𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙏𝙀𝙍 𝙊𝙉𝙀
—𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴—

𝘼𝙎 𝘽𝘼𝙄𝙇𝙀𝙔 𝙁𝙄𝙉𝘼𝙇𝙇𝙔 packs her last book into her new locker, a sigh of relief falls from her lips. On her list of accomplishments for today, she could mark out 'organize the locker', and move on to more important things; such as focusing on making new friends, or signing up for clubs that would look good on her resumé. However, there was something in her way— a person that would likely hold her back from completing her tasks. And that person just happened to lean on the locker next to hers, eyeing her suspiciously.

From the way the blonde girl eyed her, Bailey wasn't sure if she should stick around to find out what she wanted. But the girl swayed as she closed her locker, running her manicured fingers through her golden locks. A raven-haired boy silently joined her side, placing a strawberry smoothie in her grasp.

"So you're the new girl," the blonde says slowly, before giving Bailey a grin that flashed her pearly whites. "I'm Maddie. Your name is Bailey, right?"

Bailey looked at her curiously, scanning over her ordinary uniform, before her gaze ultimately found her neon pink knee-socks and orange pumps. She was a bit overwhelmed for a moment, wondering why she would do such a thing, before she finally met Maddie's eyes. And now that she was looking, Bailey noticed that her eyes were a deep blue that contrasted from her naturally pale face.

"Bailey Dai," the brunette nods, giving Maddie a small smile, before looking expectantly to the boy beside her.

"Diego," he gives her a nod, placing an arm around Maddie's waist. "Everyone has been talking about you around here. Jax Novoa was the last big thing that happened around this school."

In fact, Bailey hadn't really payed any attention to the looks she had been getting today, nor did she want to. They all seemed like friendly glances, so what was there to worry about? Besides, she expected nothing less. This was a town where everyone knew everyone, and a new student was bound to draw at least a little attention.

"It doesn't really bother me," Bailey shrugs, adjusting the strap of her bag on her shoulder. "I've been too busy today, anyway. Would you guys have any suggestions for clubs to sign up for?"

"Proxy is on the swim team," Maddie chimes in, gesturing to Diego. "I'm sure they always need new recruits. That is— if you can swim. But most of the members are boys, so you might want to practice a bit before trying out."

When Bailey lived in Minnesota, she didn't really get the chance to swim as much as she'd like. It was a cold place most of the time, but the scenery was beautiful. Besides that, though, swimming was a pretty big hobby for the teen. And since they had opportunities for that here, she certainly wasn't about to pass it up.

"Is there an open spot?" Bailey asks Diego, hesitating because of Maddie's use of the word proxy. "I know my stuff, if you can get me a try-out time with the captain."

"I'm sure Daniel can spare some free time tomorrow," Diego nods. "I'll talk to him later and get back to you as soon as I can. Just be prepared, the Sharks are known for the swim team."

Just as Diego finished, two other girls began to call out for Maddie, each of them making urgent gestures. Maddie sighs, rolling her eyes, before turning back to Bailey. "That's my cue. It was really nice meeting you, hopefully we can hang out sometime."

The blonde turned without another word, grabbed Diego's hand, and followed closely behind the other two girls at the end of the hall. When they finally disappeared around the corner, Bailey furrowed her eyebrows. The girl found it hard to believe that a girl like Maddie would talk to her, let alone give her advice and offer to spend time together. Bailey shakes her head, turning her attention to the crumpled piece of paper in her hands.

Now that she had found a possible club, all she needed to do was find her way to the chemistry class on the opposite side of the building. The school was big, she had to admit— and it would certainly be a lot better if she had some help finding her way around. But it wasn't an obstacle she would complain over.

Staring down at the paper, Bailey begins walking down the hall. She continues to the right, flipping her map around to face the right direction. Unfortunately, she wasn't paying enough attention when she crashed into something. Bailey gasps, dropping her bag and it's contents to the floor. The brunette looks up to see what she had bumped into, only to find that it wasn't something; it was someone.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry," she apologizes, removing the hair from her face. "I should've been watching where I was going. Gosh, I'm such a clutz!"

The unfamiliar boy chuckles, cutting off her ramble abruptly. His eyes find hers, and he gives her a dashing grin. "Don't worry about it, I know quite a few clumsy people."

His Australian accent made her stop in her place, before she begins to stare at him in awe. Besides his accent, he was utterly perfect. The boy's hair was combed with ease, his eyes a golden brown that encaptured her. Bailey was almost sure she was seeing an angel; his skin, his frame— all of it was beyond human.

"Your accent," she comments, bending down to collect her books. "It's cute."

Bailey mentally slapped herself for that, knowing that she was digging a hole for herself. She tried to unscramble her thoughts, coming up empty handed upon return.

"Cute?" He raises an eyebrow, laughing as he bends down to help her. "That's the first time I've heard that one. I'm Jax, by the way. Jax Novoa."

"Maddie mentioned you earlier," Bailey says, pulling her bag back onto her shoulder as he offers a hand to help her up. "Supposedly I'm the biggest thing that's happened here since you arrived."

As Bailey places her hand in his, she gasps lightly. Sparks flow through her veins, traveling through her and encasing her heart. Jax falters too, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion for a short moment, before pulling her to her feet and releasing the girl's hand. But from the softness of her skin, and the pounding of his heartbeat, he almost didn't let go. And if he was being honest; he didn't want to.

"Yeah, I'm a pretty big deal around here," he remarks, leaning on the wall. "If you couldn't tell, anyway. I'm assuming you're Bailey— everyone has been talking about you all this week."

"Does news really travel that fast?" Bailey tilts her head, clutching the map in her hands. "I'm surprised, I was hoping to stick to the background once I got here."

"I'm not so sure that you'll want to," Jax says, giving her a genuine smile. "You'll make some friends here. And if not, you can always count on me to be here."

"Glad to know," the girl chimes, her cheeks tinging pink before she glances back to the map. "Chemistry is my next class . . . would you happen to have any idea where that is?"

"Well, it seems like we have chemistry together," Jax winks, holding up his schedule.

"Was that a pun?" Bailey giggles, placing a hand on her mouth. "I'm hoping that means you can show me the way."

"I'd love to walk you to class," he says softly. "Lets go before the bell rings. I'm sure Mr. Alonso would love to send me to detention over any little thing."

"Mr. Alonso? That's the principal, right?" Bailey questions, walking alongside Jax. "I heard he has a daughter that goes here."

"Emma," Jax nods. "She and I were together for a while, but she chose Daniel in the end. I'm not surprised, though— I got here after they started dating, anyway. The two already had history, and I got stuck liking a girl that would never like me back."

"I'm sure you could get her if you tried hard enough," the brunette encourages. "Things like that take time, I guess."

"I hope so," he sighs. "I really like her."

But deep down inside, Jax hesitated before finishing his sentence. Because now that he had met a new person and felt new things, he wasn't sure if Emma was the right girl for him after all.

_______

❝ shoutout to all you fabulous people
reading this, because almost no one remembers
eww, but i do! i've been wanting to write one
for a long time, and have finally done it now
that nickelodeon is playing reruns. i hope y'all
are as excited as i am for these adventures! ❞