Dylan Kinsella.

Short shaggy black hair, broad shoulders and a subtle muscular build.

She doesn't remember how the crush started but she's had a crush on him since the beginning of middle school.

Being a senior now, she isn't proud of long-term her crush.

He's hot and she's not, at least not exactly hot like him. She's average at most.

He's the school's soccer team's star forward, the shooting guard for the basketball team and an all round nice guy.

She's the school's yearbook photographer, the girl who plays tennis and one of the shy girls.

He's the one all girls want to 'open up' because of his insanely quiet personality and his tendency of shying away from girls.

She's ashamed of wanting to be that one who opens him up and she likes to think that she knew and liked him before all those other girls started to, but she knows it's not going to happen with all the pretty girls around him. She does have one advantage: her adopted brother, Ethan, being one of his closer friends.

"Still into him this year, Miss Emily Hart?"

She lets out a squeak and almost falls off the cafeteria bench as one of best friends leans over her shoulders and whispers into her ears. "Maya Breeland, you scared me to death."

"This is why, instead of blatantly daydreaming about him, you should have been replying to my text messages." Maya grins, unrepentant of her actions and plops down into the seat directly in front of her. "Why are you here so early? It's the first day of school, no one should be at school at this time."

"I'm here because my dad drives me before he goes to work, which you already know." She laughs at her friend as she dumps her bag onto the empty seat next to her and drops her head onto one of her arms.

"Where's your older bro then?"

She lifts her chin in the general direction of the gym, "Basketball practice." She then turns to her friend. "Why are you here this early?"

"My mom thought that it'd be a good idea that I carpool with Mrs. Henderson every morning for school now, hence the waking up at such an unlawful time." She takes a bite of the brownie in her hand before grabbing the hood of her uniform jacket and pulling it over her head.

She shakes her head at her friends antics just as someone else slips into the seat next to hers.

It's Sharla, another from her group of friends.

"Good morning," Sharla says softly, always the gentle lamb in their group. "The school bus is running earlier this year."

She nods her head understandingly as they begin to catch up with each other over the things that happened over the summer.

Soon the table fills out with the rest of her friends and a few other in her grade.

She quickly goes over her pre-arranged schedule with Sharla and a few others, making sure she wasn't alone in a single class.

The bells rings and they all head upstairs to their lockers, no one looking forward to the beginning of the school year.

She heads towards advisory with Sharla and Maya, already knowing who'd be awaiting them as 10 of them has been together since the start of high school, bonding over their completely clueless and slightly hard of hearing but warm-hearted advisory teacher.

Leo greets her and her friends with a grin and a pat of the head as they enter the classroom.

She looks up and just in time and catches Dylan's eye. She blinks and quickly looks away before a blush can bloom on her cheeks.

She sits herself down in one of the 4-seater tables, Maya and Sharla following suit. She doesn't miss the look Leo gives Sharla and grins.

The poor guy has been half in love with Sharla since the beginning of high school, but being the dense and shy girl she of is, she has no clue.

She gives him a sly smile when he sits down across from Sharla just as Mrs. Wilson gets up to stand in front of the class.

Just as Mrs. Wilson opens her mouth to begin yet another beginning of the year speech, probably similar to the one she's used for the last 3 years, Hudson flies in through the door.

"I'm here! I'm not late!" He's all messy hair, unbuttoned uniform and half-eaten toast dangling from his mouth.

Mrs. Wilson gives him a smile as Hudson is quite obviously one her favorites.

He pulls a chair from one of the empty tables and sets it right next to hers.

Mrs. Wilson finishes her beginning of the year speech, which was almost the exact replica of last year's speech just changed of juniors to seniors and gives them the remaining 30 minutes to do whatever they liked, whether it be sleeping or chatting, as long as they weren't on their phones.

Hudson grins at her and it's easily known why he's probably every teacher's favorite, with his puppy-like smile and big, wide eyes.

She shakes her head at him before taking out the comb from her bag and running it through his messy brown hair.

Just as she's reaching to button his shirt, like she's been doing for the past year, Dylan comes over.

"What happened to you?" He asks, planting himself on the edge of her table.

She's too shy to look up at him so she just keeps herself busy and helps Hudson rebutton his shirt.

"I slept through my alarm and ran to school and probably would have slept through the entire day if not for my wifey calling me this morning." He rubs head against her shoulder.

Dylan laughs and slaps him on the back. "At least do up your own buttons."

She ignores the tiny pinprick of hope that is dying to blossom through her chest and drops her hands from Hudson's shirt.

"Emily, did Eth bring my jersey?" He was one of the few that still called her by her full name.

She nods and quickly pull out the neatly folded jersey from her bag.

"Thanks." He opens his mouth as to say something more but quickly turns away when Brittany calls him. With that he goes back to talking to his friends and Brittany, the only other girl besides her and her friends, in their tiny advisory class.

It's not that she doesn't like Brittany, she, although, would sometimes say harsh words, was generally a nice person, it was just that she flirted a bit too much and seemed a bit too fake.

She could feel her heart beating a bit too quickly from just talking to him.

She shakes her head to clear her thoughts, there was no way she'd turn into a puddle of goo just because he smiled at her.