"Oh, hey Lukas. I just finished the worksheet-what's wrong? Your face looks pale."

I didn't say anything as I sat down next to Gil and buried my face in my hands. It was barely my first day of school and I was already caught in a net.

"Lukas, seriously. Did Mr. Dread scold you or something?" He asked, a look of concern on his face. "'Cause if he did, I know how it feels-"

"I bumped into Jesse Lynn." I said bluntly, and he froze.

"Wha-? You said she was absent!" He exclaimed, voice a bit shaky. "What happened? What did she say to you-?"

"No, Gil. I literally bumped into her." I replied, running hands through my hair. He just looked at me in pure shock and plopped down next to me.

"Oh Lord-" he murmured, sighing. "What are we going to do?"

I just shook my head and looked down at my feet.

"Like I said, deal with whatever hell throws at me."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Okay fine. You got me." I said, giving up. "We're freaking screwed."

*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*"

I said bye to Gil and started my walk home. It wasn't that far, so I had no trouble getting there before dark. But it was getting cold, and I wished that I'd brought a jacket. I took my house key out of my backpack pocket and opened the door, kicking off my shoes as I went inside (hey don't judge, I'm a clean freak!).

I sighed with relief, putting down my backpack and closing the door behind me.

"Hey sweetie." I turned to see my mom looking at me with a smile on her face. She had chocolate brown hair, and looked nothing like me except for our eyes. A shining shade of blue.

"Hi mom." I replied, giving her a quick hug as she gave me a kiss on the head.

"How was your first day? I can see you already made a friend." Her smile was warm and reassuring, and it brightened up her face. She was standing next to a table that was covered in papers and writing utensils, and she looked incredibly tired. Bags showed under her eyes and her hair was a bit ruffled, but nevertheless, she always had a positive outlook on things.

"It went pretty well, and yeah I made a friend. His name's Gil." I went to the couch and sat down, resting my head on the armrest. I took a few deep breaths and allowed myself to relax.

"Good, good. So, nothing bad?" She asked curiously, and my eyes snapped open. I immediately remembered Jesse.

"Uh, nope." I replied, a little too quickly. I could already see her raising an eyebrow. A grin reached the ends of her lips as she looked through a few papers.

"It was a girl, wasn't it?" She asked slyly. My cheeks flushed and I stammered.

"Wha-? No-" I said, and she laughed, seeing right through my lie. I bit my lip and sighed. "Okay, yes. But it isn't like that."

My mom just chuckled and began organizing the desk.

"Sure, Lukas."

"I'm serious!" I cried out, getting off the couch and turning to her. "She's the baddest, most popular girl at school. She's mean, and...she has those eyes-"

She just looked at me in amusement. I huffed. She was getting the wrong idea. Me, and Jesse Lynn? That was insane.

"What I mean is, she's too different." I told her, helping her with the papers. Her blue eyes reflected mine and twinkled.

"Whatever you say honey, I just hope you know that opposites are very likely to attract."

*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*

After helping my mom with a few dozen chores, I headed down for a good night's rest. She was working so hard to keep us on our feet, and after what happened with my father...well, it was the least I could do.

I couldn't stop thinking about today. Mainly, Jesse. What was gonna happen? Was she going to prank me? Make me the laughing stock like she did to Gil? I wasn't sure.

I thought of my glasses, and then headed to my desk. I took out a pair of contact lenses and set them down for the morning. Good thing I was prepared. I would have to get them back somehow, they were my only pair, and do you know how much those things cost?!

Luckily, my mom didn't notice. She was probably busy and distracted for work.

I lay down in bed and felt thoughts pile on me, causing my eyelids to slowly close. Only one remained as I drifted off into a sleep: I knew what I was going to do.

This was long overdue, but hey :P

We got a little insight on Lukas, next chapter will be on Jesse

Heheh hope you're all enjoying so far