forward. She tugged at the strap a little more.

  A sleek black car then pulled up behind her. Len turned back around to look. She did not know as much about cars as Uncle Andy and Jude, but she knew that this car was very expensive and very new. A BMW.

   As the car door opened and a person got out, the sounds of light ambient music hung in the cool morning breeze. Her heart skipped a beat at the figure before her. He was not as tall as all the men in her family were, but his hair was what stood out to her.

It was long, dark blonde, the color of golden wheat. It went just past his shoulders, a little messy, but adorably so. He absently pulled at the hair that was in his face, the breeze having lifted it up, behind his ear. She almost did not stop her jaw from dropping in time.

   He turned around to bend over in front of the closed car door, but just as he was about to finish the movement, the car drove off. He straightened up, watching the vehicle drive away, and then placed his backpack onto his shoulders. His unbuttoned maroon and cream plaid flannel shirt lifted up in the wind and his hair flew up again, too.

  He turned around and Lenore froze.

   His brow furrowed for only a moment and then he gave her a smile. This boy had the whitest teeth Len had ever seen.

  He took a couple steps towards her, "Hello. Good morning."

  "Hi."

  "You don't say very much, hm?" He shoved both hands into the pockets of his jeans. As he did so, she could not help but to notice that doing so tightened his chest muscles under his band tee. Nirvana. Uncle Andy played some of their music at the car shop, along with other bands from the 90's.

This blonde boy had what was commonly known as a swimmer's body. She gulped and shifted her weight in her boots.

  "I like your eye makeup. It suits you." He studied her eyes for a response.

   "Thank you," was all Lenny could manage.

   Knowing full well he would have to lead the conversation, he continued talking. "Today is my first day at this school. I am a sophomore. You?" Len could definitely detect an accent as he spoke, but his English was crisp and confident.

  "I'm a freshman."

   "Ah. Okay," he took his hand out of his pocket and reached it out in front of her. "My name is Erik. Nice to meet you."

   Lenore smiled and held out her hand to shake his, "My name is Lenore. Len or Lenny is fine. I don't care." His hands were soft and strong.

   "Lenore. That is very beautiful. It reminds me of Poe. The Raven."

   "My older brother named me before I was even born. That's where he got the name from."

   "Lenore. Shall we go inside now?"

   She could not conceal a radiant smile anymore. Who was this boy, where was he from, and why was he here, in Blanesville, of all places? She could not help but to thank God for this little connection. She did not know if she would come to find out more about Erik, but she hoped she would.

   They both began to walk towards the front multiple double doors of the high school. During their short and awkward conversation, countless other students had arrived, and they soon mixed in with the rest of the crowd. Both instinctively kept track of the other, though. Neither of them knew what to expect once they got inside the school building.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Hello,

What do you think of Lenore? I love her style.

More importantly, what do you think of Erik? ;)

Any guesses where he's from?

How do you feel on the first day of school/college/uni?

Please vote and comment if you enjoyed this chapter! And especially if you already have a lil crush on Erik...

XO,
Leanne