Olympia, Washington, August 2003. Adrianna (Andie for short) Galestone had just recently moved to Portland. She stood on the porch of her home in the uptown parts, her golden brown eyes scanning her surroundings. Her parents, very well respected lawyers, had been transferred from Denver, Colorado to their law firm's main office in Olympia. The idea of starting in a new school had been awkward for her, at first, like it always is. And it's even more intimidating at the age of eleven than it is when you're older. The school groups are already firmly established, and it's almost impossible to be included into one. She'd tried to console herself by telling herself that she probably wasn't the only one just moving into town, and that at least it had been before the start of school. She shuddered to think what would have happened if it had been later. Her parents had both said the same most parents do when she'd expressed her doubts. "It'll be great, you'll see!", they would say, or "You'll make new friends in no time!" So all Andie had been able to do was wait and see. And finally, after a week of unpacking boxes and getting books and everything else she needed, the first day of school started. Her mother dropped her off.

"I'll pick you up this afternoon, okay, honey?"

Andie had considered offering to just take the bus, but had decided against it fairly quickly.It was the best way to be ogled at and uncomfortable. And she hated that.

"Okay. Love you, Mom."

"Love you too, honey. See you later."

Andie climbed out and watched her mother drive away with a wave, feeling suddenly very lonely and a little scared. And as if that wasn't awkward enough, everyone was already in groups. There were trees and benches here and there, all invisible under the groups of teens crammed on and around them, chattering noisily about their summer.

This is going to be even worse than I thought... Andie sighed mentally.

The school itself was big without being too intimidating, and the green patches soften the general area. Andie thought she could even possibly like it here... as long as she wasn't forced to be all alone all the time. She heard excited squeals beside her. Glancing around, she saw a small group of older girls, probably about fourteen years old, reuniting euphorically. Andie couldn't help feeling a twinge of envy. She didn't have anyone to greet her like that. The bell rang, so Andie readjusted her backpack and made her way towards the entrance. She found a little comfort in the knowledge that there were a lot of other new students who seemed just as nervous as her. They were sorted into their classes and led off to a classroom with one of their teachers where they were asked for their name and given their textbooks. But all the while, Andie felt that she stuck out like a sore thumb because everyone in her class had at least one or two people they already knew. She didn't. In the two weeks since they'd moved to Olympia, her family had been too busy settling in and getting ready for school and work.

And then, she had met Jessica and Emily. It had happened about three days after she'd started school in Olympia Middle School. Andie had been sitting by a tree reading, while Emily and Jessica, whom she didn't know yet, were sitting a few feet away, talking animatedly. Andie hadn't been able to help it. She'd glanced up at them occasionally. Not to eavesdrop, that wasn't her type. No, she was just thinking how nice it had to be to have a friend like that. She'd heaved a small sigh and gone back to her book. Just then, she'd felt someone looking at her. She'd glanced up and almost had a heart attack. Jessica was looking at her book.

"So you like fiction?" she said.

Andie had been reading the latest novel of her favorite author. She took in this odd, outspoken girl with dark hair and startling pale blue eyes.

"Yes..." Andie said. "I take it you do too?"

"Oh, yeah. But I prefer movies, myself. I hardly ever read."

She straightened up and held out her hand.

"Jessica Leighton. You're new around here, aren't you?"

"Andie Galestone." Andie answered, smiling. "Is it that obvious?"

"Kind of. I have a keen sense of observation." Jessica said.

She looked round at her friend, a pretty red haired girl who gave Andie a smile when she looked too.

"Why don't you come sit with us?"

".... Okay."

She got to her feet and followed her.

"So, like I said, I'm Jessica," the dark haired girl said. "And this is Emily. Em, this is... I'm sorry, Andie, was it?"

"That's me."

"Nice to meet you," Emily said, holding out her hand.

Andie, who wasn't much used to people being so friendly, said:

"Uh... yeah, it's nice to meet you too. So, you guys look like you've been friends forever."

"Yeah. It's funny, really, when we were small, we couldn't stand each other, for some reason, and then, one day, Emily just came up to me and said... oh, what was it again?"

Emily giggled.

"I said, "I'm all on my own, and so are you. So, why don't we be all alone together?"

"Yes, that's right," Jessica replied. "and I was so surprised you'd even spoken to me because I was kind of mean to you, wasn't I?"

