I went about my normal morning routine at turtle speed causing me to miss breakfast. Normally Grandma would never allow me to go without, but today she had to go to some church function and couldn't drop me off at school.

Thankfully, I slept through all of the thirty-minute bus commute to Treview County High School. Nonetheless, sleeping on a bus has its drawbacks. As I staggered off the bus, drowsy as ever and with a knot in my neck to kill, I barely registered my best friend, Peyton, rushing towards me. More to the point, I was not expecting her to ram into me, sending us both flying to the floor. Great start.

"Oh Robin guess what!" She shrilled, sitting up on the floor next to me.

"Have you finally realized you want to kill me and that tackle was stage one: cripple the target?" I nursed my sore arm, while glaring at the big wad of gum that was situated inches from where I landed.

"No! I wouldn't kill you...not at school anyway," she said winking, "There's a new student starting today!"

"Are...are you serious?" Treview County has not seen a new kid in over seven years.

"Yeah! He is a senior though, so we probably will not see much of him, but that's still totally awesome! Maybe we'll share a lunch period...gym...or homeroom. Oh the possibilities! Word going around is he is smoking hot!"

She would have gone on forever about him if I had not pulled myself up and walked towards Tyler and Henry, my other best friends. "Okay fine Robs, I'll just wait and talk to my other best friend, the one who'll actually listen to me!" Peyton yelled after me. I chuckled knowing that the other best friend she talked about was me, whenever I was fully awake and cheerful.

Tyler and Harry were sitting on our usual bench, as far away from each other as possible, they were sitting on the back of the bench with their feet on the part where normal people sat. Harry had his back to me, so Tyler who noticed me first.

"Hey Robs, you look peachy today. Like a small ball of sunshine" I growled at him and sat in between his feet. As I sat down Harry pulled out his mp3 player headphones and noticed my presence.

"Oh hey. I see you're in your usual first day grump. Same old, same old." I couldn't be bothered to glare at him so I just started playing with his shoe laces. Harry's family wasn't very well off, so I was not surprised that his converses were the same ones his older brother wore five years ago-when they were actually new. I examined a charm that hung from the top shoe string hole. It was in the shape of a rainbow, I had given it to him the day after he came out the closet. That closet.

"I can't believe you still have this. I gave it to you in middle school." I waited for him to answer, but he didn't. Looking up I noticed he put his headphones back in. I slapped his leg, and then dodged his reflex kick. Although, I overestimated the length of the bench and I fell off. Both Harry and Ty laughed until they weren't capable of balancing on the thin plank of wood-of course then they just slid off and laughed while sitting properly. I grumbled something so incoherent I didn't even know what I said and climbed back up onto the bench.

"So what are your classes for today?" Tyler asked openly.

I pulled out my schedule and read the in order, "English, gym, homeroom, American history, environmental science, and lastly free period."

"Are you serious?!" Harry asked snatching my paper away, "Free period at the end of school? That's totally unfair! You could just skip after 6th period!"

"I know. I found it strange that they would do that, but who am I to interfere with the system?" I chuckled.

"Well I got gym with you, as well as science, but that's it. Man. Last year we had all classes together, I'll miss that." Tyler said with a puppy face.

"Aww, is little Ty going to miss dear old Robin?" Harry jeered, poking Ty in his side; Ty then flinched away as if Harry poked him with a gun. Ever since Tyler found out Harry was queer their friendship was extremely awkward. Harry has no feelings whatsoever towards Tyler, but try telling Ty that.

"Yeah, I am! Who's going to keep me awake in history now?"

"Is that all I am to you, an alarm clock?" I said with mock hurt touching my heart for effect.

As Tyler was about to answer, the morning bell cut him off, shrill and constant. I picked up my backpack and followed the rest of the students towards the school entrance.

Since Glennville is so unbelievable small, everyone knows everything about anything. Everyone I've ever met knows about my parents, thankfully they don't associate me with their immoral indulgences. For the first few years in elementary school a lot of teachers pitied me. I was a young girl without parents; a young girl with only a frail old woman for family. Sure it may sound tragic to a small town where adultery is a capital crime. But I know that my life is much better than most. Even at seven, I hated their pity.

Now, teachers understand I don't tolerate sympathy just because I'm the only teen without parents in the near area. Although, it's a bitter sweet victory. Teachers don't show me any pity and in return they all ask favors of me. Not just small ones like delivering paper to a teacher down the hall, sometimes I am asked to watch classes of underclassmen during my free period. It can be frustrating when I have plans, but it's so much more frustrating when your name goes from Robin Kemp to poor thing. I don't need pity.

While I walked to my first class, I overhead some freshmen, walking in the opposite direction, talking about my parents in hushed whispers.

"Hey, that's the druggie baby!" one said trying to avoid the stare I was giving him.

"It must suck being an orphan...what's worse is having the knowledge that they were addicts." This one was looking down at what I assume is his schedule, but I saw him shake his head. I could tolerate the "druggie baby," nickname but I was not an orphan! My course changed from straight ahead to those insolent boys. The one looking at me saw me glaring at them and tried to get his friend to enter the nearest classroom to escape.

"Uh Dylan, I know your memory sucks but that's not our classroom."

I reached him just as he finished saying "room." He just stared at me with pure terror. Perfect.

"What did you call me?" I said pushing him against a locker. By now a few spectators gathered.

He just stuttered, glancing towards his friend for help.

"I do believe you said I was an orphan." Grabbing his collar I pulled his head closer to mine. "I am not an orphan." I pulled my arm back and balled my hand up, but just as I was about to plunge it into the boys face, a hand grabbed my fist. When I turned my head to see who it was, I suspect Tyler or Peyton, the boy I was about to beat up pushed me hard and I lost my balance. I fell into whoever grabbed my hand and watched the two boys escape.

"Damn it! Why'd you do that?!" I screamed turning around fully to face my captor. Everyone sooner or later had to find out I don't tolerate ignorant people talking about me. Everyone also finds out not to mess with me when I'm in the zone. "Who do you think you are?"

I had to tilt my head up to look into his eyes, even at 5"7 I was shorter than him, but only by a few inches. For just a second I was lost in his dark blue eyes, they looked like an ocean, tinted green. Then I regained my focus and noticed the rest of his features. His jet black hair hung past his ears in a messily-neat do. He wore a blank expression and I began to wonder if by chance that was his sibling I was going to beat up.

Suddenly life came into his face; a smirk crept across his face as if he just remembered a joke and his eyes narrowed slightly.

"I'm Jacob Ellis." I just realized I didn't recognize him, in my fury logic evaded me.

"You're the new kid aren't you?"

"Yep. What's your name?"

For some reason I felt the need to give him a fake name. Stranger danger. This is an unfamiliar situation; I wasn't used to meeting new people. Gosh what am I talking about, he'll soon learn my name anyways. "Robin Kemp."

He smirked again, with the same joke-amusement as before; I felt like I was missing out on something, "That's a pretty name. Do you have a middle name?"

"It's Treakle-Mint," I said cautiously. Who is this guy? What's with the 20 questions?

"Ah, Robin Treakle-Mint Kemp, that is a very pretty name, unusually pretty. But why Treakle-Mint as a middle name," he seemed genuinely confused, almost as if he were asking himself instead of me.

"Well, my real name is just Treakle Mint Kemp, Robin is just a...a...a legal nickname I guess."

The crowd dispersed as they realized Jacob and I weren't planning on killing each other.

"That explains a lot." He whispered, so quietly I almost missed it.

Just as I was going to ask what it explained the tardy bell rang and he left without saying goodbye.

"Jerk." I muttered walking to the front office to get my tardy pass.

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