ELEVEN

Courtney was late, she ran as fast as she could, if she missed one more math period then she could be expelled. She didn't realize how far she had fallen when it came to her academics until she received that letter in the mail. Granted, it was written to her parents, but when it had the school crest on the top left corner she knew it was about her.

Jumping over a railing which separated one building from the next, she sprinted across the small grassy medium which the agricultural kids used at times to grow fruits and vegetables. Hiking her skirt up, she climbed up and over another railing, gasping for breath, but making it to her first period exactly as the late bell rang.

TWELVE

She worked at an ice cream place on weekends. It was a job that Kay hated, especially as it was getting hotter outside. Her ex-boyfriend had offered to pick her up, so she brought an extra pair of clothes and changed into them at the CVS near her job. She didn't want to end up going out somewhere, like the mall, or to another friends house, and be stuck in her sticky ice cream uniform.

Her ex wasn't the cutest guy, and in truth she felt as if she rushed into a relationship with him since that was what everyone had been doing at the time. But she liked him enough. Despite the fact that he wasn't a good boyfriend at all, not in the least, and she really did deserve better.

He grinned at her brightly as he picked her up, commenting on how cute she looked and how she had lost weight. She beamed at him and thanked him graciously.

Kay hadn't planned on losing her virginity to him not an hour after getting off of work. She wasn't planning on having sex with him at all, especially without a condom on.

THIRTEEN

Shandi yawned tiredly, bumming a cigarette off of Courtney. They hadn't been seeing each other as often around campus now that the new semester had started. They no longer had Gym together. Instead, Shandi had to skip her science class in order to join Courtney behind the greenhouse for their ritual hang out.

It was odd, she never really considered the older girl a friend. Not really. Not until that afternoon when they began to tell each other about themselves. Began to learn of the other's hopes and fears, dreams and failures; it was refreshing to have someone to confide in and not be judged for it.

FOURTEEN

"I'm not really one for sex."

Was blurted out before Dani could get a chance to wind her head about it. When did this come about? The boy before her was the same age as her, and hella cute in her opinion. Why else would she have been talking to him?

It was Saturday, and she was at one of the few parties that she attended. Which was better than her friend Kay, who never went to any. It made Dani almost feel sorry for the girl, but that was the other's parent's decision. And Kay wasn't really a good liar to tell them she was just going to sleep over Dani's house.

"What?" She asked the boy. They had been kissing, because she had really liked him. She had liked him since before winter break, and she wanted to date him badly. She wanted to form a real relationship with him, and now he was staying things like this. "What do you mean? Who say's I'm going to sleep with you?"

He shifted nervously beside her, red staining his ears. If she weren't so confused, she'd have found that endearing.

"I just heard that, you know, that you're—" He was stuttering now, and she could feel a spike of anger pierce throughout her body.

"You heard that I was easy." She finished lamely, standing up as fury began to take a hold of her. "Fuck you."

She left without her friends, opting to walk home and fight shedding any tears. Rumors were rumors, she knew the truth, still, it didn't hurt any less.

FIFTEEN

Tiffany had passed her in the hallways and had given her a dirty look which Courtney couldn't help but reply with a shit-eating grin. Her heart still ached at the loss of her first love. And she may have been only fourteen, but she knew what she had felt. That had been real love. Young love, the type that people say never quite leaves you, no matter what.

She wondered if anyone had called Tiffany since she had written the girls number on the public restroom's wall. It was the girl's restroom, so who knew? But judging from the stink eyes that she had been receiving recently, she couldn't help but laugh at the thought that people probably have been calling Tiffany.

Karma would probably come back and kick Courtney in the ass one day. But that day wasn't today.

SIXTEEN

Anna wished she had a sibling. Preferably a sister, maybe a younger one. One that she could guide around and teach right from wrong. Although, sometimes, when she was being tutored, she wished she had an older one. One similar to Kay, because then she'd be babied and spoiled, and she'd have someone to give her advice whenever she needed it.