"You used to laugh about my hair," Emily laughed.

"Yes! You always had those cute little pigtails and I was so jealous because I couldn't do that."

"Why didn't you ask your mom?"

"Partly out of pride. I didn't want Em to see I liked something about her, and also because my hair was never long enough to make decent braids."

"Yeah, I can relate," Andie said, glancing at her own short blond hair. "I can never get mine to grow."

"You're hair's cute as it is," Emily said.

"Thanks," Andie said, surprised but smiling. "But I'd still like a little more length by the time I graduate. Imagine what I'd look like if my cap covered it all! Brr!"

Emily and Jessica laughed.

The rest of Andie's day was a lot more enjoyable than it had been to begin with. she met up with the girls at lunchtime and they talked some more. Jessica was, as Andie had first thought, very outgoing and quirky. Emily was just as friendly, though definitely calmer.

"So what brings you to Olympia, where were you before? Are you moving for good or just temporarily?"

"Easy on the interrogation, detective Jessica," Emily laughed. "Give her time to answer one before pelting fifty more at her! Okay, slight exaggeration, but once you're started, you could go on all day! You're not a thirteen year old girl, you're a thirteen year old hurricane!"

The girls laughed.

"Oops. Sorry, she's right, I do tend to do that..." Jessica told Andie with a half-apologetic, half-impish grin.

"That's okay." Andie smiled. "I moved to Olympia because my parents got transferred to their law firm's branch here. I lived in Denver until a few weeks ago. And since my parents were practically begged to come, I think I'm probably staying for a while," she finished with a smile.

"Your parents are both lawyers, then?" Emily asked curiously.

Andie nodded as she bit into her sandwich. She swallowed her mouthful and said:

"Yes, that's how they met. They were both in the same law school."

"Ooh, that's so romantic!" Emily squealed excitedly. "Was it love at first sight, like in the movies?"

Andie laughed.

"No, in fact they didn't like each other much at first," she told Emily. "Then, eventually they warmed up to each other and married after getting their degree. Then, a couple of years later, I came along. What about you?"

"My dad's a florist, and my mother's got her own restaurant," Jessica said proudly. "It's really good and quite popular. You'll have to come round, sometime."

"Yeah, I might."

Jessica pulled a piece of paper from her notepad and wrote down a name and address.

"There, you'll find it easily with a map."

"Thanks." Andie said, glancing at the card and putting it in her pocket. "What about you, Emily?"

"My mom works with her dad, which is how we ended up meeting," Emily said. "And my dad teaches History at the university."

They went on talking about this and that, and eventually the bell rang.

Andie saw her mother's car waiting in the parking lot when she walked out of school with Emily and Jessica that afternoon. It wasn't easy, given the hurried agitation to leave school and get home or catch the bus.

"Is that your mom?" Jessica asked when Andie waved.

"Yeah, that's her." she said.

"What car is that?" Emily asked, impressed.

"Uh... I don't know. I'm not much into cars," Andie said, suddenly uncomfortable.

She actually knew it was a top of the line Mercedes, gift from her father, but she had never been one to brag about what she had. And she especially didn't want her friends feeling uneasy around her because they weren't as wealthy.

"I had better go, my sister's nanny will be waiting. I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Yeah, see you!" Emily smiled waving as Andie hurried away.

Andie crossed the parking lot and clambered into the car.

"Hey, mom!"

"Hi, sweetheart. How was your day?" Lauren asked as Andie put her bag at her feet.

"It was fine. I made two friends, today." Andie answered.

Lauren smiled, though she didn't look surprised.

"See, I told you it would happen in no time. Was it those two girls you were waving at?"

"That's it. Jessica and Emily."

Lauren started up the car.

"You'll have to ask them over, one of these days."

"Can I?" Andie asked excitedly.

"Of course, so long as your father or myself is there too."

"Cool! Thanks, mom!"

Lauren chuckled.

"Let's go get your sister."

Lauren had indeed given birth to Hannah three years before the move. When she'd asked whether they'd worried about her being jealous, they'd said they hadn't been, because she'd often said she would like a sister. Andie couldn't really remember that, but was glad. She had felt a little left out at first when Hannah had been born, because her parents had to take care of her almost all the time, and being woken up several times a night by Hannah's crying hadn't been much fun either, but she couldn't begrudge her for that. She knew no other way of expressing herself. And she was a baby, she couldn't take care of herself. And now, she loved her sister. She still annoyed her sometimes, like that time she'd drawn on her favorite book or munched on her homework after she'd spent an entire hour over it, but she still cared about her.

