“ I can’t believe it’s only Wednesday.” Ashley grumbled as she laid her head on the cobalt blue table of her school library. She closed her eyes and thought to herself. If I close my eyes it will ALL go away and I won’t really have to worry about it anymore. It’ll just pop! And be gone! She turned her head to the side and smiled to herself. Talking like Tempest always made her smile. Tempest was her best friend from about third grade all the way to her freshmen year of high school, where she was now. Mmmm, you know what, I have a test in Science today, I might want to study for that. Ashley groaned and picked her head off of the table and looked around the room. The rest of the student body was out at their one and only break for the day, and her she was sitting in the library by herself.

The library was silent except for the movements of the perverted librarian doing lord knows what behind his desk. Right, Now It goes something like Hydrogen, Helium, LithiumShe muttered to herself as she studied looking down at her paper with an extreme concentration and blocking out everything else around her. She was in the big time study zone, a bubble that could only be broken by the sound of a school bell, or possibly Tempest coming in and dragging her outside against her will. Beryllium, Carbon, Nitro-

“Ashley Grey!” an overly obnoxious high pitched voice called out from right in front of her. Ashley jumped. “Oh, did I scare you? Why aren’t you outside with us? We don’t bite…often.” She said as Ashley looked up to become face to face with Tempest Simpson. Her acne and black eyeliner were impossible to mistake for anyone else in Windsdale High. She was the only person secure enough in herself to wear a black micro mini over baggy jeans and sneakers with a Syntax Error shirt. Her short black, gold, and pink hair stood out of the crowd and was sadly looked down upon at Windsdale. Ashley looked up to her hardcore straightedge friend.

“You know me Temp, just studying. Getting my good grades on, I need them to get into college.” Ashley shrugged. She didn’t really need them. The college she was planning on going to was a back-up college for most of the kids at Windsdale, but it was where she really wanted to go. It was expensive though because it was a private college. She just blamed not wanting to talk to people on her need to study.

“Whatever. I’m outside if you need me. Later Ash Mash!” Tempest said as she got up and walked out of the room in her overly confident hey-look-at-me way. Ashley smiled at her friend’s back and shook her head then went right back to naming the elements. Right, Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Fluorine. She heard the door squeak open. Neon, Sodium. She heard someone pull a book off the shelf and walk over to the table.

“You mind if I sit here?” a deep voice asked in with a nervous shake in his voice. Ashley looked through her black bangs at the boy who stood before her; Conner Myer.

Conner was all that was beautiful in Windsdale High School. His light brown hair was messy, but messy in a hot way, not in a stoner drug addict way. It hung over his piercing green eyes in the upmost perfection. He was a babe, and to the other 99 of the school that wasn’t Tempest or Ashley, he was the dark, broody, and mysterious guy that would write you love poems and then drop off red roses by your locker in the afternoon. A vast part of the female population had a big thing for Conner Myer. Conner was another library reject. He spent time in the library because he didn’t want friends. He could get friends. But te truth was, he just didn’t really care, people out of books were all the friends he needed. The same was true for Ashley too. Conner was into war stories though and Ashley was more into the realistic fiction/romance scene. Ashley shook her head and looked back down at her paper. She couldn’t study now, not with another person in her study bubble.

“What have you been up to Mr. Conner?” Ashley asked just trying to make polite conversation. He looked up from the book he was reading and stared at her. His blue eyes looked glazed over. He was book drunk, so into the book that the rest of the world just seemed to melt. She understood. Ashley looked back down to her notes and continued to try to study. She sat there and stared at her notes for another five minutes before the bell rang.

“Later Conner.” Ashley said as she picked up her book and purse to go to my next class.

“Later Ash.” He said absentmindedly, his nose still buried in his book. She looked at the cover as he passed her in the hallway. Sure enough, it was a war story. Ashley smiled to herself. On to purgatory I go! She thought as she marched up the stairs like an ant in a line going to an ant hill. Ashley navigated her way through the crowd to her next class. She arrived in time to see Josh flirting with Michelle. Ashley sat down took out her book and pretended to read.

Last year Josh had been her everything, he was her best friend, her ex-boyfriend, and a safe haven from the drama of eighth grade. He was the leader of her group and the driving force of Syntax Error, a garage band that he was the guitarist. He had gotten tired of her though and wanting to cause some kind of drama, he put Ashley into a social exile, no one but Tempest and a few others outside of the group would talk to her anymore. She had been replaced by Michelle. She looked over at them in the corner of her eye and saw them holding hands. Josh looked over at Ashley and lifted his eyebrows in a “Oh-yeah-new-girl-I’m-soooo-much-better-than-you-way.” Just last year, that would have been her. Ashley held her tears in and kept on pretending to read. Why me? I know this is like, totally cliché but, dude, that low. Ashley sat through Science class and took the test in a total phase of being invisible to everyone and everything, as always. Pure torture even though she made a 100 on the test she was trying unsuccessfully to study for earlier.

“Let’s take out our books class.” Ms. Lee said in her wacky mad scientist kind of way. She had a knack for doing that.

“Hey, Ashley, Ashley Grey!” Ashley heard a whisper over in the corner of the room. She turned her head to the voice, only to be staring at Josh.

“You like my new girl?” he whispered. A) WHY DID I SIT NEXT TO YOU?!?! B) No, I do not like your” new girl”. Jerk. He laughed and made grinding motions with his hips. Ashley turned forward and looked at the board with a new found enthusiasm that she had for science. It was so new and fantastic and took her mind of f of Josh. A loud beep inerupted Ms. Lee in the middle of her sentence.

“Well, pack up boys and girls. It’s time to go! I’ll see you tomorrow and don’t think that I ‘forgot’ that test today. We’re having it tomorrow!” called out over the groaning students putting up their books. Ashley left her seat and headed for the door. Great. To band class away! Hi Ho Silver! Lord, can’t anything be new in this boring town? Like a new kid. A new kid would work... or maybe a natural disaster that hit the football team when they were at practice! That would work!

“Slow down there hoss!” a voice called out from behind Ashley in the hall somewhere. She whipped around, her dark hair catching in her pale pink lipgloss.

“Hey Conner. Did you get finished with your war story?” Ashley asked tring to be polite to the poor boy.

“Yeah, I just got finished. It was really good.” Conner replied in an excited voice. They clomped down the stairs and out to the breezeway that led to the isolated band room. It was a pretty day outside. It was just sunny enough to make it warm but not hot and the wind was pleasantly blowing cool air. It was an Alabama spring at it’s finest.

“ASH MASH!” the regonizeable shrill of Tempest voice ecoed from behind her. Ashley turned around quickly on her heel. The two bumped noggins with each other and fell to the ground.

“TEMP! Stop doing that! It’s effin annoying, girl!” Ashley giggled as she regained herself. Conner stood to the side and shook his head.

“Hello, Conner Baby. What’s shakin’?” Tempest grinned up at him and he returned the grin. He told her he title of the book he had just finished. Tempest nodded in an all knowing way. We reached the band room and Conner opened the door in the perfectly gentlemen way like he always did.

“Why thank you sir.” I mock curtsied and winked. He laughed. It was a pretty twinkling laugh that carried into his eyes. He mock bowed then held out his arm to escort me into the band room.

((A/N: WEEE! I really like this story and I'll be writing much more on it.( reveiws or no reviews! I don't care!) I enjoy writing this one and Iwould enjoy it more if you like reviewed, or even better! If you like asked questions! cause I really like answering them.)