These days she didn't need to go to tutoring as often. It saddened her a bit, because if her teacher didn't assign it then the older girl didn't stay in the library. Or, if she did, it was to do homework or other stupid senior stuff that Anna could care less about.

It was Monday after school, she usually walked home with a group of her friends, or Dani and Kay walked her home. So she skipped off to the library before meeting up with her walking group, and frowned sadly when she realized no one she wanted to see was there.

SEVENTEEN

Dem hated studying. He hated with a raw passion. Yet here he was, doing just that at his best friend's house. He was planning on spending the night as well, which really wasn't that big of a deal since they had been friends almost their entire lives. To them, that was an extremely long time.

They had just finished their Russian flashcards when his friend leaned forward and kissed him. It was unexpected. Sure, the other boy had given him a hand job a few months back; it wasn't as if either of them had mentioned it again. But this kiss…it was soft, it almost seemed as if it were afraid of rejection.

His dark eyes closed tightly as he kissed back. They were supposed to be studying, and if his friend's mom walked in then they'd be in so much trouble. And this wasn't what Dem had planned for his life. He had wanted a cute girlfriend, with soft curves and a shy giggle. Yet something about his friend made thoughts of a girl be pushed to the back of his mind.

This was real, and exciting and new. And if he were to ever regret his actions in the future, in the present he wouldn't change what was going on between them for anything in the world.

EIGHTEEN

Greg wasn't sure when everyone started calling her "Greg" her name was Jael for Christ Sake! Not that she bothered to correct anyone. She never saw the point of talking too much to the regular crowd that got together in the library after school. They were a mixture of kids, and a little too odd for her at times. Whenever she did speak up, everyone else just stared at her with mock amazement, and it caused her cheeks to burn in a fierce blush of embarrassment.

"Greg" wasn't really a bad name; she had grown rather fond of it actually. It had been three years since anyone had called her otherwise. In retrospect, perhaps it was a little late in requesting everyone use her birth name.

Shyly, she placed her books down next to Anna, smiling kindly at the younger girl as the fifth grader told this grand story about her walking through the woods near her house, and supposedly seeing real life fae.

Running her hand through her blond hair, she could only nod. Who was she to argue that fae were real or not?

NINETEEN

"I can't believe you." Dani had been repeating the same sentence at least thirty times already since Kay had showed up at her house suddenly that Saturday morning and demand the older teenager go with her to the pharmacy to buy a pregnancy test.

They had ended up walking over to the Super Walmart and using the woman's restroom for the test, neither of them wanting to risk having it found out in their homes.

"Shut up." Was Kay's response once more as she came out of the toilet stall, test in hand. She placed it on the sink's countertop and washed her hands. "It needs a minute or so." She let out a nervous breath.

"How stupid could you be? Without a condom? It only takes one time you know?" Dani pinched the bridge of her nose, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Shut up." The other repeated.

A minute seemed to drag by, it was awful, Kay resisted the urge to yank out her hair, and Dani watched the test intensely.

It came out negative, and both girls sighed in relief.

"I was so scared."

"No shit."

They looked at each other giggled away their nerves as they left the Super Walmart and headed to a bus stop, to do something normal girls their ages did—spend their hard earned money at one of the many malls in their area.

TWENTY

"Exams are coming up," Greg stated calmly. At her library table with Dem and Shandi, studying for their next history test.

"Don't remind me." Shandi rolled her eyes.

Dem could only nod in agreement. Any type of test made him nervous. "Why are you bringing this up anyways?"

"Well, then it's summer, and the seniors will graduate and go away." Her eyes shifted over to Dani, "Then we'll be a year ahead."

"And a step closer to getting out of here like those lucky seniors." Shandi grinned.

Once again Dem nodded, looking back down at his notes. He couldn't wait until the summer hit.

XIVZ: I hope you know I was pretty much pressured into writing this by you. Yes, you, you know who you are.

Un-beta'd, but please review.