After that, Andie, Emily and Jessica kept getting along better and better, despite being quite different from one another. Jessica was feisty, boisterous and didn't hesitate to give people pieces of her mind. Emily was a lot quieter in public, but with her friends, she was always excellent at making them laugh until their stomach hurt. And Andie, who was neither really like Jessica nor like Emily, sometimes wondered where she fit in, but never felt left out. And by the time they had reached the end of the year they were best friends. But even now, nearly six years later, in her junior year in high school, Andie still realized she didn't have the same complicity Emily and Jessica had. So sometimes, she pretended to have something to do so they had some time just the two of them.

"Are you sure you can't come?" Jessica asked.

It was a week into the school year.

"Yes, I'm sure. I have to watch my sister," Andie said, which for once, was the truth. "It's my parents' anniversary, they're going out tonight."

"Okay. But rain check?"

"Yeah, sure." Andie said.

"Okay... see you tomorrow, then."

"Bye, guys, have fun."

Andie watched them go, sighing slightly. She didn't like keeping herself out, but she was convinced that Emily and Jessica needed some moments just to themselves, and they would feel bad if they asked for it themselves. But Andie had to admit she would have liked them to notice and say something about it... maybe they were not sure how to... after all, they hadn't known each other that long. She turned and walked towards her locker to get the book she was reading for class, so she could continue at home in her room, with her favorite music in the background. She entered her code, found her book and was about to make her way to her car when she heard the sound of falling objects and a rude "hey, watch where you're going!" that made Andie look around. One of the boys on the football team (they were never very courteous), Jason Bundler, had bumped into a blond girl and she had dropped the books she was carrying, and was now bending down to pick them up. Glaring at the football player's back, she crossed the hall and crouched down to help.

"Here," she said, handing her three of the fallen books. "You okay?"

The girl nodded, looking at her books, and spun around before hurrying off. Andie stood there, slightly taken aback. She had probably felt embarrassed, she thought to herself. She sighed and left the building.

Andie didn't see the blonde girl again until the following afternoon. She turned out to be in her biology class, the only one Emily and Jessica weren't in with her. Being the new girl, she was often alone at her table. Isabelle arrived last, hurrying in just as the bell rang.

"Just in time, Miss Woodland, mind the clock next time, hm?"

"Y-yes, Mr. Gordon."

"Good. Please, take your seat, Isabelle."

Isabelle nodded hurriedly and sat down. She was rather pink in the face. Probably because she had been singled out like that. Andie tried to give her and encouraging smile but she didn't see it as Mr. Gordon began his class. She did notice, however, that Isabelle was less nervous in class. She was buried in her books and didn't talk, even when she clearly knew an answer, but was clearly concentrating on the lesson, probably more than the whole class combined. She raised her hand at least twenty times during the lesson, if not more. Andie had lost count after the tenth. But she did notice several girls looking unpleasantly at her. And of course, they never raised their hand, admiring their nails or playing on their cell phones under the table.

"Can anyone remind me what photosynthesis is?" Mr Gordon.

The blond girl's hand went up, as well as one of the girls in the back.

"Ah, Miss Simons. What d'you think?"

"A photo contest?" she asked with a serk before giggling with her friends.

Mr Gordon didn't find it very amusing.

"I can see why you would think that, but no. Miss Woodland?"

"It's when plants use the light to convert it into energy."

"Yes, good answer. Now, if you'll turn to page thirty three..."

And so the class went on. When the bell rang at the end of class, Andie gathered her things like everyone else, and went for the door when there was an outburst from the back.

"Hey, watch it!"

"S... Sorry, I... I didn't see you."

"Well, I don't care, you bumped into me:"

"Hey!" Andie said, stepping forward. "She apologized. Let it go."

"Who are you, Mother Teresa?"

"No, I'm someone who would love to kick your ass. But you're just not worth it."

And she took the blond girl by the arm and they left the room as the class laughed.

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You have met the Fateful Five! Which is your fave? Why? Comment their name and vote for them!

Will their friendship be enough for what's to come? And just what is to come? Let's find out in the next part!