Leo sat on a bench outside Chicago Public Academy typing furiously on his computer. To almost everyone who walked passed him, Leo looked like he was desperately trying to finish Mrs. Hanson’s English 11 summer project, but if you were one of the two people who knew him you would know that he finished that project before it was even technically summer break. No, Leo was locked in combat with the Lich King from World of Warcraft and was trying to beat him before the bell rang, marking the first day of 11th grade for Leo.
Leo was just about to cast the final spell, destroying the Lich King, when the sound of a car door slamming caused him to look up and stare. Standing in front of a gray Subaru was the prettiest girt he had ever seen, and that meant a lot coming from Leo, considering the fact that he usually didn’t give girls a passing glance. She had long brown hair that curled at the ends, tanned skin, and interesting eyes that changed color when she turned her head.
Game over sounds erupted from Leo’s computer but he was too distracted to really care. The girl waved goodbye to who Leo assumed was her mom before the car sped off down Main Street. The girl turned back towards the main entrance and gave the school an apprehensive look before marching towards the door, head held high. As she entered the school, the spell was broken and Leo let out a groan after processing the death of his warrior. Promising to avenge his fallen comrade after school, Leo shoved his laptop in his bag and went inside to figure out where his first hour class was.
+

“Alright Miss… uh…”
“Sanders. Cleo Sanders.” Cleo replies to the school counselor in the flamingo dress and red horn-rimmed glasses holding her file. The woman sits down at her desk and opens the file.
“Sure, it says here that you’re transferring here from Boston, is that correct?”
“Yep.”
“And why would you want to do a thing like that?”
“Uh… My mom was offered a position at a law firm here so we decided to move.”
“That’s a shame.” She mutters under her breath.
“What did you say?”
“Nothing. Okay I’ve got your schedule right here. Let’s see, It seem…” She starts to giggle, “It seems you have…” She starts laughing harder until she’s laughing so hard that she literally has tears rolling down her face and all Cleo can do is stare and wonder about her new counselor’s mental health.
Eventually, Ms. Sunny (or so her plague says) gets her laughing under control, “Sorry about that Chloe…”
“It’s Cleo.”
“Whatever, it’s just that you first hour teacher…” She giggles, “Sucks. I mean I really hate him, like, with every fiber of my being. He’s just the worst, kids love him but I just wish he was dead, like, I literally wish I could choke him with my bare hands.” She starts to giggle again and Cleo’s eyes dart around, looking for the nearest exit if it becomes necessary.
“Anyways here’s your schedule and now it’s time for you to leave.”
“What?”
Ms. Sunny stands, hands Cleo her schedule, opens the door to her office, and motions for her to leave, “You wouldn’t want to be late on your first day now, would you?”
Cleo stands and heads for the door, “No, but could you at least tell me where…” And before she can finish, she’s pushed out into the hall and hears the door slam behind her.

+

Leo was just grabbing a pencil from his locker when the sound of a door slamming caught his attention and for the second time that day he found himself staring at the new girl. Just then the first bell rang and rush hour at Chicago Public Academy began, with new girl smack dab in the middle of it. Before Leo could warn her, she was freight-trained by an incoming jock. Every book and paper she was carrying spilled onto the floor and after the release of a few creative words, she bent down to pick it up, thankfully just as the halls were beginning to clear.
Every pasty white guy waits for his perfect superhero moment and Leo embraced his with open arms, hurrying over to help her with the pick up, “I might be mistaken, but it seems like you could use some help.”
Cleo looks up and smiles, “Does it? Well, are you gonna do something about it or will I have to fend for myself in these perilous school hallways?”
Leo smiles back, “Huh. A pretty girl with a brain, that’s a first.” He thinks. “Never, that is a fate worse then death.”
He grabs a shiny new notebook with a muddy footprint on the cover and hands it to her while she shoves the rest of her stuff into her bag. “I’m Leo by the way.”
“Cleo, and if you haven’t already guessed, I’m new here and I have no idea how to get to my first class.”
“Can I see your schedule?”
She looks at Leo like he asked to see her bra. “Uh… Why?”
“To tell you where your class is, unless you would rather be left to wander aimlessly through the halls.”
A look of relief floods her face, “Oh no, of course you can see.”
She rifles through the mess that is her backpack and hands him the crumpled paper. He scans it quickly; “Looks like you’ve got Mr. Bailer with me this hour so if you want I could walk you there.”
She rolls her eyes, “Oh, I suppose if it’s my only option.”
He shrugs, “Hey, if you don’t want to sink to my level that’s fine by me.”
Leo slowly turns and drags his feet down the hall until he feels a hand on his shoulder, “Hey, if we’re going to be friends you’ve got to be able to handle my level of sarcasm. I can’t handle crybabies with soft skin, I’ve gotta be able to give people their daily dose of teasing.” Cleo says as she works to match Leo’s stride.
“Who says I want to be friends with you?” Leo replies as he slows down his pace to accommodate Cleo.
“You don’t have a choice in the matter, seeing as it’s already happened.”
“You should know that I’ve never really been good with quote-on-quote ‘friends’.”
“Well, considering the fact I’ve never really had friends then I suppose this will be a learning experience for both of us.”
“Wait, so you’re saying you’ve never had friends before, like, ever.”
“I did when I was younger but they all turned into backstabbing ------- by middle school, so beginning my friendship dry spell. But hey, as long as you don’t tell the entire school I slept with the principle, then we’ll be good.”
“Um… is it to late to get out of this friendship thing?”
“Nope, you’re stuck, probably for life.”
“Whatever you say, Cleo.” But honestly, Leo was thrilled.